Blood protein able to detect higher risk of cardiovascular events

in people with chest pain originating from heart disease

2013-03-18

(Press-News.org) Higher levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in people with cardiac chest pain that developed as a result of heart disease/coronary artery disease, according to a study published in CMAJ.

PAPP-A, used to screen for Down syndrome in pregnant women, has been suggested as a marker of unstable plaque in coronary arteries.

The study was conducted in 2568 patients in Tübingen, Germany, to determine if the presence of PAPP-A could help predict cardiovascular events. The study included patients who visited hospital with cardiac chest pain between December 2007 and April 2009. All patients had an echocardiogram and blood samples drawn for analysis.

Previous studies have been smaller in scale, with the largest including 670 patients.

More than half (52%) of patients had stable angina and the remaining 48% had acute coronary syndrome. The normal serum value for men and nonpregnant women is < 14 mIU/L. Serum levels in patients who had cardiovascular events in the 3 months following initial hospital admission, such as a heart attack (myocardial infarction), stroke or death, were higher (62 ± 156 mIU/L) compared with those who did not (21 ± 23 mIU/L).

"PAPP-A remained a significant independent predictor of major cardiovascular events…[as did] a history of diabetes mellitus…and atrial fibrillation," writes Dr. Stephan von Haehling, Department of Cardiology, Charité Medical School, Berlin, Germany, with coauthors. "PAPP-A remained the strongest predictor of major cardiovascular events when we restricted the analysis to patients with stable angina…and when we restricted it to patients with acute coronary syndrome."

The authors suggest that PAPP-A levels could help in evaluating risk levels of patients who present to emergency departments with cardiac chest pain.

### END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Training program developed by U of A medical researchers leads to police using less force

2013-03-18

Researchers with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry designed a one-day training program for the Edmonton Police Service that resulted in officers being more likely to quickly identify mental health issues during a call, and less likely to use physical force or a weapon in those situations. The training resulted in long-term behaviour change in the officers and saved the police force money because mental health-related calls were dealt with more efficiently. The pilot study published in the open access and peer-reviewed journal, Frontiers in Psychiatry, noted the following ...

Researchers trap light, improve laser potential of MEH-PPV polymer

2013-03-18

Researchers from North Carolina State University have come up with a low-cost way to enhance a polymer called MEH-PPV's ability to confine light, advancing efforts to use the material to convert electricity into laser light for use in photonic devices. "Think of a garden hose. If it has holes in it, water springs out through a million tiny leaks. But if you can eliminate those leaks, you confine the water in the hose and improve the water pressure. We've plugged the holes that were allowing light to leak out of the MEH-PPV," says Dr. Lewis Reynolds, a teaching associate ...

Astrocyte signaling sheds light on stroke research

2013-03-18

BOSTON (March 18, 2013) — New research published in The Journal of Neuroscience suggests that modifying signals sent by astrocytes, our star-shaped brain cells, may help to limit the spread of damage after an ischemic brain stroke. The study in mice, by neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine, determined that astrocytes play a critical role in the spread of damage following stroke. The National Heart Foundation reports that ischemic strokes account for 87% of strokes in the United States. Ischemic strokes are caused by a blood clot that forms and travels ...

University of Maryland School of Medicine finds depression stems from miscommunication between brain cells

2013-03-18

A new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine suggests that depression results from a disturbance in the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other. The study indicates a major shift in our understanding of how depression is caused and how it should be treated. Instead of focusing on the levels of hormone-like chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, the scientists found that the transmission of excitatory signals between cells becomes abnormal in depression. The research, by senior author Scott M. Thompson, Ph.D., Professor and Interim Chair ...

Blind flies without recycling

2013-03-18

Bochum, 18.3.2013 In the fruit fly Drosophila, the functions of the three enzymes Tan, Ebony and Black are closely intertwined - among other things they are involved in neurotransmitter recycling for the visual process. RUB researchers from the Department of Biochemistry showed for the first time that flies cannot see without this recycling. Their analysis of the enzyme Black also raises new questions as to its function. Anna Ziegler, Florian Brüsselbach and Bernhard Hovemann report in the „Journal of Comparative Neurology", which chose this topic as cover story. Tan, ...

New database to speed genetic discoveries

2013-03-18

A new online database combining symptoms, family history and genetic sequencing information is speeding the search for diseases caused by a single rogue gene. As described in an article in the May issue of Human Mutation, the database, known as PhenoDB, enables any clinician to document cases of unusual genetic diseases for analysis by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine or the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. If a review committee agrees that the patient may indeed have a previously unknown genetic disease, the patient and some of his or ...

Self-assembled nanostructures enable a low-power phase-change memory for mobile electronic devices

2013-03-18

Daejeon, Republic of Korea, March 18, 2013 -- Nonvolatile memory that can store data even when not powered is currently used for portable electronics such as smart phones, tablets, and laptop computers. Flash memory is a dominant technology in this field, but its slow writing and erasing speed has led to extensive research into a next-generation nonvolatile memory called Phase-Change Random Access Memory (PRAM), as PRAM's operating speed is 1,000 times faster than that of flash memory. PRAM uses reversible phase changes between the crystalline (low resistance) and amorphous ...

Scientists investigate potential markers for a response to sunitinib in patients with metastatic RCC

2013-03-18

Milan, 18 March 2013 – Markers such as CA9, CD31, CD34 and VEGFR1/2 in the primary tumours might serve as predictors of a good response to a sunitinib treatment in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), according to a new study to be presented at the 28th Annual EAU Congress currently on-going in Milan. "The inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL) is a common event in ccRCC and finally leads to the induction of HIF1α target genes such as CA9 and VEGF," write the authors. "Besides VEGF, the VEGF and PDGF receptors also play an important ...

Six Nations Rugby Union: Were the gloves off?

2013-03-18

Drs Lewis and Carré in the University's Department of Mechanical Engineering have been measuring the dynamic friction between the material of the ball and the skin on the fingertips and palm, and the mitts that some players choose to wear under different weather conditions. They're looking to answer one question: what's the best way to ensure that players don't fumble the ball? "Catching and handling a ball with great skill and confidence is practically second nature to players at this level," says Dr Lewis. "But handling errors are still seen in professional rugby games ...

UM researcher revolutionizing scientific communication, one tweet at a time

2013-03-18

CORAL GABLES, FL (March 18, 2012) -- University of Miami (UM) doctoral student in Environmental Science and Policy, David Shiffman was invited to tweet updates in real-time, at the International Congress of Conservation Biology, New Zealand, 2011. As a result, more than 100,000 twitter users worldwide saw at least one tweet from the conference, and nearly 200 people from more than 40 countries, on six continents shared at least one tweet from the conference -- greatly exceeding the number of conference attendees. "While live-tweeting is not a new phenomenon, ...

Blood protein able to detect higher risk of cardiovascular events

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: