Feature Channels: Cardiovascular Health

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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.

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Thomas MacGillivray, MD, has been elected President of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. MacGillivray is the physician executive director of Cardiac Surgery at MedStar Health and chairman of Cardiac Surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

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Below are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Behavioral Science channel on Newswise, a free source for journalists.

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Developmental disorders, disabilities, and delays are common outcomes for infants with complex congenital heart disease. Targeting early factors influencing these conditions after birth and during neonatal hospitalization for cardiac surgery remains a critical need. However, significant gaps remain in understanding the best practices to improve neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes for these infants.

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Two novel research studies from Cedars-Sinai move the needle on predicting two important heart conditions—sudden cardiac arrest, which is often fatal, and increased coronary artery calcium, a marker of coronary artery disease that can lead to a heart attack.

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Research in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity found greater disruption to genes involved in heart function when coupled with vitamin A deficiency. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. It was chosen as an APSselect article for January.

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Ever since she was 12 years old, Barbie Johnson has been a Kentucky girl at heart. Raised in the bluegrass, Barbie has worked at UK HealthCare for 18 years, first in gynecologic oncology and now in surgery scheduling. But she had no idea that while working with patients she would eventually become one herself.

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The number of people dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the U.S. escalated during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, from 874,613 CVD-related deaths recorded in 2019 to 928,741 in 2020.

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People with early cardiovascular disease may be more likely to have memory and thinking problems and worse brain health in middle age, according to new research published in the January 25, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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After years of research, an NIH-funded team has developed a wearable cardiac ultrasound imager that can non-invasively capture real-time images of the human heart. The prototype patch, which is about the size of a postage stamp, can be worn during exercise, providing valuable cardiac information when the heart is under stress.

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Engineers and physicians have developed a wearable ultrasound device that can assess both the structure and function of the human heart. The portable device, which is roughly the size of a postage stamp, can be worn for up to 24 hours and works even during strenuous exercise.

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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, with half of all Americans (47%) qualifying for at least one of the three key risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking cigarettes). Keep Your Heart Strong with these 3 Foods. Expert Tips for February: American Hearth Month Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, with half of all Americans (47%) qualifying for at least one of the three key risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking cigarettes). Good news: You can manage two of these risk factors.

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JFK Johnson is one of 20 rehabilitation hospitals nationwide enrolling patients in the EMAGINE Stroke Recovery Trial, which aims to enhance recovery and reduce disability after neurologic damage caused by stroke. The wearable device, which can be used in a hospital setting, outpatient clinic, and at home would augment JFK Johnson’s existing rehabilitation therapies.

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Cardiologists and surgeons from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai are available for interviews during Heart Month on an array of cardio-related topics.

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Hospitals without the highest stroke care designation may be missing strokes that occur after a common heart valve replacement procedure. Investigators found that comprehensive stroke centers reported significantly greater stroke rates after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) than hospitals without the designation.

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Mount Sinai Heart President given top honor for his extraordinary scientific achievements

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Cardiothoracic surgeon Thomas E. MacGillivray, MD, from MedStar Health, was elected President of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons at STS 2023 during the Society’s Business Meeting.

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Many cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, or ‘hardening of the arteries,’ correlate to mitochondrial dysfunction and endothelial impairment in the tissues of the heart and blood vessels.

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An anti-ageing gene discovered in a population of centenarians has been shown to rewind the heart’s biological age by 10 years. The breakthrough, published in Cardiovascular Research and led by scientists at the University of Bristol and the MultiMedica Group in Italy, offers a potential target for patients with heart failure.

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A study of more than 100,000 patients has revealed that, for patients with blockages in multiple arteries, those who opt for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are less likely to die from their condition, less likely to need additional surgery, and less likely to have a heart attack than patients who choose to undergo a stent procedure.

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Identifying and closing gaps and disparities in health care subject of scientific session at the 59th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

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Female and male hearts respond differently to “fight or flight” stress hormone, according to a new UC Davis study in mice. It may help explain sex differences in arrhythmia risk.

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Editing a gene that prompts a cascade of damage after a heart attack appeared to reverse this inevitable course in mice, leaving their hearts remarkably unharmed, a new study by UT Southwestern scientists showed. The findings, published in Science, could lead to a new strategy for protecting patients from the consequences of heart disease.

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Cardiothoracic surgeons and investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai bring their leading-edge expertise in heart and lung surgery to the 59th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), Jan. 21-23, 2023, in San Diego.

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Martha Gulati, MD, director of Preventive Cardiology and associate director of the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, has been named the Anita Dann Friedman Endowed Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Medicine and Research.

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A new clinical trial aims to shed light on how to best treat a patent ductus arteriosus in the most fragile infants.

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In an article published jointly on January 18, 2023, in both The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, leading cardiology and cardiothoracic surgical researchers analyzed recent national data to assess the outcomes and risk of mitral valve repair for primary mitral regurgitation.

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High blood pressure and diabetes are known risk factors for stroke, but now a new study shows that the amount of risk may decrease as people age. The study is published in the January 18, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Cedars-Sinai has appointed Michael E. Farkouh, MD, MSc, as associate dean for Research and Clinical Trials and professor of Cardiology, effective March 1, 2023. A clinical cardiologist and epidemiologist, Farkouh is internationally known for his academic leadership and distinguished record of diabetes and cardiovascular disease clinical trials.

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CTO Plus 2023 will feature the latest research and techniques for chronic total occlusions (CTO) and complex percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The annual conference, organized by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), will take place February 23-24 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York, NY.

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Aging and related diseases are associated with alterations in oxidative status and low-grade inflammation, as well as a decreased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is a functional mechanism by which cells attempt to protect themselves against ER stress. Researchers analyzed these proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of elderly subjects and used computer simulation to predict the key proteins associated with these biomolecules underlying physiological adaptations to exercise. They collected blood samples about five to six days before and after the training period and analyzed various oxidative stress biomarkers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The study takes research one step further in helping to elucidate the benefits of exercise in this population.

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Credentialed press representatives are invited to attend The Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ 59th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, which will include late-breaking scientific research, thought-provoking lectures, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative cardiothoracic surgery products.

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University at Albany’s Bruce Svare, professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience, is an expert in sport psychology and the relationship between sport and society. We caught up with Svare to gain insight into the potential implications of Hamlin’s injury on the sport, whether the incident might incite changes to policies around player protection and how this event might influence perceptions of the sport among youth athletes and their caregivers.

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Teenagers who reported feeling optimism, happiness, self-esteem, belongingness, and feeling loved and wanted were more likely to reach their 20s and 30s in good cardiometabolic health compared to teens with fewer of these positive mental health assets, 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.

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A change to Medicare policy surrounding heart transplant may lead to increased inequities in access to transplant for patients with heart failure, a new study finds. Results reveal that patients receiving Left Ventricular Assist Devices at transplant-capable centers had 79% higher odds to receive a bridge-to-transplant designation than patients treated at LVAD-only centers.

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Scientists detected deep divers make adaptations that make their hearts and lungs work more effectively in low oxygen conditions.

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Reformulating packaged foods available in Australia to contain less sodium may save about 1,700 lives per year, according to a new study.

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Sessenta anos atrás, havia poucas opções de tratamento para crianças que nasciam com alguma cardiopatia estrutural. Inovações em terapias têm transformado a cardiopatia congênita em uma condição que geralmente pode ser administrada na vida adulta. Neste alerta dos especialistas, cardiologistas da Mayo Clinic explicam como a doença pode mudar ao longo da vida.