Key Area Identified That Could Sever Communication Between Brain And Heart In Disease

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Cardiovascular / Cardiology;  Hypertension
Article Date: 30 Nov 2011 - 0:00 PST

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A team of neuroscientists and anaesthetists, who have been using pioneering techniques to study how the brain regulates the heart, has identified a crucial part of the nervous system whose malfunction may account for an increased risk of death from heart failure. The findings, published online (ahead of print) in the Journal of Physiology, could lead to more targeted therapies to help reduce serious illness and death in cardiovascular disease.

The research team, led by Dr Tony Pickering and Professor Julian Paton from the University of Bristol and colleague Professor Robin McAllen from the Florey Neuroscience Institute in Melbourne, developed novel methods which enabled them to explore the activity of nerve cells as they control the beating heart.

The brain controls the heart through two divisions of the nervous system; parasympathetic (vagal) and sympathetic nerves. One of these nerves, the vagus, acts to slow heart rate as part of protective cardiovascular reflexes, which are vital for cardiac health. A loss of vagal control is a major risk factor in human cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and hypertension.

Vagal information to the heart is transmitted through a special group of nerve cells that remarkably lie on and within the beating heart muscle. Until now, these important neurones have proved especially difficult to access and record in a system with preserved natural connections. However, academics at the Bristol Heart Institute and Bristol Neuroscience have developed a novel technique that allows the neurones to be held stable while the heart is still beating and their central neural connectivity remains intact.

Using this method the researchers were able to produce high-precision recordings from the cardiac ganglion neurones on the surface of the beating heart whilst retaining their inputs from the nervous system.

The results reveal how these neurones process their inputs and demonstrate that the ganglion plays a key role in regulating the level of vagal tone reaching the heart. This identifies the cardiac ganglion as a site at which the vagal transmission may fail and therefore a potential target for interventions to restore vagal control in cardiovascular diseases.

Dr Pickering, Wellcome Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Reader in Neuroscience and Consultant in Anaesthesia in the University of Bristol's School of Physiology and Pharmacology, said: "These findings are important because they clearly show the cardiac ganglion as a key player in determining the level of vagal tone reaching the heart.

"As loss of vagal tone is found in a number of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, following heart attack, in high blood pressure and diabetes, and is associated with poor prognosis and an increased risk of death, our results indicate that therapies targeted at the cardiac ganglion could restore vagal tone and potentially improve outcomes."

Helene Wilson, Research Advisor at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "The vagus nerves are absolutely vital for the control of the speed and regularity of our heart's beat. We don't know a great deal about how the vagus nerves exert this control, and researchers have found it very hard to study it - partly because of the motion of the heart as it beats. These researchers have now developed a technique to study the processes in an intact vagus nerve which is still attached to heart, and have already helped us understand the process better. New insights into how the vagus nerves transmit their effects on the heart could lead to important new ways to treat patients with diseases such as heart failure, arrhythmias and hypertension."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. The study is a result of an international collaboration between the University of Bristol and academics at the Florey Neuroscience Institute in Melbourne. The work is funded by the British Heart Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia.
University of Bristol Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

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University of Bristol. "Key Area Identified That Could Sever Communication Between Brain And Heart In Disease." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 30 Nov. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

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Similar Blood Pressure Drugs Could Have Different Impacts On Dialysis Patients' Heart Health

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 09 Dec 2011 - 2:00 PST

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Two seemingly similar blood pressure lowering drugs have different effects on the heart health of dialysis patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results indicate that certain dialysis patients may benefit more from one drug while some should opt for the other.

About 20% of kidney disease patients die within one year after they start dialysis and more than half die after five years mostly from heart disease. Two classes of drugs, called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), act in a similar way to prevent and treat heart disease in the general population. Studies of the drugs in dialysis patients are scarce.

ACE inhibitors and ARBs primarily lower blood pressure, but they also decrease inflammation and can produce other beneficial effects for patients. T. Alp Ikizler, MD (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) and his colleagues looked to see if there is a difference between ACE inhibitor and ARB treatments on dialysis patients' heart health.

