Troponin blood test can predict heart disease risks years ahead
April 30, 2019
By Neozene

While the presence of high levels of troponin in the bloodstream has been used to help detect acute heart attacks in the emergency room, Abbott says that new study data employing its high-sensitivity test could predict a person’s chances of having a cardiac event years into the future, even in patients showing no symptoms. The medtech giant said the research suggests adding the test to routine physicals of healthy middle-aged and older adults to help ward off the onset of heart disease. Data from the decades-long Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities

FDA Clears First Device Treatment for Childhood ADHD
April 23, 2019
By Neozene

This article originally appeared in FiercePharma on 4/22/19 and is written by Conor Hale The FDA has cleared the first medical device for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): an at-home nerve stimulation system designed for children ages 7 to 12. The prescription-only treatment—NeuroSigma’s Monarch external trigeminal nerve stimulation system—is designed for children who are currently not taking any medications. About the size of a cellphone, the device delivers a mild electrical pulse to a wired patch placed on the patient’s forehead while sleeping. By stimulating the branches of the

Researchers build 3D-printed heart out of patient’s donor cells
April 16, 2019
By Neozene

Originally by Conor Hale for FierceBiotech Though it’s much smaller than a human heart—at only 2.5 centimeters, it’s about the size of a rabbit’s—the proof-of-concept still contains a fully vascularized structure, complete with its own cells, ventricles and atria. The cells are capable of contracting, but they still need to be taught to work together in order to pump blood effectively, before being tested as a transplant material in animal models, according to research lead Tal Dvir, a professor at Tel Aviv University’s School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology and