Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

New microchip technology to detect oral cancer

A new test for oral cancer, which a dentist could perform by simply using a brush to collect cells from a patient's mouth, is set to be developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

10 Aug 2010

Scientists suggest daily intake of vitamin D helps to reduce disease frequency

Anthony Norman, a leading international expert in vitamin D, proposes worldwide policy changes regarding people's vitamin D daily intake amount in order to maximize the vitamin's contribution to reducing the frequency of many diseases, including childhood rickets, adult osteomalacia, cancer, autoimmune type-1 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity and muscle weakness.

10 Aug 2010

Ikaria announces voluntary recall of INOMAX DS drug-delivery system in US and Canada

Ikaria, Inc. announced today that its INOMAX® DS drug-delivery systems in the United States are being voluntarily recalled due to the potential failure of a pressure switch which may have an impact on the administration of INOMAX® (nitric oxide) for inhalation to patients. This potential failure was identified by Ikaria as part of its ongoing quality monitoring and review processes. This class I recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All INOMAX DS systems in Canada also are being voluntarily recalled.

10 Aug 2010

UCLA study identifies neurocognitive pathways involved in inflammatory responses to acute social stress

Everyone experiences social stress, whether it is nervousness over a job interview, difficulty meeting people at parties, or angst over giving a speech. In a new report, UCLA researchers have discovered that how your brain responds to social stressors can influence the body's immune system in ways that may negatively affect health.

10 Aug 2010

Vena cava blood clot filters may cause potential life-threatening complications: Study

Two specific types of vena cava filters, devices used to prevent blood clots from reaching the lungs, appear to have evidence of fracturing inside the body, with some fractured fragments traveling to the heart and causing potentially life-threatening complications, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the November 8 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Aug 2010

DOJ likely to intervene in St. Jude heart device kickback lawsuit

The U.S. Department of Justice may intervene in a lawsuit against heart-device maker St. Jude Medical Inc. after allegations the company used medical studies to "pay kickbacks and boost product usage," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The U.S. Attorney's office in Boston launched an industry-wide probe nearly five years ago into whether makers of pacemakers and defibrillators were making improper payments to doctors.

10 Aug 2010

Athersys second-quarter revenues increase to $1.9 million

Athersys, Inc. today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Increase of alcohol taxes can reduce alcohol-related deaths

Adjusting the alcohol tax in Florida to account for inflation since 1983 would prevent 600 to 800 deaths each year in that state from diseases caused by chronic heavy alcohol use, according to a new study from the University of Florida. The Florida legislature last increased alcohol taxes in 1983.

10 Aug 2010

Isis second-quarter pro forma net operating loss increases to $15.5 million

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010. The Company finished the second quarter of 2010 with a pro forma net operating loss (NOL) of $15.5 million and $17.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, compared to a pro forma net operating loss of $1.3 million and pro forma net operating income of $798,000 for the same periods of 2009.

9 Aug 2010

CryoPatch SG pulmonary human cardiac patch receives FDA clearance for 5-year shelf-life extension

CryoLife, Inc., an implantable biological medical device and cardiovascular tissue processing company, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a five-year shelf-life on its CryoPatch® SG pulmonary human cardiac patch processed with the Company's proprietary SynerGraft® technology. CryoLife's SynerGraft technology is designed to remove allogeneic donor cells and cellular remnants from tissue without compromising the integrity of the underlying collagen matrix.

9 Aug 2010

Clinical Data first-quarter gross revenue increases 52% to $6.2 million

Clinical Data, Inc. today announced operational and financial results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2010, noting key accomplishments including the acceptance of the Company's new drug application (NDA) for vilazodone by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the successful completion of a public offering .

9 Aug 2010

Vanguard to acquire assets of Arizona Heart Hospital

MedCath Corporation, and its physician partners jointly announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement for Vanguard Health Systems to acquire substantially all the assets of Arizona Heart Hospital. The transaction is expected to close during MedCath's first quarter of fiscal 2011, which ends on December 31, 2010, subject to certain closing conditions.

9 Aug 2010

BioVentrix announces First-in-Man milestone for PliCath heart failure system

BioVentrix, developer of the PliCath HF™ System for use in Epicardial Catheter-based Ventricular Reconstruction (ECVR), today announced achievement of its First-in-Man milestone, performed on a 52-year-old male heart failure patient in Krakow, Poland. The PliCath HF System is designed to treat heart failure (HF) by reducing the enlarged Left Ventricle (LV) through an anchoring system that is delivered across the cardiac chambers with the use of a catheter.

9 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 9, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include dispatches from the campaign trail, news of the President's weekly address and developments from the health care marketplace.

9 Aug 2010

Remote monitoring of chronic heart failure patients can reduce pressure on resources

Providing patients with chronic heart failure access to remote monitoring, for example by telephone or telemonitoring using wireless technology, reduces deaths and hospitalisations and may provide benefits on health care costs and quality of life. These are the conclusions of a new Cochrane Systematic Review by an international team of researchers.

9 Aug 2010

GWA Study helps scientists identify genetic variant that increases tuberculosis susceptibility in African populations

Scientists have identified a genetic variant which increases susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) in African populations using a technique known as a genome-wide association (GWA) study. This is the first novel disease variant to be identified using this technique in Africans and demonstrates that such studies are viable in African populations, which have a high degree of genetic diversity.

9 Aug 2010

Myths and realities of Medicare bidding program for durable medical equipment

Providers of home medical equipment and services across California are proposing a fiscally responsible alternative to the mislabeled "competitive" bidding scheme currently under way in Medicare that will actually discourage competition, reduce access to care for many of California's 4.6 million Medicare beneficiaries, and put thousands of California homecare providers out of business.

7 Aug 2010

Researchers examine differences in eating habits of African Americans

Researchers looking for differences in eating habits of African Americans based on whether or not they had Type 2 diabetes uncovered an unexpected result: No matter what the blood sugar level was, the dietary intakes were pretty much the same.

7 Aug 2010

Osiris Therapeutics reports second-quarter net income of $1.7M against loss last year

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., the leading stem cell company focused on developing and marketing products to treat medical conditions in the inflammatory, autoimmune, cardiovascular and orthopedic areas, announced today its results for the second quarter of fiscal 2010.

7 Aug 2010

President Obama issues Proclamation recognizing National Health Center Week

President Barack Obama today issued a Presidential Proclamation recognizing August 8 - 14, 2010 as National Health Center Week. "During National Health Center Week, we recognize the important work of Community Health Centers for their role in providing quality, accessible, and affordable patient care as we strive to build a health care system equipped for the 21st century," said the President.

7 Aug 2010