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174 Health - Heart Disease Resources Adult Stem Cells Implanted By Catheter Rejuvinate Heart After Heart Attack A team of cardiologists at the University Hospital of Navarre, in collaboration with the Area of Cell Therapy at the same centre, and with the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid, have carried out clinical trials (phase II) on 50 patients in order to test the efficacy of adult stem sell transplants (in this case, myoblasts), in the heart of persons who have suffered a myocardial attack. Open Open Tab October 11, 2007 Provides Information AGE-rich foods causes dysfunction linked to heart disease A study in this month's Diabetes Care finds that ingesting food or drink rich in advanced glycation end products (AGEs) causes immediate, short-lived but significant endothelial dysfunction, shedding light on the mechanism by which dietary AGE content can be linked to cardiovascular disease. Open Open Tab September 27, 2007 Provides Information Alcohol's Impact On Heart And Stroke Risk May Differ For Men, Women The volume of alcohol consumption may have a significantly different effect on heart and stroke risk in men and women, according to a study of Japanese people published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Open Open Tab July 13, 2008 Provides Information American women at increased risk of silent coronaries After examining data from government health surveys undertaken in the United States, researchers say more American women are developing a type of artery disease that raises the risk of death from heart disease and stroke. Open Open Tab November 5, 2007 Provides Information Anger and Stress Contribute To Coronary Heart Disease Prehypertensive middle-aged men who have high levels of trait anger -- a tendency to experience anger across a range of situations -- are at increased risk of progressing to hypertension and developing coronary heart disease, according to a secondary analysis of a large population-based study. Open Open Tab October 1, 2007 Provides Information Anticoagulant bivalirudin following angioplasty in heart attack patients reduces adverse events and bleeding Late-breaking data presented at TCT 2007, the scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), show that the use of the anticoagulant bivalirudin following angioplasty in heart attack patients reduces net adverse clinical events by 24 percent compared to the standard treatment, and significantly reduces major bleeding that occurs after angioplasty by 40 percent. Open Open Tab October 25, 2007 Provides Information Anxiety can give older men a heart attack They say heart attacks are not just the domain of hostile and explosive types, but nervous, withdrawn and chronically anxious people also have a higher risk. Open Open Tab January 9, 2008 Provides Information Arthritis Medications Reduce Risk Of Heart Attacks And Strokes Patients prescribed drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis could be at a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study. Open Open Tab March 7, 2008 Provides Information Artichoke Leaf Extract Lowers Cholesterol Researchers at the University of Reading have found that an over-the-counter Artichoke Leaf Extract (ALE) from the globe artichoke plant can lower cholesterol in otherwise healthy individuals with moderately raised levels. Cardiovascular diseases are the chief causes of death in the UK, and are associated with raised circulating levels of total cholesterol in the plasma. Open Open Tab July 7, 2008 Provides Information Artichoke leaf extract shown to lower cholesterol Researchers at the University of Reading have found that an over-the-counter Artichoke Leaf Extract (ALE) from the globe artichoke plant can lower cholesterol in otherwise healthy individuals with moderately raised levels. Open Open Tab July 2, 2008 Provides Information B Being Overweight May Independently Increase Risk For Heart Disease Being moderately overweight or obese appears to increase the risk for developing coronary heart disease events independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Open Open Tab September 16, 2007 Provides Information Blockbuster Heart Disease Drugs Get Busted Since hitting the market in 2002 and 2004, heart disease drugs Vytorin and Zetia have racked up some $5 billion in sales. Open Open Tab March 31, 2008 Provides Information Blood Cholesterol Levels Predict Risk Of Heart Disease Due To Hormone Therapy A research study has found that a simple blood test may indicate whether post-menopausal hormone therapies present an elevated risk of a heart attack. The study, part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, was conducted in 40 centers nationwide and included 271 cases of coronary heart disease in the first four years of the trials of estrogen alone and of estrogen plus progestin. Open Open Tab May 25, 2008 Provides Information Blood Pressure-lowering Diet Also May Be Associated With Lower Risk For Heart Disease, Stroke Women who eat diets similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet--which is low in animal protein, moderate in low-fat dairy products and high in plant proteins, fruits and vegetables--appear to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to a new report. Open Open Tab April 15, 2008 Provides Information Bypass Not To Blame For Heart Patients' Mental Decline, Study Suggests Heart patients often experience lasting problems with memory, language, and other cognitive skills after bypass surgery. However, these problems aren't caused by the surgery itself or the pump used to replace heart function during surgery, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. Open Open Tab May 20, 2008 Provides Information C Calcium In Coronary Arteries May Be Linked To Increased Risk For Heart Disease In Low-risk Women About 5 percent of women considered low-risk for heart disease by current classification standards have evidence of advanced coronary artery calcium and may be at increased risk for cardiovascular events. Open Open Tab December 12, 2007 Provides Information Calcium Supplements May Increase Heart Attacks In Older Women Calcium supplementation is commonly prescribed to postmenopausal women to maintain bone health, and some data suggest that it might protect against vascular disease by lowering levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Open Open Tab January 17, 2008 Provides Information Carbon monoxide causes direct damage to the heart muscle Lack of oxygen isn't the only way that carbon monoxide (CO) damages the heart, say researchers at Rhode Island Hospital. Open Open Tab January 30, 2008 Provides Information Cardiac Devices And Advanced Heart Failure: Are We Selecting The Wrong Patients? Patients with advanced heart failure may be receiving implantable cardiac devices that do not help them because they are too ill to benefit from the treatment, a Saint Louis University study found. Open Open Tab June 10, 2008 Provides Information Cardiac Surgery Drug Increases Death Rate, Study Confirms Aprotinin, a drug used to limit bleeding, was temporarily suspended from marketing in the U.S. in November 2007 after a small Canadian study was stopped because similar findings were discovered. The drug, Trasylol, is manufactured by Baylor AG. Open Open Tab February 23, 2008 Provides Information Cardiovascular Benefits Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reviewed Thousands of research studies have