Cardiology

Researchers in Australia recently reported that the immune signaling protein NLRP1 plays a key role in metabolism by activating fat-burning processes when the body's energy intake is too high.

There are approximately 500,000 new cases of heart disease every year, and with heart failure being a potential complication in many of those cases, effective therapies are necessary.

Hyperkalemia can be fatal and there is a serious need to provide improved treatment options.

When blood pressure remains high despite the use of three antihypertensive agents, a resistant hypertension diagnosis can be made. Well-known treatments are available, but novel approaches are showing promise.

Study results show asthma severity can be controlled with weight loss in obese patients.

At the 2015 Cardiometabolic Health Congress, Christie M. Ballantyne, MD, moderated a panel discussion focusing on current cholesterol guidelines and several changes that may be coming soon.

Lipid resuscitation therapy was identified in 1998 as an effective treatment for local anesthetic systemic toxicity. Since then, researchers have developed a better understanding of the risk factors involved and the manner in which lipids work, using both dynamic scavenging and direct cardiotonic effects.

Elevated levels of triglycerides have been proven time and time again to be linked to cardiovascular disease. While it can be a challenging condition to control, it opens the door for treatments.

It wasn't long ago that researchers first identified a piece of DNA that regulates cholesterol. This gene has been recently developed into a cholesterol-lowering agent and it's time to address where we go from here.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is treated by necessity with insulin analogues in an attempt to mimic normal physiological insulin profiles. Regardless, this approach is rarely completely successful and most T1DM patients experience fluctuating or suboptimal glucose control, significant hypoglycemia and microvascular tissue complications.

Most adults in developed nations struggle with their weight. Ample quantities of high-quality foods (and plenty of sugar- and fat-laden snacks) do more than just nourish us. They allow us to overindulge; in fact, they tend to make people eat mindlessly.

Study results suggest that exposure to secondhand smoke either in the womb or early in childhood also leads to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation later in life.

Study results suggest that gaps in knowledge among primary care physicians are leading to less than optimal treatment for atrial fibrillation patients, many of whom are improperly assessed for stroke and bleeding risks.

The title of the talk was Cardiogastroenterologist: Managing Antiplatelet and Antithrombotic Agents.1 and it was presented by Dr Neena Abraham, professor of medicine, department of gastroenterology and hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Positive hepatitis C infection may increase risk for liver damage as well as future heart problems, according to findings published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis may have reduced myocardial and vascular function.

Researchers continue to look at the age-old question of when to stop treatment with antiplatelet drugs if surgery is necessary. Stopping them too soon increases risk of clotting. Stopping them too late increases risk of excessive blood loss.

Substrate-based ablation (in which all damaged areas of the lower heart muscle are treated) has advantages over ablation of clinical ventricular tachycardia (in which the origin of the abnormal rhythm is pinpointed, then the target tissue is scarred with electrical current). Researchers at Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care report on a study.

Psoriasis patients are susceptible to artery inflammation, increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease.

Study results show patients with atrial fibrillation who stopped taking warfarin before surgery received no benefit from temporary "bridging" with low-molecular-weight heparin. Patients who received no anticoagulation while off warfarin did not experience significantly more thromboembolic events, but they did experience significantly lower fewer incidents of serious bleeding.

Patients who are morbidly obese need a revised dosing protocol when getting vancomycin.

Even in the absence of coronary artery disease, patients with depression appear to experience more frequent chest pain than patients without depression.

The US Food and Drug Administration today approved combining ambrisentan (Letairis/Gilead) with tadalafil to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The "obesity paradox" suggests that patients with excess weight are associated with better survival among individuals with cardiovascular disease -a mysterious and confounding phenomenon that has been demonstrated in many clinical studies.

The International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) Guidance 2015 recently published its evidence-based international consensus guidance. This guideline addresses 5 specific areas of concern in diabetes.

Misconceptions about waterpipe smoke content may lead users to underestimate the health risks, which include all the cardiovascular risks of cigarette smoking, tobacco dependence, and even nicotine withdrawal.

While chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is linked to an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, it is not associated with the likelihood of stroke or systemic embolism.

A recently published article in JAMA Dermatology explored the curious relationship between psoriasis and depression, since psoriasis has been considered a risk factor for depression, and depression a trigger for psoriasis.

As the name suggests sudden cardiac death is a condition that can strike without any warning. Because of this it is important to identify potentially at risk patients so they can get the treatment they need in a timely manner.

An article published in Clinical Interventions in Aging outlined a large hospital's successful quality improvement interventions over 5 years to reduce medication errors in their large population of diabetic patients.