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Puzzle baffled scientists for centuries - why some birds appear to be half male and half female solved

A puzzle that has baffled scientists for centuries - why some birds appear to be male on one side of the body and female on the other - has been solved by researchers.

15 Mar 2010

Combination therapy does not reduce cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes patients

Lowering blood pressure to normal levels - below currently recommended levels - did not significantly reduce the combined risk of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease events in adults with type 2 diabetes who were at especially high risk for cardiovascular disease events, according to new results from the landmark Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) clinical trial.

15 Mar 2010

Medtronic commences clinical evaluation of CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve system

Moving to expand the evidence base for the future of structural heart disease therapy, Medtronic, Inc., today announced the start of the first of several new initiatives in a robust international clinical program for its CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve system, a minimally-invasive alternative to open-heart surgery for aortic valve replacement.

15 Mar 2010

New study finds green tea extract may prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Long known to be beneficial in heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, a new study finds a specific green tea extract may delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia. A. Holliday & Company's "Teawell 50," is a 50 percent pure extraction of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) – a flavonoid which is the most potent of four major catechins in green tea.

15 Mar 2010

New hydrosurgery system may help manage excessive bleeding during surgery

Carnegie Mellon University's Matt Oberdier is developing a new hydrosurgery system to help physicians better manage excessive bleeding during surgery.

15 Mar 2010

FDA warns patients and physicians about the efficacy of Plavix treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today added a boxed warning to the anti-blood clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel), alerting patients and health care professionals that the drug can be less effective in people who cannot metabolize the drug to convert it to its active form.

15 Mar 2010

ACCORD Lipid trial: New research into atherogenic dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes

Cardiovascular risk can be reduced by an additional 31 percent in type 2 diabetes patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia, the common combination of elevated triglycerides (TG, 204 mg/dL or 2.3 mmol/L or higher) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, 34 mg/dL or 0.88 mmol/L or lower).

15 Mar 2010

Royal Philips Electronics, ACC to present Hybrid OR Suite designed for cardiac procedures at ACC 2010

Royal Philips Electronics, in partnership with the American College of Cardiology, spotlight the growing need for minimally-invasive interventions to address a spectrum of cardiac conditions, such as structural and degenerative heart issues. The need to reduce invasive surgical interventions and complication rates is driving innovations in minimally invasive approaches.

From Philips Healthcare 12 Mar 2010

Telemonitoring may reduce mortality of heart failure patients by 20%

Telemonitoring may reduce the mortality of patients with heart failure by 20%. Silke Schmidt et al. present their study results in the current issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[8]131-8).

12 Mar 2010

XOMA initiates Phase 2 clinical trial of XOMA 052 in Type 1 diabetes patients

XOMA Ltd., a leader in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies, announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of XOMA 052, its antibody to interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), in Type 1 diabetes patients. Funding for the trial is being provided by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, the largest patient advocacy organization of Type 1 diabetes research worldwide.

12 Mar 2010

Experts: Americans get too many tests, too much treatment

"Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans -- maybe even President Barack Obama -- are being overtreated." Defensive medicine and a culture focusing on medical technology have lead to overtesting but "now new evidence and guidelines are recommending a step back and more thorough doctor-patient conversations about risks and benefits."

12 Mar 2010

St. Jude Medical to exhibit cardiac clinical solution products portfolio at ACC 2010

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced it will display products and technologies from the company’s wide array of clinical solutions in the cardiology, cardiac surgery, atrial fibrillation and cardiac rhythm management markets at ACC 2010.

12 Mar 2010

New micromanipulator for precise operations involving cochlear and middle ear implants

A team of engineers from the CEIT-IK4 technological centre and doctors from the University Hospital of Navarra have designed a new tool for operating on the inner ear with maximum precision, reducing the possibility of damage to the auditory function during the surgery. This is the first micromanipulator specifically for operations involving cochlear and middle ear implants, of which about a hundred are carried out in this hospital annually. Taking part in developing the new tool were four engineers from CEIT and five ear, nose and throat specialists from the University Hospital of Navarra.

12 Mar 2010

Study shows experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol

An experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol without the troublesome side effects experienced by some people on statins, according to a study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. An international team of investigators at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research tested a substance called Eprotirome in patients with high cholesterol.

12 Mar 2010

High-intensity workout as effective as traditional types of exercise: study

The usual excuse of "lack of time" for not doing enough exercise is blown away by new research published in The Journal of Physiology.

12 Mar 2010

Minimally invasive surgical ablation for AFib: Unapproved, warns whistleblower

As reported in today's Wall Street Journal, the more than 2 million Americans with atrial fibrillation are now on notice that the over-zealous marketing tactics and incentives by manufacturers of expensive medical devices which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation are likely to be influencing doctors' and hospitals' decisions about treatment for their patients' heart conditions.

12 Mar 2010

Children with chronic illness more likely to develop H1N1 influenza: Study

As critical care professionals develop a better understanding of the progression of H1N1, they are becoming better prepared to treat children with severe cases, according to a new study that will be published in the March issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM).

12 Mar 2010

Hamilton Health Sciences establishes new research facility

Hamilton's role as one of the world's leading centres in cardiac, vascular and stroke research was amplified today with the grand opening of the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute at the Hamilton General Hospital site of Hamilton Health Sciences.

12 Mar 2010

Novel mutation in gene encoding ankyrin-B increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Alterations in our response to the taste or smell of food may be another culprit responsible for Type 2 diabetes, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center who have identified the specific mechanism in human specimens and in mice.

12 Mar 2010

Study questions frequency of heart angiograms

A recent study raises questions about the frequency of doctors' use of elective heart angiograms, which showed no disease in almost 40 percent of patients. BusinessWeek reports: "Doctors may be sending patients too quickly for elective angiograms to detect heart disease, exposing them to radiation and driving up U.S. health-care costs, a study suggests.

12 Mar 2010