Since opening for business in 2009, Firelight Fusion has been at the forefront of the e cigarette industry in customer service and cooperation. To celebrate that history, they are now doing a giveaway of 3 starter kits at the start of September. "We love our customers and wanted to show our appreciation by giving them the opportunity to win a free e cigarette starter kit," says May Quintero of Firelight Fusion's Customer Service Department. "I know many of our long time customers by name and hope we can help many more make the switch." Included ...

On Target Voice and Data, Inc., an electrical and telecommunications contractor (www.teamontarget.com), announced today that it has completed its acquisition of the business assets of Fusion IP, Irvine, California, an IT solutions provider serving global Fortune 1000 customers. The Fusion IP acquisition allows for the expansion of On Target's capabilities by adding multiple network solutions to their already impressive diverse portfolio of product and services. These solutions include monitoring and managing customer networks, technical support, cloud computing, data ...

Smoking is the most preventable risk factor for cardiac and lung disease and is expected to cause 1 billion deaths during the 21st century. Electronic cigarettes have been marketed in recent years as a safer habit for smokers, with several millions of people already using them worldwide. Electronic cigarettes simulate the effect of smoking by producing an inhaled vapor. The device consists of a battery, a cartridge containing liquid and a heating element which gets warm and evaporates the liquid. Laboratory analyses of the liquids show that they are less toxic than regular ...

After the smoking ban was introduced in Bremen, Germany, the rate of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) diminished by 26% in non-smokers but remained almost constant in active smokers, according to research presented today at the ESC Congress 2012. The results were presented by Dr Johannes Schmucker from Germany. Many European countries have passed anti-smoking legislation which bans smoking from restaurants, bars and public buildings. After implementation of such a smoking ban on 1 January 2008 in the metropolitan area of Bremen in northwest Germany (800,000 ...

Adolescent smokers have thicker artery walls indicative of early development of atherosclerosis, according to research presented today at the ESC Congress. The findings from the Sapaldia Youth Study were presented by Dr Julia Dratva from Switzerland. Early exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with various adverse health outcomes in children and adolescents, including low birth weight and impaired lung growth and function. Tobacco smoke is considered highly atherogenic in adults, but little is known about the impact of tobacco smoke exposure on cardiovascular health ...

Munich, Germany – A novel non-invasive device which separates healthy and damaged heart muscle and restores ventricle function improves 3 year outcomes in patients with ischemic heart failure, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012. The findings were presented by Professor William T. Abraham at an ESC press conference on 25 August and by Dr Marco Costa at an ESC Congress scientific session on 27 August. Heart failure is a common, debilitating, and potentially deadly condition in which the heart is unable to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs ...

Munich, Germany – A promising new drug target for the treatment and prevention of heart failure has been discovered by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY, US. The study was presented at the ESC Congress 2012 by principal investigator Professor Roger J. Hajjar, MD. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 5.8 million Americans suffer from heart failure and 670,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. One in five people with heart failure die within one year of diagnosis. Heart failure is most often treated with aggressive ...

According to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), adding vorapaxar, an investigational platelet blocker, to standard antiplatelet therapy significantly reduces the long-term risk of recurrent cardiovascular events beyond one year in patients with a history of a prior heart attack. Researchers also identify a low-bleeding risk group among whom the clinical benefit of vorapaxar was particularly favorable. This research is presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2012 and published simultaneously in the Lancet. For more than a million Americans ...

Munich, Germany – Healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, proteins and non-saturated fats are consumed more often by the wealthy while poorer people consume more carbohydrates, concludes a new study involving people from 17 countries. Results from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study were reported here today by Professor Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, in Hamilton, Canada and principal investigator of the study. The study, involving 154,000 individuals from 628 communities, ...

Munich, Germany – Data presented today from the prospective Determination of Fractional Flow Reserve by Anatomic Computed Tomographic Angiography (DeFACTO) study show that, when compared to standard coronary angiography (CT), the non-invasive assessment of fractional flow reserve by computed tomography (FFRct) provides a more accurate determination of which lesions require invasive evaluation.(1) The results of the study were presented by Dr James K. Min, director of Cardiac Imaging Research and co-director of Cardiac Imaging at the Department of Medicine, Imaging and ...

Munich, Germany – Preliminary results from the Aliskiren Trial in Type 2 Diabetes Using Cardio-Renal Endpoints (ALTITUDE) do not support administration of aliskiren on top of standard therapy with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) blockade in type 2 diabetics at high risk of cardiovascular and renal events, according to Professor Hans-Henrik Parving from Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Presenting results from the study today, he said the treatment "may even be harmful". The ALTITUDE trial was stopped prematurely in December 2011 on recommendation ...

Munich, Germany – The first trial to study the effect of platelet inhibition in patients with acute coronary syndromes managed medically without revascularisation has found no significant difference between prasugrel and clopidogrel in the prevention of death, myocardial infarction or stroke. The findings, from the phase III Targeted Platelet Inhibition to Clarify the Optimal Strategy to Medically Manage Acute Coronary Syndromes (TRILOGY ACS) study, were presented today at a Hot Line session of ESC Congress 2012 in Munich. TRILOGY ACS was double-blind, randomised trial ...

