Stem cell trial suggests damaged heart tissue could be regenerated

People suffering from heart disease have been offered hope by a new study that suggests damaged tissue could be regenerated through a stem cell treatment injected into the heart during surgery.

The small-scale study, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research, followed 11 patients who during bypass surgery had stem cells injected into their hearts near the site of tissue scars caused by heart attacks.

One of the trial’s most dramatic results was a 40% reduction in the size of scarred tissue. Such scarring occurs during a cardiac event such as a heart attack, and can increase the chances of further heart failure. The scarring was previously thought to be permanent and irreversible.

At the time of treatment, the patients were suffering heart failure and had a very high (70%) annual mortality rate. But 36 months after receiving the stem cell treatment all are still alive, and none have suffered a further cardiac event such as a heart attack or stroke, or had any readmissions for cardiac-related reasons.

According to the British Heart Foundation, while there are several treatments to help people with heart failure, there is no known cure, and in some cases a heart transplant may be the only option.

Twenty-four months after participants were injected with the stem cell treatment there was a 30% improvement in heart function, 40% reduction in scar size, and 70% improvement in quality of life, as judged by the Minnesota living with heart failure (MLHF) score.

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“Quite frankly it was a big surprise to find the area of scar in the damaged heart got smaller,” said Prof Stephen Westaby from John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, who undertook the research at AHEPA university hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, with Kryiakos Anastasiadis and Polychronis Antonitsis.

Westaby began theorising about the impact of stem cells on regenerating heart tissue and reducing scarring after observing how scar tissue on the hearts of babies who have had heart attacks and undergone heart failure disappeared by the time they reached adolescence, suggesting that residual stem cells might be able to repair the damaged tissue.

“It’s an early study and it’s difficult to make large-scale predictions based on small studies,” said Ajan Reginald, the founder of Celixir, the company that produces the treatment. “But even in a small study you don’t expect to see results this dramatic.

“These are 11 patients who were in advanced heart failure, they had had a heart attack in the past, multiple heart attacks in many cases. The life expectancy for these patients is less than two years, we’re excited and honoured that these patients are still alive.”

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Jeremy Pearson, the associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “This very small study suggests that targeted injection into the heart of carefully prepared cells from a healthy donor during bypass surgery, is safe. It is difficult to be sure that the cells had a beneficial effect because all patients were undergoing bypass surgery at the same time, which would usually improve heart function.

“A controlled trial with substantially more patients is needed to determine whether injection of these types of cells proves any more effective than previous attempts to improve heart function in this way, which have so far largely failed.”

Westaby conceded that the improvement in patients’ health was partly due to the heart bypass surgery those in the study were undergoing, and said the next study would include a control group who undergo bypass but do not receive stem cell treatment, to measure exactly what impact the treatment has.

“These patients came out of heart failure partly due to the bypass grafts of course, but we think it was partly due to the fact that they had a smaller area of scar [as a result of the stem cell treatment]. Certainly this finding of scar being reduced is quite fascinating,” he said.

Westaby will commence a large-scale controlled study later this year at the Royal Brompton hospital in London, and Celixir hopes to make the Heartcel treatment available to patients in 2018 or 2019.

Stem cell trial suggests damaged heart tissue could be regenerated

Children can be "damaged" by spending evening with father, kid specialist claims

She also mentioned when attorneys bid for their client to have overnight accessibility with their younger young children they are ignoring proof about the distressing and damaging affect on the youngster.

Leach said the rights of the kid have to usually outweigh those of the mother and father and extra: “It can be damaging to the youngster to divide time equally between the mothers and fathers.”

Ian Maxwell, from Households Want Fathers, informed the Independent on Sunday that society had moved on from traditional attachment concept when bonds amongst mother and little one have been observed as the strongest.

He additional: “The bond between fathers and youngsters is just as essential and we would query the evidence Ms Leach is citing for the primacy of the maternal bond.”

He stated her argument did not accord with typical sense was described her claims as “worrying.”

Leach has previously drawn criticism for her prior bestselling guide, Your Little one &amp Little one: From Birth to Age 5, published. In this she claimed only mothers could care properly for their kids.

She has also attracted controversy after she claimed scientific evidence showed that leaving a child to cry could impact the improvement of its brain and make it prone to anxiousness in later lifestyle.

It comes as a consider tank recommended that working fathers should be offered the opportunity to perform a bigger function in early parenting, by way of an entitlement to four weeks of paid depart following the birth of their child.

The IPPR argues that this doubling of the present paternity leave entitlement of just 2 weeks ought to be mixed with a doubling of the degree of shell out and paid at least the nationwide minimal wage.

They claim that a lot more than 400,000 functioning dads a year would benefit.

Only fifty five per cent of fathers get the complete 2 weeks off operate when their little one is born and a single third of eligible fathers do not get any of their statutory depart at all. Most state this is since they cannot afford to consider the entitlement.

The proposed 4 weeks of paternity depart would be a period of leave specifically for fathers that are not able to be taken by mothers. The IPPR also argues that operating dads need to also be ready to get twice as significantly paid time off to go with their parenters to hospital scans and midwife appointments.

