Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Explaining An Important Genetic Cardiovascular Risk Factor
New findings reported in the September issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, appear to explain why people who carry specific and common versions of a single gene are more likely to have high cholesterol and to suffer a heart attack. Studies in mice show that the gene, known as sortilin (SORT1), controls the release of LDL (a.k.a...

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:00:00 PDTPublic Health
AHRQ Releases New Spanish Language Guides For Patients
HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a series of free evidence-based guides designed to help Spanish speakers understand and compare the risks, benefits and side effects of treatments for eight health conditions. The guides provide valuable information that patients can use in talking with their clinicians...

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Non-stick Cookware And Waterproof Fabrics Linked To Higher Cholesterol Levels In Kids
Chemicals used in the production of non-stick cookware and waterproof fabrics, known as perfluoroalkyl acids, can get into children's blood and raise their LDL cholesterol levels ("bad cholesterol" levels), says an article published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Examples of perfluoroalkyl acids include PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonate)...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Data From Mipomersen Phase 3 Trial In heFH Patients Presented At ESC
Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ: GENZ) and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ISIS) announced that data from the phase 3 study of mipomersen in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (heFH) were presented at the European Society of Cardiology's Congress 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 PDTStatins
Netherlands Study Shows Need For Dose Management Care When Switching To Generic Statins
Research conducted in the Netherlands has highlighted the need for care when switching patients under treatment for high cholesterol from branded to generic drug families. The study shows that much of the switching can result in patients inadvertently receiving non-equivalent doses, potentially leading to an increased risk of downstream heart disease and stroke...

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:00:00 PDTDiabetes
Grapefruit's Bitter Taste Holds A Sweet Promise For Diabetes Therapy
Naringenin, an antioxidant derived from the bitter flavor of grapefruits and other citrus fruits, may cause the liver to break down fat while increasing insulin sensitivity, a process that naturally occurs during long periods of fasting...

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Expanded Lipoprotein Testing, VAP® Cholesterol Test Discussed At National Lipid Association Summer Clinical Lipid Update
Atherotech Diagnostics Lab will exhibit its VAP® Cholesterol Test in booth 105 at the National Lipid Association (NLA) Summer 2010 Clinical Lipid Update. The meeting takes place August 27-29 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C...

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:00:00 PDTRegulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Impax Laboratories Confirms Patent Challenge Relating To VYTORIN(R), 10 Mg/80 Mg
Impax Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPXL) today confirms that it has initiated a challenge of patents listed by MSP Singapore Co. LLC in connection with VYTORIN® (ezetimibe/simvastatin), 10 mg/80 mg. Impax filed its Abbreviated New Drug Application ("ANDA") containing a paragraph IV certification for a generic version of VYTORIN® with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration ("FDA")...

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:00:00 PDTNutrition / Diet
Outlets Should Offer Free Statins With Junk Food Say UK Researchers
Imagine this: order a cheeseburger and fries, and pick up a free cholesterol-busting statin tablet along with the other free condiments, that's what a group of UK researchers suggests you should be able to do at fast food outlets as a way to offset the increase in heart attack risk from eating junk food...

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 02:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Amarin's AMR101 Pivotal Phase 3 MARINE Clinical Trial Completes Patient Enrollment And Randomization
Amarin Corporation plc (Nasdaq: AMRN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a focus on cardiovascular disease, announced that its MARINE trial, a Phase 3 clinical trial of AMR101, has completed patient enrollment and randomization into the treatment phase of this trial...

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:00:00 PDTStatins
Abbott's SIMCOR® (Niacin Extended-Release / Simvastatin) Receives FDA Approval For New Dosage Strengths
Abbott has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for two new dosage strengths of SIMCOR®, a cholesterol medication. The new SIMCOR dosage strengths combine 40 mg of simvastatin - the most commonly prescribed dose of simvastatin - with either 500 mg or 1,000 mg of niacin extended-release...

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:00:00 PDTBiology / Biochemistry
Disrupting Body Clock Could Keep Triglycerides High, Raising Risk Of Heart Disease
From studies on mice, researchers in the US have discovered that disrupting the body clock or circadian rhythm could interfere with a normal 24 hour cycle of high and low triglycerides in a way that leaves them at a high level all the time, potentially raising the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. You can read how Dr M...

