Red Wine Before Smoking Can Offset Damage to Blood Vessels

A glass or two of red wine before lighting up a cigarette can counteract some of the short-term negative effects of smoking on blood vessels, a study says. “The aim of our study was to investigate the acute vascular effects of red wine consumption prior to ‘occasional lifestyle smoking’ in healthy individuals,” explained lead investigator Viktoria Schwarz from University of Saarland, Homburg. “We found evidence that preconsumption of red wine prevented most of the vascular injury caused by smoking,” Schwarz noted. Drinking red wine is widely regarded as protective against…

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Lab-Grown Blood Vessels To Help Kids With Heart Defects

In a groundbreaking feat, a team of biomedical engineers has successfully implanted lab-grown artificial blood vessels in young lambs which are capable of growth within the recipient. If confirmed in humans, these new vessel grafts would prevent the need for repeated surgeries in some children with congenital heart defects, said the team from the University of Minnesota. “This might be the first time we have an ‘off-the-shelf’ material that doctors can implant in a patient and it can grow in the body,” said professor Robert Tranquillo from the University of…

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