http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A group of researchers in Israel, the United States and other nations have made important advances in the rapidly-expanding field of "regenerative medicine," outlining for the first time connections in genetic regulation that normally prevent birth defects in heart and facial muscles. http://phys.org/news270809801.html Biology Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:57:12 EST news270809801 Hibernating, it turns out, is much more complicated than one might think. http://phys.org/news216311734.html Biology Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:35:53 EST news216311734 (PhysOrg.com) -- Heart tissue and stem cells spring into action to begin repairing muscle damaged in a heart attack, and researchers at Duke University School of Medicine found that a protein naturally produced in the body may potentially play a role in accelerating heart muscle repair. Giving the right dose of this protein named secreted frizzled related protein 2 (sfrp2) in studies of rats helped to prevent heart failure and reduce collagen layering that can form thick scar tissue after a heart attack (also called MI, or myocardial infarction). Previously the same researchers demonstrated that this protein also saves heart muscle cells from dying in response to heart attack. http://phys.org/news209229858.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:24:31 EST news209229858 Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC), a cardiomyopathy about which little is fully understood, is associated with heart failure (HF), stroke and ventricular arrhythmias, according to a study to be presented Nov. 17 at the 2010 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in Chicago. The researchers also will report that advanced imaging technologies reveal that developing these cardiac risks appear to progress over time in patients with LVNC. http://phys.org/news209222130.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:16:02 EST news209222130 When prenatal diagnosis detects the severe heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in a fetus, a comprehensive prenatal evaluation is important to provide parents an accurate prognosis. In HLHS, one of the heart's pumping chambers is severely underdeveloped. However, say researchers, in two-thirds of cases, reconstructive surgery affords the infant an excellent chance of early survival. http://phys.org/news207311508.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:32:11 EST news207311508 Is running a marathon good for you or can it damage the heart? A team of researchers and runners from the Heart and Stroke Foundation have come up with a practical way of answering the question. They used data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to find out what is really going on in the marathoner's heart as the kilometers pile up. http://phys.org/news207197765.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 Oct 2010 04:40:01 EST news207197765 Transplant surgery to correct the most common type of genetic heart disease yields similar short-term and potentially greater long-term survival rates as transplant surgery for other heart diseases, according to research reported in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal. http://phys.org/news201886585.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:10:01 EST news201886585 When a patient needs their aortic valve replacing, using the valve in their own pulmonary artery for the replacement leads to better survival and quality of life than if the aortic valve from a dead donor is used. This is the conclusion of an Article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, and Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues. http://phys.org/news199992829.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:34:06 EST news199992829 A teenage saint whose 750-year-old mummified body lay for centuries in a church in central Italy probably died of a congenital heart defect, scientists said Thursday. http://phys.org/news195414066.html Other Sciences Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:41:27 EST news195414066 Molecular imaging may improve the success rate of a new therapy for patients with advanced heart disease, according to a study unveiled at SNM's 57th Annual Meeting. Researchers used a hybrid form of molecular imaging to review patients who have undergone cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), which regulates electrical impulses within different chambers of the heart that are not properly synchronized. Molecular imaging improved physicians' ability to identify risk factors that could impact the effectiveness of therapy. http://phys.org/news195147716.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:50:01 EST news195147716 International experts are calling for all men experiencing impotence to undergo thorough medical assessments, after an extensive review showed that a significant proportion of men with erectile dysfunction (ED) exhibit early signs of coronary artery disease (CAD). http://phys.org/news193486611.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 May 2010 11:40:02 EST news193486611 Human adult stem cells injected around the damage caused by a heart attack survived in the heart and improved its pumping efficiency for a year in a mouse model, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online ahead of publication in Circulation Research. http://phys.org/news192728867.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 May 2010 17:40:02 EST news192728867 A post-mortem study of the hearts of 21 young people in Mexico City has found that the heart begins to show the adverse effects of air pollution at a young age and that tiny bits of inactivated bacteria that hitch a ride on pollutants may make the problem worse. http://phys.org/news191667619.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:30:01 EST news191667619 (PhysOrg.com) -- Long-term anabolic steroid use may weaken the heart more than previously thought and may increase the risk of heart failure, according to research reported in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal. http://phys.org/news191604065.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:40:01 EST news191604065 Using a new noninvasive imaging technique, scientists said they have discovered important, fundamental differences in heart motion by age and gender. http://phys.org/news179513017.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:20:22 EST news179513017 Structural cardiovascular abnormalities present at birth are the leading cause of heart failure in children. Nearly half a million children in the United States have structural heart problems ranging in severity from relatively simple issues, such as small holes between chambers of the heart, to very severe malformations, including complete absence of one or more chambers or valves. http://phys.org/news166193096.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:20:01 EST news166193096 Patients with abnormal diastolic function (when the heart is relaxed and expanded) in the left ventricle of the heart have a substantially lower maximum capacity for exercise, according to a study in the January 21 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news151691468.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:31:53 EST news151691468 A new clinical trial suggests that long-term use of candesartan, a drug currently used to treat hypertension, may significantly reduce the symptoms of genetic heart disease. The related report by Penicka et al, "The effects of candesartan on left ventricular hypertrophy and function in non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a pilot, randomized study," appears in the January issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. http://phys.org/news149838893.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:54:53 EST news149838893 A less invasive test commonly used to diagnose coronary disease also may be used to detect one of the leading causes of heart failure, say researchers at the Medical College of Georgia. http://phys.org/news135252302.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:05:02 EST news135252302