Laser-based camera improves view of the carotid artery

Ann Arbor: Michigan Medicine researchers employ novel technology to monitor vulnerabilities for cardiovascular events, aid in diagnosis and treatment.. Strokes and heart attacks often strike without warning. But, a unique application of a medical camera could one day help physicians know who is at risk for a cardiovascular event by providing a better view of potential problem areas.A new paper in Nature Biomedical Engineering (link is external) reports proof-of-concept results for this new imaging platform for atherosclerosis.

Engineering nanomaterials to deliver treatments for heart disease

Northwestern: Northwestern Medicine scientists have demonstrated an enhanced approach to using nanomaterials to target inflammatory cells involved in atherosclerosis. The findings, published in the journal ACS Nano, could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease. Edward Thorp, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology, was a co-author of the paper. The study was led by Evan Scott, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and a member of the Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology.

Researcher traces molecular association between BPA exposure and atherosclerosis

Lexington: An array of scientific evidence demonstrates a correlation between diets high in fat and cholesterol content and blockages in the arteries, which lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD). But a lesser-known risk factor for CVD is exposure to the chemical compound biphenyl A, or BPA, a base component of consumer plastic products such as water bottles. A fundamental and ubiquitous commodity in modern life, plastics are inexpensive to produce, with more than 300 million tons processed in 2010.  The World Economic Forum warns the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans will exceed the amount of fish, in terms of weight, by 2050 at the current rate of production.

Cellular therapy promising treatment for arteriosclerosis

Leiden: Vanessa Frodermann, a PhD student at the Biopharmaceutical department of the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, has discovered that arteriosclerosis could be inhibited by cellular therapy. Arteriosclerosis is one of the leading causes of the development of cardiovascular disease. So-called ‘foam cells’ filled with ‘bad cholesterol’. These cells are one of the main causes of arteriosclerosis.

Antiplatelet agents for preventing failure of peripheral arterial grafts

Cochrane: Symptomatic peripheral arterial disease in people with atherosclerosis can present as intermittent claudication, disabling pain on walking, or as critical limb ischaemia with pain at rest, ulceration, gangrene and the risk of losing a leg. One treatment option is to implant a graft or makeshift blood vessel to bypass a blockage in the main artery of the thigh. Using a section of the vein from the patient's leg is often better than artificial or prosthetic materials such as Dacron or polytetrafluoroethylene, which take up platelets that could lead to clotting that could block the graft.

Keeping Atherosclerosis in-check with Novel Targeted Inflammation-Resolving Nanomedicines

Brigham Hospital. US: Nanometer-sized “drones” that deliver a special type of healing molecule to fat deposits in arteries could become a new way to prevent heart attacks caused by atherosclerosis, according to a study in pre-clinical models by scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Columbia University Medical Center. These findings are published in the February 18^th online issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Nano Drones Deliver

Harvard University. US: Nanometer-sized “drones” that deliver a special type of healing molecule to fat deposits in arteries could become a new way to prevent heart attacks caused by atherosclerosis, according to a study in preclinical models by scientists at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Columbia University. These findings were published Feb. 18 in Science Translational Medicine.

Cleaner protein protects against atherosclerosis

Lund University. Sweden: We have an innate mechanism that ensures that our blood vessels do not become blocked. The protein A1M, alpha-1-microglobulin, is naturally present in the body and prevents oxidation of blood fats – a major cause of atherosclerosis. The discovery is the work of a research group led by Professor Bo Åkerström from Lund University.