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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY
HEART DISEASE
HEARTZINE
INTRO
LABORATORY
NEWS

Laboratory

Telomers and Cell Aging

Sunday 14th January 2007 Telomers, and their length, have recently been implicated as a risk factor for heart disease . This short article discusses just what this important parts of your genetic makeup are - and sheds some light upon them as the secret of aging.
 
A mammalian cell,†‬in general,†‬reproduces by a process of division termed mitosis.†‬This,†‬in theory,†‬provides for an infinite supply of cells and there should be no need for aging.†‬Unfortunately,†‬each time a cell divides it is possible that there will be mistakes in the copying of DNA,†‬termed mutations.†‬Most mutations within a mature tissue are harmless,†‬however there others can cause serious diseaseâ€; ‬most notably cancer in which cells divide without proper restraint.†‬With each division the chance of a problematic mutation increases and so,†‬over the course of evolution,…
 

Homocysteine - call off the funeral

Saturday 18th February 2006: There is strong evidence from prospective studies(1;2) that plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is a strong, independent, graded risk factor for vascular outcomes. There are many mechanisms by which tHcy can increase vascular risk, including impairment of endothelial function, increased coagulation, increased oxidative stress and oxidation of LDL. Such mechanisms were reviewed in the VISP methodology paper(3).
 
Dr. J. David Spence: Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre, Robarts Research Institute, London, Canada Since 1998, when folate fortification of grain products was mandated in North America, the principal nutritional determinant of tHcy is vitamin B12.
 
We showed that serum B12 was strongly related to both tHcy and to total carotid plaque area (4), a quantity that strongly predicts vascular outcomes (5). We also found that vitamin therapy to reduce tHcy halted progression of carotid plaque, among patients whose plaque area was progressing despite …
 

Pacemaker Information

Tuesday 19th July 2005: Pacemakers are battery-powered devices that function to electri
 
Pacemakers are battery-powered devices that function to electrically stimulate the heart to contract and thus to pump blood throughout the body. It consists of two parts – the generator and the leads. The generators weigh less than 30 grams and the battery c an last anywhere from 7-8 years on average and is replaced when necessary. Pacemakers are usually implanted in patients in whom the heart's own "spark plug" or electrical system is no longer functioning normally.
 
The sinoatrial (SA) node, located in the right atrium, is the heart’s normal ‘spark plug’ which generates an electrical impulse that signals the left and right atria to contract and pump blood into the ventricles. The impulse then travels down into another small patch of specialized heart tissue called the atrioventicular node (AV) node, located between the atria and ven…
 

Detection of Myocardial Infarction

Saturday 4th June 2005 : Ischemia is the leading cause of death worldwide and myocardial infarction (MI) causes well over 12 million deaths per year internationally. However, with better detections and treatments, morbidity and mortality of this disease has been lessened.
 
When experiencing a myocardial infarction, the most evident symptom is the pain or pressure in the chest. Other symptoms include sweating, clamminess, nausea, shortness of breath and vomiting. A study done on differences in symptoms of myocardial infarction between genders found that men reported more chest pain and diaphoresis while women had more atypical syndromes (Patel et al 2004). Atypical syndromes include increased nausea, vomiting, dyspnea, palpitations, indigestion, dizziness, fatigue, loss of appetite and syncope.
 
Therefore in confirming diagnosis, an electrocardiogram or measuring the serum cardiac markers is a better detection method than just depending on physical syndromes described by the patients. Common cardiac mar…
 

Measurement of Blood Flow

Friday 3rd June 2005: Continuous wave ultrasound
 
Continuous wave ultrasound probe techniques involve an ultrasound signal being transmitted into the skin, and the difference in frequency reflected being measured. Along with the spectral broadening, this provides an indication of blood flow in terms of turbulence and presence. It however is difficult to get a qualitative measure, to discriminate between venous, capillary, or arterial vessels, is sensitive to the angle to flow, and lacks depth resolution. On the positive side it is non-invasive and by modulating the response using a carrier signal an audible signal can be produced which sounds either dirty (turbulent flow), or clean (laminar flow), giving an indication of underlying problems. The signal is continuous which allows for monitoring during surgical applications and detection of pulse.
 
Venous Occlusion Plethysmography
 
Venous Plethysmography is a technique which looks at the performance of the venous system in a limb. The limb is enclose…
 

Measurement of Blood Pressure

Friday 3rd June 2005: Blood pressure is symptomatic of a circulatory system, it is indeed the pressure differentials which dictate the movement of blood throughout the body, its distribution, and velocity. Blood pressure, however, influences far more than mere fluid dynamics - it is intimately involved in vascular permeability, renal function, and even human reproduction.
 
The measurement of blood pressure is hence a key physical assessment which may shed light upon not only the pressure management of the cardiovascular system, but upon the overall condition of the cardiovascular and other systems.
 
It is an unfortunate consequence of the pressure upon a medical laboratory that there is seldom time for protruded studies and repeated measurements. Demands for high throughput of patients mean that in many cases the available instrumentation is not utilised to its maximum accuracy (Gabe,I.T).
 
The basic principle of any device for measuring blood pressure is that the said device must transduce a physical s…
 

Science Spotlight

Stress Mechanism in Coronary Heart Disease

Stem Cells can Repair Damaged Heart

Hypertension

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