Articles tagged with Heart Muscle
Several anticancer drugs have been linked to heart failure in patients, with research now shedding light on the role of PDGFR-beta. In mouse models, inhibition of PDGFR-beta signaling was found to exacerbate heart failure under pressure overload conditions.
Scientists at EMBL identify Notch signalling pathway as critical component of heart muscle cell communication, leading to heart defects and cardiac malformations in Alagille syndrome. Re-activating Notch improves adult mouse heart function after heart attack, offering new therapeutic potential.
A novel framework encourages adult stem cells to differentiate into heart cells by mimicking the elasticity alterations that occur in protein scaffolds. More cardiomyocytes were formed on this framework than with conventional techniques, suggesting improved cardiac differentiation.
Researchers found that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The study also showed reduced episodes of chest pain in daily life.
Researchers aim to use human pluripotent stem cells to produce cardiac myocytes for transplantation into diseased hearts. The study could potentially treat 500,000 new cases of heart disease annually.
Researchers at Duke University have successfully grown a three-dimensional 'patch' of heart muscle cells using embryonic stem cells and a novel mold design. The patch exhibited the ability to contract and conduct electrical impulses, crucial attributes of native heart muscle cells.
A study published in Circulation Research suggests that compounds related to Viagra can counter heart failure by reducing abnormal cardiac growth. PDE1 inhibitors show promise as a new drug target, potentially combined with Viagra or beta blockers for enhanced efficacy.
Effective reperfusion therapy in AMI patients can cut individual risk of dying by half and save millions of European lives. Modern catheter-based reperfusion strategies are more effective than fibrinolytic agents, reducing infarct-related mortality by up to 37%.
Researchers at the University of Arizona's Sarver Heart Center have developed a delivery system to introduce living, healthy heart muscle cells into damaged areas of the heart. The new approach uses a patch made from microscopically thin fibers that serve as a scaffold for the cells to adhere to.
Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure may be associated with abnormal activity in female rat and mouse hearts, potentially leading to improper heartbeat control. Researchers found estrogen receptors play a key role in this effect, which could have significant implications for women's heart health.
A new study using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging found that marathon runners experience transient heart dysfunction after competition. The study showed that these fluctuations do not result in true damage to the heart muscle and recover within one week.
Researchers studied embryonic chickens' hearts to identify key proteins involved in regulating heartbeat control. Understanding these components can help develop better therapies for human heart abnormalities such as hypertension and congestive heart failure.
Researchers capture images of bleeding inside heart muscle after heart attack using MRI scans, finding correlation between bleeding and extent of heart damage. Patients with larger heart attacks show more significant bleeding and poorer recovery chances.
Researchers have shown that adult heart muscle stem cells can regenerate tissue and improve heart function when a gene regulator is suppressed. The study found that blocking beta-catenin led to enhanced differentiation of resident precursor cells, reducing ischemic cardiac remodeling in mice.
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine found that low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide can protect mice from heart failure. The gas is administered intravenously to treat humans with heart failure, showing promising results in regaining heart function and reducing mortality.
Researchers investigate role of GSK-3 proteins in mouse embryonic heart development and find that mice lacking GSK-3-beta exhibit hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Additionally, studies show PTEN protein modification leads to T-ALL cell viability, while HDAC3 plays a crucial role in maintaining heart function.
The Phase II clinical trial of FX06 showed a statistically significant reduction in myocardial necrosis following intravenous application concurrent with reperfusion. The peptide preserves blood vessel function by binding to VE-cadherin, leading to reduced inflammation and infarct sizes.
A team of Japanese scientists has designed the world's first optical pacemaker for laboratory research, utilizing powerful laser pulses to regulate heart muscle cell contractions. This breakthrough technique may aid in understanding uncoordinated heart contractions and developing anti-fibrillation drugs.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that leiomodin (Lmod) promotes the assembly of actin in heart muscle cells, directing it to form the pumping unit of the heart. The findings suggest Lmod could be relevant to cardiac muscle disease and require further study.
Researchers from Pitt and the University of Chicago discovered a previously unknown role of two enzymes in regulating heart muscle contractions. By controlling these enzymes, they found that heart muscle fibers become more sensitive to calcium, strengthening contraction without increasing energy consumption.
Researchers have described the mechanisms by which capon gene variants cause heart rhythm disturbances. The study found that capon interacts with a signaling molecule in heart muscle to influence signaling pathways and modify cell-to-cell interactions, leading to abnormalities in the QT interval of EKGs.
