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Minimally invasive valve repair lowers hospitalizations in heart failure patients

At two years of follow-up, patients with a poorly functioning tricuspid valve in the heart who received optimal medical therapy plus a minimally invasive procedure using a clip to repair the valve were significantly less likely to die, have a heart attack or stroke and 40% less likely to be hospitalized for heart failure compared with similar patients who were randomly assigned to optimal medical therapy alone.

29 Mar 2026

Noninvasive lung impedance monitoring improves outcomes in HFpEF patients

Treatment management guided by the use of a noninvasive device to monitor fluid accumulation in the lungs substantially reduced hospitalizations and deaths among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

29 Mar 2026

Left-ventricular unloading during angioplasty fails to improve patient outcomes

The first randomized trial to compare standard percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, with PCI accompanied by the use of a temporary, miniaturized pump to support the heart in patients with both severe coronary heart disease and moderate to severe heart failure found no significant difference between the two approaches.

29 Mar 2026

Novel vFFR method performs similar to invasive coronary assessment

A novel, minimally invasive method of determining whether fatty deposits in a coronary artery are restricting blood flow to a patient's heart performed similarly to the standard, more-invasive procedure in a large multi-country European randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

29 Mar 2026

AI-based tool matches standard method for coronary blood flow assessment

A novel, minimally invasive computer software-based method that uses artificial intelligence to determine whether plaques in a coronary artery are restricting blood flow to the patient's heart performed similarly to the standard, more invasive wire-based procedure, according to a large international randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

29 Mar 2026

Angioplasty improves symptoms in chronic total coronary occlusion patients

In what is believed to be the first randomized placebo-controlled trial of its kind, patients with a chronic total blockage of a coronary artery who received a nonsurgical procedure to reopen the artery showed statistically significant reductions in chest pain and improvements in quality of life compared with patients who received a placebo procedure.

29 Mar 2026

Higher sugar intake raises gallstone risk in adults, study finds

A cross-sectional NHANES study of 8,975 U.S. adults found that higher total dietary sugar intake was associated with higher odds of gallstones, with each 100 g/day increase linked to a 41% rise after full adjustment. The findings suggest sugar intake may be a modifiable gallstone risk factor, but the study relied on self-reported gallstones and cannot establish causation.

29 Mar 2026

Chronic colitis reshapes colon stem cells in ways that can accelerate tumour growth

Researchers showed that chronic colitis leaves a long-lasting epigenetic memory in colonic stem cells, persisting for more than 100 days after recovery in mice. This memory is marked by durable AP-1-linked chromatin changes and later amplifies tumour outgrowth after oncogenic mutation.

29 Mar 2026

APOE4 alters brain immunity and cognition differently in females and males

APOE4 drove sex-specific changes in meningeal immunity, lymphatic drainage, brain lipids, neuroinflammation, and cognition in mouse models, with females showing greater inflammatory and cognitive vulnerability. Suppressing innate immunity improved some cognitive outcomes in female E4/E4 mice but worsened them in male E4/E4 mice, underscoring the need for sex-tailored approaches.

29 Mar 2026

Home-delivered DASH diet improves blood pressure and cholesterol outcomes

Black adults with high blood pressure who received dietitian counseling and home deliveries of groceries aligned with the DASH diet—meaning high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes and lean proteins—had an average overall reduction in systolic blood pressure of 7 mm Hg at three months overall and a 5 mm Hg reduction compared with participants who received only basic dietary guidance and a grocery stipend, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

28 Mar 2026

Hypercortisolism found in many patients with resistant hypertension

The MOMENTUM study found 27 percent of patients with resistant hypertension have hypercortisolism. This is a significant finding, demonstrating that hypercortisolism is more common in these patients than previously understood by researchers and clinicians.

28 Mar 2026

Microaxial flow pump fails to reduce heart damage in STEMI trial

Using a microaxial flow pump prior to and during cardiac stenting procedures for patients with severe heart attacks who don't have cardiogenic shock does not significantly reduce heart damage.

28 Mar 2026

Catheter-based approach improves prognosis in pulmonary embolism patients

Patients who had low doses of clot-buster drugs delivered directly to the site of a pulmonary embolism (PE) via a catheter using ultrasound to enhance their effect had significantly better outcomes than those who received standard systemic anticoagulants, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

28 Mar 2026

Temporary heart pump before PCI shows no significant benefit

The first randomized trial to test whether adding a small, temporary pump to allow the heart to rest and intentionally delaying percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, for 30 minutes to reduce heart damage compared with standard immediate PCI in patients with heart attacks at risk for a large amount of heart damage found no significant difference between the two groups, the study's primary endpoint. The research was presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

28 Mar 2026

Left atrial appendage closure matches anticoagulants in AFib patients

For patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib) who had no contraindications to taking oral anticoagulants, the use of a device to close off the left atrial appendage in the heart—a small pouch where blood can pool and form dangerous clots—was comparable to standard medication therapy in reducing the combined rate of all-cause stroke, cardiovascular death and systemic embolism at three years.

28 Mar 2026

Heart structure changes in midlife linked to long-term disease risk

Higher left atrial end-systolic dimension (LASD), an increased measurement of the left upper chamber of the heart, and left ventricular mass (LVM), a clinical measurement of the weight of the heart's left ventricular myocardium, are well-established indicators of cardiovascular damage that are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the short-term (less than 10 years).

28 Mar 2026

Terahertz radiation alters metabolism and signaling in melanoma cells

Terahertz (THz) radiation is increasingly explored for biomedical applications, however, its non-thermal effects on cellular metabolism and regulatory networks remain insufficiently characterized.

28 Mar 2026

Study reveals immune changes in HIV and HCV coinfected patients

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection leads to severe systemic inflammation, increasing non-AIDS morbidity and mortality risk. CD39 ectoenzyme on T-cells, which catalyzes the conversion of pro-inflammatory purines to immunosuppressive adenosine, plays an important role in inflammation control.

28 Mar 2026

Children redefine what makes play meaningful and enjoyable

Play is critical for kids’ development — but ‘play’ in research is often defined by adult scientists, not the children themselves.

28 Mar 2026

Brain resilience peaks about an hour after stress exposure

Psychological resilience is often misunderstood as simple "toughness" or an insensitivity to stress. However, true resilience is the brain's capacity to adapt and recover after a stressful event.

28 Mar 2026