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St. Jude Medical applauds the updated level of evidence for FFR-guided treatment

St. Jude Medical, Inc. applauds the updated level of evidence for Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)-guided treatment in the Guidelines on Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).

17 Dec 2009

KarmelSonix selects Blackfin digital signal processors from Analog Devices

Analog Devices, Inc. announced today that KarmelSonix, pioneers in medical device development for asthma management, have chosen Analog Devices’ Blackfin digital signal processors and advanced signal chain components to power its products.

17 Dec 2009

Sara Lee plans to reduce salt in its top food brands

Sara Lee Corp. today announced it is committed to reducing salt an average of 20 percent over the next five years across its key categories of fresh bread, hot dogs, lunchmeat, breakfast foods and cooked sausage.

17 Dec 2009

Researchers explore cellular movement

Our cells are more like us than we may think. They're sensitive to their environment, poking and prodding deliberately at their surroundings with hand-like feelers and chemical signals as they decide whether and where to move. Such caution serves us well but has vexed engineers who seek to create synthetic tissue, heart valves, implants and other devices that the human body will accept.

17 Dec 2009

Flowers can uplift patients’ mood and reduce pain and anxiety

Does flower water harbour potentially deadly bacteria? Do bedside blooms compete with patients for oxygen? Do bouquets pose a health and safety risk around medical equipment?

17 Dec 2009

Researchers identify genetic markers to help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics

Researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.

17 Dec 2009

Pistachios can decrease inflammation and cardiovascular disease

New research published online, December 10, 2009 indicates that bioactive compounds in pistachios, and molecules present in pistachios, have anti-inflammatory properties.

17 Dec 2009

Group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer

Scientists in Sweden are reporting for the first time that a group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer. The study is in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, with more than 150,000 cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

17 Dec 2009

Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic team up to explore metabolic syndrome

Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic in Arizona are joining forces in a partnership to investigate metabolic syndrome - a cluster of high-risk medical factors that include increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat and abnormal cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

16 Dec 2009

BUSM Pulmonary Center awarded $1.4M grant to derive stem cells and lung progenitors from lung disease patients

Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) Pulmonary Center has received a two-year $1.4 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to derive stem cells and lung progenitors from patients with lung disease.

16 Dec 2009

Reprints Desk signs distribution deals with seven STM journal publishers

Derycz Scientific, Inc., a company that is pioneering a fresh way of facilitating the flow of information from content publishers to enterprise customers and their constituents, today announced that wholly-owned subsidiary Reprints Desk, Inc. has signed distribution deals with seven additional scientific, technical and medical (STM) journal publishers, expanding the pay-per-view content available to Reprints Desk customers and enhancing the speed of delivery.

16 Dec 2009

HealthInsight and HealthMedia join to deliver Internet-based Digital Coaching solutions

HealthInsight, provider of the only value-based health care administration platform, today announced a partnership with HealthMedia, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, to deliver Internet-based Digital Coaching™ solutions focused on lifestyle and behavioral change.

16 Dec 2009

Deaths from heart disease peak in December and January, US database reveals

'Tis the season… for a heart attack? According to Dr. Keith Churchwell, associate director of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a US database of 53 million deaths occurring between 1973 and 2001 reveals that deaths from heart disease peak in December and January, with spikes on Christmas and New Year's Day.

16 Dec 2009

Patient who received Total Artificial Heart and dual transplant celebrates Christmas

Last December, there were only two things 46-year-old Chuck Besen wanted for Christmas… a matching donor heart and kidney. This year, thanks to the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart and the dual transplant he received at University Medical Center (UMC) in March, Besen will celebrate his first Christmas at home with his 2-year-old son Dylan and his fiancée Jennifer Hokanson.

16 Dec 2009

Lab chip capable of growing cardiac tissue produced by biomedical engineers

Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers, working with colleagues in Korea, have produced a laboratory chip with nanoscopic grooves and ridges capable of growing cardiac tissue that more closely resembles natural heart muscle.

16 Dec 2009

Cellular Dynamics International launches iCell Cardiomyocytes

Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) today announced the commercial launch of iCell(TM) Cardiomyocytes for use in testing of new drug candidates by the pharmaceutical industry.

16 Dec 2009

Celebrities unveil Race for Life 2010 t-shirts to raise money for Cancer Research UK

A TRIO of celebrities including choreographer, Arlene Phillips; girlfriend of Arsenal star Theo Walcott, Melanie Slade; and fashion designer Tracey Boyd, have given the classic white tee a fun twist with a splash of colour as their new collection of Race for Life 2010 t-shirts is unveiled to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

16 Dec 2009

AstraZeneca's CRESTOR receives favorable vote from FDA Advisory Committee

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) today voted 12 yes, 4 no, and 1 abstention that AstraZeneca has established sufficient benefit to offset the observed risks to support the use of CRESTOR®

16 Dec 2009

Health information training dispels myths and promotes health awareness

Although growing numbers of people check their symptoms with "Dr. Google" or seek other medical advice online, many still lack the access and skills to take advantage of the Web's wealth of health information.

16 Dec 2009

Higher leptin levels associated with lower incidence of AD and dementia

Persons with higher levels of leptin, a protein hormone produced by fat cells and involved in the regulation of appetite, may have an associated reduced incidence of Alzheimer disease and dementia, according to a study in the December 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Dec 2009