Massage Therapy Foundation is excited to announce the award of a $300,000 Research Grant to the University of Denver (UD) for their three-year study, “Prenatal Massage: A Complementary Approach for Maternal Health and Mental Health.” The study will be conducted through a partnership between UD and Thriving Families, a Denver-based nonprofit organization serving perinatal women and birthing people from under-resourced and minority backgrounds. The project will evaluate the impact of incorporating prenatal massage into MotherWise, a Thriving Families Program, an evidence based, trauma informed, and culturally responsive maternal wellness program.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a life-saving procedure that is used to restore blood flow following an acute myocardial infarction.

An analysis of data from 21 European countries did not reveal a significant association between increased numbers of primary PCI procedures and reduced mortality rates.

Subsequent analyses will assess additional factors including the timing of the procedure relative to symptom onset, operator experience and variations in practice between different centres and countries.

Data such as these inform efforts to improve the treatment of cardiovascular disease across Europe and highlight the need for more effective prevention strategies.

Researchers at the University of Seville have analysed alterations in the cerebral cortex in people suffering from psychosis. Their findings show that psychosis does not follow a single trajectory, but rather its evolution depends on a complex interaction between brain development, symptoms, cognition and treatment. The authors therefore emphasise the need to adopt more personalised approaches that take individual differences into account in order to better understand the disease and optimise long-term therapeutic strategies.

Analysis of approximately 1604 studies from over three decades proves that delirium is a clinically highly relevant but scientifically often neglected complication in cardiology. Prevention can reduce the incidence of delirium by up to 40 percent. The review, led by the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), has now been published in the renowned European Heart Journal and provides systematic prevention strategies and innovative treatment recommendations.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a common yet under-recognised cause of heart attacks in younger women, which is distinct from heart attacks caused by atherosclerosis.

Results from a prospective Serbian registry suggest that stent implantation is not beneficial in many patients with SCAD.

Further studies are needed to understand more about the condition and appropriate management strategies. The ESC’s large, multinational SCAD registry is underway.