Umbilical cord cells outperform bone marrow cells in repairing damaged hearts

 

A study published this month by researchers at the University of Toronto and Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital has shown that cells derived from the umbilical cord, “Human Umbilical Cord PeriVascular Cells” (HUCPVCs), are more effective in restoring heart function after an acute myocardial infarction (in common parlance, a heart attack) in a pre-clinical model than a similar cell population derived from bone marrow.

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Softening arteries, protecting the heart

 

Arterial stiffening has long been considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Keeping arteries soft and supple might reduce disease risk, but the mechanisms of how arteries stave off hardening has remained elusive.

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Major genetic discovery explains 10 percent of aortic valve disease

 

Researchers at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and University of Montreal have identified genetic origins in 10% of an important form of congenital heart diseases by studying the genetic variability within families. “This is more than the sum of the genes found to date in all previous studies, which explained only 1% of the disease, says Dr. Marc-Phillip Hitz, lead author of the study published in PLOS Genetics, under the direction of Dr. Gregor Andelfinger, pediatric cardiologist and principal investigator leading an international research team, who calls this study “a very important step towards a molecular catalog, which ultimately may explain the evolution of disease in individual patients and allow to influence the progression of the disease.”

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Research yields two ‘firsts’ regarding protein crucial to human cardiac function

 
Florida State University researchers led by physics doctoral student Campion Loong have achieved significant benchmarks in a study of the human cardiac protein alpha-tropomyosin, which is an essential, molecular-level component that controls the heart’s contraction on every beat.

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Diagnostic test shows potential to noninvasively identify significant coronary artery disease

 

Among patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease, use of a method that applies computational fluid dynamics to derive certain data from computed tomographic (CT) angiography demonstrated improved diagnostic accuracy vs. CT angiography alone for the diagnosis of ischemia, according to a study being published online by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

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Heart muscle cell grafts suppress arrhythmias after heart attacks in animal study

 

Researchers have made a major advance in efforts to regenerate damaged hearts.

Grafts of human cardiac muscle cells, grown from embryonic stem cells, coupled electrically and contracted synchronously with host muscle following transplantation in guinea pig hearts.

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U of M researchers find natural antioxidant can protect against cardiovascular disease

University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have collaborated with the School of Public Health and discovered an enzyme that, when found at high levels and alongside low levels of HDL (good cholesterol), can dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Researchers develop a ‘time bomb’ to fight cardiovascular disease

In Switzerland, more than 20,000 people (37% of all deaths) die of cardiovascular disease caused by atherosclerosis each year. Treatment options are currently available to people who suffer from the disease but no drug can target solely the diseased areas, often leading to generalized side effects. Intravenous injection of a vasodilator (a substance that dilates blood vessels), such as nitroglycerin, dilates both the diseased vessels and the rest of our arteries. Blood pressure can thus drop, which would limit the desired increased blood flow generated by vasodilatation of diseased vessels and needed for example during a heart attack.

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Delivery of gene-therapy for heart disease boosted 1fold; now in 1patient trial

Cardium Therapeutics (NYSE Amex: CXM) today announced a late-breaking poster presentation at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 15th Annual Meeting being held May 19, 2012 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

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Flavonoid compound found in foods and supplements shown to prevent the formation of blood clots

A compound called rutin, commonly found in fruits and vegetables and sold over the counter as a dietary supplement, has been shown to inhibit the formation of blood clots in an animal model of thrombosis.

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