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Effort could speed diagnostics, treatments for poorly understood conditions Millions of people worldwide are estimated to suffer from lymphatic diseases but diagnosing and treating them is difficult, in part because a full understanding of the lymphatic system is lacking, researchers say. While there’s no cure for lymphatic diseases, the current...

NHLBI effort will reach out to younger women, Black and Latina women to reverse concerning trend Heart disease is the number one cause of death among women and men in the United States. Each year more than 300,000 women, or 1 in every 5, die from it. Yet, studies show that less than half of U.S. women are aware of the toll it can take, and even...

Heart disease researchers say yes Artificial intelligence, or AI, is all the rage. And it’s not just because of ChatGPT, self-driving cars, or even the smartphone apps that allow doctors to track a patient’s blood pressure. Researchers say AI, which uses computers to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, has the...

What researchers are learning about clonal hematopoiesis As the body ages, it is normal for changes in cells to occur. “Cells divide every day and mutations happen,” said Emma M. Groarke, M.D., an attending hematologist and researcher in NHLBI’s Hematopoiesis and Bone Marrow Failure Laboratory. “Most of the time they don’t have any effect.” Yet...

If you’ve listened to the radio or opened a webpage in the past year, you may have seen or heard ads promoting lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), testing to help people identify risks for heart disease. But, what is Lp(a)? Most importantly: should you get your levels tested? Lp(a) is a type of lipid, or fat, in the body that contains and is similar in...

As the new year kicks off, many people are thinking about ways to support their health – especially their heart health. For a start, research shows they may want to focus on eliminating extra salt from their diet. A recent study found that the majority of adults who significantly reduced their sodium intake to about 500 mg a day — a 75% reduction...

NHLBI study assesses health of residents in rural South for heart, lung disease Adults in the rural South region, which includes Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, have some of the highest rates of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the country. Heart failure rates, for example, are...

Low sodium, high potassium combo tastes like salt and could be ‘game changer’ Let’s face it: Americans eat too much salt. The popular seasoning, also known as sodium chloride, is found in many food favorites, including pizza, chips, burgers, and breads. On average, people consume more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium chloride daily, or roughly over...

Hadi Nia, Ph.D. wanted to learn about the inner workings of the lung in a way nobody had, but he knew he’d need something close to a crystal ball to see what was really happening. That idea, it turns out, wasn’t exactly far-fetched. Nia, an assistant professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Boston University, already knew a thing or...

Could we grow a human heart in a dish? It’s not that far-fetched. But before we go there, imagine looking at a blob the size of a sesame seed, rhythmically beating, and knowing it has the potential to unlock key mysteries surrounding the human heart. Scientists are now tapping into new stem cell-based technologies to grow highly complex 3D balls of...