Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Heavy alcohol intake can lead to increased risk of AF

Atrial Fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Its name comes from the fibrillating of the heart muscles of the atria, instead of a coordinated contraction. The result is an irregular heartbeat, which may occur in episodes lasting from minutes to weeks, or it could occur all the time for years. Atrial fibrillation alone is not in itself generally life-threatening, but it may result in palpitations, fainting, chest pain, or congestive heart failure.

14 Feb 2011

Fiber in diet protects from more than just heart disease and diabetes: Study

In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers have identified a link between high-fiber diets and lower risks of death not only from heart disease, but from infectious and respiratory illnesses as well. This government commissioned study also ties fiber with a lower risk of cancer deaths in men, but not women, possibly because men are more likely to die from cancers related to diet, like cancers of the esophagus. And it finds the overall benefit to be strongest for diets high in fiber from grains.

14 Feb 2011

Story of the heart: Literally as well as metaphorically

Stephen Amidon, a novelist and co-author of The Sublime Engine: A Biography of the Human Heart, writes about the story of the human heart through the world of science, history, culture and our bodies with his brother Thomas who is a practicing cardiologist in Montana and a former medical director of The Hope Heart Institute. Thomas said, “Ironically, I did an angiogram on a patient last week who had very calcified and hardened arteries that were almost precisely in the shape of the Valentine heart… But I don't think the early depicters of that heart shape had access to the same view of the heart that I have.”

14 Feb 2011

Harmful effects of energy drinks on children

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday examined the risks of consumption of high-caffeine energy drinks on children and young adults. The study notes that these drinks are linked to an array of serious events like heart palpitations, high blood pressure and even cardiac arrest and death. The risk rises if young adults consuming the drink suffer from chronic diseases or take other medications.

14 Feb 2011

Rapid approvals for medical devices by FDA leads to increased recalls: Study

According to a latest study many medical devices recalled in recent years by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because they posed a high risk to patients were not rigorously studied before being approved for patient use. The study, appearing on the web site of The Archives of Internal Medicine, said that most medical devices that were the subject of high-risk recalls from 2005 to 2009 had been cleared through a regulatory pathway with little testing. This included external heart defibrillators, hospital infusion pumps and mechanical ventilators.

14 Feb 2011

bioMD makes offer for Allied Medical

bioMD Limited (ASX: BOD), a company with assets in regenerative tissue engineering technologies today announced that it has made an offer to buy all of the shares in Allied Medical Limited (Allied), a public unlisted company that specialises in the sales, distribution and commercialisation of medical technologies.

14 Feb 2011

Tianyin Pharmaceutical's second quarter revenue increases 69.6% to $25.3 million

Tianyin Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., a pharmaceutical company that specializes in the patented biopharmaceutical, modernized traditional Chinese medicine, branded generics and other pharmaceuticals, announced the financial results for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2011.

14 Feb 2011

BioTime to merge Glycosan with OrthoCyte

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to merge Utah-based Glycosan BioSystems, Inc. (Glycosan) with BioTime's wholly-owned subsidiary, OrthoCyte Corporation. The acquisition is expected to close by March 18, 2011.

14 Feb 2011

Kyocera and JMM open new Orthopedic Design Center in the U.S.

Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corp., Orthopedic Division, today unveiled its new Orthopedic Design Center in Somerset, N.J., formed in collaboration with Japan Medical Materials Corporation (JMM) - a Kyocera Group company.

14 Feb 2011

First smartphone to natively communicate with ULP ANT+ network of health and fitness devices

ANT Wireless, a division of Dynastream Innovations Inc., and Texas Instruments Incorporated today showcase the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ arc, the first commercially available smartphone to natively communicate with the ultra-low power (ULP) ANT+ network of health and fitness devices.

14 Feb 2011

Less than one-third of acute stroke patients receive clot-busting drug within 60 minutes of hospital arrival

Every minute counts after the onset of a stroke. The more time that elapses before a patient receives an intravenous drug to help break up the clot that is blocking a blood vessel in the brain, the slimmer the chances of a good outcome.

14 Feb 2011

SynthRx to become wholly-owned subsidiary of ADVENTRX

ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SynthRx, Inc., a private biotechnology company developing a purified form of a rheologic and antithrombotic agent, poloxamer 188.

14 Feb 2011

Study: Young survivors covered by Medicare Part D often can't afford stroke medications

Young, uninsured stroke survivors or those covered by the Medicare Part D drug benefit often can't afford medications - increasing the risk for future strokes or other cardiovascular disease-related events, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2011.

14 Feb 2011

Some fat is essential for body function

It's common knowledge that too much cholesterol and other fats can lead to disease, and that a healthy diet involves watching how much fatty food we eat. However, our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function—and we can't make it from scratch.

14 Feb 2011

UH Case Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center increases tPA use for ischemic stroke by 13.5 times

University Hospitals Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center recently reported that it has increased the use of tPA or "clot busting therapy" for ischemic stroke by 13.5 times throughout UH system hospitals since implementing the System Stroke Program. Launched in 2008, SSP sought to increase access to the lifesaving treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients in the 15 counties surrounding Cleveland.

14 Feb 2011

New study establishes link between coronary artery disease and genetic susceptibility

A new study involving researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute and Scripps Health patients reveals major scientific progress in understanding the mechanism of heart disease at the molecular and genomic levels. STSI is an initiative of Scripps Health in collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute.

14 Feb 2011

SOC, UCLA present national stroke study data at 2011 International Stroke Conference

Specialists On Call, the nation's leading provider of clinical telemedicine services, announced today that it has presented data from a national stroke study conducted in partnership with the University of California at Los Angeles at the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference.

14 Feb 2011

First evidence of human DNA fragment in bacterial genome

If a human cell and a bacterial cell met at a speed-dating event, they would never be expected to exchange phone numbers, much less genetic material. In more scientific terms, a direct transfer of DNA has never been recorded from humans to bacteria.

14 Feb 2011

New clinical trial to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes

A new clinical trial at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is among the first to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes. The aim of the study is to understand whether surgery can control diabetes, as well or even better than the best medical treatment available today. This is the first study of its kind open to patients who are overweight or mildly obese.

14 Feb 2011

The Lancet publishes CHAMPION trial results against heart failure

The CHAMPION clinical trial was published online today in The Lancet. CHAMPION demonstrated a 30% reduction in the primary efficacy endpoint of heart failure hospitalization rates at 6 months, and a 39% reduction in heart failure hospitalization rates at 15 months for heart failure patients whose treatment was guided by pulmonary artery pressures obtained through a miniature, wireless sensor, compared to control patients receiving standard heart failure treatment.

14 Feb 2011