USPSTF addresses screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) vary with sex, age, smoking status, and family history. These recommendations form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published online June 18 by the USPSTF. Janelle M. Guirguis-Blake, M.D., from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, and colleagues conducted a […]

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Registry helps move aortic dissection care forward

What began with a modest hospital grant at the University of Michigan in 1996 is now the world’s leading source of data on diagnosis, treatments and outcomes for a rare and dangerous cardiac condition. On Monday, Kim Eagle, M.D., a director of U-M’s Frankel Cardiovascular Center, presented data from 9,000 patients gathered over nearly 25 years by the International Registry […]

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Study links aortic stiffness with lower cerebral blood flow

Greater aortic stiffness is related to lower cerebral blood flow, especially among individuals with increased genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The study, published recently in Circulation, supports emerging evidence that arterial stiffness, a hypertension-related factor, may play a role in cognitive decline, said Angela Jefferson, Ph.D., professor of Neurology and director of […]

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Thrombospondin-1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for thoracic aortic aneurysms

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba and Kansai Medical University in Japan reveal matricellular protein Thrombospondin-1 (Thbs1) contributes to the development of aortic aneurysm in mice and humans. The thoracic aorta is constantly exposed to mechanical forces generated by heart contraction and blood flow. Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) are life-threatening diseases defined as a permanent abnormal dilatation of the thoracic […]

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Previous stroke tied to higher risks in aortic valve replacement

(HealthDay)—For patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), previous stroke is a risk factor for recurrent ischemic stroke and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), according to a study published online April 25 in JAMA Cardiology. Charlotte Andreasen, M.D., from the Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev and Gentofte in Denmark, and colleagues conducted a cohort study involving 14,030 patients with aortic valve […]

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