Damaged arteries have healing properties
Cells within diseased human arteries may help generate new blood vessels, a University of Melbourne research team has shown. Human arteries can be collected with consent from patients who are undergoing cardiac surgery. During surgery for coronary artery bypass grafting, it is possible to harvest diseased vessels and nearby areas of non-damaged vessels for evaluation. University researchers found that biochemical embryonic stem cell markers were detected on these cells. Stem cells are potentially immortal cells capable of self renewal and have the potential to differentiate into various cell types. It is possible these cells could contribute to new blood vessel generation. The researchers support ongoing work in which these cells would be extracted from the vessel and investigated for their potential to divide, and to determine potential healing properties. Read paper.
Women’s big heart vulnerable to damage
Do women have stronger hearts than men? Females’ hearts can withstand damage better than males’ hearts when circulation is reduced. This is an important difference between the sexes when determining the outcome of cardiovascular disease. An enlarged heart - cardiac hypertrophy - is a risk factor predicting cardiovascular disease and death. Experiments in rats showed that cardiac hypertrophy removed the female heart’s advantage, resulting in damage to the heart following stopped or reduced blood-flow. In this study the heart function and biochemical changes were monitored to determine the mechanisms behind the loss of protection. Read paper.
Diabetic eye disease is a predictor of heart disease
Diabetic retinopathy, or small vessel eye disease, even in mild form, predicts a higher risk of heart failure, a University of Melbourne study has shown. Heart failure is a major problem in diabetic patients and so it would be an advantage to be able to determine which diabetic patients should receive an early careful cardiac evaluation and follow-up. Therefore, routine retina evaluations can be used not only as a check up for small vessel eye, but as a pointer for the wider problem of heart complications as a result of diabetic retinopathy. Read paper.