AtheroNova Inc. (OTCBB:AHRO), a biotech company focused on the research and development of compounds to safely regress atherosclerotic plaque and improve lipid profiles in humans, today announced that John Kastelein, MD, Ph.D., Chairman of the department of vascular medicine and Strategic Chair of Genetics in Cardiovascular Disease at the Academic Medicine Center of the University of Amsterdam, has joined the Company as a member of the Medical Advisory Board and will be a Co-Principal Investigator in the Company's upcoming clinical trials. 

Darwin Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, proposes that an emphasis on cardiovascular health rather than cardiovascular disease heralds a “positive health” revolution. In a blog post on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s website, he discusses the idea of health assets. 

The Canadian Diabetes Association recommends statin therapy for patients with diabetes mellitus who are 40 years old or older in its 2013 Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Researchers at Imperial College London have designed a microchip technology that they say may help curb the obesity problem in developed nations. The chip, which presently is being tested in animals, is implanted in the gut, where it sends satiation signals to the brain. The researchers project that they will begin tests in patients in three to four years.

Of mice and men. A team from the Cleveland Clinic used animal and human studies to accumulate evidence that challenges conventional wisdom on red meat and cardiovascular disease. Red meat is still on the hook, but the culprit appears to be a byproduct of bacteria involved in the digestion of red meat. The New York Times describes the multiyear effort, including results published in Nature Medicine.

Cholesterol may play a role in the development of macular degeneration, according to a study published online in Cell Metabolism.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Pfizer, Inc., are joining forces with the goal of translating biomedical discoveries into novel treatments. CHOP is announcing its participation in the Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI) network, a novel collaboration model built by Pfizer that brings academic researchers together with Pfizer scientists to expedite the pace of innovation.

The Republic of San Marino, which is known among philatelists for its postal offerings, plans to release a stamp April 3 designed to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease.