penso sia una novità
Inviato: venerdì 29 agosto 2008, 8:54
Salve a tutti
vi allego un articolo che ho letto sul sito dell'associazione americana.
Non so se è una novità, però io (da ignorante) non sapevo che la citrulina (mi sembra si scriva così) può essere una nuova frontiera per l'IP:
""Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital heart defects are structural abnormalities of the heart that are present at birth. According to the American Heart Association about 1.3 million Americans are living with some type of congenital heart defect. The conditions occur in about 36,000 infants each year.
There are several different kinds of congenital heart defects. Here are some of the most common:
Septal defects. The septum is the wall that separates the chambers on the left and right side of the heart. In an atrial septal defect, a hole is located between the upper chambers of the heart. A hole between the lower two chambers is called a ventricular septal defect.
Obstructive defects. Some children are born with an obstruction (called stenosis) in a heart valve, artery or vein. Pulmonary stenosis is a narrowing of the pulmonary valve located between the lower right chamber and the pulmonary artery (the main blood vessel from the heart to the lungs). Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve, between the left lower chamber and the aorta (the main blood vessel from the heart to the body). In a condition called coarctation of the aorta, there is a narrowing in the aorta.
Cyanotic defects. These defects cause lowered oxygen level in the blood, leading to a blue coloring of the skin (cyanosis). In tetralogy of Fallot, a baby is born with a combination of ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, an abnormally muscular right ventricle (lower chamber) and abnormal position of the aorta over the ventricular septal defect. Transpositioning of the great arteries is a reversal of the positions of the pulmonary artery and the aorta. Thus, oxygenated blood flows back to the lungs and deoxygenated blood bypasses the lungs and is re-circulated.
Patent ductus arteriosus. Before birth, a fetus gets oxygen from the mother’s blood. A hole in the fetal heart, called a ductus arteriosus, allows oxygenated blood to bypass the baby’s lungs. Normally, this hole seals off within a few hours after birth. A hole that doesn’t close is called a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In this condition, the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. This condition is usually fatal. Babies only survive if they also have a patent ductus arteriosus.
Heart Surgery for Children and Pulmonary Hypertension
Children with congenital heart defects sometimes need surgical treatment to correct the problem(s) and improve blood flow to the body. In some cases, the surgery is performed shortly after birth. Other times the surgery is done later in childhood or in adulthood.
During surgery, children are placed on a heart-lung bypass machine that adds oxygen to the blood and temporarily takes over the work of the heart. Marshall Summar, M.D., a Pediatric Geneticist with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says using the heart-lung machine stresses the arteries and can cause the vessels to constrict (become narrow) when circulation is restored. Normally, the body compensates for this problem by producing nitric oxide, a chemical compound that widens the arteries. But about one-third of children having heart-lung bypass don’t make enough nitric oxide on their own. Pressure increases in the arteries of the lungs to try to get more oxygen to the body, causing pulmonary hypertension. In some cases, the condition can lead to right-sided heart failure, reduced blood flow from the heart, and in severe cases, death.
Patients can be given inhaled nitric oxide (NO) to enhance the body’s ability to dilate blood vessels. However, this treatment is expensive (about $3,000/day) and patients sometimes experience a re-occurrence of symptoms when the NO therapy is discontinued.
Citrulline Study
Citrulline is an amino acid produced by the body. It’s also found in watermelon rind, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. Researchers have discovered that citrulline plays a key role in the body’s production of nitric oxide. Normally, when under stress, the body produces more citrulline, which leads to increased production of nitric oxide. For an unknown reason, production of citrulline is slowed or limited in some patients. Thus, they are unable to produce adequate levels of nitric oxide and are at risk for developing pulmonary hypertension.
Researchers at Vanderbilt and other sites are testing the drug, Citrupress, an intravenous form of citrulline, for children needing heart-lung bypass during cardiac surgery. The drug was developed at Vanderbilt and derived from purified watermelon rind. It is given intravenously for up to two days following surgery.
An earlier study found patients who received citrulline had lower rates of pulmonary hypertension compared to those who received a placebo treatment. Now, a larger, multi-national trial is underway to verify the effects of the drug. If the drug is eventually approved, it may also be useful to help dilate blood vessels for patients under other stressful conditions, like newborn persistent pulmonary hypertension, asthma and certain types of stroke.
In addition to Vanderbilt, the citrulline study is taking place at the following U.S. sites:
UCSF Children’s Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital, Oak Lawn, IL
Riley Children’s Hospital, Indianapolis, IN
St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX""
un abbraccione a tutti
vittorio
vi allego un articolo che ho letto sul sito dell'associazione americana.
