 |
|
Researchers examine developing hearts in chickens to find solutions for human heart abnormalities
January 22, 2009When it is head versus heart, the heart comes first. The heart is the first organ to develop and is critical in supplying blood to the rest of the body. Yet, little is known about the complex processes that regulate the heartbeat. By studying chickens' hearts, a University of Missouri researcher has identified certain proteins within the heart muscle that play an important regulatory role in embryonic heartbeat control. Understanding these components and how they interact will give researchers a better understanding of heart development and abnormalities in humans.
In the study, researchers examined embryonic chickens' hearts, which develop morphologically and functionally similarly to humans' hearts, and tested the electrical activity present in the cardiac muscle cells over a period of 24 hours. They found that changes in local proteins have important effects on embryonic heart beat control.
"Electrical activity in the heart appears in very early stages of development," said Luis Polo-Parada, assistant professor in the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology in the MU School of Medicine and investigator in the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center. "This study determined the role of the heart microenvironment in regulating electrical activity in cardiac cells that are required for normal cardiac function. Understanding exactly how a heart is made and how it begins to function will allow us to significantly improve therapies for a wide range of cardiac anomalies, injuries and diseases such as hypertension, cardiac fibrosis, cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure."
Cardiac function depends on appropriate timing of contraction in various regions of the heart. Fundamental to the control of the heart are the electrical signals that arise within the heart cells that initiate contraction of the heart muscle. The upper chambers of the heart, the atria, must contract before the lower chambers, the ventricles, to obtain a coordinated contraction that will propel the blood throughout the body. While scientists understand the gross actions of the electrical signals that drive cardiac contraction, little is known about changes in the local environment of the embryonic and adult heart cells that influence these contractions.
University of Missouri-Columbia
Cardiac function depends on appropriate timing of contraction in various regions of the heart. Fundamental to the control of the heart are the electrical signals that arise within the heart cells that initiate contraction of the heart muscle. The upper chambers of the heart, the atria, must contract before the lower chambers, the ventricles, to obtain a coordinated contraction that will propel the blood throughout the body. While scientists understand the gross actions of the electrical signals that drive cardiac contraction, little is known about changes in the local environment of the embryonic and adult heart cells that influence these contractions.
University of Missouri-Columbia
Heart Abnormalities Current Events and Heart Abnormalities News RSSYoung athletes need dual screening tests for heart defects, study suggests
To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts at Johns Hopkins.
Fruit fly research may lead to better understanding of human heart disease
Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have shown in both fruit flies and humans that genes involved in embryonic heart development are also integral to adult heart function. The study, led by Rolf Bodmer, Ph.D., was published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.
Children with ADHD should get heart tests before treatment with stimulant drugs
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should get careful cardiac evaluation and monitoring - including an electrocardiogram (ECG) - before treatment with stimulant drugs, a new American Heart Association statement recommends.
Study suggests newer breast cancer drug may protect heart
By uncovering how one breast cancer drug protects the heart and another does not, Duke University Medical Center researchers believe they may have opened up a new way to screen drugs for possible heart-related side effects and to develop new drugs.
Hypertension, prehypertension in young linked with heart enlargement
Hypertension and prehypertension in adolescents and young adults was associated with a higher risk of having an abnormally enlarged heart.
Sleep apnea treatment benefits the heart
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea have enlarged and thickened hearts that pump less effectively, but the heart abnormalities improve with use of a device that helps patients breathe better during sleep.
