Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently celebrated the opening of a new, specialized Pulmonary Hypertension Center.
Tag: Cardiovascular Health

Cardiologist to Female Patients: Be Aware of Atypical Heart Attack Symptoms
In recognition of American Heart Month (February), one cardiologist from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) is sharing potentially life-saving information for patients assigned female at birth. “The leading killer in women is not cancer—it’s heart disease,…

New Study Finds Depression, Poor Mental Health Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risks Among Young Adults
Young adults who feel down or depressed are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) and have poor heart health, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers who analyzed data from more than a half million people between the ages of 18 and 49. The findings add to a growing body of evidence connecting CVD with depression among young and middle-aged adults and suggest the relationship between the two could begin in early adulthood.
Learn CPR and Lower Your Stress: Mount Sinai Cardiologists Emphasize Their Importance During American Heart Month
Doctors warn about lack of knowledge of administering CPR, especially in high-risk groups, and the rise of stress-related heart issues
Computerized decision support system helps to reduce cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes
Compared with team-based care alone, the addition of a computerized clinical decision support system (CDSS) significantly reduced cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes.
Gender Affirmation Treatment Delivery Route May Affect Heart Health
Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people assigned male at birth are at increased heart health risk. The delivery route of estrogen medication is known to affect heart health risk in cisgender women. However, research is lacking on how estrogen route affects heart health in the TGD population.
UChicago Medicine first in state to offer novel super-saturated oxygen therapy to patients with ‘widowmaker’ heart attacks
The treatment is the first therapy to mitigate heart muscle damage after catheter-based intervention and could increase long-term survival for heart attack patients.
Northwestern Medicine Taps Douglas R. Johnston, MD, to Lead Cardiac Surgery
Nationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeon, Douglas R. Johnston, MD, has been named surgical director of Northwestern Medicine’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and chief of the division of cardiac surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
University Hospitals Studying a Self-Management Treatment for Black Women with Depression and at Risk for High Blood Pressure
Researchers at University Hospitals, with support from an American Heart Association® grant, will work to better understand how to successfully treat Black women diagnosed with depression who are also at risk for high blood pressure.
Religious practices, spirituality associated with higher levels of heart health among African Americans
A research study of African Americans with cardiovascular disease suggests religious practices and spirituality may contribute to heart health.
Nationally representative study shows disparities persist in lipid control
Physician-scientists assessed whether lipid concentrations and rates of lipid control changed among U.S. adults from 2007 to 2018. The researchers observed that while mean cholesterol concentrations improved among U.S. adults overall during this time period, there were concerning variations in these trends by race and ethnicity.
Ochsner and Tulane collaboration uncovers what happens to genes inside artery plaques to trigger strokes
Researchers at Ochsner Health and Tulane University School of Medicine have identified the genes that become active in carotid arteries when plaque rupture causes a stroke. The work, published in Scientific Reports, was made possible by acquiring samples closer to the time of the stroke than previously possible. The results provide a picture of what the cells in the plaque are doing near the moment they induce a stroke.
Study Reverses Long-Held Ideas About Relationship Among Diabetes, Fat and Cardiovascular Disease
In a paper published in Circulation Research, scientists describe a series of studies designed to determine the relationship among insulin, fats and the vascular system.

The Medical Minute: Pickleball anyone? Sport’s popularity surges, health benefits abound
Pickleball is surging in popularity. Does the sport also offer health benefits? A Penn State Health exercise physiologist and a couple passionate pickleballers pop the top on a jar’s worth of thoughts.
Higher cardiovascular health may partially offset increased genetic risk for stroke
Genes and lifestyle factors together play a role in stroke risk. However, even for people at high risk for stroke, adopting a healthy cardiovascular lifestyle may significantly lower the risk of stroke in their lifetime, 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.
A healthy lifestyle can offset a high genetic risk for stroke, according to new research by UTHealth Houston
People who are genetically at higher risk for stroke can lower that risk by as much as 43% by adopting a healthy cardiovascular lifestyle, according to new research led by UTHealth Houston, which was published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Exercise + Sauna = Better Cardiovascular Function
New research suggests that adding a regular 15-minute sauna to an exercise routine may improve cardiovascular risk factors more than exercise alone. The study is the first randomized controlled trial to explore the long-term combination of exercise and sauna bathing in a non-clinical population. It is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
Where and When Violent Crime Rates Fall, Heart Disease Deaths Fall, Too
A new study of data from Chicago found that the neighborhoods where violent crime fell the most, cardiovascular disease mortality fell sharply, too

