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Scientists investigate new class of drugs for treating kidney failure

Scientists are learning more about how protein gets in the urine when the kidneys begin to fail and how a new drug blocks it.

17 Nov 2010

Cholesterol-lowering statin therapy benefits patients with calcium buildup in arteries

Rolling back suggestions from previous studies, a Johns Hopkins study of 950 healthy men and women has shown that taking daily doses of a cholesterol-lowering statin medication to protect coronary arteries and ward off heart attack or stroke may not be needed for everyone.

17 Nov 2010

Combination of two devices increases long-term survival in cardiac arrest patients

A combination of two devices could save the lives of several thousand cardiac arrest patients each year if implemented nationwide, suggests results of a clinical trial presented at today's American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Symposium.

17 Nov 2010

Duke awarded $52.8M federal grant to oversee external quality assurance programs for HIV/AIDS labs

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has awarded Duke University Medical Center up to $52.8 million over the next seven years to support the development, implementation and oversight of external quality assurance programs that monitor laboratories involved in HIV/AIDS research and vaccine trials around the world.

17 Nov 2010

Researchers discover new cardioprotective protein during heart attack

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have discovered a new protein that could be cardioprotective during heart attack, potentially leading to more targeted treatments for patients at risk.

17 Nov 2010

Fat-derived stem cells can boost heart function following acute attack

Fat cells liposuctioned from a patient's belly can safely boost heart function after a heart attack, according to a first-of-its-kind study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

17 Nov 2010

Warfarin taken along with herbal, dietary supplements may be dangerous

Herbal and dietary supplements are popular. People claim they make their joints feel better, their bones stronger, and their hearts healthier. But a recent study by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City shows that many of these people may not realize their favorite supplement, mixed with prescription medications, may be putting their lives in danger, especially if they are taking warfarin - a blood-thinning medication commonly prescribed to patients living with atrial fibrillation to lower their risk of stroke.

17 Nov 2010

National pilot program facilitates kidney paired-donation transplants

A computer algorithm developed at Carnegie Mellon University matched living kidney donors with medically compatible transplant candidates late last month as the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), operated by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), began a national pilot program to increase the number of kidney paired-donation (KPD) transplants.

17 Nov 2010

Active management of third stage of labour leads to less blood loss

Active management of the third stage of labour means that women lose less blood than with a more expectant approach, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in conjunction with Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

17 Nov 2010

New cellular pathway could help develop therapeutic treatments for obesity-related disorders

Cardiac researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found a new cellular pathway that could help in developing therapeutic treatments for obesity-related disorders, like diabetes and heart disease.

17 Nov 2010

Treatment including surgery better for opening blocked arteries in patients with diabetes and heart disease

Treatment that included early surgical procedures to open blocked arteries resulted in better blood flow to the heart than aggressive medical treatment alone in patients with both diabetes and heart disease, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010.

17 Nov 2010

SESAME Stent effective for patients undergoing angioplasty of SVG

A new study revealed that the novel self-expanding super-elastic all-metal endoprosthesis stent (SESAME Stent) used in patients undergoing angioplasty of degenerated saphenous vein graft (SVG) lesions has 100% acute success, low 30 day major adverse cardiac events (MACE) rates, and 9-month patency comparable to balloon expandable stents without embolic protection.

17 Nov 2010

Perivascular adipose tissue may lead to cardiovascular disease: Research

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that fat around the outside of arteries may lead to the development of cardiovascular disease and could be linked to its onset in individuals with diabetes.

17 Nov 2010

Scientists determine ways to stop damage, promote neuronal growth in spinal cord injury

If researchers could determine how to send signals to cells responding to a spinal cord injury, they might be able to stop one type of cell from doing additional damage at the injury site and instead, coax it into helping nerve cells grow.

17 Nov 2010

Researchers suggest that genetic screening may predict heart attack risk

Testing for 11 specific genetic variations in hundreds of people with no history of heart disease provided information that led to revision of their estimated heart attack risk, say Mayo Clinic researchers.

17 Nov 2010

Combination of CT scans effective in diagnosing coronary artery disease

Heart imaging specialists at Johns Hopkins have shown that a combination of CT scans that measure how much blood is flowing through the heart and the amount of plaque in surrounding arteries are just as good as tests that are less safe, more complex and more time-consuming to detect coronary artery disease and its severity.

17 Nov 2010

New layer of kidney cells can purify blood

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the University Medical Center Groningen have succeeded in culturing a layer of kidney cells in the lab. These cells maintained their functional properties, and are able to purify blood.

17 Nov 2010

Noninvasive method to determine estrogen levels in infants through diapers

With the help of babies and more than 5,000 of their diapers, Emory University researchers have developed an accurate, noninvasive method to determine estrogen levels in infants.

17 Nov 2010

One in seven Medicare patients harmed by problems in hospital, HHS report finds

The New York Times: "One of every seven Medicare beneficiaries who is hospitalized is harmed as a result of problems with the medical care there, according to a new study [.pdf] from the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. The study said unexpected adverse events added at least $4.4 billion a year to government health costs and contributed to the deaths of about 180,000 patients a year."

17 Nov 2010

JDRF, Amylin collaborate to support metreleptin study for type 1 diabetes

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they entered into a research collaboration agreement to provide financial support for a clinical proof-of-concept study to investigate the effects of metreleptin, an analog of the human hormone leptin, in patients with type 1 diabetes. Researchers at The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center will conduct the study.

17 Nov 2010