Peninsula Heart Centre NEWS
Anacetrapib {DEFINE Trial} – promising alternative to raise HDL chol and reduce LDL cholesterol
The recently released results of the DEFINE trial showed that patients taking anacetrapib, from a new class of medication (CETP inhibitors) reduced their LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) by approximately 40%, and raised their HDL cholesterol (good) by 140%. This...
Intellectual Ventures – Gathering Inventions…
Intellectual Ventures (www.intellectualventures.com) is a truly amazing company. Founded by former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold, the company gathers some smart people who sit down and hash out ideas and patents in diverse fields of interests....
A “Calcium Score” may change your life
From NIH: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cscan/cscan_all.html What Is a Coronary Calcium Score? A coronary calcium scan is a test that can help show whether you have coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD is the most...
Lifestyle changes to help lower your cholesterol
From A.D.A.M. Lifestyle Changes The absolute mandate for improving cholesterol levels is to first make changes in lifestyle (both diet and exercise). Even when drugs are used, healthy diet and physical activity are critical companions. HEART-HEALTHY DIETS There are...
News from European Society of Cardiology Congress (Stockholm) 2010
Several news-worthy developments in cardiovascular medicine are outlined here for those who are interested: 1. New European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on atrial fibrillation The new guidelines put in place advances in management of AF since the last update...
Wireless sensor watches blood sugar for diabetics
Commentary by Greg Szto: At last, a report on a wireless system that will measure blood glucose continuously and transmit the information wirelessly. Now, if this information is then fed back into an insulin pump, then we have a closed loop biological system…....
Half of young adults have CHD risk factors
From Theheart.org, 22 July 2010 Atlanta, GA - Approximately half of young adults have at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as a family history of disease, smoking, hypertension, or obesity, according to the results of a new study [1]. An assessment of...
Excellent historical perspective on the history of statins (drugs that lower cholesterol)
I present here an excellent article about the history of how elevated cholesterol is a cause of atherosclerosis, and how statins were identified as a strategic key drug to reduce cholesterol and hence, reduce cardiovascular disease. The statins are a key part of the...
How Microbes Defend and Define Us
July 12, 2010 From the New York Times, by Carl Zimmer Dr. Alexander Khoruts had run out of options. In 2008, Dr. Khoruts, a gastroenterologist at the University of Minnesota, took on a patient suffering from a vicious gut infection of Clostridium difficile. She was...
Factory Efficiency Comes to the Hospital
From the New York Times, By JULIE WEED, Published: July 9, 2010 TWO years ago, the supply system at Seattle Children’s Hospital was so unreliable that Susanne Matthews, a nurse in the intensive care unit, would stockpile stuff — catheters in the closet, surgical...