(Press-News.org) Contact information: Ellen Slingsby
eslingsby@lifespan.org
401-444-6421
Lifespan
Cardiovascular Institute: Unfolded protein response contributes to sudden death in heart failure
Sudden death affects 50 percent of heart failure patients
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A researcher at the Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport hospitals has found a link to human heart failure that if blocked, may reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death. The paper, written by Samuel C. Dudley, M.D., Ph.D., chief of cardiology at the CVI, is published in the journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an unexpected death caused by loss of heart function, or sudden cardiac arrest. It is the most common cause of natural death in the U.S., resulting in approximately 325,000 adult deaths in the U.S. each year.
The study found that the unfolded protein response (UPR), a condition usually associated with viral infections, diabetes and obesity, is activated in human heart failure and can increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. The UPR Is a cell defense system designed to shut down protein synthesis and respond when the cell makes defective or foreign proteins. This prevents cell death as a result of accumulation of a large number of defective or unwanted proteins. Previously, it was unknown that the UPR is also active in heart failure and may explain the loss of many useful proteins in this condition.
"Half of all patients who suffer from abnormal heart beats will die from heart failure," said Dudley, the study's principal investigator. "While we still don't know exactly what causes this electrical instability in the heart, we do know that it leads to abnormal heart beats and can increase the risk of sudden cardiac death."
Dudley continued, "This is the first time that the unfolded protein response has been implicated in sudden cardiac death. Therefore, if we can find a way to block the unfolded protein response, we are one step closer to finding a treatment to significantly reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death."
Sudden cardiac arrest, which can lead to SCD, is often confused with heart attack. Heart attacks occur when there is a blockage in one or more of the arteries to the heart, preventing the heart from receiving blood. Whereas sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the electrical system to the heart malfunctions and the heart beat suddenly becomes very irregular, and very fast, preventing blood from flowing to the brain and elsewhere in the body. This often results in a loss of consciousness, and eventually death if not treated quickly.
###
The majority of those who suffer from sudden cardiac arrest die within minutes. According to the National Institutes of Health, the risk of sudden cardiac arrest increases with age and men are two to three times more likely than women to suffer such an arrest.
Funding sources included National Institutes of Health grants (P01 HL058000, R01 HL1024025,
R01 HL106592), Veterans Administration Merit Award, and R41 HL112355. Dudley's principal affiliation is the Cardiovascular Research Center, Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute. He also has an academic appointment at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Other Lifespan researchers involved in the study are Ge Gao, M.D., Ph.D.; An Xie, Ph.D., Euy-Myoung Jeong, Ph.D.; Lianzhi Gu, M.D., Ph.D.; Man Liu, Ph.D.; Kai-Chien Yang, M.D., Ph.D. Also involved are Jianhua Zhang, Ph.D.; Amanda M. Herman, MS; and Timothy J. Kamp, M.D., Ph.D., all from the division of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
About Rhode Island Hospital
Founded in 1863, Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I., is a private, not-for-profit hospital and is the principal teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A major trauma center for southeastern New England, the hospital is dedicated to being on the cutting edge of medicine and research. Last year, Rhode Island Hospital received more than $55 million in external research funding. It is also home to Hasbro Children's Hospital, the state's only facility dedicated to pediatric care. For more information on Rhode Island Hospital, visit http://www.rhodeislandhospital.org, follow us on Twitter @RIHospital or like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rhodeislandhospitalpage.
Cardiovascular Institute: Unfolded protein response contributes to sudden death in heart failure
Sudden death affects 50 percent of heart failure patients
2013-12-03
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Treatment plans for brain metastases more accurately determined with aid of molecular imaging trace
2013-12-03
Treatment plans for brain metastases more accurately determined with aid of molecular imaging trace
Reston, Va. (December 2, 2013) – Imaging with the molecular imaging tracer 18F-FDOPA can help distinguish radiation-induced lesions from new tumor growth in ...
Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type
2013-12-03
Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type
(Edmonton) Researchers from the University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services have created a computer algorithm that successfully predicts whether estrogen is sending signals to cancer cells to grow ...
Prescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodone
2013-12-03
Prescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodone
Researchers investigate factors that influence the choice of abused drugs, reports PAIN®
Philadelphia, December 2, 2013 – Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels in the ...
