Cardiovascular Research: Atherosclerosis is Alzheimer's disease of blood vessels ♦ Taking statins before heart surgery can help reduce post-surgical complications

Atherosclerosis is Alzheimer's disease of blood vessels In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up on the inner walls of arteries that deliver blood to the body. Studying mice and tissue samples from the arteries of patients, researchers now suggest this accumulation is driven, at least in part, by processes similar to the plaque formation implicated in brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson'

Heart valves made from tissue rather than metal may be better for middle-aged patients Patients between the ages of 40 and 70 who undergo aortic valve replacement (AVR) may fare better with tissue-based valves rather than metal-based valves.

Taking statins before heart surgery can help reduce post-surgical complications Using statins before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following surgery and also can reduce the risk of death during and after surgery.

Even small reductions in kidney function may damage heart, blood vessels Even small reductions in kidney function are associated with heart and blood vessel damage

Children's Health: Over 400 conditions co-occur with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ♦ Generous mothers are nagged less♦ Growing pains

Is your child's achy back more than just growing pains? It's becoming more common for children and adolescents to seek medical care for back pain.Doctors may not find the exact cause for the pain. New findings on embryonic heart valves may prevent congenital heart defects in newborns Natural triggers that could reduce the chance of life-threatening, congenital heart defects among newborn infants have been identified by biomedical engineers. Those triggers can leading to improper embryonic heart and valve formation. Why low oxygen levels soon after birth may raise risk for learning and behavioral disorders The development of white matter in the mouse brains is delayed when they are exposed to chronic low oxygen levels shortly after birth. If true in humans, this may help explain why infants born with cyanotic heart disease, prematurity often exhibit developmental disabilities that affect learning during childhood. Generous mothers are nagged less Scientists have identified genetic variations in offspring that lead to preferential maternal treatment, which in turn improves offspring fitness. Over 400 conditions co-occur with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, 428 distinct disease conditions have been identified that co-occur in people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in the most comprehensive review of its kind.