President Barack Obama nominated prominent cardiologist and researcher Robert Califf, MD, as the FDA commissioner on Sept. 15. The Senate must vote to confirm Califf’s appointment.

A daily dose of aspirin may reduce the risk of nonfatal MI and stroke in adults between 50 and 69 years old who are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) draft recommendation statement. The USPSTF developed a cardiovascular disease microsimulation model to determine cardiovascular risk.

Reducing systolic blood pressure below the currently recommended level significantly decreases the risk of MI, heart failure, stroke and death in adults who are 50 and older and have high blood pressure, according to preliminary results of a study.

After adjusting for multiple variables and confounding factors, the researchers from the University of California, San Francisco found having had a smoking parent during gestational development or having lived with a smoker during childhood were significantly associated with atrial fibrillation.

Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) was recognized as one of the world's leading companies for sustainability with its ranking on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) for the eighth consecutive year.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a final research plan to study nontraditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The research plan outlined five questions that the USPSTF plans on answering in its systematic review.

Most adults in the U.S. have a predicted heart age that is significantly higher than their chronological age, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released on Sept. 1.

Patients who quit smoking after an acute MI had improvements in their health-related quality of life and mental health, as well as reductions in angina, according to an analysis of two multicenter, prospective cohort studies.