scar in Biological News

Liver disease 'shrunk' by blood-pressure drug

... proliferate. It is this pathway that then causes scar tissue to accumulate, creating the liver damage. ... liver myofibroblasts die, removing the source of scar tissue. As the scar tissue breaks up, the damaged area of the liver ...

Reducing the damage of a heart attack

... that replaces dead heart muscle with stiffening scar tissue. The researchers are hopeful that the ... the protein sFRP2. They found that there was less scar tissue formed in the hearts of mice without the ... and how these molecules play a crucial role in scar formation. "With many injuries and diseases, ...

Preventing a broken heart: Research aims to reduce scarring from heart attacks

... partially, for good. The injury causes excessive scar tissue to form, and this plays a role in ... a key molecule involved in controlling excessive scar tissue formation in mice following a heart ... the formation of collagen, the main component of scar tissue. "With many injuries and diseases, ...

FSU researcher's discovery leads to $1.5 million grant, potential new treatment of liver fibrosis

... fibrosis refers to the accumulation of excess scar tissue in the liver through excess deposits of ... and other connective tissues. The formation of scar tissue is a normal bodily response to injury, but ... and the replacement of normal liver tissue with scar tissue. Once this happens a liver cannot ...

Promising new nanotechnology for spinal cord injury

... grow again, but dont because they're blocked by scar tissue that develops around the injury. ... nano-engineered gel inhibits the formation of scar tissue at the injury site and enables the severed ... fibers. In addition to reducing the formation of scar tissue, it also instructs the stem cells --which ...

New mechanical insights into wound healing and scar tissue formation

... cells that play a role in wound healing and scar tissue formation. When we are injured, the ... can continue to build fibrous strands, leading to scar tissue buildup that can impair the organ's ... the connective tissue. But if it is too rough, scar tissue develops around it and it won't function ...

Children's Hospital scientists achieve repair of injured heart muscle in lab tests of stem cells

... stimulated the growth of new blood vessels in the heart and reduced scar tissue from the injury, thereby dramatically improving the function of the ... were more effective at repairing the injured cardiac muscle and reducing scar tissue than previous approaches that have used muscle cells known as ...

Research pushes back history of crop development 10,000 years

... mutant is easily identifiable in the archaeological specimens as a jagged scar on the chaff of the plant noting an abscission (shedding of a body part) as opposed to the smooth abscission scar associated with the wild type brittle rachis. Simply counting the ...

Stroke victims may benefit from stem cell transplants

... had migrated through the region of the middle cerebral artery into the scar area and border zone of the ischemic region. We evaluated vascular ... author Ren-Ke Li, MD, PhD. The animals exhibited significant reductions in scar size and cell death and improvements in neurological function when ...

Scientists track impact of DNA damage in the developing brain

... plays a role in memory and emotion, investigators reported abnormal gene expression and neuronal function. Some neurons were eventually replaced by scar tissue in a process known as gliosis. Overall changes in the hippocampus mimicked those found in the brains of adults with the seizure disorder known ...

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, June 2009

... and the University of Tennessee Hamilton Eye Center in Memphis. The Retinal Clinch tool features a design that allows the surgeon to remove scar tissue from the surface of the retina with improved precision. This is because the height of the tiny glass spikes that perform the cutting are ...

American Chemical Society's weekly PressPac -- May 27, 2009

... journal. Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. Ram Mahato and colleagues note that fibrosis involves build-up of scar tissue in the liver from chronic liver damage caused by hepatitis, alcohol abuse, toxins, or other factors. Advanced fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis, ...

Adult bone marrow stem cells injected into skeletal muscle can repair heart tissue

... the stem cells directly into the heart or injecting them into the myocardium, the heart muscle -- invasive methods that can result in harmful scar tissue, arrhythmia, calcification or small vessel blockages. "In our research with a swine model of heart failure," said Lee, "we've found that ...