Kayte Lawton, IPPR Senior Study Fellow, said: “New parents need to have time away from work to care for their younger children, and to strengthen their relationship with every single other at what can be a hugely satisfying but also extremely nerve-racking time. Nonetheless, this is usually difficult for fathers because they have restricted entitlements to paid depart, and so they typically assume the function of breadwinner while their companion is on maternity leave.

“Fathers who consider a lot more than a number of days off all around the birth of their child are much more most likely to be actively involved in raising their little one than those who do not. Fathers’ better involvement in family members existence can make it simpler for mothers to return to work after taking maternity depart, which assists to increase the family’s earnings and lessen the affect of motherhood on women’s careers.”

Children can be "damaged" by spending evening with father, kid specialist claims

Young children can be "damaged" by becoming shared between parents, youngster expert claims

Fathers’ rights groups have branded the feedback manufactured by Penelope Leach, one particular of Britain’s major parenting authorities, “worrying” and towards widespread sense.

Ms Leach, a former president of the National Childminding Association who has written a amount of books about caring for youngsters, claims making it possible for underneath fives to remain with their fathers produces “unhealthy attachment troubles.”

She also claims in her most recent guide, Loved ones Breakdown, that there was “undisputed evidence” that a time period of separation from their mother can adversely influence a child’s brain improvement.

She argues that “When individuals say that it is ‘only fair’ for a father and mom to share their 5-yr-outdated daughter on alternate weeks, they imply it is honest to the adults – who see her as a possession and her presence as their right – not that it is fair to the youngster.”

She also mentioned when attorneys bid for their consumer to have overnight accessibility with their youthful youngsters they are ignoring proof about the distressing and damaging affect on the kid.

Leach said the rights of the child must constantly outweigh those of the mother and father and extra: “It can be damaging to the child to divide time equally amongst the mother and father.”

Ian Maxwell, from Households Want Fathers, told the Independent on Sunday that society had moved on from traditional attachment theory when bonds amongst mother and little one had been observed as the strongest.

He added: “The bond between fathers and youngsters is just as essential and we would query the evidence Ms Leach is citing for the primacy of the maternal bond.”

He explained her argument did not accord with widespread sense was described her claims as “worrying.”

Leach has previously drawn criticism for her earlier bestselling guide, Your Little one &amp Little one: From Birth to Age 5, published. In this she claimed only mothers could care correctly for their children.

She has also attracted controversy soon after she claimed scientific evidence showed that leaving a infant to cry could have an effect on the improvement of its brain and make it susceptible to nervousness in later life.

Young children can be "damaged" by becoming shared between parents, youngster expert claims

Tomato extract relieves damaged arteries, finds Cambridge review

Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, is found in tomatoes. Photograph: Getty

A substance located in tomatoes relieves impairment of blood vessels, which might explain why individuals who eat a Mediterranean diet plan have a notably decreased incidence of cardiovascular illness, in accordance to a review.

A supplement of lycopene, a potent antioxidant which is 10 times much more potent than vitamin E, enhanced and normalised perform of the endothelium (the inner lining of blood vessels) in volunteers with cardiovascular illness, researchers from the University of Cambridge identified.

Dr Joseph Cheriyan, advisor clinical pharmacologist at Addenbrooke’s hospital and associate lecturer at the University of Cambridge, mentioned: “There is a wealth of research that suggests the Mediterranean diet regime – which consists of lycopene discovered in tomatoes and other fruit as a element – is great for our cardiovascular health. But so far, it is been a mystery what the underlying mechanisms could be.”

For the examine, funded and sponsored by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS foundation believe in, and published in the on-line scientific journal Plos A single on Monday, researchers gave 36 cardiovascular disease sufferers, who were all on statins but had impaired perform of the endothelium, and 36 wholesome volunteers either Ateronon (an off-the-shelf supplement containing 7mg of lycopene) or a placebo therapy. Endothelial perform predicts long term events, so possessing a wholesome endothelium is an essential element in stopping the evolution of heart ailment.

It was performed as a double blind trial, which meant that neither review participants nor the researchers knew which treatment was being supplied.

They found that the lycopene supplement worked in the individuals, bettering the widening of the blood vessels by 53% after placebo correction, but not in the wholesome volunteers. Constriction of the blood vessels is one of the crucial elements that can lead to heart attack and stroke. The supplement had no impact on blood stress, arterial stiffness or levels of lipids.

Lycopene is found in tomatoes and its potency appears to be enhanced when it is consumed pureed, in ketchup or in the presence of olive oil. It is also located in other fruit and vegetables, this kind of as grapefruit, watermelon, asparagus and carrots.

Cheriyan explained the final results reinforced the need to have for a healthier diet regime in men and women at risk from heart disease and stroke. “We’ve proven very clearly that lycopene improves the function of blood vessels in cardiovascular condition individuals,” he explained.

“A everyday ‘tomato pill’ is not a substitute for other treatments, but could offer additional positive aspects when taken alongside other medication.” He said a lot larger trials were necessary to create whether or not lycopene did minimize heart illness.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate healthcare director at the British Heart Basis, says: “Impaired endothelial perform is a known predictor of enhanced risk of future heart disease. Additional work is essential to realize whether or not the helpful results witnessed in this little examine translate into clinical advantage for at-chance patients.”

Tomato extract relieves damaged arteries, finds Cambridge review