Blood Vessels News and Research

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Stents for blocked brain arteries may not be as successful in prolonging survival as believed: Study

A study out this Wednesday says that insertion of an artery-opening device called a stent into the brain to improve blood flow to prevent a second stroke may do more harm than managing high-risk patients with drugs and lifestyle changes. Blocked brain arteries caused by the build-up of fatty deposits called plaque account for more than 50,000 of the 795,000 strokes occurring in the United States each year. Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States.

8 Sep 2011

Exercise, intervention may help individuals with peripheral arterial disease

Peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, is a common condition affecting 12-20 percent of Americans age 65 and older that may be a signal of future heart attack and stroke-and many with the disease may be unaware they have it, says the Society of Interventional Radiology.

8 Sep 2011

Researchers rethink fenretinide for prevention of oral cancer

Scientists on the cutting edge of biomedical research know that research is a process - a combination of successes and failures that inform the next step forward. However, for some researchers at The Ohio State University progress means taking a step back. Supported by the Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), these scientists are using failed and forgotten research to uncover future treatments for major health conditions as diverse as oral cancer and stroke.

7 Sep 2011

Mesoblast receives EMA clearance to initiate Revascor Phase 2 trial for heart attacks

Global regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that it had received clearance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to begin a 225-patient multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe for its lead cardiovascular product Revascor(TM) in conjunction with angioplasty and stent procedures to prevent heart failure after a major heart attack.

5 Sep 2011

Australia’s Mesoblast receives nod to start first European trial of allogeneic stem cell treatment for heart attacks

Global regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, (ASX: MSB), today announced that it had received clearance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to begin a 225-patient multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe for its lead cardiovascular product Revascor™ in conjunction with angioplasty and stent procedures to prevent heart failure after a major heart attack. Revascor™ is an allogeneic, or “off-the-shelf”, adult stem cell product derived from Mesoblast's proprietary Mesenchymal Precursor Cell (MPC) platform technology which is being developed for use in a range of cardiovascular diseases including congestive heart failure, chronic angina, and heart attacks (acute myocardial infarction).

5 Sep 2011

Blocked blood vessels linked to familiar signs of aging

Many common signs of aging, such as shaking hands, stooped posture and walking slower, may be due to tiny blocked vessels in the brain that can't be detected by current technology.

2 Sep 2011

Neutrophils linked to growth and spread of cancer

Scripps Research Professor James Quigley, Staff Scientist Elena Deryugina, and colleagues had previously demonstrated that white blood cells known as neutrophils—bone marrow-derived cells that function as "first responders" at sites of acute inflammation—promote the growth of new blood vessels in normal, healthy tissue.

2 Sep 2011

Stroke hospitalization rates in adolescents and young adults increase up to 37%

Ischemic stroke hospitalization rates in adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 44 increased up to 37% between 1995 and 2008 according to a study conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Sep 2011

Medtronic initiates U.S. post-approval study of Endurant AAA Stent Graft System

Leading the development of endovascular aortic repair (EVAR), Medtronic, Inc. today announced the start of its U.S. post-approval study of the Endurant AAA Stent Graft System, a medical device used to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms.

From Medtronic 2 Sep 2011

UT Southwestern surgeons to perform first hand transplant in North Texas

A team of surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center expects to perform the first hand transplant in North Texas within a year, making the institution just the sixth hospital in the U.S. to perform the rare and intricate surgery.

30 Aug 2011

Researchers investigate potential of vesicular stomatitis virus against soft tissue sarcomas

Researchers from Yale University are looking to a virus from the same family as the rabies virus to fight a form of cancer primarily found in children and young adults.

30 Aug 2011

Specific inhibitor of microRNA-100 can stimulate development of new blood vessels

A specific inhibitor of the small regulatory RNA-molecule "microRNA-100" can be used to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, if a major artery is chronically occluded.

29 Aug 2011

Study shows link between laughter and vascular health

Watching a funny movie or sitcom that produces laughter has a positive effect on vascular function and is opposite to that observed after watching a movie that causes mental stress according to research conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

29 Aug 2011

Sutureless method for reconnecting blood vessels

Reconnecting severed blood vessels is mostly done the same way today - with sutures - as it was 100 years ago, when the French surgeon Alexis Carrel won a Nobel Prize for advancing the technique.

29 Aug 2011

CIRM approves stem cell research planning grants for five UC Davis teams

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state stem cell agency, today approved research planning grants for five UC Davis Health System teams that are working to develop human clinical trials to treat illnesses such as Huntington's disease, vascular disease, osteoporosis, HIV/AIDS and airway disease in children.

29 Aug 2011

Protein that allows Ebola virus to attack cells discovered

A U.S. research team has discovered a protein called Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), which they found was responsible for allowing Ebola virus to enter and replicate within cells.

26 Aug 2011

New imaging device enables scientists to see tumor cells traveling in the brain

For the first time, scientists can see pathways to stop a deadly brain cancer in its tracks. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have imaged individual cancer cells and the routes they travel as the tumor spreads.

26 Aug 2011

Study finds biological indicators that help explain why obese people develop chronic diseases

UC Davis Health System researchers have discovered biological indicators that help explain why some obese people develop chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and others do not.

25 Aug 2011

Researchers discover NPC1 protein as crucial for Ebola virus to enter host cells

Although outbreaks are rare, Ebola virus, the cause of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is one of the deadliest known viruses affecting humans. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1,850 EHF cases with more than 1,200 deaths have been documented since the virus was identified in 1976.

25 Aug 2011

Roche Canada grants Vasculitis and Scleroderma Fellowship

Roche Canada announced today its support of a Vasculitis and Scleroderma Fellowship through the Division of Rheumatology at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Ada Man, a recent graduate of the UBC rheumatology residency program, is the recipient of the one-year Fellowship.

23 Aug 2011