documented how the oils known as omega-3 fatty acids can benefit the cardiovascular system, particularly among people diagnosed with coronary artery disease. The incredible volume of research on this topic creates difficulty for many physicians and patients to stay current with findings and recommendations related to these oils. In the March issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, contributors briefly summarize current scientific data on omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular health, focusing on who benefits most from their protective effects, recommended guidelines for administration and dosing, and possible adverse effects associated with their use. Open Open Tab March 12, 2008 Provides Information Cardiovascular Risk: Low Sodium Diets Might Be Worse Than High Salt Diets They reached their conclusion after examining dietary intake among a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S. The Einstein researchers actually observed a significantly increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated with lower sodium diets. They report their findings in the advance online edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Open Open Tab May 18, 2008 Provides Information Chances of surviving a heart attack better in an airport or casino than in a U.S. hospital It seems that all too often patients fail to receive life-saving defibrillation within the crucial two minutes when in hospital. Open Open Tab January 7, 2008 Provides Information Chemotherapy Puts Breast Cancer Survivors at Increased Risk for Heart Disease Breast cancer survivors may face increased risk of heart disease - and doctors are debating whether it is time largely to abandon a chemotherapy mainstay that is one reason. Open Open Tab October 8, 2007 Provides Information Chest pain often lingers a year after heart attack Depression, smoking linked to higher risk of long-term angina. Open Open Tab June 23, 2008 Provides Information Cholesterol-lowering Drugs And The Risk Of Hemorrhagic Stroke People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs such as atorvastatin after a stroke may be at an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding in the brain, a risk not found in patients taking statins who have never had a stroke. Open Open Tab December 13, 2007 Provides Information Chronic Work Stress May Trigger Second Heart Attack People who experience chronic job strain after a first heart attack double their risk of suffering from a second one. Open Open Tab October 10, 2007 Provides Information Clinical Depression Raises Risk Of Death For Heart Attack Patients Years After Attack Depressed heart attack patients have a higher risk for sudden death in the months following a heart attack. Now a team led by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that the risk continues for many years. Open Open Tab March 4, 2008 Provides Information Clinical Investigation Meets Computer Simulation To Analyze Risk Factor Of Heart Disease Lipoproteins are the "container ships" in our blood that transport lipids (fats) such as cholesterol and triglycerides to various tissues; they differ largely in size and "cargo" composition. Open Open Tab May 27, 2008 Provides Information Compound That Could Lead To New Blood Pressure Drugs Discovered University of Florida researchers have identified a drug compound that dramatically lowers blood pressure, improves heart function and -- in a remarkable finding -- prevents damage to the heart and kidneys in rats with persistent hypertension. Open Open Tab May 3, 2008 Provides Information Construction Of Heart Modelling Leads Path To New Therapies Heart disease is still a major killer, especially in the western world, but new therapies based on stem cells and other techniques could now be imminent. Progress is being held back however by the difficulty testing new therapies on human heart tissue, with animal models being only of limited value owing to differences in structure and activity. Open Open Tab January 12, 2008 Provides Information Coronary Arterial Calcium Scans Help Detect Overall Death Risk In The Elderly Measuring calcium deposits in the heart's arteries can help predict overall death risk in American adults, even when they are elderly, according to a new study published in the July issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Open Open Tab July 5, 2008 Provides Information Cost-effective Method Of Lowering Heart Disease Risks Considered As U.S. policy experts continue to search for ways to re-engineer the country's health-care system, a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that a case-management approach helped a diverse group of patients reduce their overall risk of heart disease by roughly 10 percent, and did so in a cost-effective way. Open Open Tab August 24, 2007 Provides Information D Depression among patients with coronary artery disease Depression has long had a popular link to cardiovascular disease and death. Open Open Tab October 16, 2007 Provides Information Depression And Anxiety Can Double Chances Of Heart Ailments Matters of the mind can affect matters of the heart. A new study by McGill University and Université de Montréal researchers has found that major anxiety and/or depression, can double a coronary artery disease patient's chances of repeated heart ailments. This is one of the first studies to focus on patients with stable coronary artery disease -- not those who were hospitalized for events such as a heart attack. Open Open Tab January 19, 2008 Provides Information Depression Ups Risk Of Complications Following Heart Attack People who suffer from severe depression following a heart attack might be more likely to experience cardiac complications while hospitalized. Open Open Tab July 5, 2008 Provides Information Depression, Smoking Contribute to Chest Pain After Heart Attack Patients who are depressed or who continue smoking after a heart attack often continue to have chest pain one year later and are more likely to have another heart attack or die, Reuters reported Monday. Open Open Tab June 24, 2008 Provides Information Developmental Changes In Adolescence Raise Men's Heart Disease Risk Normal developmental changes during the teenage years leave young adult men at higher risk of heart disease than their female counterparts, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Open Open Tab April 23, 2008 Provides Information Dietary Evidence For Prevention And Treatment Of Cardiovascular Disease The Journal of the American Dietetic Association has published a comprehensive review of dietary factors for treating and preventing cardiovascular disease. The review of more than 150 recent research studies and other articles "provide scientific rationale for food and nutrition professionals and other health professionals for counseling patients," according to the nationwide expert panel led by registered dietitian Linda Van Horn, professor and acting chair of the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University and editor-in-chief of the Journal. Open Open Tab February 5, 2008 Provides Information Dieting and medication may reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is responsible for approximately 7 million deaths worldwide each year, according to background information in the article. Open Open Tab March 25, 2008 Provides Information Discovery of new protein family that may play an important role in preventing inflammatory diseases A University of Central