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'Deep sequencing' technology identifies new target area for depression

Scientists at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Yale University have identified a new target area in the human genome that appears to harbor genes with a major role in the onset of depression.

29 Oct 2011

VUMC doctors to begin statin drug screening for rare genetic variation

Vanderbilt University Medical Center doctors announced today they will begin screening patients who take commonly prescribed statin drugs for a rare genetic variation that can increase risks for side effects from these drugs such as muscle aches, kidney damage and even death.

29 Oct 2011

Researchers uncover biochemical signals that trigger generation of new lung alveoli

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College say they have taken an important step forward in their quest to "turn on" lung regeneration -- an advance that could effectively treat millions of people suffering from respiratory disorders.

29 Oct 2011

More than 50,000 patients at high risk of SCA have been prescribed ZOLL's LifeVest

ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that more than 50,000 patients at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) have been prescribed the LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator.

29 Oct 2011

Study: Reduced secretion of beta-amyloid signals beginning of Alzheimer's

For decades the amyloid hypothesis has dominated the research field in Alzheimer's disease. The theory describes how an increase in secreted beta-amyloid peptides leads to the formation of plaques, toxic clusters of damaged proteins between cells, which eventually result in neurodegeneration. Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, have now presented a study that turns this premise on its head.

29 Oct 2011

Sorin Group third quarter revenues decrease 2.1% to €171.4 million

Sorin Group: Revenues of €171.4 million, a 2.1% decline (-4.9% as reported) over the same period last year.

29 Oct 2011

Meriter to join Wisconsin Heart & Vascular Institute

Effective January 1, 2012, Wisconsin Heart & Vascular Institute will join Meriter Medical Group. The practice, which includes 16 cardiologists, vascular surgeons and mid-level providers who are highly trained specialists with experience in all areas of cardiovascular care, will be renamed Meriter Wisconsin Heart. Meriter Medical Group will thus have grown from 68 providers to 116 in less than 2 years, an increase of 71%.

29 Oct 2011

Preventive use of ACZ may reduce risk of severe high altitude illness

Measuring specific, exercise-related responses can help physicians determine who may be more at risk for severe high altitude illness (SHAI), according to a study conducted by researchers in France. The researchers also found that taking acetazolamide (ACZ), a drug frequently prescribed to prevent altitude illness, can reduce some of the risk factors associated with SHAI.

29 Oct 2011

Cardiovascular Associates reaches definitive agreement with ABHS

Cardiovascular Associates (CVA), one of the leading cardiovascular care practices, and Alexian Brothers Health System (ABHS) have reached a definitive agreement to formally align the two prestigious organizations. The agreement will form the Alexian Brothers Heart and Vascular Institute and provide the framework that will continue to grow ABHS's reputation as a center of cardiac care excellence and innovation.

29 Oct 2011

New drug could combat cardiovascular disease

A new therapy being studied in non-human primates by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues is demonstrating promise as a potential tool for combating cardiovascular disease by increasing good cholesterol and lowering triglycerides in the blood.

29 Oct 2011

NHS must plan to deal with predicted 45% leap in new cancer cases

The NHS must start planning now to deal with a predicted leap of 45 per cent in the number of new cancer cases in the UK over the next two decades, Cancer Research UK warns today (Friday).

28 Oct 2011

Potential avenue to make an unhealthy heart grow more like a healthy version

Identification of three fatty acids involved in the extreme growth of Burmese pythons' hearts following large meals could prove beneficial in treating diseased human hearts, according to research co-authored by a University of Alabama scientist and publishing in the Oct. 28 issue of Science.

28 Oct 2011

Five actions necessary to achieve sustainable development, 'green economy' and environmental change

As the global media speculate on the number of people likely to inhabit the planet on Oct. 31 an international team of population and development experts argue that it is not simply the number of people that matters but more so their distribution by age, education, health status and location that is most relevant to local and global sustainability.

28 Oct 2011

Dietary intervention in adolescence benefits glycemic control and blood pressure long-term

A recent study has found that a childhood behavioral intervention to lower dietary intake of total fat and saturated fat and increase consumption of foods that are good sources of dietary fiber resulted in significantly lower fasting plasma glucose levels and lower systolic blood pressure when study participants were re-evaluated in young adulthood.

28 Oct 2011

Two new studies could provide tools to prevent rehospitalizations after major surgeries

Studies have shown that patients returning to the hospital soon after they've been discharged may cost Medicare up to billions of dollars each year, but two new studies presented at the 2011 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons could give surgical teams and their patients tools to prevent rehospitalizations.

28 Oct 2011

Platform approach to chemically incorporate homing receptors onto surface of cells

Stem cell therapies hold enormous potential to address some of the most tragic illnesses, diseases, and tissue defects world-wide. However, the inability to target cells to tissues of interest poses a significant barrier to effective cell therapy.

28 Oct 2011

Study: Many older Ontarians are not visiting dentists regularly

Forty-five per cent of Ontarians 65 years and older did not see a dentist in the last year, increasing their risk of chronic diseases and a reduced quality of life , a new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital, Women's College Hospital and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences (ICES) shows.

28 Oct 2011