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.

BIOTRONIK's EchoCRT clinical trial design published in European Heart Journal

BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, a leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices and sponsor of clinical research to advance patient care and evidence-based medicine, announced the publication in the September 23, 2010 issue of the European Heart Journal of a peer-reviewed article that describes the rationale for the echocardiographic methods and dyssynchrony cutoff values selected for the EchoCRT study.

6 Oct 2010

Way of VAD implantation can impact stroke occurrence

A surgical team from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, has presented findings from the first study to demonstrate that the way a ventricular assist device (VAD) is implanted can have an impact on whether or not a patient may have a stroke while the device is in use.

6 Oct 2010

UCLA-led consortium receives $9.9M to compare wireless and telephone management after hospitalizations

A UCLA-led consortium of five University of California medical schools, plus Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, has received $9.9 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to research the use of wireless and telephone care management to reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

6 Oct 2010

Amino acid mixture increases survival in mice

When mice are given drinking water laced with a special concoction of amino acids, they live longer than your average mouse, according to a new report in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. The key ingredients in the supplemental mixture are so-called branched-chain amino acids, which account for 3 of the 20 amino acids (specifically leucine, isoleucine, and valine) that are the building blocks of proteins.

6 Oct 2010

IDMC recommends early termination of Phase 3 intramuscular depot aripiprazole trial

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (OPC) and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) announced today that an independent data monitoring committee (IDMC) has recommended the early termination of its Phase 3, 52-week, placebo-controlled, intramuscular depot aripiprazole trial.

6 Oct 2010

GE Healthcare launches first human cellular assay product

Geron Corporation today announced that GE Healthcare has launched the first human cellular assay product for use in drug discovery and toxicity screening, developed under a license and alliance agreement between the two companies.

5 Oct 2010

Care Improvement Plus releases 2011 Medicare health plan benefits to improve quality of care

Care Improvement Plus, operator of one of the largest special needs plans in Texas, is standing by its commitment to serve chronically ill and underserved Medicare beneficiaries with the release of its 2011 Medicare health plan benefits in preparation for the upcoming Medicare annual election period, which begins November 15th.

5 Oct 2010

CardioDx publishes PREDICT trial results

CardioDx, a pioneer in the field of cardiovascular genomic diagnostics, today announced publication of results from the Personalized Risk Evaluation and Diagnosis In the Coronary Tree (PREDICT) trial in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the journal of the American College of Physicians.

5 Oct 2010

UCI awarded $10M grant to explore ways of preventing staph infections in people harboring MRSA bacteria

A UC Irvine infectious disease specialist has received a three-year, $10 million grant to explore the effectiveness of new methods to prevent staph infections in people who harbor MRSA bacteria when they're discharged from the hospital.

4 Oct 2010

Researchers create new cell lines from mesenchymal stem cells

Biomedical researchers at the University at Buffalo have engineered adult stem cells that scientists can grow continuously in culture, a discovery that could speed development of cost-effective treatments for diseases including heart disease, diabetes, immune disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

4 Oct 2010

UCLA receives contract to study proteins involved in cardiovascular disease development

UCLA has received a five-year, $12.5 million contract award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to spearhead an international consortium of medical experts that will study proteins that may be involved in the development of cardiovascular disease.

4 Oct 2010

Mount Sinai receives contract to develop nanotechnology tools for diagnosing diseases

Mount Sinai School of Medicine received a contract for almost $16.5 million from The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLBI) through the Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN). The contract is one of four issued nationally to develop multidisciplinary research Centers with the goal of developing nanotechnology tools for diagnosing and treating heart, lung and blood diseases.

30 Sep 2010

ACT updates myoblast program for heart failure treatment

Advanced Cell Technology, a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, provided an update today on the status of its myoblast program. The program has successfully and safely completed Phase I human clinical trials in more than forty patients in over four independent studies.

30 Sep 2010

Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. lowers acutely elevated blood pressure: CLUE study

Results from the CLUE study, a head-to-head comparison between Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. (nicardipine) and labetalol in the emergency room, showed that Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. lowers acutely elevated blood pressure more effectively than labetalol. These data were presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

29 Sep 2010

Pfizer ceases SUN 1120 Phase 3 trial of SUTENT in men with CRPC

Pfizer Inc. announced today the discontinuation of the SUN 1120 Phase 3 trial evaluating SUTENT (sunitinib malate) in combination with prednisone for men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer that had progressed despite treatment with a docetaxel-based chemotherapy regimen. During a scheduled interim analysis, an independent Data Monitoring Committee found that the combination of sunitinib with prednisone was unlikely to improve overall survival when compared to prednisone alone.

28 Sep 2010

Dual eligible patients more likely to be hospitalized than Medicare beneficiaries: AHRQ

Americans who were eligible for coverage under both Medicare and Medicaid in 2008 were hospitalized for bed sores, asthma and diabetes at more than twice the rate of other Medicare beneficiaries, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 Sep 2010

Malnutrition, inflammation complicate blood cholesterol readings in CKD patients

To understand the health effects of high cholesterol levels, doctors first need to assess malnutrition and inflammation status in their chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

24 Sep 2010

Takeda underscores commitment to ACTOS following FDA and EMA announcements for rosiglitazone

Following today’s announcements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for rosiglitazone in the U.S. and Europe, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals Europe Limited underscore the company’s commitment to ACTOS® (pioglitazone HCl) and ACTOS-containing medications, and to the millions of people living with type 2 diabetes.

24 Sep 2010

Scientists discover molecular playbook to block cardiac hypertrophy

Like a well-crafted football play designed to block the opposing team's offensive drive to the end zone, the body constantly executes complex 'plays' or sequences of events to initiate, or block, different actions or functions.

24 Sep 2010

SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart wins 2010 Kerrin Rennie Award

On Sept. 15, the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart was awarded the 2010 Kerrin Rennie Award for Excellence in Medical Technology by the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA).

23 Sep 2010

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

BIOTRONIK's EchoCRT clinical trial design published in European Heart Journal

Way of VAD implantation can impact stroke occurrence

UCLA-led consortium receives $9.9M to compare wireless and telephone management after hospitalizations

Amino acid mixture increases survival in mice

IDMC recommends early termination of Phase 3 intramuscular depot aripiprazole trial

GE Healthcare launches first human cellular assay product

Care Improvement Plus releases 2011 Medicare health plan benefits to improve quality of care

CardioDx publishes PREDICT trial results

UCI awarded $10M grant to explore ways of preventing staph infections in people harboring MRSA bacteria

Researchers create new cell lines from mesenchymal stem cells

UCLA receives contract to study proteins involved in cardiovascular disease development

Mount Sinai receives contract to develop nanotechnology tools for diagnosing diseases

ACT updates myoblast program for heart failure treatment

Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. lowers acutely elevated blood pressure: CLUE study

Pfizer ceases SUN 1120 Phase 3 trial of SUTENT in men with CRPC

Dual eligible patients more likely to be hospitalized than Medicare beneficiaries: AHRQ

Malnutrition, inflammation complicate blood cholesterol readings in CKD patients

Takeda underscores commitment to ACTOS following FDA and EMA announcements for rosiglitazone

Scientists discover molecular playbook to block cardiac hypertrophy

SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart wins 2010 Kerrin Rennie Award

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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