Heart Failure News and Research

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Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It should not be confused with cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction.

Process improvement program improves adherence to evidence-based CRT, ICD and drug therapy

Results of the largest U.S. outpatient heart failure clinical study show that implementation of a process improvement program significantly improved adherence to evidence-based, guideline-recommended cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and drug therapy.

27 Jul 2010

Study tests new performance intervention to improve heart failure patients in outpatient setting

A study led by UCLA tested a new performance intervention to help improve adherence to national guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure patients in an outpatient setting.

27 Jul 2010

Researchers find new way to diagnose heart problems

A statistical analysis of publicly available heart rate data using three classification tools - Random Forests, Logistic Model Tree and Neural Network - could lead to a rapid and precise way to diagnose heart problems, according to research in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

27 Jul 2010

Childhood cancer survival associated with high risk of abnormal cardiac function

Childhood cancer survival is associated with increased risk of long-term abnormalities in cardiac function, according to a report in the July 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

27 Jul 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim announces European CHMP Positive Opinion for TWYNSTA

Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a Positive Opinion for the approval of TWYNSTA®. It will be indicated in adults whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled on amlodipine and is also indicated as replacement therapy in adult patients receiving telmisartan and amlodipine from separate tablets can instead receive tablets of TWYNSTA containing the same component doses.

26 Jul 2010

Ohio sets up high risk pool; Four drug companies come under scrutiny for payments to Pittsburgh doctors, nurses

"Ohioans with pre-existing health conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, can apply for coverage under a new high-risk insurance pool beginning Aug. 1." Qualifications include evidence of a pre-existing condition, proof of Ohio residency and U.S. citizenship, state of being uninsured for six months prior to the date of applying for coverage and being "ineligible for coverage under the Medicare program, the Ohio Medical Assistance Program, the Ohio Children's Health Insurance Program, or an employer-sponsored group health plan, unless subject to a mandatory initial waiting period" (7/22).

26 Jul 2010

New rules Thursday on appealing insurance claims, states take lead in health reform implementation

Kaiser Health News /The Washington Post obtained a summary of new rules to be released Thursday by the Obama administration that will make it easier for consumers to appeal the denials of their health insurance claims as the White House tries to "boost political support" for the new health law.

23 Jul 2010

Study reveals link between allergies, asthma and old age

Mistaken for illnesses like bronchitis and emphysema, exacerbated by medications like aspirin, and overlooked by patients and doctors alike, asthma is a common and highly treatable condition in older adults. And while allergies tend to decrease with age, they also are frequently disregarded as a potential cause of misery for the elderly.

23 Jul 2010

New understanding on insulin resistance, action of diabetes drugs may lead to safer medication

A new understanding of insulin resistance and the action of diabetes drugs such as Avandia and Actos could pave the way for improved medications that are more selective and safer, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Scripps Research Institute.Our findings strongly suggest that good and bad effects of these drugs can be separated by designing second-generation drugs that focus on the newly uncovered mechanism, said Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, of Dana-Farber, senior author on a report appearing in the July 22 issue of Nature.

22 Jul 2010

Study shows how muscle, fat could play role in survival of heart failure patients

University of Alberta research has discovered heart failure patients with more muscle have the potential to increase their length of life. Antigone Oreopoulos, a researcher from the U of A's School of Public Health, studied 140 patients with heart failure. Study participants underwent a special scan to measure their muscle mass and body fat.

22 Jul 2010

Medicare drug benefit appears to help more seniors with heart failure

The Medicare drug benefit may be helping more older Americans with heart failure get the medications recommended for controlling the disease, a new study finds. The study, of nearly 7,000 older heart failure patients in one large insurance plan, found that the number of filled prescriptions for standard heart failure medications increased after the Medicare drug benefit kicked in in 2006. The biggest increase was seen among seniors who had previously lacked any form of drug coverage.

22 Jul 2010

Genentech disappointed with FDA ODAC's recommendation against Avastin

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 12 to one that use of Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with paclitaxel for previously untreated (first-line) advanced HER2-negative breast cancer be removed from Avastin's U.S. label.

21 Jul 2010

Acorda Therapeutics awarded $1M C-TRIP grant to support research on GGF2

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has awarded a $1 million Cardiac Translational Research Implementation Program grant to support research on Glial Growth Factor 2, a novel investigational agent for the treatment of patients with heart failure under development at Acorda.

20 Jul 2010

Abortion fight again heats up over high-risk pools, other health reform news

Anti-abortion activists have "scored a victory" after a decision last week by the Obama administration to not allow the new high-risk pools in America to cover most abortions, The Associated Press reports.

20 Jul 2010

GE Capital serves as sole lender to Mitralign for $5 million senior secured credit facility

GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services announced today that it served as agent and sole lender to Mitralign, Inc. for a $5 million senior secured credit facility. Mitralign will use the credit facility for working capital as the company advances development of its mitral valve repair device.

19 Jul 2010

Geron commences enrollment in imetelstat Phase 2 clinical trial for NSCLC

Geron Corporation today announced enrollment of the first patient in a randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of its telomerase inhibitor drug, imetelstat (GRN163L), as maintenance therapy following platinum-based induction therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

19 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 19, 2010

Today's headlines include the latest news regarding the politics of implementing health reform as well as developments from the international AIDS conference now underway in Vienna.

19 Jul 2010

Over-expression of CIB1 protein triggers biochemical processes that lead to cardiac hypertrophy: Study

Scientists have identified a key molecular regulator of cardiac hypertrophy (enlargement of the heart) that may provide a therapeutic target for a major risk factor of heart failure and early death.

19 Jul 2010

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center on Thursday was ranked in the 2010-2011 Best Hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report, making it one of 152 medical centers nationwide selected out of nearly 2,000 eligible institutions.

16 Jul 2010

BioSTAR biodegradable implant achieves comparable closure rates to Amplatzer ASO

A novel study by Canadian physicians reported that the BioSTARTM biodegradable implant achieved comparable closure rates to the Amplatzer Septal OccluderTM (ASO) in children with atrial septal defect (ASD). The BioSTAR device displayed successful outcomes, while avoiding issues associated with implants containing substantial amounts of metal.

16 Jul 2010

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

Process improvement program improves adherence to evidence-based CRT, ICD and drug therapy

Study tests new performance intervention to improve heart failure patients in outpatient setting

Researchers find new way to diagnose heart problems

Childhood cancer survival associated with high risk of abnormal cardiac function

Boehringer Ingelheim announces European CHMP Positive Opinion for TWYNSTA

Ohio sets up high risk pool; Four drug companies come under scrutiny for payments to Pittsburgh doctors, nurses

New rules Thursday on appealing insurance claims, states take lead in health reform implementation

Study reveals link between allergies, asthma and old age

New understanding on insulin resistance, action of diabetes drugs may lead to safer medication

Study shows how muscle, fat could play role in survival of heart failure patients

Medicare drug benefit appears to help more seniors with heart failure

Genentech disappointed with FDA ODAC's recommendation against Avastin

Acorda Therapeutics awarded $1M C-TRIP grant to support research on GGF2

Abortion fight again heats up over high-risk pools, other health reform news

GE Capital serves as sole lender to Mitralign for $5 million senior secured credit facility

Geron commences enrollment in imetelstat Phase 2 clinical trial for NSCLC

First Edition: July 19, 2010

Over-expression of CIB1 protein triggers biochemical processes that lead to cardiac hypertrophy: Study

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

BioSTAR biodegradable implant achieves comparable closure rates to Amplatzer ASO

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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