Culture

Vivek Y. Reddy, M.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, and colleagues examined the long-term efficacy and safety, compared to warfarin, of a device to achieve left atrial appendage closure in patients with atrial fibrillation. The study appears in the November 19 issue of JAMA, a cardiovascular disease theme issue.

Lars H. Lund, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues conducted a study to examine whether beta-blockers are associated with reduced mortality in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (a measure of how well the left ventricle of the heart pumps with each contraction).The study appears in the November 19 issue of JAMA, a cardiovascular disease theme issue.

Duk-Woo Park, M.D., of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, and Manesh R. Patel, M.D., of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, N.C., and colleagues investigated the incidence, extent, and location of obstructive non-infarct-related artery (IRA) disease and compared 30-day mortality according to the presence of non-IRA disease in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; a certain pattern on an electrocardiogram following a heart attack). Obstructive non-IRA disease is blockage in arteries not believed to be the cause of a heart attack.

Giulio Conte, M.D., of the Heart Rhythm Management Centre, UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium and colleagues investigated the clinical significance of repeat testing after puberty in asymptomatic children with a family history of Brugada syndrome who had an initial negative test earlier in childhood. Brugada syndrome is a genetic disease that is characterized by abnormal electrocardiogram findings without structural heart disease and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. The study appears in the November 19 issue of JAMA, a cardiovascular disease theme issue.

DURHAM, N.C. - A blocked artery causes a deadly kind of heart attack known as STEMI, and a rapid response to clear the blockage saves lives.

But in more than half of cases studied recently by Duke Medicine researchers, one or both of the patient's other arteries were also obstructed, raising questions about whether and when additional procedures might be undertaken.

A novel registry study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden suggests that beta blockers may benefit also patients suffering from a relatively unknown form of heart failure called HFPEF, which today lacks well-established treatment. HFPEF involves an impaired ability of the heart to fill with blood, and affects nearly 2% of the population. These new findings are being published in the scientific periodical JAMA.

Recent asthma symptoms or asthma that requires daily medication may significantly raise the risk of heart attack, according to two research papers presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014.

"Physicians should do all they can to control every other modifiable cardiovascular risk factor in patients with asthma," said Matthew C. Tattersall, D.O., M.S., study author and an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin.

Young women with stable coronary heart disease are more likely than men to have reduced blood flow to the heart if they're under emotional stress, but not physical stress, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014.

Compared to men of the same age, when subjected to a mental stress test, women:

CHICAGO -- Patients with active asthma -- such as any use of asthma medications, and unscheduled office or emergency visits for asthma -- are at a twofold risk of having a heart attack, according to Mayo Clinic research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014.

CHICAGO - Members of the public in counties with higher median household incomes are more likely to step into action to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, when they witness someone have a cardiac arrest, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, which was presented today at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium 2014.

Boston -- A molecule in the blood shows promise as a marker to predict whether individual rheumatoid arthritis patients are likely to benefit from biologic medications or other drugs should be tried, a Mayo Clinic-led study shows. The protein, analyzed in blood tests, may help avoid trial and error with medications, sparing patients treatment delays and unnecessary side effects and expense. The research is among several Mayo Clinic studies presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Boston.

Philadelphia, PA (November 15, 2014) -- Patients' access to specialized care before kidney failure develops varies significantly across the United States and among different racial groups, according to studies that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11¬-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Philadelphia, PA - November 15, 2014 -- Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:KERX) (the "Company") today announced results from a 48-week Open Label Extension (OLE) safety study in which Ferric Citrate demonstrated long-term safety and efficacy in dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with elevated serum phosphorus levels, or hyperphosphatemia. The OLE findings were presented as a late-breaking poster (Abstract #SA-PO1102) at the 2014 American Society of Nephrology's (ASN) Kidney Week meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

Philadelphia, PA (November 15, 2014) -- Potassium additives are frequently added to sodium-reduced meat products in amounts that may be dangerous for patients with kidney disease, according to a study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11¬-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Philadelphia, PA (November 15, 2014) -- Air pollution may play a role in the development of kidney disease, according to a study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11¬-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.