Non so se è una novità, però io (da ignorante) non sapevo che la citrulina (mi sembra si scriva così) può essere una nuova frontiera per l'IP:
""Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital heart defects are structural abnormalities of the heart that are present at birth. According to the American Heart Association about 1.3 million Americans are living with some type of congenital heart defect. The conditions occur in about 36,000 infants each year.
There are several different kinds of congenital heart defects. Here are some of the most common:
Septal defects. The septum is the wall that separates the chambers on the left and right side of the heart. In an atrial septal defect, a hole is located between the upper chambers of the heart. A hole between the lower two chambers is called a ventricular septal defect.
Obstructive defects. Some children are born with an obstruction (called stenosis) in a heart valve, artery or vein. Pulmonary stenosis is a narrowing of the pulmonary valve located between the lower right chamber and the pulmonary artery (the main blood vessel from the heart to the lungs). Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve, between the left lower chamber and the aorta (the main blood vessel from the heart to the body). In a condition called coarctation of the aorta, there is a narrowing in the aorta.
Cyanotic defects. These defects cause lowered oxygen level in the blood, leading to a blue coloring of the skin (cyanosis). In tetralogy of Fallot, a baby is born with a combination of ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, an abnormally muscular right ventricle (lower chamber) and abnormal position of the aorta over the ventricular septal defect. Transpositioning of the great arteries is a reversal of the positions of the pulmonary artery and the aorta. Thus, oxygenated blood flows back to the lungs and deoxygenated blood bypasses the lungs and is re-circulated.
Patent ductus arteriosus. Before birth, a fetus gets oxygen from the mother’s blood. A hole in the fetal heart, called a ductus arteriosus, allows oxygenated blood to bypass the baby’s lungs. Normally, this hole seals off within a few hours after birth. A hole that doesn’t close is called a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In this condition, the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. This condition is usually fatal. Babies only survive if they also have a patent ductus arteriosus.
Heart Surgery for Children and Pulmonary Hypertension
Children with congenital heart defects sometimes need surgical treatment to correct the problem(s) and improve blood flow to the body. In some cases, the surgery is performed shortly after birth. Other times the surgery is done later in childhood or in adulthood.
During surgery, children are placed on a heart-lung bypass machine that adds oxygen to the blood and temporarily takes over the work of the heart. Marshall Summar, M.D., a Pediatric Geneticist with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says using the heart-lung machine stresses the arteries and can cause the vessels to constrict (become narrow) when circulation is restored. Normally, the body compensates for this problem by producing nitric oxide, a chemical compound that widens the arteries. But about one-third of children having heart-lung bypass don’t make enough nitric oxide on their own. Pressure increases in the arteries of the lungs to try to get more oxygen to the body, causing pulmonary hypertension. In some cases, the condition can lead to right-sided heart failure, reduced blood flow from the heart, and in severe cases, death.
Patients can be given inhaled nitric oxide (NO) to enhance the body’s ability to dilate blood vessels. However, this treatment is expensive (about $3,000/day) and patients sometimes experience a re-occurrence of symptoms when the NO therapy is discontinued.
Citrulline Study
Citrulline is an amino acid produced by the body. It’s also found in watermelon rind, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. Researchers have discovered that citrulline plays a key role in the body’s production of nitric oxide. Normally, when under stress, the body produces more citrulline, which leads to increased production of nitric oxide. For an unknown reason, production of citrulline is slowed or limited in some patients. Thus, they are unable to produce adequate levels of nitric oxide and are at risk for developing pulmonary hypertension.
Researchers at Vanderbilt and other sites are testing the drug, Citrupress, an intravenous form of citrulline, for children needing heart-lung bypass during cardiac surgery. The drug was developed at Vanderbilt and derived from purified watermelon rind. It is given intravenously for up to two days following surgery.
An earlier study found patients who received citrulline had lower rates of pulmonary hypertension compared to those who received a placebo treatment. Now, a larger, multi-national trial is underway to verify the effects of the drug. If the drug is eventually approved, it may also be useful to help dilate blood vessels for patients under other stressful conditions, like newborn persistent pulmonary hypertension, asthma and certain types of stroke.
In addition to Vanderbilt, the citrulline study is taking place at the following U.S. sites:
UCSF Children’s Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital, Oak Lawn, IL
Riley Children’s Hospital, Indianapolis, IN
St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX""
un abbraccione a tutti
vittorio