Heart

New research from the University of Colorado Boulder has offered some of the clearest evidence to date showing how the gut microbiome produces a metabolite that, over time, contributes to age-related declines in cardiovascular health.

When it comes to replacing faulty heart valves, there are two options – a metallic valve, or a biological one obtained from a pig or cow. There could soon be a third and perhaps better choice, though, in the form of a polymer replacement heart valve.

A new study, led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is shedding light on a century-old mystery. The study describes how bacteria in the gut can metabolize cholesterol at levels high enough to improve a person’s cardiac health.

An abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation is one of the leading causes of strokes, yet it's often symptomless, so it frequently goes undetected. An experimental new necklace, however, could make checking for it a quick and simple process.

The human heart lacks the ability to replenish cells. But now, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern have uncovered a suite of proteins in mice that could be switched off to induce heart cells to begin replicating again temporarily.

Heart cells don’t naturally replenish, so after a heart attack it stays permanently damaged. Cambridge researchers have now stumbled onto genes that appear to trigger heart cell regeneration – and they did so by accident, while researching cancer.

Cardiac patches are designed to help regenerate healthy heart tissue after the injury, and scientists at North Carolina State University have now developed an “off-the-shelf” version they say overcomes some of the dangers of other approaches.

People living in the hottest places on Earth may be up to three times as likely to die from a heart-related cause, according to a newly published study. Heat-related stress could be made worse in the coming decades by the effects of global warming.

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have been working towards a one-size-fits all prosthetic heart valve, and have come up with a design they say works at a variety of diameters, and avoids the need for invasive surgeries as kids grow.

After a heart attack has occurred, some of the beating cardiac tissue ends up being replaced with non-beating scar tissue – this permanently compromises the function of the heart. A new patch, however, is designed to help.

Atherosclerosis is a disease where fatty plaques build up in the arteries, increasing risk of heart attack or stroke. But now, researchers at Oxford have found a protein that could be targeted in new prevention drugs for these deadly buildups.

Researchers at MIT have developed a bionic heart to test heart valves and other cardiac implants under realistic conditions. Built out of an actual living heart, the new device promises improved designs and less expensive development cycles.