Palpitations

FDA Approves First Medication to Treat Severe Frostbite

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Aurlumyn (iloprost) injection to treat severe frostbite in adults to reduce the risk of finger or toe amputation.

Key Points: 
  • SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Aurlumyn (iloprost) injection to treat severe frostbite in adults to reduce the risk of finger or toe amputation.
  • Frostbite can occur in several stages, ranging from mild frostbite that does not require medical intervention and does not cause permanent skin damage, to severe frostbite when both the skin and underlying tissue are frozen and blood flow is stopped, sometimes requiring amputation.
  • Iloprost's efficacy in treating severe frostbite was primarily established in an open-label, controlled trial that randomized 47 adults with severe frostbite, who all received aspirin by vein and standard of care, into one of three treatment groups.
  • The two other groups received other medications that are unapproved for frostbite, given with iloprost (Group 2) or without iloprost (Group 3).

Romance isn’t always rosy, sometimes it’s sickening – lovesickness, erotomania and death by heartbreak explained

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

All you need is love.

Key Points: 
  • All you need is love.
  • It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
  • But is love all pink hearts, roses and teddy bears – or is there a darker side?

Pathological Love

  • Love can hurt.
  • Ian McEwan framed a pathological form of affection, leading to obsession in his 1997 novel “Enduring Love”.
  • They appear even in the words of Hippocrates, described as a form of unrequited love.
  • The condition has seen a renaissance, over the past three centuries, shifting from unanswered love to sex addiction, to its current standing of delusions of love.

I love Paris in the springtime

  • Love, or perceptions of love for material objects or places rather than individuals might also be enough to trigger psychiatric illness.
  • Stendhal was not a psychiatrist, but a writer, who found himself overcome by the beauty of Florence when travelling there in 1817.
  • For others, unfortunately not – leading to a condition known as Paris Syndrome.

Too many broken hearts in the world

  • The term broken heart syndrome applies to a genuine cardiac condition – Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
  • The underlying cause of broken heart syndrome?
  • The raised levels of adrenaline have been proposed as an underlying cause of broken heart syndrome – a link between heart and mind – though more research is required to tell for sure.


Dan Baumgardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Human medicines European public assessment report (EPAR): Eladynos, abaloparatide, Date of authorisation: 12/12/2022, Revision: 3, Status: Authorised

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Human medicines European public assessment report (EPAR): Eladynos, abaloparatide, Date of authorisation: 12/12/2022, Revision: 3, Status: Authorised

Key Points: 


Human medicines European public assessment report (EPAR): Eladynos, abaloparatide, Date of authorisation: 12/12/2022, Revision: 3, Status: Authorised

Tenaya Therapeutics Announces FDA Clearance to Begin Clinical Testing of TN-401 Gene Therapy for the Treatment of PKP2-Associated Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 26, 2023

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tenaya Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNYA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a mission to discover, develop and deliver potentially curative therapies that address the underlying causes of heart disease, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided clearance of the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate clinical testing of TN-401.

Key Points: 
  • TN-401 is Tenaya’s adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9)-based investigational gene therapy product candidate for the treatment of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) caused by mutations in the plakophilin-2 (PKP2) gene.
  • Tenaya is currently conducting the RIDGE™ global non-interventional natural history and serotype study of PKP2-associated ARVC.
  • ARVC, also known as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), is a chronic, progressive, familial disease that typically presents before age 40.
  • People with ARVC experience symptoms related to ventricular arrhythmias, including palpitations, lightheadedness and fainting, and are at increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

Study Helps Explain How COVID-19 Heightens Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023

Experts have long observed that the COVID-19 coronavirus increases the likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke for up to a year after infection, particularly for those who already have underlying heart conditions.

Key Points: 
  • Experts have long observed that the COVID-19 coronavirus increases the likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke for up to a year after infection, particularly for those who already have underlying heart conditions.
  • Notably, the researchers say, two of the identified cytokines, interleukin-1 beta and interluekin-6, have already been linked to heart attacks.
  • "These results shed light onto a possible connection between preexisting heart issues and long COVID symptoms," said study senior author and cardiologist Chiara Giannarelli, MD, PhD.
  • Further funding was provided by the American Heart Association grant 20SFRN35210252 and a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grant.

S-Patch Ex, Wearable ECG Patch, Cleared by US FDA

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 13, 2023

The S-Patch Ex is an ECG and heart rate recording device for use by healthcare professionals and patients both at home and in clinical settings.

