Cardiovascular Week articles from October 2008

Cardiovascular Week archives from October 2008

New mechanism for cardiac arrhythmia discovered.
October 6, 2008... It has long been thought that virus infections can cause cardiac arrhythmia. But why has not been understood. Ulrike Lisewski, Dr. Yu Shi, Michael Radke and Professor Michael Gotthardt of the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)...

Study finds wide variability in survival after emergency treatment for cardiac arrest.
October 6, 2008... An analysis of emergency medical servicesutreated cardiac arrest outcomes in 10 areas in North America finds a five-fold difference in survival rates, according to a study in the September 24 issue of JAMA (see also JAMA and Archives Journals)....

Termination-of-resuscitation rules helps ID cardiac arrest patients with small chance of survival.
October 6, 2008... Researchers have validated criteria that are used to identify patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who have little or no chance of survival after resuscitation, according to a study in the September 24 issue of JAMA (see also JAMA and...

Minimally invasive aortic valve bypass benefits high-risk elderly patients.
October 6, 2008... An uncommonly used surgical procedure that bypasses a narrowed aortic valve, rather than replacing it, effectively restores blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body and gives high-risk patients a safe alternative to conventional valve...

Research on angiology discussed by scientists at Innsbruck Medical University.
October 6, 2008... "Versatile particles from transcatheter embolization may accidentally enter the Pulmonary circulation, causing severe pulmonary embolism. A 36-yr-old woman patient suffering from an arteriovenous malformation in the left shoulder underwent...

Studies from M. Mase and co-researchers yield new data on arrhythmia.
October 6, 2008... According to a study from Trento, Italy, "Atrial flutter is a supraventricular arrhythmia, based on a reentrant mechanism mainly confined to the right atrium. Although atrial flutter is considered a regular rhythm, the atrial flutter interval...

Report summarizes enzyme research study findings from Arizona State University.
October 6, 2008... "The ATP synthase is one of the most important enzymes on earth as it couples the transmembrame electrochemical potential of protons to the synthesis of ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate, providing the main ATP source of almost all higher...

Data on cardiology described by researchers at Indiana University.(Report)
October 6, 2008... According to recent research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, "Objectives The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that superiority of biphasic waveform (BW) over monophasic waveform (MW)...

New cardiology research from Florida International University outlined.(Report)
October 6, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "Apart from the well-studied melanocytes of the skin, eye and inner ear, another population has recently been described in the heart. In this study, we tracked cardiac melanoblasts using in...

Data on life sciences published by researchers at University of California.
October 6, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "Biological variables such as basal metabolic rate scale with body mass through a power law relationship. The coronary arterial system also exhibits power law relations between morphological...

Research on life sciences detailed by scientists at University of Berlin, Medical Department.
October 6, 2008... " Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) is an emerging noninvasive technique for detecting coronary plaques. The present study investigated agreement in the detection and characterization of coronary plaques and reproducibility of volumetric...

Researchers from University of Iowa, Medical Department describe findings in life sciences.
October 6, 2008... "Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InSP3) receptors are calcium-release channels found in the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) membrane of diverse cell types. InsP(3) receptors release Ca2+ from ER/SR lumenal stores in response to InSP3...

Studies from Yale University, Department of Pediatrics have provided new data on cardiology.
October 6, 2008... A new study, 'Monocilia in the embryonic mouse heart suggest a direct role for cilia in cardiac morphogenesis,' is now available. "Primary cilia are required for signaling, chemosensing and mechanosensing in many fluid-filled organs, thus cilia...

Reports from University of Massachusetts describe recent advances in life sciences.(Report)
October 6, 2008... Research findings, 'Tethering chemistry and K+ channels,' are discussed in a new report. "Voltage-gated K+ channels are dynamic macromolecular machines that open and close in response to changes in membrane potential. These multisubunit...

