Cardiovascular Research:New imaging agent can locate hidden blood clots ♦ Extreme makeover of the heart ♦ Cure for sickle cell in adults validated

Microbiome implicated in sickle cell disease; antibiotics can counter its effects New research on sickle cell disease (SCD) has found that using antibiotics to deplete the body’s microbiome may prevent acute sickle cell crisis and could offer the first effective strategy for warding off the disease’s long-term complications, such as organ failure. The study could also lead to better treatment for other inflammatory blood-vessel disorders including septic shock.

Whole-body PET scan with new imaging agent can locate hidden blood clots A novel radiopharmaceutical probe has the potential of providing physicians with information that could save the lives of patients with ischemic stroke or pulmonary embolism -- conditions caused when important blood vessels are blocked by a clot that has traveled from another part of the body.

Blood tests reveal early signs of cardiovascular disease risk in obese African-American teens Obese African-American teens, particularly girls, may have immune system changes that can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Taking steps to control weight early in life may reduce inflammation and its negative effects on the cardiovascular system. Blood tests are a possible new preventive tactic to identify teens who are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease

Extreme makeover of the heart: Matrix therapy is first FDA-approved procedure of its kind A cardiovascular team has successfully performed a first-in-the-world heart procedure on a 72-year-old attorney after suffering a large heart attack. In the emerging heart procedure cardiac matrix is directly injected into a damaged heart

Cure for sickle cell in adults validated Physicians have cured 12 adult patients of sickle cell disease using a unique procedure for stem cell transplantation from healthy, tissue-matched siblings. The new technique eliminates the need for chemotherapy to prepare the patient to receive the transplanted cells and offers the prospect of cure for tens of thousands of adults suffering from sickle cell disease.