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A report published in the November 10 issue of Archives of Internal medicine finds that people who sleep less than 7.5 hours per day may have a higher future risk of heart disease. Kazuo Eguchi, M.D., Ph.D. (Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan) and colleagues also find an increased risk of heart disease among people who have little sleep combined with overnight elevated blood pressure.

New research published in the November 10 issue of Archives of Internal medicine reveals that it may be possible to reduce the risk of a second non-fatal heart attack by participating in an intensive, comprehensive, long-term secondary prevention program. Pantaleo Giannuzzi, M.D.

Corthera Inc. announced that an interim analysis of top-line data from Pre-RELAX-AHF, the Phase II portion of a Phase II/III multicenter, randomized, double-blind, international study, showed favorable efficacy and safety for relaxin, the company's investigational drug for treatment of acute heart failure. The interim Phase II results were presented by John R. Teerlink, M.D.

WomenHeart urged women to talk with their doctors about heart disease risk factors in light of new research demonstrating the impact of statin therapy (cholesterol-lowering drugs) on cardiovascular events in women. The study, called JUPITER, found that statin therapy prevents heart attacks, strokes and deaths in women - even those with normal cholesterol levels and no signs of heart disease.

Despite substantial progress in the diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients, prevention of recurrent heart attacks continues to be a major clinical challenge.

Phase I results of the first clinical trial of gene therapy for patients with advanced heart failure show the approach to be promising, with improvements in several measures of the condition's severity. In Phase I clinical trials, researchers test a new treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.

Global Therapeutics, a leading developer of innovative solutions for the cardiology market, today announced initiation of the world's first clinical trial of a drug eluting stent that uses an antisense RNA therapeutics agent aimed at silencing one of the genes (c-myc) responsible for causing arteries to reclose after stenting (restenosis).

Australia's regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB)(PINK:MBLTY), announced today that the thirteenth patient enrolled in the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial for congestive heart failure had been safely implanted with the proprietary adult stem cells during a live case at the American Heart Association's annual conference, currently underway in New Orleans.

Sleeping less than seven and a half hours per day may be associated with future risk of heart disease, according to a report in the November 10 issue of Archives of Internal medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, a combination of little sleep and overnight elevated blood pressure appears to be associated with an increased risk of the disease.

HealthDay - MONDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- An analysis of 33 studies on drugs known as beta blockers has concluded that they are not useful in any surgical procedure other than heart surgery. In fact, using beta blockers for non-coronary surgery may actually increase the risk of stroke, the scientists say.