Posted on 12/18/2022 3:52:49 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Researchers from Japan reveal that they may just have found a way to repair cardiac damage in patients suffering from chronic heart attack and heart failure.
Adult heart cells have very limited ability to form new heart tissue, so when the heart muscle is damaged by a heart attack, the damaged areas are filled in with inflexible scar tissue. The presence of scar tissue impairs heart function and leads to arrhythmias, progressive heart failure and eventual death.
"Previous studies have shown that reprogramming cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), the cell type that generates scar tissue, into cardiomyocytes (CMs), or normal heart muscle cells, can improve cardiac function in the context of acute myocardial infarction," says Professor Masaki Ieda. "However, it was unclear whether cardiac reprogramming could restore function in a damaged heart with established scars."
To explore this possibility, the researchers created a mouse model in which treatment with a medication called tamoxifen would activate the overexpression of cardiac transcription factors, including a gene called Mef2c/Gata4/Tbx5/Hand2 (MGTH), to reprogram CFs into CMs. They then induced heart attacks in the mice and, one month later, treated the mice with tamoxifen to activate the cell-type change and determine its effect on the heart.
"The results were very clear," states Professor Ieda. "In these mice, cardiac reprogramming converted ~2% of resident CFs into CMs, significantly improved myocardial contraction, and reduced fibrosis."
Detailed genetic analysis showed that overexpression of MGTH activated the rebuilding of heart muscle and suppressed scar tissue formation and inflammation. Importantly, this approach not only prevented the formation of additional scar tissue, but also reversed the formation of established scar tissue.
"Our findings show that cardiac reprogramming can repair the lasting damage caused by heart attack by regenerating heart muscle and reducing harmful fibrosis," explains Professor Ieda.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Tamoxifen costs between $7 - $20, at local pharmacies.
Tamoxifen is a treatment for breast cancer. It’s a medicine that lowers estrogen levels. Estrogen supposedly protects the heart, so this study is... interesting.
Man I hope they do the human trials asap.
Tamoxifen is a treatment for breast cancer. It’s a medicine that lowers estrogen levels. Estrogen supposedly protects the heart, so this study is... interesting.
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So its either counter intuitive that this drug should work—OR—the pathways by which tamoxifen works are poorly understood. (or both)
Get some cold laser therapy. It helps the body replace scar tissue with healthy tissue. Just one of many things it can do.
Just as long as you dont have implants or metal around the area to treat. And I am presuming its your heart area.
Bkmk
Wow!
Thanks ConservativeMind.
*PING* to you others.
I wish they’d find something to reprogram my immune cells. Something to beat them down some and make them chill.
What are the specific markers of your inflammation? For instance, any specific Interleukins?
An elevate prostaglandin D2 level. A marked for Mast Cell Activation Disorder.
Something is triggering my mast cells to hyper react to harmless substances. Some of it is the classic allergy, the IgE pathway.
Some of it….. I just don’t know.
My doctors have done very little in depth testing of immune system mediators.
I have also had a baseline Serum Tryptase level taken, but don’t remember the results. What needs to happen is next time I have a bad reaction, I need to get that done within two hours of the reaction to see if it’s elevated, which will tell if it’s actually an allergic response.
Problem is, I just can’t seem to bring myself to deliberately provoke an need to go to the ER type reaction.
I wonder why……..
Prostaglandin D2 doesn’t provide enough for me to help you much, unfortunately. A quick review tells me other inflammatory markers would be more helpful.
Bummer. I understand why you wouldn’t chance another problem, though.
Especially is nobody is going to run any meaningful tests when it happens.
Have you looked at diet? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/aip-diet-autoimmune-protocol-diet
Can’t do it.
All I can eat is chicken and oatmeal. I react to everything else, supplements included.
The problem is, not a doctor I have seen has even suggested further testing to see what other markers or things might show something. I KNOW the tests are out there.
But finding a doctor who is willing to think outside the box and investigate and explore?
Forget it.
Can’t do it. Right now, my diet is oatmeal.
Even the chicken I used to be able to eat has dropped out.
And I have tried.
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