 |
|
Heart attack in a laboratory dish
May 08, 2001NWO researchers at Utrecht University have given heart muscle cells a heart attack in the laboratory. This allowed them to observe clearly the change that takes place in the cell membrane during an attack and how the change sometimes leads to the death of the cell. In a healthy cell, one of the components of the membrane, the phospholipids, are asymmetrically distributed across the two layers of the surrounding shell. During a (simulated) heart attack, however, and immediately after it, this asymmetrical distribution is partly lost. The researchers discovered that the absolute number of lipids increased in the outer layer of the membrane because they moved from the inner to the outer layer. This imbalance in phospholipid content probably plays a major role in the damage to the heart muscle cell and its death. It is possible that the quantity of calcium has something to do with changes in the original asymmetry, given that during a heart attack, the concentration of calcium ions in the heart muscle cell increases. The calcium ions can in turn produce the changes in the distribution of lipids.
Besides the blockage, the research team also studied the second phase of a heart attack, reperfusion, when the blood flow is restored. If this happens quickly enough, the tissue can be saved, but otherwise the asymmetrical distribution of the cell membrane phospholipids is lost and the imbalance in phospholipid content becomes more pronounced. Reactive oxygen causes damage to the fatty acid tails of the lipids. If it takes too long for the blood flow to be restored, or if it fails to do so at all, the muscle cell dies and scar tissue is formed.
The results of the research, financed by NWO, clarify why the heart muscle cells are damaged during a heart attack, but they do not yet make it possible to develop a treatment for the problem. This will require further research into just what happens in the lipids.
NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research)
Heart Attack Current Events and Heart Attack News RSSThrombosis patients face greater risks than previously believed
Deep venous thrombosis (DVT), the formation of blood clots in the lower limbs, is the third-most common vascular disease in North America after heart attack and stroke, and is a frequent complication in hospitalized patients.
Mini heart attacks lessen damage from major ones
Researchers have discovered one potential mechanism by which briefly cutting off, then restoring, blood flow to arteries prior to a heart attack lessens the damage caused, according to a study published today in the journal Cardiovascular Research.
Presence of gum disease may help dentists and physicians identify risk for cardiovascular disease
Individuals reporting a history of periodontal disease were more likely to have increased levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease, compared to those who reported no history of periodontal disease.
Children's Hospital scientists achieve repair of injured heart muscle in lab tests of stem cells
Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have been able to effectively repair damaged heart muscle in an animal model using a novel population of stem cells they discovered that is derived from human skeletal muscle tissue.
Understanding how oxidative stress impairs endothelial progenitor cell function
Although its been over a decade since endothelial progenitor cells or EPCs, cells that circulate in the blood repairing and replacing the cells that line blood vessels, were identified, the field is still evolving.
Researchers identify how binge drinking may drive heart disease
As the holidays arrive, a group of researchers has identified the precise mechanisms by which binge drinking contributes to clogs in arteries that lead to heart attack and stroke, according to a study published today in the journal Atherosclerosis.
Exercise helps overweight children reduce anger expression
Regular exercise seems to reduce anger expression in overweight but otherwise healthy children, researchers said.
