Physicians debate statin use for patients with cardiovascular disease

In a new Annals ‘Beyond the Guidelines’ feature, a preventive cardiologist and a general internist discuss their approach to the use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and how they would apply the guidelines to an individual patient. All ‘Beyond the Guidelines’ features are based on the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston and include print, video, and educational components published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Heart Failure Patients Unvaccinated Against COVID-19 Are Three Times More Likely to Die From It Than Boosted Heart Failure Patients

EMBARGOED UNTIL JUNE 9, 2022, 10AM EST (New York, NY – June 9, 2022) – Heart failure patients who are unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are three times more likely to die if infected with the virus…

Analysis finds little evidence of heart problems in men undergoing testosterone treatment

Previous clinical trials have provided insufficient evidence to decide whether testosterone causes heart problems in men during the first year of treatment, according to research being presented Monday at ENDO 2022, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga., and published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.

Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer Often Undertreated for Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Adults who survive childhood cancer have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than the general population, yet they are 80% more likely to be undertreated for several cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension (also called high blood pressure), diabetes and high cholesterol, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Targeting Molecular Pathway that Causes Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

UC San Diego researchers describe the underlying signaling pathway that results in pulmonary arterial hypertension and a novel monoclonal antibody therapy that blocks the abnormal blood vessel formation characterizing the disease.

American Heart Association Honors Two Penn Medicine Scientists for Achievements in Research

Two Penn Medicine faculty members, Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, and Daniel Rader, MD, are being honored with prestigious awards from the American Heart Association (AHA) for their achievements in cardiovascular research. Both awards will be presented during the Presidential Session on Sunday, Nov. 14, at the association’s Scientific Sessions 2021.

CRF Announces Free Online Access to TCT 2021

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is pleased to announce that the digital component of TCT 2021 will now be free for the entire interventional community. After careful consideration and achieving a critical level of support, CRF’s leadership has agreed to fully support this initiative. Complimentary online registration will include access to all content via livestream during the meeting and on-demand access for one year.

Community Health Center Honored for Services Assisting Minority Women

Florida Atlantic University and Northwest Community Health Alliance’s Community Health Center, operated by FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, together with the West Palm Beach YWCA, recently received the “2021 Community Collaborators Award” from Nonprofits First, Inc., for their untiring efforts to mitigate health care disparities among women from minority groups with limited access to quality care.

Low-dose Aspirin No Longer Recommended to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

New draft recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend against taking aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes for most people. The Oct. 12, 2021 guidelines are based on new evidence showing that the risks of daily low-dose…

Mount Sinai Launches the Brain and Body Research Center, Among the First in the U.S.to Focus Solely on How the Brain and Body Interact

Have you ever experienced a stressful time in your life and then caught a cold, or wondered why you feel sad and depressed when you’re sick? It turns out that it’s not all in your head.

Recent research spanning the fields of neuroscience and immunology suggests that when the brain senses a threat in the environment—whether it be physical, psychological, or social—it sends signals via a complex network of peripheral nerves that mobilize the immune system, readying it to protect us from injury.

New NIH research study to investigate psychosocial determinants of cardiovascular disease risk among urban African American adults

The Biopsychosocial Health lab from Wayne State University has been awarded $3,590,488 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to conduct a project titled “Stress and Cardiovascular Risk Among Urban African American adults: A Multilevel, Mixed Methods Approach.”

Exercise Reduces Medication for Metabolic Syndrome Management

Chances are that as we age, we will need to correct our blood pressure, blood sugar or blood fat with the help of medication. Thanks to such medication, an individual’s health span is extended by reducing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases…

Wayne State receives $2.6 million research award from American Heart Association

Black adults have a higher incidence of hypertension (HTN) and a greater risk of HTN-related cardiovascular disease compared to white adults. Even mild elevations in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease; therefore, early interventions for high blood pressure and hypertension are critical to assist in recommendations for lifestyle modification.

Machine Learning for Cardiovascular Disease Improves When Social, Environmental Factors Are Included

Machine learning can accurately predict cardiovascular disease and guide treatment — but models that incorporate social determinants of health better capture risk and outcomes for diverse groups, finds a new study by researchers at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering and the NYU School of Global Public Health.