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:00:00 PDTCholesterol
95 Genetic Variants Associated With Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Identified By Scientists
A global team of researchers co-led by the University of Michigan School of Public Health has discovered or confirmed 95 regions of the human genome where genetic variants are associated with blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which are major indicators of heart disease risk...

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:00:00 PDTGenetics
Genome Scanning Finds Genes For Cholesterol And Heart Disease That Could Be Important Targets For Treatment
Two international studies published in a leading journal this week have pinpointed genes for cholesterol and heart disease that could be important targets for treatment, and demonstrate the potential clinical value of "genome scanning" or GWAS, genome wide association studies, in developing new diagnostic tests and therapies for diseases with genetic risks...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:00:00 PDTNutrition / Diet
Low Carb Diet Better For Cardiovascular Health Than Low Fat Diet
Researchers from of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, Philadelphia have revealed that after a two-year comparison, a low-carb diet fares about as well as a low-fat diet with regards to weight loss, but low-carb improves cardiovascular risk factors more...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Modestly High Cholesterol Levels In Young People Can Cause Heart Disease Signs By Age 45
Relatively young individuals with slightly abnormal cholesterol levels have a real risk of developing signs of heart disease by the time they are 45 years old, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine. In a 20-year study, researchers gathered data on 3,258 males and females between the ages of 18 and 30 years...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Cholesterol Levels In Young Adults Predict Risk Of Future Heart Disease
Young people with even modestly elevated cholesterol levels are more likely to develop coronary artery calcium and atherosclerosis later in life, according to a 20-year study released on August 2 by UCSF researchers...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:00:00 PDTCholesterol
News From Annals Of Internal Medicine: August 3, 2010
At Two Years, Low-carb Diet Beats Low-Fat for HDL-Cholesterol Levels Previous studies comparing low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets have not included comprehensive behavioral treatment. Researchers sought to evaluate the long-term effects of a low-carbohydrate versus a low-fat diet when combined with a comprehensive lifestyle modification program...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:00:00 PDTHeart Disease
Disparities In Cardiovascular Risk Based More On Socioeconomic Status Than Race, Ethnicity
A new UCLA study suggests that disparities in cardiovascular disease risk in the United States are due less to race or ethnicity than to socioeconomic status...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Abbott's SIMCOR(R) (Niacin Extended-Release / Simvastatin) Receives FDA Approval For New Dosage Strengths
Abbott received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for two new dosage strengths of SIMCOR®, a cholesterol medication. The new SIMCOR dosage strengths combine 40 mg of simvastatin - the most commonly prescribed dose of simvastatin - with either 500 mg or 1,000 mg of niacin extended-release...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:00:00 PDTCholesterol
Abbott's SIMCOR ® ( Niacin Extended-release / Simvastatin ) Receives FDA Approval For New Dosage Strengths
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for two new dosage strengths of SIMCOR®, a cholesterol medication. The new SIMCOR dosage strengths combine 40 mg of simvastatin the most commonly prescribed dose of simvastatin with either 500 mg or 1,000 mg of niacin extended-release...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:00:00 PDTHeart Disease
Preventing Heart Problems While Keeping A Cool Head
Max Planck researchers explain the cause of the flushing effect arising from cholesterol treatment with nicotinic acid. Cholesterol influences the health of our hearts and blood vessels. Conventional treatment attempts to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, in the blood plasma...

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:00:00 PDTCardiovascular / Cardiology
No Firm Conclusions About HDL Cholesterol Can Be Drawn From JUPITER Sub-analysis
No firm conclusions about HDL cholesterol can be drawn from JUPITER sub-analysis Sophia Antipolis, 23 July 2010: The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is concerned that interpretations of a paper about cholesterol, published in the Lancet (1), could act to deter ongoing research efforts into developing new therapeutic strategies to increase high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol...

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:00:00 PDTStatins
Good Cholesterol Seems Less Important Once Statins Have Lowered Bad Cholesterol
Results of an international trial suggest that once statins have lowered LDL or "bad" cholesterol, the level of HDL or "good" cholesterol is less important in terms of predicting cardiovascular risk than it is during pre-treatment assessment...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:00:00 PDTSeniors / Aging
New Links Between Cholesterol And Depression In The Elderly
Most people know that high cholesterol levels place them at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Prior research has shown that particular types of strokes contribute to one's risk for depression, and that abnormal blood lipid levels can increase the risk of depression in the elderly...