Textbook Of Cardiovascular Imaging Puts Patient At Centre

Imaging is at the heart of diagnostic procedures in cardiology. The idea of publishing an ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Imaging which accumulates the expertise of European cardiovascular imagers, is therefore long awaited. The textbook is also unique in that it is written with a patient rather than technology-based approach, helping clinicians to explain the condition to the patient, with the aid of imaging. The book is divided into sections that treat specific themes involving theory and practice of cardiac imaging and its clinical use in all major cardiovascular diseases from coronary heart disease to cardiomyopathies. The textbook which will be published early next year, can be ordered now through the publisher's website (1).

Circuit Training Will Boost Your Workout

If any of you played an organized sport in high school or college, chances are you did circuit training at one time or another. Maybe more of it than you care to remember. Now that you're older, a modified version of the old circuit training workout is a great way to pump up your cardio workout. You can do it on the treadmill or while out jogging on the road or track. Make sure you start the right way before beginning. Too many people make the mistake of stretching when they're cold and then progressing into a 15- or 30-minute run. Instead, stretch real lightly, then ride an exercise bike or jog at a very light pace for 3-5 minutes. That will get the blood moving and then it's the right time to do your full stretching routine with a lot better results.

Beta Blockers May Increase Risk For Surgical Anemia Complications

Routinely used to treat patients for heart attack or high blood pressure, beta blockers are known for their role in helping to protect the heart. A new study in the January issue of the journal Anesthesiology looks at the effects of beta blockers on surgical outcomes, revealing that the cardioprotective effects of the medication could be compromised by acute surgical anemia. Blood loss and anemia are very common in patients during and after surgery; more than 30 percent of patients undergoing moderate- to high-risk surgery experience a significant drop in blood levels. The normal response of a patient's body during significant blood loss is to increase cardiac output through increased heart rate to ensure sufficient delivery of oxygen to organs.

Study Shows Key Protein Helps Control Blood Pressure

University of Iowa researchers have shown that a protein channel helps nerve sensors in blood vessels keep blood pressure in check. Without the protein channel, known as ASIC2, the sensors are unable to send the brain the signals it needs to properly control blood pressure. The finding, which was based in animal models, is important because it could be used to create new treatments to prevent high blood pressure (hypertension). The study results appear in the Dec. 24 print issue of the journal Neuron. "Sensors in your body's blood vessels sense when your blood pressure goes up, for instance, when you get mad at someone, " said the study's principal investigator Frank Abboud, M.

Low CETP Activity Associated With Heart Disease Risk

Although seen as a potential heart disease therapy, raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels by inhibiting activity of a transfer protein may not be effective, a new study suggests. Scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and Boston University School of Medicine found an association between low plasma cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) activity and increased risk of heart disease in the Framingham Heart Study population. CETP is a protein that shuttles cholesterol throughout the body, thus controlling the levels of HDL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) in the blood.