http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Intensive medical therapy, including aggressive control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, for patients with asymptomatic plaque buildup in their carotid arteries (which supply blood to the brain) appears to be associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular events and reduced risk of microemboli (microscopic-sized blood clots) in the brain arteries, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the February 2010 print issue of Archives of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news180084355.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:01 EST news180084355 The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) has received a lot of attention because of its connection with coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, but now it appears as if it may have a beneficial influence in degenerative brain diseases. New research, published by Cell Press in the December 10th issue of the journal Neuron, links LDLR with a reduction in brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and suggests a new therapeutic strategy for this incurable disease. http://www.physorg.com/news179590178.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:10:04 EST news179590178 Results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) reveal that one in five patients with narrowing or blockage in arteries that supply blood to the legs and other parts of the body also have significant but silent coronary artery disease. http://www.physorg.com/news178868147.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:40:02 EST news178868147 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have identified the trigger that leads to the arteries becoming damaged in the disease atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks and strokes, in research published today in the journal Circulation. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, say their findings suggest that the condition could potentially be treated by blocking the molecule that triggers the damage. The research also suggests that bacteria may be playing a part in the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news178820606.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:50:06 EST news178820606 Hardening of the arteries has been detected in Egyptian mummies, some as old as 3,500 years, suggesting that the factors causing heart attack and stroke are not only modern ones; they afflicted ancient people, too. http://www.physorg.com/news177694227.html Other Sciences Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:40:03 EST news177694227 (PhysOrg.com) -- University of Queensland PhD candidate and nutritionist Christine Houghton is set to investigate whether broccoli could help in the fight against diabetes. http://www.physorg.com/news172499764.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:40:04 EST news172499764 Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, post-operative stroke occurred in approximately 2 percent, was not correlated with significant carotid artery narrowing, but was more common among patients who had combined cardiac and carotid procedures, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news172166381.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:10:03 EST news172166381 In middle-aged women, visceral fat, more commonly called belly fat, is known to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but what causes visceral fat to accumulate? http://www.physorg.com/news169995431.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:10:03 EST news169995431 Heart disease patients with previous atherosclerosis (fat deposits in the walls of the arteries) are more likely to die in the hospital and less likely to be treated with recommended therapies, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. http://www.physorg.com/news168540891.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:40:01 EST news168540891 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new chemical imaging technique could one day help in the fight against atherosclerosis, suggests research published in the August 2009 edition of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. http://www.physorg.com/news168254200.html Chemistry Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:30:02 EST news168254200 Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, have come a step closer to understanding how cholesterol levels are regulated. In a study published today in the journal Cell Metabolism, the researchers identified 20 genes that are involved in this process. Besides giving scientists a better idea of where to look to uncover the mechanisms that ensure cholesterol balance is maintained, the discovery could lead to new treatments for cholesterol-related diseases. http://www.physorg.com/news166191890.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:25:21 EST news166191890 Knockout of myostatin, a growth factor that limits muscle growth, can decrease body fat and promote resistance against developing atherosclerosis, or "hardening" of the arteries, according to a new study conducted in mice. http://www.physorg.com/news163938406.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:27:27 EST news163938406 Scientists and engineers at UC Santa Barbara and other researchers have developed a nanoparticle that can attack plaque -- a major cause of cardiovascular disease. The new development is described in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.physorg.com/news163347408.html Nanotechnology Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:18:08 EST news163347408 Removing a single protein prevents early damage in blood vessels from triggering a later-stage, frequently lethal complication of atherosclerosis, according to research published online today in the journal Nature Medicine. By eliminating the gene for a signaling protein called cyclophilin A (CypA) from a strain of mice, researchers were able to provide complete protection against abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). http://www.physorg.com/news161183060.html Medicine & Health Sun, 10 May 2009 14:04:59 EST news161183060 Compared to placebo, the drug pactimibe did not effect certain measures of atherosclerosis for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels), but these patients did have an increased incidence of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, according to a study in the March 18 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news156531174.