The researchers randomized 15 dialysis patients to receive an ACE inhibitor, an ARB, or a placebo for one week. Then patients received no treatment for three weeks, after which they were again randomized to receive an ACE inhibitor, an ARB, or a placebo for one week. This wash-out/treatment cycle was then conducted once more. Tests were conducted after each treatment cycle.

The investigators found that ARBs were more effective at fighting inflammation while ACE inhibitors were better at preventing blood vessel damage. Both of these properties could help prevent heart disease. The results suggest that ACE inhibitors and ARBs have different effects on dialysis patients' heart health that go beyond their similar blood pressure lowering capabilities.

"The implication is that the choice of each of the drugs in dialysis patients could depend on the profile of each individual considered for treatment, which would be a more personalized approach to therapy," said Dr. Ikizler. This implies that different dialysis patients might respond to each drug differently and that some would get the most benefit from ACE inhibitors while others would benefit more from ARBs. The findings emphasize the need for a long-term randomized clinical trial to compare the effects of ARBs and ACE inhibitors on different aspects of heart health in dialysis patients.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Source: American Society of Nephrology
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. American Society of Nephrology Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American Society of Nephrology. "Similar Blood Pressure Drugs Could Have Different Impacts On Dialysis Patients' Heart Health." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 9 Dec. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

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For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 07 Dec 2011 - 0:00 PST

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Young women may reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease simply by eating more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In the first population-based study in women of childbearing age, those who rarely or never ate fish had 50 percent more cardiovascular problems over eight years than those who ate fish regularly.

Compared to women who ate fish high in omega-3 weekly, the risk was 90 percent higher for those who rarely or never ate fish.

Researchers used a Danish nationwide population based pregnancy cohort to examine whether or not eating more fish might reduce cardiovascular disease risk in the young women.

About 49,000 women, 15-49 years old, median age of just under 30 years in early pregnancy - were interviewed by telephone or answered food frequency questionnaires about how much, what types and how often they ate fish, as well as lifestyle and family history questions.

Researchers recorded 577 cardiovascular events during the eight-year period, including five cardiovascular deaths in women without any prior diagnosis of the disease. In all, 328 events were due to hypertensive disease, 146 from cerebrovascular disease, and 103 from ischemic heart disease.

Inpatient and outpatient admission for cardiovascular disease was much more common among women who reported eating little or no fish. In three different assessments over a 30-week period, women who never ate fish had a three-fold higher disease risk compared to women who ate fish every week.

"To our knowledge this is the first study of this size to focus exclusively on women of childbearing age," said Marin Strøm, Ph.D., lead researcher and post doctoral fellow at the Centre for Fetal Programming, at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. "The biggest challenge in getting health messages like this across to younger populations is that usually the benefits may not be evident for 30 or 40 years, but our study shows this is not the case. We saw a strong association with cardiovascular disease in the women who were still in their late 30's."

Fish oil contains long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are believed to protect against heart and vascular disease. Few women in the study took fish oil supplements, so these were excluded from the analyses and the results were based on the dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids, not intake from supplements.

Most previous studies that found cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids have focused on men, according to Strøm.

"Men and women share many cardiovascular risk factors, but some studies have shown that there might also be gender differences. For example, inflammation, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels may have a more negative influence among women," Strom said.

Even women who ate fish only a couple of times a month benefitted. "Women who eat fish should find the results encouraging, but it is important to emphasize that to obtain the greatest benefit from fish and fish oils, women should follow the dietary recommendations to eat fish as a main meal at least twice a week," she said.

The most common fish consumed by women in the study were cod, salmon, herring, and mackerel.

"Our study shows that for younger women, eating fish is very important for overall health, and even though we found cardio-protective effects at relatively modest dietary levels, higher levels may yield additional benefits," Strøm said.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. Co-authors are Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, Ph.D., Erik L. Mortensen, M.Sc.,Christian Torp-Pedersen, M.D., D.M.Sc. and Sjurdur F. Olsen, M.D., D.MSc. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
American Heart Association Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American Heart Association. "Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 7 Dec. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Similar Blood Pressure Drugs Could Have Different Impacts On Dialysis Patients' Heart Health

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 09 Dec 2011 - 2:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Two seemingly similar blood pressure lowering drugs have different effects on the heart health of dialysis patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results indicate that certain dialysis patients may benefit more from one drug while some should opt for the other.

