Heart Defect News and Research

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Genetic discovery may hold clues to the development of many cases of the most common cancers

In a study published in Nature Genetics today, a team of scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research have discovered a gene that may hold clues to the development of many cases of the most common cancers including lung, breast, prostate and colon cancers.

12 Oct 2004

Fathers' occupational exposures may play an important role in the development of birth defects

Can exposure to hazardous substances at work contribute to the development of birth defects? If so, then fathers' occupational exposures may play a more important role than mothers' exposures

20 Sep 2004

Research crucial in determining what gene mutations might lead to congenital cardiovascular defects

According to the American Heart Association, congenital cardiovascular defects, such as congenital heart disease (CHD), are present in about one percent of live births and are the most common malformations in newborns.

9 Sep 2004

Parents and siblings of infants born with severe abnormalities of the left side of the heart should also be screened for heart problems

Brothers and sisters as well as parents of infants born with severe, life-threatening abnormalities of the left side of the heart should be screened for less severe, but related, heart problems, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

7 Sep 2004

Blood vessel plug - amplatzer ductal occluder, performs well in trial

In the largest and longest trial yet of a device called the Amplatzer ductal occluder, a duct that shunts blood flow away from the lungs during fetal development but sometimes fails to close after birth, was successfully closed in almost all patients, according to a new study in the Aug. 4, 2004, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Aug 2004

Iraqi child undergoes heart surgery in New York

Four-year old Bra’a Hussein’s heart will never be the same following recent surgery at NYU Medical Center to correct a highly complex congenital heart condition called tetralogy of fallot.

19 Jul 2004

Cornelia de Lange syndrome gene discovered

An international team of researchers has discovered the gene for Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a disabling, multisystem genetic disease that affects an estimated one in 10,000 children.

20 Jun 2004

Discovery of the gene for Cornelia de Lange syndrome

An international team of researchers has discovered the gene for Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a disabling, multisystem genetic disease that affects an estimated one in 10,000 children. The finding is expected to lead to a genetic test, enabling rapid and definitive diagnosis of the syndrome, as well as prenatal testing for families who already have one child with the disease.

17 May 2004

Time bomb in heart leads to heart failure in some congenital heart disease patients

However, surgical correction of certain forms of congenital heart disease may not fix the underlying molecular trigger that drives progressive heart failure and sudden death later in life, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

29 Apr 2004

$4.5 million contract to develop heart assist devices for infants

The University of Pittsburgh's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine has been awarded a five-year $4.5 million contract from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to develop a heart assist device for infants.

28 Apr 2004

Common anemia drug may protect hearts of infants undergoing surgical repair of congenital defects

Medical College of Wisconsin researchers may have promising news for the many infants who are born with a congenital heart defect serious enough to require surgery before their first birthday.

21 Apr 2004

Unique heart arrhythmia drug represents one of the first molecular-based therapies for heart failure

Heart researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have developed and tested a unique heart arrhythmia drug that could prevent the sudden death of millions of people with heart failure as well as people with an inherited heart disorder. The drug represents one of the first molecular-based therapies for heart failure and avoids the toxicity of current treatments.

8 Apr 2004