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Adding the relaxation response, a stress-management approach, to other lifestyle interventions may significantly improve treatment of the type of hypertension most common in the elderly. Study participants who received relaxation response training in addition to advice on reducing lifestyle risk factors were more than twice as likely to successfully eliminate at least one blood pressure medication than were those receiving lifestyle counseling only.

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation will present results of the largest meta-analysis to date comparing drug-eluting stents with bare metal stents at the Drug-Eluting Stent Revolution VII meeting in Chicago. The analysis includes approximately 180,000 patients from both randomized, controlled trials and observational registry analyses. The data shows dramatic reductions in repeat revascularization with DES, and strong safety statistics. It is the first meta-analysis to include DES registry data with data from RCTs.

For a rich source of stem cells to be engineered into new blood vessels or skin tissue, clinicians may one day look no further than the hair on their patients' heads, according to new research. Researchers have shown that stem cells from human hair follicles differentiate into contractile smooth muscle cells.

The researchers defined "normal weight" by body mass index. They found that people with normal BMI who had the highest percentage of body fat were also those who had metabolic disturbances linked to heart disease.

Expanded use of palliative care services is associated with enhanced communications between families and caregivers, improved symptoms management, and better quality of life for children dying from cancer, according to new study. The study's findings also suggest that the parents were more likely to feel they were prepared for their children's end-of-life medical problems.

Garments that can measure a wearer's body temperature or trace their heart activity are just entering the market, and a new project weaves new functions into smart textiles. Miniaturized biosensors in a textile patch can now analyze body fluids, even a tiny drop of sweat, and provide a much better assessment of someone's health.

Mayo data showed that 82 percent of NFL players under age 50 had abnormal narrowing and blockages in arteries, compared to the general population of the same age. This finding suggests that the former athletes face increased risk of experiencing high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.

A new method of filming blood-vessel cells that move in accordance with targeted signals has been developed. The method can also be used to study how migration of cancer cells and nerves can be controlled. Formation of new blood cells and lymph vessels takes place with a number of different diseases.

New research holds promise for thousands who suffer from REM Sleep Behavior Disorder. RDB, a neurological disorder that causes violent twitches and muscle contractions during rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep, can lead to serious injuries.

Stem cell researchers used a high resolution technique to examine the genome, or total DNA content, of a pair of human embryonic stem cell lines and found that while both lines could form neurons, the lines had differences in the numbers of certain genes that could control such things as individual traits and disease susceptibility.