Feature Channels: Cardiovascular Health

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Among patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement, younger age, male sex, history of diabetes mellitus, and moderate to severe residual aortic regurgitation were significantly associated with an increased risk of infective endocarditis, and patients who developed endocarditis had high rates of in-hospital mortality and 2-year mortality, according to a study appearing in the September 13 issue of JAMA.

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Researchers at the University of Adelaide say they may have discovered a new target in the fight against depression: a faulty gene that is linked to cardiovascular and metabolic conditions.

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Despite the significant challenges associated with a career in cardiothoracic surgery, heart and lung surgeons report a very high level of job satisfaction, according to a survey published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

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The University of Chicago Medicine has opened a facility for patients with life-threatening heart rhythm irregularities. The Arrhythmia Technology Suite combines advanced treatment tools, such as magnetic navigation, with clinicians dedicated to the care of patients with abnormal heart rhythms.

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Using high-tech human heart models and mouse experiments, scientists at Johns Hopkins and Germany’s University of Bonn have shown that beams of light could replace electric shocks in patients reeling from a deadly heart rhythm disorder.

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In a novel controlled clinical trial, participants in a six-day Ayurvedic-based well-being program that featured a vegetarian diet, meditation, yoga and massages experienced measurable decreases in a set of blood-based metabolites associated with inflammation, cardiovascular disease risk and cholesterol regulation.

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In new research publishing Sept. 8 in the Open Access journal PLOS Biology, University of California, Irvine biologists Anne Calof and Arthur Lander and colleagues report that the role of genes in CHD is more complex than previously realized and that overall risk is determined by a combination of gene effects both inside and outside of the heart itself.

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Scientists have implicated a type of stem cell in the calcification of blood vessels that is common in patients with chronic kidney disease. The research will guide future studies into ways to block minerals from building up inside blood vessels and exacerbating atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries.

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The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) officially announced the public launch of its patient website, ctsurgerypatients.org, which offers immediate and easy access to expert, multimedia content on heart, lung, and esophageal diseases and operations.

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Recommendations to move at least 30 minutes a day have made recent headlines, but living a heart healthy lifestyle incorporates other factors too. UCLA Health offers these tips.

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Researchers at Duke Health have identified a new mechanism of aspirin’s action that appears to explain the drug’s diverse benefits.

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A Saint Louis University researcher has received a grant to study the effects of treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Jeffrey Scherrer, Ph.D., associate professor in Family and Community Medicine, received $2,348,320 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Cardiovascular screening in young athletes is widely recommended and routinely performed prior to participation in competitive sports. While there is general agreement that early detection of cardiac conditions at risk for sudden cardiac arrest and death (SCA/D) is an important objective, the optimal strategy for cardiovascular screening in athletes remains an issue of considerable debate.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center heart specialists will study whether electrocardiograms (ECGs) are useful in identifying Texas high school student athletes who are at risk of suffering sudden cardiac death.

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Having sex frequently — and enjoying it — puts older men at higher risk for heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. For older women, however, good sex may actually lower the risk of hypertension.

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This September, Mount Sinai Heart will host free cholesterol screening fairs in honor of National Cholesterol Education Month, to raise awareness and educate its communities and employees about the importance of maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

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By analyzing medical records gathered over three decades on more than 11,000 Americans participating in a federally funded study, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have more evidence that driving diastolic blood pressure too low is associated with damage to heart tissue.

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Hospitalizations for infective endocarditis, a heart valve infection often attributed to injection drug use, increased significantly among young adults, particularly whites and females. The findings shed light on the healthcare burdens and shifting demographics associated national opioid epidemic.

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In the August 31 issue of Science Translational Medicine, new research from the University of Chicago shows how deficits in a specific pathway of genes can lead to the development of atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heartbeat, which poses a significant health risk.

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A team of scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and Baylor College of Medicine, led by Eric Boerwinkle, Ph.D., Richard Gibbs, Ph.D., and Bing Yu, Ph.D., have identified powerful predictors of congestive heart failure, a major cause of hospitalization and death in the United States.

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Whitehead Institute scientists have developed a method to quickly isolate mitochondria from mammalian cells and systematically measure the concentrations of mitochondrial metabolites. Mitochondrial dysfunction is found in several disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and mitochondrial diseases. Until now, peering into the inner metabolic workings of these vital organelles has been very challenging.

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The National Institutes of Health have awarded Dr. Evgeny Pavlov, assistant professor of basic science and craniofacial biology at the New York University College of Dentistry , a $1.8M, five-year grant to study the phenomenon known as the “Mitochondrial Permeability Transition” to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

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New research from the University of Chicago investigates what happens to men’s and women’s sexual function and relationships after a heart attack in an effort to help clinicians develop better care guidelines for patients.

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Naima Moustaid-Moussa, an obesity researcher at Texas Tech, received an NIH grant to examine healthy brown fat and how it can be activated.

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Scientists have created a model of a heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

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A new type of heart stent is now available for patients with clogged arteries. MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute became the first in the Baltimore-Washington area to offer Absorb, the first stent that dissolves away, leaving nothing behind.

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Football players are more likely to suffer from heat-related illness during the first two weeks of practice, especially those in the Southeast.

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Findings from a small study suggest that people who followed the Paleo diet for only eight weeks experienced positive effects on heart health. Preliminary findings from this research will be presented at the American Physiological Society’s Inflammation, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease conference.

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Results from a new study suggest that small molecules known as microRNAs may be part of the pathway connecting inflammation with increased heart disease risk in obese people. The new findings will be presented at the American Physiological Society’s Inflammation, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease conference.

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With millions of motorists set to hit the road for the bank holiday weekend, drivers have been urged to close windows and turn off fans while in traffic jams to avoid breathing in dangerously high levels of air pollution. Latest research from the University of Surrey has shown that simple adjustment to your car's ventilation system while sitting in traffic jams can greatly affect your exposure to toxic fumes by up to 76%.

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Using a new mouse model, researchers have found that stiffer arteries can also negatively affect memory and other critical brain processes. The findings, which may eventually reveal how arterial stiffness leads to Alzheimer’s and other diseases involving dementia, will be presented at the American Physiological Society’s Inflammation, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease conference.

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People with a family member who had an aortic dissection—a spontaneous tear in one of the body’s main arteries—should take note of the age that family member was when the aortic dissection occurred. According to a new study published online in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, aortic dissections have the potential to run in families and often occur within 10 years of the same age.

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Simulation training for surgery residents builds confidence and could have a life-saving impact on patients undergoing cardiac surgery, according to two studies published online in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

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UAB doctors say new research is showing that patients who suffer from isolated mitral valve regurgitation may need surgery before symptoms appear.

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For those who need to lose weight, taking off a few pounds by dieting, exercising or both is powerful protection against cardiovascular disease.

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Jason Katz, MD, MHS, associate professor of medicine at UNC School of Medicine and medical director of the cardiac intensive care unit, was the lead author of a recently published manuscript that examined the early growth and maturation of critical care cardiology, and the challenges and uncertainties that threaten to stymie the growth of this fledgling discipline.

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PinnacleHealth became the first hospital in the country to implant the EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve, a rapid deployment device for surgical aortic valve replacement, after U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

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A type of heart failure caused by a build-up of amyloid can be accurately diagnosed and prognosticated with an imaging technique, eliminating the need for a biopsy, according to a multicenter study.

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PHILADELPHIA — Each year more than 300,000 Americans will succumb to out-of-hospital sudden cardiac death (SCD) – the immediate and unexpected cessation of the heart’s ability to function properly – one of the leading causes of death in the United States. For the first time, a team of researchers led by Rajat Deo, MD, MTR, an assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has developed and validated a prediction model to determine sudden cardiac death risk in adults without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

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For patients in rehabilitation after a stroke, walking on an underwater treadmill produces better measures of exercise performance compared to conventional treadmill walking, reports a study in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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A growing body of research points to the involvement of inflammation and the immune system on the development of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular physiologists and immunologists will meet to explore how these mechanisms interact at the Inflammation, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease conference in Westminster, Colo., on Aug. 24–27, 2016.

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A study by Johns Hopkins researchers of more than 13,000 people has found that even after accounting for such risk factors as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, so-called morbid obesity appears to stand alone as a standout risk for heart failure, but not for other major types of heart disease.

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In a study being published in the August 19 issue of Science, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with scientists from Tartu University Hospital in Estonia, the Karolinska Institutet and Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) in Sweden, and AstraZeneca, have identified a profound new level of complexity and interaction among genes within specific tissues responsible for mediating the inherited risk for cardiometabolic diseases, including processes that lead to heart attack and stroke.

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The Absorb® stent remains intact until the artery has healed and no longer is in danger of collapsing. The stent gradually breaks down into water and carbon dioxide. After three years the stent is completely dissolved. The vessel remains open on its own, with no need of support.

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Genetic testing has greatly improved physicians’ ability to detect potentially lethal heart anomalies among asymptomatic family members of people who suffer cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death. But a study from Harvard Medical School published in the Aug. 18 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine shows that over the last decade these lifesaving tools may have disproportionately misdiagnosed one cardiac condition — hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) – in black Americans.

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Joanna Chikwe, MD, has been appointed as Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Henry J. Tannous, MD, has been named Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Department of Surgery.

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New research from a fluid mechanics team in Greece reveals how blood flow dynamics within blood vessels may influence where plaques develop or rupture this week in Physics of Fluids. The findings could one day help doctors identify weak spots on a vessel wall that are likeliest to fail, and lead to early interventions in treating heart disease.

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The Mount Sinai Hospital is the first site in the New York metropolitan area to pioneer a new approach for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias using the EpiAccess® system.

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Researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, with expertise running large clinical trials, and at Mayo Clinic, are leading the Tailored Antiplatelet Therapy to Lessen Outcomes after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (TAILOR-PCI) study. This study has received $7 million in additional funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Sedentary behavior — even among physically active people — may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and more.