Moderate alcohol consumption may increase atrial fibrillation risk

Moderate alcohol consumption may increase risk of atrial fibrillation in people with heart disease – Moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of atrial fibrillation in older people with heart disease or advanced diabetes, found a study in CMAJ. “Moderate to high alcohol intake was associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation among people aged 55 or older with cardiovascular disease or diabetes,” writes Dr. Koon Teo, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, with coauthors.

Alzheimer’s Disease timeline invaluable for successful drug trials

First detailed timeline established for brain’s descent into Alzheimer’s – Scientists have assembled the most detailed chronology to date of the human brain’s long, slow slide into full-blown Alzheimer’s disease. As part of an international research partnership known as the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN), scientists at Washington University and elsewhere evaluated a variety of pre-symptomatic markers of Alzheimer’s disease in 128 subjects from families genetically predisposed to develop the disorder.

Stroke risk greater for older women with atrial fibrillation

Risk of stroke greater for women than men among older patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation – In a study that examined use of the anticoagulant medication warfarin and risk of stroke following a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in older patients, women, especially those 75 years or older, had a higher risk of stroke than men, regardless of their risk profile and use of warfarin, suggesting that current anticoagulant therapy to prevent stroke might not be sufficient for older women.

Stroke clinical trial finds intensive medical treatment better than brain stent

Intensive medical therapy more effective than stenting for preventing a second stroke — Results of NIH-funded clinical trial published in New England Journal of Medicine – Patients at a high risk for a second stroke who received intensive medical treatment had fewer strokes and deaths than patients who received a brain stent in addition to the medical treatment, a large nationwide clinical trial has shown.

Rivaroxaban can prevent strokes in atrial fibrillation patients

Study shows ability of new agent to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation – Rivaroxaban, an anti-clotting drug, was shown to be an attractive alternative to warfarin in the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, revealed by researchers recently.

Stem cells repair heart damage in a human trial

Heart damage improves, reverses after stem cell injections in a preliminary human trial – Researchers have shown for the first time that stem cells injected into enlarged hearts reduced heart size, reduced scar tissue and improved function to injured heart areas, according to a small trial published in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

International clinical trial tests targeted drug for melanoma skin cancer

International clinical trial tests targeted drug for melanoma — Rush University Medical Center enrolls first US patient – Rush University Medical Center has just enrolled the first U.S. patient in an international clinical trial testing a novel drug to treat certain kinds of melanoma, a deadly skin cancer that in its advanced stages currently has few effective treatments.

US company starts clinical trial using stem cells to treat macular degeneration

Advanced Cell Technology Receives FDA Clearance For the First Clinical Trial Using Embryonic Stem Cells to Treat Macular Degeneration — FDA Lifts Clinical Hold; Company to Commence a Phase I/II Clinical Trial at Multiple Centers – Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (“ACT”; OTCBB:ACTC) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to immediately initiate a Phase I/II multicenter clinical trial using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to treat patients with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD), one of the most common forms of juvenile macular degeneration in the world.

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