Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have discovered a key switch that makes stem cells turn into the type of muscle cells that reside in the wall of blood vessels. The same switch might be used in the future to limit growth of vascular muscle cells that cause narrowing of arteries leading to heart attacks and strokes, limit formation of blood vessels that feed cancers, or make new blood vessels for organs that are not getting enough blood flow.

Millions of people take low dose aspirin every day to lower their risk of a heart attack by a fifth, but aspirin increases the risk of stomach bleeding by a third. Scientists at Oxford have concluded that the benefits of aspirin only outweigh the risks in the cases of patients who have already had a stroke or a heart attack.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have granted Johnson & Johnson approval for the first catheters to treat a dangerous heart defect that affect millions of U.S. citizens, reports the Associated Press.

New research published in the October issue of Journal of the American College of Surgeons challenges the current opinion that patients in their eighties, who are often deemed "high-risk" due to their advanced age, should not undergo carotid endarterectomy – a stroke-preventing surgical procedure that clears blockages from the neck's carotid arteries.

James Garner, who was hospitalized late last week after suffering a minor stroke, is doing well and should be going home soon.

Patients prescribed drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis could be at a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a study published today in the open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Finding answers about optimal dosage and timing for stem cell therapy in adults with strokes and newborns with ischemic injuries is a goal of two new federally funded studies.

By now, everyone knows that overweight people have a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and other problems that arise from clogged, hardened arteries. And people who carry their extra weight around their waist – giving them a “beer belly” or an “apple” shape -- have the highest risk of all.

Scientists have identified the gene that sets off a sequence of events in the blood vessels of otherwise healthy adults that can lead to high blood pressure. The disease process eventually makes conditions in vessels ripe for the creation of blockages that can cause heart attacks, strokes and circulatory problems.

A group of children who have sickle cell disease and who experience silent strokes showed some relief from the silent strokes with blood transfusion therapy, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

A new generation drug to be tested worldwide is hoping to be the biggest advance in stroke treatment for half a century. The medication could help a million-and-a-half Australians, and doctors are calling for volunteers to sign up for the trial.

The new studies could potentially save millions of lives – they say that treating patients quickly for mini-strokes could dramatically cut the risk of a major stroke later.