MIAMI (CBS4) – Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States, and more than 1,100 people die from it each day. So what if there was an easy way to spot trouble before it struck? Marie Johnson’s invention does that and it could save lives – all because she listened to her heart. Her rustic retreat at the end of a dirt road outside of Northfield, Minn., is just about the last place you’d think would be home to a medical breakthrough. But a garage startup is where Johnson bypasses the business world. “I believe we are going to save a lot of lives, reduce the number of widows and widowers, and little kids that don’t get to grow up with their father or mother. That’s my goal,” Johnson said. Johnson, 44, has spent the past decade developing a handheld device that can quickly detect heart blockages. Her company, AUM Cardiovascular, is about to launch FDA trials, which is a bright outlook for an invention born from one of life’s darkest moments. Johnson didn’t know it, but her project began just before she and her husband, Rob, were about to have their second child. “I just said to him, ‘I have this feeling that you are going to die and leave me with this baby,’” Johnson said. Johnson is a biomedical engineer, and science soon supported her premonition. “I was doing this project with the 3M Company to develop a computerized stethoscope, and I recorded all this information from him and discovered he had an anomaly,” she said. Rob went to his doctor, but aced a stress test. Nine months later, Johnson went to the YMCA to meet him for his usual workout. “There was an ambulance, and a body with a white sheet. And I turned to my daughter, who was 4 and said, ‘We have to pray, because someone has died here today,’” Johnson said. In that parking lot, police would tell Johnson she was a widow. “I mean, honestly, the whole world was spinning, and I just, just didn’t believe it,” she said. An autopsy showed a heart attack in Rob’s left anterior descending artery, commonly called “The Widow Maker,” because a blockage there usually causes sudden death. In her research, Johnson knew she heard something in her husband’s heart. That’s when she listened closer. “I remember sitting at my desk at 3 o’clock in the morning, all the lights were off, I just had the glow of my computer screen,” she said. “And I could hear God whisper.” Faith helped her form an algorithm that could pinpoint heart problems through sound. Johnson said just as you hear water rushing past rocks in a stream, the sound of blood rushing past a blockage is audible too, and her device picks up that current. “It listens to patients in a different way,” she said. “Sensors pick up turbulence in a narrowing artery.” Johnson named her device the CADence. The device fits it the palm of the hand and it takes measurements at four different places on the chest, which takes around two minutes. The information is then downloaded and analyzed. Cardiologists believe the CADence could change the way they practice. University of Minnesota Chief Cardiologist Dr. Bob Wilson said the CADence shows promise of replacing a treadmill stress test, because it’s easier and cheaper. He also said that its impact on medicine could be global. “I would hope they start using it in the university emergency room, tomorrow,” he said. Wilson became Johnson’s principle investigator. “It’s completely one of those ‘aha!’ moments that you have,” he said. Steve Kiemele, a Fargo venture capitalist and CFO of Linn Grove Ventures, says he’s more interested in the faith side of the story. He agreed to be one of Johnson’s three test subjects. However, when his test results came in, they were quite concerning. “The look on her face suggested…that [I] should see a doctor,” he said. So he went and the doctor did a stress test, which turned up nothing. Not convinced – especially in light of what happened to Johnson’s husband, Kiemele asked his doctor for a CT scan. Kiemele said the scan confirmed he had an issue in his left anterior descending artery (aka The Widow Maker). He says his life was saved by divine intervention. Johnson said God has been with her throughout her project. “I know that we were supposed to do this,” she said. Her husband only lived to be 41-years-old, but she thinks her invention will keep thousands of families together. “I think he’d be proud,” she said. In 2011, AUM Cardiovascular took the top $50,000 prize at the Minnesota Cup entrepreneurial competition, which called AUM the most promising company in Minnesota. Johnson’s company beat out more than 1,000 participants. She left her faculty position at the University of Minnesota’s Medical Device Fellows Program in 2009 to pursue her business full time, and is now remarried. “It’s joy, just remembering what a special guy he was,” she said. AUM Cardiology will begin clinical trials on the CADence across the country in June. Johnson says her device could hit the market by October 2013, pending FDA approval. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but at the heart of Johnson’s work, love is the lifeblood.

