Archive for May 23rd, 2012
Rheumatoid arthritis patients face higher cardiovascular risk
May 23rd, 2012 | 
Author: Researchers examined 525 men and women who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis between 1988 and 2007, and found that 84 of them developed cardiovascular disease during more than eight years of follow-up …
The immune system attacks tissue in RA, causing inflammation in joints. That inflammation also appears to affect other regions of the body, increasing the risk of heart disease.
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Study links asthma drugs to higher arrhythmia risk
Young patients with asthma who took high doses of inhaled anticholinergics were at greater risk of suffering from irregular heartbeat than other patients, according to a study to be presented at the conference of the American Thoracic Society. The increased risk, however, was not seen in patients who received tiotropium or who received ipratropium in combination with short-acting beta agonists.
Study shows higher health risks for people in sedentary jobs
Sitting at work raises the risk of dying from cardiovascular (CV) and metabolic diseases, as well as the risk of dying from all causes, regardless of any exercise in which the individual may engage. That was the finding of a study reported here at the 19th European Congress on Obesity (ECO) by Anne Grunseit, PhD, from the Prevention Research Collaboration in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, Australia, and Norwegian colleagues.
Research is increasingly focusing on sedentary behavior with low energy expenditure, including sitting and lying down, as behavioral risk factors for obesity and chronic disease. Sitting occurs during travel, while watching television, using computers, and reading. But with people often spending at least 9 hours a day at work, with fewer than 20% of jobs requiring physical exertion, and with many people spending at least 4 hours a day sitting at work, the sedentary time at work is high, and many people are affected.
Vitamin D May Help in Heart Failure
Boosting vitamin D suppressed renin, which may explain the vitamin’s benefits in heart failure, researchers found.
Zapping Deadly Bacteria Using Space Technology
Technology spin-off from long-running research aboard the International Space Station is opening up a new way to keep hospital patients safe from infections.
Women May Need Lower Ambulatory BP Cutoffs
The ambulatory blood pressure monitoring cutoff for the diagnosis of hypertension should be lower in women than in men, a researcher suggested here.
An Era’s End? What to Do With Pharma DTC TV Ads
Ever since the FDA Amendments Act of 2007 was enacted, drugmakers must submit TV ads to the FDA for review. “However, one drugmaker cautions that the expense involved in producing TV ads is so great that any revisions made by the FDA may prohibit DTC TV ads from running,” blogger Ed Silverman writes. Sanofi suggests the FDA accept story boards or animated versions in lieu of recorded footage. “This assumes that no tweaks — forget about mistakes — would find their way into an ad after the agency approved a set of storyboards,” Silverman adds.