Key Points: 
  • The S-Patch Ex is an ECG and heart rate recording device for use by healthcare professionals and patients both at home and in clinical settings.
  • The product is embedded with Samsung Electronics' Next-Generation bio-processor which ensures the device captures accurate ECG waveforms.
  • With the latest technologies on board, the performance and features of the product are unparallel to those of key players in the wearable patch market.
  • Most recently, the device is also used in research with long COVID patients for ECG monitoring in institutions such as Stanford University in the U.S. and Liverpool Hospital in Australia.

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Honors Innovative Psychiatric Researchers

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 31, 2023

New York, July 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) today announced the winners of its 2023 Klerman and Freedman Prizes, recognizing exceptional clinical and basic research in mental illness.

Key Points: 
  • New York, July 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) today announced the winners of its 2023 Klerman and Freedman Prizes, recognizing exceptional clinical and basic research in mental illness.
  • “We applaud these researchers for their innovative thinking and extraordinary accomplishments across the field of neuropsychiatry, and we thank our generous donors for supporting scientists in brain and behavior research.”
    The prizewinners are selected by the BBRF Scientific Council comprised of 184 pre-eminent mental health researchers.
  • Since its founding in 1987, the Foundation has awarded more than $440 million to more 5,300 scientists around the world.
  • Five scientists received recognition for their outstanding work in brain and behavior research:
    Dr. Hafeman’s research focuses on youth diagnosed with or who are at risk for bipolar disorder.

Opioids and cocaine are a deadly combination – and 'polydrug' deaths are rising

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 31, 2023

Drug-related deaths associated with stimulants, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine and methylphenidate, doubled between 2011 and 2021.

Key Points: 
  • Drug-related deaths associated with stimulants, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine and methylphenidate, doubled between 2011 and 2021.
  • And deaths associated with using both stimulants and opioids, such as heroin, morphine, fentanyl and methadone, increased by about sevenfold over the same period.
  • Cocaine and methamphetamine are stimulant drugs, whereas opioids, such as heroin and methadone, are depressants.
  • Taken together, it can be seen that there may be a worldwide increase in polydrug-related deaths and in particular those involving both stimulants and opioids.

What is atrial fibrillation, the heart condition US President Joe Biden lives with?

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 20, 2023

US President Joe Biden has the heart condition atrial fibrillation.

Key Points: 
  • US President Joe Biden has the heart condition atrial fibrillation.
  • This increases his risk of having a stroke five-fold and doubles the risk of a heart attack or dementia.
  • More than 37.5 million people globally also have atrial fibrillation, but many don’t realise they have it.

What is atrial fibrillation?

    • It’s the most common heart rhythm disorder and is more common as you get older.
    • The heart can go into atrial fibrillation for short periods of time, and then return to normal rhythm, or stay in this abnormal heart rhythm continuously.

How do I know if I have it?

    • But others have no symptoms and don’t know they have atrial fibrillation.
    • We know very little about why some people have symptoms and others do not.
    • This is a type of non-invasive test where 12 leads are attached to your chest to measure the electrical activity of the heart.

What happens after you’re diagnosed?

    • Once diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, you will be assessed for serious potential complications, such as an increased risk of stroke.
    • You’ll be advised to manage any risk factors that worsen atrial fibrillation and increase your risk of stroke.
    • Some people may also need to take medicines to control their heart rhythm or have a procedure called “ablation”.

How about high blood pressure?

    • More than three in five people with atrial fibrillation also have high blood pressure (hypertension).
    • We found one-in-three had poorly controlled blood pressure.
    • When someone’s blood pressure is poorly controlled, this is usually because their medicines are not adequately bringing down their blood pressure.

Why is this important?

    • Strokes, heart attacks and dementia are still leading causes of death and ill health in Australia.
    • Ritu Trivedi is a recipient of the Commonwealth Government Research Training Program Stipend Scholarship to support her PhD studies.

Does Congenital Heart Disease Cause Arrhythmias? Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute Has the 4-1-1

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 27, 2023

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Taking care of your health is always important, especially when you're born with a heart defect (congenital heart disease). Having a heart defect makes other health problems more likely. Arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat, is a serious concern for those with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD).

Key Points: 
  • HOLLYWOOD, Fla., June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Taking care of your health is always important, especially when you're born with a heart defect (congenital heart disease).
  • Arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat, is a serious concern for those with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD).
  • Most arrhythmias aren't fatal, but they can cause symptoms like heart palpitations, a rapid heart rate and fatigue.
  • HOW DOES CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE CAUSE ARRHYTHMIA?