Doctors at UPMC have begun a study using an investigational cardiac device, the VentrAssistâ„¢ Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAD) to see whether it can be used safely and effectively in patients with end-stage heart failure.

Heart-failure patients take their medicine more reliably when under the care of a pharmacist, resulting in fewer emergency-room visits and hospital stays as well as lower health-care costs, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy.

Proper formation of the proteins that power heart and skeletal muscle seems to rely on a precise concentration of a "chaperone" protein known as UNC-45, according to a new study.