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.

Exercise testing may help predict seriousness of mitral regurgitation

In as many as one in five people over age 55, when the heart contracts to send blood around the body, some degree of backward leakage occurs across the mitral valve, a condition known as mitral regurgitation (MR).

12 Dec 2007

Popular heartburn drug given the all clear

Concerns that a drug used to treat stomach conditions such as heartburn could cause heart problems have been laid to rest by a comprehensive review.

11 Dec 2007

Study finds disease management programs improve the quality of health care

Disease management programs that help guide the care of patients with chronic health problems appear to improve the quality of health care, but there is little evidence that such efforts actually save money, according to a study issued by the RAND Corporation.

10 Dec 2007

Most adults with conditions that increase cardiovascular disease risk have hypertension

Nearly three-fourths of American adults with conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes or others that raise their risk for cardiovascular complications also have hypertension (high blood pressure), according to a report in the December 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Dec 2007

New radiotherapy system benefits high-risk patients

A new radiotherapy system that combines high-tech imaging with precision tumor-targeting capability is helping cancer specialists at Stony Brook University Medical Center treat patients.

10 Dec 2007

Re-engineered Gleevec reduces heart risks

Using a new bottom-up approach for rational drug design, researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reengineered the powerful anticancer drug imatinib - best known by its brand name Gleevec - to more specifically target one type of cancer while potentially curbing a rare life-threatening cardiotoxic side effect.

4 Dec 2007

Approval of Diovan (valsartan) in U.S. for hypertension in children and adolescents

Diovan (valsartan), an angiotensin receptor blocker or ARB, has been approved following a priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents ages six to 16.

4 Dec 2007

Study looks at blood transfusion outcomes in women

Women die and get infections more often than men after heart surgery because they tend to receive more blood transfusions, which boost the risks of bad outcomes, according to a study published in the December Journal of Women's Health.

3 Dec 2007

Study of the post-transplant effects of alcohol use among lung donors

A recent study using an animal model of lung transplants shows that chronic alcohol consumption by the donor promotes scarring and airway injury after transplantation.

2 Dec 2007

Discovery of link between moderate exercise and decreased inflammation of damaged skin tissue

In recent years, researchers at the University of Illinois have uncovered a host of reasons for people to remain physically active as they age, ranging from better brain function to improved immune responses.

29 Nov 2007

Researchers find evidence of mature heart cell potential in embryonic stem cells

In a new study, UC Davis researchers report the first functional evidence that heart cells derived from human embryonic stem cells exhibit one of the most critical properties of mature adult heart cells, an important biological process called excitation-contraction coupling.

27 Nov 2007

What's needed to protect the heart during such operations?

It's too bad that ticker trouble doesn't guarantee good health elsewhere in the body. Most people with heart disease have other ailments, including some that require surgery.

27 Nov 2007

Certain infusion therapy after heart attack does not appear to be beneficial, may cause harm

Infusion of a combination therapy consisting of glucose, insulin, and potassium, which was thought could be a beneficial treatment immediately following a heart attack, may increase the risk of heart failure and death in the first 3 days for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; a certain pattern on an electrocardiogram following a heart attack), according to a study in the November 28 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

27 Nov 2007

Alcohol may promote scarring and airway injury after transplantation

A recent study using an animal model of lung transplants shows that chronic alcohol consumption by the donor promotes scarring and airway injury after transplantation.

27 Nov 2007

New Zeiss microscope peers into secret lives of cells

“See those white sparks?” asks Kirk Czymmek, as he points to the video on his computer screen of a highly magnified heart cell in action.

21 Nov 2007

GlaxoSmithKline to acquire Reliant Pharmaceuticals

GlaxoSmithKline and Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc. have announced that they had reached an agreement under which Reliant will be acquired by GSK for $1.65 billion (800 million pounds Sterling) in cash.

21 Nov 2007

Physical therapy in intensive care reduce hospital stays

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) cites the results of the first study to show the effectiveness of early physical therapy for patients in a medical intensive care unit (ICU).

19 Nov 2007

Nanogen reissued patent for diagnosis of chronic congestive heart failure

Nanogen, Inc. has announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent No. RE39,816, which is a reissue of United States Patent No. 6,461,828, titled, "Conjunctive Analysis of Biological Marker Expression For Predicting Cardiac Mortality".

19 Nov 2007

Avastin (bevacizumab) shows promise in phase II study of glioblastoma multiforme

Genentech, Inc. has announced that both study arms of a randomized, multi-center Phase II clinical study of Avastin (bevacizumab) administered alone or in combination with irinotecan chemotherapy demonstrated encouraging six-month progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate in patients with relapsed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer.

19 Nov 2007

GlaxoSmithKline implements changes to the US product label for Avandia

GlaxoSmithKline announced today that it is implementing changes to the US product label for Avandia(R) (rosiglitazone maleate), based on an extensive and thorough review by the FDA of myocardial ischemia data on Avandia, the most widely studied oral anti-diabetic medicine available.

15 Nov 2007