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.

Obese patients loosing moderate amount of weight improve their cardiovascular health, says study

Obese patients who lost a moderate amount of weight by eating less and exercising more improved their cardiovascular health, says a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

14 Dec 2009

Chemotherapy improves overall survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients

Chemotherapy generally improves survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients, according to a landmark study led by Dr. Kathy Albain of Loyola University Health System.

11 Dec 2009

Italy's economically disadvantaged people have higher rates of hospitalization for ACSC disorders

Despite free public healthcare, Italy's poor are more likely to end up in hospital with avoidable conditions, new research shows. This pattern, reported today in the online open access journal BMC Public Health, mirrors findings from a number of different healthcare systems around the world, although to date fewer studies have been completed in Europe.

11 Dec 2009

Tasigna demonstrates greater efficacy over Gleevec in chronic Ph+ CML patients

In a large Phase III clinical trial, Tasigna (nilotinib capsules) demonstrated greater efficacy over Gleevec (imatinib) in the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase. The new clinical data were just presented as a late breaking abstract at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), in New Orleans, Louisiana.

11 Dec 2009

Regulus Therapeutics to host educational webinar about microRNA biology

Regulus Therapeutics Inc., founded by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., unveiled plans for an educational webinar about microRNA biology that will highlight several recent exciting discoveries in the field and showcase the therapeutic strategies based on microRNA.

10 Dec 2009

Cardiologists receive K23 research grant from NIH

Brian H. Annex, M.D., chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Virginia Health System, says he feels like the coach of a championship team. "Going three for three is truly extraordinary," he says with a mixture of pride and awe in his voice.

10 Dec 2009

New health study reveals Ontario women less likely to receive cardiac care than men

Gender differences persist in the quality of cardiac care across Ontario, according to a health study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).

10 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

The language in our amendment is completely consistent with the Hyde Amendment, which in the 33 years since its passage has done nothing to inhibit private health insurers from offering abortion coverage. There is no reason to believe that a continuation of this policy would suddenly create undue hardship for the insurance industry — or for those who wish to use their private insurance to pay for an abortion (Rep. Bart Stupak, 12/8).

9 Dec 2009

VERTICAL Phase II trial results for NHL released

The Takeda Oncology Company today reported data from a clinical trial evaluating a VELCADE based combination for patients with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

9 Dec 2009

New Acesis software platform improves patient safety and quality care

Acesis, the enterprise software company focused on healthcare performance improvement, today announced results from its first six months of service for the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Division of Hospital Medicine.

9 Dec 2009

Despite rising costs of U.S. health care, quality lags in ambulatory care

Most primary care physicians active in the Medicare program work in practices with too few patients to reliably measure significant differences in common measures of quality and cost performance, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA.

9 Dec 2009

Progenitor-cell therapy can reduce risk of another heart attack

Cells from heart attack survivors' own bone marrow reduced the risk of death or another heart attack when they were infused into the affected artery after successful stent placement, according to research reported in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure.

9 Dec 2009

Medicare seeks to cut hospital readmissions with 'Care Transitions' project

The Associated Press reports that a "major push is underway around the country to cut rehospitalizations, in part by arming patients with simple steps to keep their recovery on track," such as getting quicker follow-up doctor visits and lessening medication confusion.

8 Dec 2009

Interim data from Geron's GRNVAC1 phase II trial for AML presented

Geron Corporation today announced the presentation of interim data from its phase II trial of GRNVAC1, an autologous dendritic cell vaccine targeting telomerase, in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

8 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 8, 2009

Today's headlines highlight how Senate consideration of the health bill could become even messier with amendments pending on abortion funding restrictions and the reimportation of prescription drugs. All the while, Senate Dems continue to work to find common ground on the public option.

8 Dec 2009

Clinical trial results of VELCADE based combinations for MM to be presented at the ASH meeting

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company today reported the presentation of results from a double randomized Phase III clinical trial of VELCADE based combinations for the treatment of patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma (MM). The VELCADE based combinations evaluated in the study demonstrated two-year overall survival rates ranging between 81 and 88 percent.

8 Dec 2009

Pixantrone demonstrates substantial reduction in cardiac cell toxicity compared to anthracyclines

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. announced today an abstract to be published online at the journal Blood website by M. Hacker, et al. demonstrating significant reduction in cardiac cell toxicity with pixantrone compared to currently marketed anthracyclines. The authors conclude that the reduction is due to pixantrone's inability to generate toxic drug iron complexes and reduced propensity to generate oxygen free radicals.

8 Dec 2009

Non-clinical data of CK-2017357 presented by Cytokinetics

Cytokinetics, Incorporated announced today that both a poster and an oral presentation summarizing non-clinical data regarding CK-2017357, a novel fast skeletal troponin activator, were presented at the 5th Cachexia Conference, organized by the Society on Cachexia and Wasting Disorders, being held December 5-8, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain.

8 Dec 2009

UCB presents data on Vimpat AED at AES meeting

UCB today announced new findings on its antiepileptic drug (AED) Vimpat® that offer additional clinical evidence supporting the use of this AED as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with partial-onset seizures. Results of presented research demonstrate sustained efficacy in adult patients taking Vimpat® for up to three years, and a consistent long-term tolerability profile.

7 Dec 2009

Updated results from phase III EXTEND clinical trial of pixantrone released

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. ("CTI") announced today that Ruth Pettengell, M.D. of St. George's Hospital, University of London during a session at the 2009 American Society of Hematology ("ASH") Annual Meeting updated results from the pivotal phase III EXTEND (PIX 301) clinical trial of pixantrone (the "PIX 301 EXTEND trial") in relapsed or refractory, aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ("NHL") patients who have failed 2 or more prior therapies.

7 Dec 2009