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Volunteers needed in worldwide study to help people breathe easier

Australian sufferers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), one of the most important causes of breathlessness and difficulty performing tasks of normal daily life, have the opportunity to participate in a worldwide study, starting this month, assessing a potential new treatment.

26 Jul 2011

Smoke-free ground swell increasing

The 2011 results of the Heart Foundation’s smoke-free policy survey reveal that almost 60 per cent of NSW Councils have implemented policy to restrict tobacco use in outdoor areas.

26 Jul 2011

Key risk factors for death, transplantation in children with dilated cardiomyopathy

Researchers have identified important risk factors for death and transplantation in children with dilated cardiomyopathy, according to results from a study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

26 Jul 2011

Gridlock continues despite push to reach debt-ceiling deal

Democratic and Republican leaders are preparing their own backup plans as possibilities for a bipartisan approach appear increasingly dim. Both political and policy-oriented differences are making the process difficult. Medicare, Medicaid, other entitlement programs and even Tricare are in play. All the while, the deadline continues its approach.

26 Jul 2011

Symposium papers highlight role of oxidative stress in cardiovascular disease

Recent years have seen major advances in understanding of the health effects of oxidative stress—including its potential to cause injury to the cardiovascular system. A series of expert updates on the role of oxidative stress in heart failure, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases appears in a special symposium in the August issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

26 Jul 2011

Specific predictors can differentiate dying suddenly versus living through heart attack

Is it possible to predict whether someone is likely to survive or die suddenly from a heart attack? A new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has answered just that.

26 Jul 2011

Artificial lung reaches efficiencies akin to the genuine organ

An artificial lung built by Cleveland researchers has reached efficiencies akin to the genuine organ, using air - not pure oxygen as current man-made lungs require - for the source of the essential element.

26 Jul 2011

UC San Diego receives NHLBI 'Program of Excellence in Glycosciences' grant

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have received a major 7-year, $18 million grant to begin translating emerging discoveries in the field of glycosciences into new discoveries and therapies related to heart, lung and blood diseases.

26 Jul 2011

Diabetes drug rosiglitazone can reduce development of neuropathic pain

The diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) can control inflammation leading to nerve damage and abnormal pain responses, suggests a paper in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

26 Jul 2011

Researchers identify elusive gene responsible for Grey Platelet Syndrome

Researchers have identified an elusive gene responsible for Grey Platelet Syndrome, an extremely rare blood disorder in which only about 50 known cases have been reported. As a result, it is hoped that future cases will be easier to diagnose with a DNA test.

26 Jul 2011

When psoriasis strikes the famously beautiful

It appears that psoriasis spares none. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has been reportedly diagnosed with the skin condition. Her condition was revealed on a recent episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” on E!.

25 Jul 2011

Enrollment commences in Lutonix LEVANT 2 drug-coated balloon IDE trial for PAD

Lutonix today announced the first patient enrolled in the LEVANT 2 clinical trial, a global, multicenter, randomized trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Moxy™ Drug Coated Balloon compared to a standard angioplasty balloon for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The first case was performed at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, IL by Dr. Jeff Goldstein.

25 Jul 2011

Sunshine Heart to sell 115 million shares of common stock in private placement

Sunshine Heart, Inc., today announced it has entered into definitive agreements with new and existing institutional investors in the United States and Canada to sell approximately 115 million shares of common stock in a private placement.

25 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 25, 2011

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Joanne Silberner writes about her recent conversation with George Halvorson, who offers his take on the future of health care under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, including the role ACOs are likely to play.

25 Jul 2011

Better targeting of pharmaceuticals to patient's genetic profile could save around $110B annually

Genetic testing made possible by the mapping of the human genome can help the US cut costs and create jobs while at the same time improving survival rates for such diseases as cancer, HIV, and heart disease.

25 Jul 2011

Intravenous fluids appear to lower severity of kidney failure in children with E. coli infection

Infection with E. coli bacteria can wreak havoc in children, leading to bloody diarrhea, fever and kidney failure. But giving children intravenous fluids early in the course of an E. coli O157:H7 infection appears to lower the odds of developing severe kidney failure, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions.

25 Jul 2011

Rats, fish oil and beetroot juice could lead to health breakthroughs for aging populations

Though rats, fish oil and beetroot juice read like ingredients in a witch's brew, to a Kansas State University research team, information from this combination could lead to health breakthroughs for aging populations and people suffering from heart failure and diabetes.

22 Jul 2011

U.S. News ranks Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center among top five American hospitals

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks among the top five American hospitals, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey that reviewed patient-outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-related factors. The medical center also was rated the best hospital in the western United States for the 22nd consecutive year and the No. 1 hospital in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

22 Jul 2011

Modern Plastics moves to Shelton, Connecticut

Modern Plastics, one of the largest distributors of high-performance and engineering-grade stock shapes and medical-grade plastics, has moved from its former home in Bridgeport to Shelton, Connecticut. The new address is 88 Long Hill Cross Road, Shelton, Connecticut 06484 USA.

22 Jul 2011

Anesthesia-associated mortality rises again

In pure numerical terms, anesthesia-associated mortality has risen again. The reasons for this are the disproportionate increase in the numbers of older and multimorbid patients and surgical procedures that would have been unthinkable in the past.

22 Jul 2011