Feature Channels: Heart Disease

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The 2018 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions

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Can your smart phone determine if you’re having the most serious – and deadly – form of heart attack? A new research study says it can – and may be a valuable tool to save lives.

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Heart complications in patients diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia are more serious than in patients diagnosed with viral pneumonia, according to new research from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

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A new study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Session conference has found that patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) also show signs of asymptomatic brain injury.

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For patients who take medication to treat hypothyroidism, being treated with too much medication can lead to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder associated with stroke, a new study of more than 174,000 patients has found.

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A new study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Session conference found that testing a patient’s coronary calcium levels is a better predictor of blocked coronary arteries at risk for a heart attack and the need for revascularization than standard risk-assessment equations used in medical practice today.

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SAN FRANCISCO – Preliminary data from a new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting® – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that pre-emptive administration of pan-genotypic, direct-acting antiviral therapy prevents chronic hepatitis C virus infection in hepatitis C-negative cardiac transplant patients who receive donor hearts infected with the virus.

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Loyola Medicine is participating in a clinical trial of a new catheter ablation system intended to improve treatment outcomes for a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder called ventricular tachycardia. The treatment can reach deeper into heart muscle where errant electrical signals often originate.

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Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis more than double the risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study shows that immune cells that arise during autoimmune disease can cause cholesterol to become trapped inside blood vessels.

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Like humans, fruit flies are active during the day, sleep at night and have similar sleep characteristics. A study has discovered a new gene and uncovered a mechanism that modulates sleep by controlling the movement of taurine – a common ingredient found in many energy drinks like Red Bull™ – into neuron cells of the fly brain. Taurine also is abundant in the human brain and is consistently elevated in blood and urine of sleep-deprived people.

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Faculty from BIDMC's CardioVascular Institute and colleagues will be presenting new advances and research at the 2018 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions.

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Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and partners have been awarded a five-year, $6M grant from the Paris-based Fondation Leducq to conduct a thorough analysis of the pivotal role of KLF2 in vascular-related functions and disorders. The team’s grant was one of five awarded globally and aims to improve knowledge and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

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People younger than age 40 who have high blood pressure are at increased risk of heart failure, strokes and blood vessel blockages as they age, according to a study in JAMA led by Duke Health.

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Study could transform care for organ transplant recipients

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Mount Sinai Experts Weigh In on Self-Management, Treatment Options, Reversing the Disease and the Newest Advances in Diabetes Research

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Joseph E. Parrillo, M.D., chair, Heart and Vascular Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center, Justice Marie Garibaldi Endowed Chair, received the Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Special Achievement Award in a ceremony at Weill Cornell Medical College.

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The National Toxicology Program (NTP) concluded there is clear evidence that male rats exposed to high levels of radio frequency radiation (RFR) like that used in 2G and 3G cell phones developed cancerous heart tumors, according to final reports released today. There was also some evidence of tumors in the brain and adrenal gland of exposed male rats. For female rats, and male and female mice, the evidence was equivocal as to whether cancers observed were associated with exposure to RFR. The final reports represent the consensus of NTP and a panel of external scientific experts who reviewed the studies in March after draft reports were issued in February.

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New wearable health monitoring devices can help you stay informed, but should they be relied on heavily?

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A team led by a Cedars-Sinai physician-scientist has discovered a biomarker—a protein found in the blood—for the most common type of heart failure, a new study published today in JAMA Cardiology shows.

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New insight into how cells sense blood pressure could present better targets for treating hypertension.

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Paul Chantler, an associate professor in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, is researching why obese stroke patients have more trouble recovering than their lean counterparts. His work, funded by the National Institutes of Health, hints at a medical treatment that may narrow this gap.

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New research published in Frontiers in Neurology by NYU researcher Adam Buchwald finds that robotic arm rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients with aphasia, the loss of ability to understand or express speech, may promote speech and language function recovery.

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• In patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular disease, targeting blood sugar to normal levels (HbA1c<6.0%) reduced the risk for macroalbuminuria (a high amount of protein excreted in the urine) over an average follow-up of 7.7 years, but it had no impact on more significant kidney outcomes such as serum creatinine doubling (a marker of worsening kidney function) or the need for dialysis or transplantation. • Targeting low blood pressures (<120mmHg) or the use of fenofibrate to lower cholesterol increased the risk for doubling of serum creatinine, although it had no impact on the need for dialysis or transplantation.

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Jefferson scientists identify key interaction controlling calcium’s access to the cell’s powerhouse.

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The National Institute of Nursing Research has awarded a $2.7 million grant to fund a new exploratory center, entitled “Center for Improving Palliative Care for Vulnerable Adults with MCC (CIPC),” at Columbia University School of Nursing.

