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New heart helps in man’s spiritual journey. Green tea for failing hearts? By Leigh MacMillan | Posted on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012 — 8:00 AM (iStock) Green tea has received increasing attention for its potentially beneficial effects for cardiovascular health.

Green tea for failing hearts?

Recent studies have suggested that the major organic antioxidant compound in green tea, EGCG, increases cardiac contractility, but the molecular mechanisms responsible for this effect are unclear. Björn Knollmann, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, and colleagues report in the November issue of Molecular Pharmacology that EGCG increases the calcium available for contraction, which increases the force of contraction, by modulating the function of calcium-handling proteins. They demonstrate that EGCG increases calcium loading into the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR, the cell’s internal calcium storage area), activates SR calcium release channels (ryanodine receptors) and inhibits proteins that pump calcium out of the cell (sodium-calcium exchangers).

Kidney woes during heart failure. By Leigh MacMillan | Posted on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 — 8:00 AM Patients who present to the Emergency Department (ED) with acute heart failure have multiple co-morbidities, including abnormal kidney function, which is associated with increased risk of complications.

Kidney woes during heart failure

Study ties early menopause to heart attack, stroke. By Craig Boerner | Posted on Thursday, Sep. 27, 2012 — 10:40 AM iStock Women who experience early menopause are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than women whose menopause occurs at a later age, according to a new study by Melissa Wellons, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine in the Vanderbilt Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Study ties early menopause to heart attack, stroke

Melissa Wellons, M.D. Wellons conducted the research while working at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and it is published in the current issue of Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society. She said the study is especially important because cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in U.S. women. “My hope is that getting this message out will motivate women with early menopause to engage in the lifestyle and medical strategies known to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease — like controlling cholesterol, blood pressure and excess weight and by exercising,” Wellons said.

You Gotta Walk the Walk ... the Heart Walk. Women Who Eat Soy May Have Lower Heart Disease Risk. Women who consume higher levels of soy may have a lower risk of coronary heart disease, a new study suggests.

Women Who Eat Soy May Have Lower Heart Disease Risk

Researchers found that women in China with the highest levels of a soy compound called equol in their urine were 54 percent less likely to have heart disease, compared with the women in the study who had the lowest levels. "Our results suggest that higher urinary equol excretion is related to a lower risk of coronary heart disease in women," said study author Dr. Xianglan Zhang, an assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Love And Heart Health Connection - Spry Living. Featured Article,Healthy Heart,Healthy Living by Spry ContributorDecember 24, 2010 Happy couples have lower blood pressure and better health habits.

Love And Heart Health Connection - Spry Living

Beyond the warm fuzzy feelings, being in a loving relationship is healthy for your heart. "People who are married or who are in close, positive relationships tend to be less likely to smoke, are more physically active and are more likely to have lower levels of stress and anxiety in their day-to-day lives," says Dr. Julie Damp, a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

"We think that people who are in loving relationships may experience neurohormonal changes that have positive effects on the body, including the cardiovascular system," Damp says. Many Patients With Defibrillators Face a Dilemma. Page 2: Should More Heart Patients Get Stents? <br/><a href=" US News</a> | <a href=" Business News</a> Copy "Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a powerful, invasive tool that can pick out blockages that, at least at the time at which they are being studied, are sufficiently severe as to be able to prevent a safe and healthy increase of blood flow to the heart and can distinguish them from blockages that are not," said Dr.

Page 2: Should More Heart Patients Get Stents?

Brian O'Murchu, associate professor of medicine and associate director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Temple University in Philadelphia. "In this way, it gives much the same information as is provided by stress tests that include imaging of the heart. " "Recent pressure based on the COURAGE trial to reduce overall stent usage has made an early revascularization strategy less clear," said Dr. Yet, some doctors remain cautious about these results. One of these physicians is Dr. "[T]he rates of death and the rates of [heart attack] were similar in the two groups," Krumholz said. Multiple procedures, devices help heart patient pull through. By Kathy Whitney | Posted on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 — 8:30 AM After Stacey Browning, R.N., a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit charge nurse, got a report on a heart attack patient who was being transported to her unit from an outside hospital, her immediate thought was, “They are sending us a patient we are not going to be able to recover.”

