Heart News and Research

RSS

Dems sharpen focus on Medicare; Reid to hold vote on Ryan budget

Democrats are going on the offensive and using the controversial Republican plan to overhaul Medicare to seize the political moment.

29 Apr 2011

Surgeons to participate in Methodist Hospital's Pumps & Pipes symposia

Surgeons from The Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center along with scientists and engineers from two of the nation's largest industries - medicine and energy will take part in the first international Pumps & Pipes symposia in Doha, Qatar on April 28 to explore the synergies in moving oil and pumping blood.

29 Apr 2011

New study identifies less invasive therapy for ACE inhibitor side-effects

A new Henry Ford Hospital study takes a closer look at one of the lesser known, but potential most serious side-effects of ACE inhibitor use - facial, tongue and airway swelling - and identifies a successful and less invasive course of treatment.

29 Apr 2011

Avastin, Lucentis are equally effective for age-related macular degeneration treatment

Age-related macular degeneration, a disease that damages the retina and can destroy central vision, affects approximately 1.6 million Americans. For the past five years, there has been active debate over treatment options for AMD patients because ophthalmologists have not had accurate data regarding the true efficacy of the most commonly used medication.

29 Apr 2011

Melatonin can help fight obesity and risks associated with it

University of Granada researchers have proven that melatonin -a natural hormone produced by the body- helps in controlling weight gain -even without reducing the intake of food-, improves blood lipid profile -as it reduces triglicerids-, increases HDL cholesterol and reduces LDL cholesterol.

29 Apr 2011

Cornell Research Program: 12 to 24% of young people have self-injured

According to the Cornell Research Program on self injury, 12 to 24 percent of young people have self-injured. Self injury, such as cutting, scratching or burning, can be a way to release or relieve unmanageable feelings and express intense inner pain.

29 Apr 2011

Takeda, Affymax announce additional peginesatide Phase 3 study results in dialysis patients

Affymax, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, today announced results of additional analyses from two Phase 3 studies of the investigational agent, peginesatide in chronic renal failure patients on dialysis with anemia.

29 Apr 2011

Hospitals deal, others release profit reports

The Boston Globe reports on an upcoming merger between Beth Israel Medical Center and Milton Hospital, while Reuters reports that Community Health's profits exceeded expectations.

29 Apr 2011

Researchers report Avastin is effective as Lucentis for AMD treatment

Researchers are reporting results from the first year of a two-year clinical trial that Avastin, a drug approved to treat some cancers and that is commonly used off-label to treat age-related macular degeneration, is as effective as the Food and Drug Administration-approved drug Lucentis for the treatment of AMD.

29 Apr 2011

New innovative pilot project to combat surgical infections

Roughly one out of every 24 patients undergoing surgery acquires a surgical site infection. With 40 million operations performed in the U.S. each year, between 800,000 and 2 million individuals contract these infections annually.

29 Apr 2011

Heart attacks in the morning are more serious

People who have a heart attack are likely to be more seriously affected if the attack happens in the morning, reveals research published ahead of print in Heart journal.

28 Apr 2011

Special-focus on postoperative cognitive dysfunction in older adults

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) refers to a "mild but possibly long-lasting cognitive fogginess" occurring after surgery and anesthesia. The May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS), presents a special-focus section on POCD in older adults—including the possible causes and preoperative evaluation of POCD risk.

28 Apr 2011

Study finds increase in implementation of evidence-based therapies for myocardial infarction

In an analysis of data from a coronary care registry in Sweden, between 1996-2007 there was an increase in the prevalence of use of evidence-based invasive procedures and pharmacological therapies for treatment of a certain type of heart attack, and a decrease in the rate of death at 30 days and one year after a heart attack for these patients, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

28 Apr 2011

UCLA's Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program improves patients' survival rate

Patients who received kidney transplants through the UCLA Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program had the highest three-year transplant survival rate among patients who underwent the procedure at U.S. centers that perform 80 or more transplants a year, according to new government data.

28 Apr 2011

Five Loyola employees donate kidneys to complete strangers

Loyola University Medical Center is believed to be the first organization in the country, and perhaps the world, in which five employees have each donated kidneys to complete strangers with no strings attached.

28 Apr 2011

Vitamin E effective against severe fatty liver disease in some children

A specific form of vitamin E improved the most severe form of fatty liver disease in some children, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results appear in the April 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. A previous study found vitamin E effective in some adults with the disease.

28 Apr 2011

Simple home genetic test can identify health risk factors in young athletes

It's a simple home genetic test, but the results it produces can make workouts more effective, children's sports choices more appropriate and trainers' awareness of potential risk factors more precise.

28 Apr 2011

Pfizer announces global launch of new child nutrition products

Pfizer Inc. today announced the global launch of its new advanced GOLD range of child nutrition products, developed to meet the changing nutritional and feeding needs of young children. The GOLD range of infant and follow-on formulas, and growing-up milks provides the right balance of high-quality nutrients needed to support ideal health, growth and development in growing children.

28 Apr 2011

Heart attacks more severe in the morning: Study

Heart attacks are more dangerous in the morning than at any other time of day, research has shown. The study has shown that compared with other times, patients who had an attack between 6am and noon suffered around 20% more damage to their hearts. Researchers say this pattern is thought to be linked to circadian rhythms, the 24-hour “body clock” processes that influence many biological functions including blood pressure.

28 Apr 2011

Non-communicable diseases responsible for more than half of deaths worldwide, WHO report says

Chronic and non-communicable illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, are at epidemic proportions and cause more deaths worldwide than all other diseases combined, the WHO said in a report released Wednesday, Reuters reports.

28 Apr 2011