Heart Disease and Colon Cancer

Chan's study included 706 adults living in Hong Kong who were in their early 60s, on average.

The group included 206 heart disease patients, 208 people without heart disease, and 207 people who weren't screened for heart disease.

Each participant had a  colonoscopy, in which doctors screen the colon and rectum for cancers and other abnormal growths.

None was taking aspirin or cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, which may help prevent colon cancer. None had undergone colorectal surgery or had a colonoscopy in the past decade.

The doctors found colorectal cancer in about 4% of the heart disease patients, less than 1% of those without heart disease, and 1.4% of those not screened for heart disease.

Suspicious polyps were also more common in the heart disease patients than in the other participants, the study shows.

Link

Tags: CHD, heart disease, colon cancer

Finding a link between heart disease and colon cancer makes sense but is not addressed in my area. 

Powered by Qumana

Link Between Cholesterol And Heart Disease Explained

Science Daily — Cholesterol contributes to atherosclerosis - a condition that greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke - by suppressing the activity of a key protein that protects the heart and blood vessels, researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have found

Until now, however, the process by which cholesterol contributes to atherosclerosis has not been well understood.

Using an animal model, Chun-Lin Chen, a senior graduate student on Dr. Huang's research team, found that cholesterol limits the activity of a key protective protein called transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). TGF-beta serves many important functions in the body; in the heart, it protects the aorta and other vessels from damage caused by a variety of factors, including hypertension and high blood cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol, however, suppresses the responsiveness of cardiovascular cells to TGF-beta and its protective qualities - thus allowing atherosclerosis to develop. Similarly, the research found that statins, drugs that lower cholesterol levels, enhance the responsiveness of cardiovascular cells to the protective actions of TGF-beta, thus helping prevent the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease

Dr. Huang believes that this research could lead to the development of novel and effective therapies to treat or prevent atherosclerosis. For example, drugs that enhance or promote the protective activity of TGF-beta in cardiovascular cells should be effective in treating or preventing atherosclerosis, alone or in combination with other cholesterol-lowering agents.

Link

TGF-bata could be a key factor in the elimination  of heart disease.

Tags: Heart Disease, LDL, HDL

Powered by Qumana

Biomedical researchers pinpoint gene that produces good cholesterol

A team of global scientists have identified the gene that regulates "good cholesterol," which may provide insight into a possible cure for heart disease.
San Antonio's Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and an international team of researchers unveiled a new discovery method for pinpointing genetic causes for diseases

Researchers used this very method for identifying the gene VNN1, which regulates the production of high density lipoproteins (HDL), also known as good cholesterol. In contrast, too much low density lipoproteins, or the bad cholesterol, has been linked to the build up of plaque in the circulatory system.

This study could indicate a way to proceed in the elimination of heart disease. Watch for more on the gene VNN1.

Tags: VNN1. HDL, LDL. Heart Disease

Powered by Qumana

Genetic Variations Responsible for Heart Disease Identified

The researchers used results from a similar German study to draw comparisons and identify the common genetic variations that led to an increase in the risk for heart disease. They found that changes in the DNA on the chromosomes were responsible for increased risk of developing coronary artery disease and heart attacks. The researchers identified not one or two but six different genetic variations, each linked to a higher risk.

The findings by Dr. Samani and team confirm those of a study earlier this year in which researchers found that mutations on another chromosome increased the risk of heart disease. “Carrying one copy of the genetic change increased the chance of developing heart disease by at least 20 percent, while two copies increased the risk by more than 40 percent” Dr. Samani said.

           

    Link

    Tags: CHD, Dr. Samani, DNA

Powered by Qumana

Stem cells may mend a broken heart

The study, which was done on mice, shows that stem cells play a limited, but significant role in repairing damaged hearts. However, it remains unclear whether it is heart cells that are doing the repair, or cells from elsewhere in the body.

Richard Lee of the Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues genetically engineered mice so their heart muscle cells could be stained with a fluorescent protein.

Around 80 per cent of the heart muscle cells in young mice picked up the stain. As the mice aged, this level remained the same, which the researchers say demonstrates that heart muscle cells are not normally replaced in life.

However, when they induced heart attacks in the mice, the number of stained cells dropped to 70 per cent, suggesting that new muscle cells are formed in response to injury.

Link

This article implies that hearts have a limited ability to regenerate themselves.  More must be found out.

Tags: CHD, Stem Cells, Heart Regeneration, Richard Lee

Powered by Qumana

Benefits of stem-cell engraftment may not last

The good news is that real, beating cardiomyocytes can be grown from undifferentiated stem cells, and large quantities of these cells with distinctly human characteristics can be obtained from human embryonic stem cells, as Mummery's talk proved. These differentiated cells will permit screens for drugs that bolster the numbers of cardiomyocytes produced and that help cardiomyocytes engraft and survive. Thus, although this progress may not signal the arrival of effective therapies, it may mark the true beginning of their development.

Link

The good news is also that the real work of heart repair is beginning.  The tough answers are beginning to come out.  Now, we can suspect that varying results might be caused by mis-labeling cells. Now, we know that the heart is a difficult but not impossible place to use stem cells, and that stem cells can form heart cells.

Tags: Heart, Cardiomyocytes, Mummery, ISSCR.

Powered by Qumana

Benefits of stem-cell engraftment may not last

The Article covers some of the road blocks, there seem to be many, to heart repair using stem cells.

Not only do hearts recover poorly after injury, the prevalence of and morbidity from heart damage is high. Not surprisingly, cardiac regeneration is seen as among the most important applications of stem cell research. But although cell replacement therapy, or the successful engraftment of stem cells, works for bone marrow transplantation, this kind of cell therapy will be much more difficult in solid organs, at least according to results, presented at the June 2007 meeting of the ISSCR. Indeed, not only does heart tissue fail to promote integration of transplanted cardiomyocytes, it may even provide a hostile environment.

Link

Tags: CHD, ESC, Heart Damage

Powered by Qumana