http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. An outbreak of bloodstream infections appears to have been caused by the contamination of pre-filled heparin and saline syringes made by a single company, according to a report in the October 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The subsequent investigation revealed that the company was not in compliance with safety regulations and identified challenges and areas for improvement in medication monitoring systems. http://www.physorg.com/news174585368.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:20:02 EST news174585368 (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration is alerting doctors that a widely used blood thinner has been reformulated to improve its safety, though the change could open the door to dosing errors. http://www.physorg.com/news173627825.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:20:01 EST news173627825 Heparin, a commonly used anticoagulant, can cause skin lesions, reports a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Skin lesions caused by heparin may indicate the presence of a life-threatening decrease in the number of platelets, a condition called "heparin-induced thrombocytopenia" or a, in most cases self-limiting, allergic skin reaction. http://www.physorg.com/news173363046.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:40:01 EST news173363046 Late-breaking data from the landmark HORIZONS-AMI clinical trial, presented at the 21st annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, demonstrated that after two years, in heart attack patients, the use of a drug-eluting stent (paclitaxel) was safer and more effective than a bare-metal stent; and that the administration of the anticoagulant medication bivalirudin enhanced safety and efficacy compared to the use of heparin + GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors. http://www.physorg.com/news173121558.html Medicine & Health Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:30:02 EST news173121558 Data from a phase II trial of an investigational intravenous drug designed to block the formation of blood clots shows potential to reduce the risk of death, a second heart attack, or other coronary complications compared with the current standard of care in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (heart attacks or unstable angina). http://www.physorg.com/news170948325.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:40:02 EST news170948325 "Thick" blood can cause heart attack and stroke, but also prevent them. Scientists at Heidelberg University Hospital have explained the mechanism of this clinical paradox for the first time on an animal model. Mice with a greater tendency to form blood clots have larger plaques in their vessels, but they are more stable. Thus, there is less risk that these plaques will rupture and obstruct circulation. The results of the study have been published in the prestigious journal Circulation. http://www.physorg.com/news170328047.html Medicine & Health Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:21:46 EST news170328047 (AP) -- Special stockings commonly given to stroke patients to prevent blood clots don't work, a new study reported Wednesday. http://www.physorg.com/news162669160.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 May 2009 18:52:59 EST news162669160 (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers has confirmed that a contaminant found in several batches of the blood-thinner heparin is linked with severe allergic reactions in patients, dozens of whom died after receiving the tainted drug. http://www.physorg.com/news147624377.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:46:17 EST news147624377 Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have learned to customize a key human enzyme responsible for producing heparin, opening the door to a more effective synthetic anticoagulant as well as treatments for other conditions. http://www.physorg.com/news146840612.html Chemistry Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:03:32 EST news146840612 (PhysOrg.com) -- The blood-thinning drug heparin is highly effective when used to prevent and treat blood clots in veins, arteries and lungs, but earlier this year its reputation as a lifesaver was sullied when contaminated heparin products caused serious allergic reactions that led to a large number of deaths. http://www.physorg.com/news146159048.html Chemistry Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:44:08 EST news146159048 Chemists are reporting a major advance toward developing a safer, fully-synthetic version of heparin, the widely used blood thinner now produced from pig intestines. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration last spring linked contaminated batches of the animal-based product, imported from China, to more than 80 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions among patients exposed to the drug for kidney dialysis and other conditions. http://www.physorg.com/news138198610.html Chemistry Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:30:10 EST news138198610