Florida research team has discovered a new protein family that may play an important role in preventing inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, some forms of cancer and even heart disease.. Open Open Tab March 11, 2008 Provides Information Discovery of seven new genes that influence blood cholesterol levels An international study of 20,000 people found seven new genes that influence blood cholesterol levels, a major factor in heart disease, and confirmed 11 other genes previously thought to influence cholesterol. Open Open Tab January 15, 2008 Provides Information Disruption Of Blood Sugar Levels After Heart Surgery Is Common A study reveals that inadequate blood sugar control in patients having heart surgery is associated with a four fold increase in post-surgery death and major complications - and that the blood sugar disturbances occur in patients with and without diabetes. Open Open Tab July 9, 2008 Provides Information Does cholesterol have any benefits? If you're worried about high cholesterol levels and keeping heart-healthy as you get older, don't push aside bacon and eggs just yet. A new study says they might actually provide a benefit. Open Open Tab January 10, 2008 Provides Information Drug Bivalirudin Better Than Heparin After Heart Attack A study led by Gregg W. Stone, M.D., professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian and chairman of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, has shown that heart attack patients who were administered the direct thrombin inhibitor bivalirudin during primary angioplasty had a reduced rate of adverse clinical events, a lower rate of major bleeding, and a lower mortality rate than those who were treated with a regimen of heparin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPI). Open Open Tab May 27, 2008 Provides Information E Eat Less Or Exercise More? Either Way Leads To More Youthful Hearts Overweight people who lose a moderate amount of weight get an immediate benefit in the form of better heart health, according to a study conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. And the heart improvements happen whether that weight is shed by eating less or exercising more. Open Open Tab January 11, 2008 Provides Information Eating Competence May Lower Risk Of Heart Disease People who are confident, comfortable and flexible with their eating habits may be at a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease than people who are not. Researchers at Penn State suggest that a curriculum that helps people understand their eating habits could prove to be an important medical nutrition therapy. Open Open Tab September 24, 2007 Provides Information Elderly Heart Patients With ICD Devices Live Longer After Heart Failure, Study Shows Elderly patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure who receive implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death live longer than those that do not, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine. Further, the health care costs associated with ICDs, while substantial at the time of implantation, do not greatly increase downstream health care costs in this population. Open Open Tab May 4, 2008 Provides Information Energy Drinks May Pose Risks For People With High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease In the study, conducted by Wayne State University researchers, blood pressure and heart rate levels increased in healthy adults who drank two cans a day of a popular energy drink. Open Open Tab November 6, 2007 Provides Information Experimental Merck Drug Using Niacin May Cut Cholesterol An experimental cholesterol treatment touted by drugmaker Merck & Co. significantly reduced artery-clogging fats in late-stage testing, but it got a mixed reception from Wall Street analysts Tuesday. Open Open Tab September 5, 2007 Provides Information F Family Cardiac Caregivers May Have Higher Heart Disease Risk Caring for a family member with a serious heart ailment may increase your risk of cardiac disease, according to a report presented at the American Heart Association's 48th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. Open Open Tab March 17, 2008 Provides Information Fatty Liver Disease May Raise Heart Disease Risk In Overweight, Obese Kids A fatty liver disease that is not well-known in overweight and obese children may be a precursor of cardiovascular disease, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Open Open Tab July 1, 2008 Provides Information FDA Approves New Blood Pressure Medication Tablets containing a combination of the blood pressure medication aliskiren and water pill hydrochlorothiazide have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the product's manufacturer. Open Open Tab January 22, 2008 Provides Information FDA Approves Thoratec Heart Pump The FDA has approved Thoratec Corporation's PMA for the HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS). PMA's are hard to get cleared and implantable blood pumping devices are notoriously difficult to successfully engineer, so you can bet the folks in Pleasanton, CA are in high spirits these days. Open Open Tab April 22, 2008 Provides Information FDA to review potential anti-arrhythmic claims for Ranexa CV Therapeutics, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the Company that it will evaluate the approval of potential anti-arrhythmic claims for Ranexa (ranolazine extended-release tablets) as part of its ongoing review of the Company's supplemental new drug application (sNDA). Open Open Tab December 10, 2007 Provides Information FDA: No added heart risk from heartburn drugs Patients who suffer from heartburn are not at increased risk for heart problems as a result of taking Prilosec or Nexium, according to a review released Monday by the Food and Drug Administration. Open Open Tab December 10, 2007 Provides Information First Gene Therapy For Heart Failure Offered In Clinical Trials Could injecting a gene into a patient with severe heart failure reverse their disabling and life-threatening condition? Physician-scientists are setting out to answer that question in a first-ever clinical trial of gene therapy to treat severe heart failure. Open Open Tab June 19, 2008 Provides Information First Time in 50 Years, Average American Adult's Cholesterol in Ideal Range For the first time in nearly 50 years, the average cholesterol level for U.S. adults is in the ideal range, according to a new government report. Open Open Tab December 12, 2007 Provides Information Folic Acid, B Vitamins Not Linked To Reduced Risk Of Cardiovascular Events In High-risk Women Women at high-risk of cardiovascular disease who took a daily supplement of folic acid and vitamin B6 and B12 for seven years did not have an overall reduced rate of cardiovascular events, despite a significant lowering of homocysteine levels. Open Open Tab May 8, 2008 Provides Information For hypertension patients, preventing or reducing enlarged heart may decrease risk for diabetes High-blood-pressure patients treated for enlarged heart (left ventricular hypertrophy, LVH) who have regression or prevention of LVH may also have a better chance of preventing diabetes. Open Open Tab November 1, 2007 Provides Information G Gene Predicts Heart Attack Response And Cardiac Damage This finding may present a new therapeutic approach to treating loss of blood flow and oxygen to the heart. Open Open Tab February 4, 2008 Provides Information Gene variations associated with effectiveness of blood pressure medications Patients with hypertension and certain gene variations experienced varying results with some blood pressure medications, suggesting matching a patient's genotype with certain hypertension medications could result in more favorable outcomes, Open Open Tab January 23, 2008 Provides Information Genes That Reduce 'Bad Cholesterol' And Protect Against Atherosclerosis Identified One way of combating atherosclerosis is to reduce levels of "bad cholesterol" in the blood. Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have now identified the genes that bring about this beneficial effect. Open Open Tab March 17, 2008 Provides Information Genetic mutation linked to peripheral artery disease The finding, appearing online in the journal Circulation, is the first to document a genetic mutation linked to PAD. Although the work was done in mice, researchers say it is likely to give them new insight into how PAD develops and progresses in humans. Open Open Tab February 26, 2008 Provides Information Getting to hospital quickly once heart attack symptoms appear provides best chance of receiving right treatment If you go to the hospital within one to two hours of the onset of symptoms of a heart attack, your chances of getting proper treatment are nearly 70 percent greater than those who wait 11 to 12 hours before seeking treatment. Open Open Tab November 6, 2007 Provides Information Good Dental Hygiene May Help Prevent Heart Infection In a study of 290 dental patients, researchers investigated several measures of bacteremia (bacteria released into the bloodstream) during three different dental activities -- tooth brushing, a single tooth extraction with a preventive antibiotic and a single tooth extraction with a placebo. Open Open Tab June 11, 2008 Provides Information Good Oral Hygiene May Protect Against Heart Infections Taking good care of teeth and gums may be crucial in preventing heart valve infection, a U.S. study finds. Open Open Tab June 9, 2008 Provides Information H Health Tip: Women Have Different Heart Attack Symptoms. Open Open Tab   Provides Information Heart And Stroke Death Rates Steadily Decline; Risks Still Too High In an appropriate prelude to American Heart Month, which is just ahead in February, new mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, since 1999, coronary heart disease and stroke age-adjusted death rates are down by 25.8 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively. Open Open Tab January 24, 2008 Provides Information Heart Attack Rates Fall Following National Smoking Bans French researchers announced a striking 15% decrease in admissions of patients with myocardial infarction to emergency wards since the public ban on smoking came into effect in restaurants, hotels and casinos in France last January. Open Open Tab February 26, 2008 Provides Information Heart Attack Risk From Smoking Due To Genetics, Study Suggests Heart attacks among cigarette smokers may have less to do with tobacco than genetics. A common defect in a gene controlling cholesterol metabolism boosts smokers' risk of an early heart attack, according to a new study. Open Open Tab December 20, 2007 Provides Information Heart Attacks Decreased After Public Smoking Ban In Italy Researchers in Rome compared acute coronary events in the city for five years preceding a public smoking ban with those occurring one year after the ban. They found an 11.2 percent reduction of acute coronary events in persons 35 to 64 years and a 7.9 percent reduction in those ages 65 to 74. Open Open Tab February 12, 2008 Provides Information Heart Derived Stem Cells Develop Into Heart Muscle Dutch researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute have succeeded in growing large numbers of stem cells from adult human hearts into new heart muscle cells. A breakthrough in stem cell research. Until now, it was necessary to use embryonic stem cells to make this happen. Open Open Tab April 23, 2008 Provides Information Heart Disease Discovery: New Mechanism Links Activation Of Key Heart Enzyme And Oxidative Stress A study, led by University of Iowa researchers, reveals a new dimension for a key heart enzyme and sheds light on an important biological pathway involved in cell death in heart disease. The study, published in the May 2 issue of Cell, has implications for understanding, and potentially for diagnosing and treating, heart failure and arrhythmias. Open Open Tab May 5, 2008 Provides Information Heart Disease May Be On The Rise Again, After Years Of Decline, Population Research Shows Autopsies of individuals in one Minnesota County suggest that the decades-long decline in the rate of coronary artery disease may have ended and possibly reversed after 2000, according to a new report. Open Open Tab February 13, 2008 Provides Information Heart Disease Risk Established At Early Age he earlier in life children reach their lowest body mass index (BMI) signals potential heart disease risk factors and may become evident as early as age 7. Open Open Tab November 6, 2007 Provides Information Heart Risk From Prostate Therapy Androgen Deprivation for Prostate Cancer Boosts Heart Deaths. Open Open Tab October 9, 2007 Provides Information Hereditary Link To Heart Disease Puts Male Siblings At Highest Risk The genetic family ties that bind brothers and sisters also link their risk for developing clogged arteries and having potentially fatal heart attacks. Open Open Tab October 31, 2007 Provides Information High Blood Pressure May Be Due To Excess Weight In Half Of Overweight Adults As many as 50 percent of overweight men and women with high blood pressure may have hypertension as a result of being overweight. Open Open Tab October 3, 2007 Provides Information High Blood Pressure Patients Advised To Use Home Monitors People with hypertension should routinely monitor their blood pressure at home to help manage the disease, according to a new joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association, American Society of Hypertension and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses' Association. Open Open Tab May 26, 2008 Provides Information High Blood Pressure Problems Largely Misunderstood By Sufferers The distrust of healthcare providers shown by people with high blood pressure impedes effective treatment. Open Open Tab August 8, 2007 Provides Information High Blood Pressure Still Sneaking Past Doctors, Stanford Study Shows Despite the well-known dangers of high blood pressure, major shortfalls still exist in the screening, treatment and control of the disease even when patients are getting a doctor's care, according to a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Open Open Tab May 3, 2008 Provides Information Hispanics With Clogged Arteries At Greatest Risk Of Stroke, Heart Attack Hispanics who have even a small amount of plaque build-up in the neck artery that supplies blood to the brain are up to four times more likely to suffer or die from a stroke or heart attack than Hispanics who do not have plaque. Open Open Tab March 22, 2008 Provides Information Hostility, anger and depression could increase risk for heart disease in men Men who are hostile and prone to frequent intense feelings of anger and depression could be harming their immune systems and putting themselves at risk for coronary heart disease as well as related disorders like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Open Open Tab August 3, 2007 Provides Information How Exercise Changes Structure And Function Of Heart For the first time researchers are beginning to understand exactly how various forms of exercise impact the heart. