Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

Increased physical activity associated with lower sleep apnea risk

A study published online as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that increased physical activity is associated with a lower risk of obstructive sleep apnea, a common sleep-related breathing disorder.

23 Jun 2020

Smoking increases risk of COVID-19 for men but not women

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread over the world, scientists have had to come to terms with the fact that they don’t know much about the SARS-CoV-2 or the disease it causes. Now, a new study by researchers at the University College Cork, Ireland, and published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 discusses the differences in COVID-19 risk between men and women who smoke.

23 Jun 2020

Female reproductive organs not susceptible to direct SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the University in San Francisco, California, report that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unlikely to negatively impact on pregnancy-related outcomes such as premature birth, transmission to babies via breast milk, and infertility.

23 Jun 2020

Novel treatment provides cardioprotection after heart attack in animal models

A novel treatment reduces heart damage after serious heart attacks in two animal models. Injections of two chemicals in a slow-release form significantly reduced the size of the dead heart tissue, known as the infarct, and improved the function of the left ventricle, as compared to untreated subjects.

23 Jun 2020

Air pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease risk in low, middle and high-income countries

From low-income countries to high-income countries, long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and death, a new Oregon State University study found.

23 Jun 2020

PCORI approves up to $50 million in funding for new projects to address COVID-19

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today, building on its rapid response to the COVID-19 health crisis, approved allocating up to $50 million in additional funding for new projects in PCORI's COVID-19 funding opportunities, as well as enhancements to existing PCORI-funded studies.

23 Jun 2020

Study identifies new gene variants tied to type-2 diabetes

After examining the genes of more than 200,000 people all over the world who have type-2 diabetes, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Veterans Health Administration's Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center found hundreds of genetic variants never before linked to the disease.

23 Jun 2020

Dog-walking intervention may reduce PTSD symptoms in military veterans

The United States is home to more than 21 million military veterans, many of whom have difficulty reintegrating into civilian life.

23 Jun 2020

Long-term endurance training alters the activity of genes involved in metabolic health

Decades-long endurance training alters the activity of genes in human skeletal muscle that are important for metabolic health.

23 Jun 2020

ASMBS calls for safe and rapid resumption of metabolic and bariatric surgery

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the leading organization of bariatric surgeons and integrated health professionals in the nation, declared metabolic and bariatric surgery "medically necessary and the best treatment for those with the life-threatening and life-limiting disease of severe obesity" and called for the safe and rapid resumption of procedures, which have been largely postponed along with other surgeries deemed elective amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

23 Jun 2020

Research shows tongue microbiome could help diagnose heart failure

Microorganisms on the tongue could help diagnose heart failure, according to research presented today on HFA Discoveries, a scientific platform of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1

23 Jun 2020

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can have positive effects on hypochondriacs over a long period

People that suffer from health anxiety (Hypochondriacs) use very much of their time and energy on checking whether or not they have a serious disease.

23 Jun 2020

Heart failure poses the greatest risk of death for people with type 2 diabetes

Heart failure posed the greatest 5-year risk of death for people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes than any other heart or kidney disease, according to new research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

23 Jun 2020

Study confirms higher rates of positive COVID-19 cases in Latinx populations

In a new analysis of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, test results for nearly 38,000 people has found a positivity rate among Latinx populations about three times higher than for any other racial and ethnic group.

23 Jun 2020

Pandemic forced insurers to pay for in-home treatments. Will they disappear?

After seven days as an inpatient for complications related to heart problems, Glenn Shanoski was initially hesitant when doctors suggested in early April that he could cut his hospital stay short and recover at home — with high-tech 24-hour monitoring and daily visits from medical teams.

23 Jun 2020

The hidden deaths of the COVID pandemic

Sara Wittner had seemingly gotten her life back under control. After a December relapse in her battle with drug addiction, the 32-year-old completed a 30-day detox program and started taking a monthly injection to block her cravings for opioids.

23 Jun 2020

Researchers discover key protein that can reduce damage caused by heart attack

In a heart attack, a series of biochemical processes leave the heart damaged, much like a car after an accident.

23 Jun 2020

Research shows females use anti-inflammatory T cells to maintain their blood pressure

In the face of a multipronged front to drive blood pressure up, including a high-salt diet, females are better able to keep their pressure down by increasing levels of a T cell that selectively dials back inflammation, scientists say.

23 Jun 2020

Researchers develop method to assess mitochondrial respiration in frozen tissues

Scientists led by Dr. Orian Shirihai, director of the metabolism theme at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, have developed a method for restoring oxygen-consumption activity to previously frozen mitochondria samples, even years after they have been collected.

23 Jun 2020

Cardiac care in the era of COVID-19

As Cedars-Sinai expands telehealth and video visits and resumes surgeries, Joanna Chikwe, MD, chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Smidt Heart Institute, has her focus on one thing: ensuring that patients with heart disease understand it is safe to be seen, and treated, by Cedars-Sinai healthcare teams.

22 Jun 2020