Heart News
Female reproductive factors increase risk of cardiovascular disease
Genetic data reveals link between sex-specific factors and heart complications
Arecent study has revealed a correlation between a woman ’ s risk of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and her age at first birth , the total number of births , and age at first menstrual cycle .
Experts at Imperial College London have found links between female reproductive attributes and various heart disorders , including atrial fibrillation ( irregular heartbeat ), coronary heart disease , heart failure , and stroke . Their research analysed genetic data from the UK Biobank associated with various reproductive milestones in a woman ’ s life , including age at menopause , as well as previous studies involving over 100,000 women .
In looking at observational studies to determine the relationship between reproductive factor-predicting genes and the risk of multiple CVDs , the researchers found links between an earlier age at first birth , a higher number of live births , and earlier menstruation and an increased risk of various CVDs such as atrial fibrillation , coronary artery disease , heart failure , and stroke . However , there was no indication of a relationship between menopausal age and CVD .
The study also found that an increased risk of CVD due to first birth at a young age and early menstrual cycle was related to cardiometabolic risk factors such as a high body mass index ( BMI ), high cholesterol levels , and high blood pressure .
Researchers hope that the findings will help healthcare providers better understand and monitor women ’ s risk factors and provide medical intervention and targeted prevention strategies to mitigate this growing health risk .
Spinal nerve cell stimulation helps stroke patients move again
Electrical current restores arm and hand mobility
Neurologists and engineers from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a device that can stimulate the spinal cord ’ s nerve cells to help stroke patients regain movement in their upper limbs .
Given that a stroke can cause loss of neural connections between parts of the brain and the spinal cord that control arm and hand movement , the device could represent a major breakthrough .
The study involved two female patients in their early 30s with upper limb impairment caused by a stroke . Researchers used a device to implant a set of thin metal electrodes onto the surface of the spinal cord . Electrical impulses were then channelled into the neural circuits in the spinal cord , sufficiently stimulating the motor neurons to resume receiving signals from the brain for limb movement .
According to the study , published in the Nature Medicine journal , the participants who underwent this spinal cord stimulation ( SCS ) showed significant improvement in strength , arm movement , and performance of tasks that require more skills and dexterity , such as eating with cutlery and opening a lock . Both also showed some long-term improvements in motor function that continued even without SCS by the final week of the study .
The researchers believe that , with these findings , existing technology can be modified to treat upper-limb paralysis after a stroke . They also call for additional research on combining SCS with conventional upper limb rehabilitation , which could lead to a real post-stroke restorative benefit .
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