Fred Kummerow, the nutrition scientist who connected the dots between trans fats and atherosclerosis in the 1950s, at the age of 99 continues to explore how diet affects heart disease. The New York Times published a profile of the pioneering researcher in its science section. 

A study in PLOS One concludes that whole organic milk provides a greater cardio-protective punch than other milks because of its fatty acids, according to the New York Times.

Despite significant medical advances, there continue to be significant gaps in the health care of the growing number of patients with valvular heart disease. In the USA, the total number of people aged 65 years or older with valvular heart disease will grow to approximately 5.2 million by year 2020, and 6.8 million individuals by the year 2030 1. The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation™ (MHIF) has created a scientific program, "Valve Summit 2014: The Science and Delivery of Optimal, Multi-Disciplinary Care," to address the ongoing, complex evolution in the clinical management of patients with valvular heart disease. The conference will be held on April 25th and 26th at the Radisson Blu in downtown Minneapolis.

AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Xigduo™ (dapagliflozin and metformin hydrochloride) for adults aged 18 and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in patients inadequately controlled on their current metformin-based treatment regimen or who are currently being treated with the combination of dapgliflozin and metformin as separate tablets.

Sidra Medical and Research Center today announced that Dr. Ziyad M. Hijazi has been appointed Clinical Chief for Pediatrics. In this role, the pioneering and highly experienced clinician will drive the strategic direction of the Department of Pediatrics and integrate research and education priorities into a program of excellent clinical service delivery. He will also hold the position of Chair of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College – Qatar, Sidra’s partner for medical education.

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESPR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing first-in-class, oral, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering therapies for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, today announced full results of a Phase 2 clinical study of its lead product candidate ETC-1002 in patients with hypercholesterolemia and a history of statin intolerance. The study, ETC-1002-006, met its primary endpoint, demonstrating that ETC-1002 significantly lowered LDL-C compared to placebo by an average of 32 percent and was well tolerated. The data were presented today in an oral presentation at the 2013 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in Dallas by principal investigator Paul D. Thompson, M.D. Esperion previously announced positive topline results from this study in June 2013.

James A. DeWeese, M.D., a pioneer in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery and a former chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center, died Nov. 14, 2013. He was 88.

Singulex, Inc., the developer and leading provider of Single Molecule Counting (SMC(tm)) technology for clinical diagnostics and scientific discovery, today announced new data highlighting the Company's ultrasensitive Erenna(r) Immunoassay System in the detection of cardiac troponin-I (cTnI). Two studies utilized the Erenna System to measure previously undetectable levels of cTnI in order to assess cardiovascular disease risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and heart failure (HF) patients. The data were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Dallas, Texas.