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Report shows 3.4% of adult Minnesotans suffer from COPD

The nation's fourth leading cause of death, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is now being measured by the Minnesota Department of Health's Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. The program focuses on three major causes of hospitalizations in Minnesota that can be triggered or made worse by environmental factors such as secondhand smoke or outdoor air pollution — asthma, heart attacks and COPD.

10 Feb 2010

Study of complement reaction can help eliminate reperfusion injuries

Researchers have teased out the molecular process that can shut down a marauding, often deadly immune response that kills thousands each year who suffer battlefield casualties, heart attacks, strokes, automobile accidents and oxygen deprivation, according to an article published in the January edition of Molecular Immunology.

10 Feb 2010

Atrial fibrillation more common among competition skiers

10 Feb 2010

Endurance athletes at high risk of atrial fibrillation

Next month, in the Norwegian town of Rena, 12,000 elite cross-country skiers will line up for this year's Birkebeiner ski marathon, an annual endurance race which will take them through 54 kilometres of snow-covered countryside to the winter sports resort of Lillehammer. The race has been run almost every year since 1932, and in 1976 almost 150 participants were invited to take part in a long-term study designed to discover the extent of latent heart disease in these elite cross-country skiers.

10 Feb 2010

Pfizer, Keas collaborate on Keas platform to improve health and wellness of consumers

Pfizer and Keas announced today they have entered into an alliance to collaborate on the Keas platform to enable Health and Wellness experts to author, sell and distribute personalized online Care Plans directly to patients.

10 Feb 2010

SPO Medical signs Memorandum of Understanding with SporTracker

SPO Medical Inc. (SPOM), a leading developer of biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices, today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SporTracker Ltd, a private Israeli company that specializes in the integration of heart-rate monitoring with consumer audio and leisure devices.

10 Feb 2010

St. Jude Medical's USB cellular adaptor receives European CE Mark approval for Merlin@home transmitter

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced European CE Mark approval of its USB cellular adaptor for the Merlin@home™ transmitter, a system that allows important patient data from an implantable cardiac device to be wirelessly downloaded and securely transmitted via telephone for review by a physician.

10 Feb 2010

Hospitals use new robotic catheter guidance system to treat abnormal heart rhythms

The robotic system "enhances a doctor's natural ability, and we believe it will contribute to improved procedural outcomes," said Dr. David Wilber of Loyola University Health System, a nationally known researcher in heart rhythm disorders.

10 Feb 2010

Cholesterol lowering drugs also reduce risk of developing cataracts

Statins, a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels, have been successfully fighting heart disease for years. A new study from Tel Aviv University has now found that the same drugs cut the risks of cataracts in men by almost 40%.

10 Feb 2010

Maternal obesity increases offspring's risk of developing inflammation-related disorders

As if there are not enough reasons for obese people to lose weight, a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), adds several more. In a study involving rats, researchers from Duke University found that obesity in mothers causes cellular programming in utero that predisposes offspring to inflammation-related disorders (such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and more) from the day that they are born, regardless of whether or not the offspring are obese themselves.

10 Feb 2010

Study could lead to new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease

A new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro - at McGill University is the first to discover a molecular link between Parkinson's disease and defects in the ability of nerve cells to communicate.

10 Feb 2010

MHI researchers receive $4.8M as grants for genetics and genomic medicine research projects

Two research teams led by Dr. Christine Des Rosiers and Dr. John D. Rioux, both researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) and professors at the Universit- de Montr-al, have been awarded grants of $2.5 million and $2.3 million, respectively, to finance research projects on genetics and genomic medicine.

10 Feb 2010

ASA Effect test: A tool to identify patients who do not respond to ASA therapy

A convenient test is now available in Canada that determines if the ASA a patient is taking to prevent heart attack and stroke is working. ASA Effect(TM) is offered through LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services and its network of collection and testing centres.

10 Feb 2010

Early life stress could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood

"We think early life stress increases sensitivity to a hormone known to increase your blood pressure and increases your cardiovascular risk in adult life," said Dr. Jennifer Pollock, biochemist in the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia and corresponding author on the study published online in Hypertension.

10 Feb 2010

FDA expands indication for Crestor

On Feb. 8 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the cholesterol-lowering medication Crestor (rosuvastatin) for some patients who are at increased risk of heart disease but have not been diagnosed with it.

10 Feb 2010

Volcano acquires Xtract Thrombus Aspiration Catheter device from Lumen Biomedical

Volcano Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of precision intravascular therapy guidance tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, announced today that it has acquired the Xtract™ Thrombus Aspiration Catheter device line from Lumen Biomedical.

9 Feb 2010

Simple, inexpensive test for diagnosing cardiac-related chest pain

Researchers at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center have shown that a simple, inexpensive test can determine whether it is safe to send home a patient who comes to the emergency room with chest pain.

9 Feb 2010

Egg consumption does not raise blood cholesterol

February is American Heart Month, which means it's time to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America.

9 Feb 2010

Third-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Clinical Data

Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDA) today announced the Company’s operational and financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2009, confirming its plans to submit a new drug application (NDA) for vilazodone for the treatment of depression this quarter.

9 Feb 2010

Physical Activity Innovations named ‘Bluetooth Innovator of the Year’ for 2009

The Bluetooth SIG has awarded Edward Sazonov, Physical Activity Innovations LLC, the title of Bluetooth Innovator of the Year for 2009. Sazonov received this recognition at the official award ceremony held in-line with the Wearable Technologies Show at ispo 2010, the world’s largest trade show for sporting goods.

9 Feb 2010