MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'crp'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:08:51 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174619&cid=t_104680_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-news-stories-beware-of-insufficient-evidence%2F2011.08.28 After seeing the NBC Nightly News last night, a physician urged me to write about what he saw: a story about a “simple blood test that could save women’s lives.” Readers – and maybe especially TV viewers – beware whenever you hear a story about “a simple blood test.” And this is a good case in point. Brian Williams led into the story stating: “Two of three women who die suddenly of cardiac heart disease have no previous symptoms which is all the more reason women may want to ask their doctors about a blood test that can be a lifesaver.” Then NBC News chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman said: “It’s not a new test, it’s not an experimental test but nonetheless it’s a test not a lot of people know about and tha... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174619 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:00:15 +0100 5174619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952854&cid=t_104680_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2Fh4TzMdz0I8U%2F It's Friday. The end of another working week. Are you fagged out? Finding yourself in a fug? Time for you know what --- a fortified bolus of FFFF!!! (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952854 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:25:20 +0100 4952854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4552058&cid=t_104680_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-turbulence-good-for-the-heart%2F2011.03.05 It’s hard to believe that turbulence could be a good thing for the heart. Consider how the word turbulent is defined: “Characterized by conflict, disorder, or confusion; not controlled or calm.” Those traits don’t sound very heart-healthy. But when it comes to heart rhythm, it turns out that a turbulent response — to a premature beat — is better than a blunted one. The more turbulent the better. No, you haven’t missed anything, and turbulence isn’t another of my typos. Until [recently], heart rate turbulence was an obscure phenomenon buried in the bowels of heart rhythm journals. What Is Heart Rate Turbulence (HRT)? When you listen to the heart of a young physically-fit patient, you are struck not just by the slowness of the heartbeat, but also by the variability... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4552058 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:00:27 +0100 4552058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714444&cid=t_104680_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJSU5gTPTZaE%2F Earlier this week, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a few articles and editorials about statins, although one, in particular, generated some heat - a review of the controversial Jupiter study from 2008. The study, which focused on AstraZeneca’s Crestor cholesterol pill, measured levels of a protein called CRP that can indicate arteries are inflamed and point toward heart disease. The results prompted debate over the extent to which CRP should be used as a guideline for treating cholsterol and the wisdom in prescribing Crestor and other statins to people with low cholesterol. This week’s revisitation (see here) stirred anew the controversy, but also focused on allegations of poor methodology, bias and conflicts of interest (see here). However, as was noted yesterday, two ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714444 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:42:30 +0100 3714444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865633&cid=t_104680_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fl1uC8WOL41g%2F If you’re 20 or older and don’t have diabetes or heart disease, you can plug a handful of simple variables — things like age, cholesterol level and blood pressure — into a Framingham risk calculator and find out your chances of having serious heart trouble (a heart attack or coronary death) in the next 10 years. Still, some 300,000 Americans die every year of sudden cardiac death outside the hospital, and many of those people don’t have classic risk factors for heart disease. Non-fatal heart attacks, too, remain difficult to predict for many patients.So there’s an understandable urge on the part of researchers to find new measures that will better predict who is at risk. In particular, it would be nice to have a clearer picture of the 23 million U.S. adu... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865633 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:25:45 +0100 2865633 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2141492&cid=t_104680_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FB_W0fdA4QKw%2F CRP or an inflammatory marker is a protein that is made when there is inflammation present in the body. CRP inflammation can be caused by high blood pressure, high blood sugar or smoking, it is also the way your body reacts to injury or infection. CRP(C-reactive protein) inflammation encourages plaque to form in the blood vessels. This plaque will eventually cause the blood vessels to rupture causing a heart attack or stroke. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is often shortened to CPR. When your health care provider is explaining your disorder they will usually use the term CRP.  You will see CRP in written articles also. If you are experiencing any health problems related to your heart make an appointment with your health care provider immediately. Be sure to tell them at t... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2141492 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:00:00 +0100 2141492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1955502&cid=t_104680_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F449644613%2F And what is the drugmaker’s ceo cautious about? The eye-popping assumptions that Crestor sales will skyrocket, pun intended, now that the widely hyped Jupiter study found that cholesterol pill reduced the risk of cardiovascular death and heart attacks by 44 percent in people with low LDL cholesterol levels compared with patients on a placebo. “We’ve seen a flurry of estimates from analysts about the commercial impact of Jupiter, some of them pretty bullish, reflecting a view that there will be a near term, dramatic shift in medical practice,” he told journalists on a conference call. “I would urge caution when forecasting the speed of such changes in medical practice.” Why so sobering? Well, the Jupiter study measured a protein called CRP, which is used ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1955502 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:39:15 +0100 1955502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947344&cid=t_104680_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fc-reactive-protein-cuts-risk-of-heart.html Shorter New England Journal on the JUPITER study(a corrective to reports like this one)1. We knew statins helped lower the risk of heart disease anyway.2. Now we have an industry-funded study to tell us that statins help in people with high CRP.3. They cut the risk of cardiovascular events from 1.8% (per year) to 0.9%. Yes - a relative risk reduction of 0.5. But 1.8% and 0.9% are both low numbers. Do you have patients who would think this difference meaningful?4. The study excluded basically everyone we meet in the real world: folks with high cholesterol, diabetes, and kidney disease.5. We still don't know if CRP risk stratification helps improve outcomes.6. We're not buying it. (Source: Zackary Sholem Berger) Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947344 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:48:00 +0100 1947344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947491&cid=t_104680_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F447441711%2F The results of AstraZeneca’s hotly anticipated Jupiter study - which measured levels of a protein called CRP that can indicate arteries are inflamed and point toward heart disease - were just released at the American Heart Association meeting and they are likely to stir as much debate as promised. The cholesterol pill reduced the risk of cardiovascular death and heart attacks by 44 percent compared with patients on a placebo. The 17,802 participants were men over 50 years old and women over 60 years old - ripe ages for heart attacks, but who were healthy. They did not display signs of heart disease and had cholesterol levels not requiring meds under current guidelines. The study is available in The New England Journal of Medicine. Other findings: the combined risk of heart attack, st... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947491 Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:47:57 +0100 1947491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1409764&cid=t_104680_97_f&fid=35050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmaGazette%2F%7E3%2F280794557%2F3rd_generation_ocs_may_increase_levels_of_c-reactive_protein.html A study by Dr Sabina Cauci of the University of Uldine, Italy suggests that newer "third generation" oral contraceptives may increase levels of the inflammatory protein C- reactive protein (CRP) which has been linked to heart disease. This potentially places the women at higher risk for blood clots and heart disease.While both second and third generation oral contraceptives contain estrogen coupled with progestin the difference between the pills is the type of progestin they contain. Newer contraceptives contain either desogestrel or gestodene while older pills contain levonrgentrel or norgestrel. Desogestrel and gestodene were introduced as a means of combating the adverse cardiovascular effects of oral contraceptives however, Cauci's research shows that they ... PharmaGazette blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1409764 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:00:55 +0100 1409764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1407195&cid=t_104680_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F280117439%2F High levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker that may warn of impending heart disease, are tied to variations in genes that control metabolism, two new studies show. Dr. Alexander Reiner of the University of Washington, Seattle states that the studies identify “new genes that are of potential importance for either the treatment of cardiovascular disease or potentially screening individuals who may be at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease”. What they still need to discover is the exact relationship between C-reactive protein levels and heart disease. That will be the crucial piece of the puzzle. Just what was discovered here though? The teams found seven genomic regions that appeared to be strongly correlated with CRP levels. Six of those regions conta... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1407195 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:19:39 +0100 1407195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1338061&cid=t_104680_134_f&fid=35137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdiabetesupdate.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fmore-insight-into-who-should-take.html You will be seeing a lot of news coverage coming out of this week's cardiology conference about a large study of the statin drug, Crestor, which supposedly found it cut cardiovascular deaths in a group of people with normal LDL better than a placebo.What most news coverage is leaving out is this: The group of people with "normal" cholesterol who took Crestor in this study weren't just any old group of people. They were people with elevated CRP.This is an important distinction. CRP stands for C-reactive protein and it is a measure of inflammation. Earlier studies had shown that statins are only helpful in reducing cardiovascular events in people with pre-existing heart disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that they do this by reducing the artery inflammation that is characteristic of hea... Diabetes Update blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1338061 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:04:00 +0100 1338061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=948750&cid=t_104680_155_f&fid=36522&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpathtalk.org%2Farchives%2F29 C-Reactive Protein CRP is a lab test which can used to monitor inflammation. It is a non-organ specific acute phase response protein (acute phase response = pathophysiologic changes which accompany inflammation). It can be used in a variety of clinical settings when an inflammatory process is a concern. CRP levels can rise in acute infection, but the test is also ordered in chronic inflammatory diseases (inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus to name a few) as a measure of degree of inflammation or as a way to measure treatment effectiveness. CRP can be ordered as a measure of prognosis in certain malignancies. CAD Risk Assessment Since the early nineties, CRP has been studied as a serum marker for cardiovascular risk assessment. In the Physicians Health Study in 1997, bas... pathtalk.org blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=948750 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:24:19 +0100 948750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623617&cid=t_104680_107_f&fid=35025&url=http%3A%2F%2Frrresearch.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fwhat-next-turning-on-sxy-in-e-coli.html OK, the fusion of the ppdA promoter to lacZ produces 100-fold more beta-gal when Sxy is overexpressed. What are the important things to do with it?1. Find out how sensitive the ppdA promoter is to Sxy: The pASKAsxy plasmid produces a great deal of Sxy when its promoter is induced with IPTG, but we know that most of this Sxy aggregates into insoluble and probably nonfunctional 'inclusion bodies'. So I could try inducing with decreasing concentrations of IPTG, and measure the effect on beta-gal production. It may be that only very slight induction of Sxy will give a big induction of the ppdA promoter. Ideally the amount of Sxy would be measured too, but we don't (yet) have the antibody to E. coli Sxy that would let us easily make these measurements. The beta-gal vs IPTG assay will be easy. I... RRResearch blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=623617 Sat, 19 May 2007 13:49:00 +0100 623617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623618&cid=t_104680_107_f&fid=35025&url=http%3A%2F%2Frrresearch.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fresults-of-obvious-next-step.html As I posted a few days ago, I planned to introduce a sxy-expression plasmid into my cells with CRP-S promoter fusions to lacZ, to see if the CRP-S promoters are indeed induced by Sxy. I did that yesterday, and I just finished calculating the amounts of beta-galactosidase activity these cells produced with and without induction of sxy expression.Results: Of the three fusions I tested (all that I have), one produced almost 100-fold more beta-galactosidase when Sxy was present, one produced only slightly more, and one produced even less! The exclamation mark is because I expected them all to respond similarly.The fusion that was induced by Sxy is to the ppdA promoter (really the promoter of a 4-gene operon). The H. influenzae homologs (not pilB but comNOPQ) are in a similar operon, which is v... RRResearch blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=623618 Sat, 19 May 2007 02:00:00 +0100 623618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=486274&cid=t_104680_107_f&fid=35025&url=http%3A%2F%2Frrresearch.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fwhy-is-h-influenzaes-crp-so-feeble.html One discovery from the grad student's work on Sxy and CRP is that the H. influenzae CRP protein binds CRP sites much less strongly (with much lower affinity) than the E. coli CRP protein does. This is a bit surprising. The two proteins have quite similar sequences, and all the amino acid residues expected to directly contact the DNA are identical. He's going to contact a lab that has done extensive structural analysis of E. coli CRP, to see how difficult it would be to see how well H. influenzae CRP will superimpose on the E. coli structure. One possibility he suggested is that the dimerization domain of H. influenzae CRP could be weak. This would cause the protein to spend less time assembled into the dimers that most readily bind DNA.Until now we (at least I) had thought that the affinit... RRResearch blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=486274 Fri, 09 Feb 2007 01:57:00 +0100 486274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=486279&cid=t_104680_107_f&fid=35025&url=http%3A%2F%2Frrresearch.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fwhats-up-sxy.html One of the grad students has been doing experiments to clarify how the transcriptional activator protein Sxy turns on genes that have its recognition sequence, the "CRP-S" site. He's given me a draft of a paper he's writing about this work.Sxy works by interacting with another transcriptional activator protein called CRP. CRP's job is to bind to DNA at CRP sites and, by bending the DNA, help RNA polymerase start making RNA. CRP-S sites are much harder to bend than normal "CRP-N" sites, and we have been thinking that Sxy acts by helping CRP to bind (if it can't bend the DNA it lets go).But several pieces of his data tell us that binding isn't enough. A protein from E. coli (we work mostly in another bacterium, Haemophilus influenzae) binds CRP-S sites fairly strongly in the test tube, but w... RRResearch blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=486279 Mon, 05 Feb 2007 02:54:00 +0100 486279