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators, in collaboration with the Harvard University Health Services, have found that 90 days of vigorous athletic training produces significant changes in cardiac structure and function and that the type of change varies with the type of exercise performed. Open Open Tab April 23, 2008 Provides Information How the cholesterol-lowering drug ezetimibe (Zetia) works A new study in the June issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, sheds light on the action of the drug ezetimibe (trade name Zetia), which is used to treat high cholesterol. Ezetimibe is unique among cholesterol-lowering drugs in that it works by cutting the amount of cholesterol taken in from the diet rather than by blocking cholesterol's manufacture in the body. Open Open Tab June 3, 2008 Provides Information Hydroxyapatite Coated VESTASync Cardiac Stents Being Trialed MIV Therapeutics, an Atlanta, Georgia firm, is undergoing trials of its biocompatible polymer-free coating technology for cardiac stents, a platform designed to prevent adverse reactions to the metal stents and prevent tissue regrowth around the implant. Open Open Tab June 4, 2008 Provides Information I Increased Risk Of Heart Attack Or Stroke For Patients Who Are Resistant To Aspirin Being resistant to aspirin makes patients four times more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or even die from a pre-existing heart condition. Open Open Tab January 22, 2008 Provides Information Insulin-boosting Medication Does Not Impair Ability To Survive Heart Attack Mayo Clinic researchers helped clarify a growing concern about the link between diabetes mellitus treatments and heart attack with the first large, population-based study showing that a group of common medications does not reduce diabetic patients' heart attack survival rates. Open Open Tab November 8, 2007 Provides Information K Key Interaction In Cholesterol Regulation Discovered Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined the specific way in which a destructive protein binds to and interferes with a molecule that removes low-density lipoproteins (LDL), the so-called "bad" cholesterol, from the blood. Open Open Tab February 6, 2008 Provides Information L Leading Worldwide Cause Of Cardiovascular Disease May Be Modified By Diet A new article indicates that an increased intake in minerals such as potassium, and possibly magnesium and calcium by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension. A high intake of these minerals in the diet may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Open Open Tab July 9, 2008 Provides Information Left Main Coronary Artery Disease Can Double Or Triple Heart Risk In Siblings German researchers have found that heart disease of the left main coronary artery is often an inherited condition that clusters in families. Moreover, they discovered that initially healthy siblings of a person with the condition were 2.5 times more likely to go on to develop some form of heart disease than were siblings of a patient with heart disease that did not relate to the left main coronary artery. Open Open Tab October 5, 2007 Provides Information Link Between Cholesterol And Heart Disease Explained Cholesterol contributes to atherosclerosis - a condition that greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke - by suppressing the activity of a key protein that protects the heart and blood vessels. Open Open Tab September 21, 2007 Provides Information Link Between Pre-eclampsia And Heart Disease Strengthened By New Studies The first study finds that women who have had pre-eclampsia during pregnancy have a more than two fold higher risk of heart disease in later life, while the second shows that women with cardiovascular risk factors that are present years before pregnancy may be predisposed to pre-eclampsia. Open Open Tab November 6, 2007 Provides Information Living kidney donors show no increase in their risk of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in the years after donation, according to the largest-ever study of the issue Open Open Tab November 5, 2007 Provides Information Low Birth Weight And Excessive Weight Gain Linked To Heart Problems In Later Life Researchers who have followed 5,840 people from before birth to the age of 31 have found evidence suggesting that small size at birth and excessive weight gain during adolescence and young adulthood may lead to low grade inflammation, which, in turn, is associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease. Open Open Tab April 13, 2008 Provides Information Lower target levels for blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol may provide cardiovascular benefits Patients with diabetes who reduced their blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol to below standard target levels had a greater decrease in carotid artery wall thickness, but did not have a significant difference in cardiovascular disease events than patients who had recommended blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol levels. Open Open Tab April 9, 2008 Provides Information Lowering Blood Cholesterol With Fish Oil And Red Yeast Rice Instead Of Statins A great deal of scientific evidence shows that cholesterol-reducing medications known as statins can help prevent coronary artery disease. Although the safety of these medications has been well documented, as many as 40 percent of patients who receive a prescription for statins take the drug for less than one year. Open Open Tab July 10, 2008 Provides Information M Major Studies Show Blood Pressure Drugs Cheap Way to Lower Risk of Heart Attack Two big studies offer good news to people with high blood pressure, finding that novel ways to use cheap drugs already on the market can lower their risk of heart attacks, stroke and death — even if they are very old. Open Open Tab April 1, 2008 Provides Information Malfunctioning Mitochondria Could Cause Heart Disease Scientists say they've found a new explanation -- and a perhaps a path to a new cure -- for heart disease. Open Open Tab February 15, 2008 Provides Information Man Believed To Be the First and Longest Surviving Artificial Heart Recipient Dies Seven Years After Transplant The man believed to be both the first and longest-surviving lifetime recipient of an artificial heart has died at age 68, BBC reported Monday. Open Open Tab December 3, 2007 Provides Information Many African-Americans Have A Gene That Prolongs Life After Heart Failure About 40 percent of African-Americans have a genetic variant that can protect them after heart failure and prolong their lives, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions. Open Open Tab April 23, 2008 Provides Information Many heart attack patients still not getting emergency reperfusion Far more of today's heart attack patients receive emergency angioplasty treatment or clot-busting drugs to re-open their clogged heart arteries than even a decade ago. Open Open Tab August 6, 2007 Provides Information Many Patients Can Reach LDL Cholesterol Goal Through Dietary Changes Alone, Study Shows Worried about your cholesterol? You may want to schedule a few appointments with a registered dietitian, to get some sound advice about how to shape up your eating habits, according to a new national study led by University of Michigan Health