An obese eighth-grader's sudden death during a football conditioning lap has revived discussion about whether testing children's hearts before they engage in sports or strenuous activity is necessary. WUSTL cardiovascular professor Keith Mankowitz, who directs an athletes screening program, said some conditions go undetected during routine screening.

References:

1. Aug. 24, 2009 — Child athlete's death revives heart testing debate in the Associated Press

and 24 others.

Despite the well-advertised healthy lifestyle message, healthy habits are in decline, according to an authoritative national survey on health and nutrition. WUSTL epidemiology professor Ross Brownson, who is a leading expert in chronic disease prevention, comments.

References:

1. June 9, 2009 — Bad Habits Asserting Themselves in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

As many as 25 million people who can't beat high blood pressure no matter how many drugs they take may soon have a couple of new options, including a new kind of pacemaker that contains sensors that regulate blood pressure, according to a report by WUSTL renal specialist Marcos Rothstein.

References:

1. March 30, 2009 — New hope for folks with high blood pressure in the USA Today

WUSTL scientists led by WUSTL radiology professor David Piwnica-Worms and lead author and postdoctoral fellow Shimon Gross say they've discovered luminol -- a compound used at crime scenes to make blood residue glow -- can also identify immune inflammation.

References:

1. March 23, 2009 — Luminol used to ID immune inflammation in the United Press International

and 5 others.

Depression almost doubles the risk of developing heart disease over 12 years, according to a long-term study of twins. It contributes to the risk of heart disease as much as diabetes, high cholesterol or obesity does, says study leader and WUSTL psychiatry professor Jeffrey Scherrer.

References:

1. March 4, 2009 — Depression can break the heart in the USA Today

Gender definitely makes a difference when it comes to stroke, new research shows. WUSTL neurology professor Mark Goldberg comments.

References:

1. Feb. 20, 2009 — Women Less Apt to Get Clot-Buster, Study Finds in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 3 others.

WUSTL researchers led by Michael Crowder and Lori Anderson have studied a worm that can survive after nearly a day in a low oxygen environment.

References:

1. Feb. 3, 2009 — In a Worm, a Mutation to Survive in Low Oxygen in the The New York Times

Worms that can survive with almost no oxygen are teaching scientists how to rescue oxygen-starved cells in humans who suffer a heart attack or stroke, said WUSTL medical researcher Michael Crowder, whose study appears in Science.

References:

1. Jan. 29, 2009 — Lowly worm offers new clues on stroke, heart drugs in the Reuters

and 3 others.

WUSTL Mellon postdoctoral fellow Deborah Levine shares research on the weighing scale and how its place in society changed as the public's perception of weight changed.

References:

1. Dec. 16, 2008 — A weighty subject for the holidays in the Los Angeles Times

WUSTL nutrition expert Connie Diekman comments on a New York proposal for an 18 percent tax on sugary sodas and juice drinks — an effort that state officials said would reduce obesity while raising more than $400 million a year for health programs.

References:

1. Dec. 17, 2008 — A Tax on Many Soft Drinks Sets Off a Spirited Debate in the The New York Times

The first new pills in 60 years to prevent vein-clogging clots are emerging from research laboratories and may bring billions of dollars in sales to Johnson & Johnson, Bayer AG and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH. WUSTL hematology professor Evan Sadler comments.

References:

1. Dec. 10, 2008 — J&J, Bayer, Boehringer Clot-Busters May Reap Billons in the Bloomberg.com

and 1 others.

Experts discuss a surprisingly common phenomenon: blood tested shortly after a long or strenuous bout of exercise is likely to show abnormalities. Dr. Fred Apple experienced something similar when he was a resident at WUSTL School of Medicine.

References:

1. Nov. 27, 2008 — The Lab Says Heart Attack, but the Patient Is Fine in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

Some of the best things you can do for your heart do not involve deprivation or medication. Simple and even pleasurable changes in the foods you eat can rival medication in terms of the benefit to your heart.
WUSTL epidemiology professor Graham Colditz comments on why many people are not getting the message.

References:

1. May 13, 2008 — Eating Your Way to a Sturdy Heart in the The New York Times

Doctors who treat patients with heart failure have long been puzzled that many black patients seem to not respond to a class of drugs called beta blockers.
Now researchers at WUSTL and U. Maryland have found that these nonresponsive patients have a slightly altered version of a gene that muscles use to control responses to nerve signals.
The discovery raises questions about whom to treat with beta blockers and how to decide, researchers say. But, they add, its implications go beyond heart failure.
WUSTL cardiologist and principal investigator Gerald Dorn comments.

References:

1. April 29, 2008 — Genes Explain Race Disparity in Response to a Heart Drug in the The New York Times

and 5 others.

Readily available phosphate-binding drugs could help prevent heart disease in people with chronic kidney disease, a new study in the the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology finds.
WUSTL researchers led by pediatric nephrology specialist Keith Hruska and pediatrics instructor Suresh Mathew comment.

References:

1. April 23, 2008 — Cutting Phosphate May Protect Kidney Patients From Heart Trouble in the The Washington Post

and 11 others.

WUSTL researcher Kathryn Diemer, clinical director of WUSTL's Bone Health Program, talks about bone-mineral density and other fracture risks in aging women.

References:

1. April 1, 2008 — Reverse Your Risk in the Good Housekeeping

Three major studies published in the past two years indicate that using the angioplasty to open blocked arteries to treat chest pain, or angina, may be riskier and no more beneficial than medication. WUSTL cardiologist Michael Rich comments on the study.

References:

1. March 27, 2008 — Angioplasty's golden era may be fading in the USA Today

and 1 others.

Connie Diekman, president of the American Dietetic Association and director of nutrition at WU comments on the latest recommendations on diet exercise and hearth health.

References:

1. Feb. 24, 2008 — Latest thinking on avoiding heart disease in the Chicago Tribune

Shedding excess pounds may restore some of the heart's youth, whether the weight loss comes from eating less or exercising more, the results of a small study in the American Journal of Physiology suggests.
WUSTL's Sandor J. Kovacs, cardiology professor, is the senior researcher on the study and comments.

References:

1. Jan. 30, 2008 — Weight loss by diet or exercise benefits heart in the Reuters

and 7 others.

When it comes to treating deep vein thrombosis, injecting the clot-busting drug alteplase (rTPA) directly into clots in the legs reduces the risk of complications and recurrence, a small U.S. study suggests. WUSTL radiology and surgery professor Suresh Vedantham thinks that this method of dissolving clots could eventually become an outpatient procedure.

References:

1. Jan. 29, 2008 — Clot-Busting Drug Offers New Approach to DVT in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 5 others.