Long-term survivors of childhood cancer at higher risk of death following heart issues; threshold for treating risk factors should be lower

New research out of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and VCU Health Pauley Heart Center indicates that survivors of childhood cancer are at a significantly higher risk of death following a major cardiovascular event — including heart failure, heart attack or stroke — than the general public.

Doctors discusses recent study about blood pressure and its impacts on heart attacks and strokes

Marc Elieson, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, discusses recent study about blood pressure and its impacts on heart attacks and strokes. What You Need to Know: People with high systolic numbers were found more at risk for heart…

Postpartum heart risk: Tips for young moms who may be unaware of long-term dangers

Young women with healthy hearts may be unaware they face elevated risks of developing heart disorders after becoming pregnant. Even worse, the issue may go undetected for years after giving birth because symptoms may mimic those of pregnancy. Dr. Rina…

New weight loss medication may help lower blood pressure in adults with obesity

DALLAS, Feb. 5, 2024 —The new weight loss medication tirzepatide significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) for nearly 500 adults with obesity who took the medication for about eight months, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

Hispanics Are Being Impacted By Diabetes and Kidney Disease

Paula Duran, MD, at Baylor Scott & White Health, answers the most common patient questions and reacts to the latest medical research impacting the Hispanic population. Why do Hispanics have a high incidence of diabetes and subsequent kidney disease? Is…

High blood pressure in males in late adolescence associated with increased risk of major cardiovascular events later in life

A study of more than one million Swedish men followed for up to 50 years found that higher blood pressure (BP) at age 18 was associated with an increased risk for major cardiovascular events later in life, including heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, and mortality.

MD Anderson Research Highlights for August 30, 2023

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.
Recent developments include a novel computational tool to detect single base pair DNA changes in single-cell sequencing data, a potential target to treat hypertension caused by drugs commonly used in organ transplants, further insights into the steps involved in genetic recombination, a novel treatment target for a subset of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), a combination therapy that improves outcomes in certain patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and a target for treating prolonged cytopenia in patients with relapsed/refractory large B cell lymphoma treated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Cedars-Sinai Experts Available to Discuss Safety, Benefits of Using Medications to Lose Weight

The science is unclear on exactly why an increasingly popular new class of federally approved diabetes and obesity medications work, but they do know that they are effective at helping people lose weight.

Enzyme in T Cells Worsens Salt-sensitive Hypertension and Related Kidney Damage

Article title: Functional NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) in T cells amplifies salt-sensitive hypertension and associated renal damage Authors: Samuel D. Walton, John Henry Dasinger, Emily C. Burns, Mary Cherian-Shaw, Justine M. Abais-Battad, David L. Mattson From the authors: “The results…

Mitochondrial Changes Linked to High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy

A new study provides evidence for the possibility that mitochondrial dysregulation could be a contributing factor in the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The study is published in Physiological Genomics. It was chosen as an APSselect article for July.

Alcohol Use, Even at Low Levels, Increases Risk of Developing Disease

Even low levels of alcohol use can increase the likelihood of developing diseases like cancer and heart disease. A systematic review of studies of the relationship between alcohol use and risk of disease published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research found that disease risk increases as alcohol use increases and high levels of alcohol use have clear detrimental health effects. While lower-level alcohol use can be protective against certain diseases, it can have significant adverse health effects for many other diseases. The authors urge greater awareness that any level of alcohol use can increase a person’s risk of developing serious, even fatal, diseases.

New discoveries about where atherosclerotic plaques rupture can lead to preventive treatments

A common cause of myocardial infarction and stroke is the rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. The exact location of plaque ruptures has previously been unknown, but now researchers at Lund University have mapped this. The research team has also identified an enzyme, a marker, that they hope will help predict who is at risk of having a myocardial infarction or a stroke due to a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque.

