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A multidisciplinary centre aimed at tackling issues of health and wellbeing has been launched recently at Leeds Metropolitan University. The Institute for Health & Wellbeing will undertake research into the health status of individuals and communities, investigating issues including men’s health, community health, and childhood obesity.

Aspirin increases the risk of bleeding without decreasing the risk of stroke/thromboembolism sufficiently in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study¹ published recently in Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has announced an educational programme at the 22nd Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology, held in Beijing from the 15–16th October, to help reduce the mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China, now amongst the highest in the world.¹

The clinical applications and legislative complexities of genetic technology are explored by a new report¹ from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Royal College of Pathologists and British Society for Human Genetics.

There are significant variations in the number and type of organ donations made across all four UK countries, according to a study¹ published recently on bmjopen.bmj.com.

Stringency of heart rate control does not influence quality of life (QOL) for patients with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study¹ published recently in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

World Heart Day took place on 29 September 2011, with a theme of ‘One World, One Home, One Heart’. Organised by the World Heart Federation, it focused on the home as a focal point for establishing healthy lifestyle habits which have a lasting impact on the whole family.

Referring patients with common mental health problems to talking therapies may cut their use of healthcare services and the amount of sick leave they take, according to research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.¹

The theme of this year’s World Stroke Day, which was held on 29 October, was “One in Six”, referring to the fact that one in six people will have a stroke at some point in their lifetime, and that a stroke will be the cause of someone’s death every six seconds. These, says the World Stroke Organization (WSO), are everyday people leading everyday lives, but around 85% of them will have risk factors which, if identified, are preventable.

Up to 80% of sudden cardiac death (SCD) amongst women could be attributable to unhealthy lifestyle practices, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.¹