New center at Georgia Tech aims to improve recovery of soldiers with severe injuries

... Engineering. "It is not known whether a regenerative therapy will be most effective if used immediately following injury or at some later time after scar tissue has been established at the wound site." By developing models that accurately reflect the complex aspects of injuries sustained by soldiers ...

Stem cell therapy makes cloudy corneas clear, according to Pitt researchers

... correct structure to make it transparent. Mice that lack the ability to produce lumican develop opaque areas of their corneas comparable to the scar tissue that human eyes form in response to trauma and inflammation, Dr. Funderburgh said. But three months after the lumican-deficient mouse eyes ...

'Delicious' new grape debuts

... skin. Fruit allowed to ripen further tend to have a softer flesh, become noticeably juicier, but retain an edible skin. The berries have a dry stem scar and harvest readily with mechanical shaking. Although 'Delicious' is being released primarily as a fresh eating grape, it has some potential for ...

Researchers describe protease inhibitor that may aid in diabetic retinopathy treatment

... blurred vision, vision loss, and even temporary blindness. In later phases of the disease, continued abnormal vessel growth and the formation of scar tissue may cause serious problems such as retinal detachment and glaucoma, both of which can cause permanent blindness. Diabetic macular edema, which ...

12 outstanding young scientists named as EMBO Young Investigators

... Investigator Programme is 1 April 2009. More information can be found at: http://www.embo.org/yip/index.html . 2008 EMBO Young Investigators scar Fernndez-Capetillo, Spain Jess Gil, United Kingdom Monica Gotta, Switzerland Giles Hardingham, United Kingdom Juan Martn-Serrano, United Kingdom ...

Drug-embedded microparticles bolster heart function in animal studies

... attack, the drug-embedded "microparticles" reduce inflammation and scarring, the researchers found. Injecting the particles could cut the area of scar tissue formed after the heart attack in half and boost the ability of the heart to pump blood by 10 percent weeks later. The results are published ...

At risk for peripheral arterial disease? Simple quiz provides key so you can circulate better

... of heart attack, stroke and death," noted Murphy. PAD develops mostly as a result of atherosclerosis, a condition that occurs when cholesterol and scar tissue build up, forming a substance called plaque, which narrows and clogs the arteries and slows blood flow to the legs. Since plaque blocks the ...

NIH EUREKA award funds research at WPI aimed at turning adult skin cells into stem-like cells

... all of the required tissue typesskin, muscle, bone, connective, and nerve. Mammals cannot generate blastemas, but instead heal injuries by forming scar tissue. In their portion of the DARPA project, the WPI/CellThera researchers attempted to activate genes within the mammalian genome that are ...

Weill Cornell science briefs June/July 2008

... to control inflammation by secreting anti-inflammatory proteins into the digestive tract, allowing for regeneration of tissue and prevention of scar tissue. It is believed that Crohn's disease results from a malfunctioned immune response, leading to uncontrolled inflammation in the tissues of the ...

New source of heart stem cells discovered

... The fact that the Wt1-expressing progenitors can also differentiate into fibroblasts in the developing heart suggests that they can contribute to scar formation in the adult heart after injury, Pu added. "But if we can turn the progenitors away from making scars, and instead turn them towards making ...

First successful reverse vasectomy on endangered species performed at the National Zoo

... scientists, first performed the operation on Minnesota in March 2007. That procedure proved unsuccessful, possibly due to the presence of scar tissue or the fact that the horse was positioned on its side, making it difficult to perform the surgery. Silber was confident that if the horse ...

Stem cell researchers give old muscle new pep

... cells with new, healthy cells. In contrast, the areas of damaged muscle in the control group of old mice were characterized by fibroblasts and scar tissue. However, muscles in the old mice whose stem cell "aging pathway" had been dampened showed levels of cellular regeneration that were ...

Mystery of infamous 'New England Dark Day' solved by tree rings

... Washington noted the dark day in his diary while he was in New Jersey. Nearly 230 years later, MU researchers combined written accounts and fire scar evidence to determine that the dark day was caused by massive wildfires burning in Canada. "A fire comes along and heat goes through the bark, ...

