Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

Harmful BPA found in canned foods

According to a new study canned foods may contain harmful chemical Bisphenol A or BPA. BPA is a common chemical used in plastic products and in the lining of cans. BPA keeps them from corroding, but it may also be creeping into the food.

24 Nov 2011

ABCC9 gene also influences duration of sleep in humans

A collaborative European study led by LMU researchers has shown that ABCC9, a known genetic factor in heart disease and diabetes, also influences the duration of sleep in humans.

24 Nov 2011

Benefits of vitamin D-fortified yoghurt drink for people with diabetes

People with diabetes are known to have an increased risk of heart disease. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that regular consumption of a vitamin D-fortified yoghurt drink improves cholesterol levels and biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, a precursor of heart disease, in diabetics.

24 Nov 2011

Merck agrees to pay $950 million in Vioxx settlement

The pharmaceutical giant will pay a $321 million criminal fine and a $628 million civil settlement.

24 Nov 2011

OECD report finds U.S. pays more by far for health care

The U.S. healthcare system is more effective at delivering high costs than quality care, according to a new study that found first-rate treatment for cancer but insufficient primary care for other ailments. The study, released on Wednesday by the 34-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, said Americans pay more than $7,900 per person for healthcare each year -- far more than any other OECD country -- but still die earlier than their peers in the industrialized world.

24 Nov 2011

Body-conscious Shakespeare: Sensory disturbances in troubled characters

Shakespeare was a master at portraying profound emotional upset in the physical symptoms of his characters, and many modern day doctors would do well to study the Bard to better understand the mind-body connection, concludes an analysis of his works, published in Medical Humanities.

24 Nov 2011

Physicians can do better if they learn from their failures

When seeking a physician, you should look for one with experience. Right? Maybe not. Research on physicians' decision-making processes has revealed that those who pay attention to failures as well as successes become more adept at selecting the correct treatment.

24 Nov 2011

New Techna Institute at UHN signs first agreement with INO

The new Techna Institute at University Health Network (UHN) has signed its first agreement with INO of Quebec City and Hamilton.

24 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Blame for super committee mess, Supreme Court recusal is the judges' call

What's clear is that committee Democrats moved awfully far in the name of compromise. They offered more in Medicare cuts than Simpson-Bowles did - or than Obama did with Boehner, for that matter - and accepted less in the way of tax increases than those two proposals. For their part, Republicans moved off their position of complete intransigence on taxes. Then they refused to budge.

24 Nov 2011

Urban legend warns about dangers of snow shoveling

Urban legend warns shoveling snow causes heart attacks, and the legend seems all too accurate, especially for male wintery excavators with a family history of premature cardiovascular disease. However, until recently this warning was based on anecdotal reports.

24 Nov 2011

Two-drug combination may alleviate radiation sickness in people

A combination of two drugs may alleviate radiation sickness in people who have been exposed to high levels of radiation, even when the therapy is given a day after the exposure occurred, according to a study led by scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston.

24 Nov 2011

Norway after terrorist attacks on July 22

How will the terrorist attacks in Norway on 22 July change the country? That question has been put to three social scientists at the University of Stavanger.

24 Nov 2011

FDA takes legal action against dietary supplement manufacturer in Pennsylvania

The FDA today took legal action against a dietary supplement maker and owner for substituting ingredients and products without noting the changes on the final product labels. The permanent injunction, filed on behalf of the FDA by the U.S. Department of Justice, would stop the defendants from making and distributing more than 400 products for being in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

24 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 23, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include an examination of changes in Medicare that the Democrats have endorses and a Kansas abortion case.

23 Nov 2011

A new era in low energy, low dose and low injected contrast imaging

Royal Philips Electronics today announced that Philips iDose4, the latest generation of Philips iterative reconstruction technique, has nearly 500 sales. While iDose4 only began shipping in March, its success validates the desire of radiologists to be able to both acquire and reconstruct images in less time, with improved image quality at low dose.

23 Nov 2011

Imaging is about finding the most appropriate way to assess heart disease

"The idea is that we're using the most appropriate technology to address individual clinical questions rather than just focusing on one technique," explains EAE President Dr Luigi Badano, from the University of Padua, Italy.

23 Nov 2011

Asymmetric prototypes for mitral valve replacement

The heart's valves, which guarantee the unidirectional flow of blood from one chamber to another, are asymmetrical. For example, the two flaps of the heart's mitral valve - which regulates blood flow between the left atrium and the left ventricle - vary in size by up to 70 percent.

23 Nov 2011

Cancer medicine component could prevent heart attacks

A substance in medicines for cancer and epilepsy could also prevent heart attacks, according to researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who have been using it to stimulate the body's own defence system against blood clots.

23 Nov 2011

BIOTRONIK announces first implantations of new Lumax 740 ICDs

BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of innovative medical technology, announced today the first implantations of the new Lumax 740 implantable cardiac defibrillators—the world's first and only ICDs eligible for use with magnetic resonance imaging.

23 Nov 2011

J-shaped relationship between wine intake and reduced cardiovascular risk

Research published in the European Journal of Epidemiology by Costanzo S, Di Castelnuovo de Gaetano G et al has sought to separate the effects of wine, beer or spirit drinking in relation to fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events. The Italian authors carried out an updated meta-analysis on the relationship between wine, beer or spirit consumption and cardiovascular outcomes, using state-of-the-art statistical techniques.

23 Nov 2011