Also: A CDC report says drowning is the No. 1 cause of injury death in children aged 1-4; researchers map the genetic code of 21 breast cancers; and food companies and consumer groups press for stalled food regulation.

Also: A study shows chain restaurants largely don’t meet U.S. government nutritional guidelines; an antibiotic is linked with rare, but fatal, heart risk; and two paralyzed people moved a robot arm with their thoughts.

It's one of the most popular antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections, but a new study suggests for some people taking azithromycin , commonly referred to as a "Z-pack", could be very dangerous. Researchers at Vanderbilt University looked at the records of thousands of Tennessee Medicaid patients over a period of 14 years.  They found a 2.5-fold higher risk of death from heart disease  in the first five days of using Z-pack when compared to another common antibiotic or no antibiotics at all. The study was published in the current edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. People with underlying heart problems seem to be especially vulnerable, says Wayne Ray, professor of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt and the study's lead researcher. And while the risk is rare, it's important for doctors and patients to be aware.  At this point, Ray says it's unclear why Z-packs can cause heart issues.  He also points out that other antibiotics in the same drug class such as amoxicillin have been found to cause heart arrhythmia . So should people with heart problems stop taking Z-packs?  Not necessarily. "This just adds another 'con'," says Ray. He says it's important to ask your doctor the follow questions:  How serious is the infection?  If I use a Z-pack could it aggravate any underlying health issues?  Are there any other antibiotics that could work just as well? Ray says doctors often prescribe Z-packs because they only need to be taken for five days versus the 10-day periods that are typical with other antibiotics. Filed under: Conditions , Empowered Patient , Heart Tagged: Jennifer Bixler – CNN Medical Executive Producer

The Centers for Disease and Prevention released their annual health report for 2011 on Wednesday. The report contains more than 150 data tables on the U.S. population's well-being, with a special focus on socioeconomic status. Here are a few of the interesting tidbits we found. For more, visit www.cdc.gov . The Bible Belt needs more doctors. On average, there were 25 physicians for every 10,000 people in the U.S. in 2009. The Northeast, Hawaii and Minnesota had the highest ratio of doctors to patients, while states in the South and Rocky Mountain-areas had fewer than 21 per 10,000. Your education level affects your kids' weight. The CDC collected data on childhood obesity between 2007 and 2010. Where the head of the household had a college degree, 7 to 11% of children aged 2 to 19 were obese. But when the head of the household was a high school dropout, 22 to 24% of the children were obese. Cigarette smoking is still on the decline. In 2010, 19% of U.S. adults smoked, down 2% from 2009. Over the last decade cigarette smoking among students in 12th grade has decreased from 33% to 22% for male students and from 30% to 16% for female students. Fewer teens are giving birth. Between 1998 and 2008, birth rates declined 27% for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17. The gap is widening in education… In 2006, men without a high school diploma were expected to live 9.3 years less than those with a Bachelor's degree. The difference is two years more than it was in 1996. A similar gap increase holds true for women. … and narrowing in racial disparities. While the gap between life expectancy rates for African Americans and whites still exists, the gap has narrowed over the last two decades. Hispanics still have higher life expectancies than both ethnic groups. We're getting better at getting check-ups. In 2010, 59% of people over the age of 50 underwent a recent colorectal test or procedure, compared to 34% in 2000. Heart disease is still the No 1. killer. In 2008, 617,000 people died from heart disease-related causes. The prevalence among adult men and women has remained fairly steady for the last decade. Our children are fat, but not getting fatter. In 2010, approximately one in every five children was obese. Yet that rate has stayed pretty steady since 2007. That year, 19.6% of children aged 6 to 11 were obese. In 2010, it was 18%. Most people aren't moving enough. In 2010 more than half of American adults failed to meet the government's recommended daily physical activity levels. It was worse for the elderly – approximately 70% of those over 75 didn't meet the requirements. Filed under: Adolescent Health , Cancer , CDC , Children’s Health , Living Well , Men’s Health , Obesity , Smoking , Women’s Health Tagged: Jacque Wilson — CNN.com writer/producer

