All posts by medical

Gillette Stadium announces ‘Super Bowl LI: Anatomy of a Comeback’ – Wicked Local Foxborough

FOXBOROUGH Patriots fans visiting the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium to catch a glimpse of the 2017 team at training camp will also have an opportunity to relive the teams most recent championship through the newly renovated Super Bowl Experience exhibit now featuring, Super Bowl LI: Anatomy of a Comeback.

The newly renovated area of the Super Bowl Experience uniquely tells the story of the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. The Anatomy of a Comeback features eight monitors two 55-inch displays and six 22-inch mosaic, tile-like displays. The hall conducted exclusive interviews with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, wide receiver Julian Edelman, running back James White, defensive back Devin McCourty and defensive lineman Trey Flowers to give fans firsthand accounts of how the Patriots dramatic overtime victory in Super Bowl LI unfolded.

For information: http://thehallatpatriotplace.com.

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Gillette Stadium announces 'Super Bowl LI: Anatomy of a Comeback' - Wicked Local Foxborough

Grayson’s Anatomy: How did the Sunderland manager rate after Sunday’s win v Norwich? – Roker Report (blog)

Team Selection: Superb

Simon Graysons decision to play the same side that drew at home to Derby last week was no real surprise. The defence grew into the game, the midfield were energetic and creative and the strikeforce were a real handful - all of which had the fans buzzing.

Grayson decided not to stick with his midweek tinkering, instead opting to keep the front two that had looked dangerous last week, and he will have been delighted with his sides response to the trust he placed in them.

Every player in that starting eleven showed grit, determination, aggression, and a desire to win. It was a pleasure to watch, and fans will be excited at the season ahead. People will rightly point to Aiden McGeady and Lewis Grabban as match winners, but Lee Cattermole was once again phenomenal. Tenacious in defence and active in attack, Catts sprayed the ball around for fun yesterday - Grayson has him and his teammates playing some great football.

Verdict: Team selection was consistent and players are buying into Graysons tactics - fantastic to watch.

For so long last season we yearned for a side capable of playing fast, direct football and yesterday Sunderland provided just that.

Norwich had over 70% of the possession, yet struggled to fashion clear cut chances - instead relying on set-pieces to create the vast majority of their opportunities on goal. Graysons men on the other hand were compact and incredibly difficult to break down. Norwich just couldnt find a way through other than for an unfortunate Grabban own goal, and that stubbornness in defence was absolutely superb.

When Sunderland had the ball though, they were efficient with it and put the Norwich defence to the sword. Weve noted before that Graysons side like to mix up their style of play, and yesterday again showed that. The first goal was route one, the second a piece of individual brilliance, and the third a direct goal that came from some neat build up play. Sunderland seem comfortable playing a number of different ways and that can only be a good thing going forward.

Verdict: Grayson has his tactics spot on, and with another couple of additions he will have a squad depth capable of maintaining his style of play across a long, arduous season.

The game was essentially won by the time Grabban completed a peculiar hat-trick, but Grayson waited until the final 15 minutes to make his changes. Youd imagine that was to keep the structure that had worked so well throughout the game intact, and youll find no complaints about that here.

Yesterday was a great win and I dont want to delve too deep into the inner workings of Graysons subs - they came on, steadied the ship and provided fresh legs. Job done.

Verdict: Would like to see some youngsters given more game time going forward, but yesterday was all about the three points - which we duly earned.

Grayson noted immediately just how important the win was for his Sunderland side, and how impressed he was with his players:

This is a tough place to come to and we knew they would be putting us under pressure in their first home game of the season, but I thought the lads stuck to the game plan really well.

That being said, Grayson was also quick to remind fans and players alike that the season is merely in its infancy, and theres a long way to go:

It's a great win and it has been a strongish start for us - but that's all it is, a good start, and no-one is getting carried away.

Graysons steely tone continued on as he provided yet more soundbites to get the fans on board. Looking forward is key if Sunderland are to succeed this season, and Grayson knows that quite clearly:

What has happened here is in the past - it's all about what happens in the future now and what I will say is that I have got a good, hard-working group here - it's a working class city and that's what the people demand.

So a 3-1 win and a brilliant performance, yet Grayson wants more? Class! The man is clearly an ambitious manager, and its exciting to hear him talk about needing to carry on with this good form. For too long the club have been stuck in a short-termist approach to football - Simon Grayson, however, seems the real deal as he builds a squad aiming to finish high.

Verdict: Impressed with the way Grayson is keen to keep his players grounded. Yes the result was brilliant and Im sure hell have told the players just that, but as he mentioned, its still early days. Grayson, however, seems just the man to keep these Lads on the right track. A superb win and performance.

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Grayson's Anatomy: How did the Sunderland manager rate after Sunday's win v Norwich? - Roker Report (blog)

Anatomy of a Goal: Justin Meram’s Slip-In Winner – Massive Report

Welcome to the Anatomy of a Goal, where each week we dissect one goal (or near goal) from the previous weeks Columbus Crew SC match.

For match 25 on the 2017 MLS Season, we take a look at Justin Merams 73rd minute finish that put the Crew SC up 2-1, as part of the 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Heres a look at the finish from the Columbus winger.

The Black & Gold evened the match with a first half goal by Kekuta Manneh, and looked to break Chicagos unbeaten streak when scoring first. Columbus put out a speedy lineup, looking to catch the Fire in transition or off turnovers, and thats exactly how all three of the Black & Golds goals were scored.

Merams game winner begins off of a Matt Polster turnover at midfield. In possession of the ball, Chicago made multiple passes back and forth across the midfield line before Crew SC winger Cristian Martinez got in the way of Polsters pass, deflecting the ball to midfielder Wil Trapp.

When Trapp receives the ball, he can either carry the ball between Bastian Schweinsteiger and Dax McCarty, play a quick pass back up the field to Martinez, slot a ball into the path of Ola Kamara, a longer pass across the field to Meram, or a quick square pass to Artur.

As Trapp makes his decision, Waylon Francis makes an excellent run right behind the highlighted Schweinsteiger, who nevers notice a wide-open Francis running all the way down the left flank.

Trapp moves the ball to Martinez, who is defended by Polster. With the Chicago right back providing pressure, Martinez dribbles the ball back toward his defensive half.

Martinez makes a quick pass right back to Wil Trapp, who is now aware of Francis run behind Schweinsteiger, who fails to notice the left back.

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For some reason, Polster decides to use Martinez as leverage to change direction, pushing the Columbus winger in the throat and earning himself a yellow card after the play ends.

With the ball at his feet and Polster bearing down, Trapp has to quickly get rid of the ball. He can either play a pass over the head of the oblivious-to-Francis Schweinsteiger, play a difficult pass downfield to Kamara or knock a square pass to Artur.

Trapp notices that Schweinsteiger is looking at the ball while Francis runs, unabated, behind him, so the Black & Gold captain plays one of his excellent long passes right into the path of his wingback.

Francis receives Trapps pass and pushes the ball forward. With Polster having lost the ball at midfield and Schweinsteiger having decided to take this play off, Chicago center-back Johan Kappelhof has to slide over to defend Francis.

Kamara runs in the channel between the two Fire center backs and, with Kappelhof sliding over to mark Francis, Joao Meira must slide over to mark Kamara.

With the three other members of the Chicago backline occupied or out of the play, left back Patrick Doody, who was up the field just as the Fire attacked the ball just seconds before, is forced to chase a wide open Meram. There are no other defenders between Meram and the goal.

In control of the ball, Francis and has three options as Kappelhof attempts to close him down. He can continue to carry the ball toward the goal into a better crossing position, play a quick pass, likely on the ground, into the path of Kamara or go long to Meram, who is still outpacing Doody.

Francis decides to continue carrying the ball forward. As he does this, the referee, signals that he has played the Crew SC advantage from Polsters foul on Martinez.

Meanwhile, as Kamara enters the box he is immediately grabbed on the shoulder and slowed down by Meira. Had Kamara gone to the ground he may have won a penalty, but the Columbus striker stays on his feet and the play continues.