Amarin Announces Financial Results for Second Quarter 2008.(Financial report)
October 6, 2008... Amarin Corporation plc (NASDAQ:AMRN) ("Amarin" or "Company") reported financial results for the second quarter of 2008 (see also Amarin Corporation plc). For the second quarter of 2008, Amarin reported a net profit of $0.3 million, or...

Amarin Appoints Dr. Mehar S. Manku to Chief Scientist.
October 6, 2008... Amarin Corporation plc (NASDAQ:AMRN) announced the appointment of Dr. Mehar S. Manku to the position of Chief Scientist. Dr. Manku joined Amarin in October 2004 with the acquisition by Amarin of Laxdale Ltd, as the Company's Vice President,...

MedCath Announces Resignation of Phil Mazzuca, Chief Operating Officer.
October 6, 2008... MedCath Corporation (NASDAQ:MDTH), a healthcare provider focused on high acuity healthcare services, predominately the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, announced the resignation of Phil Mazzuca, Executive Vice President and...

Medtronic to Acquire CryoCath Technologies Inc.
October 6, 2008... Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) and CryoCath Technologies Inc. (TSX:CYT) announced they have entered into an agreement whereby Medtronic, through a wholly owned subsidiary, will make a takeover bid for all of the outstanding shares of CryoCath for...

MonaVie Announces Pulse: the New Heart-Healthy Acai Beverage.
October 6, 2008... MonaVie (www.monavie.com), maker of the premier blend of the Brazilian acai berry, announces the launch of a new product in its line of functional beverages--MonaVie Pulse. A scientifically formulated acai infusion, new MonaVie Pulse was...

Step back to move forward emotionally, study suggests.(Report)
October 6, 2008... ANN ARBOR, Mich.---When you're upset or depressed, should you analyze your feelings to figure out what's wrong? Or should you just forget about it and move on? New research suggests a solution to these questions and to a related...

Reports from G.J. Wang et al highlight recent research in abdominal aortic aneurysm.
October 13, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "We compared the results of endovascular repair using the Powerlink endovascular graft with conventional open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair through a 6-year follow-up period. Two hundred...

Researchers from American University of Beirut discuss findings in aneurysm.
October 13, 2008... According to recent research from Beirut, Lebanon, "Cervical aortic arch (CAA) is a rare congenital aortic anomaly. It can be associated with several cardiovascular abnormalities including aortic aneurysm, valvular disease, and...

Studies from S. Dighe and colleagues provide new data on aneurysm.
October 13, 2008... According to recent research from Carshalton, the United Kingdom, "A 79-year-old man, with a background of peripheral vascular disease, presented to the emergency department with a sudden increase in the size of his swelling in the right thigh,...

Research in the area of angiogenesis reported from E. Wallgard and colleagues.
October 13, 2008... "Pathological angiogenesis is an integral component of many diseases. Antiangiogenesis and vascular targeting are therefore promising new therapeutic principles," investigators in Stockholm, Sweden report (see also Angiogenesis). "However,...

Research from University of Hong Kong reveals new findings on angiology.(Report)
October 13, 2008... According to a study from Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, "Hybrid technique with open surgical supra-aortic extra-anatomical bypasses (to provide a suitable proximal landing zone) and simultaneous or staged thoracic endovascular stent...

Data on cardiology detailed by researchers at Central South University.(Report)
October 13, 2008... "Objectives This study sought to determine whether calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is involved in glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) response in humans, and its association with mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) Glu504Lys (ALDH2*2)...

New data from R. Shave et al illuminate research in cardiology.
October 13, 2008... According to recent research from Uxbridge, the United Kingdom, "Whether prolonged exercise results in a transient depression in left ventricular (LV) function has been the focus of numerous studies since the 1960s. This review attempts to...

New findings reported from Smith College, College of William & Mary describe advances in cardiology.
October 13, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "In prior work, we introduced a probability density approach to modeling local control of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in cardiac myocytes, where we derived coupled advection-reaction equations...

