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

Tiny magnetic particles may help assess heart treatments

2012-07-11
(Press-News.org) Tiny magnetic particles may help doctors track cells in the body to better determine if treatments work, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, an American Heart Association journal.

Researchers showed that injecting immune cells containing magnetic particles into the bloodstream was safe and did not interfere with cell function. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can then track the cells moving through the body.

"This could change how we assess new treatments affecting inflammation and the outcome of a heart attack or heart failure," said Jennifer Richards, M.D., lead author and vascular surgeon at the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Cardiovascular Science in Scotland.

With stem cell therapy, doctors can adapt blood cells to fight disease. But when developing these therapies, it's hard to tell exactly where cells go and how many go where they are supposed to. Safely tracking them would help scientists better understand how new therapies combat heart disease.

Other tracing methods expose patients to excess radiation or only allow cells to be tracked for a few hours. But MRI scans use no radiation, and cells containing the particles can be monitored for at least a week.

Using test tubes, Richards' team first determined that magnetically labeled blood cells move and thrive like normal ones.

Then, they did four small-scale tests in humans: Six people were successfully given three thigh muscle injections of unlabeled cells, magnetically labeled cells, and an injection of just the magnetic material. The labeled cells were traceable up to seven days later. Two people were given six increasingly larger doses of magnetically labeled blood cells through a vein, and they had no negative effects. 12 people got intravenous injections of the labeled blood cells – six getting a high dose and six a low dose – which were traceable by MRI a week later. To test how well the cells travel to inflammation sites, one person was injected with the labeled blood cells, which were successfully followed by an MRI as the cells moved to an inflamed area of skin on the thigh. "This demonstrates that this method may be useful to facilitate the development of cell-based therapies in the future," Richards said.

Richards said more human tests are needed before researchers can regularly use magnetically labeled cells.

INFORMATION:

Co-authors and disclosures are on the manuscript.

Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study examines risk of poor birth outcomes following H1N1 vaccination

2012-07-11
CHICAGO – In studies examining the risk of adverse outcomes after receipt of the influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, infants exposed to the vaccine in utero did not have a significantly increased risk of major birth defects, preterm birth, or fetal growth restriction; while in another, study researchers found a small increased risk in adults of the nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, during the 4 to 8 weeks after vaccination, according to 2 studies in the July 11 issue of JAMA. In the first study, Björn Pasternak, M.D., Ph.D., of the Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, ...

H1N1 vaccine associated with small but significant risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome

2012-07-11
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is usually characterized by rapidly developing motor weakness and areflexia (the absence of reflexes). "The disease is thought to be autoimmune and triggered by a stimulus of external origin. In 1976-1977, an unusually high rate of GBS was identified in the United States following the administration of inactivated 'swine' influenza A(H1N1) vaccines. In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that the evidence favored acceptance of a causal relationship between the 1976 swine influenza vaccines and GBS in adults. Studies of seasonal ...

Administration of regulating agent prior to CABG surgery does not appear to improve outcomes

2012-07-11
Among intermediate- to high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, administration of the agent acadesine to regulate adenosine (a naturally occurring chemical that dilates blood flow and can improve coronary blood flow and perfusion) did not reduce all-cause death, nonfatal stroke, or need for mechanical support for ventricular dysfunction, for approximately a month after surgery, according to a study in the July 11 issue of JAMA. "Despite improvements in myocardial protection and perioperative care, the risk of death is still substantial in the ...

Receiving chemotherapy following removal of type of cancer near pancreas may improve survival

2012-07-11
Patients who had surgery for periampullary cancer (a variety of types of cancer that are located in and near the head of the pancreas, including an area called the ampulla where the bile duct joins up with the pancreatic duct to empty their secretions into the upper small intestine) and received chemotherapy had a statistically significant survival benefit, compared to patients who did not receive chemotherapy, after adjusting for prognostic variables, according to a study in the July 11 issue of JAMA. Periampullary carcinomas arise from the head of the pancreas. "The ...

Evidence for emergency obstetric referral interventions in developing countries is limited

2012-07-11
In this week's PLoS Medicine, Julia Hussein from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and colleagues assess the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions that aim to help pregnant women reach health facilities during an emergency in developing country settings. In a systematic review of the literature they found that the level of evidence for emergency obstetric referral interventions was poor and that limitations in the design of individual studies made determining the effect of referral interventions on outcomes difficult. The authors note, "[d]espite the wealth ...

