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.

One mom explains how her family made the tough choice to enroll a daughter in a clinical trial of a cancer drug, and how it was the right thing to do.

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.

The notion of sprinkling algae into a protein shake or spreading it on toast probably seems foreign or just plain bizarre to most people. But, fortunately, many fresh and sea water dwellers have no problem using algae as an essential food source. And, in a roundabout way, humans end up deriving some of the benefits Related posts: Astaxanthin Update Chlorella and Spirulina Best of Chlorella and Spirulina Multivitamins in the News CoQ10 News and Research

With Type 1 diabetes on the rise, researchers are stepping up efforts to screen patients’ family members, who are at higher risk of also getting the disease, the Informed Patient column reports . More than 100,000 relatives have been screened through a free program offered by Diabetes Type 1 TrialNet , a research network of 18 centers world-wide seeking volunteers to participate in its studies of ways to prevent, delay and cure Type 1, long known as juvenile diabetes. TrialNet Chairman Jay Skyler , a professor and diabetes expert at the University of Miami, tells the Health Blog that the program has grown to about 200 sites and aims to expand testing sites further. “We’ve been broadening our base and the aim is to convince all medical practices to participate,” he says. The goal is to screen at least two to three relatives of patients diagnosed with Type 1 “so we can really make progress” with research. Distinct from the far more prevalent Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity, Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that inhibits the body from producing the hormone insulin needed to convert food into energy. It requires lifelong insulin injections. iStockphoto TrialNet uses a simple blood test to determine if patients have antibodies that indicate a risk for developing Type 1. Close blood relatives of people with Type 1 diabetes have 10-to-15-times-greater risk of developing the disease than others in the population. Nevertheless, about 80% of those with the disease have no family history. JDRF , formerly called the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, helps fund TrialNet and hosts mobile-screening units at its fundraising walks. Richard Insel , JDRF’s chief scientific officer, says that new ways to score a patient’s risk can identify those with the highest chance of developing the disease within a couple of years, and can also be used to monitor the disease’s progression. TrialNet provides family members who qualify for the screening testing kits on request and asks for a signed consent form. The kits can then be taken to a local doctor or lab. In addition to grassroots efforts like mobile testing units, TrialNet teams also offer screenings at diabetes summer camps and has even sent a team to test one extended family. If a group asks for a screening, “we will get a team out there to do it,” Dr. Skyler says. Among TrialNet studies underway is the Natural History Study, which is observing people at increased risk for Type 1 diabetes to learn more about the immune and metabolic events that precede actual symptoms. Another is testing whether one insulin capsule a day can prevent or delay Type 1 diabetes in a specific group at risk, after an earlier clinical trial suggested that it might delay the disease for about four years in certain people. Yet a third study is testing whether treatment with the drug teplizumab can prevent or delay the disease in high-risk relatives of people with type 1 diabetes. Earlier studies in people newly diagnosed suggest that the drug reduces the loss of insulin production during the first year of type 1 diabetes. For Type 1 patients with a family history, participation in the study includes close monitoring and the potential to prevent or delay the onset of the disease, says Henry Rodriguez , a principal investigator at the University of South Florida. If diabetes can be delayed, even for a few years, those at risk may be able to postpone the difficult challenges of trying to control their disease and the development of potentially serious complications. “We have the ability to identify those who are at that precipice before developing diabetes and start them on therapy before they get very ill,” Dr. Rodriguez says.

The group that sparked an outcry of criticism with its advice on mammograms and prostate cancer screening, said Monday that doctors should counsel young people to avoid sun exposure, to reduce the risk of skin cancer. The advice applies to fair-haired people between the ages of 10 and 24, according to guidelines released Monday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force .  For adults older than 24, there is not enough evidence to say whether counseling about sun exposure makes a difference, according to the Task Force. The guidelines are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. With children younger than 10, counseling on sun exposure should be directed towards parents, said Dr. David Grossman, a member of the Task Force, a pediatrician and senior investigator at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle. Patients age 10 to 24 should be told to wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or above, to cover exposed areas of skin, stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m and to shun indoor tanning booths , Grossman said. Some doctors say the advice doesn't go far enough.  "I would recommend counseling at younger ages," said Dr. Sophie Balk of Children's Hospital at Montefiore, in New York City. "We should start talking to parents as soon as babies are born, but as children get older and go out of the home, they should listen to the message, too." Balk, the lead author of guidelines released by the American Academy of Pediatrics last year, also said the message should be broader. "The Task Force is telling us to focus on people with the lightest skin and eyes. Fair-skinned people are at highest risk, but everyone's at risk for skin cancer." The Task Force is used to criticism . In 2009 its members took heat for saying that women in their 40s don’t need routine mammograms, and again last year for saying the PSA screening test for prostate cancer leads to more harm than good. The last time it tackled the sun exposure issue, the Task Force said there was insufficient evidence to recommend counseling. To update its guidance, members examined existing studies on the impact of a doctor giving patients advice about sun exposure.  Almost all of those studies focus on fair-skinned patients younger than 24, Grossman said. “Our statement does not discourage counseling for older people,” he said, “but on a doctor visit you have a limited amount of time. Basically, we’re trying to point out where the greatest value seems to be.” The American Cancer Society (ACS) praised the announcement as "important." "They make the point that there's convincing evidence these conversations change the behavior," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the ACS. "This is the age group that's most vulnerable, to getting sunburns, using tanning booths and increasing the risk of getting melanomas later in life." Exposure during childhood to UV radiation from the sun is linked to a moderate increase in three types of skin cancer: Basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer, and melanoma. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, diagnosed in more than 2 million people a year. Melanoma is the least common but most deadly form of skin cancer, striking about 70,000 people last year and killing 8,800. Filed under: Adolescent Health , Cancer , Children’s Health , Doctor-Patient Relationships , Parenting Tagged: Caleb Hellerman – CNN Medical Senior Producer