Scientists at University of Edinburgh target cardiology.(Report)
October 13, 2008... According to recent research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, "Objectives This study was designed to establish the direct vascular effects of apelin in vivo in man. Apelin is the endogenous ligand for the...

New cardiovascular electrophysiology study findings reported from B.M. Vangelder and co-authors.
October 13, 2008... "V-V Optimization: Interventricular Conduction Times vs LVdP/dt(MAX). We compared the calculated optimal V-V interval derived from intracardiac electrograms (IEGM) with the optimized V-V interval determined by invasive measurement of...

Data from L. Velasco et al provide new insights into cardiovascular pharmacology.
October 13, 2008... "Functional and biochemical studies were performed in isolated left atria of male Wistar rats to study wheather endogenous polyamines may mediate androgen-clicited positive inotropism and their relationship with a rise in cAMP during the...

Recent findings in cardiovascular pharmacology described by researchers from Peking University.
October 13, 2008... "Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is a component of the flower Carthamus tinctorius L. The present investigation determines whether HSYA can modify the effects of hypoxia on vascular endothelial cells (EC) and its mechanisms. Human EC line...

New echocardiography study findings have been published by scientists at Hospital for Sick Children.
October 13, 2008... According to recent research from Toronto, Canada, "The feasibility of a new comprehensive method to detect mechanical dyssynchrony in pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) was assessed. Doppler tissue imaging was performed in 12 left...

Reports summarize enzyme research from University of Freiburg.
October 13, 2008... According to recent research published in the International Journal of Legal Medicine, "Recent studies show that ethyl glucuronide (EtG) can be decomposed by bacteria; whilst so far no degradation of ethyl sulphate (EtS) has been observed. In...

Investigators at University of Wisconsin target molecular and cellular cardiology.
October 13, 2008... "Titin is a very large alternatively spliced protein that performs multiple functions in heart and skeletal muscles. A rat strain is described with an autosomal dominant mutation that alters the isoform expression of titin," researchers in the...

Research from University of London, Imperial College has provided new information about molecular and cellular cardiology.
October 13, 2008... According to recent research from London, the United Kingdom, "Neural structures have been shown to be present in valve cusp tissue. We aimed to characterise the influence of neuronal stimulation on the component structures of the aortic root...

AtriCure to Participate at the Third Annual JMP Securities Healthcare Focus Conference in October.(Conference notes)
October 13, 2008... AtriCure, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATRC), a medical device company and a leader in cardiac surgical ablation systems, announced that David J. Drachman, President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the Third Annual JMP Securities...

PanGenex PGXC Provides Product Update on LIPIDEME.
October 13, 2008... In June, 2008, PanGenex Corporation (Pink Sheets:PGXC) formally introduced LIPIDEME(TM), the all-natural product formulated to address cardiovascular health by having a positive impact on blood lipids. LIPIDEME, made from scientifically proven...

SectorWatch.biz Issues MarketStats on NWCI, ERES, STJ, MDT, BSX, and CSCX.
October 13, 2008... SectorWatch.biz announces the availability of MarketStats for health care technology equities in the news and driving markets today. MarketStats offers a perspective on the aforementioned equities and the opportunity for investors to respond...

TI drives new market of handheld ultrasound systems with industry's smallest, lowest-power analog front ends.
October 13, 2008... Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:TXN) today introduced two new integrated analog front ends (AFEs) for handheld ultrasound systems. The newest members of TI's AFE family for medical ultrasound, the industry-first 16-channel AFE5851 and...

VentriPoint Diagnostics Ltd. Engages CHF Investor Relations and Reports Approval of Shares Issued to Directors and Consultants as Payment for Services.
October 13, 2008... VentriPoint Diagnostics Ltd. ("VentriPoint") (TSX Venture: VPT) announced that, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, it has retained CHF Investor Relations (Cavalcanti Hume Funfer Inc., "CHF"), Canada's only IR firm whose management...

