Cardiovascular Animation Circulatory Animations

Tracing Metal Pollution Back To Its Sources
A new way of pinpointing where zinc pollution in the atmosphere comes from could improve pollution monitoring and regulation, says research out this week in the journal Analytical Chemistry. Imperial College London researchers say their work is a major breakthrough as current methods for analysing zinc pollution only measure pollution in the atmosphere; they do not trace it back to its source.

Aldagen Announces Positive Phase 1/2 Results For Critical Limb Ischemia Stem Cell Therapy ALD-301
Aldagen today announced positive results from its multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ALD-301, a novel stem cell therapy being developed for the treatment of critical limb ischemia. In the 24-week Phase 1/2 trial, ALD-301 was well tolerated.

Duska Therapeutics Applies For Phase 3 Special Protocol Assessment
Duska Therapeutics, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: DSKA), announced that it has submitted its pivotal Phase 3 ATPace clinical trial protocol for review under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) procedure with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Subject to securing an agreement with the FDA, Duska intends to initiate a single, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomized Phase 3 clinical trial with its lead product ATPace.

Trellis(R) Peripheral Infusion System Removes Blood Clots In Largest Reported Prospective Endovascular DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) Patient Series
Clinical data from a prospective registry presented this week at the 35th Annual Veith Symposium shows DVT treatment with the Trellis(R) Peripheral Infusion System from Bacchus Vascular, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) successfully breaks up the blood clot in most patients in about 20 minutes. This technique, called isolated pharmacomechanical thrombolysis, restores blood flow more quickly and safely than current catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) techniques.

Portuguese Scientists Discover New Mechanism That Regulates Formation Of Blood Vessels
Researchers in one of the external groups of the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), in Portugal, have discovered a novel mechanism which regulates the process whereby new blood vessels are formed and wounds heal, including chronic wounds, such as those found in diabetic patients and those suffering from morbid obesity.

New European Guidelines On Heart Attack Management Put Emphasis On Speed Of Action
Timing, emergency network, reperfusion therapy are central to new recommendations New European guidelines issued today on the management of heart attack emphasise speed of action and the importance of "reperfusion" therapy to restore blood flow to the heart and improve survival rates. "A well-functioning regional system of care...

UK Fast Food Chains Commit To Healthier Eating
The big six fast food chains seen on high streets in the UK: Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, Nando's, Subway and Wimpy have promised to make changes that make it easier for people to eat healthy restaurant meals. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) wants to see more fruit, vegetables and salad on menus and for less dominance of fried food.

Children Of Centenarians Live Longer, Have Lower Risk Of Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes
A recent study appearing in the November issue of Journal of American Geriatrics Society revealed that centenarian offspring (children of parents who lived to be at least 97 years old) retain important cardiovascular advantages from their parents compared to a similarly-aged cohort. The study is the first to assess the health of centenarian offspring over time and could be important for future research, as the subjects may be used as a model of healthy aging.

Gentium Provides An Update On The Phase 3 Treatment Trial Of Defibrotide For Severe Veno-Occlusive Disease
Gentium S.p.A. (NASDAQ: GENT) announced today interim results from an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) review of the Company's Phase 3 treatment trial of Defibrotide for Severe Veno-Occlusive Disease (VOD). The DSMB reported that in order for the study to be 80% powered to detect a p-value of .

Pocket-Sized Echocardiograph Provides Quick And Qualitative Assessment
The European Journal of Echocardiography* recently published a paper studying the performance of Siemens' ACUSON P10™ ultrasound system at the Morriston Cardiac Centre in Swansea. Results revealed that the P10 was, within a four minute examination, able to assess the size and function of the left ventricle in more than three quarters of cardiac patients.

Medtronic Launches New Medical Device In U.S. To Improve Treatment Of Aortic Aneurysms
Adding to its recent endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) innovations, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the U.S. launch of the Talent Abdominal Stent Graft on the Xcelerant Hydro Delivery System. EVAR is a treatment for aortic aneurysm, a dangerous bulge or weakening in the body's main artery that can rupture with fatal consequences if left untreated.

Peripheral Fat Breakdown Undermined By Bad Cholesterol
The so called bad cholesterol (LDL) inhibits the breakdown of fat in cells of peripheral deposits, according to a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The discovery reveals a novel function of LDL as a regulator of fat turnover besides its well-established detrimental effects in promoting atherosclerosis. The study, which is a collaboration of two research groups at Karolinska Institutet, is published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

Potential To Improve Heart And Stroke Treatments Following Enzyme Discovery
A Queen's University study sheds new light on the way one of our cell enzymes, implicated in causing tissue damage after heart attacks and strokes, is normally kept under control. Led by Biochemistry professor Peter Davies, the research team's discovery will be useful in developing new drug treatments that can aid recovery in stroke and heart disease, as well as lessen the effects of Alzheimer's and other neurologically degenerative diseases.

Women Dominate Hospitalizations For Chest Pain With No Known Cause
Women are more likely than men to be hospitalized for chest pain for which doctors cannot find a cause, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2006, there were 477,000 admissions of women to U.S. community hospitals for unspecified chest pain compared with 379,000 admissions for men. Unspecified chest pain is usually characterized by a feeling of pressure, burning, or numbness.

Study Suggests Need For More Aggressive Outpatient Monitoring Of Patients' Hearts When Cause Of Stroke Is Unclear
In nearly one third of all people who suffer from a stroke, the underlying cause of the injury is not readily evident to doctors. Atrial fibrillation (AF), or an irregular heartbeat, is believed to be a significant factor in many of these cases. Stroke researchers at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh are reporting in the journal Neurology (http://www.neurology.