Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

NHLBI selects NuGEN to provide automated reagent solutions for expression profiling

NuGEN Technologies, the provider of innovative RNA and DNA amplification and sample preparation technologies for genomic analysis, today announced it has been selected by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to provide automated reagent solutions for expression profiling of approximately 6,000 blood samples from the Framingham Heart Study.

16 Sep 2010

Abbott issues statement in response to FDA's mixed vote for weight loss medication sibutramine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today held an Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee to review the results of SCOUT and the weight loss medication sibutramine (sold as Meridia® in the United States).

16 Sep 2010

New approach to evaluate risk of cardiovascular disease

A new approach to evaluating a person's risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, or heart failure is reported this month in the International Journal of Data Mining, Modelling and Management. The technique uses fuzzy logic to teach a neural network computer program to analyze patient data and spot correlations that can be translated into a risk factor for an individual.

16 Sep 2010

HHS awards grant to develop patient-centered outcomes research

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Health, Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, today announced the award of more than $14 million to develop, implement, and test strategies to increase the adoption and dissemination of interventions based on patient-centered outcomes research among racial and ethnic minority populations.

16 Sep 2010

Gene network behind hardening of arteries, coronary heart disease identified

A gene network behind hardening of the arteries and coronary heart disease has been identified by a team of scientists from Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom. Their findings expose potential targets for the treatment of heart disease.

16 Sep 2010

ABCB4 gene causes bad cholesterol to accumulate in blood: Research

Scientists at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) in San Antonio have found a gene that causes high levels of bad cholesterol to accumulate in the blood as a result of a high-cholesterol diet.

16 Sep 2010

Healthy lifestyle pattern reduces mortality

It is widely known that a healthy lifestyle that includes not smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and maintaining a proper weight reduces disease risk.

15 Sep 2010

Perceval S Aortic Heart Valve early clinical results to be presented at 24th EACTS

Sorin Group, a global medical company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced today the presentation by Francois Laborde, MD, Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France at the 24th EACTS Annual Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland of the early clinical results of the first 180 patients implanted with the Perceval S Aortic Heart Valve (investigational device).

15 Sep 2010

Aspirin can prevent stroke and heart attacks: Study

In a large scale Australian study, researchers have found that Aspirin can save lives and drastically reduce rates of stroke and heart attack.

15 Sep 2010

Opinions: Global nursing; U.S. funding of Global Fund; Global demands for water; Food security

"Almost every nation, regardless of its wealth and resources, faces a continuing shortage of nurses and an acute lack of nursing faculty available to educate more nurses. This dearth of practicing nurses and nurse educators is particularly critical in countries like Haiti and other developing high-risk, low-resourced nations," Martha Hill, dean of Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece encouraging the expansion of global nursing.

15 Sep 2010

Stroke risk with common pain killers dismissed by manufacturer

An eight-year Danish study, which involved more than 2.5 million healthy Danes found there was a higher risk of stroke for those taking high doses of ibuprofen, which is in the painkiller Nurofen. The manufacturers of Nurofen, Reckitt Benckiser, have dismissed these reports. The spokesperson for the company said, “it is important to note that the conclusions drawn by the study authors are based on high doses of ibuprofen…The results of this study should not be confused with non-prescription low doses of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, which are available over-the-counter and used by millions of people around the world, for short periods of time, every day.”

14 Sep 2010

HFSA Meeting to discuss genomic diseases similarities in animals, humans

The 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) will feature a discussion on the similarities in genomic diseases between animals and humans, titled "Comparative Genomics and Human Disease,Some Recent Contributions from Zoos."

14 Sep 2010

Differences between sexes affected by environment during first six months of life

It seems the old nature versus nurture debate can't be won. But a new Northwestern University study of men in the Philippines makes a strong case for nurture's role in male to female differences -- suggesting that rapid weight gain in the first six months of life predicts earlier puberty for boys.

14 Sep 2010

Exercise training, diet counseling for patients with heart disease risk improves quality of life

A lifestyle intervention incorporating exercise training and diet counseling in primary health care settings appears to improve quality of life among adults at moderate to high risk for heart disease and appears cost-effective compared to standard care, according to a report in the September 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

14 Sep 2010

Switching ACS patients to Effient therapy reduces Maximum Platelet Aggregation

A study evaluating the level of platelet aggregation achieved after switching from Plavix (clopidogrel) 75 mg once-daily maintenance dosing plus aspirin to Effient(prasugrel) 10 mg once-daily maintenance dosing (MD) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

14 Sep 2010

Arthritis Foundation, Takeda launch Gout Living educational campaign

The Arthritis Foundation and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., announced the launch of a new educational campaign, Gout Living, to help increase understanding and encourage better management of gout.

14 Sep 2010

Medtronic launches CareLink Network for Heart Failure

Medtronic, Inc. today introduced the CareLink® Network for Heart Failure, an extension of the world's largest remote implantable cardiac device monitoring system, that will be available this fall for heart failure clinicians.

13 Sep 2010

Heart Failure Society of America's 14th Annual Scientific Meeting convenes September 12, 2010

The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) 14th Annual Scientific Meeting convened Sunday, September 12, 2010 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. This four-day meeting -- a forum for heart failure specialists to present research findings and advances in treatment -- will address emerging trends in research and new developments in the approach to treating patients with all stages of heart failure.

13 Sep 2010

Genzyme Corporation enters into asset purchase agreement with LabCorp

Genzyme Corporation today announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement under which Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp) will acquire Genzyme Genetics for $925 million in cash.

13 Sep 2010

Amorcyte receives patent for chemotactic hematopoietic stem cell product

Amorcyte, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing cell therapy products to treat cardiovascular disease, today announced that it has been granted United States Patent number 7,794,705 titled "Compositions and Methods of Vascular Injury Repair." The patent contains both composition of matter and method claims surrounding therapeutic chemotactic hematopoietic stem cell products used in treating or repairing a vascular injury following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and delivery of the cell therapy.

13 Sep 2010