Alcohol in moderation protects against heart disease

Libin Cardiovascular Institute Member and CIPPH Director Dr. William Ghali has recently published research in the British Medical Journal concluding that individuals who drink alcohol in moderation (about one drink a day or less) are 14-25% less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who drink no alcohol at all.

Dr. William Ghali

The first paper, led by Paul Ronksley from the University of Calgary, emphasizes that a balance needs to be found between the public health message that consuming large amounts of alcohol is bad for you, and the one that drinking in moderation can have health benefits.

An accompanying paper led by Dr Susan Brien, also from the University of Calgary, finds that moderate consumption of alcohol (up to one drink or 15 g alcohol per day for women and up to two drinks or 30 g alcohol per day for men) is good for health. They say moderate amounts of alcohol significantly increase the levels of ‘good’ cholesterol circulating in the body and this has a protective effect against heart disease.

First article published February 22, 2011 in BMJ: Association of alcohol consumption with selected cardiovascular disease outcomes

Second article published February 22, 2011 in BMJ: Effect of alcohol consumption on biological markers associated with risk of coronary heart disease

Complete coverage at UCalgary Medicine.

CTV news coverage including an interview with Paul Ronksley. Articles were published by the Columbus Dispatch, the Globe and Mail and USA Today, among others.

Libin scientists identify new marker for heart disease

Published research led by Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta Director Dr. Todd J. Anderson finds that endothelial dysfunction (blood vessel lining) can predict who is at risk for developing coronary heart disease. Specifically, lower blood velocity in the brachial artery of the arm as measured after a period of reduced flow induced by a blood pressure cuff, was shown to be a significant additive predictor to previously well recognized Framingham measures. This is the first time hyperemic velocity, a measure of microvascular function, has been demonstrated as a predictor in a long-term study.

Dr.Francois Charbonneau (L), Heather Conradson (M), and Dr. Todd Anderson (R) watch as Calgary firefighter Wayne Morris gets a bracial ultrasound.

This study builds on work Dr. Anderson conducted over a period of two decades. Of particular note, it builds on a paper he authored in 1995 that demonstrated the relationship of endothelial function in coronary circulation to that of endothelial function in the arm. That paper has been cited by researchers approximately 1,400 times – a phenomenal number for a single paper and a demonstration of it forming the basis of research happening around the world.

More reading …

Article published January 2011 in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association: Microvascular Function Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Primary Prevention

Dr. Anderson’s foundational article published 1995 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Close relation of endothelial function in the human coronary and peripheral circulations

Sample media coverage:

CBC Radio interview, BT Calgary video, BT article, Edmonton Journal, Global News, Global TV Health FYI, Calgary Herald article and video, MedIndia, EurekAlert, UCalgary Medicine

Cardiaxe murders solved!

The second annual Libin Institute Bash was a huge success, with staff, trainees, researchers and clinicians alike coming together to solve the crime of the century! The following images capture a few of the moments had at the Cardiaxe murder mystery (click thumbnails for larger images).

Thank-you to all the volunteers who pulled this event together and to all the participants who made the event a success. Looking forward to next year year already!

CIHR Awards Libin Members $2.3M+

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research recently announced their latest funding decisions that included several members of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. The total amount awarded for the research projects listed below is well over $2,300,000!

SR Wayne Chen

Molecular Basis of Ca2+ Release Termination and its Role in Cardiomyopathies

Brenda Hemmelgarn

Improving risk prediction for mortality and progression to kidney failure in older adults using eGFR and proteinuria

Pietro Ravani

Complications of Arteriovenous Fistulas, Arteriovenous Grafts and Tunnelled Cuffed Catheters for Hemodialysis: Risk Patterns, Comparability and Impact on Patient Outcomes

Robert Sheldon

Strategy of empiric permanent pacing in patients with syncope and bifascicular heart block potentially a better overall combination of suppression of syncope recurrences and device complications than a strategy of acting on results of an implantable loop recorder 

Michael Walsh

Electromechanical coupling in vascular smooth muscle: a novel signal transduction pathway involving the calcium-dependent tyrosine kinase, Pyk2

Congratulations all around!

Hemmelgarn and Scott-Douglas in NEJM

Leading nephrologists within the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta have yet again been published in the highest impact medical science journals.

 

Dr. Nairne Scott-Douglas and Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn (right)

New England Journal of Medicine

Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn along with Dr. Nairne Scott-Douglas (co-Investigator) – both members of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta – led a randomized trial at 11 sites across Canada. Their research found that hemodialysis patients receiving the usual catheter locking solution of heparin were twice as likely to suffer a catheter malfunction and were at an almost three-fold increased risk of blood stream infection as compared to those who receive rt-PA (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) once a week.

“We now have evidence that we can prevent these complications using rt-PA, with a goal to ultimately improve outcomes for patients with kidney failure,” says Hemmelgarn.

You can read the rest of the press release on the UCalgary Medicine web-site.

This story was covered by numerous television, print and web media outlets. Some of the coverage included the CBC, BT Calgary, Montreal Gazette, Business Week, and the Vancouver Sun.

Original research can be found on the web-site of the New England Journal of Medicine – January 27, 2011 edition.

Circulation

Dr. Matthew James along with Drs. William Ghali, Merril Knustdon, Brenda Hemmelgarn – all members of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta – conducted a retrospective study of 14 782 adults who received coronary angiography in Alberta between 2004 and 2006 using data from the APPROACH database. The study found that the adjusted risk of death, end-stage renal disease requiring renal replacement therapy, subsequent hospitalizations for heart failure and acute renal failure, all increased with increasing severity of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) after percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures. These findings will certainly inform the controversy surrounding AKI after angiography.

Original research can be found on the web-site of Circulation – February 1, 2011 edition.