Mayo Genomic Discovery: Protecting Kidney Function During Heart Failure

Mayo Clinic cardiology researchers have found a peptide that helps preserve and improve kidney function during heart failure, without affecting blood pressure. Earlier variations of this peptide caused blood pressure to drop limiting the potential benefits to the kidneys. The findings appear in the current Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Reduced Risk Of Stroke, Further Heart Attack And Death For Patients After A Heart Attack Or Unstable Angina With Oral Rivaroxaban

The findings of the ATLAS ACS-TIMI 46 study are reported in an article Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet, and written by Dr Jessica L Mega, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, and collaborators. They suggest that the intake of the oral anti-clotting drug rivaroxaban in patients after an acute coronary syndrome (such as a heart attack or an unstable angina) reduces the risk of stroke, another heart attack, and death.

Markers Of Inflammation Are More Strongly Associated With Fatal Than Non-fatal Cardiovascular Events In The Elderly

A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine shows that for elderly people at risk of cardiovascular disease, the presence of inflammatory markers in the blood can identify that an individual is at a higher risk of a fatal rather than a non-fatal heart attack or stroke. Inflammation is an immune response to injury. However, inflammation is also thought to play a role in cardiovascular disease.

New Therapy Found To Prevent Heart Failure

A landmark study has successfully demonstrated a 29 percent reduction in heart failure or death in patients with heart disease who received an implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy device with defibrillator (CRT-D) versus patients who received only an implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD-only).

Income, Education, Important Factors In Heart Disease Risk

Doctors who ignore the socioeconomic status of patients when evaluating their risk for heart disease are missing a crucial element that might result in inadequate treatment, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study published in the June 2009 American Heart Journal.

The Alliance For The Advancement Of Adult Stem Cell Therapy And Research Announces Successful Treatment Of End-Stage Heart Disease With Stem Cells

Zannos Grekos, MD, Associate Clinical Professor at Nova Southeastern University, has announced six month follow-up results for a patient treated with adult stem cells in a clinical study of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

MiCardia® Announces First U.S. Implant

MiCardia® (MiCardia Corporation, Irvine, California) announced the completion of the first U.S. implant of its Dynaplasty® mitral valve repair technology. The surgery was performed last week at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan. Francis L. Shannon, M.D., who is a partner in SEMCVS and Director of CV Surgical Research and Quality Outcomes at Beaumont, commented, "The MiCardia® device implanted easily and conformed well to the patient's mitral annulus.