NIH grant supports research to discover better treatments for heart failure

Inna Gladysheva, PhD, received a $1.9 million grant to study the molecular mechanisms of coagulation factor XII as contributor to heart failure with reduced ejection.

2024-09-27

(Press-News.org) A University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix researcher was recently awarded a $1.9 million National Institutes of Health grant to study the molecular mechanisms of how dilated cardiomyopathy progresses to heart failure, which could eventually lead to better preventive and treatment options for heart failure.

Heart failure is inextricably linked with dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, a disease characterized by the progressive enlargement of the heart and reduced contractility reflected by reduced ejection fraction. Symptomatic heart failure with reduced ejection is an irreversible condition with an approximately 50% death rate within five years of diagnosis and cardiac transplantation as the only cure.

Inna Gladysheva, PhD, a research professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, will use the grant to advance her research into the impact of proteolytic enzymes’ networks in the progression of DCM to overt heart failure and examine how the protease-driven impairment of neurohumoral biological pathways impacts this progression.

The project aims to elucidate the regulatory role of the upstream proteolytic network in renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system overactivation and the pathophysiology of heart failure, ultimately leading to better treatment options than solely full heart transplantation.

“Our exciting discovery suggests and offers a new paradigm in heart failure management. The long-term project goal is to translate knowledge into novel therapeutic strategies needed to prevent or treat the progression of heart failure, improving its outcomes and the duration of patients’ lives,” Gladysheva said.

A major sign in DCM progressing to symptomatic heart failure is edema, where fluid builds up in the lungs or systemically. People with edema may experience breathlessness, disability and, sometimes, death.

“We also investigate the impacts of pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches such as lifestyle choices on cardiac function and edema with presided consideration of sex and age-related differences,” Gladysheva said. “Our translational studies contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms forcing the progression of cardiac dysfunction and edema development. Importantly, they also suggest that lifestyle choices can play a significant role in preventing heart failure development in patients with DCM or at risk of DCM.”

According to the Heart Failure Society of America, 6.7 million Americans over the age of 20 have heart failure, and the prevalence is expected to rise to 8.5 million Americans by 2030. With statistics estimating that 1 in 4 people will develop heart failure in their lifetime, more effective therapeutics are crucial to stemming the disease’s effects.

“I am deeply thankful to my incredible colleagues and collaborators – Guy Reed, MD, MS, Ryan Sullivan, DVM, LATG, Sofiyan Saleem, PhD, and others – whose unique, complementary expertise helped sharpen an idea to hypothesis-based evidence supporting this award.”

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Clinical cancer research in the US is increasingly dominated by pharmaceutical industry sponsors, study finds

2024-09-27

Clinical cancer research in the U.S. is increasingly dominated by pharmaceutical industry sponsors, study finds Study underscores need for increased investment in federally funded cancer clinical trials SEATTLE – September 27, 2024 – Researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center identified a substantial increase over the past decade in the proportion of patients with cancer in the U.S. who participate in pharmaceutical industry sponsored clinical trials compared to those conducted with federal government support. Published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology and presented at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium, these findings reveal trends of underinvestment in federally ...

Discovery of 3,775-year-old preserved log supports ‘wood vaulting’ as a climate solution

2024-09-27

A new study published in the journal Science suggests that an ordinary old log could help refine strategies to tackle climate change. A team of researchers led by University of Maryland Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Professor Ning Zeng analyzed a 3,775-year-old log and the soil it was excavated from. Their analysis, published on September 27, 2024, revealed that the log had lost less than 5% carbon dioxide from its original state thanks to the low-permeability clay soil that covered it. “The wood is nice and solid—you could probably make a piece of furniture out of it,” Zeng noted. Understanding the ...

Preterm births are on the rise, with ongoing racial and economic gaps

2024-09-27

Preterm births have increased by more than 10 percent over the past decade, with racial and socioeconomic disparities persisting over time, according to a new study analyzing more than five million births. The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, also found that some factors that increase the risk for preterm birth—such as diabetes, sexually transmitted infections, and mental health conditions—became much more common over the past decade, while other factors that protect against preterm birth declined. “Our findings not only show that preterm births are on the rise, but provide clues as ...