Kappelhof finally closes down Francis who must now cross the ball into the box. Francis has Kamara, defended by Meira, and Meram, defended by no one, as options for a cross.

From the side angle, you can see that Kamara is just offside as Francis prepares to cross the ball. Meram, however, is onside and about five feet ahead of Doody.

As Francis makes his cross, Kamara is definitely offside while Meram continues his run.

Francis ball is destined for Meram, who has beaten Doody and has only former teammate Matt Lampson between him and the back of the net.

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If you read the title of this article, you know that Meram scores, so lets take a look at his surprisingly difficult finish from two different angles before we look at the still frames.

After Francis spot-on cross, Meram has to decide how to redirect the ball into the net. A left-footed finish will be difficult, and a right-footed slide-in will have to be inch perfect.

Meram decides to use his right foot, and just gets to the ball with the outside of that foot . . .

. . . and puts the Black & Gold ahead for good.

Findings:

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Anatomy of a Goal: Justin Meram's Slip-In Winner - Massive Report

Change in protein production essential to muscle function – Baylor College of Medicine News (press release)

The researchers discovered that the genetic activity of mouse skeletal muscles is particularly intense during the first two weeks after birth; a number of genes alter the amount of proteins produced, while other genes go through alternative splicing and produce different proteins.

Among the genes going through alternative splicing, those involved in calcium-handling functions predominated. Calcium is very important for skeletal and heart muscle because the influx of calcium into the cell stimulates contraction and other functions.

First author Dr. Amy Brinegar, who was a graduate student in the Cooper lab while she was working on this project and recently graduated from the doctoral program in molecular and cellular biology at Baylor, selected three calcineurin A genes, which are involved in calcium-handling functions, and reversed their natural process of alternative splicing in adult mouse muscles. Then, Dr. George Rodney, associate professor of molecular physiology at Baylor, and a graduate student in his lab, James Loehr, who are co-authors on this paper, determined the effect of switching back alternative splicing on functions of isolated adult mouse skeletal muscle in the lab.

They discovered that muscles in which the adult forms of the calcineurin A genes had been switched back to the newborn forms showed a change in calcium flow and were less strong than muscles that retained the adult forms of calcineurin A.

We showed that just by changing three of about 11,000 genes that are estimated to be expressed in adult mouse muscle, we were able to change physiological parameters of those muscles, said Brinegar. This work supports the growing evidence in favor of a physiological role of alternative splicing.

Importantly, about 50 percent of the genes we discovered to undergo alternative splicing are conserved, meaning that the genes go through the same changes both in mice and humans, which opens the possibility of modeling human muscle disorders in the mouse, Cooper said.

Other contributors top this work include Zheng Xia and Wei Li, both from Baylor.

Financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health grants R01AR045653, R01HL045565, R01AR060733, T32 HL007676, R01HG007538, R01CA193466 and R01AR061370. Further support was provided by the Muscular Dystrophy Association grant RG4205.

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Change in protein production essential to muscle function - Baylor College of Medicine News (press release)

Please Ignore The Celebrity Hype, Fertility Really Does Decline With Age – HuffPost

Fertility is one hot topic and that means it gets a lot of media coverage. The good news is that theres so much valuable information now widely available - in the news and online - to help couples learn about fertility and the factors that affect their ability to get pregnant. The bad news is that theres a lot of misleading information, too. In fact, its hard to go a single week without hearing about someone famous who just had a baby at 46. While you might want such a medical miracle to be true and commonplace, in fact, pregnancy at this age is very much the exception, not the rule.

The truth is that timing makes a difference and those wanting to get pregnant should pay attention to facts from credible sources when planning for a family. Many people women and men dont fully understand how much their fertility declines with age, and the supposed proliferation of older women giving birth often without disclosing they used eggs from much younger donors may give those who want to start a family a false sense of security. This is true for women over the age of 38 and younger women freezing their eggs while in their 20s for use much later when theyre ready.

