The heart is a hollow, muscular organ in vertebrates, responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. The term cardiac, as in cardiology, means – related to the heart – and comes from the Greek word, kardia, for heart.
Train your heart to protect your mind — New study links cardiovascular health to cognitive changes as we age – Exercising to improve our cardiovascular strength may protect us from cognitive impairment as we age. This is revealed in a new study by researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated Institut universitaire de gératrie de Montréal Research Centre.
Researchers develop first minimally invasive gene therapy procedure to treat heart rhythm disorders by transforming ordinary heart muscle cells into specialized rhythm-keeping cells, potentially eliminating future need for electronic pacemakers – Cardiologists at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have developed a minimally invasive gene transplant procedure that changes unspecialized heart cells into “biological pacemaker” cells that keep the heart steadily beating.
COPD patients at significantly higher risk of heart failure – Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have a complication to worry about is heart failure. A new study found the prevalence of heart failure is significantly higher in patients with COPD compared to the rest of the study population. They also found that the risk was especially high among African-American patients with COPD.
Simply being called ‘fat’ makes young girls more likely to become obese — Trying to be thin is like trying to be tall, say UCLA psychologists – Girls who are told by a parent, sibling, friend, classmate or teacher that they are too fat at age 10 are more likely to be obese at age 19, revealed by UCLA psychologists.
High consumption of fish oil may benefit cardiovascular health, Pitt public health finds – Eating fish in amounts comparable to those of people living in Japan seems to impart a protective factor that wards off heart disease, revealed by researchers.
Baby hearts need rhythm to develop correctly – To develop correctly, baby hearts need rhythm even before they have blood to pump. “We have discovered that mechanical forces are important when making baby hearts,” said Mary Kathryn Sewell-Loftin, a Vanderbilt graduate student working with a team of Vanderbilt engineers, scientists and clinicians attempting to grow replacement heart valves from a patient’s own cells.
FDA approves pediatric use of Dexcom’s G4 Platinum continuous glucose monitoring system – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the expanded use of the Dexcom G4 Platinum Continuous Monitoring System for patients with diabetes ages 2 to 17 years. The G4 Platinum System, which monitors blood glucose levels in people with diabetes, had been approved for patients ages 18 and older.
People who enjoy life maintain better physical function as they age – People who enjoy life maintain better physical function in daily activities and keep up faster walking speeds as they age, compared with people who enjoy life less, according to a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Here comes the sun to lower your blood pressure – Exposing skin to sunlight may help to reduce blood pressure and thus cut the risk of heart attack and stroke, a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology suggests. Research carried out at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh shows that sunlight alters levels of the small messenger molecule, nitric oxide (NO) in the skin and blood, reducing blood pressure.
Researchers discover how heart arrhythmia occurs – Researchers have discovered the fundamental biology of calcium waves in relation to heart arrhythmias. The findings published this month in the January 19 edition of Nature Medicine outlines the discovery of this fundamental physiological process that researchers hope will one day help design molecularly tailored medications that correct the pathophysiology.
Fish derived serum omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes – High concentrations of serum long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish and fish oils may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly widespread throughout the world, including Finland.
High good and low bad cholesterol levels are healthy for the brain, too – High levels of “good” cholesterol and low levels of “bad” cholesterol are correlated with lower levels of the amyloid plaque deposition in the brain that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, UC Davis researchers have found.