Researchers have discovered that the turbulence in electrical waves underlying ventricular fibrillation can be scaled using a universal formula related to body mass, and that genetic variations in mice may also apply to humans. This breakthrough paves the way for better translation of VF research results from animals to humans.
Researchers developed a method to create cardiac muscle cells from embryonic stem cells, which then survived and thrived in damaged rat hearts. The treatment showed promise in improving heart function and thickness of walls after a heart attack.
A systematic review found ICDs to be safe and effective in reducing mortality among patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The devices reduced overall death from all causes by 20%, mostly due to a significant decrease in sudden cardiac deaths.
Researchers identify dysferlin as crucial for resealing heart muscle cell membranes, leading to cardiomyopathy in mice. Exercise exacerbates damage in mice with dysferlin deficiency, highlighting potential treatment target.
Researchers developed a 3D fusion technique combining CT angiography and nuclear imaging scans to improve the accuracy of diagnosing coronary artery disease. This technology significantly enhances diagnosis and could be used in the future with molecular imaging agents to detect and guide treatment.
Researchers developed a new imaging technique that combines functional and anatomical imaging to diagnose coronary artery disease more accurately. This 'synergy' approach uses software to integrate data from SPECT and CT angiography scans, providing clearer pictures of the heart muscle and coronary arteries.
A randomized trial found that angioplasty significantly reduced long-term cardiac events compared to intensive drug therapy among heart attack survivors with silent ischemia. The study followed 201 patients for an average of 10.2 years, revealing a persistent benefit of PCI.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have made significant progress in cardiac tissue engineering, with promising results in growing pulsing heart muscle and tri-leaflet valves. However, challenges such as determining optimal cell types and finding effective methods to grow viable tissue still need to be addressed.
A Phase 1 study evaluating a novel protein kinase C inhibitor, KAI-9803, suggests potential benefit in healing time and tissue function for heart attack patients. The trial showed improved tissue perfusion and reduced infarct size at lower dose levels.
Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine identify Sox17 as critical for transforming embryonic stem cells into cardiac mesoderm, the precursor to heart muscle. The discovery provides insight into generating cardiac muscle more effectively from embryonic stem cells.
Researchers developed a rapid 3D cell-growth technique that produces organized heart muscle tissue capable of generating pulsating forces and reacting to stimulation. The technique uses fibrin gel to support rat cardiac cells, resulting in tissue with significantly better properties than previous methods.
Researchers used MRI to detect small areas of heart damage in patients with sarcoidosis, finding that it was twice as sensitive as conventional methods. The study suggests that cardiac damage is common and often unrecognized in these patients, which can lead to serious complications.
Researchers identified a key step in cocaine-induced heart enlargement, where high concentrations of the drug lead to increased calcium within heart muscle cells, prompting the accumulation of primitive fetal proteins. This process can cause irregular heart rhythms and sudden death, affecting young people between 18-29 years old.
In a study, researchers found that modulation of Ras activity is not the only function of neurofibromin, suggesting alternative therapeutic approaches for Neurofibromatosis type I disease. Interferon-gamma also plays a critical role in maintaining immune response balance by inducing Foxp3 and converting T cells.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia successfully produced proteins with new mechanical properties through DNA shuffling of two titin domains. The study reveals that different arrangements of protein segments can significantly impact mechanical stability, challenging previous assumptions.
A new analysis shows that digitalis is relatively safe for patients with diastolic heart failure, a condition affecting an estimated 5 million US adults. The study, involving 988 patients, found no overall detrimental effect of digitalis on death or hospitalizations.
The Mayo Clinic team has discovered that an echocardiography-guided genetic test can be more effective in identifying hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) mutations, particularly when combined with unique anatomical features of the heart. This approach can help physicians provide more accurate counseling to families and unlock new researc...
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine discovered that injecting ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) into obese mice with leptin deficiency or resistance reduced their heart muscle walls by up to a third and the size of the left ventricle by 41%. This breakthrough suggests a novel brain-signaling pathway for obesity-related heart failure.
Researchers successfully produced blood vessels within heart muscle tissue, showing significant improvement in heart function. The tissue-engineered construct remained viable even after three weeks of implantation, maintaining cardiac specific function.
