(American Health Newswire) -- It's the most recent find in the annals of medicine and everyone is talking about it. Scientists have just discovered a protein that plays a key role in devastating changes, or "remodeling" of the heart, that occur after a heart attack.

With more than 1.5 million heart attacks occurring in the U.S. each year resulting in nearly 500,000 deaths, it's reassuring to hear that these findings could offer future therapies for preventing or reducing heart muscle damage after a heart attack, but that's only the beginning.

Researchers compared the effects of heart attacks in a group of mice genetically engineered to lack fibronectin-EDA (FN-EDA) and the other genetically normal. Subsequent to inducing a heart attack in the left coronary artery of each mouse, the group found that the hearts of the mice lacking FN-EDA actually had less enlargement in the right ventricle. They also had better pumping ability as well as less thickening of the heart muscles, compared to the control mice.

The genetically engineered mice also had less inflammation, diminished activity of the enzymes metalloproteinase 2 and 9, and reduced myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Bone marrow transplantation experiments revealed that the FN-EDA involved in the remodeling process ultimately came from the heart and not from cells circulating in the blood stream.

SOURCE: Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association, 24 February 2011

Natural Killers of Cancer: Medical First

Natural Killers Of Cancer: Medical First!

MIAMI (American Health Newswire) -- Each year, doctors diagnose more than 22,000 new cases of liver cancer. For many of these patients, a transplant can make a life-saving difference. But it isn't always a cure. In 20 percent of cases, liver cancer cells remain in the body and eventually attack the new, transplanted liver. Now, researchers are testing a revolutionary new procedure that uses the body's own natural killers to keep liver cancer from coming back.

For 20 years, Encarnacion Miranda has been the go-to guy at his Miami car dealership. But this year, he's been fighting a quiet battle with liver cancer.

"Even my boss here at Largo Honda always says that even though I knew that I was going down and dying that I never showed a day about it," Encarnacion Miranda, liver cancer survivor, told American Health.

He knew the odds were against him.

"Very scared, I was tremendously scared, but I didn't let that stop me," Miranda said.

"There's no one good treatment for this type of cancer," Andreas Tzakis, M.D., Professor of Surgery, Director of Liver and Gastrointestinal Transplant Program at U of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami said.

At Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miranda received a liver transplant, and with it, a new cancer treatment that made national headlines.

The experimental treatment utilizes specialized cells in the body known as natural killer cells. Research shows after a liver transplant, these natural killers can attack any liver cancer cells remaining in the body.

"What they do is they hone in to the tumor cells like smart bombs, like guided missiles. They're going to hone into the tumor cells and kill them." Dr. Tzakis said.

Natural killer cells were extracted from the donor liver, and cultured in the lab so they would strengthen and multiply into the millions. They were then injected into Miranda's bloodstream."If this is something that can avoid any type of tumors coming back ever.

Why not?" Miranda concluded.

Now, thanks to the new treatment, this salesman's back on the lot, with one big difference -- he's cancer-free.

Researchers at the University of Hiroshima were the first to perform the killer cell cancer treatment on liver cancer patients who received live donor transplants -- improving three-year survival. Now, with help from those Japanese researchers, doctors at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are doing the same procedure in deceased donor liver transplants.

Drug Replaces Aspirin for Stroke Prevention

Drug Replaces Aspirin for Stroke Prevention?

(American Health Newswire) -- There's a new way to prevent stroke, and it may be more effective than aspirin, according to new research.

Investigators presenting at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference found the drug apixaban, a new anti-clotting agent, worked better than aspirin at preventing stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were unable to take stronger drugs. AF is a heartbeat abnormality that can cause blood clots, which can raise the risk of stroke.

Researchers studied 5,600 patients with AF who had a moderate to high risk of stroke and were not willing or able to take oral drugs like warfarin. Up to 50 percent of all patients with AF with moderate or high risk of stroke are unsuitable for treatment with therapies like warfarin. Investigators found oral doses of apixaban were superior to aspirin in preventing stroke in these patients.

"If validated by future studies, I think this is the end of aspirin as a drug to prevent stroke in patients with AF," Hans-Christoph Diener, M.D., professor and chairman, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, University Hospital Essen in Germany, was quoted as saying.

Specifically, the investigators found 51 strokes or systemic embolism events in the 2,808 patients taking apixaban compared to 113 strokes and systemic embolic events in the 2,791 patients taking aspirin.

"Apixaban was highly superior to aspirin," Diener said. "We had not anticipated that apixaban would show such a big difference compared with aspirin while showing no significant increase in major bleeds. Everyone had expected that a more powerful drug like apixaban would be associated with more severe bleeding complications compared to aspirin, but it wasn't."

SOURCE: American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2011, Feb. 20, 2011

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The American Health Society is a distinguished 11 year old multi-award winning preventative public health & wellness 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is in preventative healthcare, mental wellness, health education, literacy and advocacy aimed at preventing lifestyle based illnesses, diseases and the frailties of aging.

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