Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

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

Renowned cardiologists to discuss latest research on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy at HCMA symposium

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), the genetic disease in which the muscle of the heart thickens in the absence of an apparent cause, is the leading cause of sudden death in children and young adults. HCM accounts for 40 percent of all deaths on athletic playing fields across the U.S.

29 Apr 2010

Tumor cell factories may be difficult to defeat: Researchers

Many of the colon cancer cells that form tumors can be killed by genetically short-circuiting the cells' ability to absorb a key nutrient, a new study has found. While the findings are encouraging, the test tube study using human colon cancer cells also illustrates the difficulty of defeating these cells, known as cancer stem cells.

29 Apr 2010

Neurocrine Biosciences reports net loss of $8.6M in first quarter 2010

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. For the first quarter of 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $8.6 million, or $0.19 per share compared with a net loss of $19.7 million, or $0.51 per share, for the same period in 2009.

29 Apr 2010

Phase 1B/2 clinical study to evaluate efficacy of PMX-60056 in reversing heparin levels initiated

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat acute cardiovascular disorders and infectious diseases, has initiated a Phase 1B/2 dose-ranging clinical study with its anticoagulant reversing agent, PMX-60056. The study is intended to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of PMX-60056 in reversing varying heparin levels, including the highest levels commonly used in surgical settings.

29 Apr 2010

Obama's debt commission to consider Medicare cuts, new health care law

President Obama's bipartisan debt commission met Tuesday to discuss ways to reduce the federal deficit. The President said that everything was up for discussion, including provisions of the federal health care law, and entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.

29 Apr 2010

Vascular surgeon successfully bypasses torn aorta

Rhonda Mullen was 38 years old and in perfect health when she suddenly felt a searing pain between her shoulder blades. A few hours later, Mullen was being wheeled into an operating room at Loyola University Hospital for emergency surgery to repair an unusual tear in her aorta, the body's main blood vessel.

29 Apr 2010

Investigators study Pioglitazone and Vitamin E for treatment of NASH

A daily dose of a specific form of vitamin E significantly improved the liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. Results were published April 28 online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

29 Apr 2010