Cardiovascular System

Lack of Vitamin D Linked to CVD Biomarkers, Inflammation

Marlene Busko February 27, 2014 COLERAINE, UK — Older, healthy individuals who were deficient in 25-hydroxy vitamin D (vitamin D) tended to have higher levels of biomarkers linked with CVD and inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, in an observational study[1]. More specifically, individuals who had a vitamin-D deficiency had significantly higher […]

Weight Loss Improves Iron Status and Inflammatory Markers in Obese Children

Weight Loss, Inflammation, and Iron Status in Overweight and Obese Children J Pediatr 2014 Feb 08;[EPub Ahead of Print], L Gong, F Yuan, J Teng, X Li, S Zheng, L Lin, H Deng, G Ma, C Sun, Y Li Research · February 25, 2014  Full Story Journal Reference TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Results of this study looking at iron […]

Review of CAM Treatment of Arrhythmias

Complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies are commonly used by patients for the treatment of medical conditions spanning the full spectrum of severity and chronicity. This study reviews 9 CAM therapies: 7 individual herbal therapies along with acupuncture and yoga that have been studied and reported as having an antiarrhythmic effect. The primary focuses are […]

Effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on cancer incidence, non-vascular death, and total mortality

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials BMC Public Health Zhang YF, et al. – Omega–3 fatty acids are known to prevent cardiac death. However, previous observational studies have suggested that omega–3 fatty acids are associated with cancer risk in adults. The authors conducted a meta–analysis based on randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effect of […]

Poor Glucose Control a Stroke Risk for Women

by Todd Neale Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today February 25, 2014 Poor control of blood glucose may place women — but not men — with type 2 diabetesat risk for stroke, a prospective study suggested. Every 1% increase in HbA1c at baseline among women was associated with a relative 5% increase in the risk of […]

Diet and the Intestinal Microbiome: Implications for Health

Gastroenterology 2014 Feb 03;[EPub Ahead of Print], LG Albenberg, GD Wu Review · February 24, 2014 Full Story Journal Reference TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The influence of diet on the structure and metabolism of the intestinal microbiota is reviewed. Differences in diet, even short-term changes, can result in significant changes in the microbiota, and metabolic products from the […]

Effects of Intensive Whole-Body Vibration Training on Muscle Strength and Balance in Adults With Chronic Stroke

A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study Ekaterina Tankisheva, MD Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Volume 95, Issue 3 , Pages 439-446, March 2014 Abstract Objectives To investigate the effects of a 6-week whole body vibration (WBV) training program in patients with chronic stroke. Design Randomized controlled pilot trial with 6 weeks’ follow-up. Setting University hospital. […]

New Study Presents Evidence that Blood Pressure Should Be Measured in Both Arms

Difference in interarm blood pressure linked to greater risk of future cardiovascular events, reports The American Journal of Medicine Philadelphia, PA, February 25, 2014 As heart disease continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States, practitioners and patients alike are looking for ways to cut risk factors and identify […]

BP May Be Lower Without Meat in the Diet

Published: Feb 24, 2014 By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Vegetarians had lower blood pressure than their omnivorous counterparts, a meta-analysis showed. Blood pressure was an average of 4.8/2.2 mm Hg lower among vegetarians in controlled trials and 6.9/4.7 mm Hg lower in cross-sectional studies (P<0.001 for all differences), according to Yoko Yokoyama, […]

Mediterranean Diet Associated With Lower Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease

Commentary February 19, 2014 Peter Libby MD Full Story Observational studies have long associated a food pattern that has come to be called the “Mediterranean diet” with reduced cardiovascular disease. In pioneering work, the late Ancel Keys in the Seven Countries Study documented a gradient in cardiovascular risk from south to north in Europe and […]

Ketogenic Diet for Obesity: Friend or Foe?

Int J Environ Res Public Health. Feb 2014; 11(2): 2092–2107. Published online Feb 19, 2014. doi: 10.3390/ijerph110202092 Abstract Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions and is a strong risk factor for a number of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and also certain types of cancers. Despite the constant recommendations […]

Menopause and Hormone Therapy: A Possible Role in Women’s Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

By Carole Alison Chrvala, PhD Reviewed by Philip Green, MD, Assistant in Clinical Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, NY Full Story Take Note A modest, statistically significant increase in the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) was evident for women who had previously undergone hysterectomy and were treated with estrogen […]

Review of Vaccine Induced Immune Overload and the Resulting Epidemics of Type 1 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Review of Vaccine Induced Immune Overload and the Resulting Epidemics of Type 1 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, Emphasis on Explaining the Recent Accelerations in the Risk of Prediabetes and other Immune Mediated Diseases Barthelow Classen J Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine Citation: Classen JB (2014) Review of Vaccine Induced Immune Overload and the Resulting […]

Complementary and Alternative Approaches Relieve the Burden of Atrial Fibrillation

By Mark L. Fuerst Reviewed by Philip Green, MD, Assistant in Clinical Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York Full Story Take Note The regular practice of yoga improves symptoms, arrhythmia burden, heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety and depression scores, and several domains of quality of life among patients […]

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Is There a Relationship?

By Carole Alison Chrvala, PhD Reviewed by Philip Green, MD, Assistant in Clinical Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, NY Take Note Results from case-control studies suggest that nonselective NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, with the highest risk evident for new and […]

Effect of Vitamin D on Skeletal, Vascular, or Cancer Outcomes

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2014 Jan 24;[EPub Ahead of Print], MJ Bolland, A Grey, GD Gamble, IR Reid Research · February 17, 2014 Full Story Journal Reference   TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Results of this large systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that vitamin D supplementation does not reduce incidence of any of the following diseases by more than 15% […]

Removing Ovaries Puts Bones and Carotids at Risk

02.14.2014 by Salynn Boyles Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Oophorectomy prior to menopause was associated with a greater risk for carotid artery thickening and bone loss more than a decade post menopause, researchers found. After excluding women who used estrogen or bisphosphonates, women without their ovaries showed a larger rate of bone mineral density decline in […]

Serum total cholesterol concentration and 10-year mortality in an 85-year-old population – Full Text Article

Clin Interv Aging. 2014; 9: 293–300. Published online 2014 Feb 13. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S53754 PMCID: PMC3928456 PMID: 24611005 Yutaka Takata Abstract Little is known about the association between total cholesterol (TC) and all-cause mortality in the elderly (especially the very elderly). Here we examined the association between TC and all-cause mortality in 207 very elderly (85-year-old) […]

The Vertebral Artery

By ChiroTrust.org on February 13, 2014 Full Story   The brain is supplied by blood from two arterial sources: the paired internal carotid arteries and the paired vertebral arteries. The blood supply to brain from the carotid arteries is referred to as the anterior circulation to the brain. The blood supply to brain from the […]

Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk From Hormone Therapy

Published: Feb 13, 2014 | Updated: Feb 13, 2014 By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Moderate physical activity confers a […]