Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Genetic variation associated with lower risk of sudden cardiac arrest:Study

Physician-scientists at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have found that a genetic variation is associated with lower risk of sudden cardiac arrest, a disorder that gives little warning and is fatal in about 95 percent of cases. Findings will be published tomorrow by the Public Library of Science (PloS One).

25 Mar 2010

MEDRAD establishes new repair facility in Denver

MEDRAD, Inc. Multi Vendor Service has announced the opening of a repair facility in Denver, Colorado that specializes in 3D/4D ultrasound probes.

25 Mar 2010

Innovation holds the key for solving healthcare's dilemmas, says Eli Lilly

In an address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany today, John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., chairman, president and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company, said that innovation holds the key to solving one of healthcare's thorniest dilemmas: how to improve quality and access while controlling costs.

25 Mar 2010

Drilling technology used to reopen arteries

Then Wilks was referred to Dr. Fred Leya, an interventional cardiologist at Loyola University Health System. Leya used a device similar to a dental drill to reopen three arteries that had turned as hard as bone.

25 Mar 2010

American Association of Poison Control Centers: K2 herbal marijuana substitute spurred poison calls

K2, an herbal marijuana substitute also known as "spice," is a blend of herbs sprayed with a synthetic marijuana-like drug, and has spurred at least 112 calls to U.S. poison centers since 2009, including 59 calls since March 1, 2010.

25 Mar 2010

Study on zebrafish regenerate tissues links human heart implications

In a paper published in the March 25, 2010 issue of Nature, researchers working at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB) identified a fish heart cell population that is the source of this astonishing healing feat, a finding that could provide insight into how mammalian hearts might be coaxed into repairing themselves after injury brought on by heart attack.

25 Mar 2010

Health overhaul will boost coverage for millions, but leaves gaps, too

The health legislation President Barack Obama signed into law would extend insurance to 32 million Americans by 2019, but that still leaves out 23 million, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

25 Mar 2010

Committee recommends inclusion of genetic diseases in newborn screening program

The experts who make recommendations for genetic disease screening in newborns face a challenging task: To make conclusions based on the most authoritative available evidence, while considering gaps in the research on such rare conditions, as well as their human impact. An overview of the steps followed by the expert panels tasked with making these recommendations is presented in a special section of the current issue of Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

25 Mar 2010

Hepatic encephalopathy drug XIFAXAN 550 mg tablets receives FDA marketing approval

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing approval for XIFAXAN 550 mg tablets for reduction in risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy recurrence in patients 18 years of age or older. HE is a serious disorder caused by chronic liver failure, resulting in cognitive, psychiatric and motor impairments. This approval was supported by findings from the largest randomized trial of maintenance therapy in HE conducted to date, which assessed the efficacy and safety of XIFAXAN 550 mg tablets and demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the risk of overt HE recurrence.

25 Mar 2010

Cardiologist receives grant to study impact of erectile dysfunction drugs on muscular dystrophy patients

A Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute cardiologist has been awarded a three-year, nearly $1 million grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to study whether drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction could also be used to improve muscle blood flow and reduce fatigue in muscular dystrophy patients.

25 Mar 2010

Biocompatible electronics could enable new surgical applications

Arrhythmic hearts soon may beat in time again, with minimal surgical invasion, thanks to flexible electronics technology developed by a team of University of Illinois researchers, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Northwestern University.

25 Mar 2010

AGA Medical gets IDE approval to evaluate AMPLATZER Cardiac Plug

AGA Medical Holdings, Inc. today announced it has received conditional Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its AMPLATZER® Cardiac Plug, or ACP, to close the left atrial appendage.

25 Mar 2010

Evotec AG reports financial results and corporate updates for 2009

Based on the Action Plan 2012, Evotec decided in March 2009 to strengthen its discovery alliances, creating the central vehicle for growth, and to implement strict cost cutting and restructuring measures. The Company reduced headcount in administrative and clinical development functions, reprioritised its R&D activities, concentrated its operations in Europe and closed the former facility of Renovis, Inc. in South San Francisco.

25 Mar 2010

China, now the largest diabetic population in the world

With one in ten adults in China being diagnosed with diabetes the largest population of the world is also the largest diabetic population in the world. A report published by New England Journal of Medicine reported that 92 million people in China were diabetic. This means China has overtaken India which had a 50 million strong diabetic population to date.

25 Mar 2010

Canadian Diabetes Association launches new tools to help optimize diabetes care

Today the Canadian Diabetes Association launched new tools for people living with diabetes and healthcare practitioners to help optimize diabetes care across the country.

25 Mar 2010

Bariatric surgery may delay onset of type 2 diabetes, says study

A team of researchers, led by a UC Davis veterinary endocrinologist, has shown for the first time that a surgical procedure in rats that is similar to bariatric surgery in humans can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

25 Mar 2010

Stretchable electronic device holds promise for treating irregular heart rhythms

The electronics can bend, stretch and twist. No small feat. Now the flexible and stretchable electronics can map waves of electrical activity in the heart with better resolution and speed than that of conventional cardiac monitoring technology.

24 Mar 2010

CryoLife retracts share proposal offer to acquire Medafor

CryoLife, Inc., an implantable biological medical device and cardiovascular tissue processing company, announced today that it has withdrawn its $2.00 per share proposal to acquire Medafor, Inc.

24 Mar 2010

Policymakers should determine risk-reduction initiatives to improve health systems, says new report

Tackling the increasing rates of cardiovascular disease in developing nations will require input from multiple partners, including the business community and international companies as well as global health and development agencies and the governments of these countries, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

24 Mar 2010

TYRX begins enrollment in CITADEL study for Aigisrx anti-bacterial agent

TYRX, Inc., a leader in the commercialization of implantable medical devices designed to help reduce infection, announced today that it has begun enrollment in CITADEL, the second of two large scale, prospective, multicenter studies.

24 Mar 2010