Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

UCI first medical center on West Coast to perform robotic thyroidectomies

UC Irvine Healthcare is the first medical center on the West Coast and the only one in California to perform robotic thyroidectomies, a procedure that removes the diseased gland without leaving a visible scar on the neck. Dr. Jason Kim, associate clinical professor of otolaryngology and a head and neck cancer specialist, has performed robotic-assisted surgery using the daVinci Surgical System on three patients with thyroid tumors.

16 Jul 2010

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center on Thursday was ranked in the 2010-2011 Best Hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report, making it one of 152 medical centers nationwide selected out of nearly 2,000 eligible institutions.

16 Jul 2010

Federal advisory panel with reservations, recommends keeping Avandia on the Market

Federal advisers delivered a mixed verdict Wednesday on the diabetes drug Avandia,with a significant number of experts voting to recommend that it be pulled from the market because of safety concerns but a majority urging to keep it available, perhaps with tough new restrictions and new warnings.Avandia was once the world's most popular diabetes drugs but has become the focus of intense debate because of concerns that it increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

16 Jul 2010

Essential nutrient in eggs may reduce risk of infant heart defects

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a choline-deficient diet is associated with increased risk for heart defects during prenatal development. Choline is an essential nutrient required for normal cell activity, healthy brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and transportation of nutrients throughout the body.

16 Jul 2010

An overview of heart palpitations from Mayo Clinic

Almost everyone feels occasional heart palpitations -- a change in the heart's rhythm. Palpitations range from what feels like a skip, flip or bump in the heart's rhythm to a sustained, racing heartbeat.

16 Jul 2010

High blood pressure, diabetes leads to CKD

People with diabetes and high blood pressure need to take care of their kidneys. According to the July issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing problem in the United States. The most common causes are diabetes and high blood pressure

16 Jul 2010

Can abortion-rights activists return the procedure to mainstream medicine?

In the early 90s, anti-abortion activist Randall Terry declared doctors were "the weak link" in the fight against the procedure, The New York Times reports. Soon, the first of eight deadly attacks on doctors who perform abortion occurred, marking one facet of a shift of mainstream medicine away from abortions and leaving women seeking that type of care to go to specialty clinics operated by sympathetic feminists.

16 Jul 2010

Restricting salt intake to 6g per day lowers risk of cardiovascular morbidities

Restricting the amount of sodium chloride in food can lower the risk of cardiovascular morbidities. This is the conclusion that Dieter Klaus and colleagues come to in the current issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International.

16 Jul 2010

i26 hyperimmune egg balances improper immune inflammatory response

Our immune systems are in a constant battle with foreign invaders to keep our bodies healthy. Outside forces like pollution, poor nutrition and new strains of disease keep our immune systems at an overly boosted or inflamed state, which affects energy levels, body and emotional health and overall quality of life. Through inflammatory immune cells, our bodies fight to defend us from this onslaught. Too few of these cells can result in illness, while too many could lead to a high immune response, resulting in heightened inflammation and collateral damage to the body's once-healthy tissues.

16 Jul 2010

BioSTAR biodegradable implant achieves comparable closure rates to Amplatzer ASO

A novel study by Canadian physicians reported that the BioSTARTM biodegradable implant achieved comparable closure rates to the Amplatzer Septal OccluderTM (ASO) in children with atrial septal defect (ASD). The BioSTAR device displayed successful outcomes, while avoiding issues associated with implants containing substantial amounts of metal.

16 Jul 2010

New findings on macrophage activation can facilitate development of early diagnosis tools

Immune system cells called macrophages spring into action to surround and destroy threats such as viruses or cancer cells. But sometimes the would-be protective response leads to persistent inflammation, which, in turn, can cause disease.Scientists don't know exactly how macrophages cross the line from being good cops to bad cops, but researchers at the University of Florida recently unearthed several clues about the mechanisms involved. Through the lens of two inflammation-related diseases, HIV and rheumatoid arthritis, they identified changes in specific proteins linked to the action of macrophages, white blood cells that are key to the body's natural defenses.

16 Jul 2010

ACTOS offers safety profile regarding risk of CV events in people with type 2 diabetes: Takeda

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee held a joint meeting primarily focused on reviewing the cardiovascular safety of rosiglitazone, as presented by the FDA and GlaxoSmithKline. Following this two day discussion, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. ("Takeda") underscores its position that ACTOS (pioglitazone HCl) offers an established safety profile regarding the risk of CV events in people living with type 2 diabetes.

16 Jul 2010

Glaxo announces a $2.3 billion in legal liability charges

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, announced this Thursday that its second-quarter charges related to legal cases involving the two drugs Avandia (diabetes drug) and Paxil (drug for anxiety and depression) would run up to $2.36 billion. Avandia’s use and its potential risk of causing heart problems were being debated this week by an advisory panel to the US Food & Drugs Administration (FDA).

16 Jul 2010

Scientists gather to discuss latest advances in Alzheimer's disease at AAICAD 2010

This week, nearly 4,000 scientists from around the world gathered to report and discuss the latest advances in research on treatments, risk factors, and diagnosis for the health epidemic of the 21st century – Alzheimer's disease – at the Alzheimer's Association's 2010 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu.

15 Jul 2010

Practice Fusion API Challenge kicked off

Practice Fusion, the free, web-based Electronic Health Record company, kicked off the Practice Fusion API Challenge today as part of the Health 2.0 Developer Challenge, an initiative supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The challenge invites developers to connect patient health data from medical devices, mobile apps, social media systems and websites to doctors in real-time through Practice Fusion's new API.

15 Jul 2010

National Jewish Health named #1 respiratory hospital in the nation

For the 13th consecutive year, National Jewish Health has been named the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

15 Jul 2010

Sepracor to change name to Sunovion Pharmaceuticals

Sepracor Inc. and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., an Osaka, Japan-based pharmaceutical company, announced today the intent to change the Sepracor name to Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. in the United States. DSP acquired Sepracor in October 2009 and the name change is planned to occur in anticipation of the one-year anniversary of the acquisition. Sepracor intends to begin officially operating as Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. before the end of 2010.

15 Jul 2010

Type 1 diabetes affects athletic performance, new study finds

A new study led by York University researchers finds that young athletes with Type 1 diabetes may experience a marked decrease in performance as a result of their blood sugar levels.

15 Jul 2010

Cigarette smoking affects entire networks of gene interaction: Research

The effects of smoking cigarettes on gene activity have been investigated in the largest study of its kind. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medical Genomics studied white blood cells taken from 1,240 people to identify 323 unique genes whose expression levels were significantly correlated with smoking behavior.

15 Jul 2010

U.S. District Court dismisses Taro's complaint against Sun and Alkaloida

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York had dismissed in its entirety the complaint filed by Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. seeking to block the Tender Offer by Sun's subsidiary, Alkaloida Chemical Company Exclusive Group Ltd., to purchase all outstanding Ordinary Shares of Taro.

15 Jul 2010