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.

Study identifies genetic link between vitamin D and heart disease

Previous studies have shown a link between low vitamin D status and heart disease. Now a new study shows that patients with high blood pressure who possess a gene variant that affects an enzyme critical to normal vitamin D activation are twice as likely as those without the variant to have congestive heart failure.

2 Dec 2009

Palatin Technologies issued U.S. patent covering its lead heart failure drug candidate

Palatin Technologies, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,622,440, titled "Cyclic Natriuretic Peptide Constructs." The claims in the issued patent cover a family of cyclic compounds that bind to natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPRA), including PL-3994, Palatin's lead heart failure drug candidate.

1 Dec 2009

Study examines role of low-oxygen exposure in heart failure patients

Distance runners who live at high altitudes with low oxygen levels are known to improve their performance during races in areas that are at sea level. Can heart failure patients, who suffer from fatigue, improve their exercise performance by staying in a tent-like, high-altitude simulator?

1 Dec 2009

Study examines racial disparities in hospitalization for white and black adults with preventable conditions

Receiving prompt treatment for common health problems like diabetes, pneumonia and high blood pressure can save patients trips to the hospital and thousands of dollars in medical care costs.

1 Dec 2009

Amgen to present updated data on Nplate at the 2009 ASH meeting

Amgen Inc. today announced that it will present updated long-term safety and efficacy data for Nplate® (romiplostim) in adult chronic immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Additionally, Amgen will present the first Nplate study in a pediatric setting as well as in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) at the 2009 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Dec. 5 - 8, 2009).

1 Dec 2009

New research suggests people cannot survive cardiac arrest without oxygen during CPR

People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them - as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, research suggests.

1 Dec 2009

Protein mutation can cause a new form of heart failure

Over the course of a lifetime, the heart pumps some 250 million liters of blood through the body. In the order to do this, the muscle fibers of the heart have to be extremely durable. The research group headed by Dr. Wolfgang Rottbauer, vice chair of the Department of Medicine III at Heidelberg University Hospital (Chairman: Prof. Dr. H. A. Katus), has discovered a protein that is responsible for the stability of the smallest muscular unit, the sarcomere.

25 Nov 2009

Health reform financing ideas watered down, questions remain on premiums, taxes

The New York Times reports that while the Senate health bill "includes nearly every big idea that health economists and medical researchers have for slowing cost growth — as well as for improving the patchwork quality of American health care, ... many of the ideas, like the rule on Medicare reimbursement, have been at least partly neutered. A provision to punish hospitals for infecting their patients, for example, would cut payments for the related treatments by a mere 1 percent.

25 Nov 2009

Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of stroke, heart disease and death, finds study

While mothers have known that feeding their kids milk builds strong bones, a new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City suggests that Vitamin D contributes to a strong and healthy heart as well - and that inadequate levels of the vitamin may significantly increase a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, and death, even among people who've never had heart disease.

24 Nov 2009

Study reveals high levels of cardiac biomarkers in the blood of heart attack patients

Many heart attack patients have high levels of cardiac biomarkers in the blood for several months after leaving the hospital, with more shortness of breath and chest pain, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

24 Nov 2009

New technology developed to rapidly identify compounds for the treatment of heart failure

Research conducted by University of Minnesota scientists, in collaboration with Celladon Corporation, has led to the invention of technology to more rapidly identify compounds for the treatment of heart failure.

24 Nov 2009

New computational tool may aid surgeons plan for life-saving pediatric operation

A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Stanford University has developed a way to simulate blood flow on the computer to optimize surgical designs. It is the basis of a new tool that may help surgeons plan for a life-saving operation called the "Fontan" surgery, which is performed on babies born with severe congenital heart defects.

24 Nov 2009

GMC named in the 2009 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success list

Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) has been named to the 2009 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success list, which annually identifies high-performing cardiovascular hospitals nationally and sets performance targets for managing and improving cardiovascular services.

24 Nov 2009

Caldolor Injection effective in treating fever in hospitalized burn patients

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced positive new top-line results from a study evaluating the safety and efficacy of Caldolor (ibuprofen) Injection in treating fever in hospitalized burn patients.

23 Nov 2009

FDA grants Fast Track designation for ARCA biopharma's Gencaro

ARCA biopharma, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated as a Fast Track development program the investigation of GencaroTM, the Company’s investigational, pharmacologically unique beta-blocker and mild vasodilator, for the reduction of cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular hospitalizations in a genotype-defined heart failure population.

23 Nov 2009

Medical report showing the devastating impacts of coal on human body released

Physicians for Social Responsibility today released a groundbreaking medical report, "Coal's Assault on Human Health," which takes a new look at the devastating impacts of coal on the human body.

23 Nov 2009

Overexpression of NCX1 does not by itself lead to contraction abnormalities in the heart

Researchers from the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University have found that the overexpression of a sodium/calcium exchanger, without changes in other ion transport pathways commonly observed in heart failure, does not by itself lead to contraction abnormalities in the heart.

23 Nov 2009

Carvedilol in combination with ACE inhibitors may benefit cardiac patients

In a new study, researchers report that a class of heart medications called beta-blockers can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular activity.

21 Nov 2009

Employers take action to improve medication adherence

More employers are taking steps to improve their employees' health by making sure they take their medicines as prescribed, a move that could stave off more serious and costly health consequences, according to a new report sponsored by the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).

21 Nov 2009

Children with kidney disease likely to have "masked" hypertension

Spot blood pressure readings in children with chronic kidney disease often fail to detect hypertension - even during doctor's office visits - increasing a child's risk for serious heart problems, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center and other institutions. A report of the findings appears online in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology.

20 Nov 2009

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

Study identifies genetic link between vitamin D and heart disease

Palatin Technologies issued U.S. patent covering its lead heart failure drug candidate

Study examines role of low-oxygen exposure in heart failure patients

Study examines racial disparities in hospitalization for white and black adults with preventable conditions

Amgen to present updated data on Nplate at the 2009 ASH meeting

New research suggests people cannot survive cardiac arrest without oxygen during CPR

Protein mutation can cause a new form of heart failure

Health reform financing ideas watered down, questions remain on premiums, taxes

Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of stroke, heart disease and death, finds study

Study reveals high levels of cardiac biomarkers in the blood of heart attack patients

New technology developed to rapidly identify compounds for the treatment of heart failure

New computational tool may aid surgeons plan for life-saving pediatric operation

GMC named in the 2009 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success list

Caldolor Injection effective in treating fever in hospitalized burn patients

FDA grants Fast Track designation for ARCA biopharma's Gencaro

Medical report showing the devastating impacts of coal on human body released

Overexpression of NCX1 does not by itself lead to contraction abnormalities in the heart

Carvedilol in combination with ACE inhibitors may benefit cardiac patients

Employers take action to improve medication adherence

Children with kidney disease likely to have "masked" hypertension

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

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