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Peter Munk Cardiac Centre doctors perform renal denervation in first Canadian patient

Doctors at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre today performed a minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat high blood pressure, called renal denervation, for the first time in Canada. The procedure can significantly reduce high blood pressure in patients who cannot effectively treat their hypertension through drugs. These patients, numbering approximately 250,000 Canadians, have to endure an especially high risk of heart attacks and stroke, which continues to kill thousands of Canadians every year.

18 Jan 2012

Ethanol, nonalcoholic compounds in red wine may reduce risk of vascular disease

Observational epidemiologic studies relating wine and alcohol to health all suffer from the fact that they, of necessity, compare people who prefer certain beverages, but not the beverages themselves. While there have been many intervention trials in animals, randomized trials in humans are less common. Randomized crossover trials, in which each subject receives all interventions in sequence, can be especially important as they tend to avoid baseline differences among subjects and can detect effects of different interventions with smaller numbers of subjects.

18 Jan 2012

US BioDesign introduces new cardiovascular biomaterials business unit

US BioDesign announced today the launch of its cardiovascular biomaterials business segment. This portion of US BioDesign will be responsible for the research, analysis and production of products and services in the cardiovascular device area.

18 Jan 2012

VeriTeQ acquires PositiveID's VeriChip and Health Link web-based PHR

VeriTeQ Acquisition Corporation, a marketer of implantable, radio frequency identification technologies for patient identification and sensor applications, announced today it has acquired the VeriChip implantable microchip and related technologies, and Health Link personal health record from PositiveID Corporation.

18 Jan 2012

Medtronic announces CE mark and launch of Endurant II AAA Stent Graft System

Medtronic Inc. today announced the CE mark and international launch of the Endurant II AAA Stent Graft System, which meaningfully expands the options physicians outside the United States have to treat patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms through a minimally invasive technique called endovascular aortic repair.

From Medtronic 17 Jan 2012

No statistical difference between IO and IV infusion in therapeutic hypothermia

The results of a study conducted by Vidacare Corporation comparing whether Intraosseous (IO) vascular access may be used to infuse chilled saline as effectively as peripheral intravenous (IV) access to achieve therapeutic hypothermia found no statistical difference between the two routes.

17 Jan 2012

Angioplasty improves quality of life in MS patients

Although using angioplasty to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly controversial, sufferers often insist it helps - in some cases dramatically, such as allowing them to walk without a cane. Patients with less severe MS also reported additional quality of life improvements, such as being able to talk more clearly, after having treatment to open blocked blood vessels in the chest and neck, according to research being presented at the 24th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy.

17 Jan 2012

Positive outcomes from Boston Scientific's Epic Stent trial on iliac artery disease

Boston Scientific Corporation reports nine-month clinical endpoint data from its ORION trial, demonstrating excellent outcomes for the Company's Epic Self-Expanding Nitinol Stent System in patients with iliac artery disease, a form of peripheral artery disease associated with severe leg pain caused by insufficient blood flow.

16 Jan 2012

Smart injectable nanotherapeutics could improve treatment for Type I diabetes

A research collaboration between the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Children's Hospital Boston has developed "smart" injectable nanotherapeutics that can be programmed to selectively deliver drugs to the cells of the pancreas. Although this nanotechnology will need significant additional testing and development before being ready for clinical use, it could potentially improve treatment for Type I diabetes by increasing therapeutic efficacy and reducing side effects.

13 Jan 2012

Emboshield Pro safer in patients ineligible for standard surgical treatment of CAD

Placing a stent in a key artery in the neck is safer than ever in patients ineligible for the standard surgical treatment of carotid artery disease, according to a new study published online today in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

12 Jan 2012

Excess salt stimulates production of adrenalin and causes hypertension

A review article by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) debunks the widely-believed concept that hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the result of excess salt causing an increased blood volume, exerting extra pressure on the arteries. Published online in the Journal of Hypertension, the study demonstrates that excess salt stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to produce adrenalin, causing artery constriction and hypertension.

12 Jan 2012

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation names 18 new Fellows

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting innovative early career researchers, named 18 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its fall Fellowship Award Committee review.

11 Jan 2012

New possibilities for effective treatment of psoriasis

Researchers at Link-ping University in Sweden are now launching a plan to effectively treat psoriasis.

11 Jan 2012

Researchers use 3-D imaging to identify proteins involved in arterial stiffness

Human arteries - some smaller than a strand of hair - stiffen as a person ages. This stiffening is a factor in cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, because it contributes to the circulatory complications in disorders such as high blood pressure and diabetes. University of Missouri researchers have now used advanced 3-D microscopic imaging technology to identify and monitor the proteins involved in this stiffening process.

10 Jan 2012

Insulin induces formation of new elastin in cultures of human aortic smooth muscle cells

New research reveals that insulin applied in therapeutic doses selectively stimulates the formation of new elastic fibers in cultures of human aortic smooth muscle cells.

10 Jan 2012

Study identifies netrin-1 as novel target for atherosclerosis

A new study by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers identified a new culprit that leads to atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fat and cholesterol that hardens into plaque and narrows arteries. The research, published online by Nature Immunology on January 8, 2012, explains why cholesterol-laden, coronary artery disease-causing cells called macrophages, accumulate in artery plaques.

10 Jan 2012

Novel target in artery plaque identified as potential therapeutic intervention

A new study by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers identified a new culprit that leads to atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fat and cholesterol that hardens into plaque and narrows arteries.

9 Jan 2012

Pfizer, SFJ to conduct axitinib Phase 3 trial in renal cell carcinoma

SFJ Pharma Ltd. II announced today that it has entered into a collaborative development agreement with Pfizer Inc. to conduct a Phase 3 clinical trial in Asia of Pfizer's investigational agent axitinib for the adjuvant treatment of patients at high risk of recurrent renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following nephrectomy.

9 Jan 2012

miRagen, Silence partner to assess delivery potential of novel miRNA-based therapeutics

Silence Therapeutics plc, a leading RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics company, announces that it has signed an agreement with miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., to assess the delivery potential of Silence's proprietary DBTC delivery system with miRagen's novel microRNA-based therapeutics.

9 Jan 2012

Georgia Bio announces 2012 Deals of the Year for pharma, biopharma and medical device companies

Georgia Bio announced its 2012 Deals of the Year for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and medical device companies in four categories - public and private financings, fast growing companies, acquisitions and SBIR grants - reflecting a broad range of activity.

From Medtronic 7 Jan 2012