Health Bulletin

Prompt surgery may be best for heart valve leak

People with a leaky heart valve will live longer if surgeons repair the leak promptly, even if the patient is not feeling any symptoms, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds.
Doctors usually employ a strategy of watchful waiting rather than surgery when treating healthy people who have mitral valve regurgitation, which is back-flow leakage through the valve that separates the two chambers on the left side of the heart.

Mediterranean diet may counter genetic risk of stroke

Mediterranean diets heavy in two foods — olive oil and nuts — are linked to a lower rate of strokes in older people whose genetic makeup boosts their risk of diabetes, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care.