iStockphoto Here’s what’s making health news this morning: Terror Fears Fail to Halt Study (WSJ): A government panel had previously recommended against publication of the research on how a bird-flu virus was altered to make it more contagious in animals. U.S. Lags in Global Measure of Premature Births (NY Times): The U.S. does worse than any Western European country, Japan and Scandinavia in the percentage of mothers who give birth before their babies are due, a comparison by the World Health Organization and other groups says. U.S. Charges 107 With Defrauding Medicare (WSJ): Charges were brought in seven cities against defendants for allegedly running fraud schemes involving $452 million in false claims. Deadly Infection Claims San Francisco VA Lab Worker (San Jose Mercury News): The 25-year-old man had been handling bacteria linked to fatal bloodstream infections, raising concerns his colleagues might have been exposed. Vitamins E, C No Help Against Vision Disorder (Reuters): A study published in Ophthalmology , part of ongoing research of more than 14,000 male doctors over age 50, showed the two vitamins — both antioxidants — didn’t help prevent macular degeneration. Analytical Trend Troubles Scientists (WSJ): The popularity of observational studies — as opposed to experimental ones — has raised concerns about the reliability of results. Import Rule Seen Weakening Mad Cow Safeguards, Group Says (Bloomberg News): The USDA rule, proposed in March, would follow criteria set by the World Organization for Animal Health, which farm and rancher groups say would open a loophole weakening protections against the illness.

With bikini season coming up, many of us are trying to lose those last stubborn pounds. Here are four things you can do before lunchtime to increase your calorie burn. Eat first thing in the morning: Skipping breakfast may seem like a great way to save calories, but your body actually holds onto fat because it’s being starved. Make sure to eat breakfast each morning to jump-start your metabolism. Don’t just grab anything; be sure to include protein to give you sustained energy and fiber to fill you up for hours. Here are some breakfast ideas to help you lose weight . Work out soon after you wake up: Research has shown that morning exercisers tend to work out harder and longer than afternoon or evening exercisers, which translates to extra calories burned. Those who sweat in the a.m. are also more likely to stick with a routine, helping to lose those unwanted pounds. If you choose to exercise as soon as you wake up, eat something small beforehand, and then enjoy a full breakfast afterward. Snack on fiber: A midmorning snack helps satiate hunger, meaning you won’t chow down on way more food at lunch than you normally would. Make sure it’s fiber-packed and low in calories like these snacks . Sip water all morning: Keep that reusable bottle close by so you can periodically drink water until lunchtime. Water is a low-calorie way to fill you up, and sipping keeps your mouth busy if you tend to be a mindless nosher.

