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.

Study shows ghrelin prevents acute liver damage, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation

Spanish researchers determined that rats treated with recombinant ghrelin displayed a reduction in liver fibrosis. Ghrelin, a stomach hormone, reduced the amount of fibrogenic cells by 25% in the treated rodents. Research further showed ghrelin prevented acute liver damage and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in the animal models.

1 Mar 2010

Health Policy Research Roundup: Length of hospital stays, analyses of Obama's reform proposals

Archives Of Internal Medicine: Hospital Cost Of Care, Quality Of Care, And Readmission Rates - This study compares patients treated for pneumonia and congestive heart failure (CHF) and finds that high-cost hospitals don't always deliver better care. The researchers, who based their analysis on the data from 3,146 hospitals in the 2004 to 2006 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR), report that "risk-adjusted costs of care for CHF and pneumonia varied widely between hospitals, although hospital cost-of-care patterns seemed stable over time and correlated across conditions."

27 Feb 2010

Medical innovation and research: A real boon for American patients to live longer, healthier

An article in the Suislaw News recently highlighted the fact that medical innovation and research are enabling many people to live longer, healthier and more productive lives.

26 Feb 2010

Regulus Therapeutics, GSK announce new collaboration on microRNA therapeutics targeting microRNA-122

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. today announced the establishment of a new collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop and commercialize microRNA therapeutics targeting microRNA-122 in all fields with Hepatitis C Viral infection (HCV) as the lead indication. Under the terms of the new collaboration, Regulus will receive additional upfront and early-stage milestone payments with the potential to earn more than $150 million in miR-122-related combined payments, and tiered royalties up to double digits on worldwide sales of products.

25 Feb 2010

HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2010 identified

The HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2010 were identified in a report issued today by the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The analysis, which examined objective patient outcomes over three years at all 5,000 of the nation’s nonfederal hospitals, found that the 50 Best Hospitals had mortality rates that were, on average, 27% lower than other hospitals.

25 Feb 2010

GlaxoSmithKline responds to Staff Report on GlaxoSmithKline and the Diabetes Drug Avandia

Today, GlaxoSmithKline responded to the recently released Senate Committee on Finance's January 2010 "Staff Report on GlaxoSmithKline and the Diabetes Drug Avandia" (the "Staff Report").

25 Feb 2010

HealthGrades names Good Samaritan Hospital as One of America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2010

Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles is named as One of America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2010 by HealthGrades, Inc., the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings organization.

24 Feb 2010

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

The data are inconclusive on heart risks from a class of blood sugar-lowering drugs called thiazolidinediones (TZDs) such as pioglitazone (Actos) or rosiglitazone (Avandia), but the medications should be used with close monitoring from healthcare providers according to a joint science advisory from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

24 Feb 2010

Hudson Health Plan deploys Health Integrated Synergy Targeted Population Management program

Hudson Health Plan, a not-for-profit managed care organization that services New York's Hudson Valley, has selected Health Integrated, Inc., a leading provider of Health Management Solutions, as its partner to provide enhanced care management services for Medicaid members with co-morbid chronic illness.

24 Feb 2010

New treatments for heart disease

Two studies published in the latest issue of Cell Transplantation (18:12) may lead to new treatments for the treatment of heart diseases. The first study, carried out by a team of Brazilian researchers, found that cell transplantation of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) directly into the heart benefited patients suffering from refractory angina.

24 Feb 2010

Medical innovation: A real boon for American patients

An article in the Journal Miner recently highlighted the fact that many people are living longer, healthier and more productive lives thanks to medical innovation and research.

24 Feb 2010

Study says lower-cost hospitals don't have lower quality care for certain illnesses

A study Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found little difference in outcomes between hospitals with longer patient stays and shorter ones, which could make it "possible to lower costs in the U.S. system without hurting patients," Reuters reports.