About 20% of kidney disease patients die within one year after they start dialysis and more than half die after five years mostly from heart disease. Two classes of drugs, called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), act in a similar way to prevent and treat heart disease in the general population. Studies of the drugs in dialysis patients are scarce.

ACE inhibitors and ARBs primarily lower blood pressure, but they also decrease inflammation and can produce other beneficial effects for patients. T. Alp Ikizler, MD (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) and his colleagues looked to see if there is a difference between ACE inhibitor and ARB treatments on dialysis patients' heart health.

The researchers randomized 15 dialysis patients to receive an ACE inhibitor, an ARB, or a placebo for one week. Then patients received no treatment for three weeks, after which they were again randomized to receive an ACE inhibitor, an ARB, or a placebo for one week. This wash-out/treatment cycle was then conducted once more. Tests were conducted after each treatment cycle.

The investigators found that ARBs were more effective at fighting inflammation while ACE inhibitors were better at preventing blood vessel damage. Both of these properties could help prevent heart disease. The results suggest that ACE inhibitors and ARBs have different effects on dialysis patients' heart health that go beyond their similar blood pressure lowering capabilities.

"The implication is that the choice of each of the drugs in dialysis patients could depend on the profile of each individual considered for treatment, which would be a more personalized approach to therapy," said Dr. Ikizler. This implies that different dialysis patients might respond to each drug differently and that some would get the most benefit from ACE inhibitors while others would benefit more from ARBs. The findings emphasize the need for a long-term randomized clinical trial to compare the effects of ARBs and ACE inhibitors on different aspects of heart health in dialysis patients.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Source: American Society of Nephrology
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. American Society of Nephrology Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American Society of Nephrology. "Similar Blood Pressure Drugs Could Have Different Impacts On Dialysis Patients' Heart Health." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 9 Dec. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Key Area Identified That Could Sever Communication Between Brain And Heart In Disease

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Cardiovascular / Cardiology;  Hypertension
Article Date: 30 Nov 2011 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

A team of neuroscientists and anaesthetists, who have been using pioneering techniques to study how the brain regulates the heart, has identified a crucial part of the nervous system whose malfunction may account for an increased risk of death from heart failure. The findings, published online (ahead of print) in the Journal of Physiology, could lead to more targeted therapies to help reduce serious illness and death in cardiovascular disease.

The research team, led by Dr Tony Pickering and Professor Julian Paton from the University of Bristol and colleague Professor Robin McAllen from the Florey Neuroscience Institute in Melbourne, developed novel methods which enabled them to explore the activity of nerve cells as they control the beating heart.

The brain controls the heart through two divisions of the nervous system; parasympathetic (vagal) and sympathetic nerves. One of these nerves, the vagus, acts to slow heart rate as part of protective cardiovascular reflexes, which are vital for cardiac health. A loss of vagal control is a major risk factor in human cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and hypertension.

Vagal information to the heart is transmitted through a special group of nerve cells that remarkably lie on and within the beating heart muscle. Until now, these important neurones have proved especially difficult to access and record in a system with preserved natural connections. However, academics at the Bristol Heart Institute and Bristol Neuroscience have developed a novel technique that allows the neurones to be held stable while the heart is still beating and their central neural connectivity remains intact.

Using this method the researchers were able to produce high-precision recordings from the cardiac ganglion neurones on the surface of the beating heart whilst retaining their inputs from the nervous system.

The results reveal how these neurones process their inputs and demonstrate that the ganglion plays a key role in regulating the level of vagal tone reaching the heart. This identifies the cardiac ganglion as a site at which the vagal transmission may fail and therefore a potential target for interventions to restore vagal control in cardiovascular diseases.

