New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Placental stem cells found to regenerate heart cells after heart attack

Michael Irving May 21, 2019

After a heart attack this vital organ remains damaged, which can eventually lead to heart failure and death. Now, researchers have managed to use placental stem cells to regenerate heart cells in mice, which could lead to groundbreaking new treatments for heart attack victims.

Placental stem cells have been found to regenerate damaged heart cells after a heart attack

Medical Audio available

Harvard scientists uncover how poor sleep leads to cardiovascular disease

Michael Irving March 19, 2019

The main risk factors for heart disease are lifestyle choices like a bad diet, smoking, lack of exercise – and poor sleep. That last point has gone relatively unstudied, but new research out of Harvard has found the chemical chain reaction that links disrupted sleep and cardiovascular disease.

Harvard researchers have uncovered the chemical chain reaction that links a lack of sleep to cardiovascular ...

Biology

"Cell-by-cell map" suggests heart stem cells don't exist

Michael Irving December 5, 2018

Whether or not cardiac stem cells exist has been up for debate, but now European scientists claim to have created a cell-by-cell map of a mouse heart before and after a heart attack – and found no evidence of stem cells at all.

The heart wall of a mouse after a heart attack. Scar tissue is visible in red, ...

Medical Audio available

Heart-healing fish may help humans do the same

Ben Coxworth November 21, 2018

After a heart attack, the heart's damaged muscle tissue is replaced by non-beating scar tissue. Unfortunately, this leaves the muscle permanently weakened. There could be new hope, however, as scientists have taken strides toward understanding how a fish is able to heal its own heart.

The blind, cave-dwelling variant of the Astyanax Mexicanus tetra

Medical Audio available

Heart attack-detecting smartphone app almost as accurate as an ECG

Rich Haridy November 11, 2018

A newly developed smartphone app has shown promise for determining if a person is suffering from a serious heart attack. A study into the app's accuracy revealed it was almost as effective as a traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) at identifying a serious form of heart attack.

A smartphone-based system has proven almost as accurate as conventional ECG diagnostic tools for detecting a ...

Medical

Nanospheres may provide alternative to heart-attack surgery

Ben Coxworth August 9, 2018

When a clot blocks a blood vessel in the heart, a heart attack is the unfortunate result. Frequently, surgery is required in order to remove that clot. Thanks to an experimental new drug-delivery system, however, that approach may become increasingly unnecessary.

The drug-containing nanospheres could be injected into the bloodstream of heart attack patients

Wearables

iBeat smartwatch is ready to call for heart help

Ben Coxworth July 11, 2018

There are already plenty of smartwatches that allow fitness-conscious users to monitor their heart rate. The iBeat Heart Watch also tracks heart rates, but it can additionally summon help if it detects that something is wrong.

The iBeat keeps an eye (optical sensors, actually) on its wearer's heart health

Medical

Implant brings heart medication right to the target

Ben Coxworth June 12, 2018

After a heart attack occurs, non-beating scar tissue forms on the part of the organ that was affected – and this can lead to heart failure. There could be new hope, however, in the form of an implanted device that delivers medication directly to that tissue.

The Therepi medication-dispensing reservoir would be sutured onto the diseased heart tissue

Medical

Blood test promises rapid and portable diagnoses of heart attacks

Rich Haridy June 5, 2018

A new blood test that can rapidly diagnose heart attacks has undergone further testing verifying it can nearly immediately identify whether a patient has had a heart attack or not.

A new blood test promises near instant diagnosis of a heart attack using a newly discovered ...

Medical

Inflammatory bowel disease may increase risk of heart attack

Rich Haridy March 1, 2018

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) inflicts millions of people around the world with an increasing prevalence. A new study has found that people diagnosed with IBD have a significantly higher risk of heart attack, especially in younger patients.

A new correlation between IBD and heart attack has potentially been uncovered