Globally, men and women are delaying the birth of their first child. While this is due to a multitude of reasons--from finances to having the right partner--a group of stakeholders in the UK want to make sure decisions made to delay pregnancy come with the understanding of age-related decline in fertility, especially for women over the age of 35.

This major decline in fertility is underscored by data from the UKs Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which shows the live birth rate using assisted reproductive technology (ART) is 32.3% for women younger than age 35 but decreases to 13.6% for women ages 40-42, and drops to 5% for ages 43-44. By not knowing these major differences due to age, a growing number of couples are finding they have inadvertently missed their reproductive chance.

In fact, the UK stakeholder group believes the media perpetuates misinformation by highlighting individual cases of pregnancy in later years while suggesting assisted reproductive technology (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) can compensate fully for age-related decline. As a result, they have established the Fertility Education Initiative to develop tools and information for children, adults, teachers, parents and healthcare professionals dedicated to improving knowledge of fertility and reproductive health.

What can you do to be aware and well-informed, so that your decision making on when to try and get pregnant is based on fact, not fiction? You can sort the good information from the bad a few ways:

Good information is based on research and clinical evidence. Your doctor can tell you the latest facts about what affects fertility and discuss how your unique situation age, health status, medical history, genetics, and lifestyle (and that of your partner) affects your individual chance of becoming and staying pregnant.

There are professional and consumer groups that have as their mission or focus educating consumers with reliable and easy to understand information. Three of the best include the professional societies of fertility specialists: the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the Society for Advanced Reproductive Technology (SART) and the consumer advocacy group RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association The information on their websites is evidence-based, current and updated when we learn more about what impacts fertility through credible research and clinical outcomes.

A number of media outlets are also trying to do their part for greater awareness of the factors that affect fertility, including age. It makes a difference if coverage includes information from fertility specialists and doesnt simply offer a few patient anecdotes. Bride magazine recently published several fact-based articles which include interviews with fertility specialists and emphasize the impact of age on a womans fertility.

For example, in one article, Dr. Mazen Abdallah, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, offers age-related advice on seeking treatment, suggesting that if a woman younger than 35 tries for a year to get pregnant without success she should seek treatment. However, if a woman is over the age of 35, she should seek a workup and treatment after 6 months of trying unsuccessfully. Women over the age of 40 should see a fertility specialist if theyre not pregnant within 3 months of trying.

If youre thinking about starting a family, get your information about fertility from the right sources including your doctor. Start with filing those celebrity pregnancy stories under entertainment. Know that everyones fertility declines with age. That way, you can start planning for a baby when the time is right and most realistic.

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Please Ignore The Celebrity Hype, Fertility Really Does Decline With Age - HuffPost

Oops: Human Embryologist required in Surrogacy bill, but not produced by India – Medical Dialogues

New Delhi: Since its introduction, the surrogacy bill has been topic of controversy. In January, 2017, the Rajya Sabha Chairman referred the legislation, as introduced in the Lok Sabha, to the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare for examination and a report on it. Recently, the said committee submitted its report, which was then presented in the Rajya Sabha.

The committee, indeed put forward many progressive suggestions, and pointed out some very valid drawbacks in the proposed bill that need to be corrected for its successful implementation. The committee was seen strongly recommendingthat the Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART) Bill, 2008 should be brought forth first before bringing in the surrogacy bill as surrogacy procedures cannot be conducted without assisted reproduction techniques and there is urgent need to regulate the ART clinics across the country.

Amongst other recommendations, the committee made an observation, pointing out to the obvious flaw in the bill, that deals with the definition of a human embryologist-a specialty doctor necessary in the process of surrogacy and related procedures to avoid any kind of negligent and violators incidents. It was noted that the definition limitedhuman embryologist to one having the said PG degree recognised by the IMC Act. Ironically, there is no degreein the field of human embryology recognized under the Indian Medical Council Act.

