Nitric Oxide Beneficial In Septic Shock After All
Scientists at VIB and Ghent University in Flanders, Belgium have found an unexpected ally for the treatment of septic shock, the major cause of death in intensive care units. By inducing the release of nitric oxide (NO) gas in mice with septic shock, researchers Anje Cauwels and Peter Brouckaert discovered that the animal's organs showed much less damage, while their chances of survival increased significantly. That's contrary to all expectations, since it is generally assumed that nitric oxide is responsible for the potentially lethal drop in blood pressure in septic shock. Septic shock, or sepsis, is a medical condition in which acute inflammation, low blood pressure, and blood clotting cause a dangerous decrease in the delivery of blood to the organs.
On New Lab Chip, Heart Cells Display A 'Nanosense' That Guides Their Behavior
Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers, working with colleagues in Korea, have produced a laboratory chip with nanoscopic grooves and ridges capable of growing cardiac tissue that more closely resembles natural heart muscle. Surprisingly, heart cells cultured in this way used a "nanosense" to collect instructions for growth and function solely from the physical patterns on the nanotextured chip and did not require any special chemical cues to steer the tissue development in distinct ways. The scientists say this tool could be used to design new therapies or diagnostic tests for cardiac disease. The device and experiments using it were described in this week's online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
New MRI Safety Risk For Patients With Pacemakers Identified By FDA Researchers
FDA researchers have found that certain cardiac pacemakers may inadequately stimulate a patient's heart while undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan due to the magnetic pulses mixing with the electronic pulses from the pacemaker. This inadequate stimulation is potentially dangerous for the patient undergoing the MRI scan, according to research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BioMedical Engineering Online. MRI is an imaging technique that uses a magnetic field instead of ionizing radiation to produce a detailed image of internal body structures. MRI systems expose patients to very strong magnetic fields that can interfere with implanted cardiac pacemakers.
Favorable Vote From FDA Advisory Committee On Benefit Risk Of CRESTOR R rosuvastatin Calcium In JUPITER Study
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) voted 12 yes, 4 no, and 1 abstention that AstraZeneca has established sufficient benefit to offset the observed risks to support the use of CRESTOR ® (rosuvastatin calcium) in individuals meeting the following criteria: -- Men greater than or equal to 50 years, women greater than or equal to 60 years; -- Fasting LDL < 130 mg/dL; hsCRP greater than or equal to 2.0 mg/L; Triglycerides <500 mg/dL; -- No prior history of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events or coronary heart disease (CHD) risk equivalent as defined by NCEP ATP-III guidelines.
Achieving Heart Health In Europe
Members of the European Parliament Heart Group (MEP HG) meet today, in Brussels, with the Cardiology profession and representatives of national Heart Foundations to evaluate the achievements at EU level in combating Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), and to reveal the need for further action. With the title 'Achieving Heart Health in Europe: Why the European Parliament Matters', the meeting is the first since the European elections in June this year. During the 2004-2009 term, the MEP Heart Group was the largest forum on health in the European Parliament. The group resumes now its activities which endeavour to raise heart health as a priority on the EU political agenda.
Combining Celebrex With Low-Dose Aspirin May Reduce Protection From Heart Attack And Stroke, Study Suggests
Millions of Americans take Celebrex for arthritis or other pain. Many, if they are middle-aged or older, also take a low-dose aspirin tablet daily to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Yet they may be getting little protection, because Celebrex keeps the aspirin from doing its job effectively, a new study suggests. In laboratory studies, University of Michigan researchers found that several coxibs, the drug class to which Celebrex belongs, interfere with aspirin's ability to discourage blood clots, if the aspirin is taken in low doses. Celebrex, also known as celecoxib, is the only coxib currently on the market. The results appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Successful Implantation Of A New Type Of Cardiac Pacemaker With Wireless Remote Telemonitoring
The electrophysiology team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) recently performed the first implantation of a new type of cardiac pacemaker (Accent RF™ ) in Canada. This landmark procedure was carried out on October 22, 2009 by Drs. Bernard Thibault and Peter Guerra. Both are cardiologists, electrophysiologists at the MHI and professors at the Università de Montrà al. The Accent RF™ pacemaker uses wireless technology and is intended for people with bradycardia, an abnormally slow heart rate. The patient responded favourably to the procedure, and four additional implantations have since been performed, again with successful outcomes. A major innovation in telemedicine Developed by St-Jude Medical, this device provides electronic stimulation when the heart beats too slowly.
Low CETP Activity Associated With Heart Disease Risk
Although seen as a potential heart disease therapy, raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels by inhibiting activity of a transfer protein may not be effective, a new study suggests. Scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and Boston University School of Medicine found an association between low plasma cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) activity and increased risk of heart disease in the Framingham Heart Study population. CETP is a protein that shuttles cholesterol throughout the body, thus controlling the levels of HDL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) in the blood.
What Are Beta-Blockers? What Are Beta-Blockers For?
Beta-blockers, also known as beta-adrenergic blocking agents, beta-adrenergic antagonists, or beta antagonists, are a type of drug that block the action of the sympathetic nervous system of the heart, resulting in a relief of stress on the heart. A beta-blocker blocks beta-adrenergic substances, for example adrenaline (apinephrine) in the involuntary nervous system (autononomic nervous system). Beta-blockers slow down the heart beat, reduce the force of the heart muscle's contractions, and decrease blood vessel contraction in the heart, brain, and the rest of the body. Patients with cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), tachycardias (accelerated heart rates), or irregular heart rhythms ( atrial fibrillation ), such as premature ventricular beats may be prescribed beta-blockers.
Cooling May Benefit Children After Cardiac Arrest
When the heart is stopped and restarted, the patient's life may be saved but their brain is often permanently damaged. Therapeutic hypothermia, a treatment in which the patient's body temperature is lowered and maintained several degrees below normal for a period of time, has been shown to mitigate these harmful effects and improve survival in adults. Now, in the first large-scale multicenter study of its kind, physician-scientists are evaluating the effectiveness of the technique in infants and children. Offered exclusively in New York by Columbia University Medical Center researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, the Therapeutic Hypothermia After Pediatric Cardiac Arrest (THAPCA) trial is funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).