A U.S. study has found nanosized particles near plaque-filled arteries in animals that might contribute to arterial calcification.
The research, led by Maria Kraemer, a Mayo Clinic Graduate School student, suggests nanoparticles might represent a previously unrecognized factor in the development of arteriosclerosis and calcific arterial disease.
Kraemer and colleagues reported isolating and propagating self-replicating, self-calcifying, nanoparticles from human arteriosclerotic aneurysms and kidney stones.
"The work we are doing with human-derived nanoparticles is important because preliminary studies indicate they may increase negative responses to arterial injury, possibly leading to blocked arteries and arterial calcification," Kraemer said.
Researchers tested their hypothesis by inoculating animal models with nanoparticles from human calcified tissues. A second group of models received a diluted inoculation. Blocked arteries were apparent in some animals in both groups 35 days after receiving the dosage.
The study was presented Sunday in Washington during the Experimental Biology 2007 meeting.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
Researchers use magnetism to target cells to animal arteries
Scientists have used magnetic fields and tiny iron-bearing particles to drive healthy cells to targeted sites in blood vessels. The research, done in animals, may lead to a new method of delivering cells and genes to repair injured or diseased organs in people.
PCI preference -- will that be an arm or a leg?
When it comes to stenting – using metal tubes to prop open blocked arteries – physicians are continuing to choose to gain entry to the circulatory system through an opening in the leg instead of the arm, even though the latter option appears to be safer, with fewer side effects, say researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute.
Could arthritis wonder drugs provide clues for all disease?
Drugs that have helped treat millions of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may hold the key to many more medical conditions, including atherosclerosis – a leading cause of heart disease – says the researcher who jointly invented and developed them.
Heading circulatory disease off at the pass
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have devised an ultrasound imaging technique that picks up subtle early evidence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) that current conventional tests miss.
Pioneering heart doctor Michael DeBakey dead at 99
(AP) -- Dr. Michael DeBakey, the world-famous cardiovascular surgeon who pioneered such now-common procedures as bypass surgery and invented a host of devices to help heart patients, has died. He was 99.
New study finds coronary arterial calcium scans help detect overall death risk in the elderly
Measuring calcium deposits in the heart's arteries can help predict overall death risk in American adults, even when they are elderly, according to a new study published in the July issue of
Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
New system devised to guide doctors treating patients with symptomatic myocardial bridging
What type of intervention, if any, should cardiologists offer their patients who have a heart abnormality called myocardial bridging and symptoms of heart problems?
New blood clot guidelines for pregnant women
Blood clot recommendations highlight challenges for pediatric and pre-surgery populations
New evidence-based guidelines address the prevention and management of thrombosis in key patient populations and reinforce recommendations related to the routine use of preventive therapies. Published as a supplement in the June issue of
CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines, Eighth Edition was developed by an international panel of 90 experts and includes more than 700 of the most comprehensive recommendations related to the prevention, treatment, and long-term management of thrombotic disorders. The guidelines include chapters on the challenges in preventing and treating thrombosis in pregnant women and children, and on managing peri- and postoperative patients, while also reinforcing previous guidelines related to the routine use of preventive therapies, including aspirin.