BiotechMashup

Ultrasound can be used to determine a patient's heart risk after a transient ischemic attack. An evaluation of transcranial and extracranial Doppler ultrasonography has shown that both future stroke and future cardiovascular ischemic events can be predicted by abnormal findings.

Researchers have described a new mechanism to enhance the restoration of the blood flow in ischemic diseases, which are among the leading causes of death worldwide. The scientists demonstrate that blocking the protein PhD2 in white blood cells accelerates the maturation of blood vessels.

Researchers have discovered a promising new avenue they strongly believe can be further developed to treat hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Among patients who have had an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), type 2 diabetes was associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke or cardiovascular events, but metabolic syndrome was not, according to a new study.

(Cardiovascular Research Foundation) Non-adherence to antiplatelet therapy - which prevents blood clots following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) -- was associated with higher rates of both ischemic and bleeding events at 30 days. Results of the PARIS registry were presented today at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

(Cardiovascular Research Foundation) Results from the PROFI study indicate that the use of a proximal balloon occlusion in carotid artery stenting lead to fewer cerebral ischemic lesions -- a predictor of stroke -- than with the use of a filter. Trial results were presented today at the 23rd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

New research may lead to much-needed cardiovascular disease screening for diabetic patients at risk of ischemic heart disease, a disorder marked by significantly reduced blood flow in the heart. Ischemia of the myocardium, or cardiac muscle, can signal diminished oxygenation of the heart tissue and trigger a heart attack if left untreated.

(Journal of Clinical Investigation) Diseases of the blood vessels and heart, which are known as cardiovascular diseases, are the most common causes of death in the US. The hormone estrogen is thought to have cardiovascular protective effects. However, hormone therapy with estrogen alone increases the risk of uterine cancer. By dissecting the different pathways by which estrogen signals to cells in mice, researchers have now determined that it might be possible to selectively harness the cardiovascular benefits of estrogen.

Pluripotent stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) have the capacity to differentiate into any cell type in the body, including cardiac and vascular cells, which give hope that one day, we can use these cells to replace the death or damaged cells in various diseases. The discovery of novel methods allowing the purification of cardiovascular progenitors during embryonic stem cell differentiation is thus essential before these cells could be used in large scale to treat patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases or for drug discovery.