A scientific breakthrough on the control of the bad cholesterol
A study performed by the team of Dr. Nabil G. Seidah, Director of the Biochemical Neuroendocrinology Research Unit at the IRCM, shows for the very first time that the degradation by PCSK9 of the LDLR receptor
Survival of head and neck cancer patients is greatly affected by coexisting ailments
Current estimates for head and neck cancer survival are largely inaccurate because they widely disregard many of the most common diseases such patients have in addition to their primary cancer, says Jay Piccirillo, M.D., a head and neck specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Genetics for personalized coronary heart disease treatment
Identifying a single, common variation in a person's genetic information improves prediction of his or her risk of a heart attack or other heart disease events and thus, choice of the best treatment accordingly, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
More Heart Attack Current Events and Heart Attack News Articles
 | Hidden Causes of Heart Attack and Stroke: Inflammation, Cardiology's New Frontier by Christian Wilde Written to empower you to interface intelligently with your doctors in protecting yourself and your family from America's number one killer. Written in everyday language, this book prepares you to discuss the cutting edge blood tests for C-reactive protein, inherited and acquired hidden risk factors and how to neutralize them by natural means. Rarely has a book drawn such enthusiastic... |
 | Before the Heart Attacks: A Revolutionary Approach to Detecting, Preventing, and Even Reversing Heart Dise by Robert Superko Heart attacks are preventable—fatalities from heart attacks should be virtually unheard of—and heart disease can be controlled, possibly even reversed, says renowned researcher and cardiologist H. Robert Superko, M.D. In his groundbreaking work, Before the Heart Attacks, Dr. Superko for the first time outlines his innovative program to the public, including: • Information about new blood... |
 | The Cardiac Recovery Handbook: The Complete Guide to Life After Heart Attack or Heart Surgery, Second Edition by Paul Kligfield Maybe a suspicious angiogram has the doctor suggesting bypass surgery. Maybe a major heart attack has you confined to the ICU. After a heart attack or heart surgery, you have a hundred questions and your family has more. How long will I be in the hospital? What are the side effects of that medication? Why do I feel so depressed? What can I eat? Can I exercise?One of the nation's most respected... |
 | Why Animals Don't Get Heart Attacks but People Do, Fourth Revised Edition by Matthias Rath In Why Animals Don’t Get Heart Attacks, But People Do, Matthias Rath, M.D., an internationally respected cardiovascular researcher, asserts that high cholesterol is not the actual cause of heart disease. Bears, for example, have average cholesterol levels of 400 milligrams per deciliter of blood, but they don’t suffer heart attacks. Why? According to Dr. Rath, it is because bears produce... |
 | Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes: Lifesaving Advice You Need Now by M.D., Glenn O. Turner More than three out of five deaths from heart attack occur simply because people don't immediately go to the hospital, waiting instead to see if symptoms persist. Now a pioneer of modern cardiology draws on fifty years of patient care to explain that the majority of heart attacks don't just happen spontaneously but are preceded by early warning signs--including little-known signs that go... |
 | The Heart Attack Germ: Prevent Strokes, Heart Attacks and the Symptoms of Alzheimer's by Protecting Yourself from the Infections and Inflammation of Cardiovascular Disease by Russell Dvonch Perhaps you've read about the Heart Attack Germ in Reader's Digest. Or you may have seen the story about it on Dateline NBC. But The Heart Attack Germ is the first and only book that reveals the full story behind this astonishing and revolutionary medical breakthrough.A germ named Chlamydia pneumoniae has been identified by medical researchers the world over as the Heart Attack Germ. People... |
| Why Animals Don't Get Heart Attacks but People Do by Matthias Rath | |
 | Every Heart Attack is Preventable by Michael Mogadam Dr. Mogadam highlights the 25 risk factors associated with heart disease, of which cholesterol is only one, and offers a step-by-step guide to avoiding--or controlling--all of... |
 | The Director Had a Heart Attack and the President Resigned: Board-Staff Relations for the 21st Century by Gerald Bubis This unique volume offers useful material on how to deal with the realities and practicalities of board-staff relations within all types of non-profit organizations and religious institutions. No other book of its kind has brought together the combination of resources contained herein.It begins with a series of timeless articles by a number of the leading thinkers in the field of nonprofit... |
 | Syndrome X: Overcoming the Silent Killer That Can Give You a Heart Attack by Gerald Reaven Millions of Americans follow the "best" medical advice every day to prevent heart attacks -- eating the standard low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet so widely recommended by doctors -- but in fact they are placing themselves at greater risk for heart disease. In Syndrome X: Overcoming the Silent Killer That Can Give You a Heart Attack, Dr. Gerald Reaven, the world-renowned physician who identified... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |