Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Heart Disease News
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July 25, 2024 — 3D-printed blood vessels, which closely mimic the properties of human veins, could transform the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Strong, flexible, gel-like tubes -- created using a novel 3D ...
July 25, 2024 — A new mathematical method, validated with experimental animal data, provides a fast, reliable and minimally invasive way of determining how to treat critical blood pressure changes during surgery or ...
July 24, 2024 — In mice with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), increasing ketone supply to the heart allowed their hearts to utilize more ketones and produce more ...
July 24, 2024 — Personalized text messages effectively promoted increased physical activity for patients after significant heart events -- such as a heart attack or surgery -- but those effects later diminished. ...
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July 23, 2024 — A stroke not only causes acute damage to the brain, but can also have long-term health implications for other organs -- such as the heart. Researchers have worked on the hypothesis that the high rate ...
July 23, 2024 — Years of high systolic blood pressure are linked to a greater risk for the two most common types of stroke. The results suggest that early diagnosis and sustained control of high blood pressure over ...
July 22, 2024 — A new study has identified new genetic and molecular risk factors that may reveal new pathways for treating patients after they experience their first stroke. The study identified CCL27 and TNFRSF14, ...
July 22, 2024 — The researchers report the ability of protein 'signatures' to predict the onset of 67 diseases including multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, motor neurone disease, pulmonary fibrosis, ...
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July 15, 2024 — According to a new study, both 30-year risk for cardiovascular disease in addition to 10-year risk may be considered in making decisions about when to initiate high blood pressure ...
July 12, 2024 — Researchers have developed a groundbreaking method for analysing heart MRI scans with the help of artificial intelligence, which could save valuable time and resources, as well as improve care for ...
July 10, 2024 — Cardiovascular disease often culminates in heart failure, a hallmark of which is fibrosis, a form of tissue scarring. Cardiac fibrosis initially repairs damaged heart tissue, but it can quickly ...
July 9, 2024 — Individuals diagnosed with prediabetes can reduce their long-term risk of death and diabetes-related health complications if they delay the onset of diabetes for just four years through diet and ...
July 8, 2024 — New research shows combined use of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) is likely to offer additional protection against heart ...
July 8, 2024 — Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is safe for treating patients with common types of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a new ...
July 3, 2024 — Drosophila -- known as fruit flies -- are a valuable model for human heart pathophysiology, including cardiac aging and cardiomyopathy. However, a choke point in evaluating fruit fly hearts is the ...
July 3, 2024 — Researchers have created a questionnaire test for home use that quickly identifies high risk of heart attack. A study shows that it has the same level of accuracy as blood tests and blood pressure ...
July 1, 2024 — Key features of palliative care include medication management, shared decision-making and goal-oriented ...
Scientists Find Shared Proteins Linked To Heart Failure And Frailty
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified 18 proteins in blood samples that are associated with both heart failure and frailty, two conditions often seen in older adults.
This discovery, published in JAMA Cardiology, could pave the way for new methods to predict, prevent, or treat these interconnected health issues.
The study, led by Dr. Amil Shah, a professor of internal medicine and public health, highlights the shared biological pathways between heart failure and frailty. This suggests that treatments targeting one condition might also alleviate the other.
"Our findings support shared biological pathways underlying both heart failure and frailty, suggesting interventions to prevent or treat one outcome may help decrease the burden of the other," Dr. Shah explained.
As the global population ages, heart failure and frailty are becoming more common, particularly among people in their seventies and older. Heart failure occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue.
Frailty, on the other hand, involves a general decline in physical function, often marked by unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, and reduced activity levels. These conditions frequently coexist, with frailty affecting up to half of those with heart failure, and vice versa.
The link between inflammation and these conditions has been suggested before, but the exact molecular pathways were unclear. To investigate, Dr. Shah and his colleagues used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a long-term study that started in the late 1980s.
This study includes participants from North Carolina, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Maryland and has expanded over the years to cover various health assessments, including frailty.
The researchers analyzed medical records and blood samples from 10,630 ARIC participants to identify those hospitalized for heart failure. By comparing nearly 5,000 proteins in the blood samples of those with and without heart failure, they identified 83 proteins associated with heart failure.
They then focused on those who developed frailty in later life, narrowing down the list to 18 proteins linked to both conditions. These findings were validated with data from another study, the Cardiovascular Health Study, involving 3,189 participants.
