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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Stem Cell Therapy for Shrinking Enlarged Heart


Researchers report stem cell therapy has been successfully used to shrink hearts dangerously swollen after heart attacks.
What are stem cells and what are the types??
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells which can differentiate to perform specialized functions...There are two different types of stem cells embryonic and adult stem cells
Process:
How stem cells are utilized here is, the bone marrow is having stem cells which can differentiate into a variety of cells..so here
stem cells are taken from the heart patient's own bone marrow and then injected into the damaged heart. months later, the observation shows there is a significant improvement in heart performance, and within a year a significant reduction in both scar tissue and heart size.
Much more study data and trials are needed to before the treatment is made availabe to the patients.
study co-author Dr. Joshua M. Hare, a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Inter-disciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine said the therapy which has been under development for around ten years, was encouraging and a big step forward.
However, much more research and time is needed before the new treatment is made available to patients, three or seven years or even a decade down the road.
Researchers discussed the findings of their study in the 17th March issue of Circulation Research.
"Heart enlargement the American Heart Association (AHA) says results from various health complications like heart attack, congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy, a form of heart muscle inflammation. Heart valve disease and high blood pressure as a result of heart muscle thickening can also contribute to heart enlargement."
Currently, only medications and / or heart transplant are the only means of reducing the increased risk of death, disability, and hospitalization accompanying an enlarged heart.

References:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/stem-cell-injections-shrink-enlarged-hearts-improve-function-20110318-031838-568.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell
http://visitbulgaria.info/16192-enlarged-hearts-can-be-shrunk-stem-cell-therapy

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