System researchers. Open Open Tab March 6, 2008 Provides Information Many Stroke, Heart Attack Patients May Not Benefit From Aspirin, Study Suggests Up to 20 percent of patients taking aspirin to lower the risk of suffering a second cerebrovascular event do not have an antiplatelet response from aspirin, the effect thought to produce the protective effect, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown. Open Open Tab February 26, 2008 Provides Information Medtronic 3D Vision Line Gets First FDA Approvals Medtronic received FDA approval for the company's wireless implantable defibrillators, the first devices in a product line that also includes pacemakers and resynchronization therapy pacemakers. Open Open Tab May 14, 2008 Provides Information Men With Vitamin D Deficiency May Have Increased Risk Of Heart Attack Low levels of vitamin D appear to be associated with higher risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) in men, according to a new report. Open Open Tab June 11, 2008 Provides Information Metabolic Genes Tied To Inflammatory Predictor Of Heart Disease And Stroke Risk Two new studies provide evidence that differences in people's blood levels of C reactive protein (CRP) stem in part from natural variation in known metabolic genes. Open Open Tab April 25, 2008 Provides Information Metabolic syndrome linked to climate Researchers from the University of Chicago have discovered that many of the genetic variations that have enabled human populations to tolerate colder climates may also affect their susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of related abnormalities such as obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease, and diabetes. Open Open Tab February 18, 2008 Provides Information Millions unaware they have potentially fatal high blood pressure According to a medical charity in the UK more than five million Britons are living with potentially fatal high blood pressure and are unaware of it. Open Open Tab September 10, 2007 Provides Information Misconceptions about high blood pressure impede treatment The distrust of healthcare providers shown by people with high blood pressure impedes effective treatment, as emphasized in a new study published in Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Open Open Tab August 7, 2007 Provides Information Mitochondrial DNA Mutations Can Cause Degenerative Heart And Muscle Disease A single change in the DNA of mitochondria -- the cellular power plants that generate energy in all human cells -- has been found to cause degenerative heart and muscle disease, according to University of California, Irvine researchers. Open Open Tab February 18, 2008 Provides Information More Young Adults Using Cholesterol Drugs Younger adults are using more cholesterol and blood pressure medications than senior citizens, according to researchers. Open Open Tab October 30, 2007 Provides Information Most adults with conditions that increase cardiovascular disease risk have hypertension Nearly three-fourths of American adults with conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes or others that raise their risk for cardiovascular complications also have hypertension (high blood pressure). Open Open Tab December 11, 2007 Provides Information Most Adults With Conditions That Increase Cardiovascular Disease Risk Have High Blood Pressure Nearly three-fourths of American adults with conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes or others that raise their risk for cardiovascular complications also have hypertension (high blood pressure). Open Open Tab December 17, 2007 Provides Information Most With High Blood Pressure Do Not Follow Recommended Diet A relatively small proportion of individuals with hypertension (high blood pressure) eat diets that align with government guidelines for controlling the disease, according to a new report. In fact, since the introduction of a diet shown to help reduce blood pressure, the dietary quality of those with hypertension has decreased. Open Open Tab February 13, 2008 Provides Information N Nanotechnology and Saliva Can Be Used to Diagnose Heart Attack Early diagnosis of a heart attack may now be possible using only a few drops of saliva and a new nano-bio-chip, a multi-institutional team led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin reported at a recent meeting of the American Association for Dental Research. Open Open Tab April 17, 2008 Provides Information Naturally-occuring Protein May Be Effective In Limiting Heart Attack Injury And Restoring Function Medical College of Wisconsin researchers in Milwaukee have shown for the first time that thrombopoietin (TPO), a naturally occurring protein being developed as a pharmaceutical to increase platelet count in cancer patients during chemotherapy, can also protect the heart against injury during a heart attack. Open Open Tab May 7, 2008 Provides Information New Centre to be at the heart of UK's cardiovascular research Expertise from across the University of Leeds is to be channelled into a new research centre that aims to progress the understanding, treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Open Open Tab February 13, 2008 Provides Information New Combination Drug Improves Multiple Cholesterol Disorders In Single Pill Patients treated with a new investigational combination pill showed significant improvements in cholesterol, triglycerides and other key lipids that lead to heart disease. Open Open Tab November 7, 2007 Provides Information New Discoveries Get To The Heart Of Cardiovascular Disease Even if you eat right and exercise regularly, chances are high that you'll still die of a heart attack or stroke. But thanks to new findings by researchers from Harvard and Baylor, the odds may finally shift in your favor. Open Open Tab June 23, 2008 Provides Information New Fatal Genetic Heart Disease Discovered Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy have discovered a previously unknown congenital disease that is caused by a genetic defect resulting in muscle cells not being able to store energy from sugar. Open Open Tab October 23, 2007 Provides Information New Guidelines Issued For Treating Resistant Hypertension For the first time, the American Heart Association has issued guidelines to help patients and healthcare providers tackle resistant high blood pressure that seems to defy treatment. Open Open Tab April 10, 2008 Provides Information New heart attack test assessed New research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research's Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme is investigating a new blood test for helping diagnose or rule out heart attacks. Open Open Tab August 2, 2007 Provides Information New Insights Into Deadly Heart Rhythm Disorder Every year, 300,000 Americans die suddenly when, out of the blue, a "storm" of electrical activity arises within their heart muscle -- so violent and so abrupt that their hearts just stop beating. These tragic and dramatic "sudden cardiac deaths" strike people young and old, often without warning. Open Open Tab December 22, 2007 Provides Information New Protein Family Implicated In Inflammatory Diseases A University of Central Florida research team has discovered a new protein family that may play an important role in preventing inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, some forms of cancer and even heart disease. Open Open Tab March 12, 2008 Provides Information New Role Found For A Cardiac Progenitor