Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

EU called upon to tackle problem of chronic non-communicable diseases

Members of the European Parliament are calling on the Presidency of the EU and Member States to tackle urgently the problem of chronic non-communicable diseases that are responsible for 86% of all deaths in the WHO European Region. Their call is supported by an alliance of European health professionals, including ECCO - the European CanCer Organisation - and ESMO - the European Society for Medical Oncology.

5 Oct 2010

Care Improvement Plus releases 2011 Medicare health plan benefits to improve quality of care

Care Improvement Plus, operator of one of the largest special needs plans in Texas, is standing by its commitment to serve chronically ill and underserved Medicare beneficiaries with the release of its 2011 Medicare health plan benefits in preparation for the upcoming Medicare annual election period, which begins November 15th.

5 Oct 2010

Telemedicine helps in early diagnosis and treatment of pediatric heart problems

A new study by researchers from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo., found that rapid electronic review of children's heart images by specialists nearly 200 miles away allowed for earlier diagnosis and treatment of potentially serious pediatric heart problems. The study was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco.

5 Oct 2010

Dangers of not vaccinating children

Deadly diseases are making a comeback. Pertussis, or whooping cough, has killed nine infants this year in California, and outbreaks of measles and Hib meningitis have struck U.S. communities in the past three years.

5 Oct 2010

Scientists use directed light to cause arrhythmia in genetically modified mice

Scientists at the University of Bonn have altered cardiac muscle cells to make them controllable with light. They were thus able to use directed light to cause conditions such as arrhythmia in genetically modified mice. The method opens up completely new possibilities for researching the development of such arrhythmias. The study will be published in the upcoming edition of "Nature Methods".

5 Oct 2010

New minimally-invasive surgical technique for esophageal high-grade dysplasia and Barrett's esophagus

Constantine Frantzides M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., Director of the Chicago Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery, staff surgeon and Director of the Laparoscopic Fellowship Program at Saint Francis Hospital, has pioneered a new minimally-invasive surgical technique for the treatment of Barrett's esophagus and high-grade dysplasia.

5 Oct 2010

Researchers explore changes in brain regions to combat sleep apnea

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the average sleep apnea sufferer stops breathing and loses oxygen between five and 30 times a night. This lack of oxygen leads to a host of complications, including high blood pressure, vascular disease, an abnormal heart rhythm, or even a fatal cardiac event. Now, a team of University of Missouri researchers is exploring the changes in distinct brain regions that contribute to these symptoms in hopes of combating this common health issue.

5 Oct 2010

UnitedHealth announces $2.25 million to support Y's healthy-living initiatives

UnitedHealth Group has announced a three-year, $2.25 million commitment to support the Y's healthy-living initiatives and efforts to prevent obesity and related chronic diseases.

5 Oct 2010

American Heart Association addresses the use of arteriotomy closure devices

Re-opening a blocked heart artery isn't the only procedure that concerns doctors when they thread instruments through an opening in a thigh artery and into a heart artery. Closing up the thigh artery is also a concern.

5 Oct 2010

University of Michigan Medical School and Peking University Health Science Center to establish joint institute

The University of Michigan Medical School will establish a joint institute with the Peking University Health Science Center in a unique effort to promote research that can lead to breakthroughs in pulmonary, cardiovascular and liver diseases.

5 Oct 2010

BioSante to present LibiGel clinical trial update at NAMS Annual Meeting

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it will present a LibiGel clinical trial update at the 21st Annual Meeting of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) being held from October 6-9, 2010 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in Chicago, Illinois.

5 Oct 2010

CardioDx publishes PREDICT trial results

CardioDx, a pioneer in the field of cardiovascular genomic diagnostics, today announced publication of results from the Personalized Risk Evaluation and Diagnosis In the Coronary Tree (PREDICT) trial in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the journal of the American College of Physicians.

5 Oct 2010

Maternal serotonin deficiency linked to development of ADHD in children

Children whose mothers are genetically predisposed to have impaired production of serotonin appear more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Oct 2010

FDA grants marketing clearance for EarlySense's EverOn Central Display Station

EarlySense announced today that its EverOn Central Display Station (CDS) has been cleared for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA clearance covers the ability of the system to collect real time vital sign information from up to 36 EverOn bedside monitors and display the information on a computer screen at the nurse's station.

5 Oct 2010

Merck to appeal against jury verdict in retrial of federal FOSAMAX case

Merck & Co., Inc. today said it will appeal a decision by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that reduced the jury verdict from $8 million to $1.5 million but denied Merck's request for judgment in its favor or a new trial in the case of Boles v. Merck, a retrial of a federal FOSAMAX case.

5 Oct 2010

Researchers identify new type of cell that protects from immune system attack

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have identified a new type of cell in mice that dampens the immune system and protects the animal's own cells from immune system attack.

5 Oct 2010

CrystalGenomics to present Phase I MAD study data at Arrowhead Summit

CrystalGenomics, Inc. and CG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a drug discovery and development biopharmaceutical company, has announced that Dr. William Schmidt, its Vice President of Clinical Development, has been invited to present a talk on Development of CG100649, Tissue-selective Dual Inhibitor of COX-2 and Carbonic Anhydrase for Treatment of Osteoarthritis at Arrowhead's upcoming 4th Annual Pain Therapeutics Summit, to be held on October 4-5, 2010 in Philadelphia.

5 Oct 2010

American Anesthesiology acquires Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants

American Anesthesiology, a subsidiary of MEDNAX, Inc., today announced the acquisition of Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants, P.A., a physician group practice that provides anesthesia care and pain management services at nine hospitals, 12 ambulatory surgery centers and 10 pain management centers principally located in the Charlotte, NC, metropolitan area.

5 Oct 2010

NIH awards contract to develop nanotechnology tools for atherosclerosis treatment

Georgia Tech and Emory University have received a five-year $14.6 million contract from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue the development of nanotechnology and biomolecular engineering tools and methodologies for detecting and treating atherosclerosis.

5 Oct 2010

Estech adds COBRA Revolution Bipolar Clamp to ablation product line

Estech, a leading provider of minimally invasive cardiac surgery devices, today announced the launch of its COBRA Revolution™ Bipolar Clamp for use in surgical ablation procedures. The new instrument enables deep transmural lesion formation after a single application and is the only clamp to feature reversible jaws, which uniquely allows surgeons to follow anatomic contours, for unprecedented ease of use and efficiency.

5 Oct 2010