Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

U.S. Marshals seize contaminated ultrasound gel of Pharmaceutical Innovations

U.S. Marshals, acting at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, have seized Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound Transmission Gel located at Pharmaceutical Innovations Inc. in Newark, N.J., after an FDA analysis found that product samples contained dangerous bacteria. The seizure included all lots of the gel product manufactured between June 2011 and December 2011.

19 Apr 2012

First specific antidote for cocaine toxicity

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that an injectable solution can protect mice from an otherwise lethal overdose of cocaine. The findings could lead to human clinical trials of a treatment designed to reverse the effects of cocaine in case of emergency. Cocaine is involved in more than 400,000 emergency-room visits and about 5,000 overdose deaths each year in the United States.

19 Apr 2012

State roundup: Mass. seeks to improve medical malpractice system; Health exchange legislation progresses in Ala.

Seven Massachusetts hospitals plan to offer patients harmed by medical errors a prompt apology and financial settlements before they resort to lawsuits, part of a major new initiative to improve the state's cumbersome medical malpractice system. A coalition of physician, hospital, and patient groups planned to release details Wednesday of the initiative, called "Road Map to Reform,"' which they predict will increase reporting of medical mistakes and cut down on lengthy litigation that drives up health care costs and fuels distrust between caregivers and patients.

19 Apr 2012

Radiology and the Arts

Diagnostic radiologist Brett Prywitch, MD, has created a new art form by turning mammograms, X-rays, MRIs and other medical images into hauntingly beautiful works of art.

19 Apr 2012

Merck wins New Jersey FOSAMAX litigation

Merck, known outside the United States and Canada as MSD, today said a state court jury in New Jersey found in its favor in the Sessner v. Merck case, rejecting the claims of a woman who blamed her jaw-related problems on her FOSAMAX use.

19 Apr 2012

CRF announces top 10 clinical research achievement awards

Ten outstanding clinical research projects from institutions around the country have been selected to receive the inaugural Clinical Research Forum Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards. The winning projects are compelling examples of the scientific innovation that results from the nation's investment in clinical research that can benefit human health and welfare.

19 Apr 2012

LVHT more common in afro-Caribbean athletes

Left-ventricular hyper-trabeculation (LVHT) - a feature of certain cardiomyopathies (chronic disease of the heart muscle) - has been found to be more common in black, male athletes according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

19 Apr 2012

Autologous BMMNCs reduce vascular growth in patients with diabetes

Autologous (self-donated) mononuclear cells derived from bone marrow (BMMNCs) have been found to significantly induce vascular growth when transplanted into patients with diabetes who are suffering from critical limb ischemia caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD), a complication of diabetes.

19 Apr 2012

Fluorescent fish shows oestrogenic chemicals’ impact on human body

Understanding the damage that pollution causes to both wildlife and human health is set to become much easier thanks to a new green-glowing zebrafish. Created by a team from the University of Exeter, the fish makes it easier than ever before to see where in the body environmental chemicals act and how they affect health.

19 Apr 2012

Positive results from CrystalGenomics’ CG100649 Phase 2b OA study

CrystalGenomics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Korea, has just announced positive results from the Phase 2b osteoarthritis (OA) study of the CG100649, CrystalGenomics' next-generation NSAID candidate.

19 Apr 2012

Exactech selects MMI to evaluate novel cartilage repair treatment

Medical Metrics Inc, (MMI), an experienced provider of medical imaging core lab services for global clinical trials, has been selected by Exactech, Inc. to conduct an independent evaluation of medical images from the BiPhasic Cartilage Repair Implant (BiCRI) IDE Clinical Trial approved by the Taiwan FDA.

19 Apr 2012

Oral bacteria may cause problems in arthritis patients

The culprit behind a failed hip or knee replacements might be found in the mouth. DNA testing of bacteria from the fluid that lubricates hip and knee joints had bacteria with the same DNA as the plaque from patients with gum disease and in need of a joint replacement.

19 Apr 2012

CAM may have several positive effects on people with type 2 diabetes

A new joint study by Group Health Research Institute and Bastyr University Research Institute found that type 2 diabetes patients who received naturopathic care (as an adjunct to conventional care) had lower blood-sugar levels, better eating and exercise habits, improved moods, and a stronger sense of control over their condition than did patients receiving only conventional care.

19 Apr 2012

Trauma patients flown in to the A&E may fare better: Study

A new study has found that transport by helicopter to a level I or II trauma center was associated with improved survival to hospital discharge compared with ground emergency medical services. The study, which appears in the April 18 issue of JAMA, included data on more than 200,000 adult patients.

18 Apr 2012

Latest fad ‘feeding tube’ diet concerns experts

The New York Times reports that some women with upcoming weddings are opting for a calorie-restricted crash diet consisting of shakes siphoned through a medically implanted feeding tube. It is the so-called “K-E diet” that's given by Dr. Oliver R. Di Pietro in his clinic in Bay Harbor Islands, Fla.

18 Apr 2012

Testosterone may help heart failure patients: Study

The researchers used testosterone patches and injections that improved the breathing and exercise abilities of people with heart failure, a chronic inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. Although most of the study participants were men, the researchers said the results would likely apply to women as well, through much smaller doses of testosterone.

18 Apr 2012

A guide to catch and treat hypertension early in children

High blood pressure in children and adolescents is a growing health problem that is often overlooked by physicians, according to a University of Michigan Health System article published in American Family Physician that offers doctors a guide to catching and treating hypertension early.

18 Apr 2012

Innovative model of breast cancer rehabilitation

The Prospective Surveillance Model, an innovative new model of breast cancer rehabilitation, is featured in a special supplement to the American Cancer Society's journal, Cancer released on April 6, 2012. The model addresses the numerous physical issues faced by women with breast cancer and offers hope for an improved quality of life for all women with breast cancer through rehabilitation and exercise.

18 Apr 2012

Frequent but moderate consumption of alcohol before and after heart attack may improve health outcomes

The Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) is a prospective cohort study of 51,529 US male health professionals. During the follow up of these men between 1986 to 2006, published in the European Heart Journal, 1,818 men were confirmed with incident non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) - a non fatal heart attack.

18 Apr 2012

Surgery to remove only the tumor preferable to removing entire kidney

Kidney cancer patients who had only their tumor removed had better survival than patients who had their entire kidney removed, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

18 Apr 2012