Munich, Germany – The novel angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, LCZ696, demonstrated beneficial effects in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to results of the PARAMOUNT (Prospective compArison of ARNI with ARB on Management Of heart failUre with preserved ejectioN fracTion) trial. Approximately half of all heart failure patients have normal or nearly normal ejection fraction, a measure of their strength of cardiac contraction. However, while many studies have shown a benefit of pharmacological therapies in heart failure ...

Munich, Germany – Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists should be considered as a treatment option in hypertensive patients with diastolic heart failure, said Professor Burkert Pieske presenting results today of the Aldosterone Receptor Blockade in Diastolic Heart Failure (Aldo-DHF) study at ESC Congress 2012. Behind his conclusion lay results showing that mineralocorticoid receptor blockade with spironolactone improves cardiac function and structure, reduces neuroendocrine activation, and effectively reduces blood pressure in a patient population with symptomatic predominantly ...

Munich, Germany – Obesity triggers atrial fibrillation in fertile women, according to research presented today at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Deniz Karasoy from Denmark. Atrial fibrillation and obesity are among the largest public health related challenges in the western world today. Atrial fibrillation is the commonest heart rhythm disorder and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Previous studies have demonstrated that obesity increases the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation in individuals with known risk factors for developing atrial fibrillation ...

Munich, Germany – Female gender increases the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) aged >75 years by 20%, according to a study presented today at the ESC Congress 2012. The findings were presented by Anders Mikkelsen, from Denmark. The results suggest that female gender should not be included as an independent stroke/thromboembolism (TE) risk factor in guidelines or risk stratification schemes used in treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. The increased risk of stroke and TE in patients with atrial fibrillation depends on additional risk ...

Munich, Germany – Women with acute heart failure have similar in-hospital mortality to men but are less treated in the real world, according to results from the global ALARM-HF registry presented today at the ESC Congress 2012. The findings were presented by Dr John T. Parissis from Greece. Acute heart failure (AHF) is a frequent clinical situation with high short- and long-term mortality as well as high hospitalization rates. The Acute Heart Failure Global Registry of Standard Treatment (ALARM-HF) is an in-hospital chart audit survey which includes patients hospitalized ...

Munich, Germany – Drug eluting stents (DES) are used less often in women treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease than men treated with PCI for the same condition, according to research presented today, August 25, at the ESC Congress 2012. The findings from a country-wide Germany registry were presented by Dr Martin Russ. Coronary artery disease is still a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Europe and worldwide. During treatment with PCI, cardiologists can use bare metal stents (BMS) or the newer DES. While they do not ...

"It is well known that passive smoking is harmful for cardiovascular health, but the mechanism has not yet been discovered," said Dr Kaya. "We investigated the effects of passive smoking on the levels of three parameters – mean platelet volume (MPV), carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and lactate - in an effort to further understand this mechanism. We also looked at the correlation between the three parameters." Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a well established indicator of platelet activation that is increased in acute thrombotic events. It is suspected that carbon monoxide (CO) ...

Munich, Germany – Spinal cord stimulation improves heart function and could become a novel treatment option for heart failure, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 25, by Professor Hung-Fat Tse from Hong Kong. Heart failure is a progressive weakening of the heart muscle. It is a chronic condition that occurs when the heart cannot pump blood to meet the body's needs. When heart failure is present, not enough blood is circulating, which may cause fatigue. Further, fluid accumulation in the abdomen and legs and congestion in the lungs is ...

Munich, Germany – Copeptin predicts prognosis in patients with heart failure, according to research presented at the ESC Congress today, August 25, by Professor Stefan Störk from Germany. Increased levels of copeptin were associated with increased frequencies of typical co-morbidities of heart failure, increased severity of heart failure, and increased risk of all-cause death. "Knowledge on the prognosis of patients with a chronic condition enables the physician to tailor the speed and intensity of treatment options to the individual patient," said Professor Störk. ...

Munich, Germany – People who have a cardiac arrest during or shortly after exercise are three times more likely to survive than those who have a cardiac arrest that is not exercise related, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 26. The findings from the Amsterdam Resuscitation Study (ARREST) were presented by Dr Arend Mosterd from the Netherlands. "Although physical activity is the best way to promote cardiovascular health, exercise can also trigger an acute cardiac event leading to death," said Dr Mosterd. "These dramatic and often high ...

Munich, Germany – A novel blood test that predicts sudden death risk in heart failure patients is set to help physicians decide which patients would benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The findings were presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 26, by Professor Samuel Dudley from Chicago, IL, US. Approximately 5 million patients in the US have heart failure, a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood adequately, and nearly 550,000 people are diagnosed annually. Heart failure is the single most common cause of admission to hospitals ...

Munich, Germany – Cardiovascular screening with ECG in young athletes is a cost effective way of diagnosing cardiac abnormalities, at just 138 Swiss Francs (about €115) per athlete. The findings were presented today, August 26, at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Andrea Menafoglio from Switzerland. Sport is beneficial for health in most people. But for the small minority of the population who has cardiovascular abnormalities, sport can cause harm and very rarely – in one to three per 100,000 athletes per year – it can lead to sudden cardiac death. "The cardiac arrest of ...

Munich, Germany – Electrical storm (ES) is a potent risk factor for mortality and morbidity, according to research presented today, August 26, at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Federico Guerra from Italy. Data was also presented on which patients are prone to developing ES and how effective current treatments are. Sustained ventricular arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF), are often seen as serious and devastating events, given their ability to lead to cardiac arrest and death if not treated promptly. Dr Guerra said: "The cluster ...