Several of the 18 proteins are known to play roles in inflammation, which is a common factor in both heart failure and frailty. Other proteins are involved in fibrosis (the thickening and scarring of tissue), lipid metabolism, and cell death. Further genetic analysis suggested that five of these proteins might directly cause both conditions.
Dr. Shah noted that future research will explore how these proteins contribute to or result from heart failure and frailty. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to the development of drugs that prevent or treat both conditions simultaneously.
The study involved multiple contributors from UT Southwestern, including first author Dr. Diego Ramonfaur and data scientist Dr. Victoria Lamberson. Their work represents a significant step towards better understanding and managing the dual burdens of heart failure and frailty in aging populations.
If you care about health, please read studies about the benefits of low-dose lithium supplements, and what we know about egg intake and heart disease.
For more health information, please see recent studies about potatoes and high blood pressure, and results showing 6 best breads for people with heart disease.
The research findings can be found in JAMA Cardiology.
Copyright © 2024 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
Weight Loss And Diabetes Drug Tirzepatide Slashes Heart Failure Risks
The diabetes and weight loss drug tirzepatide — sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, respectively — significantly improved heart failure symptoms and related physical limitations in a new study.[1]
The findings, which have yet to be published, showed that tirzepatide reduced participants' risk of heart failure outcomes (hospitalization, death, and the need to increase medication dosage) by 38 percent compared with those taking placebo. Participants with or without diabetes who took the drug also experienced an average weight loss of almost 16 percent.
These latest study results follow the recent publication of other research demonstrating that semaglutide (sold as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss) can similarly help heart failure patients.[2]
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Both tirzepatide and semaglutide belong to a class of medications commonly known as GLP-1s. These drugs have been the focus of significant study as to whether they offer benefits beyond diabetes and obesity management.
In a statement to Everyday Health, the American Heart Association (AHA) said that the new study findings are promising.
"We look forward to learning the full results about tirzepatide for people with heart failure when the trial's results are presented to the scientific community later this year," wrote the AHA. "Research on GLP-1 medications is crucial to help us fully understand which medications may be best for which people and how best to improve survival and reduce risk for as many of our patients as possible."
Reducing Symptoms That Negatively Impact Quality of LifeThe trial followed 731 adults with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and obesity who received either tirzepatide or a placebo over the course of a year.
HFpEF is a condition in which the heart's left pumping chamber becomes stiff and unable to fill properly. It is associated with a high burden of symptoms and physical limitations that affect daily life.
Participants taking tirzepatide reported less shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling of the lower legs along with more ability to exercise than those on placebo.
Some people on tirzepatide experienced side effects, mostly gastrointestinal in nature, like diarrhea, nausea, constipation, and vomiting.
"This brand-new information adds to the growing data about the heart benefits of GLP-1-related medicines," says Robert John Mentz, MD, a cardiologist at Duke University College of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. "Hopefully, when we see the full data from this trial, it will really add another tool in our toolkit to help take care of these patients who, historically, have had limited treatment options."
Tirzepatide Brings a Whole-Body Benefit The Heart Failure Society of America estimates that nearly 6.5 million Americans over the age of 20 have heart failure.[4]
Anuradha Lala-Trindade, MD, a cardiologist with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, says GLP-1 medications improve heart health in a variety of ways.
"These drugs allow for heart benefits beyond weight loss alone: improved functional capacity as measured by being able to walk longer distances, improved quality of life as measured by standardized questionnaires, and now improved heart failure outcomes," says Dr. Lala-Trindade.
People taking these drugs have seen their blood pressure and cholesterol levels improve, and some evidence suggests benefits for Alzheimer's disease.[5]
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FDA Approval for Heart Failure on the HorizonTirzepatide drugmaker Eli Lilly will continue to evaluate study results, which it plans to submit to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies starting later this year.
While the FDA has not yet okayed GLP-1 drugs for heart failure, some doctors are already prescribing them.
"If heart failure patients have diabetes and obesity, we can get them these therapies," says Dr. Mentz. "But often if they are just obese with heart failure, it can be challenging to get drug coverage at this time."
Dr. Lala-Trindade further cautions that cost may be an issue for some patients.
"The cost depends on one's insurance plan," she says. "But in general, it ranges between $1,000 and $1,200 per month. The extent to which insurance companies will cover it depends on the indication; however, most will cover for the indication of better diabetes control."
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