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EPO-secreting engineered vessels could reverse anemia

Patients who rely on recombinant, protein-based drugs must often endure frequent injections, often several times a week, or intravenous therapy. Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston demonstrate the possibility that blood vessels, made from genetically engineered cells, could secrete the drug on demand directly into the bloodstream.

15 Nov 2011

Children advised to get tested for cholesterol: Guidelines

According to latest medical guidelines announced Friday, all children aged 9 to 11 should have their cholesterol checked to help head off cardiovascular disease early. Overweight children and those who have other risks of Type 2 diabetes should be screened for diabetes every two years starting as early as 9, according to the panel.

15 Nov 2011

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) shows success as blood thinner in acute coronary syndrome

A new anti-blood clotting drug – Xarelto (rivaroxaban) has shown clinical success. It may help people with “acute coronary syndrome” lower their risk of death, subsequent heart attack or stroke, a new study finds. Acute coronary syndrome is term that includes people with angina or prior history of heart attack.

15 Nov 2011

Stem cell therapy remedies heart failure: Study

Heart failure may be sure cured using stem cell therapy claim researchers. In a breakthrough study 16 heart failure patients given stem cells taken from their own bodies showed dramatic and lasting improvement.

15 Nov 2011

Scientists determine atomic structure of Lassa fever viral protein

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have determined the atomic structure of a protein that the Lassa fever virus uses to make copies of itself within infected cells.

15 Nov 2011

Positive long-term data from Abbott's ABSORB drug eluting BVS trial on CAD

Abbott today announced positive long-term data from the two-stage ABSORB trial, which is evaluating the ABSORB drug eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

15 Nov 2011

Stem cell therapy within 2 or 3 weeks does not improve heart function after attack

A research network led by a Mayo Clinic physician found that stem cells obtained from bone marrow delivered two to three weeks after a person has a heart attack did not improve heart function.

15 Nov 2011

Stem cell injections within two weeks may not help in post heart attack recovery

University Hospitals Case Medical Center researchers could still be close to giving heart attack patients a second chance-just not as they originally thought.

15 Nov 2011

Delay in hypothermia, ROSC linked with poor post cardiac arrest neurologic outcomes

Delay in initiation of therapeutic hypothermia and delay in return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), evidenced by a palpable pulse or a measurable blood pressure, were both associated with poor neurologic outcomes in post cardiac arrest patients, according to a study being presented Nov. 14 at the at the American Heart Association (AHA) scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla.

15 Nov 2011

CAS after prior revascularization safe, effective for carotid artery stenosis patients

A new study shows that carotid artery stenting (CAS) following prior same-side carotid artery revascularization is safe, effective and results in lower incidences of in-hospital death, stroke and heart attack compared to first-time CAS for carotid artery stenosis.

15 Nov 2011

Study compares safety of procedures at hospitals with and without cardiac surgery backup

Hospitals that do not have cardiac surgery capability can perform nonemergency angioplasty and stent implantation as safely as hospitals that do offer cardiac surgery. That is the finding of the nation's first large, randomized study to assess whether patients do just as well having nonemergency angioplasty performed at smaller, community hospitals that do not offer cardiac surgery.

15 Nov 2011

Prox1 gene plays a critical role in formation and maintenance of lymphatic system

A century after the valves that link the lymphatic and blood systems were first described, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have detailed how those valves form and identified a gene that is critical to the process.

15 Nov 2011

Risk of heart failure appears to be higher among low-income seniors

The risk of heart failure appears to be higher among low-income seniors — even those with a college education — according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham presented during the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

15 Nov 2011

New non-invasive measurement may predict people at risk of heart failure

A new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators at various institutions, presented at the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, shows that a novel, non-invasive measurement of arterial wave reflections may be able to predict who is most at risk for heart failure.

15 Nov 2011

New clues about connections among fat, inflammation and insulin resistance

In a new study, scientists report that they substantially curbed weight gain, improved metabolism, and improved the efficacy of insulin in mice by engineering them to express a specific human enzyme in their fat tissue. Although the obesity prevention came at the significant cost of widespread inflammation, the research offers new clues about the connections among obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and inflammation.

14 Nov 2011

Smoke-free workplace laws help reduce heart attacks and save lives

Mayo Clinic researchers have amassed additional evidence that secondhand smoke kills and smoke-free workplace laws save lives.

14 Nov 2011

Link between hysterectomy and early menopause among younger women

In a finding that confirms what many obstetricians and gynecologists suspected, Duke University researchers report that younger women who undergo hysterectomies face a nearly two-fold increased risk for developing menopause early.

14 Nov 2011

Fetal stem cells play an important role in inducing maternal cardiac repair

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered the therapeutic benefit of fetal stem cells in helping the maternal heart recover after heart attack or other injury.

14 Nov 2011

Lower glycemic index diet may delay onset of AMD-like lesions

Feeding older mice a lower glycemic index (GI) diet consisting of slowly-digested carbohydrates delays the onset of age-related, sight-threatening retinal lesions, according to a new study from the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University.

14 Nov 2011

Researchers get $7.5M grant to combat nerve agents

A $7.5 million award will help researchers harness the body’s own defenses to counteract nerve agents and create new types of antidotes for exposure to pesticides and other poisons.

14 Nov 2011