Blood Vessels News and Research

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SU11248 proves effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors

A drug originally developed to block the formation of blood vessels in tumors has been shown to overcome resistance to treatment with Gleevec in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

9 Jun 2004

Breakthrough in gene therapy

Despite a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs during the past 15 years, gene therapy has continued to attract many of the world's brightest scientists. They are tantalized by the enormous potential that replacing missing genes or disabling defective ones offers for curing diseases of many kinds.

3 Jun 2004

Drug helps patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

A drug designed to cut off a tumor’s blood supply, when paired with a chemotherapy combination, resulted in significant improvement in survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, the first time in decades that survival times have been extended in patients with this devastating form of advanced cancer.

3 Jun 2004

Drug to extend lives of colorectal cancer patients

A drug designed to cut off a tumor's blood supply, when paired with a chemotherapy combination, resulted in significant improvement in survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, the first time in decades that survival times have been extended in patients with this devastating form of advanced cancer.

2 Jun 2004

Avastin study shows significant improvement in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Genentech, Inc. and Roche have announced that the New England Journal of Medicine published the first Phase III study of an anti-angiogenesis cancer therapy, showing that the addition of Avastin™ (bevacizumab) to the IFL chemotherapy regimen (5-FU/Leucovorin/ CPT-11) significantly extended survival in patients with first-line (previously untreated) metastatic colorectal cancer.

2 Jun 2004

Innovative type of brain scan can determine where blockages of blood to the brain lie

It's a no-brainer that the brain needs a constant supply of blood to keep it going. But some medical conditions can block or reduce that life-giving flow. Whether it's a stroke, a clogged artery or a brain tumor, any situation where blood can't get to the whole brain can lead to death or permanent disability.

2 Jun 2004

New device enable physicians to quickly join blood vessels during heart bypass surgery

Guidant Corporation has announced that the company has begun distribution of Cardica Inc.’s C-Port™ Distal Anastomosis System in Europe. Cardica’s C-Port System, which recently received approval, is designed to enable physicians to quickly and easily join blood vessels during heart bypass surgery.

2 Jun 2004

Stent methodologies for treating occluded arteries

Branch points in the arteries are a common area of atherosclerotic disease, resulting in the occlusion of both branches. These branch points can generally be defined as a main branch and a side branch, and, in treating the disease, the question of what is the optimal course of action, opening the main branch, the side branch, or both, remains uncertain.

2 Jun 2004

Chocolate is good for your heart

UCSF scientists are publishing sweet results of a study examining chocolate's effects on blood vessel function in healthy people. The team reports that small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate consumed over a two-week period improved blood vessels' ability to dilate, or expand.

1 Jun 2004

Daily reduction in the flexibility of blood vessels maybe why heart attacks occur in the early morning

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a daily reduction in the flexibility of blood vessels, which may help explain why heart attacks and strokes occur most frequently in the early morning hours. The findings are published June 1 in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

1 Jun 2004

American Heart reports on acute ischemic stroke and increased risk of bleeding in the brain

High blood levels of a cell-regulating protein in patients with acute ischemic stroke can identify those with an increased risk of bleeding in the brain, according to a report in today’s rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2004

Link between oral bacterium and premature babies

For years, scientists have noticed a particular oral bacterium can be found in the amniotic fluid of about 20 percent of women with premature babies.

27 May 2004

ACE inhibitors for diabetics cut in half the risk of death

ACE inhibitors, a type of medication often used to treat high blood pressure or heart disease, can lower mortality rates for people who have diabetes -- whether they have cardiovascular disease or not, according to a study published in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

26 May 2004

New company is developing advanced therapeutics for stroke victims

Arizona Engineered Therapeutics Inc., a new company based on the research of three Arizona State University professors, is moving its first drug candidate closer to clinical trials.

26 May 2004

In one unusual circumstance smoking may actually be good for you

An Austrian study has found that smoking cigarettes, a habit that contributes to the development of peripheral artery disease-actually helps arteries stay open following a procedure to repair clogged blood vessels in the legs. The study found that habitual to heavy smokers who continued to smoke after angioplasty had a lower rate of restenosis, or re-narrowing of the arteries, than nonsmokers.

25 May 2004

Antioxidant compound found in green tea leaves does not clear established plaque

Using a technique that enables them to study both early and advanced stages of arterial plaque buildup in the same mice, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that an antioxidant compound found in green tea leaves does not clear established plaque but does inhibit the development of new deposits.

24 May 2004

Pulsed-dye laser surgery for voice disorders better all round

The newly developed pulsed-dye laser surgery for voice disorders has been found to be faster, cheaper, better tolerated, and less complicated than standard surgery that requires general anesthesia, more time and a longer recovery, surgeons reported here today at an international conference on problems associated with laryngopharyngeal reflux.

21 May 2004

Oxygen delivered through the nose may improve poor vision caused by diabetic macular edema

In a study of five diabetic patients with persistent macular edema, breathing supplemental oxygen for three months reduced fluid buildup and swelling in the macula and, in some cases, improved visual acuity. Researchers think the therapy could be used in conjunction with laser treatments that also improve oxygenation in the retina to provide long-term stability in these patients.

20 May 2004

Exercise reverses signs of artery disease in obese children

Healthy but obese adolescents display abnormal responses to tests of blood vessel function, but after a short course of exercise their test results match those of lean youngsters, even though they remain heavy, according to a new study in the May 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 May 2004

Dark chocolate and cocoa may help arterial stiffness

“This is the first study to investigate whether chocolate has any favorable effects on cardiovascular function in healthy subjects,” says Charalambos Vlachopoulos, MD, of the Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece. “We found dark chocolate improves endothelial function and decreases arterial stiffness in healthy young adults.”

19 May 2004