Clause 2 (n) of the Bill deals with the definition of human embryologist which reads as:

human embryologist means a person who possesses any post-graduate medical qualification in the field of human embryology recognized under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 or who possesses a post-graduate degree in human embryology from a recognized university with not less than two years of clinical experience;

However, what may comes as surprise, but should have been obvious to those who drafted the bill, is that there is no such specialisation of human embryologist that exists in India. The committee noted

During the examination of the Bill, the Committees attention was drawn to the fact that there is no degree given by the MCI designating as Human Embryologist.There is no university in India which offers a post-graduate medical qualification in the field of human embryology

Noting the glaring obvious flaw, the committee then took a jibe at the expense of the Department of Health Research, the body responsible for the bill.

the Committee is surprised to observe the desultory approach of the Department while drafting the proposed Bill. Interestingly, there is no university offering medical courses across the country that confers the degree of human embryology. The Committee fails to understand how the Department would utilize the services of such specialty doctors in every corner of the country when these doctors do not exist. The Department does not have the data about number of clinical embryologists working in the country.

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Oops: Human Embryologist required in Surrogacy bill, but not produced by India - Medical Dialogues

Gear, Adrian Richard Leishman – The Daily Progress

Adrian Richard Leishman Gear, 77, of Charlottesville, Virginia passed away on Sunday, June 18, 2017. He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Carol; his two sons, Andrew, Charlotte, N.C. and Richard, Portland, Ore.; and two grandchildren, Hannah and Julia, Charlotte, N.C. Other surviving family members include brothers, Michael, Scotland, UK and Peter, Mill Valley, Calif. Adrian was born on August 31, 1939, in Pretoria, South Africa. He was the third son of Dr. Harry S. Gear and Joyce Gear. In 1944, the family moved to Cape Town where his father became Deputy Chief Health Officer for the S.A. Department of Public Health. Adrian was educated at Bishops Diocesan College. The family later moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1951, where his father became the Assistant Director General of the World Health Organization. While in Geneva, Adrian attended the International School of Geneva. Adrian went on to attend Oxford University for undergraduate, graduate and finally a Doctor of Philosophy degree under the direction of Sir Hans Krebs. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Dr. Albert Lehninger before joining the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Virginia as an Assistant Professor in 1967 at the tender age of 28. Dr. Gear had a long and productive career at the University, where he studied the role of platelets in the blood-clotting cascade, in particular, those involving the interactions of oxidized lipoproteins and bacterial toxins and their relationship to cardiovascular pathology. He developed a unique, "quenched flow" method of studying the kinetics of platelet adhesion and aggression in real time on the millisecond scale. Dr. Gear had a passion for teaching and successfully guided hundreds of graduate and medical students through the convoluted world of Biochemistry with great joie de vie. Like his father before him, Adrian maintained a sacrificial mindset towards family. Family came first, and Adrian willingly sacrificed his time despite the obsessive demands of academia that has orphaned many a child. This included long nature walks through the Blue Ridge mountains, gardening and the Botany behind it, birds and birding, teaching photography, coaching soccer, performing rudimentary science projects, endless homework, and editing creative writing projects just to name a few. None of these activities were performed grudgingly but with a steadfast joy. Adrian's deep love for family manifested in his photography. Adrian learned his craft as a child on an old Contax camera, capturing the beauty of Southern Africa, including its birds and landscapes. He went on to win an award while in Geneva for a winter photograph of Lake Geneva. The family enjoyed (and occasionally suffered through) endless slide shows. It was one way he looked back at and cherished his time with us. Adrian was missing in most of these images, but he was the glue and presence behind them all. In addition to photography, Adrian loved languages (French and German in particular and a splash of Swahili), woodworking, and music. In his later years, he was known for starting spontaneous conversations in French when in the presence of a willing participant. Numinous and almost angelic in his disposition, Adrian was an otherworldly figure in an otherwise increasingly angry and bitter world. Like the popular "I am second" declaration, he put himself second. He gave generously of himself, and the outpouring from former faculty, friends and students bears witness to that. He will be sorely missed, but we plan on seeing him again. A service to celebrate his life will be held on Sunday, October 15, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. at the University of Virginia Chapel, 145 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to either the Hospice of the Piedmont, 675 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 300, Charlottesville, VA 22911, or Alzheimer's Foundation, 1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 306, Charlottesville, VA 22901. Condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.hillandwood.com

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Gear, Adrian Richard Leishman - The Daily Progress

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Reveals Where Season 14 Picks Up – People’s Choice

Johnni Macke 11:49 am on August 11, 2017

(Photo Courtesy: ABC/Ron Tom)

Greys Anatomy season 14 is set to premiere next month, and fans have been busy predicting what will happen when the series returns.

