News by Subject Medicine & Health

People with larger waistlines, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome may be at higher risk for having a second stroke and even dying than people who do not have metabolic syndrome, according to a meta-analysis published in the July 28, 2021, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Machine learning can accurately predict cardiovascular disease and guide treatment--but models that incorporate social determinants of health better capture risk and outcomes for diverse groups, finds a new study by researchers at New York University's School of Global Public Health and Tandon School of Engineering.

Drinking up to 105 grams of alcohol per week - equivalent to 13 UK units of alcohol, less than six pints of medium-strength beer or just over a bottle of wine - may be associated with a decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, angina or death among those with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The findings are published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.

In an analysis of almost 3 million patients taking a single high blood pressure medication for the first time, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were as good as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors at preventing cardiovascular events linked to hypertension, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. 51 possible side effects and safety concerns were examined: The patients taking ARBs were found to be significantly less likely to develop tissue swelling, cough, pancreas inflammation and bleeding in the digestive tract.

Small increases in daily physical activity after receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) were associated with decreases in hospitalizations and deaths among adults over age 65 with heart failure. For every 10 minutes a day of increased physical activity, there was a 1% lower risk of death and hospitalization.

Babies who were breastfed, even for a few days, had lower blood pressure at 3 years of age than children who had never been breastfed. Toddlers who had been breastfed had lower blood pressure regardless of their body mass index or their mothers' social, health or lifestyle factors.

An internal transporter that enables us to use the copper we consume in foods like shellfish and nuts to enable a host of vital body functions also has the essential role of protecting the receptor that enables us to grow new blood vessels when ours become diseased, Medical College of Georgia scientists report.

The new scientific statement acknowledges the importance of primary care in the system of care for patients with stroke, summarizing the available literature and providing a roadmap for holistic, goal-directed and patient-centered care.

The NCyborg Project, a new stroke rehabilitation pattern based on brain-computer interface technology and brain-inspired intelligent robot technology, is a collaboration between China's Tongji Hospital and BrainCo. The two organizations will draw on these technologies to improve rehabilitation treatment and outcomes for stroke survivors.

Supplementing testosterone significantly reduces heart attacks and strokes in men with unnaturally low levels of the hormone, according to new research presented at the European Association of Urology congress today.