1930s ‘Redlining’ Connected to Poor Health Outcomes Today
A new study from UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute in Cleveland further proves that people living in areas that were subjected to housing discrimination decades ago now suffer from higher rates of poor health outcomes, including heart disease, kidney failure and diabetes.
Mark Mascarenhas, M.D., who implanted the first dual-chamber leadless pacemakers at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, is available to speak to media
The cardiovascular team at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently implanted New Jersey’s first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker systems in patients, as part of Abbott’s AveirTM DR i2i clinical study. People who experience a slower-than-normal heart rate may receive…
New Jersey’s First Dual-Chamber Leadless Pacemakers Implanted at Jersey Shore University Medical Center
The cardiovascular team at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center recently implanted New Jersey’s first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker systems in patients, as part of Abbott’s AveirTM DR i2i clinical study.
Specific Environmental Exposures may Help Predict Increased Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease
A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai quantifies the cardiovascular risk posed by exposure to specific environmental factors, showing, for example, that air pollution heightens the risk of heart disease mortality by 17 percent.
Haywire T cells attack protein in “bad” cholesterol
Detecting these T cells may lead to diagnostics to better detect heart disease—and disease severity.
Latinos’ beliefs about social status may affect their cardiovascular health, study finds
Hispanics and Latinos in the U.S. who perceive themselves as having higher social status are more likely to have ideal markers of cardiovascular health, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Obesity and Cardiovascular Factors Combine to Cause Cognitive Decline in Latinos
Obesity is a major public health issue among Latinos, and a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. But in a new study, researchers at UC San Diego report that cardiometabolic abnormalities, such as hypertension, are more strongly associated with cognitive decline than obesity alone.
Sleep apnea increases risk of sudden death, cardiovascular conditions
A study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers reveals that people living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition that occurs when a person’s airway becomes blocked while they are asleep, are twice as likely to experience sudden death compared to people living without OSA.
Exercise to Improve Health: Fast, Furious and Infrequent or Slow, Steady and Sustainable?
Exercise is well-known to reduce the risk of chronic diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. While moderate-intensity continuous exercise (END) has traditionally been recommended to achieve these meaningful benefits, the time-effective alternative of sprint interval training (SIT)…
Fat Around the Heart Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Failure
EMBARGOED UNTIL MAY 24 2:00PM EST (New York, NY – May 24, 2021) – Having excess pericardial fat—fat around the heart—increases the risk of developing heart failure, especially in women, according to new Mount Sinai research. Women with high amounts…
Get Off the Couch! Replacing Sedentary Time with Physical Activity or Sleep Improves Heart Health
National and international guidelines recommend replacing the amount of time spent being sedentary with physical activity to improve health. This message is especially important in the face of COVID-19, as overall sedentary behaviors have increased substantially. In fact, research suggests…
Should you take fish oil? Depends on your genotype
Fish oil supplements are a billion-dollar industry built on a foundation of purported, but not proven, health benefits. Now, new research from a team led by a University of Georgia scientist indicates that taking fish oil only provides health benefits if you have the right genetic makeup.
Don’t Like Exercise? Try a Hot Tub Soak
Research suggests that soaking in a hot tub for 60 minutes may provide similar post-activity cardiovascular benefits as 60 minutes of cycling. This news could help people who are not able to exercise due to their health.
Effectiveness of HIIE versus MICT in Improving Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Health and Disease
A healthy lifestyle is composed primarily of regular structured physical activity (i.e., exercise). As a result, there is vast research into the clinical benefits of exercise, in most cases showing a better effect than drug interventions. Current physical activity guidelines…

The Medical Minute: Don’t overdo it in winter weather
Whether the blanket of snow outside beckons you to a winter play land of skiing and sledding or to the mundane tasks of shoveling or snow blowing, consider your health and safety before you venture out.
Back to basics: Researchers find simple exercises are a practical, time-efficient way to boost fitness
Kinesiologists at McMaster University who examined the effectiveness of old-school physical training have found that simple bodyweight exercises, when performed vigorously over short periods, improve cardiorespiratory fitness.
Time-saving high-intensity workouts can benefit people with spinal cord injuries, researchers find
Research from the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University has found that the practical advantages of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), or short bursts of all-out exercise, could be especially beneficial for people who have experienced spinal cord injuries (SCI).
ACSM Tackles Myth on Genetics and Heart Disease as Part of American Heart Month
In honor of American Heart Month, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) teams up with ACSM Fellow Beth A. Taylor, Ph.D., from the University of Connecticut to tackle a myth on genetic predisposition and heart disease.
Changing Your Exercise Routine
Jeremy Robbins, MD, a cardiologist at BIDMC, discusses how altering the intensity of your workout or trying a new activity may benefit your cardiovascular and mental health.
MacNeal Hospital Named One of the Nation’s Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals for the Second Year
MacNeal Hospital has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health®. The study spotlights the top-performing cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S. based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational and patient satisfaction metrics and data. This is the second consecutive year that MacNeal Hospital has been recognized with this honor.
Teaching Preschool Caregivers about Healthy Behaviors May Promote Healthier Lifestyle in Some High-Risk Groups
Study Shows Vascular Ultrasounds and Adhering to Interventional Education in Underserved Communities can Improve Health among Parents and School Staff
Heart Risk Raised By Sitting in Front of the TV, Not By Sitting at Work, Finds Study
NEW YORK, NY (June 26, 2019)—Sitting for long periods of time has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and early death, but a new study suggests that not all types of sitting are equally unhealthy. The study, led…