Withfans already noticing that the cast of Greys Anatomy was filming new scenes for season 14 in the same clothes they donned in the season 13 finale, star Kelly McCreary has confirmed in an interview withEntertainment Weeklythat the ABC doctordrama willin fact pick up right where last season left off!

Theres obviously some damage to the hospital, Kelly McCreary told Entertainment Weekly about the new season, which will start right after the finale explosion. But it is, in true Greys Anatomy style, a completely surmountable obstacle, because we are superhuman doctors. It serves more as a metaphor of the transformation that the show is going to go through tonally.

While there might be some danger, and darkness left over from last season, McCreary, who plays Dr. Maggie Pierce on the show, hinted that come fall, things will be a bit lighter.

This isnt the first were hearing about a lighter side of Greys Anatomy, however, because earlier this week Jessica Capshaw, who plays Dr. Arizona Robbins, teased a righteously hysterical series premiere.

We know what youre thinking if its picking up after the explosion its serious, not funny, but like both McCreary and Capshaw teased, the light-heartedness is coming.

Its very funny. Its very irreverent, and funny and sort of on its side, Capshaw said while talking with E! Newsabout the new season.

Lets be honest there is only so much sadness we can take, so we welcome the lighter side of Greys come season 14!

Greys Anatomy returns with a two-hour premiere to start season 14 on September 28, 2017 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

For the latest pop culture news and voting, make sure to sign up for the Peoples Choice newsletter!

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'Grey's Anatomy' Star Reveals Where Season 14 Picks Up - People's Choice

The Human Heart May Have a Natural ‘Backup Battery’ – Healthline

Researchers say they've found a system in the human heart that allows the organ to restart itself. Their discovery could lead to the replacement of pacemakers.

In an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lt. Worf is badly injured, but recovers when it is discovered that his body holds a lot of redundant parts and organs for example, 23 ribs that allow him to regenerate.

Science fiction?

Not entirely.

A team of researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center discovered that the human heart contains its own fail-safe backup battery system to regulate the heartbeat.

Their findings were published in Science Translational Medicine.

If further testing is successful, fewer people might need mechanical pacemakers in the future.

The potential market is big.

More than 200,000 people in the United States have a pacemaker implanted every year.

The research is still preliminary, but scientists hope to turn it into practical use some day.

In the future we want to develop something that practitioners would welcome, Vadim Fedorov, PhD, an associate professor of physiology and cell biology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, told Healthline.

Fedorov explained that an implanted pacemaker works by replacing the hearts defective natural pacemaker functions.

The sinoatrial (SA) node, or sinus node, is the heart's natural pacemaker. It's a small mass of specialized cells in the top of the right atrium (upper chamber of the heart). It produces the electrical impulses that cause the heart to beat.

The heart is hardwired to maintain consistency. Irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, can be due to heart disease or other problems, such as changes in diet or hormones or electrolyte imbalance.

Optical and molecular mapping of the human heart revealed that the SA node is home to multiple pacemakers, specialized cardiomyocytes that generate electrical heartbeat-inducing impulses.

Total cardiac arrest occurs only when all pacemakers and conduction pathways fail.

Too technical?

Think of it as a car battery. One day your car wont start. Turns out the battery is still good, but one of the connector cables is bad.

So you clean or replace the wire and save yourself from major repairs.

The Ohio State teams discovery showed that the human heart battery restarts itself.

To prove their point, the researchers actually restarted hearts that were destined for the trash heap.

Most of them came from people getting new hearts or accident victims whose hearts were not suitable for transplant.

We kept them in a special solution, he said. When we warm them to body temperature, they will beat.

The discovery, while exciting, is not going to change clinical practice in the next 60 days.