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Jihye Jang, a PhD Candidate at the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and colleagues assessed AR’s potential to help cardiologists visualize myocardial scarring in the heart as they perform ventricular tachycardia ablation or other electrophysiological interventions.

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According to new research findings presented this week at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, IgG antiphospholipid antibody positivity and myocardial infarction (MI) – also known as a heart attack – are strongly and independently associated, suggesting it may be an important, often-overlooked risk factor for heart attack in the general population.

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A growing body of research points to loneliness as an impending epidemic with an enormous impact on the health of individuals and society. A new study published by Professors Sarah Arpin of Gonzaga University and Cynthia Mohr of Portland State University in Oregon examines the social consequences of temporary loneliness.

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A Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study reveals how, on a cellular level, diabetes can cause heart failure. The findings could lead to medications to treat and perhaps prevent heart failure in diabetes patients.

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The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) will salute renowned cardiologist, Dr. Clyde Yancy for his extraordinary contributions to the field. His vital work in improving access to healthcare and cardiovascular outcomes for underserved populations will be recognized, along with his tireless efforts to promote health equity by mentoring and encouraging young people to pursue careers in medicine.

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Doctors use invasive procedures to decide whether an ablation procedure to remove heart tissue is likely to have a positive outcome. CT scans or ultrasounds are useful in determining the structure of a patient’s heart, but invasive electrical procedures are used to identify and localize the source of the atrial fibrillation. Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed new algorithms to localize the source of an atrial fibrillation. They report their findings in APL Bioengineering.

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For the first time, the American Neurological Association’s 143rd Annual Meeting will feature a media roundtable on Monday, October 22, 2018 from 11:50-1:00 p.m. at which presenters of the six principal symposia will present highlights, discuss the relevance of the work, and answer questions. To RSVP for the media roundtable and request dial-in information if you are not able to attend in person, please contact Rachel Brown at [email protected].

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A patient-centered, team-based model of care that navigates patients through the entire surgical experience is successful in improving quality of care and outcomes in elderly patients being treated for fractures and children undergoing heart surgery, suggest two new studies being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2018 annual meeting.

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Predictors of future diabetes and cardiovascular disease for a person with obesity can be found among their body's metabolites.

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The inaugural Magee Prize was awarded to Pitt's Dr. Yaacov Barak to research in how placental defects may lead to congenital heart defects.

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Despite a common belief that weekend and holiday discharge after major heart surgery may impact hospital readmissions, research published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery showed that day of discharge does not affect readmissions.

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Vaping has surpassed all other forms of tobacco use in middle- and high-schoolers. New research led by Mark Olfert, an associate professor in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, suggests if teenagers continue to vape into adulthood, the cardiovascular effects may, by some measures, be as dire as if they’d smoked cigarettes.

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An international team of researchers has shown in mice that a healthy gut microbiome is important for recovery after a heart attack.

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A team of nurses and physicians has received a four-year, $3 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to extend traditional HIV treatment protocols to improve the cardiovascular health of people living with HIV.

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A side effect of opioid use is an infection of the heart valves called drug-associated infective endocarditis. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found a tenfold increase in the number of hospitalizations and surgeries for endocarditis in the past decade.

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A new nationwide study has found that a tiny clip placed in the heart to fix a leaky mitral valve drastically decreases the risk of both dying and returning to the hospital for heart failure patients.

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In a new study, researchers have found that the gut microbiome appears to play a key role in how well the body accepts a transplanted heart. The scientists found a causal relationship between the presence of certain microbes and transplant outcome.

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Analyzing data from more than 400,000 people, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that consuming one to two drinks four or more times per week — an amount deemed healthy by current guidelines — increases the risk of premature death by 20 percent.

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Patients with “broken heart” syndrome still face considerable risk of hospital readmission and in-hospital death.

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Chris M. Gonzalez, MD, MBA, FACS, has been named the Albert J. Jr. and Claire R. Speh professor and chair of the department of urology of Loyola Medicine and Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

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Delaying pregnancy may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in both women and their children, with boys at higher risk of disease, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada will present their findings today at the American Physiological Society’s (APS) Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Sex-Specific Implications for Physiology conference in Knoxville, Tenn.

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Mount Sinai Health System urges the general public, especially students, to learn lifesaving CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator to reduce sudden cardiac death rates.

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A relatively new accelerated diagnostic protocol is effective in identifying emergency department patients with acute chest pain who can be safely sent home without being hospitalized or undergoing comprehensive cardiac testing, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

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A commonly used biomarker of kidney disease may also indicate lung problems, particularly COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Cardiac Surgery Team performed Tennessee’s first total artificial heart implantation Wednesday, Sept. 26, on a 56-year-old man with congestive heart failure.