Mystery of infamous 'New England Dark Day' solved by 3 rings

... Washington noted the dark day in his diary while he was in New Jersey. Nearly 230 years later, MU researchers combined written accounts and fire scar evidence to determine that the dark day was caused by massive wildfires burning in Canada. "A fire comes along and heat goes through the bark, ...

Neurotechnology Announces MegaMatcher 2.1 SDK for Development of Large-scale AFIS and Multi-biometric Face-Fingerprint Identification Systems

... ANSI/INCITS 378-2004 (Finger Minutiae Format for Data Interchange); ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2000 (Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial, & scar Mark & Tattoo (SMT) Information) and ISO/IEC 19794-2 (Fingerprint minutiae data). In addition, MegaMatcher 2.1 adds support for additional standards, ...

Skin care: new research into scar-free healing

... has healed after a cut or burn. It ranges from trivial (a grazed knee) to chronic (diabetic leg ulcers) and is not limited to the skin. All tissues scar as they repair; for example, alcohol-induced liver damage leads to fibrosis and liver failure, and after most abdominal surgeries scars can often ...

Multiple species of bacteria may cause trachoma: Implications for treatment

... on hands and clothing; successive infections cause scarring of the inside of the eyelid. As the eyelashes of the infected eyes turn inward they scar the cornea - the transparent tissue covering the front of the eye - leading eventually to blindness. To investigate whether other species of ...

Science casts doubt on famous British murder case

... used to help hang Crippen. In 1910, forensic pathology was more primitive; Spilsburys testimony, identifying what he claimed was an abdominal scar consistent with Coras medical history, convinced the jury that these were Coras remains. Crippen went to the gallows insisting he was innocent. ...

Small animal imaging facility is big boon to research

... images he gets of how calcium cant get back into cells after a heart attack. Once its disturbed, the cells die and the myocardium dies and you have scar formation, says Dr. Hu whose ultimate goals include better ways to diagnose and treat heart failure, an increasingly common problem in the United ...

Spinal cord bridge bypasses injury to restore mobility

... defenses put up a roadblock in the form of a scar to prevent further injury, but it stops all ... inhibitory molecules from forming in the small scar that forms at the exit ramp of the bridge, where ... that the cut axon tips died when they hit the scar wall. In prior research in his lab by his ...

Unusual antibiotics show promise against deadly 'superbugs'

... a treatment to block the formation of unwanted scar tissue. In addition, tissue engineers may be able ... attracts cells to close up a wound and form scar tissue. But this property is not always ... a blood vessel or at certain injury sites, where scar tissue can interfere with the formation of new ...

Modified collagen could yield important medical applications

... a treatment to block the formation of unwanted scar tissue. In addition, tissue engineers may be able ... attracts cells to close up a wound and form scar tissue. But this property is not always ... a blood vessel or at certain injury sites, where scar tissue can interfere with the formation of new ...

Surgeons develop simpler way to cure atrial fibrillation

... within the jaws of the device, surgeons can create lines of ablation, or scar tissue, on the heart muscle. In the older Cox-maze III procedure, the ... cutting the heart muscle, sewing the incisions back together and letting a scar form. The ablation lines redirect the abnormal electrical currents ...

Reversing 'hibernating' heart muscle focus of UB researchers

... but in most circumstances do not appear to be caused by replacement with scar tissue. The new grant will allow researchers to determine if the ... viable dysfunctional myocardium that do not have significant cardiac scar tissue. "These protein studies will be coupled with assays of ...

Researchers identify genes associated with lung transplant rejection

... currently available online. In obliterative bronchitis, scar tissue forms in breathing passages of the transplanted lung, narrowing ... genes and gene products associated with inflammation and formation of scar tissue in breathing passages. Using a customized version of a conventional ...

Nano-bumps could help repair clogged blood vessels

... cells from attaching to the scaffolding and prompting the creation of scar tissue, which can build up inside blood vessels and interfere with blood ... cells to attach better to these stents without creating as much dangerous scar tissue." The researchers tested discs of titanium containing surface ...