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Women with early menopause more likely to develop heart attack or stroke

Women who experience early menopause are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than women whose menopause occurs at a later age, according to a new study by Melissa Wellons, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine in the Vanderbilt Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism.

29 Sep 2012

FDA approves Boston Scientific’s S-ICD system to treat sudden cardiac arrest

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Boston Scientific Corporation regulatory approval for its S-ICD System, the world's first and only commercially available subcutaneous implantable defibrillator (S-ICD) for the treatment of patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

29 Sep 2012

GCE group, Dehaier partner to distribute EASE II products in China

Dehaier Medical Systems Ltd., an emerging leader in the development, assembly, marketing and sale of medical devices and homecare medical products in China, today announced that it has signed a two-year distribution agreement with GCE group, a leading global compressed gas-equipment company, to become the exclusive distributor for GCE's EASE II products in Mainland China.

29 Sep 2012

Cameron Health receives FDA approval for subcutaneous implantable defibrillator system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a heart defibrillator that helps to restore regular heart rhythms with leads that can be implanted just under the skin (subcutaneously) instead of connected directly into the heart.

29 Sep 2012

Bas-Congo virus associated with acute hemorrhagic fever in Africa

An isolated outbreak of a deadly disease known as acute hemorrhagic fever, which killed two people and left one gravely ill in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the summer of 2009, was probably caused by a novel virus scientists have never seen before.

28 Sep 2012

Cholesterol precursor suppresses inflammatory response genes, causes atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis - the hardening of arteries that is a primary cause of cardiovascular disease and death - has long been presumed to be the fateful consequence of complicated interactions between overabundant cholesterol and resulting inflammation in the heart and blood vessels.

28 Sep 2012

Increase in rates of short telomeres predicts longevity in mammals

A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), headed by CNIO Director Mar-a Blasco, has demonstrated in a pioneering study on mammals that longevity is defined at a molecular level by the length of telomeres. The work-which is published today in the online edition of the journal Cell Reports-opens the door to further study of these cellular components in order to calculate the rate at which cells age and thus be able to determine life expectancy for a particular organism.

28 Sep 2012

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound effective in diagnosing men with high-grade prostate cancer

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound was found to better detect high-grade prostate cancer than conventional methods, making it a more appropriate approach for screening clinically important cancers and monitoring low-risk ones with less biopsies, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals conclude in a phase III study published online in September in the Journal of Urology.

28 Sep 2012

Researchers reduce life-threatening complication of stem cell transplants in mice with leukemia

Studying leukemia in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have reduced a life-threatening complication of stem cell transplants, the only curative treatment when leukemia returns.

28 Sep 2012

Thymus tissue, iPSCS and liver cells can thrive in lymph nodes

Lymph nodes can provide a suitable home for a variety of cells and tissues from other organs, suggesting that a cell-based alternative to whole organ transplantation might one day be feasible, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and its McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

28 Sep 2012

Elevated c-Myc expression amplifies gene activity in tumor cells of multiple cancer types

For a cancer patient, over-expression of the MYC oncogene is a bad omen. Scientists have long known that in tumor cells, elevated levels of MYC's protein product, c-Myc, are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased rates of metastasis, recurrence, and mortality. Yet decades of research producing thousands of scientific papers on the subject have failed to consistently explain precisely how c-Myc exerts its effects across a broad range of cancer types. Until now, that is.

28 Sep 2012

Researchers identify genetic origins in 10% of aortic valve malformations

Researchers at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and University of Montreal have identified genetic origins in 10% of an important form of congenital heart diseases by studying the genetic variability within families.

28 Sep 2012

New understanding about function of MYC proteins

Scientists may have discovered why a protein called MYC can provoke a variety of cancers. Like many proteins associated with cancer, MYC helps regulate cell growth. A study carried out by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues found that, unlike many other cell growth regulators, MYC does not turn genes on or off, but instead boosts the expression of genes that are already turned on.

28 Sep 2012

Alpha-glucosidases can be turned on and off, finds study

A study co-led by Simon Fraser University and Purdue University has found that the intestinal enzymes responsible for processing starchy foods can be turned on and off, helping to better control those processes in people with Type 2 diabetes.

28 Sep 2012

Efavirenz drug may play a key role in brain damage

The way the body metabolizes a commonly prescribed anti-retroviral drug that is used long term by patients infected with HIV may contribute to cognitive impairment by damaging nerve cells, a new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

28 Sep 2012

UCSD receives NCI grant to continue research into chronic lymphocytic leukemia

An international consortium of scientists studying chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), based at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has been awarded a 5-year, $20 million grant by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

28 Sep 2012

Study explores effects of immunotherapy on malignant gliomas

In what could be a breakthrough in the treatment of deadly brain tumors, a team of researchers from Barrow Neurological Institute and Arizona State University has discovered that the immune system reacts differently to different types of brain tissue, shedding light on why cancerous brain tumors are so difficult to treat.

28 Sep 2012

Study finds new regulator for heart formation

A new regulator for heart formation has been discovered by studying how embryonic stem cells adjust the packaging of their DNA. This approach to finding genetic regulators, the scientists say, may have the power to provide insight into the development of any tissue in the body - liver, brain, blood and so on.

28 Sep 2012

Bayer HealthCare receives FDA approval for Stivarga to treat colorectal cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Stivarga (regorafenib) to treat patients with colorectal cancer that has progressed after treatment and spread to other parts of the body (metastatic).

28 Sep 2012