The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to combat Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 5 million Americans and whose progression has been resistant to treatments. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius detailed the plan Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Summit 2012: Path to Treatment and Prevention. Alzheimer's is projected to affect 16 million by 2050.  "The plan gives us a blueprint to build on our research efforts," Sebelius said at the announcement.  "These actions are the cornerstone of an ambitious and  aggressive agenda." The plan promises to find effective prevention and treatment approaches  for Alzheimer's disease by 2025.  Leading Alzheimer's researchers from around the world are at the National Institutes of Health today to talk about which research should be emphasized. To help, the government has launched with website www.alzheimers.gov as a resource for people to find out more about the disease, caregiving and getting help. President Obama signed the National Alzheimer’s Project Act into law in January 2011, which called for a coordinated national plan to fight Alzheimer's. In February of 2012 , the administration said it would push for a $156 million increase in funding for Alzheimer's research over the next two years. As of Tuesday, Obama's proposed 2013 budget allows for a $100 million increase for anti-Alzheimer's efforts. Funding for Alzheimer's research in the United States has not even approached the level of monetary support for other major diseases. Last year, the NIH spent $3 billion on research into AIDS, $4.3 billion on heart disease, and $5.8 billion for cancer, according to the Alzheimer's Association . Photo gallery: Alzheimer's disease The current thinking among Alzheimer's experts is that early detection and intervention – even before symptoms begin – is better. Individuals with only mild memory problems may hold the most promise for testing treatments. Some of the funding will go towards launching two major clinical trials, according to HHS.  "One is a $7.9 million effort to test an insulin nasal spray for treating Alzheimer’s disease.  A second study, toward which National Institutes of Health is contributing $16 million, is the first prevention trial in people at the highest risk for the disease," said Sebelius in a press statement. Funding is only one part of finding solutions for this debilitating disease.  In practice scientists find it challenging to get a lot of participation in clinical trials . Some people don't want to risk the possible side effects of an experimental drug; others do want to try new drugs, but fear being placed in the placebo group.  And elderly people may have practical difficulties getting to the study location. Filed under: Alzheimer’s , Conditions Tagged: Elizabeth Landau – CNN.com Health Writer/Producer

Here’s what’s making health news this morning: Batteries Shown to Pose Risk for Kids (WSJ): ER visits by kids who’ve ingested batteries are rising, and of particular concern are little round “button” batteries found in many watches and other small devices, which can cause severe injury if they lodge in the esophagus.

The artist Thomas Kinkade, 54, died in April from a lethal combination of alcohol and Valium, according to an autopsy report from the Santa Clara County, California , medical examiner. Alcohol and Valium, also known as diazepam, are both depressants that slow down the central nervous system. These depressants slow down the brain and also decrease the heart rate, lower the blood pressure and cause lethargy. “Because your brain will control autonomic function like heart beat, breathing, when the concentration is so high that area of the brain is affected, it does not function,” said Douglas Rohde, supervisor of chemistry and toxicology at Lake County Crime Laboratory in Ohio .  Rohde is not involved in Kinkade’s case. This could knock a person into a coma, and then breathing and heart beat could stop. Kinkade’s autopsy report cited "acute ethanol and diazepam intoxication" as the cause of death and the manner of death "accidental." When the two substances are combined, the alcohol heightens the effects of Valium. This drug is a benzodiazepine, a widely prescribed type of medication. It's prescribed for sedation, sleep and relief from anxiety and muscle spasms.  The drug comes with warnings about alcohol use. “When the patient mixes alcohol plus Valium, often times the effect can be greater than those alone,” said Bruce Goldberger, professor and director of toxicology at the University of Florida Medicine .  “This phenomenon is known as synergistic.  So 1 plus 1 is not 2, but 3 or 4, demonstrating an enhanced effect, rather than taking the drugs alone.” Deaths due to this mixture have been commonplace for decades, he added. The combination could cause euphoria, but the mix is highly risky because it, “essentially shuts down the normal processes of the brain which can lead to death,” Goldberger said. Kinkade also had heart disease, according to the autopsy. But it was not listed as a cause of death. His brother had previously told the San Jose Mercury News   that the artist had battled alcoholism for four or five years. Filed under: Alcohol , Prescription Drugs Tagged: Madison Park – CNNhealth.com Writer/Producer

