Computer Simulation Accurately Predicts Blood Vessel Growth

Bioengineers from the University of Utah created a computer simulation that accurately maps blood vessel growth. This can help in the further treatments to provide better blood supply to skin grafts and implanted ligament and tendon, as well as tissues damaged by diabetes and heart attack.

The image on the left in green, show real blood vessels growing in culture while the right image in red, is the computer simulation of the blood vessel growth. The simulation is based on the study and use of real blood vessels from rats.

Additionally, the top images show real and simulated blood vessel growth when vessel fragments are placed in an "extracellular matrix" of collagen with a relatively low density. The middle and bottom images show how blood vessel growth is impeded when they are placed in collagen matrix with medium and higher density, respectively.

The physical and mechanical properties of the collagen are highlighted by the simulation showing that a denser collagen matrix makes it hard for blood vessels to form a network. By accurately predicting the growth and spread of the blood vessels, bioengineers can prepare implantable tissues that already contain blood vessels that match a patient's blood vessel structure.

This technology can provide better treatment by replacing damaged heart tissues, reconstructing ligaments and tendon, and skin grafts to stimulate blood flow to promote healing of diabetic ulcers.

Study On Coffee Improving Blood Flow In Small Blood Vessels Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2013

Coffee can significantly help small blood vessels in improving blood flow. Researchers from the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan presented the study at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2013.

The study based on observations done on 27 adults showed a 30% increase in blood flow over a period of 75 minutes compared to those who drank decaffeinated coffee. It should be noted that the test subjects were not regular coffee drinkers.

Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. It is the primary source of caffeine which stimulates the central nervous system. It makes the brain more alert and active. The US FDA treats caffeine both as a drug and a food additive. It is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world.

Aside from the latest study, regular consumption of coffee has been linked to other health benefits such as a lowered risk of heart disease and stroke, improved function of large arteries, and improved brain metabolism in diabetic patients.

Antiseptic Baths Significantly Reduce Blood Infection Risk In Critically Ill Children

Antiseptic baths with diluted chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) safely reduces risk of bloodstream infection in critically ill children.

A bedside bath or sponge bath is an alternative to regular bathtub bathing or showering. It is usually done to patients where water immersion is challenging or may pose a health risk.

Sponge baths are important for bedridden patients not only for personal hygiene but also because of bedsores. Bedsores form when excess dirt and oil accumulate in the body because of limited mobility.

Bedside baths are done with a sponge, soap, and water. There are products that are specifically made for these kinds of baths. Regular soap tend not to rinse off well during bedside baths and may cause irritation.

Findings Suggest Beta-Carotene Lowers Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Scientists at the Stanford University Medical Center published their findings that beta-carotene lowers the risk for type 2 diabetes. They noted that test subjects with higher beta-carotene levels correlated with lower blood-glucose levels. On the opposite end, they note that a form of vitamin E may increase the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes.

Beta-carotene is an organic pigment found in plants called carotenoids. It comes in red, orange, and yellow pigments. Carotenoids are not manufactured by the body but is obtained through eating carotenoid-rich food.

Carrots are generally associated with beta-carotene but other fruits and vegetables also carry this nutrient.

Beta-Carotene and the Human Body

Another association with carrots is that it gives better eyesight. This is also because of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is found in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants. They have a direct reaction to light, especially blue light and near-ultraviolet light which they absorb. These types of light are damaging to the eye and beta-carotene other carotenoids directly absorb these to protect the eye.

Beta-carotene can be converted by the body into vitamin A once the body needs it. It supplies 50% of the vitamin A needed by the body. Although, high levels of beta-carotene is deemed unsafe when taken long term as it can turn skin yellow or orange.

Also, people who smoke are discouraged from taking beta-carotene supplements because it might increase the risk of lung and prostate cancer.

Anti Blood Clot Medication Prasugrel Is as Safe as Clopidogrel With Long-term Treatment Of ACS

Arteriogram of a Healthy Heart
Credit: SPL / Photo Researchers, Inc.

