Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Researchers discover major cause of treatment failure in Chagas disease

Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered that dormancy of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi prevents effective drug treatment for Chagas disease, which kills more than 50,000 people each year in Central and South America and is a growing threat in the United States and Europe.

30 Mar 2018

‘Aggressive’ new advance directive would let dementia patients refuse food

Treading into ethically and legally uncertain territory, a New York end-of-life agency has approved a new document that lets people stipulate in advance that they don't want food or water if they develop severe dementia.

30 Mar 2018

Alfred Blalock’s medical breakthroughs have been saving many lives

The year was 1925, and Alfred Blalock was already a failure at age 26. The born-and-raised Georgian earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia in 1918, then a medical doctorate from Johns Hopkins University four years later. But he didn't get the surgical residency he coveted at Hopkins; he ended up interning in urology instead.

29 Mar 2018

Researchers reveal molecular structure of 'anti-aging' protein

Researchers from UT Southwestern's Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research and Internal Medicine's Division of Nephrology recently published work in Nature that reveals the molecular structure of the so-called "anti-aging" protein alpha Klotho (a-Klotho) and how it transmits a hormonal signal that controls a variety of biologic processes.

29 Mar 2018

Expert group presents framework to address physician burnout

Physician burnout continues to be a pervasive issue, with more than 50 percent of doctors reporting problems such as dissatisfaction, high rates of depression, and increased suicide risk.

29 Mar 2018

Natural dietary supplement tends to improve blood pressure and arterial health

Scientists have long known that restricting calories can fend off physiological signs of aging, with studies in fruit flies, roundworms, rodents and even people showing that chronically slashing intake by about a third can reap myriad health benefits and, in some cases, extend lifespan.

29 Mar 2018

Macrophages stimulated to produce potent anti-inflammatory molecule

Researchers have discovered that macrophages, which play a key role in inflammation, also produce an anti-inflammatory molecule called itaconate.

29 Mar 2018

Study identifies potential genetic link in sudden infant death syndrome

Rare genetic mutations associated with impairment of the breathing muscles are more common in children who have died from sudden infant death syndrome (also known as ‘cot death’) than in healthy controls, suggesting a possible genetic element of the disorder, according to a case-control study in the UK and USA published in The Lancet.

29 Mar 2018

Pitt scientists develop new emergency and trauma care referral map to improve health care quality

In response to repeated calls for an integrated and coordinated emergency and trauma care system in the U.S., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists and UPMC physicians rose to the challenge and divided the nation into hundreds of referral regions that describe how patients access advanced care, in a way that respects geopolitical borders.

29 Mar 2018

Thrill of hockey victory may raise heart attack risk in younger men

The thrill of a hockey victory may put younger men at an increased risk for heart attack. A new study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology found an increase in hospital admissions for men under 55 presenting with symptoms of ST-elevation myocardial infarction or heart attack the day after a Montreal Canadiens win.

29 Mar 2018

Single high-fat meal can set the stage for cardiovascular disease

A single high-fat milkshake, with a fat and calorie content similar to some enticing restaurant fare, can quickly transform our healthy red blood cells into small, spiky cells that wreak havoc inside our blood vessels and help set the perfect stage for cardiovascular disease, scientists report.

29 Mar 2018

International researchers discover link between congenital heart defects and adrenal gland cancer

An international team led by Dr. Patricia Dahia, M.D., Ph.D., of UT Health San Antonio, discovered a genetic mutation that explains why adults with severe congenital heart defects--who live with low oxygen in their blood--are at dramatically high risk for adrenal gland cancer.

29 Mar 2018

Genetic links to cot deaths found in new research

Cot death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a rare but unexplained and tragic occurrence where babies between ages two and four months who are apparently healthy die unexpectedly during sleep. SIDS is responsible for around 300 and 2400 deaths in the United Kingdom and United States of America yearly. Researchers have now found a genetic link that could explain the occurrence and risk of such incidents. The study appeared in the latest issues of the journal Lancet.

29 Mar 2018

Seven ways to eat foods that have positive impact on budget and health

Think eating healthy foods is too expensive to try? Think again: A recent study showed that a healthy diet costs only about $1.50 more per day per person than its less healthy counterpart.

28 Mar 2018

High levels of humanin protein found in placenta of women who delivered low-birthweight babies

For the first time, UCLA scientists have discovered higher levels of a protein called humanin in the placenta tissue of women who give birth to severely underweight infants.

28 Mar 2018

Researchers highlight the need to reconsider mitochondrial replacement moratorium

Mothers with mitochondrial DNA mutations often give birth to children who face incurable and fatal illnesses. But a much-studied form of mitochondrial replacement could prevent the transmission of such diseases from mothers to children, researchers say.

28 Mar 2018

Women of childbearing age with rheumatic heart disease face double danger

Today, most people in the United States rarely think of rheumatic heart disease (RHD)-or the rheumatic fever that causes it-as more than a historical footnote.

28 Mar 2018

Researchers aim to reveal new direction for Barth syndrome treatment

The Barth Syndrome Foundation recently announced awardees from its 2017 grant cycle. Miriam Greenberg, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University and a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan, received a one-year, $50,000 grant for the project, "Cardiolipin activates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) - a potential new target for treatment of Barth syndrome."

28 Mar 2018

Largest-ever study uncovers new genetic contributors to stroke

An international research group, including scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, studying 520,000 people from around the world has identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke, tripling the number of gene regions known to affect stroke risk.

28 Mar 2018

Simple bedside test may help doctors diagnose certain degenerative brain diseases

A simple bedside test that matches a change in heart rate with a drop in blood pressure after a patient stands may help doctors diagnose certain degenerative brain diseases.

28 Mar 2018