Posted on | CategoriesCardiovascular | PI: TingTing Hong, MD, PhD & Robin M. Shaw, MD, PhD

Regulation and Remodeling of Membrane Microdomains of Cardiomyocytes During Heart Failure Progression

At U of U Health, scientists are learning how the molecular organization of heart cells changes as heart failure progresses, and using that knowledge to pioneer potential gene therapy for heart disease. Continue reading → Regulation and Remodeling of Membrane Microdomains of Cardiomyocytes During Heart Failure Progression
Posted on | CategoriesCardiovascular / Internal Medicine | PI: Stavros G. Drakos, MD, PhD

Myocardial Recovery in Chronic Heart Failure

Chronic heart failure is a disease with poor prognosis and currently is a global epidemic. University of Utah Health investigator Stavros George Drakos, MD, and colleagues analyzed human heart tissue and produced evidence refuting the widely held notion that prolonged off-loading of the failing heart induced by cardiac assist devices results in disuse atrophy that further deteriorates heart function. Continue reading → Myocardial Recovery in Chronic Heart Failure
Posted on | CategoriesCardiovascular / Internal Medicine | PI: Robin M. Shaw, MD, PhD

New Class of Therapy for Chronic Heart Failure

The lab directed by Robin Shaw (MD, PhD) and Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research & Training Institute (CVRTI) Investigators have identified an architectural protein (cBIN1) of heart muscle cells that organizes the intracellular signalizing network responsible for heart muscle contraction and relaxation. Continue reading → New Class of Therapy for Chronic Heart Failure
Posted on | CategoriesAnesthesiology / Cardiovascular | PI: Markus Amann, PhD

Mechanisms of Circulatory Abnormalities and Fatigue in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Markus Amann, PhD, and colleagues recently discovered that both heart failure and hypertension impair an important neurocirculatory control mechanism in humans—specifically, a reflex loop mediated by neural feedback from muscles to the central nervous system. This impairment results in excessive sympathetic nervous system activity, and largely accounts for the circulatory abnormalities observed during physical activities. Continue reading → Mechanisms of Circulatory Abnormalities and Fatigue in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases
Posted on | CategoriesCardiovascular / Internal Medicine | PI: Paul F. Bray, MD

A Genetic Mechanism Contributing to Racial Differences in Vascular Disease

Heart attacks and strokes result from clots formed in the blood vessels of the heart or brain, respectively. The laboratory of Paul Bray, MD, demonstrated that platelets from Black individuals were more reactive than those from White individuals, suggesting a genetic basis for some of the racial discrepancy observed in vascular diseases associated with clotting. Continue reading → A Genetic Mechanism Contributing to Racial Differences in Vascular Disease
Posted on | CategoriesCardiovascular / Internal Medicine | PI: Alfred Cheung, MD

Blood Pressure Treatment Target

Researchers have long debated the optimal blood pressure for people older than age 50, especially in older adults who might not tolerate lower blood pressure. Alfred Cheung, MD, and colleagues at University of Utah Health led one of five national Clinical Center Networks to design and conduct the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). Continue reading → Blood Pressure Treatment Target