Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Viewpoints: Contraception politics; Better food labels; Opposing stands on ultrasounds and abortion

Between the flap at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the squall about the Obama administration's directive that health insurance plans cover the cost of birth control, contraception is shaping up as one of the year's biggest political land mines.

7 Mar 2012

Marriage boosts survival following coronary artery bypass surgery

Married adults who undergo heart surgery are more than three times as likely as single people who have the same surgery to survive the next three months, a new study finds.

6 Mar 2012

Blocking Plexin B1 protein can prevent formation of breast cancer metastases

In particularly aggressive forms of breast cancer, cancer cells can settle in other organs and form metastases there. Once such metastases form, complete recovery is rare. Consequently, it is enormously important to prevent the metastasisation of the breast cancer cells. The success, however, achieved by using existing forms of therapy is limited.

6 Mar 2012

Metabolic syndrome predicts prevalence and incidence of CKD in elderly people

Elderly people with the metabolic syndrome-defined as having multiple risk factors associated with developing diabetes and heart disease-had an increased risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

6 Mar 2012

State news: Several Mass. hospitals tie part of doctor pay to size of practice; Mass. officials push to alleviate crowds at ERs

Getting in to see a primary-care doctor at Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's hospitals has for years been notoriously hard, with many popular practices closed to new patients. But now, reflecting dramatic shifts in health care, the prestigious hospitals are paying doctors more if they agree to accept new patients. The Harvard-affiliated hospitals are tying about 10 percent of doctors' salaries this year to the size of their practice and the complexity of their patients' illnesses.

6 Mar 2012

Study finds teenage girls sit or lie down for 19 hours a day

A study undertaken by UL researchers has found that teenage girls spend an average of 19 hours a day either sitting or lying down. Some 111 girls aged between 15 and 18 years took part in the study which measured the time they spent sitting, standing or lying down using a small accelerometer device. The researchers found that although total sitting and lying time was the same between weekdays and weekends, on week-days the sitting time was accumulated in longer bouts, lasting 20 minutes or more. These long bouts of sitting were more frequent during school time.

6 Mar 2012

UAB first hospital in Alabama to offer Melody Valve replacement

In many ways Dylan Fields is your typical 15-year-old boy. He loves sports, and plays baseball and soccer for his school, Tallassee High, in Central Alabama. What's not typical about Dylan is his heart defect and, now, the procedure used to repair his heart.

6 Mar 2012

Cenderitide may preserve cardiac function after heart attack

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $2.5 million grant to Mayo Clinic's Cardiorenal Research Laboratory to conduct a highly innovative research project, "Cardiovascular Peptides and Myocardial Infarction."

6 Mar 2012

T-cells can develop in human tonsils

A new study provides evidence that a critical type of immune cell can develop in human tonsils. The cells, called T lymphocytes, or T cells, have been thought to develop only in the thymus, an organ of the immune system that sits on the heart.

6 Mar 2012

Young children more likely to be diagnosed and treated for ADHD

The youngest children in the classroom are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - and prescribed medication - than their peers in the same grade, according to a study just published in CMAJ.

6 Mar 2012

Sleep specialists offer advice on why Daylight Saving Time can be hazardous to health

It's National Sleep Awareness Week, and Loyola University Health System sleep specialists are offering advice on -- Why Daylight Saving Time, which begins Sunday, March 11, can be hazardous to your health.

6 Mar 2012

Stereotaxis fourth quarter net loss increases to $5.5M

Stereotaxis, Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2011.

6 Mar 2012

Scientists to investigate biochemical switch: P2X1 receptor

Scientists investigating a 'biochemical switch' linked to strokes and heart disease claim to have made an advance in understanding how it is 'turned on'.

6 Mar 2012

Merck fails to get FDA nod for new cholesterol lowering combo pill

The length of delay in approval is not clear yet as the FDA has called for additional study data on the compound. It combines generic Lipitor (Atorvastatin), the top-selling drug of all time, with Merck's cholesterol medicine Zetia (Ezetimibe).

5 Mar 2012

High blood pressure due to stress maybe due to the immune system

If stress is giving you high blood pressure, blame the immune system. T cells, helpful for fighting infections, are also necessary for mice to show an increase in blood pressure after a period of psychological stress, scientists have found.

5 Mar 2012

Medtronic launches MRI passive leads approved for full body MRI scans

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the receipt of CE Mark (Conformité Européenne) and launch of the CapSure Sense MRI SureScan® pacing leads, which are approved for use during Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Medtronic introduced the first MR-Conditional pacemaker system in the world in 2008 and in the U.S. in 2011.

From Medtronic 5 Mar 2012

Anthera continues Phase 2b PEARL-SC clinical study in SLE patients

Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs to treat serious diseases including cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders, today announced the continuation of the Phase 2b PEARL-SC clinical study following an interim analysis of all safety and efficacy data.

5 Mar 2012

Concert commences dosing in CTP-499 Phase 2 clinical trial for diabetic nephropathy

Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of dosing in a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating CTP-499, an investigational drug for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the US.

5 Mar 2012

Varian to acquire InfiMed

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire InfiMed, Inc., a privately-owned, leading supplier of workstations including hardware and software for processing diagnostic X-ray images. The acquisition, which is expected to close in early April subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, will operate within Varian's X-Ray Products segment.

5 Mar 2012

FDA clears Covidien Solitaire FR revascularization device

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that the Solitaire FR revascularization device has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Solitaire FR device is intended to restore blood flow to the brain in patients suffering acute ischemic stroke by mechanically removing blood clots from blocked vessels.

5 Mar 2012