Rice U. study: It's not easy 'being green'
2013-12-03
Rice U. study: It's not easy 'being green'
HOUSTON – (Dec. 2, 2013) – Think you don't recycle enough? You're not alone. However, people's ability to overcome self-doubt plays a critical role in how successfully they act in support of environmental issues, according to a new study ...
Information technologies could remove the 'shroud of secrecy' draped across private health care cost
2013-12-03
Information technologies could remove the 'shroud of secrecy' draped across private health care cost
PRINCETON, NJ—The "shroud of secrecy" once draped across private health care service costs could be lifted ...
Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain
2013-12-03
Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain
Children who experience profound neglect have been found to be more prone to a behavior known as "indiscriminate friendliness," characterized by an inappropriate willingness ...
UCSB researcher shows microplastic transfers chemicals, impacting health
2013-12-03
UCSB researcher shows microplastic transfers chemicals, impacting health
Study demonstrates plastic ingestion delivers pollutants and additives into animal tissue
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — With global production of plastic exceeding 280 metric ...
Bronchial thermoplasty shows long-term effectiveness for asthma
2013-12-03
Bronchial thermoplasty shows long-term effectiveness for asthma
Data show improvements maintained for 5 years after procedure
DENVER – The beneficial effects of bronchial thermoplasty, a non-pharmacologic treatment for asthma, last at least five years, ...
Integrated pest managment techniques can help manage the Bagrada bug
2013-12-03
Integrated pest managment techniques can help manage the Bagrada bug
The Bagrada bug, an invasive stink bug, was discovered in the western hemisphere in 2008 near Los Angeles, CA, presumably introduced via container shipments arriving at the Port of ...
A new weapon in the war against superbugs
2013-12-03
A new weapon in the war against superbugs
Tel Aviv University researchers find a protein that viruses use to kill bacteria
In the arms race between bacteria and modern medicine, bacteria have gained an edge. In recent decades, bacterial resistance to ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
AI model can reveal the structures of crystalline materials
MD Anderson Research Highlights for September 19, 2024
The role of artificial intelligence in advancing intratumoral immunotherapy
Political ideology is associated with differences in brain structure, but less than previously thought
Genetic tracing at the Huanan Seafood market further supports COVID animal origins
Breastfeeding is crucial to shaping infant’s microbes and promoting lung health
Scientists at the CNIC discover an unexpected involvement of sodium transport in mitochondrial energy generation
Origami paper sensors could help early detection of infectious diseases in new simple, low-cost test
Safety of the seasonal influenza vaccine in 2 successive pregnancies
Preconception and early-pregnancy BMI in women and men, time to pregnancy, and risk of miscarriage
Samples from Huanan Seafood Market provide further evidence of COVID-19 animal origins
City of Hope vaccine experts report positive results on Phase 1 trial of personalized vaccine for lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma
Global assessment: How to make climate adaptation a success
The African Engineering and Technology Network signs eighth university partner
Researchers awarded $1.14M to use artificial intelligence to determine best rectal cancer treatment strategy
A new ventilator-on-a-chip model to study lung damage
Enrollment of undocumented students at California universities dropped from 2016 to 2023
Gaining insights into the chemical basis of aversive learning
Revolutionary visible-light-antenna ligand enhances samarium-catalyzed reactions
Stopping plants from passing viruses to their progeny
NIH awards $2.8M to Rice, Baylor College of Medicine for research on acute respiratory distress syndrome
The University of Limpopo chooses Figshare to support its research excellence strategy
A new forecasting model based on gene activity predicts when Japan’s cherry buds awake from dormancy
New organic thermoelectric device that can harvest energy at room temperature
Activity in brain system that controls eye movements highlights importance of spatial thinking
New research reenvisions Earth’s mantle as a relatively uniform reservoir
Global warming leads to drier and hotter Amazon: reducing uncertainty in future rainforest carbon loss
Low-carbon ammonia offers green alternative for agriculture and hydrogen transport
New mechanism uncovered for the reduction of emu wings
Zeroing in on the genes that snakes use to produce venom
[Press-News.org] Cardiovascular Institute: Unfolded protein response contributes to sudden death in heart failureSudden death affects 50 percent of heart failure patients