Cardiovascular

Scientists at Oxford have uncovered a mechanism behind why people with diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. High blood sugar levels seem to “reprogram” stem cells so that the immune cells they produce become more inflammatory.

Accumulation of fat around the heart has long been linked to cardiovascular and metabolic disease but until now there hasn’t been a simple way to measure this. A new AI tool has been developed that can quantify these fat deposits from regular MRI images.

A new study has provided the strongest evidence yet that a daily practice designed to strengthen breathing muscles can lower blood pressure and improve vascular health, just as effectively or perhaps even more so than aerobic exercise.

The heart has a limited capacity to heal itself, so heart attack survivors often have further episodes. Now, scientists have grown heart cells from stem cells, embedded them onto microspheres and injected them into damaged hearts to help repair them.

A study has found it may be possible to predict a person’s risk of dying more than a decade in advance by analyzing their gut bacteria. The research points to a microbial signature associated with an increased risk of mortality across a 15-year follow up.

Researchers in the UK have developed a new type of glowing probe that increases its fluorescence in the presence of an enzyme linked to plaque buildup in the arteries, possibly acting as an early warning sign for cardiovascular disease.

Scientists have developed a new type of smart stent that can help prevent some of the complications these implants bring. The stent is coated in a substance that minimizes the inflammatory response, while promoting tissue repair.

A robust new study has demonstrated how SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can infect and directly damage heart tissue, suggesting heart damage in patients is not due to inflammation but the virus itself interfering with heart muscles.

A new study is suggesting heart disease in mid-life is linked to cognitive decline in senior years. The research found subjects in their 50s with mild hypertension displayed evidence of impaired brain metabolism in areas associated with Alzheimer’s.

Heart failure often requires a transplant of the whole organ. Now scientists at EPFL have developed an artificial aorta that can help pump blood, taking some of the pressure off the heart to reduce or even eliminate the need for a transplant.

Blood clots can be dangerous, and blood thinning drugs aren’t always enough to clear them out. Now, researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated an ultrasonic “drill” that can break clots apart with the help of tiny nanodroplets.

A new study has affirmed the link between the presence of brown fat and improved cardiac or metabolic health, validating the relatively new hypothesis that the type of adipose tissue commonly referred to as brown fat confers broad health benefits.