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Caffeine reduces muscle activity in Fallopian tubes

Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the Fallopian tubes that carry eggs from a woman's ovaries to her womb. "Our experiments were conducted in mice, but this finding goes a long way towards explaining why drinking caffeinated drinks can reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant," says Professor Sean Ward from the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, USA. Ward's study is published today in the British Journal of Pharmacology

24 May 2011

Positive results from Astellas Pharma's mirabegron phase III trial in overactive bladder

Astellas Pharma US, Inc., U.S. subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc., today announced the results of a pivotal phase III clinical trial for mirabegron, the first of a new class of compounds under development for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB), which show mirabegron significantly improves key OAB symptoms – urinary incontinence and frequency of micturition compared with placebo.

18 May 2011

Adherence to guideline-related therapies can reduce heart failure patients' mortality rate

A UCLA-led study has found that adherence to national guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure in an outpatient practice setting significantly lowered the mortality rate of heart failure patients.

5 Apr 2011

Pelvic arterial embolization therapy effective treatment for postpartum hemorrhage

Pelvic arterial embolization or PAE, a minimally invasive, life-saving therapy, is a safe and effective treatment for postpartum hemorrhage, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Ill.

30 Mar 2011

Patients with dystonia can benefit from deep brain stimulation therapy

Patients suffering from dystonia, an uncommon yet potentially crippling movement disorder, get better results if they begin deep brain stimulation therapy sooner rather than later, according to an international study published in the March issue of the Journal of Neurology.

30 Mar 2011

FDA approves Medtronic's Consulta and Syncra pacemaker systems

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved its Consulta and Syncra cardiac resynchronization therapy-pacemaker systems.

25 Mar 2011

Telecommunication engineer creates new child arrhythmias database

Ventricular Fibrillation is a series of intense and disordered contractions of the ventricles. In 40 % of respiratory arrests suffered outside a hospital, it was shown that the first cardiac rhythm corresponds to VF, and the only manner to combat it is with electric discharges provided by defibrillation.

22 Mar 2011

Innovative algorithm for AEDs distinguishes betweeen adult and child arrhythmias

Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) is a series of intense and disordered contractions of the ventricles (they are located in the lower part of the heart). In 40 % of respiratory arrests suffered outside a hospital, it was shown that the first cardiac rhythm corresponds to VF, and the only manner to combat it is with electric discharges provided by defibrillation. This

21 Mar 2011

eToims launches new program with leading football franchise to improve athletic therapy

eToims Medical Technology has announced an innovative Sports Development Program with a leading UK football franchise to refine and improve athletic therapy and conditioning.

15 Mar 2011

Scientists receive March of Dimes grant for preterm birth research

With the help of funding from the March of Dimes, scientists will study whether low doses of inhaled carbon monoxide may prevent inflammation that triggers preterm labor, analyze the role genes play in causing preterm delivery, and develop blood tests to help identify women at risk of preterm delivery.

8 Mar 2011

Free radicals make the heart to beat with the correct force

Fear of free radicals may be exaggerated, according to scientists from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. A new study, published in the Journal of Physiology, shows that free radicals act as signal substances that cause the heart to beat with the correct force.

28 Feb 2011

New study: Free radicals play a key role in heart physiology

Fear of free radicals may be exaggerated, according to scientists from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. A new study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that free radicals act as signal substances that cause the heart to beat with the correct force.

28 Feb 2011

Scientists identify new cellular mechanism underlying hydronephrosis

One of the most common congenital defects in humans - it is detected in approximately 0.5% of fetuses analyzed by routine antenatal sonography - is a kidney abnormality known as hydronephrosis. Hydronephrosis arises because the flow of urine from the kidney to the bladder is impeded.

21 Feb 2011

Study: Heart rate turbulence is linked with increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease

Abnormal heart rate turbulence is associated with an increased risk of heart disease death in otherwise low-risk older individuals, according to a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

15 Feb 2011

Scientists generate beating heart cells from skin cells of young patients with severe genetic heart defect

Using skin cells from young patients who have a severe genetic heart defect, Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have generated beating heart cells that carry the same genetic mutation. The newly created human heart cells - cardiomyocytes - allowed the researchers for the first time to examine and characterize the disorder at the cellular level.

10 Feb 2011

Mysteries of the hibernating heart

Hibernating, it turns out, is much more complicated than one might think.

8 Feb 2011

Merz introduces new educational website for patients with focal dystonias

In support of the focal dystonia community, Merz Pharmaceuticals today announced the launch of a new educational website, FocalDystoniaExchange.com, where people affected by certain focal dystonias, as well as caregivers, family and friends, can learn more about the conditions and access helpful resources. For people who suffer from focal dystonias, completing simple, everyday tasks can be a difficult and challenging process.

3 Feb 2011

DNA sequence variations linked with heart's electrical rhythm in several surprising regions

A study among almost 50,000 people worldwide has identified DNA sequence variations linked with the heart's electrical rhythm in several surprising regions among 22 locations across the human genome. The variants were found by an international consortium, including Johns Hopkins researchers, and reported Nov. 14 in the Nature Genetics advance online publication.

21 Dec 2010

CRT therapy is cost-effective for symptomatic heart failure patients: REVERSE trial

Medtronic, Inc. announced findings from an economic sub-study of the REVERSE (Resynchronization Reverses Remodeling in Systolic Left Ventricular Dysfunction) trial published in the European Heart Journal demonstrating for the first time that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is cost-effective in mildly symptomatic heart failure (HF) patients.

3 Dec 2010

Active management of third stage of labour leads to less blood loss

Active management of the third stage of labour means that women lose less blood than with a more expectant approach, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in conjunction with Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

17 Nov 2010