Electrocardiogram data transmitted directly from ambulances and a single call that sets off the beepers of all required personnel at once are just two of the common-sense steps that hospitals have taken to increase the speed with which they treat heart attack victims. As the NYT’s Gina Kolata explains, that streamlining is saving lives. “The death rate from coronary heart disease has dropped 38 percent in a decade.”

+ And here’s Gina Kolata on a new approach to replacing heart valves. I’ve seen this work for a loved one. It’s remarkable.

+ MIT Technology Review: Biotech’s Coming Cancer Cure.