�The developing and touch on of heart tissue and blood vessels is intimately tied to a tiny piece of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that is launch nowhere else in the body, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
Because of its specificity to the cardiovascular system, this "microRNA" is an attractive potentiality target for therapeutic treatment, the researchers said.
"Manipulating this microRNA provides a totally new way of addressing cardiovascular disorders," said Dr. Eric Olson, chairman of molecular biology and senior author of a work appearing in today's issue of
MicroRNAs are midget snippets of genetic material, naturally produced by the body, that help tweak the production of proteins by DNA. More than 500 have already been identified.
In the current work, the researchers focused on a specific microRNA called miR-126, which was already known to be associated with blood vessels. They found that miR-126 is found exclusively in a class of cells called endothelial cells, which line the inside surfaces of blood vessels.
Endothelial cells control the development of new blood vessels in developing embryos; the repair of injured origin vessels; and the creation of blood vessels to support development tumors.
The researchers genetically engineered mice to lack miR-126, and found that about 40 percent of them died before or just after parentage. These mice showed cardiovascular abnormalities such as fragile, leaking lineage vessels.
The surviving mice, however, appeared normal and lived to adulthood. The researchers complete that miR-126 is important in creating new vessels, but one time the cardiovascular system is established, it is not needed to maintain the system.
However, the surviving mice were less able to recover from a simulated heart attack. Almost all mice wanting miR-126 died within threesome weeks, while 70 percentage of normal mice survived for at least three weeks.
The researchers also tried and true the role of miR-126 in the branching of blood vessels using cut sections of mouse aortas in acculturation. When civilized with outgrowth factors that stimulate ramous, aortal sections from normal mice displayed branching of their endothelial cells.
Aortal sections from mice lacking miR-126, however, showed much less branching.
"MicroRNA research represents a new frontier in sympathy and treating human disease. This is just a hint of what can come," aforementioned Dr. Olson, director of the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Basic Research in Cancer and the Nearburg Family Center for Basic Research in Pediatric Oncology.
The researchers have filed various patents related to miR-126, and design to licence it for development as a curative agent through Miragen Therapeutics, a Boulder-based company co-founded by Dr. Olson, which UT Southwestern owns fairness in.
Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study were lead writer Dr. Shusheng Wang, post doc researcher in molecular biology; Dr. Arin Aurora, post doc researcher in molecular biology; graduate educatee Brett Johnson; Xiaoxia Qi, research scientist in molecular biology; John McAnally, research associate in molecular biology; Dr. Joseph Hill, prof of interior medicine; Dr. James Richardson, professor of pathology; and Dr. Rhonda Bassel-Duby, prof of molecular biology.
The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Donald W. Reynolds Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center, the Sandler Foundation for Asthma Research, the Welch Foundation and the American Heart Association.
Visit hypertext transfer protocol://www.utsouthwestern.org/heartlungvascular to learn more about warmheartedness, lung and vascular clinical services at UT Southwestern.
Dr. Eric Olson -- witness here.
UT Southwestern Medical Center
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Sunday, 17 August 2008
First FLEXUS(TM) Interspinous Spacer Surgeries For IDE Clinical Trial
�Globus Medical, Inc., the largest
privately held spinal anesthesia implant manufacturer in the world, proclaimed
that the first FLEXUS(TM) Interspinous Spacers have been implanted under an
Investigational Device Exemption ("IDE") recently granted to Globus by Dr.
Donald Johnson II and Dr. Rhett Murray.
The FLEXUS(TM) Spacer is placed with a unilateral approach betwixt two
spinous processes with minimal disruption to the surrounding muscle system
and tissue. FLEXUS(TM) is a unitary radiolucent implant that requires no
intra-operative assembly and a single incision to insert. It is
manufactured from PEEK radiolucent polymer rather than titanium to more
intimately match the biomechanical properties of
privately held spinal anesthesia implant manufacturer in the world, proclaimed
that the first FLEXUS(TM) Interspinous Spacers have been implanted under an
Investigational Device Exemption ("IDE") recently granted to Globus by Dr.
Donald Johnson II and Dr. Rhett Murray.
The FLEXUS(TM) Spacer is placed with a unilateral approach betwixt two
spinous processes with minimal disruption to the surrounding muscle system
and tissue. FLEXUS(TM) is a unitary radiolucent implant that requires no
intra-operative assembly and a single incision to insert. It is
manufactured from PEEK radiolucent polymer rather than titanium to more
intimately match the biomechanical properties of
Friday, 8 August 2008
Thierry Henry Faces �10million Divorce Battle
Thierry Henry's bitter ex-wife is reportedly demanding a �10million ($20m) divorce settlement.
The pair -- who have a two-year-old horse daughter, Tea, together -- split terminal year after 4-years of marriage and the 27-year-old model was granted a quickie divorce in September when she cited her soccer principal husband�s "undue behavior".
Claire is demanding the settlement based on French international Henry's earnings.
She has hired Sir Paul McCartney's former divorce Lawyer Fiona Shackleton, and is besides said to be demanding a cut of their �5.9million ($11.8m) marital base in Hampstead, north London -- which he bought before they wed in July 2003.
Thierry, meanwhile, has hired top London law firm Mishcon de Reya, wHO acted for Princess Diana in her divorce from Prince Charles.
Thiery, 30, argues that he was a success before he met his wife and that she wasn't involved in his professional decisions.
A legal source aforementioned, "Thierry has made an offer to Claire, which she has turned gloomy flat. His legal team have really come on strong � warning her to form up for a mussy and bloody battle.
"But it's ridiculous. They're making stunned Thierry is practically living on the breadline.
"They've even said her lifestyle with him would have suffered after he gave up football, which is highly unlikely.
"It's a case of what's mine is mine.
"This is the mother of his child, after all."
Claire and Thierry met piece he was filming the Va Va Voom Renault ads in 2001.
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