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St. Jude Medical to exhibit cardiac clinical solution products portfolio at ACC 2010

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today announced it will display products and technologies from the company’s wide array of clinical solutions in the cardiology, cardiac surgery, atrial fibrillation and cardiac rhythm management markets at ACC 2010.

12 Mar 2010

New micromanipulator for precise operations involving cochlear and middle ear implants

A team of engineers from the CEIT-IK4 technological centre and doctors from the University Hospital of Navarra have designed a new tool for operating on the inner ear with maximum precision, reducing the possibility of damage to the auditory function during the surgery. This is the first micromanipulator specifically for operations involving cochlear and middle ear implants, of which about a hundred are carried out in this hospital annually. Taking part in developing the new tool were four engineers from CEIT and five ear, nose and throat specialists from the University Hospital of Navarra.

12 Mar 2010

Study shows experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol

An experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol without the troublesome side effects experienced by some people on statins, according to a study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. An international team of investigators at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research tested a substance called Eprotirome in patients with high cholesterol.

12 Mar 2010

High-intensity workout as effective as traditional types of exercise: study

The usual excuse of "lack of time" for not doing enough exercise is blown away by new research published in The Journal of Physiology.

12 Mar 2010

Minimally invasive surgical ablation for AFib: Unapproved, warns whistleblower

As reported in today's Wall Street Journal, the more than 2 million Americans with atrial fibrillation are now on notice that the over-zealous marketing tactics and incentives by manufacturers of expensive medical devices which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation are likely to be influencing doctors' and hospitals' decisions about treatment for their patients' heart conditions.

12 Mar 2010

Children with chronic illness more likely to develop H1N1 influenza: Study

As critical care professionals develop a better understanding of the progression of H1N1, they are becoming better prepared to treat children with severe cases, according to a new study that will be published in the March issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM).

12 Mar 2010

Hamilton Health Sciences establishes new research facility

Hamilton's role as one of the world's leading centres in cardiac, vascular and stroke research was amplified today with the grand opening of the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute at the Hamilton General Hospital site of Hamilton Health Sciences.

12 Mar 2010

Novel mutation in gene encoding ankyrin-B increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Alterations in our response to the taste or smell of food may be another culprit responsible for Type 2 diabetes, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center who have identified the specific mechanism in human specimens and in mice.

12 Mar 2010

Study questions frequency of heart angiograms

A recent study raises questions about the frequency of doctors' use of elective heart angiograms, which showed no disease in almost 40 percent of patients. BusinessWeek reports: "Doctors may be sending patients too quickly for elective angiograms to detect heart disease, exposing them to radiation and driving up U.S. health-care costs, a study suggests.

12 Mar 2010

Survey: Employers plan to shift more health costs to workers

The Washington Post: "Most big employers plan to shift a larger share of health-care costs to their workers next year, according to a survey to be released Thursday. ... Meanwhile, employees at many companies can expect significantly higher premiums, deductibles and co-payments, according to the annual survey by the National Business Group on Health, a coalition of big employers, and Towers Watson, a consulting firm that advises companies on employee benefits."

12 Mar 2010

Study explores incidence of eating disorders among type 1 diabetic patients

Diabetics, under the gun to better manage their disease by controlling their food intake and weight, may find themselves in the sticky wicket of needing treatment that makes them hungry, researchers said.

12 Mar 2010

New insurance plan to link a patient's cost to effectiveness of treatments

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, working in collaboration with USA Today, writes about potentially controversial policies that are a trend toward value-based design.

11 Mar 2010

Intel, Mayo Clinic and GE launch new initiative to study care and benefits of home-based telemedicine

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. was pleased on learning the news that Intel, The Mayo Clinic and GE Healthcare have launched a new initiative to study the care and cost benefits of home-based telemedicine for elderly patients with chronic illnesses.

11 Mar 2010

Collaborative center established to reduce obesity-related deaths in African-American and Latino communities

A $6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has funded the creation of ORBIT: Obesity Related Behavioral Intervention Trials to focus on reducing obesity and obesity-related deaths in New York City's African-American and Latino communities.

11 Mar 2010

Tel Aviv University investigates cause and effects of SCA syndrome

Sudden Cardiac Arrest syndrome (SCA) is poorly understood, but it's a real danger for the otherwise young and healthy. For no apparent reason, the heart suddenly stops beating, and without treatment death may follow within minutes. It's why some athletes drop dead on the track and why a young man, without any warning, suddenly dies while sitting at his desk.

11 Mar 2010

A new way to control blood pressure

The control of blood pressure is central to people's wellbeing. One in three Australians suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), a condition which can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure.

11 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 11, 2010

Today's headlines offer details of President Obama's continued full-court press on health reform with an appearance in Missouri. Meanwhile, work to move the bill toward a vote continues on Capitol Hill.

11 Mar 2010

Senetek closes Security Purchase Agreement with DMRJ

Senetek PLC today announced the closing of a Security Purchase Agreement, a Note and a Warrant Purchase Agreement DMRJ Group, LLC on March 4, 2010. DMRJ Group, LLC is a Delaware limited liability company affiliated with Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund L.P., an accredited institutional investor with its investment manager headquartered in New York, New York.

11 Mar 2010

Investigators develop new mathematical approach to analyze molecular data

Investigators have developed a new mathematical approach to analyze molecular data derived from complex mixtures of immune cells. This approach, when combined with well-established techniques, readily identifies changes in small samples of human whole blood, and has the potential to distinguish between health and disease states.

11 Mar 2010

Refining treatments to target only key heart-related mechanisms may improve effectiveness

Current drugs used to treat heart failure and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) have limited effectiveness and have side effects. New basic science findings from a University of Iowa study suggest a way that treatments could potentially be refined so that they work better and target only key heart-related mechanisms.

11 Mar 2010