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:53:39 EST news156531174 The viscosity, or 'gloopiness', of different parts of cancer cells increases dramatically when they are blasted with light-activated cancer drugs, according to new images that provide fundamental insights into how cancer cells die, published in Nature Chemistry today. http://www.physorg.com/news156348853.html Chemistry Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:15:01 EST news156348853 (PhysOrg.com) -- Like skin that loses elasticity, blood vessels lose their pliability and stiffen with age. In more than half of the U.S. population over 65, this stiffening of the blood vessels is accompanied by a buildup of plaque inside arterial walls -- atherosclerosis -- which can lead to blood vessel obstruction, increased stress on the heart and the risk of a heart attack. http://www.physorg.com/news154891260.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:23:52 EST news154891260 Researchers at Purdue University have developed a technique using spun-sugar filaments to create a scaffold of tiny synthetic tubes that might serve as conduits to regenerate nerves severed in accidents or blood vessels damaged by disease. http://www.physorg.com/news154881405.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:37:19 EST news154881405 A study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that high-fat diets, even if consumed for a short amount of time, can inflame fat tissue surrounding blood vessels, possibly contributing to cardiovascular disease. http://www.physorg.com/news154190358.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:40:04 EST news154190358 An evaluation of 203 women as part of the multifaceted Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study (LAAS) found that those who transitioned more quickly through menopause were at increased risk for a higher rate of progression of "preclinical atherosclerosis" - narrowing of arteries caused by the thickening of their walls. http://www.physorg.com/news152294306.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:59:18 EST news152294306 Current research suggests that inflammation increases the risk of plaque rupture in atherosclerosis. The related report by Ovchinnikova et al, "T cell activation leads to reduced collagen maturation in atherosclerotic plaques of ApoE-deficient- mice," appears in the February 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://www.physorg.com/news151829449.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:51:52 EST news151829449 Introduced in the 1960s, oral contraceptives have been used by about 80 percent of women in the United States at some point in their lives. For women without pre-existing risks for heart disease, the early formulations were generally safe, and the newer ones appear to be even safer, but all the risks and benefits are yet to be established, especially as women's lifestyles change and new forms of contraceptives become available, according to specialists in women's heart disease at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. http://www.physorg.com/news151151902.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:38:22 EST news151151902 Atherosclerosis - a disease that includes the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-laden lumps of cells inside the artery wall - is the underlying cause of heart attacks and strokes. http://www.physorg.com/news148571589.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:53:09 EST news148571589 Sometimes it's hard to tell friends from foes, biologically speaking. Naturally produced in the body, urokinase plasminogen activator and plasminogen interact to break up blood clots and recruit clean-up cells to clear away debris related to inflammation. In fact, urokinase manufactured as a drug effectively clears clogged arteries by generating clot-busting plasmin from blood-derived plasminogen. http://www.physorg.com/news144594670.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:11:10 EST news144594670 Aspirin has become one of the most widely used medications in the world, owing to its ability to reduce pain, fevers, inflammation, and blood clotting. In animal studies, aspirin has also been shown to prevent atherosclerosis, though none of its known mechanisms of action would seem to account for this. In a new study, though, researchers have uncovered the mechanism that may explain aspirin's ability to prevent arterial plaque buildup. http://www.physorg.com/news141315102.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:11:42 EST news141315102 A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that objectively measured heavy snoring is an independent risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis, which may progress to be associated with stroke. http://www.physorg.com/news139457674.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:14:34 EST news139457674 Antiretroviral drugs for HIV do not increase the risk for coronary atherosclerosis, a central risk factor for heart disease, according to a study led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to be published in the Aug. 8 issue of the journal AIDS and available online today. The results further suggest that antiretroviral therapy may offer men with HIV some protection against atherosclerosis - hardening of the arteries, caused in part by high levels of cholesterol, smoking and other lifestyle factors. http://www.physorg.com/news137078007.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:13:27 EST news137078007 Low levels of naturally occurring antibodies may represent an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke in men. This discovery, published in the academic journal Atherosclerosis, has now led to attempts to develop an immunization against cardiovascular disease. http://www.physorg.com/news136715913.html Medicine & Health Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:38:33 EST news136715913