Menopausal hormone therapy use among postmenopausal women

2024-09-27

About The Study: The results of this cross-sectional study show that over the past 2 decades, menopausal hormone therapy use declined among U.S. postmenopausal women of all age and racial and ethnic groups. Women of racial and ethnic minority groups had lower prevalence of menopausal hormone therapy use compared to non-Hispanic white women. Corresponding Authors: To contact the corresponding authors, email Lin Yang, PhD, (lin.yang@ahs.ca) and Adetunji T. Toriola, MD, PhD, MPH, (a.toriola@wustl.edu). To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.3128) Editor’s ...

Breaking the chain of intergenerational violence

2024-09-27

New research shows the connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as physical or emotional abuse, and an increased risk of people growing up to be abusive against older generations. While generational trauma is known to be passed down from parent to child, the study showed that it can also reverberate upwards from parent to older generations. A survey of over 13,000 people in Japan found that about half had one or more ACEs. Of these, 8.5% self-reported committing some form of physical or verbal abuse against people aged over 65. An important contributing factor was the person’s mental and physical health, both of which are known to be affected by ...

Unraveling the role of macrophages in regulating inflammatory lipids during acute kidney injury

2024-09-27

Tsukuba, Japan—Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a poor prognosis, and no effective treatment has been established to date. Understanding the mechanisms that prevent the progression of AKI is crucial. In AKI, immune cells known as macrophages produce lipid mediators (LMs), which are lipids with significant physiological activity and play a pivotal role in promoting and suppressing inflammation. Thus, elucidating their function is of paramount importance. In this study, researchers focused ...

Deep underground flooding beneath arima hot springs: A potential trigger for the 1995 Kobe (Hyogo-Ken Nanbu) earthquake

2024-09-27

Tsukuba, Japan—Hot springs frequently contain water that originates from rocks within the Earth's crust. This can be confirmed through isotopic analysis. Arima Hot Springs, located in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, exhibit unique characteristics, including salinity that is more than twice that of seawater, indicating that their water likely originates from the Philippine Sea Plate. However, a direct evidence supporting this connection is lacking. In this study, researchers confirmed that the isotopic ratios of plate-derived water beneath Arima Hot Springs, as predicted by a numerical model, agreed with those of nonmeteoric water components found ...

Sharing biosignals with online gaming partners to enhance a mutual sense of social presence between complete strangers

2024-09-27

Tsukuba, Japan—Online communication tools are intended to bring people closer together. However, they often fail to sufficiently meet the human need for fulfilling social interactions. What is missing is a sense of social presence, that is, a "sense of being present with another person." This sense of social presence can be felt during mediated interactions, such as when using web conferencing tools or playing video games. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have identified a method for augmenting the sense of social presence in online interactions through the sharing of biosignals. Biosignals such as heart rate can ...

ABM releases position statement on breastfeeding in emergency situations

2024-09-27

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has released a pioneering position statement that provides comprehensive, global recommendations on protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding in emergency situations. The recommendations are the first of their kind specifically tailored for physicians to support breastfed and non-breastfed infants in emergencies and to serve as an invaluable resource for all emergency relief personnel involved in supporting families with infants during disasters. Click here to read the full position statement, published with Breastfeeding Medicine. “Breastfeeding ...

Elucidating the mechanism underlying de novo membrane formation during gametogenesis

2024-09-27

Tsukuba, Japan—Sexual reproduction, a common mode of reproduction among numerous species, involves gametogenesis in which offspring are produced through fertilization, conjugation, or mating. In plants and animals, eggs and sperm differentiate from germ cells to form gametes. However, in budding yeast, spores are produced within diploid cells. During this process, de novo membrane structures form within the cytosol, encapsulating the meiotic haploid nuclei to produce spores. Despite this knowledge, the precise mechanism underlying the formation of these nascent membrane structures remains poorly understood. To ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

McMaster researchers discover what hinders DNA repair in patients with Huntington’s Disease

Estrogens play a hidden role in cancers, inhibiting a key immune cell

A new birthplace for asteroid Ryugu

How are pronouns processed in the memory-region of our brain?

Researchers synthesize high-energy-density cubic gauche nitrogen at atmospheric pressure

Ancient sunken seafloor reveals earth’s deep secrets

Automatic speech recognition learned to understand people with Parkinson’s disease — by listening to them

Addressing global water security challenges: New study reveals investment opportunities and readiness levels

Commonly used drug could transform treatment of rare muscle disorder

Michael Frumovitz, M.D., posthumously honored with Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence