Newswise Curated News Channel: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Gut microbial pathway identified as target for improved heart disease treatment

Cleveland Clinic — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 10:05:49 EST

Cleveland Clinic researchers have made a significant discovery about how the gut microbiome interacts with cells to cause cardiovascular disease.

Research Explores Patient Experience of North Carolina's Medicaid Transition

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 12:40:31 EST

In 2021, 1.6 million Medicaid beneficiaries in North Carolina moved from a fee-for-service Medicaid model to a managed care system known as N.C. Medicaid Managed Care. What impact did the transition have on Medicaid enrollees who live in Forsyth County?

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Receives $11.5 Million Grant Renewal to Study the Impact of Psychosocial Stress on Cardiovascular Disease

Mount Sinai Health System — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 08:30:57 EST

Psychosocial stress profoundly affects people's lives globally, not least because it can be a critical risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Thanks to an $11.5 million award renewal from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, distinguished researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and elsewhere aim to gain a deeper understanding of how stress influences cardiovascular health.

Storing fat at the waist may NOT up diabetes risk, surprise findings indicate

University of Virginia Health System — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:45:57 EST

Conventional wisdom holds that storing fat around your belly puts you at increased risk for type 2 diabetes. But surprising new findings from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggest that naturally occurring variations in our genes can lead some people to store fat at the waist but also protect them from diabetes.

Omega-3 fatty acids appear promising for maintaining lung health

NIH, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 16:05:06 EST

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in fish and fish oil supplements, appear promising for maintaining lung health, according to new evidence from a large, multi-faceted study in healthy adults supported by the National Institutes of Health.

A key function for tight junctions in embryo models

Gladstone Institutes — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:45:00 EST

As a human embryo grows, a set of molecules directs cells as they multiply and take on specific identities and spatial positions within the embryo. In one crucial step known as gastrulation, these signaling molecules guide a single layer of embryonic stem cells to form three layers of distinct cell types that will later become different parts of the body.

Blood pressure patterns in the first half of pregnancy improve early prediction of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension

Kaiser Permanente — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:35:54 EST

Routine blood pressure readings recorded in the first half of pregnancy can be divided into 6 distinct patterns that can effectively stratify patients by their risk of developing preeclampsia and gestational hypertension later in pregnancy, Kaiser Permanente researchers found.

Researchers uncover how a genetic mutation can cause individuals with normal cholesterol levels to develop coronary artery disease at a young age

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 11:20:33 EST

A novel molecular pathway to explain how a mutation in the gene ACTA2 can cause individuals in their 30s - with normal cholesterol levels and no other risk factors -- to develop coronary artery disease has been identified, according to researchers with UTHealth Houston.

Produce Prescription Programs for Patients with Diabetes Could Save Billions in Healthcare Costs, Study Shows

Tufts University — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 08:20:29 EST

A modeled implementation of a nationwide produce prescription program--which would provide free or discounted fruits and vegetables to eligible Americans living with diabetes --projected extensive reductions in national rates of cardiovascular disease and associated healthcare costs.

Fluctuating Levels of Cholesterol and Triglycerides Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia

American Academy of Neurology (AAN) — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 16:00:00 EST

Older people who have fluctuating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides may have a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias compared to people who have steady levels, according to new research published in the July 5, 2023, online issue of Neurology(r), the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. While the study found a link, it does not prove that fluctuating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides cause dementia.

Study Sets New Standard for Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prevention After Stem Cell Transplant

Johns Hopkins Medicine — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 13:15:49 EST

Clinicians have a new standard for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prevention after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, according to results from a phase III study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The new standard is more effective at preventing GVHD and came with less side effects, compared with the current gold standard.

Discovering Cell Identity: $6 Million NIH Grant Funds New Penn Medicine Research to Uncover Cardiac Cell Development

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 09:30:50 EST

Historically, scientists have studied how cells develop and give rise to specialized cells, such as heart, liver, or skin cells, by examining specific proteins.

Mount Sinai Researchers Use New Deep Learning Approach to Enable Analysis of Electrocardiograms as Language

Mount Sinai Health System — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 05:00:00 EST

Mount Sinai researchers have developed an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) model for electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis that allows for the interpretation of ECGs as language. This approach can enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of ECG-related diagnoses, especially for cardiac conditions where limited data is available on which to train. In a study published in the June 6 online issue of npj Digital Medicine DOI: 10.1038/s41746-023-00840-9, the team reported that its new deep learning model, known as HeartBEiT, forms a foundation upon which specialized diagnostic models can be created. The team noted that in comparison tests, models created using HeartBEiT surpassed established methods for ECG analysis.

Afternoon Exercise Linked with Greater Improvements in Blood Sugar Levels for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Brigham and Women's Hospital — Thu, 25 May 2023 08:00:00 EST

Over 37 million Americans have diabetes, and 90-95% of that population are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle interventions, such as a healthy diet and a regular physical activity program, are methods to manage diabetes.

A commonly used tool is suboptimal in predicting osteoporosis fracture risk in younger post-menopausal women

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences — Mon, 22 May 2023 11:00:00 EST

The commonly used U.S version of the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) should not be routinely used to select younger postmenopausal women for bone mineral density testing. But the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST) is excellent at identifying women with osteoporosis-level bone mineral density, which is the goal of these screenings, while FRAX is not.

COVID-19 linked to financial toll on patients

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 18:25:09 EST

The lingering effects of COVID-19 on some patients' health has gotten a lot of attention. But a new study suggests many face long-term major financial impacts after their illness. Whether or not they got hospitalized during their bout with COVID-19, patients had a higher risk of serious money problems after their infection, compared with a comparison group of individuals whose financial outcomes were measured prior to getting COVID-19.

How Cross-Sector Coalitions Can Improve Public Health

Tufts University — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:00:39 EST

A new study by researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and others, shows how bringing together coalitions of individuals from government, public health, healthcare, public education, and other arenas to address a public health issue--in this case early childhood obesity--can result in better policies, systems, and environments for change.

Keys to women's resilience after 80: more education, less stress

Ohio State University — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 08:00:52 EST

Having a four-year college degree and a low level of stress are strongly linked to psychological resilience in American women aged 80 and older, a new study suggests.

FSU researchers examine role of crucial hormone and exercise with $1.8 million NIH grant

Florida State University — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 09:40:35 EST

A new, $1.8 million Florida State University study funded by the National Institutes of Health will examine the role adiponectin plays in the circulatory system of aging adults and how exercise affects its influence on vascular health. The research aims to offer more insight into how exercise brings benefits and explore how adiponectin can potentially be used for treatment.

VUMC-Led Trial Shows Two Investigational Drugs Are Ineffective for Treating Severe COVID-19

Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 12:00:45 EST

A study published April 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) evaluated two drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) as potential treatments for severe COVID-19. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, enters pulmonary and myocardial cells through binding of its spike protein to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 is a vital enzyme that controls blood pressure and blood flow to multiple organs, including the lungs, heart and kidneys.