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Physicians slow to prescribe newer heart drugs

An analysis of the treatment received by more than 100,000 heart patients has shown that physicians' prescription practices for drugs proven effective for treating heart disease has shown steady improvement over the past three years, cardiologists at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) have concluded.

7 Dec 2005

American physicians may be too liberal in their use of blood transfusions

In an analysis of some 24,000 patient records, the researchers found that Americans rushed to the hospital with heart attack symptoms have significantly higher rates of bleeding and transfusions after treatment than similar patients throughout the world.

21 Nov 2005

Scientists find new mechanism by which brain cells can be damaged during chronic neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have targeted a new culprit and method of attack on neurologic functions in diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia associated with HIV.

7 Nov 2005

Type 2 diabetes and depression can be a fatal mix

Patients whose type 2 diabetes was accompanied by minor or major depression had higher mortality rates, compared to patients with type 2 diabetes alone, over the three-year period of a recent study in Washington state.

27 Oct 2005

Mixed carbon nanotubes and standard urban particulates suggests a risk of thrombosis from airborne pollution

Carbon nanoparticles - both those unleashed in the air by engine exhaust and the engineered structures thought to have great potential in medical applications - promote blood-clotting, scientists report in an upcoming edition of the British Journal of Pharmacology.

23 Oct 2005

New approaches to counteract platelet shortages

Availability of safe platelets is a fundamental blood transfusion challenge and can be especially problematic in times of emergency. Several studies presented at the annual American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) meeting today demonstrate new approaches to counteract platelet shortages by enhancing the safety of whole blood derived platelets, precluding the need to rely on only those obtained through apheresis.

17 Oct 2005

Gel made from a patient's own blood reduces pain and may improve wound healing

The study, published in the September issue of the Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, found that patients who received platelet gel reported an easier recovery than patients who received traditional packing to stop bleeding.

13 Oct 2005

Moderate drinking has effects on blood coagulation, primarily as a "blood thinner"

Population studies have shown that moderate drinkers tend to have lower rates of heart disease but higher rates of bleeding-type strokes than abstainers. A potential mediator of these two contrasting effects of alcohol may be platelet function.

13 Oct 2005

Real-world treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes

A review of more than 56,000 cases of acute coronary syndromes reveals that older patients are less likely to receive treatment recommended by guidelines, even though they benefit as much or more than younger patients when the recommended treatment is provided, according to a new study in the Oct. 18, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

11 Oct 2005

Myriad Genetics nears completion of antithrombin drug trial

Myriad Genetics announced today that it is rapidly nearing completion of the preclinical data package on MPC-0920, its antithrombin drug candidate, for submission to the FDA prior to beginning human clinical trials.

11 Oct 2005

Actos reduces the combined risk of non-fatal heart attacks, strokes in patients with type-2 diabetes

A study published in The Lancet shows that Takeda's Actos (pioglitazone HCl), an oral glucose lowering medication, significantly reduces the combined risk of non-fatal heart attacks, strokes and deaths by an additional 16% on top of standard medication

10 Oct 2005

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified three new genetic mutations in brain tumors

...a discovery that could pave the way for more effective cancer treatments.

27 Sep 2005

Drug AMD-3100 may help cancer patients who need stem cell transplants

A new drug may help cancer patients mobilize the cells necessary to restore their blood-forming system after high-dose chemotherapy, according to results from a clinical trial at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and at other centers across the nation.

19 Sep 2005

Nurse-led multidisciplinary programme can help coronary patients and their families to reduce their risk of major cardiovascular disease

Early results from the EuroAction hospital project, announced today at the European Society of Cardiology, demonstrate how a nurse-led multidisciplinary programme, organised in busy general hospitals, can help coronary patients and their families to reduce their risk of major cardiovascular disease (CVD).

5 Sep 2005

Use of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel before a coronary angioplasty reduces risk of cardiovascular death

Use of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel before a coronary angioplasty reduced the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke within 30 days following the procedure, according to an article in the September 14 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

5 Sep 2005

Medication before angiograph significantly reduces risk of heart attack

According to new research if patients are given the a drug which reduces platelet activity in the blood risk of heart attack and cardiovascular death before and after angioplasty is reduced.

4 Sep 2005

Epidemiological study links heart protection with non-aspirin, non-steroidal drugs

It is well known that aspirin, a non-selective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX), reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.

22 Aug 2005

Pre-mRNA that codes for inflammatory protein identified

In a discovery that upends a longstanding tenet of human biology, University of Utah School of Medicine researchers have shown that a key process in gene regulation can occur in human platelets, unique cells that are unusual because they don't have a nucleus (anucleate).

11 Aug 2005

Drinking a cup of cocoa can prevent potentially fatal blood clots

Throughout history, cocoa has been described as a medicine for many ailments. New research suggests that cocoa may also have a beneficial effect on heart disease and stroke.

9 Aug 2005

Scientists identify protein that may inhibit cellular movement

Scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a protein that may inhibit cellular movement, or migration.

8 Aug 2005