Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Losartan improves effectiveness of nanotherapeutics against cancer

Low doses of an inexpensive, FDA-approved hypertension medication may improve the results of nanotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. In a report in the early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators describe experiments showing that the generic drug losartan, by modifying the network of collagen fibers that characterizes most solid tumors, improved the effectiveness of two nanotherapeutics against several types of cancer.

3 Feb 2011

Merck announces publication of GARDASIL pivotal Phase III study data in NEJM

Merck announced today that data from the pivotal Phase III study with GARDASIL in males were published in the February 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

3 Feb 2011

FDA disallows obesity drug Contrave pending further large-scale testing

In its latest blow to obesity medication development efforts, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday notified Orexigen Therapeutics that it would need to conduct an extremely large-scale study of the long-term cardiovascular effects of its drug, Contrave, before approval could be considered.

3 Feb 2011

AMCs should adjust and adapt to new health care reform laws: New England Journal

Academic Medical Centers must adjust and adapt to the new health care reform laws or risk marginalization in the new health care arena, according to a New England Journal of Medicine Perspective article published online February 2.

3 Feb 2011

New replacement valve can help patients to avoid multiple open-heart surgeries

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defects in the U.S., affecting about 34,000 babies each year. Twenty percent of these patients are born with a malformation of the pulmonary valve, which is a flap-like opening on the right side of the heart that is responsible for regulating the blood flow to the lungs. Now, a new replacement valve being used at Rush University Medical Center can help patients with damaged heart valves delay or avoid multiple open-heart surgeries.

3 Feb 2011

Researchers design nanoparticles that make blood clots visible to CT scanner

For almost two decades, cardiologists have searched for ways to see dangerous blood clots before they cause heart attacks. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report that they have designed nanoparticles that find clots and make them visible to a new kind of X-ray technology.

3 Feb 2011

Cedars-Sinai receives California Institute grant to develop new technique for specific diseases

A team of scientists from the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to fund development of a new technique to aid pharmaceutical discoveries for specific diseases.

3 Feb 2011

Mothers who lose body fat before pregnancy improve health of children

Obesity among women of childbearing age is increasing worldwide. Because babies of obese mothers are themselves predisposed to obesity, society can reasonably expect the epidemic of obese and overweight people to continue through future generations.

3 Feb 2011

Vegetarians, vegans need to increase omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 to reduce heart disease risk

People who follow a vegan lifestyle - strict vegetarians who try to eat no meat or animal products of any kind - may increase their risk of developing blood clots and atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries," which are conditions that can lead to heart attacks and stroke. That's the conclusion of a review of dozens of articles published on the biochemistry of vegetarianism during the past 30 years.

3 Feb 2011

LSU biochemists develop 5-LOX 3-D model to design effective asthma medication

Chronic inflammation has been directly associated with heart disease and other physical ailments. But LSU graduate student Nathanial Gilbert and Professor of Biological Sciences Marcia Newcomer, together with Associate Professor Sue Bartlett, have developed the first 3-D model of Human 5-Lipoxygenase, or 5-LOX, the molecule responsible for creating inflammatory compounds that provoke asthma.

3 Feb 2011

Malarial drugs may help treat specific form of frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia is caused by a breakdown of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal region of the brain, which leads to, among other symptoms, a change in personality and behavior. The cause of some forms of frontotemporal dementia is a genetically determined reduction of a hormone-like growth factor, progranulin.

3 Feb 2011

Older people with metabolic syndrome may face high risk of developing memory loss

Older people with larger waistlines, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome may be at a higher risk for memory loss, according to a study published in the February 2, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Feb 2011

Isis commences ISIS-FXIRx Phase 1 study for treatment of clotting disorders

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 1 study of ISIS-FXIRx, an antisense drug designed to treat clotting disorders. ISIS-FXIRx inhibits the production of Factor XI, a clotting factor that is an important component of the coagulation pathway. Because of its role in the intrinsic coagulation pathway, inhibition of Factor XI could offer an effective approach for preventing the formation of blood clots with a lower risk of bleeding.

2 Feb 2011

USPTO issues notice of allowance to Vermillion's breast cancer biomarkers

Vermillion, a molecular diagnostics company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a notice of allowance for a patent entitled "Biomarkers for breast cancer" to the Company.

2 Feb 2011

Damaged heart rebuilt with heart stem cells from children with congenital heart disease

A new study, revealing that heart stem cells from children with congenital heart disease were able to rebuild the damaged heart in the laboratory, could provide a new outlet for Emerging Healthcare Solutions' NASA bioreactor.

2 Feb 2011

Effective methods to change physician behavior and improve compliance to guidelines

When it comes to changing the way physicians practice, guidelines and educational initiatives alone are not effective. An editorial by James A. Arrighi, M.D., a cardiologist with Rhode Island Hospital, explains the effective methods to change physician behavior and improve compliance to guidelines. The editorial is published online in advance of print of the February 8 edition of the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

2 Feb 2011

2010 Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to keep calorie intake from saturated fat to less than 10%

This week the U.S. government released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans with few changes since the 2005 version. The guidelines continue to urge Americans to keep their calorie intake from saturated fat to less than 10 percent and lower the amount of trans fat in their diet to as low as possible.

2 Feb 2011

Survey finds 75% of workers use their employers for medical and health information

The number of U.S. employees who turn to their employer and health plan for medical and health information has increased sharply over the past few years, according to a nationwide survey of employees conducted by the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit association of more than 300 large employers.

2 Feb 2011

DCRI, Kaplan EduNeering partner to train clinical research work force

The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), the largest academic clinical research organization in the world, is partnering with Kaplan EduNeering, a leading provider of compliance and knowledge-management solutions, in a novel educational program to address one of the most vexing problems encountered when conducting clinical trials abroad - the absence of a ready and fully trained professional infrastructure to get the work done.

2 Feb 2011

New national initiative to increase heart attack awareness among women

A woman suffers a heart attack every minute in the United States. But according to a 2009 American Heart Association survey, only half of women said they would call 9-1-1 if they thought they were having a heart attack -- and many women did not even recognize several key symptoms. This combination has led to dangerous consequences.

2 Feb 2011

Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Losartan improves effectiveness of nanotherapeutics against cancer

Merck announces publication of GARDASIL pivotal Phase III study data in NEJM

FDA disallows obesity drug Contrave pending further large-scale testing

AMCs should adjust and adapt to new health care reform laws: New England Journal

New replacement valve can help patients to avoid multiple open-heart surgeries

Researchers design nanoparticles that make blood clots visible to CT scanner

Cedars-Sinai receives California Institute grant to develop new technique for specific diseases

Mothers who lose body fat before pregnancy improve health of children

Vegetarians, vegans need to increase omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 to reduce heart disease risk

LSU biochemists develop 5-LOX 3-D model to design effective asthma medication

Malarial drugs may help treat specific form of frontotemporal dementia

Older people with metabolic syndrome may face high risk of developing memory loss

Isis commences ISIS-FXIRx Phase 1 study for treatment of clotting disorders

USPTO issues notice of allowance to Vermillion's breast cancer biomarkers

Damaged heart rebuilt with heart stem cells from children with congenital heart disease

Effective methods to change physician behavior and improve compliance to guidelines

2010 Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to keep calorie intake from saturated fat to less than 10%

Survey finds 75% of workers use their employers for medical and health information

DCRI, Kaplan EduNeering partner to train clinical research work force

New national initiative to increase heart attack awareness among women

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing - Industry Focus eBook eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing - Industry Focus eBook eBook

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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