Bioengineered collagen patch repairs damaged heart muscles in animals

[Political Junky]

Amazing advance in treating damaged hearts.

Bioengineered collagen patch repairs damaged heart muscles in animals - The Hoops News

Scientists representing the Stanford University School of Medicine along with their colleagues have discovered a way of regenerating damaged heart muscles by delivering a protein to them by means of a bioengineered patch carrying a protein called Fstl1.

Pilar Ruiz-Lozano, who teaches pediatrics at Stanford, said that this finding will give birth to a revolutionary treatment. She added that right now there’s not a single effective treatment for reversing heart-attack induced scarring in heart. Ruiz-Lozano is the senior author of the study; the other experts to share the study’s authorship are University of California, San Diego’s postdoctoral scholar Ke Wei and Stanford’s postdoctoral scholar in cardiology Vahid Serpooshan.

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[ScienceRocks]

Medical innovation and advancement is truly one of the most wonderful things humanity can take part in. Worth every penny!

 

[irosie91]

The information in the article is scanty-------The heart muscle is a kind of Syncytium
of muscle fibers.--------that means that they are anatomically and functionally
connected to each other in a kind of cooperative mass. The big problem that I,
not particularly knowledgeable about this issue, see-----do the "new muscle fibers"--- ie the regenerated stuff--------get HOOKED UP?

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - it's good fer keepin' vampires away too...

Garlic extract can help prevent progression of heart disease
Jan. 22, 2016 | The new study supports previous research showing the positive benefits of garlic -- fresh, pressed, or aged -- on the heart, arteries and existing cardiovascular diseases.

Supplements of aged garlic extract can reduce plaque build-up in arteries and the progression of heart disease, according to a new study. Scientists reported people taking the supplement daily showed significant reductions in plaque in their arteries, which researchers at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, or LA BioMEd, said is their fourth study showing the effects of aged garlic extract. In the new study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers recruited 55 patients between the ages of 40 and 75 who have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome and had the beginnings of heart disease.

LA BioMed researchers said the new study is the fourth they have conducted on the effects of aged garlic extract to show similar benefits on heart disease.​

After measuring calcium deposits and plaque buildup in the the participants arteries, researchers randomly gave either a 2,400 milligram dose of aged garlic extract or placebo to take daily. At follow-up screenings after one year, the people who had taken garlic showed plaque accumulation in their arteries had slowed by 80 percent and plaque already present had been reduced. "This study is another demonstration of the benefits of this supplement in reducing the accumulation of soft plaque and preventing the formation of new plaque in the arteries, which can cause heart disease," said Dr. Matthew Budoff, a researcher at the LA BioMed, in a press release.

The findings are similar to others on garlic's effects on heart disease, as one study in 2009 showed fresh crushed garlic had a positive effect on blood flow and the heart, and another found that garlic oil could help prevent a form of heart disease in diabetic people. In an analysis of previous studies published as a paid supplement in the Journal of Nutrition with the new study, researchers also cite evidence that garlic extract reduced blood pressure and cholesterol.

Garlic extract can help prevent progression of heart disease

See also:

Eating more healthy fats could decrease heart disease risk
Jan. 21, 2016 - Decreasing saturated fats and trans fats lowers the risk of death from heart disease, but increasing polyunsaturated fats has a more dramatic effect.

Replacing bad dietary fats with good ones may lower the risk for developing heart disease, researchers at Tufts University found in a recent study. The researchers said consuming fewer saturated fats is beneficial to health, but increasing the amount of polyunsaturated fats also helps reduce bad cholesterol levels and provides fats essential to the body.

Increasing good fats in people's diets could prevent one million deaths from heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Polyunsaturated fats are found in soybean, corn, and sunflower oils, tofu, nuts, seeds, and in fatty fish such as salmon, mackeral, herring, and trout. "Worldwide, policymakers are focused on reducing saturated fats," said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, in a press release. "Yet, we found there would be a much bigger impact on heart disease deaths if the priority was to increase the consumption of polyunsaturated fats as a replacement for saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, as well as to reduce trans fats."

Researchers found the number of heart disease-related deaths from too few polyunsaturated fats was three times the number attributed to too many saturated fats and trans fats.​

For the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers analyzed country-specific dietary surveys, food availability data, and industry reports on fats and oils in packaged foods for 186 countries. This information was used, with data from the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases study on coronary heart disease to find the effects of varying levels of both types of fat on health. The researchers found 711,800 heart disease deaths could be attributed to eating too little omega-6 polyunsaturated fats as a replacement for saturated fats and refined carbohydrates -- accounting for 10.3 percent of total global death from heart disease.

In comparison, 250,900 heart disease deaths were due to an excess consumption of saturated fats, about 3.6 percent of global heart disease deaths, and 537,200, or 7.7 percent of the global total, were due to excess consumption of trans fats. "These findings should be of great interest to both the public and policy makers around the world, helping countries to set their nutrition priorities to combat the global epidemic of heart disease," Mozaffarian said.

