Russia develops a way to prevent heart attacks

The Russian "Novosti" agency reported that scientists from Samara, Russia, have devised a new method to evaluate the elasticity of blood vessels and prevent heart attacks.

Specialists from the Korolyov National Scientific Research University in Samara, Russia, proposed a simple method to evaluate the elasticity of patients' blood vessels. According to experts, this indicator is important for diagnosing heart disease. A study in this regard was published in the Journal of Biomedical Engineering.

The study states that the stiffer the walls of blood vessels are, the more sensitive a person is to high pressure and the more susceptible to heart disease.

Russian specialists have devised a new method for assessing the elasticity of blood vessels, based on analyzing differences in the patient's heartbeat and pulse.

“Periodic fluctuations in blood pressure caused by so-called Mayer waves can lead to changes in the elasticity of blood vessels, causing an additional change in heart rate,” said Alexander Fedotov, assistant professor at the Department of Lasers and Biotechnological Systems at Samara University. He added that this difference is a sign of the ability of the blood vessel walls to expand.

The professor recalled that the new method is cheaper than automated methods based on ultrasound and X-ray diagnostic systems used in medicine.

Russian Health tightens restrictions on the circulation of abortion medications

The Russian Ministry of Health announced new decisions tightening control over the circulation of abortion medications in the country.

A post on the ministry’s official web page said: “The Russian Ministry of Health has taken decisions to tighten control over the circulation of abortion drugs in the country, and to add these drugs to the list of medical substances subject to objective quantitative accounting.”

The text of the document, signed by the Russian Minister of Health, Mikhail Murashko, stated: “I order the approval of the attached list of medicines intended for medical use and subject to objective quantitative accounting.”

According to the available information, the list of drugs that will be subject to the new control measures in Russia has been added to drugs such as misoprostol and mifepristone, and the new control decisions will enter into force from September 1, 2024, and will be considered valid until September 1, 2030.

Professor Natalia Dolgoshina, the chief independent specialist in the field of women's reproductive health at the Russian Ministry of Health, had previously indicated that expanding the list of abortion medications that will be subject to control will not reduce the availability of birth control methods and medications that are used in special cases.