SKIN CELLS CAN BE ENGINEERED IN TO PULMONARY VALVES FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS

-

Researchers have found a way to take a pediatric patient's skin cells, reprogram the skin cells to function as heart valvular cells, and then use the cells as part of a tissue-engineered pulmonary valve. A proof of concept study published in the September 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery provides more detail on this scientific development

"Current valve replacements cannot grow with patients as they age, but the use of a patient-specific pulmonary valve would introduce a 'living' valvular construct that should grow with the patient. Our study is particularly important for pediatric patients who often require repeated operations for pulmonary valve replacements," said lead author David L. Simpson, PhD, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Dr. Simpson, senior co-author Sunjay Kaushal, MD, PhD, and colleagues designed a process to transform skin cells from a simple biopsy into cells that become an important ingredient in a tissue-engineered pulmonary valve.
The pulmonary valve is a crescent-shaped valve that lies between the heart's right ventricle and pulmonary artery. It is responsible for moving blood from the heart into the lungs.
While the study was conducted in vitro (outside of the body), the next step will be implanting the new valves into patients to test their durability and longevity.
"We created a pulmonary valve that is unique to the individual patient and contains living cells from that patient. That valve is less likely to be destroyed by the patient's immune system, thus improving the outcome and hopefully increasing the quality of life for our patient," said Dr. Kaushal. "In the future, it may be possible to generate this pulmonary valve by using a blood sample instead of a skin biopsy."
Dr. Simpson added that he hopes the study will encourage additional research in tissue engineering and entice more people to enter the field, "Hopefully, growing interest and research in this field will translate more quickly into clinical application."
It is estimated that nearly 800 patients per year could potentially benefit from bioengineered patient-specific pulmonary valves, according to data from the STS Congenital Heart Surgery Database. The Database, which collects information from more than 95% of hospitals in the US and Canada that perform pediatric and congenital heart surgery, shows that approximately 3,200 patients underwent pulmonary valve replacement during a 4-year period from January 2010 to December 2013.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EASY PRESCRIBER 2ND EDITION

-
Image
EASY PRESCRIBER 2 ND EDITION OF THE BEST-SELLER Author: Dr. K S Gopi, BSc, BHMS, MD. Former Professor Govt. Homoeopathic Medical College Kozhikode, Kerala. India. SALIENT FEATURES ·        More additions, including Covid-19, and more psychiatric diseases ·        A practical guide for practitioners and medical students. ·        Includes almost all disease conditions and their Homeopathic Management ·        Special arrangement of medicines will help easy selection of remedy and potency. ·        Dose and repetition of dose is clearly mentioned in each disease ·        Crown ¼ size, 980 pages, doble colour printing and hard bound, PRICE: Rs .2250 (India), $ 100 FOR COPIES CONTACT - email-plantmedicines@yahoo.com, WhatsApp-+919207011814, Amazon.in, Homeomart.com  
Read more

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR DE QUERVAIN'S TENOSYNOVITIS

-
Image
De Quervain's tenosynovitis  is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt when you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist. Although the exact cause of de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement — such as working in the garden, playing golf or racket sports, or lifting your baby — can make it worse. Causes- Chronic overuse of your wrist is commonly associated with de Quervain's tenosynovitis. Tendons are rope-like structures that attach muscle to bone. When you grip, grasp, clench, pinch or wring anything in your hand, two tendons in your wrist and lower thumb normally glide smoothly through the small tunnel that connects them to the base of the thumb. Repeating a particular motion day after day may irritate the sheath around the two tendons, causing thickening and swelling that restricts their m...
Read more

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR IMPETIGO

-
Image
Impetigo  is a common and highly contagious skin infection that mainly affects infants and children. Impetigo usually appears as red sores on the face, especially around a child's nose and mouth, and on hands and feet. The sores burst and develop honey-colored crusts. Causes - Impetigo is most often caused by staphylococcus aureus. Non –bullous impetigo can also be caused by group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus, Streptococcus pyogenes. The  bacteria that cause impetigo when you come into contact with the sores of someone who's infected or with items they've touched — such as clothing, bed linen, towels and even toys. Symptoms - Classic signs and symptoms of impetigo involve red sores that quickly rupture, ooze for a few days and then form a yellowish-brown crust. The sores usually occur around the nose and mouth but can be spread to other areas of the body by fingers, clothing and towels. Itching and soreness are generally mild. A less common form of the disorder...
Read more