The loss of a single gene two to three million years ago in our ancestors may have resulted in a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in all humans as a species, according to new research. Loss of the gene may have also set up a further risk for red meat-eating humans. The findings were published July 22, 2019 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

A highly competitive $4.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will support Keck School of Medicine of USC efforts to recruit patients from underrepresented populations into cardiac surgery clinical trials. The seven-year grant funds the Keck School’s ongoing research contributions to the Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN), the formal NIH infrastructure for conducting major clinical trials in cardiac surgery. The grant also establishes an implementation science training program to address the critical need to develop methods to translate clinical research findings into clinical practice.

The West Virginia University (WVU) Heart and Vascular Institute is the first hospital in the country to acquire the Alphenix 4D CT from Canon Medical Systems USA Inc. The system offers an angiography configuration to expand capabilities in interventional procedures and help advance patient care in the community. The configuration pairs the Alphenix Sky + C-arm and Hybrid Catheterization Tilt/Cradle Table for interventional procedures with the Aquilion One/Genesis Edition computed tomography (CT) system, allowing clinicians to efficiently plan, treat and verify in a single clinical setting.