Roche Drug to Raise ‘Good’ Cholesterol Fails (WSJ): The drug’s failure in a large human trial spelled a setback for pharmaceutical companies that see an opportunity in medicines that seek to ward of heart disease by raising so-called “good” cholesterol. Competitors Merck and Eli Lilly said they remain confident in late-stage drugs in their pipelines that work similarly. Study Examines Depression and Aging Brain (WSJ): The onset of depression late in life can be an early warning of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia later, according to a new study of 13,535 Kaiser Permanente members. A Regime’s Tight Grip on AIDS (New York Times): Cuba’s AIDS rate is only one-sixth that of the U.S., thanks in part to aggressive tactics taken in the early years of the epidemic, such as forced quarantines for people who tested positive for HIV. F.D.A. Staff Raises Concerns About Arthritis Drug (New York Times): Documents released ahead of a Food and Drug Administration review Wednesday show regulators are concerned a new Pfizer treatment for rheumatoid arthritis raised concerns of significant side-effects. Court Dismisses Vets’ Suit on Mental Health Care (San Francisco Chronicle): A San Francisco appeals court dismissed a five-year-old suit by veterans groups accusing the Department of Veterans Affairs of delaying needed mental health services. Drug-Defying Germs from India Speed Post-Antibiotic Era (Bloomberg): The widespread use of antibiotics in India is helping cultivate new breeds of drug-resistant bacteria bred from otherwise benign microorganisms.

Anybody who has a long daily commute knows the frustration of sitting in long lines of traffic with no ability to do anything but wait. Now, a study suggests that long commutes can take away more than just precious time. They negatively impact measures of fitness and health. Previous research has linked longer commutes with obesity. But this new research is believed to be "the first study to show that long commutes can take away from exercise time,” explained lead investigator Christine M. Hoehner of Washington University in St. Louis. Long commutes are associated with "higher weight, lower fitness levels and higher blood pressure, all of which are strong predictors of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers,” she said. One discovery that Hoehner found a little surprising was how “being exposed to the daily hassles of traffic can lead to higher chronic stress and higher blood pressure.” Here's how the research was conducted: Scientists studied 4,297 residents from the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, Texas, metropolitan areas. They documented their commuting distances, body mass indices, and metabolic risk, including waist circumference, fasting glucose and lipid levels and blood pressure. Participants reported their physical activity for the previous three months. What did scientists learn?  Commuters who said they drove longer distances also reported they took part in less moderate or vigorous physical activity. They had lower cardiorespiratory fitness, greater body mass index, waist circumference, and higher blood pressure. For a little historical perspective – as obesity rates have increased – so have the number of American commuters and the length of commute times. Between 1960 and 2000, workers commuting in private vehicles jumped from 41.4 million to 112.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. And as suburbs have sprawled across the nation since the 1950s, commuter miles have increased too, along with the time drivers spend sitting behind the wheel. according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For many commuters, moving closer to work isn't an option but Hoehner said there are solutions that can lead to more exercise. Commuters should find ways to work physical activity into their work days said Hoehner, by doing things like walking during work breaks. Employers could also help, she said, by encouraging fitness break and by offering schedule flexibility to commuters, if possible. Filed under: Fitness , Obesity , Stress Tagged: Ann J. Curley – CNN Medical Assignment Manager