Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Preliminary results from Edison's EPI-A0001 28-day phase 2A trial against Friedreich's ataxia

Edison Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today preliminary results obtained on a 28-day phase 2A clinical trial in Friedreich's ataxia. While the primary endpoint of glucose disposition index did not show statistically significant improvement, EPI-A0001 did significantly improve neurological function as assessed by the Friedreich's Ataxia Rating Scale.

10 Jun 2011

Mortality from all causes higher among hepatitis C-infected patients, study finds

Although liver-related mortality among those infected with hepatitis C is well-documented, little is known about deaths in these patients that are not related to liver problems. A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online sought to determine mortality from all causes, including liver- and non-liver related deaths among hepatitis C patients in the general U.S. population. The analysis found mortality from all causes to be higher in these patients.

10 Jun 2011

Larger trial study needed to decide fate of niacin

Niaspan is a cholesterol drug manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. Doctors have customarily prescribed Niacin to raise levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol) in patients taking a statin pill that is successfully lowering their LDL ("bad" cholesterol).

10 Jun 2011

Adaptation of fat cell membranes to obesity may play a key role in early stages of inflammatory disorders

The mechanisms by which obesity leads towards metabolic co-morbidities, such as diabetes mellitus, are poorly understood and of great public health interest. A study led by Matej Orešič from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland suggests that adaptation of fat cell membranes to obesity may play a key role in the early stages of inflammatory disorders.

10 Jun 2011

Obama should show leadership on food security issues

With food security issues at the heart of "hunger emergencies unfolding in Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, and other countries," President Obama now faces his most critical test when it comes to fighting hunger.

10 Jun 2011

Chinese medical devices market to achieve revenues of $30.6B by 2017

The Chinese medical devices market has enjoyed rapid growth of late and is forecast to achieve revenues of $30.6 billion by 2017, according to a report released on companiesandmarkets.com.

10 Jun 2011

Inspire's Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction trial reaches milestones

Inspire Medical Systems, the leading developer of neurostimulation therapies for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced today The STAR trial, evaluating both the safety and effectiveness of Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy, is currently underway at 9 leading medical centers across the United States and at 4 sites in Europe.

10 Jun 2011

Dairy Council of California co-hosts June 12 symposium at IFT's food expo

From body builders to baby boomers, more Americans are consuming higher-protein diets for benefits including muscle building and maintenance in later life, satiety, weight loss and more.

10 Jun 2011

ST2 biomarker can help indicate prognosis in ambulatory cardiovascular patients

The novel cardiac biomarker ST2 was highlighted in a presentation at last month's 2011 Heart Failure Congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Gothenburg, Sweden. As this study and others have demonstrated, a patient's ST2 level can help a physician better predict prognosis in ambulatory, chronic heart failure patients, which can allow physicians to more appropriately tailor care.

10 Jun 2011

Researchers develop new imaging technology to detect cardiovascular disease

Researchers have developed a new type of imaging technology to diagnose cardiovascular disease and other disorders by measuring ultrasound signals from molecules exposed to a fast-pulsing laser.

10 Jun 2011

Schepens, Mass. Eye and Ear to create world's largest ophthalmology research center

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Schepens Eye Research Institute announced today that they are combining forces to create the world's largest and most robust basic and clinical ophthalmology research enterprise with full spectrum bench-to-bedside research that will translate more quickly into better treatment for blinding diseases and ultimately cures.

10 Jun 2011

Non-alcoholic wheat beer has positive effect on athletes' health

Many amateur athletes have long suspected what research scientists for the Department of Preventative and Rehabilitative Sports Medicine of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen at Klinikum rechts der Isar have now made official: Documented proof, gathered during the world's largest study of marathons, "Be-MaGIC", that the consumption of non-alcoholic weissbier, or wheat beer, has a positive effect on athletes' health.

10 Jun 2011

Exercise protects against silent stroke: Study

Strokes can cause brain damage by cutting off blood flow to the brain. But unlike major strokes, recognizable by symptoms such as weakness on one side of the body and trouble speaking, so-called silent strokes by definition go unnoticed. Symptoms can include subtle memory and mobility problems, as well as an increased risk for future strokes, according to the American Academy of Neurology. Silent strokes are also different from mini-strokes, which are noticeable but last only for minutes or hours.

9 Jun 2011

Smoking keeps weight off: Study finds out how

The researchers have found that nicotine activates a pathway in the brain that suppresses appetite. The study was published in the journal Science. The authors believe this discovery should lead to better diet drugs.

9 Jun 2011

Being a young man is risky business for health

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is highlighting that young Australian men have higher rates of risky behaviours than young women and that this can put their health at immediate and long term risk. This warning comes as International Men’s Health Week takes place from 13 – 19 June 2011.

9 Jun 2011

New bariatric bed

Twenty-percent of the adult U.S. population is obese, including approximately five percent that are considered morbidly obese. The direct health issues, related complications and safety challenges affecting this population are far reaching and well documented. VitalGo, Inc., a provider of advanced technology-based solutions for medical staff safety, patient safety and home care, has announced the immediate availability of the new bariatric version of its Total Lift Bed™ (TLB) which addresses a wide variety of care, treatment and safety issues for patients weighing up to 1,000 lbs.

9 Jun 2011

Avvo.com, cites top 10 most popular medical specialty categories based on website's patient usage

Avvo (www.avvo.com), the world's largest online directory for doctors and lawyers that provides free rankings for 90% of the working physicians in the U.S., today revealed the most popular medical specialty categories based on Q1 2011 metrics quantifying patient participation in Avvo's online services that include searching Avvo's physician directory, asking health related questions in the Q&A forum, and submitting reviews on their doctors' Avvo profiles.

9 Jun 2011

European Bioinformatics Institute drives genomics research with GÉANT

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), which hosts the world’s largest public collection of molecular biology databases, is using the pan-European GÉANT research network and JANET, the UK research network, to help biologists share vital data across the globe.

9 Jun 2011

New vaccine leads to dramatic fall in meningitis A cases

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger report the lowest number of confirmed meningitis A cases ever recorded during an epidemic season this year following the successful introduction of a new vaccine that could eliminate the primary cause of the deadly disease from Africa's meningitis belt, announced the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) today, which spearheaded development of the vaccine.

9 Jun 2011

Synaptophysin controls replacement of vesicles

A University of Wisconsin-Madison research team has solved a 25-year mystery that may lead to better treatments for people with learning deficits and mental retardation.

9 Jun 2011