24 Feb 2010

Forest Laboratories' Bystolic tablets for treatment of stable CHF failed to receive FDA approval

Forest Laboratories, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not approve the additional indication for Bystolic® (nebivolol) tablets as a treatment for stable chronic heart failure (CHF) as requested in the company’s Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA).

23 Feb 2010

Gross sales of Acorda Therapeutics' ZANAFLEX CAPSULES and tablets increase 9.1% to $58.3M in 2009

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2009.

23 Feb 2010

Genentech's Avastin combination Phase III study in advanced stomach cancer does not meet primary endpoint

Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, today announced that a Phase III study (AVAGAST) did not meet its primary endpoint of showing Avastin® (bevacizumab) plus Xeloda® (capecitabine) or 5-FU and cisplatin chemotherapy extended the lives of people with inoperable or advanced stomach (gastric) cancer, compared to chemotherapy alone.

23 Feb 2010

Black women are more prone to peripartum cardiomyopathy around childbirth time

A study examining the incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy in women who gave birth at a Medical College of Georgia's teaching hospital between July 2003 and July 2008, showed that while 55 percent of the women were white, 93 percent of those who developed cardiomyopathy were black, said Dr. Mindy B. Gentry, an MCG cardiologist.

23 Feb 2010

Heartware completes patient enrollment for ADVANCE clinical trial

HeartWare International, Inc., a leading innovator of less invasive, miniaturized circulatory support technologies revolutionizing the treatment of advanced heart failure, today announced the conclusion of patient enrollment under its "ADVANCE" clinical trial.

23 Feb 2010

Study shows hospitals costs vary widely and are not associated with quality of care

The costs that hospitals incur in treating patients vary widely and do not appear to be strongly associated either with the quality of care patients receive or their risk of dying within 30 days, according to a report in the February 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 Feb 2010

Senate, FDA reports increasing concerns about controversial diabetes drug

"Hundreds of people taking Avandia, a controversial diabetes medicine, needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month, according to confidential government reports that recommend the drug be removed from the market ... ," The New York Times reports. "The internal F.D.A. reports are part of a fierce debate within the agency over what to do about Avandia, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline."

23 Feb 2010

Researchers identify common gene variant associated with atrial fibrillation

An international research team has identified a common gene variant associated with a form of the irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. In their report in the journal Nature Genetics, being published online, the investigators describe finding that variations affecting a protein that may help control the heart's electrical activity appear to increase the risk of what is called lone atrial fibrillation (AF), a type seen in younger individuals with no other form of heart disease.

22 Feb 2010

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

Study shows ghrelin prevents acute liver damage, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation

Health Policy Research Roundup: Length of hospital stays, analyses of Obama's reform proposals

Medical innovation and research: A real boon for American patients to live longer, healthier

Regulus Therapeutics, GSK announce new collaboration on microRNA therapeutics targeting microRNA-122

HealthGrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2010 identified

GlaxoSmithKline responds to Staff Report on GlaxoSmithKline and the Diabetes Drug Avandia

HealthGrades names Good Samaritan Hospital as One of America’s 50 Best Hospitals in 2010

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

Hudson Health Plan deploys Health Integrated Synergy Targeted Population Management program

New treatments for heart disease

Medical innovation: A real boon for American patients

Study says lower-cost hospitals don't have lower quality care for certain illnesses

Forest Laboratories' Bystolic tablets for treatment of stable CHF failed to receive FDA approval

Gross sales of Acorda Therapeutics' ZANAFLEX CAPSULES and tablets increase 9.1% to $58.3M in 2009

Genentech's Avastin combination Phase III study in advanced stomach cancer does not meet primary endpoint

Black women are more prone to peripartum cardiomyopathy around childbirth time

Heartware completes patient enrollment for ADVANCE clinical trial

Study shows hospitals costs vary widely and are not associated with quality of care

Senate, FDA reports increasing concerns about controversial diabetes drug

Researchers identify common gene variant associated with atrial fibrillation

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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