Gene therapy could be an effective way to improve survival rates among heart attack patients, new research funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) suggests. Academics at the University of Bristol found that boosting levels of a natural growth factor in the heart could help the muscle to recover after a heart attack. The death rate from a heart attack was halved in mice that received the treatment. Continue Reading
With a concern that the automatic reporting of estimated glomerular filtration rate (the flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidney, which is used to define the stage and severity of chronic kidney disease) may result in unnecessary referrals by physicians, new research indicates that automated laboratory reporting was associated with a significant increase in first-time visits to a kidney specialist, particularly among those at increased risk of late detection of kidney disease (such as older or female patients), according to a study in the March 24/31 issue of JAMA. Continue Reading
Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today results from in vivo animal studies and in vitro tests demonstrating that its triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy is superior relative to double combinations and monotherapy against multiple strains of pandemic and avian influenza viruses. Results of these studies were presented Sunday evening in an oral session at the XII International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections being held in Taipei. Continue Reading
The announcement of a new clinical trial, EXCEL (Evaluation of Xience Prime versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization), that will compare drug-eluting stents to coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients with left main coronary artery disease, was made today at “Optimizing PCI Outcomes: Evolving Paradigms,” a symposium presented by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. Continue Reading
An experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol without the troublesome side effects experienced by some people on statins, according to a study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. An international team of investigators at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research tested a substance called Eprotirome in patients with high cholesterol. Continue Reading
Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently accepted for review the lurasidone New Drug Application (NDA) for the treatment of patients with acute schizophrenia. The NDA was submitted to FDA on December 30, 2009 and will receive a standard review. Continue Reading
People whose “bad” cholesterol and risk of future heart disease stay too high despite cholesterol-lowering statin therapy can safely lower it by adding a drug that mimics the action of thyroid hormone. In a report published in the Mar. 11, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Johns Hopkins and Swedish researchers say an experimental drug called eprotirome lowered cholesterol up to 32 percent in those already on statins, an effect equal to that expected from doubling the statin drug doses, without harmful side effects. Continue Reading
A research team from the Laval Centre de sant- et de services sociaux, Universit- de Montr-al and McGill University Health Centre has examined the benefits of greater collaboration between family physicians and community pharmacists for select patients. Continue Reading
It’s a silent epidemic that affects millions of Americans. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a life-threatening illness that can often be treated successfully if found early, and can be detected at an early stage using simple, inexpensive blood and urine tests. As part of its 2010 World Kidney Day awareness program, the physicians of Dallas Nephrology Associates urge everyone to know and track their “kidney number.” Continue Reading
Diabetes affects approximately 8 percent of the people in the United States and adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates two to four times higher than adults without diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. A new study shows that primary care physicians believe the barriers that put patients with uncontrolled diabetes at risk for cardiovascular disease as being patient-related or system-related. Continue Reading