Dr Pickering, Wellcome Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Reader in Neuroscience and Consultant in Anaesthesia in the University of Bristol's School of Physiology and Pharmacology, said: "These findings are important because they clearly show the cardiac ganglion as a key player in determining the level of vagal tone reaching the heart.

"As loss of vagal tone is found in a number of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, following heart attack, in high blood pressure and diabetes, and is associated with poor prognosis and an increased risk of death, our results indicate that therapies targeted at the cardiac ganglion could restore vagal tone and potentially improve outcomes."

Helene Wilson, Research Advisor at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "The vagus nerves are absolutely vital for the control of the speed and regularity of our heart's beat. We don't know a great deal about how the vagus nerves exert this control, and researchers have found it very hard to study it - partly because of the motion of the heart as it beats. These researchers have now developed a technique to study the processes in an intact vagus nerve which is still attached to heart, and have already helped us understand the process better. New insights into how the vagus nerves transmit their effects on the heart could lead to important new ways to treat patients with diseases such as heart failure, arrhythmias and hypertension."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. The study is a result of an international collaboration between the University of Bristol and academics at the Florey Neuroscience Institute in Melbourne. The work is funded by the British Heart Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia.
University of Bristol Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

University of Bristol. "Key Area Identified That Could Sever Communication Between Brain And Heart In Disease." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 30 Nov. 2011. Web.
8 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 07 Dec 2011 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Young women may reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease simply by eating more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In the first population-based study in women of childbearing age, those who rarely or never ate fish had 50 percent more cardiovascular problems over eight years than those who ate fish regularly.

Compared to women who ate fish high in omega-3 weekly, the risk was 90 percent higher for those who rarely or never ate fish.

Researchers used a Danish nationwide population based pregnancy cohort to examine whether or not eating more fish might reduce cardiovascular disease risk in the young women.

About 49,000 women, 15-49 years old, median age of just under 30 years in early pregnancy - were interviewed by telephone or answered food frequency questionnaires about how much, what types and how often they ate fish, as well as lifestyle and family history questions.

Researchers recorded 577 cardiovascular events during the eight-year period, including five cardiovascular deaths in women without any prior diagnosis of the disease. In all, 328 events were due to hypertensive disease, 146 from cerebrovascular disease, and 103 from ischemic heart disease.

Inpatient and outpatient admission for cardiovascular disease was much more common among women who reported eating little or no fish. In three different assessments over a 30-week period, women who never ate fish had a three-fold higher disease risk compared to women who ate fish every week.

"To our knowledge this is the first study of this size to focus exclusively on women of childbearing age," said Marin Strøm, Ph.D., lead researcher and post doctoral fellow at the Centre for Fetal Programming, at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. "The biggest challenge in getting health messages like this across to younger populations is that usually the benefits may not be evident for 30 or 40 years, but our study shows this is not the case. We saw a strong association with cardiovascular disease in the women who were still in their late 30's."

Fish oil contains long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are believed to protect against heart and vascular disease. Few women in the study took fish oil supplements, so these were excluded from the analyses and the results were based on the dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids, not intake from supplements.

Most previous studies that found cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids have focused on men, according to Strøm.

"Men and women share many cardiovascular risk factors, but some studies have shown that there might also be gender differences. For example, inflammation, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels may have a more negative influence among women," Strom said.

Even women who ate fish only a couple of times a month benefitted. "Women who eat fish should find the results encouraging, but it is important to emphasize that to obtain the greatest benefit from fish and fish oils, women should follow the dietary recommendations to eat fish as a main meal at least twice a week," she said.

The most common fish consumed by women in the study were cod, salmon, herring, and mackerel.

"Our study shows that for younger women, eating fish is very important for overall health, and even though we found cardio-protective effects at relatively modest dietary levels, higher levels may yield additional benefits," Strøm said.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. Co-authors are Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, Ph.D., Erik L. Mortensen, M.Sc.,Christian Torp-Pedersen, M.D., D.M.Sc. and Sjurdur F. Olsen, M.D., D.MSc. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
American Heart Association Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American Heart Association. "Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 7 Dec. 2011. Web.
8 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here