In Japan, emergency personnel are required to continue resuscitation efforts for cardiac arrest patients, even when there is no electrical activity. This is known as asystole. That policy has created an opportunity for scientists to assess how to treat the most difficult cases in resuscitation science. By analyzing outcomes from a large-scale national dataset, this study raises tough questions about the impact of pre-hospital life support procedures on outcomes in patients with asystole.

A study from the University of Auckland in Nature Communications suggests some significant health benefits from a single gut bugs transfer.

As nearly half of the country suffers from some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), another 1 in 4 adults experience a mental health disorder, signaling a cardiotoxic overlap. Now, a new report from Emory University shows that certain mental health conditions escalate the risk of developing heart disease by 50-100 percent—and the risk of adverse outcomes from existing heart conditions by 60-170 percent.   

The report associated these conditions with these corresponding risks in developing CVD: major depression, 72 percent; PTSD, 57 percent; bipolar disorder, 61 percent; panic disorder, 50 percent; phobic anxiety, 70 percent; and schizophrenia, nearly 100 percent. 

A new study in mice led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals a previously unknown cellular purging process that may help injured cells revert to a stem cell-like state more rapidly and facilitate healing after injury. The investigators dubbed this newly discovered response cathartocytosis, taking from Greek root words that mean cellular cleansing.

Researchers at Rice University have developed a mathematical model that enhances our understanding of ovarian aging and the timing of menopause, revealing mechanisms that could inform future strategies for women’s health. A recent study published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters highlights the findings that the depletion of ovarian follicles, tiny functional units that contain immature eggs, follows a synchronized and predictable pattern that accelerates during midlife. This discovery helps explain why menopause typically occurs at similar ages for most women.