http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Stem cells drawn from amniotic fluid show promise for tissue engineering, but it's important to know what they can and cannot do. A new study by researchers at Rice University and Texas Children's Hospital has shown that these stem cells can communicate with mature heart cells and form electrical couplings with each other similar to those found in heart tissue. But these electrical connections alone do not prompt amniotic cells to become cardiac cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-amniotic-fluid-stem-cells-heart.html Medical research Thu, 02 May 2013 13:45:44 EST news286721135 On April 18th JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) will publish a new video article by Dr. Paul A Iaizzo demonstrating the anatomical reconstruction of an active human heart. The research uses contrast-computed tomography (CT) to allow in-depth 3-D computer modeling of hearts that can be used for prolonged archiving. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-scientists-scan-human-heart-digital.html Medical research Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:51:41 EST news285497494 The promise of repairing damaged hearts through regenerative medicine—infusing stem cells into the heart in the hope that these cells will replace worn out or damaged tissue—has yet to meet with clinical success. But a highly sensitive visualization technique developed by Stanford University School of Medicine scientists may help speed that promise's realization. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-stem-cells-heart-tracked-nano-hitchhikers.html Medical research Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:00:05 EST news283000027 University of California, San Diego bioengineers have demonstrated in a study in pigs that a new injectable hydrogel can repair damage from heart attacks, help the heart grow new tissue and blood vessels, and get the heart moving closer to how a healthy heart should. The results of the study were published Feb. 20 in Science Translational Medicine and clear the way for clinical trials to begin this year in Europe. The gel is injected through a catheter without requiring surgery or general anesthesia—a less invasive procedure for patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-hydrogel-regeneration-functionality-heart.html Medical research Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:04:52 EST news280591485 A new method of growing cardiac tissue is teaching old stem cells new tricks. The discovery, which transforms aged stem cells into cells that function like much younger ones, may one day enable scientists to grow cardiac patches for damaged or diseased hearts from a patient's own stem cells—no matter what age the patient—while avoiding the threat of rejection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-scientists-closer-youthful-heart-patches.html Cardiology Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:20:27 EST news273258739 (Medical Xpress) -- A 69-year-old man became the first patient enrolled and treated in an ongoing study at Yale School of Medicine of BB3, a molecule that promises to preserve heart muscle, promote healing and improve clinical outcomes in heart attack patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-yale-enroll-patient-heart-preserving-molecule.html Cardiology Tue, 24 Jul 2012 08:59:51 EST news262339181 Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have shown the ability to turn scar tissue that forms after a heart attack into heart muscle cells using a new process that eliminates the need for stem cell transplant. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-scar-tissue-heart-muscle-stem.html Cardiology Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:02 EST news254665952 (Medical Xpress) -- University of California, San Diego researchers have developed a new injectable hydrogel that could be an effective and safe treatment for tissue damage caused by heart attacks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-gel-tissue-heart.html Cardiology Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:20:00 EST news249124790 A UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack. The approach potentially could improve cardiac function, minimize scar size, lead to the development of new blood vessels – and avoid the risk of tissue rejection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-stem-cell-mice-heart-patients.html Cardiology Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:10:01 EST news248538702 Heart failure affects roughly six million Americans, yet treatment consists of either a heart transplant or the insertion of mechanical devices that assist the heart. This is unacceptable to Roberto Bolli, MD, Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky., which is why he is on a mission to make cardiac stem cell treatment an option for all who must cope with the limitations of a failing heart. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-roberto-bolli-discusses-cardiac-stem.html Medical research Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:59:53 EST news221655572