Population In a discovery that could one day lead to an understanding of how to regenerate damaged heart tissue, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have found that parent cells involved in embryonic development of the epicardium -- the cell layer surrounding the outside of the heart -- give rise to three important types of cells with potential for cardiac repair. Open Open Tab May 16, 2008 Provides Information New Therapy Could Preserve Vessel Function After Heart Attack Scientists have identified the process that causes blood vessels to constrict during and after a heart attack. They've also demonstrated that delivering a vital molecule that is depleted during this process directly to those blood vessels can reverse damage and help restore blood flow. Open Open Tab September 16, 2007 Provides Information Non-invasive imaging test could help prevent heart attacks Kathy Brown says she always thought that heart disease was for those who smoked cigarettes, drank, ate a lot of red meat, and who were overweight. Open Open Tab October 1, 2007 Provides Information O Occasional Fasting Associated With Lower Heart Disease Rates Foregoing food for a day each month stood out among other religious practices in members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormons), who have lower rates of heart disease than other Americans, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007. Open Open Tab November 8, 2007 Provides Information Once-a-week arthritis pill significantly reduces the risk of heart attacks A once-a-week pill to treat rheumatoid arthritis significantly reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke for people with the painful joint condition. Open Open Tab March 10, 2008 Provides Information Osteoporosis Drug Fosamax Linked To Heart Problem, Study Suggests Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) than are those who have never used it, according to research from Group Health and the University of Washington. Open Open Tab April 30, 2008 Provides Information P Patients Diagnosed With Coronary Heart Disease Continue Poor Diets More than 13 million Americans have survived a heart attack or have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD), the number one cause of death in the United States. In addition to medications, lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet and exercise, are known to reduce the risk for subsequent cardiac events. Despite this evidence, a high proportion of heart attack survivors do not follow their doctor's advice to adhere to a healthy diet, according to researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). Open Open Tab February 1, 2008 Provides Information Popular Arthritis Drug May Disrupt Heart Rhythm, New Research Finds Celebrex, a popular arthritis drug that blocks pain by inhibiting an enzyme known as COX-2, has been shown in laboratory studies to induce arrhythmia, or irregular beating of the heart, via a novel pathway unrelated to its COX-2 inhibition. Open Open Tab January 25, 2008 Provides Information Probing The Link Between Kidney Disease And Heart Disease Kidney disease isn't just about kidneys: Research has shown that people with kidney abnormalities have a dramatically increased risk of heart disease. Open Open Tab November 8, 2007 Provides Information Protein, macrophage migration inhibitory factor predicts heart attack response and cardiac damage A protein has been found that influences the response of the heart to a lack of oxygen and blood flow, such as occurs during a heart attack, a team of Yale School of Medicine researchers report in Nature. Open Open Tab February 4, 2008 Provides Information R Reducing enlarged heart decreases risk of heart failure For high-blood-pressure patients, preventing or reducing enlarged heart (left ventricular hypertrophy or LVH) reduces risk of heart failure. Open Open Tab September 14, 2007 Provides Information Researchers Make Case For Standardized Analysis Of Cardiac Imaging For accuracy's sake, medical professionals should use the same software for comparing and analyzing diagnostic heart images taken from different time periods and laboratories, a team of researchers has concluded. Open Open Tab March 17, 2008 Provides Information Risk Of Death Persists In Heart Patients With Acute Kidney Injury Acute kidney injury (AKI), a common complication of cardiac surgery during hospitalization, is linked to increased and prolonged risk of death in heart attack patients who have been discharged from the hospital, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers. Open Open Tab May 16, 2008 Provides Information Role of cholesteryl ester hydrolase in reducing heart disease identified Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified the role of a key enzyme called CEH in reducing heart disease, paving the way for new target therapies to reduce plaques in the arteries and perhaps in the future, help predict a patient's susceptibility to heart disease. Open Open Tab October 25, 2007 Provides Information S Scientists reassess heart disease causes Almost 3,000 Northern Ireland people are to take part in a Queen's study analysing their risks of developing heart disease in the future. Open Open Tab October 17, 2007 Provides Information Screening Family Members Could Prevent 4 In 10 Premature Heart Attacks Researchers from the University of Glasgow looked at data from previous studies which show that immediate family members of patients with premature coronary heart disease (CHD) are at significantly increased risk of developing the disease. Open Open Tab September 11, 2007 Provides Information Setting Up A Roadblock For Atherosclerosis Treatment with the antibiotic myriocin can halt the growth of established arterial plaques in mice, researchers report. Open Open Tab February 13, 2008 Provides Information Severe Heart Attack Damage Limited By Hydrogen Sulfide Administering hydrogen sulfide (H2S) directly into the heart during a simulated heart attack significantly reduces the tissue and cell damage often seen in oxygen-starved organs, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Open Open Tab September 21, 2007 Provides Information Shot May Be Able To Replace Blood Pressure Medicines A hypertension vaccine could be an important alternative to conventional drug therapy because of patients' inconsistent drug intake -- if further research supports results from a small study testing the safety and tolerability of a vaccine. Open Open Tab November 7, 2007 Provides Information Slowing Down The Development Of Heart Disease Scientists have shown that a protein called transthyretin (TTR) that is present in the blood may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis -- a potentially fatal heart disease in which the arteries are progressively narrowed and hardened over time, reducing blood flow to the heart. Open Open Tab October 15, 2007 Provides Information Statins Prevents Heart Attacks Up to a Decade after Use Cholesterol-lowering, statin drugs help prevent heart attacks for at least a decade after people stop taking them, the first long-term study of the world's top-selling type of medication finds. Open Open Tab October 12, 2007 Provides Information Statins Shown To Lower Blood Pressure A large, randomized drug trial has shown for the first time that statin drugs result in a modest, but significant, reduction in blood pressure. Open Open Tab April 17, 2008 Provides Information Study explains why physical activity is beneficial in