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Certain biomarker for inflammation and coagulation in HIV positive patients have been associated with increased risk of death from non-AIDS diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, according to an article published in the open-access journal PLoS medicine onOctober 20, 2008.

Cardium Therapeutics (Amex: CXM) and its operating unit InnerCool Therapies, Inc., announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the RapidBlue(TM) System, an endovascular temperature modulation device. InnerCool's RapidBlue System is a thermal regulating system designed to manage and control patient body temperature.

Biomarkers for certain types of kidney dysfunction, such as proteinurea or albinurea, could be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), according to an article released on October 20, 2008 in the open-access journal PLoS medicine. In CHD, atherosclerotic plaques build up around the walls of arteries and vessels in the body.

Researchers at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology have developed tiny polymer beads that can slowly release anti-inflammatory drugs and break down into non-toxic components. When injected into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack, the drug-embedded "microparticles" reduce inflammation and scarring, the researchers found.

An updated set of quality of care indicators for heart attack patients, developed by a 12 member panel of experts from across Canada, reflects new evidence and practice guidelines for optimal heart attack care http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg909.pdf.

Daxor Corporation (AMEX: DXR), a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, announced the publication of a comparison study of the blood volume and anemia characteristics in heart failure patients in the October 2008 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. In the study, heart failure patients were categorized on the basis of whether they had a normal ejection fraction versus a low ejection fraction.

UCSF researchers investigating the appropriate use of procedures to open narrowed coronary arteries -- such as angioplasty and stenting -- found that less than half of Medicare patients had documented noninvasive stress testing prior to elective percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, the clinical name for such procedures. The team analyzed a 20 percent random sample of 2004 Medicare claims data, amounting to 23,887 patients who were 65 years or older.

The typical Western diet - fried foods, salty snacks and meat - accounts for about 30 percent of heart attack risk across the world, according to a study of dietary patterns in 52 countries reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

As part of an ongoing effort to expand its comprehensive offering of diagnostic and interventional devices, Cook Medical announced today the North American launch of its Advance® 18LP Balloon Dilatation Catheter. With a low crossing profile and small sheath compatibility, Advance 18LP is designed to provide physicians with superior deliverability. Cook's Advance 18LP is a .

Title: Heart Failure Raises Risk of FracturesCategory: health newscreated: 10/21/2008 2:00:00 amlast Editorial review: 10/21/2008