Atrial Fibrillation News and Research

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat. A disorder in the heart’s electrical system causes AF and other types of arrhythmia. AF occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals in the heart’s two upper chambers, called the atria, cause them to contract very fast and irregularly (this is called fibrillation). As a result, blood pools in the atria and isn’t pumped completely into the heart’s two lower chambers, called the ventricles. When this happens, the heart’s upper and lower chambers don’t work together as they should. Often, people who have AF may not even feel symptoms. However, even when not noticed, AF can lead to an increased risk of stroke. In many patients, particularly when the rhythm is extremely rapid, AF can cause chest pain, heart attack, or heart failure. AF may occur rarely or every now and then, or it may become a persistent or permanent heart rhythm lasting for years.

Why is the incidence of gout increasing?

Gout has been described by the Daily Mail as something, “usually associated with port-swilling, over-fed elderly men of the 19th century”. (1) Recent research carried out at the Boston University School of Medicine, however, has found that the incidence of gout in the US is on the rise. (2) Thus, the condition is clearly not something that only affects this stereotype.

17 Jul 2012

Once-daily single-tablet HIV therapy developed

A single tablet containing four antiviral agents may be an effective initial once-daily therapy for adults infected with HIV, shows phase III clinical research.

16 Jul 2012

Rheumatoid arthritis patients take-up cancer screening

Insurance records for rheumatoid arthritis patients in the USA indicate that patients are receiving their recommended cervical, breast, and colon cancer screening tests.

16 Jul 2012

Treatment deteriorates giant cell arteritis imaging sensitivity

Patients with suspected giant cell arteritis should undergo imaging before or as soon as possible after treatment has started to minimize the chance of a false–negative result, advise German researchers.

16 Jul 2012

Infants with food allergies exhibit high rate of reactions over time

Infants with documented or likely milk or egg allergies experience a high number of reactions caused by accidental and nonaccidental exposure, results of a three-year observational study demonstrate.

13 Jul 2012

Incident HF an ‘extreme high-risk’ condition

Patients have a markedly increased risk for stroke and death in the month following a new heart failure diagnosis, say researchers.

13 Jul 2012

Disappointing result for acadesine

The adenosine-regulating agent acadesine does not reduce the occurrence of adverse outcomes in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery, researchers say.

12 Jul 2012

Potassium channel KIR4.1 clue to multiple sclerosis

The potassium channel KIR4.1 is a potential immune target in certain patients with multiple sclerosis, report researchers in TheNew England Journal of Medicine.

12 Jul 2012

Herpes zoster vaccine recommendations questioned in patients on biologics

Administration of the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine is not associated with an increased risk for shingles shortly after vaccination in patients receiving biologic treatments for immune-mediated diseases, researchers report in JAMA.

10 Jul 2012

AF care ‘inadequate’

Cardiology experts are supporting a call for greater attention to diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation in primary care to prevent strokes.

10 Jul 2012

Neuroprotective effects underpin fingolimod benefits in MS

Fingolimod therapy reduces inflammatory activity and tissue loss in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis, shows further analysis of the FREEDOMS trial.

10 Jul 2012

COPD still affects treatment received after heart attack

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receive less aggressive treatment after hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction than those without the lung condition, US study results show.

10 Jul 2012

Federal government commits $11B to expand operating capacity of FQHC and look-alike clinics

The federal government has committed $11 billion to expand the operating capacity of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), which receive federal funding and enhanced Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, and "look-alike" clinics that receive enhanced reimbursement but no federal grants.

10 Jul 2012

Questionnaire may aid rheumatoid arthritis flare diagnosis

French researchers have created a 13-item patient-administered questionnaire for identifying a recent or present rheumatoid arthritis flare.

9 Jul 2012

Home-based immunoglobulin therapy acceptable in primary immunodeficiency

Subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy, administered at home, is an acceptable substitute for hospital-based intravenous immunoglobulin in patients with immune deficiencies, according to recent findings published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology.

9 Jul 2012

JRD receives FDA priority review designation for XARELTO sNDAs to treat PE, DVT

Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen R&D) announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned a priority review designation to the supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) filed on May 2, 2012 for XARELTO (rivaroxaban), an oral anticoagulant, seeking new indications to treat patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and to prevent recurrent DVT and PE.

9 Jul 2012

Sun exposure advice recommended for anti-TNF users

Rheumatology patients using antitumor necrosis factor treatment should be given sun exposure education to reduce their risk for skin cancer, say Irish researchers.

2 Jul 2012

Hay fever symptom severity plateau identified

Study findings suggest that individuals sensitized to Poaceae, a family of land grasses, experience increasing severity in hay fever symptoms in line with daily levels, up to a saturation point.

2 Jul 2012

Eight-year trends in pediatric drug use examined

A review of US outpatient pediatric drug use over the past 8 years shows a decrease in systemic antibiotic, allergy, pain, and depression prescriptions, and an increase in asthma, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and contraceptive prescriptions.

29 Jun 2012

Link between phthalates and early eczema uncovered

Research published in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that prenatal exposure to butylbenzyl phthalate, a common component of vinyl flooring, may increase a child’s risk for developing early eczema.

29 Jun 2012