preventing heart attack and stroke It is well known that physical activity can improve cardiovascular health. But it's the impact exercise has on specific known risk factors that accounts for about 60 percent of that improvement, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Open Open Tab October 23, 2007 Provides Information Study Finds Stored Blood Lacks Nitric Oxide, May Trigger Heart Attacks, Strokes in Transfusion Recipients Much of the stored blood given to millions of people every year may lack a component vital for it to deliver oxygen to the tissues. Nitric oxide, which helps keep blood vessels open, begins breaking down as soon as blood goes into storage. Open Open Tab October 9, 2007 Provides Information Study In 7,000 Men And Women Ties Obesity, Inflammatory Proteins To Heart Failure Risk Heart specialists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere report what is believed to be the first wide-scale evidence linking severe overweight to prolonged inflammation of heart tissue and the subsequent damage leading to failure of the body's blood-pumping organ. Open Open Tab May 4, 2008 Provides Information Study Links Tooth Loss in Young Adults to Heart Disease A new study finds that young adults who lose their teeth to cavities or gum disease may have an increased risk of dying from heart disease later in life. Open Open Tab September 7, 2007 Provides Information Study Locates Cholesterol Genes; Finds Surprises About Good, Bad Cholesterol An international study of 20,000 people found seven new genes that influence blood cholesterol levels, a major factor in heart disease, and confirmed 11 other genes previously thought to influence cholesterol. Open Open Tab January 17, 2008 Provides Information T Take care of your teeth and gums for a healthy heart Each year, cardiovascular disease kills more Americans than cancer. And while most people are aware that lifestyle choices such as eating right, getting enough exercise and quitting smoking can help prevent cardiovascular disease, they may not know that by just brushing and flossing their teeth each day, they might also be avoiding this potentially lethal condition. Open Open Tab January 9, 2008 Provides Information Testosterone Replacement Benefits Older Men With Low Testosterone In older men with low testosterone levels, testosterone replacement therapy improves their risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to two new studies. Open Open Tab June 23, 2008 Provides Information The benefits of green tea in reducing an important risk factor for heart disease More evidence for the beneficial effect of green tea on risk factors for heart disease has emerged in a new study reported in the latest issue of European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation. Open Open Tab July 1, 2008 Provides Information The Development of Next-Generation Drug-Eluting Coronary Stents The model, complete with a mini-stent of spectacularly small size and its ability to replicate the human diseased vessel, represents a new starting point in the development of next-generation drug-eluting coronary stents. Open Open Tab June 18, 2008 Provides Information Toenails point to heart disease Measuring the nicotine content in toenail clippings can help predict a woman's heart disease risk, a US study in nurses suggests. Open Open Tab June 6, 2008 Provides Information Two-drug Blood Pressure Therapy Dramatically Lowers Cardiovascular Risk An international blood pressure study comparing two single-pill drug combinations has yielded results so significant that the study has been stopped early -- and the researchers say their findings might alter the way high blood pressure is treated worldwide. Open Open Tab April 1, 2008 Provides Information U Understanding Cholesterol Being overweight placed the 5-foot-6 Morse at high risk for heart disease and diabetes. To make matters worse, she also had high cholesterol, which her doctor said further increased her risk for heart disease and stroke. Open Open Tab June 24, 2008 Provides Information Unsuspected Gene Mutation Found For Atrial Fibrillation Mayo Clinic researchers have found a gene mutation linked to one family's hereditary form of atrial fibrillation. Researchers hope this discovery will lead to better understanding of the disease and, eventually, better ways to predict, prevent and treat the heart rhythm problem. Open Open Tab July 12, 2008 Provides Information Urinary Biomarkers For Coronary Disease Found A set of 15 proteins found in urine can distinguish healthy individuals from those who have coronary artery disease (CAD), a new study has found. Open Open Tab February 13, 2008 Provides Information Use Of Hemoglobin-based Blood Substitutes Associated With Increased Risk Of Death, Heart Attack, Study Shows The development of a blood substitute--a liquid that has a long shelf-life, does not need refrigeration and does not cause infection--would provide a potentially lifesaving option for surgical and trauma patients with shock from loss of blood, especially in rural areas and military settings. Open Open Tab April 29, 2008 Provides Information V Vitamin D Deficiency May Hurt Heart Low Blood Levels of Vitamin D Tied to Cardiovascular Problems in Adults With High Blood Pressure. Open Open Tab January 7, 2008 Provides Information Vitamin D, "the heart tranquilizer" Strong bones, a healthy immune system, protection against some types of cancer: Recent studies suggest there's yet another item for the expanding list of vitamin D benefits. Vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," keeps the heart, the body's long-distance runner, fit for life's demands. Open Open Tab June 11, 2008 Provides Information W Warning about deaths and serious reactions linked to blood thinning drug heparin The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States says the production of a popular blood thinning drug has been halted temporarily after more than 300 reports of health problems associated with the drug. Open Open Tab February 13, 2008 Provides Information What's Good For The Heart May Be Good For The Prostate Men who eat a diet low in fat and red meat but high in vegetables and lean protein and who drink alcohol in moderation may not just be doing their hearts a favor. Open Open Tab February 15, 2008 Provides Information When Statins Aren't Enough: New Trial Drug Points To Better Management Of Coronary Heart Disease Despite widespread use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, a significant number of cardiac patients continue to suffer heart attacks and stroke. Researchers theorize that high levels of an enzyme found in coronary plaques may be to blame, by making plaques more likely to rupture and block blood flow. Open Open Tab May 9, 2008 Provides Information White Bread, Sugary Cereals May Increase Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes If your breakfast usually consists of white bread and sugary cereals, you may be increasing your risk of diabetes, heart disease and possibly cancer, new Australian study finds. Open Open Tab March 10, 2008 Provides Information Why so many children are on the road to heart disease We teach our children how to walk, talk and go to the bathroom, but do we teach them how to eat right? Open Open Tab February 13, 2008 Provides Information Winter flu doubles the risk of heart attacks and stroke Scientists in Britain say a dose of winter infections such flu can double the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Open