Heart

Scientists have discovered a new type of cell in the heart. The cells, now named nexus glia, seem to help regulate heart rate and rhythm, and the team says they may unlock new understandings of some heart defects and diseases.

Newly published research has delved into the relationship between bedtimes and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and has found that hitting the hay between 10 and 11 pm could provide benefits to the heart.

Researchers in the US have found changes to electrical activity in the heart can help predict which hospitalized COVID-19 patients are more likely to decline and die. The biomarker is easily measurable and may predict death several days in advance.

Scientists have made an intriguing discovery that could see radiation therapy become a less invasive treatment for heart arrhythmia. The technique seems to activate the heart cells to revert to a younger state and repair the tissue.

A new study has identified an association between negative body image and weak brain responses to signals from the gut and heart. The researchers hypothesize the findings could lead to diagnostic tests for mental health disorders and novel treatments.

Obesity is associated with many health problems, but in some specific cases it seems to be protective in the short term against cardiovascular disease. Now scientists may have uncovered one possible mechanism behind this mysterious “obesity paradox."

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, but numbers could be reduced with better early warning systems. A new study has outlined just such a system, using nanoparticles that make atherosclerotic plaques emit ultrasound waves.

New research has demonstrated how a drug candidate built off a molecule in funnel web spider venom can stop the "death signal" that results from a heart attack, potentially providing first responders with a powerful new way to intervene.

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.

In a breakthrough that could greatly ease the burden for patients recovering from cardiac surgery, scientists have developed a new type of temporary pacemaker that never needs to be removed, instead dissolving safely in the body once its job is done.

After open-heart surgery has been performed, the scar tissue that forms on the heart will sometimes stick to the tissue surrounding it. Such complications are known as adhesions, and a new hydrogel may help keep them from occurring.