Research from University of California provides new data on angiology.
October 20, 2008... In this recently published study, investigators in the United States conducted a study "To identify a set of computed tomographic (CT) features of carotid atherosclerotic plaques that is significantly associated with ischemic stroke. In a...

Research on angioplasty published by C.M. Schirmer et al.
October 20, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Intracranial stenosis (IS) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality from hypoperfusion and thromboembolism. We used computational fluid dynamic methods to analyze luminal patterns of...

Data on angiotensins reported by researchers at Fourth Military Medical University.
October 20, 2008... "Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) participate in the processes of postnatal neovascularization and re-endothelialization in response to tissue ischemia and endothelial injury. The level of EPCs present has been found to be directly...

Reports from Hokkaido Health Science University describe recent advances in angiotensins.
October 20, 2008... " Hypertension is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, and elevated pressure (i.e., mechanical pressure stresses) has been known to modulate vascular remodeling, possibly by affecting the tissue renin-angiotensin system. In the present...

Findings from V.M. Tadic et al in antimicrobials reported.
October 20, 2008... According to recent research from Serbia, "Hawthorn [Crataegus monogyna Jacq. and Crataegus oxyacantha L.; sin. Crataegus laevigata (Poiret) DC., Rosaceae] leaves, flowers, and berries are used in traditional medicine in the treatment of...

Research on bradycardia published by scientists at Yokohama City University, Medical Department.(Report)
October 20, 2008... "Atrial overdrive provides the best opportunity to suppress atrial arrhythmias. Atrial preference pacing (APP) algorithm has been designed to achieve a high percentage of atrial pacing," investigators in Yokohama, Japan report (see also...

New cardiology research from Gazi University discussed.(Report)
October 20, 2008... According to a study from Ankara, Turkey, "In this paper, a time-frequency spectral analysis software (Heart Sound Analyzer) for the computer-aided analysis of cardiac sounds has been developed with LabVIEW. Software modules reveal important...

Researchers' work from University of Pavia focuses on cardiology.
October 20, 2008... "Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is an inherited arrhythmogenic disorder characterized by life threatening arrhythmias elicited by physical and emotional stress in young individuals. The recessive form of CPVT is...

Study results from Vanderbilt University update understanding of cardiology.
October 20, 2008... "KCNE1 is a single-span membrane protein that modulates the voltage-gated potassium channel KCNQ1 (Kv7.1) by slowing activation and enhancing channel conductance to generate the slow delayed rectifier current (I-Ks) that is critical for the...

Research on enzyme research discussed by O. Skaff and co-researchers.
October 20, 2008... According to recent research from Sydney, Australia, "Plasmalogens, which contain a vinyl ether bond, are major phospholipids of the plasma membranes of endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells and cardiac myocytes. These lipids, in...

Report summarizes angiotensins study findings from University of Hull.
October 20, 2008... "Angiotensin II activates two distinct receptors, the angiotensin II receptors type 1 (AT1) and type 2 (AT2). In rodents, two AT1 subtypes were identified (AT1a and AT1b)," scientists in the United Kingdom report (see also Angiotensins). ...

Recent studies by F. Zoppo and co-authors add new data to atrial fibrillation findings.
October 20, 2008... " Whether cooling catheters should be preferred for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is not yet clear. From April 2005 to October 2006, 991 (74% men) consecutive patients who underwent AF ablation were prospectively enrolled in 10 Italian...

Study data from Royal Melbourne Hospital update knowledge of atrial fibrillation.(Report)
October 20, 2008... " Recent studies have suggested an emerging link between steep apnoea and atrial fibrillation (AF). These studies included patients with reduced left ventricular (LV) function which may cause both AF and steep disordered breathing (SDB),"...

Study data from O. Ecabert and colleagues update understanding of cardiology.
October 20, 2008... "Automatic image processing methods are a prerequisite to efficiently analyze the large amount of image data produced by computed tomography (CT) scanners during cardiac exams. This paper introduces a model-based approach for the fully...