Multiple procedures, devices help heart patient pull through

“We’re going to have to tell the family when they get here that we’re sorry but there is nothing we can do, because that’s how bad it sounded,” she recalled. Obesity linked to kidney injury after heart surgery (06/21. Fair Nashville, TN 6/21/2012 - A new study by Vanderbilt researchers finds that obesity markedly increases the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) following cardiac surgery.

Obesity linked to kidney injury after heart surgery (06/21

Considered common after cardiac surgery, AKI independently predicts a fivefold increase in mortality (within 30 days after cardiac surgery), and is associated with longer hospital stays and a range of complications. Frederic T. (Josh) Billings IV, M.D., M.Sc. The study, led by anesthesiologist Frederic T. Posing damage to cell structures, oxidative stress is the toxic overabundance of reactive oxygen species, brought on by excess generation or insufficient elimination. “By identification of this mechanism, we now may be able to target intraoperative oxidative stress with the hope of reducing kidney injury following cardiac surgery.

After adjusting for several other risk factors, the researchers found that for every five-point increase in BMI, the odds of AKI increased 26.5 percent. Event set to celebrate opening of VANTAGE shared resource (05/31. Heavy Rain Nashville, TN 5/31/2012 - VANTAGE, Vanderbilt University’s new collaborative shared resource, is now open for business and ready to support innovative research in genomics and personalized medicine.

Event set to celebrate opening of VANTAGE shared resource (05/31

The facility will host an open house and reception for the Vanderbilt community from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, in room S0100 in the basement of Medical Center North, near the intersection of the S and B corridors. Heart offers same-day discharge for simple stent procedures (05/24. Cloudy Nashville, TN 5/24/2012 - Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute has implemented a new protocol that allows same-day discharge for uncomplicated stent procedures.

Heart offers same-day discharge for simple stent procedures (05/24

Maj. George Carlson, 53, from Ft. Campbell, Ky., arrived at Vanderbilt the morning of May 1, had a stent placed in his left anterior descending artery to open up a blockage, and went home that evening. He was the first patient to benefit from this new program, said his cardiologist, Mark Glazer, M.D. “In the past, we monitored patients overnight and let them go home the next day,” Glazer said. Carlson was a regular runner who began to experience chest pain about two miles into his run. Popular Antibiotic May Raise Risk of Sudden Death. Surprise gift for new mom: a new heart (05/3. Partly Cloudy Nashville, TN Windy Hill with her daughter Gracie. Six months after giving birth, Hill went into surgery to receive a mechanical assist device and came out with a new heart. 5/03/2012 - Windy Hill, 38, of Kingsport, Tenn., was wheeled into the operating room at Vanderbilt University Hospital on April 20 to receive a mechanical pump to aid her failing heart and save her life.

While the surgical team was preparing to start the operation, the surgeon’s cell phone rang. Herald Citizen - New heart procedure cuts surgery mortality risk not the heart. More good news about fish oil - HTHealth. New stent aids heart disease patients who have diabetes (03/29. Mostly Cloudy Nashville, TN This newly approved stent has been found to help open narrowed coronary arteries in heart disease patients who also have diabetes. (image courtesy of Medtronic) 3/29/2012 - Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute recently used a new medical device to open narrowed coronary arteries, even in heart disease patients who also have diabetes. The U.S. Baby’s heart transplant lets parents finally hold him close (04/5. Partly Cloudy Nashville, TN Keith and Christy Hagewood with their two-month-old son, Andrew, who underwent a heart transplant at Vanderbilt last week.

(photo by Susan Urmy) 4/05/2012 - Christy and Keith Hagewood stroked their son’s cheeks and rubbed his tiny pink hands, praying for the day when they could hold him longer than a scant few minutes. Andrew Preston Hagewood was born Feb. 6 with an enlarged heart and needed a transplant. The Hagewoods could pick Andrew up for short moments, but couldn’t stray far from the life-saving machine he was connected to. Daily walk significantly improves health. Infant undergoes surgery, receives new heart. NASHVILLE, Tenn. . - Cheney Heart Pump in High Demand. <br/><a href=" US News</a> | <a href=" Business News</a> Copy The pump that kept Dick Cheney's blood flowing while he waited for a heart transplant has seen a surge in popularity, a trend credited in part to the 71-year-old's successful 20-month stretch with the device.

