PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Blood growth factor boosts effect of exercise in peripheral artery disease

2013-11-18
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Jennifer Johnson
jrjohn9@emory.edu
404-727-5696
Emory Health Sciences
Blood growth factor boosts effect of exercise in peripheral artery disease A blood cell growth factor can boost the effects of exercise in improving mobility for patients with peripheral artery disease, a clinical study has shown.

The results are scheduled for presentation Nov. 18, 2013 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting in Dallas (Session CS-01, Ballroom A1, 10:47 am – 10:57 am).

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine were testing whether GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor), already used to restore white blood cell numbers during cancer treatment, could help heal blood vessels damaged by atherosclerosis.

In peripheral artery disease, patients' legs have trouble getting enough blood during exercise, leading to impaired mobility and pain after exertion. The primary outcome measured in the study was how long participants could walk on a treadmill two months after a four-week course of either GM-CSF injections or placebo.

"We saw a modest increase in treadmill walking time for patients treated with GM-CSF, compared to placebo," says study leader Arshed Quyyumi, MD, professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and co-director of the Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute.

"However, we also saw something encouraging. The patients who strongly responded to GM-CSF, measured by the levels of progenitor cells in their blood, also saw more benefit in terms of maximum walking time. Changes in the dose and duration of GM-CSF treatment could possibly enhance therapeutic benefit, and this needs more investigation."

At the start of the study, both groups could walk on a treadmill for a maximum of about five minutes. On average, study participants who received GM-CSF had their maximum walking time increase almost a minute (53 seconds) more than the placebo group, although the difference was not statistically significant.

Both groups of patients were encouraged to walk several times per day, and both GM-CSF and placebo groups saw increases in their ability to walk (30 percent increase for GM-CSF compared to 21 percent increase for placebo). A total of 159 patients participated in the phase II study, all at Emory-affiliated medical centers from 2010 to 2012.

GM-CSF is thought to act by moving progenitor cells out of the bone marrow so that they can replenish the linings of blood vessels. In the Emory study, there was some variability in how much individual patients responded to GM-CSF.

Some patients who received GM-CSF experienced above-average increases in the levels of progenitor cells, defined as carrying the marker CD34. They also experienced greater increases in their ability to walk, with treadmill times in this group increasing more than two minutes on average.

Overall, the PAD patients' responses to GM-CSF were less than what has been observed in healthy individuals. This may be because of poor health and especially atherosclerosis have affected the health of the bone marrow, although people with recent heart attacks or other severe disease were excluded from the study, Quyyumi says. Participants had an average age of 64 and 37 percent of them were diabetic. However, age and diabetes did not predict patients' ability to respond to GM-CSF.

### The study was funded by a "Grand Opportunities" grant, part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (5RC2HL101515). The first author of the abstract being presented is cardiovascular research fellow Joseph Poole, MD.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Greater density of coronary artery calcium associated with lower risk of CHD, CVD

2013-11-18
Greater density of coronary artery calcium associated with lower risk of CHD, CVD Chicago – Michael H. Criqui, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues determined the independent associations of coronary artery calcium (CAC) volume and ...

Type of cell therapy does not improve walking ability for patients with peripheral artery disease

2013-11-18
Type of cell therapy does not improve walking ability for patients with peripheral artery disease Chicago – Joseph Poole, M.D., Ph.D., of the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, and colleagues studied whether therapy with granulocyte-macrophage ...

Therapy using stem cells, bone marrow cells, appears safe for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy

2013-11-18
Therapy using stem cells, bone marrow cells, appears safe for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy Chicago – Alan W. Heldman, M.D., of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a study to examine the safety of transendocardial ...

Addition of certain drugs to diuretic therapy does not improve kidney function

2013-11-18
Addition of certain drugs to diuretic therapy does not improve kidney function Chicago – Horng H. Chen, M.B.B.Ch., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and colleagues conducted a randomized trial to determine whether, as compared with placebo, the addition of ...

More than skin deep: New layer to the body's fight against infection

2013-11-18
More than skin deep: New layer to the body's fight against infection The layers of skin that form the first line of defence in the body's fight against infection have revealed a unanticipated secret. The single cell type that was thought to be behind ...

Bacteria use lethal cytotoxins to evade antibiotic treatment

2013-11-18
Bacteria use lethal cytotoxins to evade antibiotic treatment In spite of the fact that the first antibiotics were discovered almost a century ago, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, encephalitis and meningitis are still serious diseases for humans in the ...

Manipulation of protein could help stop spread of cancer cells

2013-11-18
Manipulation of protein could help stop spread of cancer cells DNA regulator stops cancer cells in their tracks Understanding how and why cancer cells move away from their original location is important to find ways to stop the spread of the disease. ...

Vismodegib in basal cell carcinoma: Added benefit not proven

2013-11-18
Vismodegib in basal cell carcinoma: Added benefit not proven Hardly any patient-relevant outcomes were investigated/ studies without control groups The drug vismodegib (trade name: Erivedge) is approved for the treatment of patients ...

Amber provides new insights into the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere

2013-11-18
Amber provides new insights into the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere Scientists encounter big challenges when reconstructing atmospheric compositions in the Earth's geological past because of the lack of useable sample material. One of the few ...

Would an 'anti-ketamine' also treat depression?

2013-11-18
Would an 'anti-ketamine' also treat depression? Yes, says a new study in Biological Psychiatry Philadelphia, PA, November 18, 2013 – Thirteen years ago, an article in this journal first reported that the anesthetic medication, ketamine, showed evidence of producing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

ACP’s Best Practice Advice addresses use of cannabis, cannabinoids for chronic noncancer pain

Beyond photorespiration: A systematic approach to unlocking enhanced plant productivity

How a small number of mutations can fuel outbreaks of western equine encephalitis virus

Exposure to wildfire smoke linked with worsening mental health conditions

Research uncovers hidden spread of one of the most common hospital-associated infections

Many older adults send their doctors portal messages, but who pays?

Fine particulate matter from 2020 California wildfires and mental health–related emergency department visits

Gender inequity in institutional leadership roles in US academic medical centers

Pancreatic cells ‘remember’ epigenetic precancerous marks without genetic sequence mutations

Rare combination of ovarian tumors found in one patient

AI-driven clinical recommendations may aid physician decision making to improve quality of care

Artificial intelligence has potential to aid physician decisions during virtual urgent care

ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine present breaking scientific news at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2025

New study reveals polymers with flawed fillers boost heat transfer in plastics

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

[Press-News.org] Blood growth factor boosts effect of exercise in peripheral artery disease