New cardiovascular medicine study results from C. Rapezzi et al described.
October 20, 2008... "Objectives To evaluate implementation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control recommendations in secondary care and explore key points in the decisional workup. Methods and results In a nationwide survey of secondary-care...

Data on enzyme research published by researchers at St. Louis University, Medical Department.
October 20, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "We have previously reported that the majority of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) activity in rabbit ventricular myocytes is membrane-associated, calcium-independent (iPLA(2)), selective for...

Studies from University of Wisconsin, Medical Department provide new data on enzyme research.
October 20, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "Protein kinase A-mediated (PKA) phosphorylation of cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyBP-C) accelerates the kinetics of cross-bridge cycling and may relieve the tether-like constraint of...

Findings from Medical College of Wisconsin, Medical College broaden understanding of life sciences.(Report)
October 20, 2008... "The guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), SmgGDS, promotes nucleotide exchange by several GTPases in both the Ras and Rho families, especially by RhoA. Because RhoA plays an important role in regulating the contraction of vascular smooth...

Studies from University of Oxford yield new information about microscopy.
October 20, 2008... According to a study from Oxford, the United Kingdom, "Transport networks are vital components of multi-cellular organisms, distributing nutrients and removing waste products. Animal cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and plant...

Researchers from Selcuk University detail new studies and findings in the area of obstructive sleep apnea.
October 20, 2008... According to recent research from Konya, Turkey, "Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an important disease that affects both the right and the left cardiac ventricle. This paper presents a novel classification method called pairwise...

New life sciences research from University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering outlined.
October 20, 2008... Fresh data on life sciences are presented in the report 'Enhancement of accuracy and reproducibility of parametric modeling for estimating abnormal intra-QRS potentials in signal-averaged electrocardiograms.' "This work analyzes and attempts to...

Brown & Toland Raises $45,000 for American Heart Association.
October 20, 2008... Brown & Toland Physicians raised nearly $45,000 for the American Heart Association's Start! Heart Walk on Sept. 19. The company donated the sixth greatest amount out of 64 companies participating in this year's event (see also Brown & Toland...

Touchstone Health Partners with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to Fight Cardiovascular Disease Among Seniors.
October 20, 2008... Touchstone Health HMO, Inc. announced that it has teamed up with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to promote awareness in New York City of stroke, the number three killer and leading disabler among the elderly (see...

eCardio Launches the eVolution(SM).
October 20, 2008... eCardio Diagnostics, LLC announced the launch of the eVolution(SM), a single-component cardiac monitoring system that provides instant and accurate patient information through automated data transmissions (see also eCardio Diagnostics, Llc)....

NewCardio Opens Office in Princeton, New Jersey.
October 20, 2008... NewCardio, Inc., (BULLETIN BOARD: NWCI) a cardiac diagnostic and services company, announced that the Company has opened a new office in Princeton, New Jersey. The new office is strategically positioned to service the many healthcare and life...

St. Jude Medical Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the World's First Implantable Pacemaker.
October 20, 2008... St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ) today celebrates the 50th anniversary of the world's first implantable pacemaker. On Oct. 8, 1958, a Swedish man named Arne Larsson received the world's first implanted pacemaker. The groundbreaking technology...

Traumatic aortic injury -- New England Journal of Medicine review.
October 27, 2008... A blunt traumatic injury to the aorta, the body's main artery, is one of the leading causes of death following a vehicle crash. If it is not treated rapidly, the patient is at serious risk for artery rupture, which is nearly always fatal....

Findings from Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University in aneurysm reported.
October 27, 2008... According to a study from Greifswald, Germany, "Two patients with dissecting (n = 1) and saccular (n = 1) aneurysms of the infrarenal abdominal aorta with very narrow proximal and distal aortic necks underwent treatment with percutaneous...