When the heart is not getting enough blood, Acute Coronary Syndrome occurs. It is a heart condition that includes the slowing down of blood flow to the heart because of a blood clot (unstable angina). This can cause a heart attack.

A blood clot is an obstruction in the blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart and brain. These blood clots aside from causing a heart attack, can also cause a stroke.

A stroke is a brain condition where it doesn’t get enough oxygen because of a blood clot in the blood vessel. Because the brain does not get the oxygen it needs, brain function is impaired and permanent brain damage can occur. This is called an ischemic stroke.

Potential long-term benefit observed for first time in Acute Coronary Syndrome(ACS) patients

The first trial to study patients with acute coronary syndrome who do not undergo coronary stenting or bypass surgery found no significant difference between two anti-clotting drugs – prasugrel and clopidogrel – in preventing the first occurrence of death, heart attack or stroke, according to Duke University Medical Center cardiologists.

The study also showed no difference in serious bleeding complications.

At the same time, the Duke researchers observed an unexpected reduction in heart attack, stroke and death among patients treated with prasurgrel beyond one year of treatment. The researchers say this potential time-dependent benefit requires further exploration.

The results were presented by the Duke researchers at the European Society of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Munich, Germany today, and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"If you look at this study as a comparison of two drugs, it doesn't tell the whole story," says E. Magnus Ohman, M.D., a professor of medicine at Duke and chairman of the TRILOGY ACS study. "This is a unique patient population that has never before been studied."

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refer to a group of conditions that include heart attacks and chest pain caused by clogged coronary arteries. To date, most trials evaluating anti-clotting drugs for ACS patients have focused on patients who undergo revascularization procedures such as stent implantation with percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass surgery to restore blood flow.

Up to 60 percent of ACS patients worldwide undergo revascularization procedures according to published data. The remaining 40 percent are managed solely with drug therapy. These patients are at higher risk for repeated cardiovascular-related events, such as heart attack, stroke, and death.

"Optimizing medical therapy for these patients is extremely important," Ohman says.

Prasugrel and clopidogrel are members of the thienopyridine class of adenosine diphosphate receptor inhibitors that prevent the formation of blood clots in arteries by binding to specific receptors and inhibiting the clumping of platelets.

Blood Type May Be A Factor In Coronary Heart Disease

Blood Type is the classification of blood based on the presence or absence of two antigens on the surface of the Red Blood Cell (RBC). An antigen is any substance that causes the immune system to produce antibodies against it.

The blood type of a person is genetic. It is inherited from the blood type of the parents.

Blood is grouped according to the ABO blood typing system. This is based on the A antigen and the B antigen.

There are four major blood types:

• Type A – has only the A antigen on red cells (and B antibody in the plasma)
• Type B – has only the B antigen on red cells (and A antibody in the plasma)
• Type AB – has both A and B antigens on red cells (but neither A nor B antibody in the plasma)
• Type O – has neither A nor B antigens on red cells (but both A and B antibody are in the plasma)

• The universal red cell donor has Type O negative blood type.
• The universal plasma donor has Type AB positive blood type.

There is also a third antigen which is the Rh factor. It also can be present or absent from the blood. If it is present, the blood type is positive (+). If the Rh factor is absent, the blood type is negative (-) Rh negative blood is given to Rh-negative patients, and Rh positive blood or Rh negative blood may be given to Rh positive patients.

Blood type may influence heart disease risk

People with blood type A, B, or AB had a higher risk for coronary heart disease when compared to those with blood type O, according to new research published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.

People in this study with the rarest blood type — AB, found in about 7 percent of the U.S. population — had the highest increased heart disease risk at 23 percent. Those with type B had an 11 percent increased risk, and those with type A had a 5 percent increased risk. About 43 percent of Americans have type O blood.

"While people cannot change their blood type, our findings may help physicians better understand who is at risk for developing heart disease," said Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., the study's senior author and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Knowing your blood type can be an important part of staying healthy and avoiding heart disease, Qi said. "It's good to know your blood type the same way you should know your cholesterol or blood pressure numbers," he said. "If you know you're at higher risk, you can reduce the risk by adopting a healthier lifestyle, such as eating right, exercising and not smoking."