PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A new drug reduces heart damage

Study on treatment for heart attack patients led by the Montreal Heart Institute

2013-03-11
(Press-News.org) This press release is available in French.

A single dose of an investigational anti-inflammatory drug called inclacumab considerably reduces damage to heart muscle during angioplasty (the opening of a blocked artery), according to a recent international clinical trial spearheaded by Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Centre at the Montreal Heart Institute, affiliated with the University of Montreal. Presented today in San Francisco at the prestigious American cardiology conference, these findings show great promise.

"Inclacumab could indeed become an integral part of the therapeutic arsenal of modern cardiology if we can reproduce these results in subsequent studies. We could use the drug for a broader patient population, or for all patients who present with a heart attack, but this will require further study," explained Dr. Tardif, lead investigator of the study and also professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal.

Reducing the risk of complications after angioplasty to treat heart attack Each year, approximately 35,000 coronary artery angioplasty procedures are conducted in Canada and more than 1 million are conducted in the United States to treat atherosclerosis. This condition occurs when the arteries are obstructed with deposits of fat (cholesterol), calcium and cellular waste. Over time, the arteries lose their elasticity and narrow, which slows down or blocks blood flow. Because of the resulting complications (angina, heart attack, stroke, etc.), patients may ultimately need an angioplasty, which is a percutaneous intervention that dilates the narrowed artery to re-establish blood flow. However, heart tissue can become damaged during an angioplasty, and an inflammatory cascade can lead to other complications.

A single dose may provide benefits For this clinical study, Dr. Tardif and his team compared the effects of a single dose of this new anti-inflammatory drug with placebo. Inclacumab is an antibody that blocks P-selectin, a molecule that drives inflammation and plays an important role in vascular disease.

To study the effects of the drug, Dr. Tardif and his team administered a single dose of inclacumab and then measured the subjects' levels of troponin I, which is a marker used clinically to diagnose heart attack. They found that inclacumab reduced troponin l levels by 24 %. "It is very exciting to discover that a single dose of inclacumab can provide benefits," stressed Dr. Tardif. The trial involved 530 patients with myocardial infarction whose median age was 61 and 78.9 % of whom were men. Patients were randomized to receive an infusion of inclacumab at 20 mg/kg, inclacumab at 5 mg/kg, or placebo 1 to 24 hours before angioplasty. Markers for heart damage were then measured at 8, 16 and 24 hours after angioplasty.

On Sunday March 10, Dr. Tardif will present the results of the SELECT-ACS, supported by Roche, or "Effects of the P-Selectin Antagonist Inclacumab in the Select-Acute Coronary Syndromes Trial" at the 62nd Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology. ACC.13 is the premier cardiovascular medical meeting in the United States that brings together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists to further advances in cardiovascular medicine.

### The University of Montreal is officially known as Université de Montréal.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Significant reduction in temperature and vegetation seasonality over northern latitudes

2013-03-11
An international team of authors from 17 institutions in seven countries, including the Woods Hole Research Center, published a study in the journal Nature Climate Change on the 10 March 2013 (10.1038/NCLIMATE1836: http://www.nature.com/nclimate). The study shows that, as the cover of snow and ice in the northern latitudes has diminished in recent years, the temperature over the northern land mass has increased at different rates during the four seasons, causing a reduction in temperature and vegetation seasonality in this area. The temperature and vegetation at northern ...

Can hormone help treat multiple sclerosis long-term?

2013-03-11
SAN DIEGO – A new study suggests that treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) may be helpful for people whose multiple sclerosis (MS) is not well-controlled through their regular treatment. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013. The study involved 23 people with MS who were taking beta-interferon treatment and had at least one relapse or brain scan showing new disease activity within the previous year. They were considered to have "breakthrough" MS, which ...

Early detection of MS treatment complication may improve survival

2013-03-11
SAN DIEGO – The drug natalizumab is effective for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), but it increases the risk of a rare but potentially fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). A study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013, suggests that early detection of PML may help improve survival and disability levels. The study examined 319 people with MS who were treated with natalizumab and diagnosed with PML. Because of the risk of PML, people ...

Amplified greenhouse effect shaping North into South

2013-03-11
BOSTON—An international team of 21 authors from 17 institutions in seven countries has just published a study in the journal Natural Climate Change showing that, as the cover of snow and ice in the northern latitudes has diminished in recent years, the temperature over the northern land mass has increased at different rates during the four seasons, causing a reduction in temperature and vegetation seasonality in this area. In other words, the temperature and vegetation at northern latitudes increasingly resembles those found several degrees of latitude farther south as ...

Sudden death in young athletes: Important causes not identified by the screening process

2013-03-11
Even though young athletes are required to receive health screens to be cleared to play sports, those tests failed to detect important cardiovascular abnormalities in cleared players, and many were allowed to play despite suspicions of dangerous cardiovascular conditions, according to a large registry study of patients who died from sudden death, being presented March 10 by Kevin Harris, MD, research cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF). The data is being presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in San Francisco. ...

Selectively manipulating protein modifications

2013-03-11
This press release is available in German. Protein activity is strictly regulated. Incorrect or poor protein regulation can lead to uncontrolled growth and thus cancer or chronic inflammation. Members of the Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Zurich have identified enzymes that can regulate the activity of medically important proteins. Their discovery enables these proteins to be manipulated very selectively, opening up new treatment methods for inflammations and cancer. For a healthy organism, it is crucial for proteins ...

Are tropical forests resilient to global warming?

2013-03-11
Tropical forests are less likely to lose biomass – plants and plant material - in response to greenhouse gas emissions over the twenty-first century than may previously have been thought, suggests a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. In the most comprehensive assessment yet of the risk of tropical forest dieback due to climate change, the results have important implications for the future evolution of tropical rainforests including the role they play in the global climate system and carbon cycle. To remain effective, programmes such as the United ...

ECG screening for competitive athletes would not prevent sudden death

2013-03-11
The risk of cardiovascular sudden death was very small and only about 30% of the incidence were due to diseases that could be reliably detected by pre-participation screening, even with 12-lead ECGs, according to research in a U.S. high school athlete population presented March 10 at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions. Sudden death in young competitive athletes due to cardiovascular disease is an important community issue, which could impact the design of population-based screening initiatives. The frequency with which these tragic events ...

Mummy CT scans show preindustrial hunter gatherers had clogged arteries

2013-03-11
Like nearly 4.6 million Americans, ancient hunter-gatherers also suffered from clogged arteries, revealing that the plaque build-up causing blood clots, heart attacks and strokes is not just a result of fatty diets or couch potato habits, according to new research in the journal The Lancet. The researchers performed CT scans of 137 mummies from across four continents and found artery plaque in every single population studied, from preagricultual hunter-gatherers in the Aleutian Islands to the ancient Puebloans of southwestern United States. Their findings provide an ...

Cleveland Clinic research shows anemia drug does not improve health of anemic heart failure patients

2013-03-11
EMBARGOED UNTIL 7:45 PM ET, Sunday, March 10, 2013, Cleveland: Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and Sweden-based Sahlgrenska University Hospital have found that a commonly used drug to treat anemia in heart failure patients –darbepoetin alfa – does not improve patients' health, nor does it reduce their risk of death from heart failure. Results of the international study were presented at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting in San Francisco on March 10 and published simultaneously online by the New England Journal of Medicine. Initiated in 2006, the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

Healthy nutrition and physical lifestyle choices lower cancer mortality risk for survivors, new ACS study finds

[Press-News.org] A new drug reduces heart damage
Study on treatment for heart attack patients led by the Montreal Heart Institute