It’s fairly common for members of the public to ask bug experts if ticks that hitchhike into a house on people or dogs can actually survive indoors for any length of time. A new study provides the first scientific evidence that the answer is yes, showing that two species of ticks can live at least one week, and up to about three weeks, on hard-surface and carpeted floors.

Higher left atrial end-systolic dimension (LASD), an increased measurement of the left upper chamber of the heart, and left ventricular mass (LVM), a clinical measurement of the weight of the heart's left ventricular myocardium, are well-established indicators of cardiovascular damage that are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the short-term (less than 10 years). However, there is limited evidence regarding similar long-term associations.

A new study by researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has reported that  higher values of LASD and LVM during midlife are both associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes later in life, including mortality, CVD, dementia, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining optimal LASD and LVM values over the course of a lifetime.