Atrial Fibrillation News and Research

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat. A disorder in the heart’s electrical system causes AF and other types of arrhythmia. AF occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals in the heart’s two upper chambers, called the atria, cause them to contract very fast and irregularly (this is called fibrillation). As a result, blood pools in the atria and isn’t pumped completely into the heart’s two lower chambers, called the ventricles. When this happens, the heart’s upper and lower chambers don’t work together as they should. Often, people who have AF may not even feel symptoms. However, even when not noticed, AF can lead to an increased risk of stroke. In many patients, particularly when the rhythm is extremely rapid, AF can cause chest pain, heart attack, or heart failure. AF may occur rarely or every now and then, or it may become a persistent or permanent heart rhythm lasting for years.

AliveCor receives FDA clearance on its mobile heart monitor

AliveCor, Inc. announced today at the start of the 4th annual mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C. that the company received FDA 510(k) clearance on its mobile Heart Monitor as well as CE Mark conformity. This clinical-quality, low-cost mobile ECG heart monitor, compatible with the iPhone® 4 and 4S, enables doctors to evaluate patient heart health easily, quickly and remotely.

3 Dec 2012

Asthma and nasal congestion common insomnia triggers

Insomnia is a common problem in patients with asthma, suggests research published in Allergy.

30 Nov 2012

UCB to sponsor key sets of VIMPAT C-V data at 66th American Epilepsy Society annual meeting

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company focusing on CNS and immunology treatment and research, is sponsoring key sets of VIMPAT® (lacosamide) C-V data at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) in San Diego, Calif., November 30 - December 4.

29 Nov 2012

Digoxin for atrial fibrillation questioned

Experts are calling into question the widespread use of digoxin for atrial fibrillation, in the wake of findings linking the drug to increased mortality.

28 Nov 2012

Watch out for Sjögren's syndrome in dry eye

Clinicians with patients who have clinically significant dry eye should be on the alert for underlying Sjögren's syndrome, report researchers in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

28 Nov 2012

Hemorrhage risk ‘higher than reported’ for AF warfarin users

Real-world findings for atrial fibrillation patients using warfarin point to a significantly higher risk for hemorrhage than reported for clinical trials.

28 Nov 2012

Digoxin increases risk of death in patients with atrial fibrillation

Digoxin, a drug widely used to treat heart disease, increases the possibility of death when used by patients with a common heart rhythm problem − atrial fibrillation (AF), according to new study findings by University of Kentucky researchers. The results have been published in the prestigious European Heart Journal, and raises serious concerns about the expansive use of this long-standing heart medication in patients with AF.

28 Nov 2012

Azathioprine exposure concerns raised for SLE mothers

Researchers have raised the possibility of an increased risk for developmental delay in the children of mothers who used azathioprine for systemic lupus erythematosus during pregnancy.

26 Nov 2012

New tool helps identify nonadherent HIV patients

Researchers have developed a simple tool that predicts virologic response and development of drug resistance in patients receiving HIV treatment, based on how regularly they attend their scheduled health appointments.

26 Nov 2012

Allergies common in ADHD, tic disorder patients

A significant number of people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and tic disorder also have one or more allergic diseases such as asthma or atopic dermatitis, show study results.

23 Nov 2012

Surgery simulation ‘catapults’ trainees' abilities

Study findings indicate that simulator training for otorhinolaryngology residents results in equal, if not superior, performance compared with traditional training that involves finite repetition of live procedures.

22 Nov 2012

Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb receive EC approval for ELIQUIS to prevent NVAF-related stroke

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer announced today that the European Commission has approved ELIQUIS (apixaban) for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adult patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) with one or more risk factors.

21 Nov 2012

Nasal spray sufficient for allergic rhinitis in Japanese patients

Intranasal corticosteroid sprays can be administered as a first-line treatment for Japanese patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis, without the need to use systemic corticosteroid drugs, suggest study findings.

20 Nov 2012

Janssen receives positive opinion from EMA CHMP for ZYTIGA to treat mCRPC

Janssen-Cilag International NV (Janssen) announced today that the Committee for Medical Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted a positive opinion recommending approval of the oral, once-daily medication ZYTIGA for use in combination with prednisone or prednisolone in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), in adult men who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic after failure of androgen deprivation therapy and in whom chemotherapy is not yet clinically indicated.

19 Nov 2012

Immunologic diseases linked to poorer survival in PSC

Primary sclerosing cholangitis patients with concomitant immunologic disorders, have reduced transplantation-free survival compared with patients without, say the authors of a German study.

19 Nov 2012

Treatment-related heart failure risk for rheumatoid arthritis patients revealed

Rheumatoid arthritis patients have no greater risk for heart failure with tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapy than with nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, research suggests.

19 Nov 2012

Two equally effective TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis

Adalimumab and etanercept are equally effective as tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in the treatment of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, report researchers.

19 Nov 2012

Geriatric health, lungs adversely affected by air pollution

Elderly individuals living in highly polluted areas of the USA have higher levels of inflammatory markers in their blood compared with their counterparts who live in less-polluted regions, indicate the results of a study.

19 Nov 2012

Caterpillar fungi may benefit asthma patients

Research shows that cordycepin, extracted from a group of rare parasitic caterpillar fungi of the genus Cordyceps, has unusual anti-inflammatory properties that may make it a good candidate for treating conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

16 Nov 2012

Electrical engineers develop new technology to monitor medical vital signs

Electrical engineers at Oregon State University have developed new technology to monitor medical vital signs, with sophisticated sensors so small and cheap they could fit onto a bandage, be manufactured in high volumes and cost less than a quarter.

16 Nov 2012