** Latest News ** - The Office of Minority Health

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	Cholesterol Levels May be Misleading Indicators A study published in January issue of American Heart Journal has found that about 75 percent of individuals hospitalized due to a heart attack had cholesterol levels that would not categorize them as being at risk for cardiovascular issues.
	Increasing Stem Cells for Repair Scientists have found a way to increase the number of stem cells that rush to damaged areas in the human body. They believe that these adult stem cells, which were tested in mice, could possibly be used to repair bones and create new blood vessels for the heart.
	New Options in Heart Disease Solutions Cardiologists out of the University of Cincinnati are using a new device to help ease the work the heart does in people who have severe heart disease. The device, which uses a catheter to pump blood to the aorta, is meant to be used during cardiac interventions and is entering the clinical trial phase.
	Holes in Heart Patched Up Researchers at Rush University Medical Center are conducting a study to see if they can use a device made from the same material found in durable outerwear to patch holes in patient’s hearts.
	Good Genes Make a Difference A study appearing in the November issue of the Journal of American Geriatric Society found that people whose parents lived to be 97, had decreased chances of developing chronic diseases.
	Potassium Linked to Blood Pressure Research presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia found that low potassium levels may be equally responsible for high blood pressure as high levels of salt intake.
	Proteins May Signal Impending Heart Problems Researchers at John Hopkins University have found five different proteins that could alert physicians to the possibility of an impending heart attack.
	Sleep Apnea as Risk Factor for Cardiac Death Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that obstructive sleep apnea contributes to increased risk of sudden cardiac death because of decreased oxygen saturation in the blood.
	Retaining Health and Weight In the FASEB Journal, researchers are attempting to use a drug to keep obese people healthy by avoiding common obesity-related problems.
	Hypertension Linked to Environment A study out of John Hopkins University and published in the November issue of Social Science and Medicine found that disparities in hypertension were decreased when the groups being compared to each other came from the same environments.
	Heart Help The American Heart Association has launched their consumer-friendly, online heart wellness center that focuses on cardiovascular health. The resource allows users to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels and diet and activity.
	Heart Failure Linked to Fractures In the American Heart Association’s Journal, Circulation, researchers found that patients who were seen for heart failure had a greater risk for fractures, leading them to suggest that patients should be screened for osteoporosis and treated.
	Disparities in Cardiovascular Health Linked to Race An article published in the American Journal of Human Biology suggests that the likeliness of cardiovascular problems later in life may be linked to low birth weight and that a baby’s low birth weight may be attributed to social factors instead of genetics, making it possible for a great-grandmother’s health to affect her great-grandson.
	Heart Repairs done before Birth Researchers found that even when mice embryos had defective heart cells, by the time they were born, they had developed fully-functioning healthy hearts, because the healthy heart cells continued to divide until they had repaired the heart. However, after one year about 13 percent of the mice died and 50 percent developed an arrhythmia.
	Testing Drug-eluting Stents Results from a preliminary study put out by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation show that drug-eluting stents used in patients who experienced heart attacks, yielded better results than bare, metal stents.
	Symptoms Related to Stress A study presented at the 20th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, found that symptoms related to heart disease were often attributed to women’s stress levels and men’s symptoms were perceived as originated from actual physical occurrences.
	Hypertension in Americans at all-time high Rates of hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure, are up among all Americans regardless of race or gender, according to the American Heart Association. However, they note that treatment rates are up as well.
	Social Smoking Affects Arteries In a study from the University of Georgia, researchers tested the arteries of young people who smoke occasionally, less than a pack per week and had not smoked two days prior to the study. Using an ultrasound, they found that occasional smokers’ arteries were 36 percent less responsive to changes in blood flow compared to the arteries of nonsmokers. After smoking two cigarettes, the occasional smokers’ arteries were 24 percent less responsive than before the cigarette, showing that even occasional smokers may have a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases than they believe.
	Diabetes Drugs May Pose Heart Risks In an online editorial in Heart, two Wake Forest University professors voice their concern for oral medications taken for Type 2 diabetes. The two believe a particular class of meds increases the risk of cardiovascular problems.
	Ultrasounds May Help Predict Heart Attacks In a study published in the September issue of Radiology, researchers used ultrasounds on 1,268 at-risk patients to inspect plaque buildup in main arteries and the likelihood of heart attack or stroke.
	In 2007, I resolve…to resolve less and do more! Remember us? Yeah, you do. We are those that were very resolved to do all kinds of things last year. Well, we didn't do that bad, actually.