Tag: heart disease
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Statistical Tool Helps Cut Heart Failure Readmissions
Medical researchers at Intermountain Heart Institute in Murray, Utah developed a statistical index that evaluates a cardiac patient’s condition and calculates the risk of readmission for the same disorder within 30 days. The team led by Benjamin Horne, director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at the institute, a division of Intermountain Medical Center in Salt…
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Goggle Device Helps Distinguish Between Vertigo and Stroke
Medical researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, with colleagues at the universities of Illinois and Michigan, tested a device resembling a pair of swim goggles to tell if a patient experiencing severe, continuous dizziness is having a stroke or a more benign condition. The findings of the team led by professor of neurology and…
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Lozenges, Tobacco-Free Snuff Help Tobacco Chewers Quit
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota found nicotine lozenges and tobacco-free snuff could get smokeless tobacco users to quit their habits, even when some users started out with no intention of quitting. The team led by Mayo Clinic’s Jon Ebbert published its findings in this month’s issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors (paid…
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No Disability Improvement Seen from Clot Device After Stroke
A clinical trial shows devices inserted into an artery after a stroke to remove a blood clot, used with clot-dissolving drugs, do not improve chances of living independently after 90 days compared to the use of drugs alone. The results of the study, funded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the…
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Statistical Database Analysis Links Genes, High Cholesterol
Researchers at University of Massachusetts in Amherst and University of Pennsylvania developed a technique for analyzing public databases with open-source software to discover populations at genetic risk for disease at lower cost. The team led by UMass biostatistician Andrea Foulkes (pictured right) reported its findings yesterday in the online journal PLoS One. The technique called…
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Potential Cause of Statin-Produced Muscle Pain Revealed
Researchers at Copenhagen University in Denmark identified a possible cause for muscle pain encountered by people taking a leading statin drug for control of cholesterol. The team from the university’s Center for Healthy Aging, led by Flemming Dela, reported its findings in this month’s issue of the Journal of American College of Cardiology. Statins are…
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Covidien to Acquire Blood Vessel Device Developer
Covidien — a maker of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and health care supplies based in Dublin, Ireland — agreed to acquire CV Ingenuity in Fremont, California, a developer of a device to treat peripheral artery disease. Financial terms of the deal, expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2013, were not disclosed. Peripheral artery…
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Stem Cells Induced to Become Blood Vessel Tissue Cells
Biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore developed a process that causes stem cells to transform into two different types of tissue found in the walls of blood vessels. The findings of the team led by chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Sharon Gerecht are published in the January 2013 issue of the journal Cardiovascular…
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Computer Model Shown to Predict Irregular Heartbeat
Medical researchers at University of Rochester in New York, with computer scientists at IBM, built a computer model of the heart wall that can predict the risk of irregular heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death in patients. The results of this collaboration, led by Rochester cardiovascular professor Coeli Lopes, appear in a recent issue of…
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Lower Copays, Mail Orders Close Hypertension Drug Gaps
Researchers with the health care system Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California found lower copayments and use of mail-order refills help reduce race and ethnic disparities in drug adherence for patients diagnosed with high blood pressure. The findings on medicine-taking behavior and measures to cut those differences in drug adherence are reported online in the journal…