Research reports on angiology from N. Diehm and colleagues provide new insights.
October 27, 2008... In this recent article published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, scientists in the United States conducted a study "To quantify the interobserver variability of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) neck length and...

Studies from M. Ludwig et al in the area of angiology described.(Report)
October 27, 2008... "Non-invasive 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) has emerged as the predominant approach for evaluating the progression of carotid atherosclerosis and its response to treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of a central...

Studies from L. Gonzalezlopez and colleagues yield new information about ankylosing spondylitis.
October 27, 2008... "We evaluated the prevalence and characteristics associated with hyperhomocysteinemia in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Ninety-seven patients with AS were compared with 97 controls," scientists writing in the journal Rheumatology International...

Researchers from Harvard University detail findings in circadian rhythms.
October 27, 2008... According to a study from the United States, " Adverse cardiovascular events in humans occur with a day/night pattern, presumably related to a daily pattern of behaviours or endogenous circadian rhythms in cardiovascular variables. Healthy...

Data on aneurysm described by M.B. Rabus et al.
October 27, 2008... "Traumatic aneurysms of the brachiocephalic artery may cause mostly nonspecific symptoms, which may lead to a misdiagnosis with serious complications. This report describes a 27-year-old woman with a traumatic aneurysm of the brachiocephalic...

Studies from S. Walker and co-authors have provided new information about angioplasty.
October 27, 2008... According to recent research published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, "The purpose of this research study was to explore groin complication rates of patients mobilized at 3, 4, and 6 hours after femoral arterial sheath removal...

Studies from Frederiksberg University update current data on arthritis.(Report)
October 27, 2008... According to a study from Frederiksberg, Denmark, "The amount Of colour Doppler activity in the inflamed synovium is used to quantity inflammatory activity. The measurements may vary due to image selection, quantification method, and point in...

Findings from Harvard University advance knowledge in cardiology.
October 27, 2008... "Morphogenesis is often considered a function of transcriptional synchrony and the spatial limits of diffusing mitogens; however, physical constrainment by the cell microenvironment represents an additional mechanism for regulating...

New cardiology findings from M. Swissa and co-researchers published.(Report)
October 27, 2008... According to a study from Rehovot, Israel, " The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value and safety of sublingual isosorbid dinitrate (ISDN) with intravenous isoproterenol (ISOP) during head-up tilt table testing (HUTT) in...

Recent findings in cardiology described by J.M.P. Lotjonen and colleagues.
October 27, 2008... In this recently published article, scientists in Tampere, Finland conducted a study "To validate a volumetric biventricular segmentation solution for multiaxis cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images. The study population comprised 40...

Report summarizes cardiology study findings from M. Buehrer and co-researchers.
October 27, 2008... According to a study from Zurich, Switzerland, "Segmented cardiac acquisitions generally require the use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) in combination with a breathhold or a respiratory navigator placed on the diaphragm. These techniques...

Reports outline cardiology study findings from A.S. Kini and colleagues.
October 27, 2008... " The present study was done to analyze if glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPI) bolus-only will reduce vascular/bleeding complications and cost with similar major adverse cardiac events (MACE) when compared with GPI bolus + infusion....

Research from St. James Hospital yields new findings on cardiology.
October 27, 2008... "In elite athletes left ventricular (LV) morphological changes are predicted to alter passive pressure/volume characteristics by reducing myocardial stiffness and increasing compliance. To investigate the utility of a new Doppler tissue index...

Research from University of Freiburg reveals new findings on cardiology.
October 27, 2008... According to a study from Freiburg, Germany, "The purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of steady-state free precession (SSFP)-tagging at 1.5T and 3T and to define the ideal settings with respect to optimized tag contrast...

Researchers at University of Toronto, Heart Center have published new data on cardiology.(Report)
October 27, 2008... " Arterial switch operation is standard repair for complete transposition of the great arteries (TGA). Coronary artery abnormalities are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in the acute postoperative phase," scientists in Toronto,...