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Recent studies show that women can experience bothersome menopause symptoms, like hot flashes, for longer than originally estimated. As a result, more research is focusing on the long-term effects of hormone therapy. A new study suggests certain estrogen-based hormone therapies have favorable long-term effects on the risk of heart disease. Hormone therapy has been the subject of intense debate for more than 20 years since the results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) became public. Despite the fact that hormone therapy has proven to be the most effective treatment for managing some of the more common symptoms of menopause, such...

A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by scientists has uncovered promising insights into how vitamin D supplementation can significantly impact cardiometabolic health. The study has implications for tailored therapeutic strategies targeting cardiovascular diseases and related risks. The comprehensive review analyzed 99 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving a total of 17,656 participants. The analysis revealed that vitamin D supplementation, with a median dose of 3,320 International Units (IU) per day, was associated with favorable effects on various cardiometabolic risk factors, including reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C, and fasting blood insulin. Significantly, the...

A research team from the University of Bonn has succeeded for the first time in using light stimuli to stop life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia in mouse hearts. Furthermore, as shown in computer simulations at Johns Hopkins University, this technique could also be used successfully for human hearts. The study opens up a whole new approach to the development of implantable optical defibrillators, in which the strong electrical impulses of conventional defibrillators are replaced by gentler, pain-free light impulses. The Journal of Clinical Investigation has now published the results. Ventricular fibrillation! When the heart muscle races and no longer contracts in an...

To the known risk factors for cardiovascular disease—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, overweight and obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity—a new one has to be added, clonal hematopoiesis. This condition is triggered by acquired mutations in blood stem cells and was already known to be associated with an elevated cardiovascular risk. Now, a new study resolves this by establishing clonal hematopoiesis as a new risk factor for atherosclerosis—the formation of lesions in the arterial wall that underlies most cardiovascular disorders. In a second study, the CNIC scientists propose the ancient medication colchicine as the central plank of personalized strategies to...

An international study has found a surprising connection between constipation and an increased risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. The study analyzed data from over 400,000 participants in the UK Biobank. The research team analyzed data from 408,354 individuals, identifying 23,814 cases of constipation. The findings showed that individuals suffering from constipation were more than twice as likely to suffer from a major cardiac event as those without constipation. Moreover, the study highlighted a particularly concerning link between constipation and hypertension. Hypertensive individuals who also suffered from constipation were found to have...

The traditional lipid panel may not give the full picture of cholesterol-related heart disease risk for many Americans, according to a study. There are different types of cholesterol particles that can cause heart disease, including low-density lipoproteins (LDL), very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL). LDL-C is a measure of the weight of cholesterol in LDL particles and is one of the most common tests people use to measure cholesterol risk. Every LDL, VLDL, and IDL particle has a single protein on its surface called apolipoprotein B (apoB). Prior research has shown that the number of "bad" cholesterol particles,...

A person's fitness levels could provide greater insight into the progression of atrial fibrillation, according to a new study by researchers. About 100 patients with atrial fibrillation underwent cycle fitness tests followed by invasive and non-invasive testing to assess cardiac structure and function. "Our findings suggest that people with atrial fibrillation who are less fit demonstrate significant functional and electrical changes in the heart linked to disease," said Dr. Jonathan Ariyaratnam. "This indicates that cardiorespiratory fitness is another important independent risk factor for the development and progression of atrial fibrillation." The study found participants with reduced fitness had increased left...

Increasing ketone supply to the heart in mice with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) allowed their hearts to utilize more ketones and produce more energy, according to preliminary research. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a common type of heart failure, occurs when there are signs and symptoms of heart failure with a high left ventricle filling pressure despite normal or a near-normal left ventricle ejection fraction of 50% or higher. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is when the heart's pumping power is 40% or less. Healthy hearts require a high rate of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production...

Georgia Satellites - Keep Your Hands To Yourself (Official Music Video) [HQ Audio] | 3:26Rhino Channel | 6.96M subscribers | 11,412,421 views | September 21, 2022

Ann Wilson, lead singer of the rock band Heart, announced she was diagnosed with cancer and that the group will postpone the remaining shows on its Royal Flush Tour. In a statement on Tuesday, the rock legend, 74, said she removed a cancerous growth via surgery and is recovering steadily. Her doctors, however, urged her to undergo preventive chemotherapy and to take time off from performing “in order to fully recover.”