Mental health concerns should be integrated with development in LMICs

2012-07-11
In a new article published this week that forms part of the PLoS Medicine series on Global Mental Health Practice, Shoba Raja and colleagues report their case study of implementing the "BasicNeeds" model of mental health and development in Nepal, which emphasizes user empowerment, community development, strengthening of health systems, and policy influencing. The authors say their model works in partnership with governments to provide the "great push" that is required to set up services where mental health and development have not yet been a priority. The authors report ...

More sustainable integrated vector management strategies are needed for malaria control

2012-07-11
Insecticide resistance is threatening the effectiveness of insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor insecticide sprays to control adult mosquito vectors, and so more sustainable integrated management strategies that use optimal suites of control tactics are needed. These are the arguments of Willem Takken from the Wageningen University and Research Centre in The Netherlands and colleagues in this week's PLoS Medicine. Experience in agriculture suggests that such integrated approaches can provide more effective and durable pest management, say the authors, which will require ...

Drug fails to curb heart bypass complications, but surgery gets safer

2012-07-11
DURHAM, N.C. – A drug designed to shield the heart from injury during bypass surgery failed to reduce deaths, strokes and other serious events among patients at high risk of complications, according to a large, prospective study lead by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. But the international study also produced a surprising silver lining. As reported in the July 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers discovered that complications among bypass surgery patients were far less frequent than previously reported. "We expected ...

NIH study shows the deaf brain processes touch differently

2012-07-11
People who are born deaf process the sense of touch differently than people who are born with normal hearing, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health. The finding reveals how the early loss of a sense— in this case hearing—affects brain development. It adds to a growing list of discoveries that confirm the impact of experiences and outside influences in molding the developing brain. The study is published in the July 11 online issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The researchers, Christina M. Karns, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate in ...

Metastatic breast cancer: Bevacizumab slows progression, but has no impact on survival

2012-07-11
The cancer drug bevacizumab (Avastin®) offers only a modest benefit in delaying disease progression in patients with advanced stage breast cancer, according to a systematic review by Cochrane researchers. The researchers assessed the efficacy of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy, an established cancer treatment in this indication, and found no overall survival benefit when adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death among women. If it spreads to other parts of the body it is referred to as "metastatic" and the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Amphibians bounce-back from Earth’s greatest mass extinction

Better semen quality is linked to men living longer

Enhancing mosquito repellent effectiveness

Prenatal maternal stressors linked to higher blood pressure during first year after birth, study shows

Resistance exercise may be best type for tackling insomnia in older age

Global 130%+ rise in postmenopausal osteoarthritis and associated disability over past 3 decades

OU Health Sciences rises to 102 in national ranking

Bonobos and chimps offer clues to how our early ancestors had sex for social purposes

Lebanon multidimensional crisis diminishing trust in public education and worsening inequality, study shows

Cold atoms on a chip

Rice University study reveals how rising temperatures could lead to population crashes

WVU research reveals adults with disabilities misuse prescription drugs at high rates

Consumers value domestic vanilla -- when informed, research shows

Are higher doses of folic acid in pregnancy safe?

Survey confirms radiation and orthopedic health hazards in cardiac catheterization laboratories are ‘unacceptable’

Study finds consumer devices can be used to assess brain health

Teachers' negative emotions impact engagement of students, new study finds

Researchers see breakthrough with biofuel

White blood cells use brute force to dislodge bacteria

Foundation AI model predicts postoperative risks from clinical notes

Brain functional networks adapt in response to surgery and Botox for facial palsy

Multimodal AI tool supports ecological applications

New University of Minnesota research shows impact of anxiety and apathy on decision-making

Fred Hutch announces 10 recipients of the 2025 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award

30 million euros for a novel method of monitoring the world's oceans and coastal regions using telecommunications cables

New multicenter study shows: Which treatment helps best with high-risk acute pulmonary embolism

Hidden dangers and myths: What you need to know about HPV and cancer

SNU researchers develop world’s first technology to observe atomic structural changes of nanoparticles in 3D

SNU researchers develop a new synthesis technology of single crystal 2D semiconductors, “Hypotaxy,” to enhance the commercialization of next-generation 2D semiconductors

Graphene production method offers green alternative to mining

[Press-News.org] Tiny magnetic particles may help assess heart treatments