Eating more healthy fats could decrease heart disease risk

 

[SixFoot]

I yearn for the day I can walk into a day clinic and order a new 3D printed set of lungs and a new column of spinal discs.

Hope I live long enough.

 

[waltky]

Vitamin D helps damaged hearts...

Vitamin D 'heals damaged hearts'
Mon, 04 Apr 2016 - Vitamin D supplements may help people with a failing heart, a study suggests.

Vitamin D supplements may help people with diseased hearts, a study suggests. A trial on 163 heart failure patients found supplements of the vitamin, which is made in the skin when exposed to sunlight, improved their hearts' ability to pump blood around the body. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals team, who presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology, described the results as "stunning". The British Heart Foundation called for longer trials to assess the pills. Vitamin D is vital for healthy bones and teeth and may have important health benefits throughout the body but many people are deficient.

No safe way to suntan - warning

The average age of people in the study was 70 and like many people that age they had low levels of vitamin D even in summer. "They do spend less time outside, but the skin's ability to manufacture vitamin D also gets less effective [with age] and we don't really understand why that is," said consultant cardiologist Dr Klaus Witte. Patients were given either a 100 microgram vitamin D tablet or a sugar pill placebo each day for a year. And researchers measured the impact on heart failure - a condition in which the heart becomes too weak to pump blood properly. The key measure was the ejection fraction, the amount of blood pumped out of the chambers of the heart with each beat.

In a healthy adult the figure is between 60% and 70%, but only a quarter of the blood in the heart was being successfully pumped out in the heart failure patients. But in those taking the vitamin pills, the ejection fraction increased from 26% to 34%. Dr Witte told the BBC News website: "It's quite a big deal, that's as big as you'd expect from other more expensive treatments that we use, it's a stunning effect. "It's as cheap as chips, has no side effects and a stunning improvement on people already on optimal medical therapy, it is the first time anyone has shown something like this in the last 15 years."

The study also showed the patients hearts became smaller - a suggestion they are becoming more powerful and efficient. In the UK, people over 65 are advised to take 10 microgram supplements of the vitamin. However, Dr Witte does not think high-dose vitamin D should be routine prescribed just yet. He told the BBC: "We're a little bit off that yet, not because I don't believe it, but data have shown improvements in heart function, they may show improvements in symptoms and we now need a large study."

It is also not clear exactly how vitamin D is improving heart function, but it is thought every cell in the body responds to the vitamin. Most vitamin D comes from sunlight, although it is also found in oily fish, eggs and is added to some foods such as breakfast cereals. Prof Peter Weissberg, from the British Heart Foundation, cautioned that the patients seemed no better at exercise. And added: "A much bigger study over a longer period of time is now needed to determine whether these changes in cardiac function can translate into fewer symptoms and longer lives for heart failure patients."

Vitamin D 'heals damaged hearts' - BBC News

 

[irosie91]

Granny says, "Dat's right - it's good fer keepin' vampires away too...

Garlic extract can help prevent progression of heart disease
Jan. 22, 2016 | The new study supports previous research showing the positive benefits of garlic -- fresh, pressed, or aged -- on the heart, arteries and existing cardiovascular diseases.

Supplements of aged garlic extract can reduce plaque build-up in arteries and the progression of heart disease, according to a new study. Scientists reported people taking the supplement daily showed significant reductions in plaque in their arteries, which researchers at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, or LA BioMEd, said is their fourth study showing the effects of aged garlic extract. In the new study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers recruited 55 patients between the ages of 40 and 75 who have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome and had the beginnings of heart disease.

LA BioMed researchers said the new study is the fourth they have conducted on the effects of aged garlic extract to show similar benefits on heart disease.​

After measuring calcium deposits and plaque buildup in the the participants arteries, researchers randomly gave either a 2,400 milligram dose of aged garlic extract or placebo to take daily. At follow-up screenings after one year, the people who had taken garlic showed plaque accumulation in their arteries had slowed by 80 percent and plaque already present had been reduced. "This study is another demonstration of the benefits of this supplement in reducing the accumulation of soft plaque and preventing the formation of new plaque in the arteries, which can cause heart disease," said Dr. Matthew Budoff, a researcher at the LA BioMed, in a press release.

The findings are similar to others on garlic's effects on heart disease, as one study in 2009 showed fresh crushed garlic had a positive effect on blood flow and the heart, and another found that garlic oil could help prevent a form of heart disease in diabetic people. In an analysis of previous studies published as a paid supplement in the Journal of Nutrition with the new study, researchers also cite evidence that garlic extract reduced blood pressure and cholesterol.

Garlic extract can help prevent progression of heart disease

See also:

Eating more healthy fats could decrease heart disease risk
Jan. 21, 2016 - Decreasing saturated fats and trans fats lowers the risk of death from heart disease, but increasing polyunsaturated fats has a more dramatic effect.

Replacing bad dietary fats with good ones may lower the risk for developing heart disease, researchers at Tufts University found in a recent study. The researchers said consuming fewer saturated fats is beneficial to health, but increasing the amount of polyunsaturated fats also helps reduce bad cholesterol levels and provides fats essential to the body.

Increasing good fats in people's diets could prevent one million deaths from heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Polyunsaturated fats are found in soybean, corn, and sunflower oils, tofu, nuts, seeds, and in fatty fish such as salmon, mackeral, herring, and trout. "Worldwide, policymakers are focused on reducing saturated fats," said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, in a press release. "Yet, we found there would be a much bigger impact on heart disease deaths if the priority was to increase the consumption of polyunsaturated fats as a replacement for saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, as well as to reduce trans fats."

Researchers found the number of heart disease-related deaths from too few polyunsaturated fats was three times the number attributed to too many saturated fats and trans fats.​

For the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers analyzed country-specific dietary surveys, food availability data, and industry reports on fats and oils in packaged foods for 186 countries. This information was used, with data from the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases study on coronary heart disease to find the effects of varying levels of both types of fat on health. The researchers found 711,800 heart disease deaths could be attributed to eating too little omega-6 polyunsaturated fats as a replacement for saturated fats and refined carbohydrates -- accounting for 10.3 percent of total global death from heart disease.

In comparison, 250,900 heart disease deaths were due to an excess consumption of saturated fats, about 3.6 percent of global heart disease deaths, and 537,200, or 7.7 percent of the global total, were due to excess consumption of trans fats. "These findings should be of great interest to both the public and policy makers around the world, helping countries to set their nutrition priorities to combat the global epidemic of heart disease," Mozaffarian said.

Eating more healthy fats could decrease heart disease risk

I will add----absorption of dietary vitamin D depends on-------dietary fat----

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd'll wear the patch - if he gets to join dat ladies bicyclin' club...

Skin Patch Uses Sweat to Monitor Health
November 23, 2016 - A soft, flexible skin patch that monitors biomarkers in sweat can determine whether the wearer is dehydrated, measure the person’s blood sugar level and even detect disease. The invention is part of an emerging field of wearable diagnostics.

Human sweat contains many of the same biomarkers as blood; however, analyzing sweat using a skin patch doesn't hurt like a needle stick, and the results can be obtained more quickly. The first-of-its-kind patch is aimed primarily at athletes, but the flexible electronics device will in all likelihood find a place in medicine and even the cosmetics industry.

The skin patch, described in the journal Science Translational Medicine, is made of flexible material, and is about the size and thickness of a U.S. quarter. The so-called microfluidic device sticks to the forearm or back like an adhesive bandage, collecting and analyzing sweat. "We've been interested in the development of skin-like technologies that can mount directly on the body, to capture important information that relates to physiological health," said John Rogers, a materials scientist and bioengineer at Northwestern University in Illinois, and one of a number of developers of the skin patch. "And what we've demonstrated here is a technology that allows for the precise collection, capture and chemical analysis of biomarkers in sweat and perspiration."

Color-coded results

The sweat is routed through microscopic tubules to four different reservoirs that measure pH and chloride, important indicators of hydration levels, lactate — which reveals exercise tolerance — and glucose. It can also track the perspiration rate. The skin patch could potentially be used to diagnose the lung disease cystic fibrosis by analyzing the chloride content in sweat. Wireless electronics transmit the color-coded results to a smartphone app, which analyzes them.

People are seen exercising on stationary bicycles.​

To test the patch's accuracy and durability, scientists studied it in two different groups of athletes. One group used an indoor cycle and the other group participated in a long-distance bicycle race called the El Tour de Tucson in Arizona's arid desert. The sweat patch was placed on the arms and backs of the subjects. Researchers compared the four biomarker results of the indoor athletes to conventional blood tests and found the results were the same. With the outdoor long-distance cycling group, scientists wanted to test the sweat patch's durability. They found that the electronics device stayed adhered to the athletes' skin, didn't leak and provided the same accurate information as blood tests.

Not just for athletes

For now, the skin patch is intended for use by sweaty athletes to measure biomarkers of performance, and Rogers sees the patch being sold with sports drinks; but, he said, a number of industries have expressed an interest in the sweat-based technology. "Cosmetics companies are interested in sweat using these devices in their research labs to evaluate their antiperspirants and deodorants and so on,” Rogers said. “So sweat loss and sweat chemistry is interesting in that domain, as well. And then we have contracts with the military that are interested sort of in continuous monitoring of health status of war fighters." Rogers says he thinks the inexpensive, disposable skin patches should become available to consumers in one to two years.

Skin Patch Uses Sweat to Monitor Health