Researchers found that diabetic patients' heart muscle uses about half as much glucose and four times more fat for energy than non-diabetics. This increased reliance on fat can lead to inflammation, cell death, and heart dysfunction.
A study of 230 patients with moderate to severe CO poisoning found that 85 (37%) developed heart muscle damage, increasing their risk of death over 7.6 years. Patients with heart damage had a higher mortality rate compared to those without damage, emphasizing the need for further cardiovascular risk stratification.
A recent MRI study has mapped 'silent' heart changes that remodel the heart, linking specific regional changes to early signs of trouble in the left ventricle. The study found that pumping function deteriorates as hearts increasingly change shape or remodel.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic Translational Ultrasound Research Unit have developed a new ultrasound technique that can detect subtle changes in heart muscle motions, potentially predicting heart problems. The technology uses high-resolution imaging to measure transitional tissue deformations and analyze their impact on cardiac function.
A new chemical sealant, poloxamer 188, has been shown to prevent heart failure in mice with muscular dystrophy by improving the heart's ability to relax and fill with blood. The treatment restored normal elastic properties in individual cardiac myocytes, reducing the risk of cardiac damage and failure.
Researchers at UT Southwestern discovered that microRNA miR-1 targets the mRNA of the gene Hand2, a key regulator of heart formation. This fine-tuning allows proper heart muscle development and may aid in understanding congenital heart disease.
Loyola researchers found higher levels of BNP in patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy than constrictive pericarditis, enabling quicker diagnosis and treatment. This discovery may improve patient outcomes for the millions of Americans affected by congestive heart failure.
Researchers found a risk of cardiac toxicity ranging from 2.2 to 3.3 percent among patients receiving chemotherapy and trastuzumab. The study documented less than 1 percent of patients experiencing heart muscle damage alone during chemotherapy.
Research reveals that chronic alcohol consumption impairs the heart's protein synthesis ability in males but not females. The study found altered phosphorylation of a particular protein factor involved in protein synthesis was affected in males following prolonged ethanol consumption.
In an animal study, stem cells from human umbilical cord blood significantly reduced the size of heart damage and restored pumping function to near normal after a heart attack. The researchers suggest that these stem cells could be a new treatment for limiting or repairing heart muscle damaged by a heart attack.
Researchers pinpoint MuRF1's role in regulating cardiac cellular molecules involved in abnormal heart enlargement. The protein degrades troponin-1, a critical component of the cardiac contractile machinery, suggesting new therapeutic avenues for treating cardiac hypertrophy.
A new study found that transplanted stem cells from bone marrow cannot become functional heart muscle cells due to their inability to produce the protein sarcoglycan. The researchers tested bone marrow side population cells in mice with a receptor deficiency, but the results were disappointing.
A team of European researchers, led by Prof. Rosenthal, will collaborate with American scientists to develop and study human cells with an enhanced potential for cardiac regeneration. They aim to apply their collective understanding of adult progenitor cell biology to effective human cardiac repair.
Bone marrow derived stem cells can give rise to heart muscle cells through transdifferentiation, a process that has sparked debate and potential applications in heart repair and transplantation. The concept challenges traditional dogma of tissue specific stem cell differentiation in adults.
Researchers have made significant breakthroughs in regenerating damaged heart muscle, improving heart function and survival rates with human embryonic stem cells. The study suggests a promising method for treating congestive heart failure, offering hope for millions of patients worldwide.
Increasing SERCA2a expression could correct heart failure without causing arrhythmias, a well-known side effect of current treatments. The study found that rats with overexpressed SERCA2a had lower incidence of arrhythmia and smaller injured area of heart muscle.
Researchers found that blood-forming stem cells lodge in damaged hearts but retain their blood-forming fate, contradicting earlier findings. The study suggests that these cells may not be able to transform into muscle cells, but could still offer some potential for treating heart attack patients
Vascular spasm is an under-recognized source of damage to heart muscle, leading to reduced function and increased risk of death. The study found that correcting genetic defects in heart muscle cells can halt focal degeneration and prevent vascular spasm.
The DEFINITE study found that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death and improve overall survival in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy patients. The study, which followed 458 participants for two years, showed a statistically significant reduction in arrhythmic deaths and all-cause mortality.
Researchers have successfully transformed mouse stem cells into heart muscle cells using vitamin C, a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for heart failure. The study found that the cells exhibited cardiac myosin and actin, and beat spontaneously, suggesting a potential path forward for clinical applications.