Bioprinted 3D Cardiac Patches Could Reverse Scar Formation, Promote Myocardial Regeneration After Heart Attacks

Myocardial infarction, or heart attacks, play a large part in heart diseases and the necrosis of cardiac tissue. In APL Bioengineering, researchers take stock of stem cell-laden 3D-bioprinted cardiac patch technologies and their efficacy as a therapeutic and regenerative approach for ischemic cardiomyopathy in reversing scar formation and promoting myocardial regeneration. They explore types of candidate stem cells that possess cardiac regenerative potential and share updates on the challenging implementation of the state-of-the-art 3D-bioprinting approach.

Soft skin patch could provide early warning for strokes, heart attacks

UC San Diego engineers developed a soft, stretchy ultrasound patch that can be worn on the skin to monitor blood flow through vessels deep inside the body. Such a device can make it easier to detect cardiovascular problems, like blockages in the arteries that could lead to strokes or heart attacks.

Leveraging technology to track recovery and relapse in individuals with alcohol use disorders

Alcohol researchers have long known that excessive drinking can cause detrimental changes in cardiovascular functioning. Recent advances in technologies can facilitate data collection that identifies altered cardiovascular functioning even before a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. These results and others will be shared at the 44th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), which will be held virtually this year from the 19th – 23rd of June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Cleveland Clinic Research Identifies Link Between Gut Microbes and Stroke

New findings from Cleveland Clinic researchers show for the first time that the gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and functional impairment following stroke. The results, published in Cell Host & Microbe, lay the groundwork for potential new interventions to help treat or prevent stroke. The research was led by Weifei Zhu, Ph.D., and Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., of Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute.

Two Mount Sinai Leaders Receive Prestigious Honors from American Heart Association in New York City

Two of Mount Sinai’s top doctors will be honored with prestigious awards at the American Heart Association’s New York City Heart and Stroke Ball, taking place virtually on Wednesday, June 9.

Metal Contamination, Gene Signatures, Bisphenol F, and More Featured in June 2021 Toxicological Sciences

Toxicological Sciences delivers the latest research in toxicology, in areas such as clinical and translational toxicology; emerging technologies, methods, and models; and environmental toxicology.

Weight cycling linked to increased sleep problems in women

Women with a history of weight cycling – losing and regaining 10 pounds or more, even once – have increased rates of insomnia and other sleep problems, reports a study in The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, official journal of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Starting Smoking Cessation in Hospitalized Patients Would Reduce Many Premature Deaths

Each year in the U.S., about 30 million hospitalizations occur in individuals 18 and older. Of these, more than 7 million are current cigarette smokers whose average hospital stay is several days. Researchers say that starting smoking cessation therapy during hospitalization and maintaining high adherence post-discharge can markedly improve permanent quit rates in these patients with minimal to no side effects. Cessation therapy also should include long-term counseling and at least 90 days of a prescription drug, specifically, varenicline.

New treatment shows promise in preventing heart failure after heart attack

A study in mice finds treatment with a molecule called MCB-613 repairs heart tissue after a severe heart attack, preventing damage that can lead to heart failure. The findings are being presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting.

Reduced Sitting Time Improves Blood Flow in Brain and Legs

During a regular day, the average person sits for eight to 10 hours. These high levels of sitting time seem linked to an increased risk for both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. First, researchers found that three hours of sitting results…

A New Beat Offers Free Online Seminar Examining Disparities in Cardiovascular Care During Heart Month

The Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. (ABC) and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is offering a complimentary online seminar, “Tackling Disparities in CV Care: A Closer Look at Hypertension and Heart Failure” on Friday February 26, 2021. The program is part of a joint initiative called A New Beat which advocates for women and minorities rising as leaders in cardiology. It aims to foster careers of female and minority cardiologists, who can be poised to improve access to quality care for underserved populations.

Heart Valve Collaboratory Announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration Participation in Collaborative Community

The Heart Valve Collaboratory (HVC) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) will participate in this “collaborative community”. A medical “collaboratory” is a forum in which multidisciplinary private and public sector members work together on medical device challenges to achieve aligned outcomes, solve shared problems, and leverage collective opportunities, in the interest of improving patient care.