Nature press release on DiGeorge syndrome paper
[410097] LIFELINES: CATCH 22 (pp97–101) In the 1 March issue of Nature, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas pinpoint the gene behind one of the most common genetic diseases to affect humans: DiGeorge syndrome. The disease results in a broad spectrum of symptoms, including heart abnormalities, disruption of the immune system and facial morphology. DiGeorge syndrome affects around 1 in 4,000 babies born, and next to Down syndrome it is the most common genetic cause of heart defects. DiGeorge syndrome is caused by deletions of large sections of DNA from our smallest chromosome: chromosome 22. Up to one tenth of this chromosome’s 33 million DNA base pairs can be mis
More Heart Abnormalities Current Events and Heart Abnormalities News Articles
 |
Moss and Adams' Heart Disease in Infants, Children and Adolescents: Including the Fetus and Young Adult, 2 Volume Set by Hugh D Allen (Editor), David J Driscoll (Editor), Robert E Shaddy (Editor), Timothy F Feltes (Editor) Established since 1968 as a classic pediatric cardiology text, this two-volume work is now in its Seventh Edition. Leading international experts describe state-of-the-art diagnostic and interventional techniques for young patients with congenital and acquired heart diseases and for adult survivors of congenital heart disease. This edition's section on pediatric cardiac intensive care has new chapters on interventricular and cardiopulmonary interactions and on the extreme premature, premature, and normal newborn. A section From the Gene to the Neonate provides in-depth coverage of genetics, fetal echocardiography, and fetal cardiology. An extensive section focuses on adult survivors of congenital heart disease. A companion Website will include the fully searchable online text. "Doody's... |
 |
EKG Simulator & Self Study Module by Mind-Forge Education Services LLC. This program has multimedia images of live EKG rhythms, step by step instructions in EKG rhythm recognition and interpretation. All major, sinus, atrial, junctional, ventricular, A/V blocks and pacer rhythms are represented. This program has step by step lessons to take you through basic cardiac anatomy and physiology, terminology, EKG lead placement and rhythm interpretation and identification. The test section is designed to test your knowledge of each area that is crucial to being able to accurately calculate heart rates, measure EKG wave forms and intervals and identify EKG rhythms. These tests provide feedback and suggestions to help you study and identify areas of weakness. The E-Books section contains an EKG E-book: This is a 53 page E-book that explains everything that is required... |
 |
It's My Heart by The Children's Heart Foundation (Author) "It's My Heart" is a resource guide for patients and families affected by congenital and acquired heart disease. It is intended to provide information on many of the issues families dealing with congential or acquired heart defects encounter. "It's My Heart" was developed over the past several years by a dedicated group of doctors, nurses and parents. The book contains layman descriptions of the various types of congenital heart defects and acquired heart conditions and describes treatments, tests, surgical procedures and much more. 'Before and after' diagrams of defects are also included. |
 |
Clinical Recognition of Congenital Heart Disease by Joseph K. Perloff MD (Author) University of California, Los Angeles. Reference work covering the diagnosis of congenital heart disease. Includes a new chapter on Congenital Abnormalities of the Pericardium, expanded coverage of genetics and developmental biology, and new phonocardiograms. Illustrated. Previous edition: c1994. DNLM: Congenital heart disease--Diagnosis. |
 |
Surgery for Congenital Heart Defects by Jaroslav F. Stark (Editor), Marc R. de Leval (Editor), Victor T. Tsang (Editor), Michael Courtney (Editor) Over 10 years after the publication of the second edition, Wiley now publishes the third edition of the popular volume Surgery for Congenital Heart Defects. Completely updated and expanded, this new edition describes step-by-step the surgical procedures for congenital heart defects and includes detailed illustrations for each operation. New in this edition are chapters on exercise testing, MRI, EP studies and catheter ablation of arrhythmias, extracorporeal circulatory support and paediatric lung transplantation. A greatly expanded ultrasound chapter contains numerous colour Doppler’s of many conditions. Surgery for Congenital Heart Defects, Third Edition: Provides complete coverage of the current issues in paediatric cardiac surgery Offers... |
|
Surgical Treatment for Abnormalities of the Heart and Great Vessels by Robert E. Gross (Author) | |
|
Retinopathy can signal coronary heart disease: retinal abnormalities usually have no symptoms in the early stages.(WARNINGS): An article from: Heart Advisor by Unavailable (Author) This digital document is an article from Heart Advisor, published by Belvoir Media Group, LLC on December 1, 2008. The length of the article is 499 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Retinopathy can signal coronary heart disease: retinal abnormalities usually have no symptoms in the early stages.(WARNINGS) Author: Unavailable Publication: Heart Advisor (Magazine/Journal) Date: December 1, 2008 Publisher: Belvoir Media Group, LLC Volume: 11 Issue: 12 Page: 5(1) Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage... | |
|
Surgical Treatment for Abnormalities of the Heart and Great Vessels by Charles C. Thomas (Publisher) | |
|
Surgical Treatment for Abnormalities of the Heart and Great Vessels by Robert E. Gross (Author) | |
|
Pathology of Congenital Heart Disease (Postgraduate pathology) by Anton E. Becker (Author), Robert H. Anderson (Author) |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |