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Vutrisiran significantly improved mortality, cardiovascular events and markers of disease progression in patients with transthyretin amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), according to late-breaking research. "ATTR is a progressive, fatal disease in which misfolded transthyretin protein accumulates as amyloid deposits in various parts of the body, often damaging the heart. HELIOS-B was a randomized, double-blind trial in patients with ATTR-CM (hereditary or wild-type) who had evidence of cardiac amyloidosis by echocardiography and confirmed ATTR amyloid deposition. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to vutrisiran 25 mg or placebo administered subcutaneously once every three months for up to 36 months. If the...

Published in JAMA, research from the University of Minnesota assessed if there is a link between heart health and dementia. Using echocardiography—visual ultrasound of the heart—the research team was able to identify novel measures that are linked to a higher dementia risk. "Atrial myopathy, a condition characterized by abnormal left atrial function and size, is an independent risk factor for dementia," said Dr. Lin Yee Chen, and principal investigator. "In this community-based cohort study, lower left atrial function was associated with higher risk of dementia." The study observed a cohort of 4,096 participants with an average age of 35 years....