Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

Medtronic to acquire ATS Medical for $370M

Medtronic, Inc., and ATS Medical, Inc., today announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Medtronic will acquire ATS Medical by paying $4.00 per share in cash for each share of ATS Medical stock.

29 Apr 2010

Artificial heart to be a reality soon, expect researchers

There is good news for heart patients waiting in line for a heart transplant. A team of researchers in Queensland, Malaysia, Germany and Japan are working on an artificial heart. They plan to try it first in sheep.

29 Apr 2010

Science behind ME

Juliet Chenery-Robson decided to use photography to make people look at Myalgic Encephalopathy in a different light when her 18-year-old daughter Emilia was diagnosed with the illness five years ago.

29 Apr 2010

miacom diagnostics announces new tests for faster diagnosis of sepsis

"Conventional PCR tests (PCR is short for polymerase chain reaction, a highly sensitive method of detecting nucleic acids) require several hours to produce a result. lucesco Bacteremia IVD panels are not only much faster with a result after only 30 minutes, they are also much more cost-efficient.

29 Apr 2010

Panel finds insufficient evidence to support preventive measures for cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease

Many preventive measures for cognitive decline and for preventing Alzheimer's disease-mental stimulation, exercise, and a variety of dietary supplements-have been studied over the years. However, an independent panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health determined that the value of these strategies for delaying the onset and/or reducing the severity of decline or disease hasn't been demonstrated in rigorous studies.

29 Apr 2010

Air pollution can damage heart and lead to increased risk of heart disease: Study

A post-mortem study of the hearts of 21 young people in Mexico City has found that the heart begins to show the adverse effects of air pollution at a young age and that tiny bits of inactivated bacteria that hitch a ride on pollutants may make the problem worse.

29 Apr 2010

Tart cherries reduce inflammation and risk of heart disease, says study

There's more evidence of tart cherries' powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, according to a new study presented by a team of Michigan researchers today at the Experimental Biology annual meeting.

29 Apr 2010

New theory on muscle and bone diseases

Traditionally, doctors and clinicians thought diseases that affect muscles or bones affected those areas specifically. For example, bone diseases only affect bones, or muscle diseases only concerned muscles. But recent evidence supports the notion that bones and muscles are more interconnected than previously thought.

29 Apr 2010

Astrazeneca settles drug marketing lawsuit, plea deal rejected for possibly defective heart device maker

The New York Times: AstraZeneca has settled a case and agreed to pay $520 million after federal investigations into its marketing practices for a schizophrenia drug, Seroquel. The announcement came Tuesday from Attorney General Eric Holder. Government officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, said the company paid illegal kickbacks to doctors to promote drugs for unapproved uses by children, the elderly, veterans and prisoners, which is illegal under federal law.

29 Apr 2010

Elderly and whites seek alternative therapies for pain relief: Study

In a University of Michigan Health System study, 1 out of 3 patients with chronic pain reported using complementary and alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic visits for pain relief.

29 Apr 2010

Remote heart rhythm treatment procedure using a robotic arm

A pioneering world first robotics system operation is to be conducted at Glenfield Hospital Leicester thanks to expertise at the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester.

29 Apr 2010

Higher the blood cholesterol level, greater the risk of atherosclerosis: Study

In addition to crystallized cholesterol, atherosclerotic plaques always contain large quantities of immune cells but, surprisingly, no bacteria or viruses. It was previously unclear just how the body's own defence forces are called into action. Even animals that are kept in an absolutely sterile environment can suffer from "clogging" or "furring" of the arteries when their food contains high levels of cholesterol.

29 Apr 2010

Small piece of RNA plays big role in development of IPF: Researchers

A small piece of RNA appears to play a big role in the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to lung disease researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Their study, which is the first to examine microRNAs in the disease, is available online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

29 Apr 2010

Normal BMI, regular exercise protect against musculoskeletal symptoms

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found an association between the level of leisure time physical exercise and a future risk of developing fibromyalgia. The research team also identified BMI as an independent risk factor for fibromyalgia. Details of the study appear in the May 2010 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

29 Apr 2010

Study examines lifestyle-related causes of death in AIDS patients

The study, by researchers from the University of Bristol and a large group of international collaborators, examined data from the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC) which involved nearly 40,000 patients who started ART between 1996 and 2006 in Europe and North America.

29 Apr 2010

ECRI Institute's recommendations for controlling CT radiation dose

The benefits of computed tomography (CT) have increased greatly over the past decade. Now twice as powerful, it offers dynamic images of anatomy, including the beating heart. Future advancements promise to deliver even more clinical benefits. However, CT has always had a downside: it can deliver high radiation doses to patients, putting them at increased risk of developing cancer.

29 Apr 2010

SurModics reports second-quarter GAAP revenue of $18.4 million, up 6% sequentially

SurModics, Inc., a leading provider of drug delivery and surface modification technologies to the healthcare industry, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended March 31, 2010.

29 Apr 2010

Study calls for optimized medical treatment for older patients with advanced lung cancer

Although more than two fifths of lung cancers are diagnosed in patients over 70, data from clinical trials on the safest and most effective treatments for this age group are scarce.

29 Apr 2010

A new approach for treating neurological and degenerative disorders

In studies on cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and other degenerative conditions, some scientists are moving away from the "nature versus nurture" debate, and are finding you're not a creature of either genetics or environment, but both - with enormous implications for a new approach to health.

29 Apr 2010

Celladon's first Phase II trial of MYDICAR for advanced heart failure meets primary endpoint

Targeted Genetics Corporation announced today that its licensing partner, Celladon Corporation, has reported today that Celladon's first Phase II trial with MYDICAR® for the treatment of advanced heart failure has met its primary safety and efficacy endpoints, as prospectively defined in the Phase II trial protocol.

29 Apr 2010