Working out on a stationary bicycle or walking on a treadmill just 25 to 30 minutes most days of the week is enough to modestly lower risk of hospitalization or death for patients with heart failure, say researchers.

Heart failure patients have four times the risk of fractures and 6.3 times the risk of hip fracture as other heart patients. Heart failure patients should be screened and treated for osteoporosis if necessary, researchers said.

Vitamin D deficiency -- which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness -- may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well as major cardiovascular events including stroke and congestive heart failure.

Several epidemiological and experimental studies suggested that n-3 PUFA could exert favorable effects on the atherotrombotic cardiovascular disease including arrhythmias. The GISSI team investigated whether n-3 PUFA could improve morbidity and mortality in a large population of patients with symptomatic heart failure of any cause.

A family of proteins called matrix metalloprotienase may play a crucial role in why the supporting tissue surrounding the heart, called the myocardium, goes through significant and deleterious effects in heart failure patients.

An implantable hemodynamic monitor may help to guide medical treatment in a large subgroup of patients with heart failure: those with diastolic heart failure.

At low concentrations, the toxic gas hydrogen sulfide protects the hearts of mice from heart failure, scientists have found. The research suggests that doctors could use hydrogen sulfide to treat humans with heart failure.

Heart failure, also known as congenital heart failure, is a medical condition that affects more than 23 million people worldwide today and claims the lives of 600,000 yearly. Finding a cure for this widespread disease has been a top goal for medical researchers since inventions in technology allowed for a better understanding of what's actually going on inside cells when defects occur.  

Coronary heart disease symptoms presented in the context of a stressful life event were identified as psychogenic in origin when presented by women and organic in origin when presented by men. The study could help explain why there is often a delay in the assessment of women with heart disease.

Treating prostate cancer patients with drugs that block hormonal activity does not appear to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to a study. While a 2006 report from members of the same study team found that treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists increased the risk of diabetes and heart disease, the current study is the first to examine whether treatment actually increased heart disease-related deaths.