Exercise May Prevent Stress-induced Hypertension through Regulation of Brain-bone Marrow Interaction

Article title: Impact of exercise on brain-bone marrow interactions in chronic stress: potential mechanisms preventing stress-induced hypertension Authors: Thu Van Nguyen, Ko Yamanaka, Keisuke Tomita, Jasenka Zubcevic, Sabine S. S. Gouraud,  Hidefumi Waki From the authors: “Our findings provide new…

High blood pressure in your 30s is associated with worse brain health in your 70s

New research from the UC Davis School of Medicine shows high blood pressure in early adulthood is associated with worse brain health in late life — especially for men. The results suggest that treating hypertension in young and middle-aged adults may help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Remote blood pressure management program enhanced care during pandemic

New research has found that a remote hypertension program, operated by Mass General Brigham since 2019, successfully supported patients through the pandemic in achieving their blood pressure goals, with patients who enrolled during the pandemic reaching and maintaining their goal blood pressures an average of two months earlier than in the pre-pandemic period.

Researchers ID Kidney Pathway Involved with Autoimmune-related Hypertension in Female Mice

Article title: Renal TLR-7/ TNF-α pathway as a potential female-specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of autoimmune-induced hypertension Authors: Sarika Chaudhari, Bradley M. D’Souza, Jessica Y. Morales, Cassandra M. Young-Stubbs, Caroline G. Shimoura, Rong Ma, Keisa W. Mathis From the authors:…

Do Former Football Players Age Faster?

New research suggests that former professional football players may face accelerated aging, despite past research showing they have life spans similar or longer than the general population

In the new study, retired football players reported shorter health spans — defined as years free of disease – than men in the general population

Two age-related diseases — arthritis and dementia — were found more commonly among former football players, compared with men of the same age in the general population

Additionally, hypertension and diabetes were more common among younger former players, those ages 25 to 29, compared with same-age men from the general population.

The results warrant further study to define the biochemical, cellular, and physiologic mechanisms behind premature aging in former football players

Ochsner Health Reveals New Findings: Digital Health Pilot Dramatically Improves Outcomes for Medicaid Patients Battling Chronic Diseases, Among First to Do So

The statistically and clinically significant results of the pilot program– one of the first in the country – showed that enrollment in Ochsner Digital Medicine brought nearly half of all out-of-control Hypertension patients under control at only 90 days.

Diet change may make biggest impact on reducing heart risk in people with hypertension

Among several lifestyle changes that may reduce cardiovascular disease, adopting the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet may have the greatest impact for young and middle-aged adults with stage 1 hypertension, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2022, held Sept. 7-10, 2022, in San Diego.

Boosting duration, intensity & frequency of physical activity may lower heart failure risk

A six-year analysis of more than 94,000 adults in the U.K. Biobank with no history of heart failure at enrollment has found that engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity may lower the risk of developing heart failure, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

Journal of Medical Internet Research | Blood Pressure Monitoring, a Digital Tool for Diabetes

JMIR Publications recently published “Blood Pressure Monitoring as a Digital Health Tool for Improving Diabetes Clinical Outcomes: Retrospective Real-world Study” in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), which reported that there is a lack of understanding of the association between blood glucose (BG) and blood pressure (BP) levels when using digital health tools.

Hypertension Elevates Risk for More Severe COVID-19 Illness

Hypertension more than doubles the risk of hospitalization related to Omicron infection, even in people who are fully vaccinated and boosted, according to a new study led by investigators in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. The findings are published in the journal Hypertension.

MD Anderson Research Highlights for July 27, 2022

Clinical advances include treating hematologic cancers with effective targeted therapies, circulating tumor DNA as a biomarker for recurrence with colorectal liver metastases, and using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to guide surgical decisions for patients with lateral pelvic lymph node metastases in rectal cancer. Laboratory findings offer new understanding of the pancreatic cancer immune microenvironment, melanoma cell states, TP53 mutation status in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and potential targets for metastatic prostate cancer and GNAS-mutant colorectal cancer.