Lebanon Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad is advocating for penetrating “the heart” of Western societies through “investing” in Western university students protesting against Israel in order to subvert American college campuses and increase support for the Palestinians. In an interview with Russia Today TV earlier this month, Raad, who heads Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc in the Lebanese parliament, highlighted the strategic importance of engaging with Western university students participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. According to a translation of his remarks reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), he stressed that the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah should capitalize...

The oral microbiome is the community of bacteria that live in the mouth. It helps us digest our food and keep our mouth healthy. Changes to the composition of the oral microbiome have been linked to periodontal diseases and some cancers. New research is a follow-up to a larger study investigating the use of mouthwash. Researchers wanted to explore further and investigate whether the mouthwash used had an impact on the oral microbiome of the patients. Researchers found that two species of opportunistic bacteria were significantly more abundant in the mouth after three months of daily use of the alcohol-based...

Physician-scientists show that carpal tunnel syndrome preceded the development of cardiac amyloidosis by 10–15 years and individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome were at a high risk of developing cardiac amyloidosis. "Cardiac amyloidosis may be responsible for one in 10 cases of heart failure," said Naman S. Shetty, M.D. "Early identification of cardiac amyloidosis may allow the initiation of disease-modifying therapeutic agents." "We found that individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome exhibited a 13 percent higher risk of developing heart failure and a threefold higher risk of amyloidosis compared to those without carpal tunnel syndrome," Shetty said. Shetty says the development of...

Orange peels may hold a key to better cardiovascular health, new research shows. Recent research has shown that some gut bacteria help develop cardiovascular disease. When they feed on certain nutrients during digestion, gut bacteria produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Levels of TMAO can help predict future cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic. Yu Wang and her team investigated the potential of orange peel extracts—rich in beneficial phytochemicals—to reduce TMAO and trimethylamine (TMA) production. Scientists tested two types of extracts: a polar fraction and a non-polar fraction. To get the polar fractions, scientists used polar and non-polar solvents...

The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be associated with improved pulmonary hypertension in women, according to research. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a type of pulmonary vascular disease—disease that affects blood vessels along the route between the heart and lungs. Pulmonary hypertension is classified by the World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension (WSPH) into five groups (G1-5PH) based on its suspected cause. The heart's right ventricle accepts blood from the body's veins and propels it to the lungs, where it is oxygenated, and its carbon dioxide is eliminated. For this study's purposes, endogenous hormones were deemed to be those that...

Just wanted to touch base with anyone that has had open heart surgery and what I can expect post surgery. I understand they want to replace my aortic valve, have had a heart murmur for many years and I guess it has gotten worse. Bless the VA because there is no way I could afford this any other way.

The CDC claims there's nothing to see around the issue of vaccinated young athletes suddenly dropping dead. Stung by media reports of young athletes dropping dead seemingly often and everywhere, and sensitive to the claim that studies relying on the passive VAERS reporting system drastically underreport vaccine events including deaths, the CDC looked at Oregon death certificates in an effort to eliminate reporting bias on COVID-19 vaccination deaths. Here are excerpts of the abstract of its April 11, 2024 study: COVID-19 vaccination has been associated with myocarditis in adolescents and young adults, and concerns have been raised about possible vaccine-related...

Examining long-term outcomes for people with atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm disorder, a new study found that 55% survived to 10 years. The researchers say AF needs to be treated as a chronic illness with serious long-term consequences. AF, or AFib, and its close medical cousin, atrial flutter, are associated with complications such as stroke, heart failure, and heart attack. While there’s an understandable focus on treating these conditions to prevent acute complications, less research has looked at what’s happening in the long term. Now, a study led by researchers from the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Faculty...

Half of all patients discharged from hospital after a heart attack are treated with beta-blockers unnecessarily. This is according to a new study. Today, when patients are discharged from hospitals after an acute heart attack, they are regularly treated with beta-blocker drugs such as metoprolol and bisoprolol. Now new research shows that about half of them do not benefit from the treatment and should not receive it at all. These are the patients who have suffered a small heart attack and have retained heart function afterward. The study began in September 2017 and patients were followed up until November 2023....

DALLAS - Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz has been found guilty of injecting dangerous drugs into IV bags at the Baylor Scott & White Surgicare in North Dallas. The 12-person jury returned guilty verdicts on all 10 counts. The jury reached the guilty verdict after about seven hours of deliberations. Ortiz was wearing a mask and showed no emotion as the verdict was read. There were 11 patients who suffered cardiac emergencies, and a fellow doctor, Dr. Melanie Kaspar, died from the IV bags. "There's no closure. My best friend is gone," said John Kaspar, Dr. Melanie Kaspar's widower, shortly after the...