Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota announces opening of new Cardiovascular Center

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is opening a new world-class Cardiovascular Center—the only one of its kind in the Upper Midwest—that integrates all pediatric cardiac services in one location. The new Cardiovascular Center reflects Children's dedication to family-centered care with all private patient rooms with the latest in technology for both the patient and care team, a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room, and 24/7 access to specially trained cardiac intensivists to ensure the best possible care for patients.

5 Apr 2010

Juventas Therapeutics commences enrollment in Phase I trial of JVS-100 for treatment of Class III heart failure

Juventas Therapeutics, a privately held, clinical-stage regenerative medicine company announced it has started enrolling patients in a Phase I clinical trial for JVS-100 to evaluate safety and efficacy in the treatment of patients with Class III heart failure. JVS-100 encodes Stromal Cell-derived Factor-1 (SDF-1) and has been shown in pre-clinical studies to significantly increase cardiac function by promoting cell survival and increasing new blood vessel formation in the damaged organ.

5 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 5, 2010

Both the politics and policies of health reform continue to grab headlines, with reports highlighting how lawmakers are faring in their districts during this congressional recess. News outlets also are exploring how specific provisions of the new law will work.

5 Apr 2010

Rebirth of the cursed drug Thalidomide

Thalidomide was once a dreaded name in the Pharmaceutical industry. It was initially marketed in some European countries nearly 5 decades back as a sedative and after millions of pregnant women took it for morning sickness it had devastating results on the babies. The babies were born with flippers instead of limbs a condition known as phocomelia. Since then it has been under strict control.

5 Apr 2010

Are Australians popping too many pills?

These reports have emerged from a Daily Telegraph investigation. Australian Medical Association vice president, GP and former Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee member Dr Steve Hambleton said the resons for these trends may include the increasing population of the aged, newer medicines as well as a rise in chronic lifestyle ailments like diabetes and high blood pressure.

5 Apr 2010

Why is the genome project not yielding results faster?

As the genome projects reaches the 10 year landmark scientists are defending it. While the sequencing of the 3 billion letters in the human DNA took a long time the first draft of the human genome was presented ten years ago. Today it is possible to have your individual DNA mapped in a day and at the low cost of $5,000.

5 Apr 2010

Desert Valley Hospital, Montclair Hospital Medical Center named winners of Top 100 Hospitals

Thomson Reuters announced today that Desert Valley Hospital and Montclair Hospital Medical Center are among the winners of its prestigious Top 100 Hospitals® in the Nation award. Desert Valley Hospital, Victorville, CA, is now among an elite group of hospitals who have received this award five times in the category of small community hospitals. Montclair Hospital Medical Center, Montclair, CA. received the award for the first time in the class of medium size community hospitals.

5 Apr 2010

New report assesses optimal future for REMS

Two years after the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 gave FDA new powers to require Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies for higher risk drugs and biologics, a new report concludes that an optimal future for REMS is possible if the agency adopts a systems approach when designing REMS programs and takes advantage of new technologies -- from electronic medical records to genetic testing -- that are changing the way medicine is practiced.

5 Apr 2010

U.S. Census Bureau highlights vitamin C

Today, we should raise a toast of orange juice to Dr. C.C. King of the University of Pittsburgh. It was on this day in 1932 that he isolated vitamin C.

5 Apr 2010

SRI director on importance of seeking treatment for sex addiction

Following rumours that Jesse James has checked into rehab for sex addiction, Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S, founding director of the Sexual Recovery Institute, today issued the following statement to explain how simple pleasure oriented behaviours can evolve into addiction and the importance of seeking treatment.

3 Apr 2010

HCM: Questions to ask

While a jury awarded Tony and Angela Key, $1.6 million following a malpractice trial in the death of their 22-year-old son, Antwoine, a basketball player for Eastern Connecticut State University who collapsed and died during a game in 2005, it is a small measure of solace when a young life is cut short, particularly when the cause - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) - could have been treated, had it been properly diagnosed.

3 Apr 2010

Implementing value-based insurance design programs in health care reform law

Value-based insurance design programs -- a concept created at the University of Michigan -- are part of the nation's new national health care plan, and U-M physician A. Mark Fendrick, M.D. is working with policy setters to implement the strategy.

3 Apr 2010

Therapeutic hypothermia helps save marathon cardiac arrest victim

Jay Yim, 21, had worked on improving his fitness since age 15. In preparation for this year's Los Angeles Marathon on March 21, the University of Southern California pre-med student had been training with a marathon club and regularly did 10-mile runs on his own.

3 Apr 2010

Cancer research at Georgia Tech: Report

Cancer treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or biological therapy. An oncologist may use one therapy or a combination of methods, depending on the type and location of the cancer, whether the disease has spread, the patient's age and general health, and other factors.

3 Apr 2010

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital installs high-tech imaging systems for heart and vascular surgeries

In a move that could change the way many patients undergo surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has installed five state-of-the-art Siemens Artis zeego- medical imaging systems that provide faster, more accurate 3-D images of the body with a quality never before attainable.

3 Apr 2010

Aetna HealthFund study shows sustained cost savings for Aetna members

Aetna today announced the results of a study of health care claims and utilization for members in its Aetna HealthFund® consumer-directed plans. The study of two million Aetna members shows sustained savings over time and increased member engagement in their health.

3 Apr 2010

Endovascular aortic abdominal aneurysm repair utilization associated with disease prevalence

While health policy researchers commonly suggest that geographic variations in the amount of medical care provided can be attributed to hospital costs or physician practice patterns, a new study examining regional utilization of a specific surgical procedure - minimally invasive aneurysm repair - shows that is not the case.

3 Apr 2010

Young adults with hyperthyroidism face increase risk of stroke

Young adults with overactive thyroid face a 44 percent increased risk of stroke compared to those with normal thyroid function, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

3 Apr 2010

Renhuang Pharmaceuticals' Siberian Ginseng capsule patent application passes preliminary SIPO review

Renhuang Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer, manufacturer and distributor of botanical products, bio-pharmaceuticals and traditional Chinese medicines ("TCM"), today announced that on March 28, 2010, the Company's patent application for its proprietary Siberian Ginseng (Acanthopanax) Total Glucosides Total Flavonoids Soft Capsules and related formulation method passed a preliminary review conducted by the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China ("SIPO").

2 Apr 2010

Merge Healthcare completes private placement of preferred and common stock

Merge Healthcare, a health IT solutions provider, announced today that it has completed a private placement of preferred and common stock totaling $41.75 million, which is specified for use in funding a portion of the proposed acquisition of AMICAS, Inc., a provider of medical imaging software and services.

2 Apr 2010