Planting season is here. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a novice, a new study is raising a red flag about some of the products you might be using. HealthyStuff.org – a nonprofit environmental group that researches toxic chemicals in consumer products – tested nearly 200 common garden products and found two-thirds of them contained significant levels of one or more toxic chemicals they ranked of "high concern." In garden hoses, gloves, kneeling pads and a variety of tools like shovels and trowels researchers found a number of toxins including lead, phthalates and bisphenol A or BPA .  Phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastic.  They are considered endocrine disrupters which interfere with the body's hormone function and some studies have linked them to adverse developmental issues and birth defects. BPA is another toxin used in plastics from water bottles to dental sealant.  In fact, many of the chemicals found have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and other serious health issues. "This is another example of people assuming that products on the shelves that they're buying are safe, when in fact they're largely unregulated and full of chemical hazards," said Jeff Gearhart, Research Director at HealthyStuff.org.  "The good news part of that is there are better choices out there on the market – specifically polyurethane and natural rubber hose all test better than the vinyl hoses that we studied." Ninety different types of hoses and 53 different gloves were tested. In both products, lead and phthalates were found at levels that exceeded standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) . Researchers focused on garden hoses to see if there had been any improvement from previous studies.  In one test they bought a hose, filled it with water and set it outside in the sun. "We found different chemicals of note," said Gearhart. "We found lead migrated from the hose into the water and we found lead at a level 18 times higher than the federal drinking water standard. We found BPA in the water at a level 20 times higher than the safe drinking level." They also found a phthalate called DEHP at a level 4 times higher than federal drinking water standards. Gearhart says the water hose findings were the most significant and the biggest concern. "These water hoses are not regulated by anyone, the CPSC or the federal drinking water act or federal drinking water standard and they should be," Gearhart said. "Our testing allowed us to determine what percentage of water hoses do not comply with the federal safe drinking water act.  Under the act, lead levels are limited in plumbing fixtures to no more than 2,500 ppm (parts per million).  We found that 1 in 3, 33% of the hoses tested contained lead in excess of the 2,500 ppm lead limit. " HealthyStuff.org recommends consumers let the hose run for a few seconds before using it, avoid keeping it in direct sunlight, store your hose in the shade instead. "We know that temperature can increase the release of the chemical from the hose.  Don't drink water from your hose unless you know it's lead free or drinking water safe." Other recommendations: avoid polyvinylchloride or PVC hoses – stick with one that's lead-free.  And finally, get your garden soil tested. Lead, primarily from house paint, according to Gearhart, can show up in soil. As for gardening gloves, they say avoid any that are vinyl or have a vinyl coating. There's been plenty of ongoing controversy over the chemical BPA.  The FDA has done extensive research and reviewed hundreds of studies on the chemical.  They have maintained that to-date the scientific evidence does not suggest that very low levels of exposure through diet are unsafe. But on March 30, 2012 they issued an interim update on BPA.  That update says in part: "Studies employing standardized toxicity tests have thus far supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA. However, on the basis of results from recent studies using novel approaches to test for subtle effects, both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and the FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate glands in fetuses, infants, and young children. In cooperation with the National Toxicology Program, the FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research is carrying out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA." So in the meantime,the agency says, it will take "reasonable steps to reduce human exposure to BPA in the food supply." Filed under: Toxic America

The first of two controversial studies about  a mutated form of the potentially lethal H5N1 bird flu virus was finally published Wednesday after months of debate over whether release of the research could pose a biosecurity threat. The  journal Nature  published the study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Yoshihiro Kawaoka. Similar research led by Dutch researcher Ron Fouchier at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam has yet to be published in its entirety in the journal Science. Both studies found that with a few genetic alternations, this bird flu virus can be much more easily transmitted. Six months ago the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) asked both journals not to publish essential data because they feared it could be misused and turned into a biological weapon.  Scientists in favor of publication argued that the data was important for flu surveillance and public health preparedness. "This study has significant public health benefits and contributes to our understanding of this important pathogen,” said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, the author of the Nature study and a flu researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in a released statement. “By identifying mutations that facilitate transmission among mammals, those whose job it is to monitor viruses circulating in nature can look for these mutations so measures can be taken to effectively protect human health." H5N1 is a virus that has caused major concern, due to high global death rates associated with it.  Since 2003, the virus has infected at least 600 people, mostly in Asia, and killed more than half of the people infected.  The virus has spread to people who are in close proximity to birds, but it hasn't spread easily human-to-human. But researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and another team from the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands each created a mutated version of the H5N1 virus that can more easily transmitted amongst mammals.  They tested the mutated virus on ferrets, which closely mimic the human response to the flu. The 23-member NSABB had expressed that revealing such detailed results could "represent(s) a grave concern for global biosecurity, biosafety, and public health.” But the World Health Organization recommended that the two studies be published in their full form.  By April, the U.S. government reversed its position with new information and revisions.  The board said the research could help in fighting a possible future outbreak.  It recommended the researchers' findings be published without "methods or details" that could be used by terrorists to produce a biological weapon. Flu viruses constantly mutate in nature.  The virus engineered in Kawaoka's lab was of low virulence, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "H5N1 viruses remain a significant threat for humans as a potential pandemic flu strain. We have found that relatively few mutations enable this virus to transmit in mammals. These same mutations have the potential to occur in nature," said Kawaoka in the university’s press release. The research also showed that the mutant virus could be controlled by a H5N1 vaccine and the drug, Tamiflu.  The study was funded partly by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. Filed under: Global Health , Infectious diseases Tagged: Madison Park – CNNhealth.com Writer/Producer