"The reality is that many patients have come to us asking about the 'Cheney pump,'" said Dr. Robert Kormos, director of the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburgh, referring to the Left Ventricular Assist Device or LVAD that pumped Cheney's blood on behalf of his failing heart. "His positive presentation while on the device has very much been positive for the public impression of the therapy. " Screenings expected to save lives of newborns with heart defect. Screenings expected to save newborns with heart defects. Healing Broken Hearts Part 2: Heart Valves & Treatment Without Surgery.

Transplant eases heart patient’s complex problems (03/8. Mostly Cloudy Nashville, TN. Vandy nurse shares story of her infant's need for new heart. Top 10 Heart Healthy Diet Basics. The White House. Healing Broken Hearts Part 5: Atrial Fibrillation, Ablation and Hybrid Ablation Treatments. VUMChealth. Heart attacks in women: greater death risk, fewer feel chest pain - HealthPop. Everyone wants a healthy heart. Still, cardiovascular disease affects more than 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. The good news is that some simple, everyday habits can make a big difference in just how healthy your heart really is. With help from our friends at Health.com, here are the 17 worst habits for your heart, and how to avoid them.More from Health.com: 10 best foods for your heart istockphoto (CBS) Women are more likely than men to die from heart attacks. That provocative claim is one of several gender differences found in a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Aliquots — research highlights from VUMC laboratories (02/16. Cloudy Nashville, TN Aliquots — research highlights from VUMC laboratories. Attack Risk Assessment. Exercise for Heart Health: Getting Started. Steady aerobic exercise such as walking is one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy. Atrial Fibrillation Seminar. Investigators seek clues to paradox of atrial fibrillation risk (02/16. How to Build a Heart Healthy Kitchen. VUMC pilot clinics launch genotyping for drug safety (02/16. Partly Cloudy Nashville, TN 2/16/2012 - Vanderbilt University Medical Center is building a highway to personalized medicine, and the section of road currently under construction involves spreading the word among providers in pilot clinics, including Cardiology, Diabetes and Primary Care, about prospective genetic testing for certain patients. When a drug doesn’t work for a patient, or when a patient experiences side effects but receives no benefit, that’s considered an adverse drug reaction.

Podcasts. A Heart Health Guide for Your 30s, 40s, and 50s: In Your 50s. My Health Chat - Innovation in Heart Care & Genomic Medicine. Know Your Medicines. My Life Check - Home. Healing Broken Hearts Part 4: Cardiac Arrest and Therapeutic Hypothermia. Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Broadcast Yourself. Two-day cardiology conference set (02/9. Novel Cardiology Diagnostic Testing on Nashville Medical News. A Heart Health Guide for Your 30s, 40s, and 50s: In Your 40s. 5 Questions with Dr. Emily Kurtz about statins. A Heart Health Guide for Your 30s, 40s, and 50s: In Your 30s. Vanderbilt Heart. Events shine light on heart health (02/2. Go Red with Betty White and Friends. Broadcast Yourself. The Leaf Chronicle – Clarksville, Tenn., and Fort Campbell. Heart Month. Home. Start Early To Curb Heart Risks For A Lifetime : Shots - Health Blog. Study: Sex poses surprisingly low risk to heart patients. University Medical Center - Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute first in Tennessee to perform life-saving aortic valve replacement with recently approved valve.

Broken heart syndrome isn't fiction. Study uses art to spur patients to walk after surgery (01/6. Nashville's Saint Thomas Hospital to end heart transplants. Study points to personal treatment for atrial fibrillation (12/1. Members of the Vanderbilt Heart Sounds pose for a picture at. Frist joins Department of Cardiac Surgery faculty (09/15.

Heart Disease and What Can Go Wrong with your Heart. Healing Broken Hearts: Advances in Heart Care. Herald Citizen - Hearts a support to cardiac patients for nearly 15 years. Newsroom - Top Stories - AHA Uses Popular Disco Song to Teach CPR. Trial tests novel treatment for heart failure patients (05/26. Tennessee Women's Health Report Card: A Call To Action. Study reveals placenta’s role in producing serotonin (04/21. University Medical Center - Vanderbilt Heart to participate in corevalve clinical trial. Community Events. Heart Institute outcomes report lands award (03/10. The New CPR: Chest Compressions Only.