But it offers promise.

Dr. John Hummel, FACC, is a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and is director of the electrophysiology research section and professor of cardiovascular medicine.

He told Healthline the study is intriguing.

These findings finally give us insight as to the actual structure and behavior of the natural pacemaker of the human heart, he said. Diagnosing disease of the natural pacemaker is often straightforward, but can also be one of the more challenging diagnoses to make.

Dr. Fedorovs findings will likely allow us to develop new approaches to discriminate disease from normal behavior of the sinus node, and give our patients a definitive diagnosis of health or disease of the hearts natural pacemaker, Hummel explained.

Funding to translation of this bench research to clinic research is the next step, he added.

Dr. Gordon Tomaselli, professor of medicine, cellular and molecular medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and past president of the American Heart Association, expressed similar thoughts.

The work by Vadim Fedorovs group is a beautifully done study on explanted [not used for transplant] human hearts, Tomaselli told Healthline.

He called the infrared optical mapping studies with pharmacological interventions demonstrating the functional redundancy and complexity of the sinoatrial node (SAN) the most compelling part of the work.

Being able to view the hearts in three dimensions increases the researchs usefulness.

Tomaselli pointed out that researchers have known for decades from previous work in animals, and in clinical human electrophysiological labs, that SAN is functionally redundant and anatomically complex.

He urged caution.

I do not think this paper will fundamentally change the management of patients with regard to pacemaker implantation, he said. Although around half of pacemakers are implanted for diseases of the sinus node or atrium, they are implanted not to prolong life but instead to relieve symptoms [fatigue, shortness of breath particularly with exercise].

He went on, The more life-threatening problems with electrical conduction in the heart for which we put in pacemakers to prolong life involve the electrical system that connects the top and bottom chamber [called the AV node] and the conduction system in the lower chambers. This paper does not address this problem.

So, for the meantime, a Klingon skeleton might be your best bet.

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The Human Heart May Have a Natural 'Backup Battery' - Healthline

Appointment and reappointment to the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Universit de Montral … – Canada NewsWire (press release)

MONTREAL, Aug. 7, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Universit de Montral (UdeM) is pleased to announce that the UdeM Executive Committee has reappointed Mr.Robert Tessier as Chairman of the Board and has appointed Ms.Lucie Rmillard as a Board member.

The IRIC welcomes with great enthusiasm Mr.Tessier's reappointment and looks forward to his three-year mandate. Mr.Tessier is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Caisse de dpt et placement du Qubec.

Drawing on 12 years of active involvement with the organization, Mr.Tessier, as Chairman of the Board, will be surrounded by a team of dedicated collaborators sharing a wealth of expertise and various academic, business and philanthropic networks which they may call upon.

The IRIC will now be able to rely on the support of Lucie Rmillard, a corporate director with an extensive knowledge of the philanthropic sector acquired over the years, on the multifaceted work experience of Frdric Bouchard, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) of the UdeM, as well as the dedication of current Board members: Dr.Marie-Jose Hbert, Vice-Rector of Research, Discovery, Creation and Innovation at the UdeM, Dr. Hlne Boisjoly, Dean of the UdeM's Faculty of Medicine, Jacques Bernier, Managing Partner at Teralys Capital, Marie-Jose Coutu, President of the Marcelle and Jean Coutu Foundation, Jean Royer, Vice-President of Distinction Capital, Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Investigator at the IRIC, and Marc Therrien, Scientific Director and Principal Investigator at the IRIC.

"The IRIC is truly fortunate to be able to count on a Board of such high calibre which, through its commitment and dedication to research, continues to support the Institute's objectives and development." Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Investigator at the IRIC

The IRIC would like to take this opportunity to extend its heartfelt thanks to the Board's outgoing members for their involvement and unwavering support throughout their mandate. Many thanks to Tania Saba, former interim Dean at the UdeM's FAS as well as Tenured professor of the UdeM, to Grard Boismenu, Vice-Rector of Academic Development and Institutional Transformation of the UdeM, to Johane Boucher-Champagne, former Chair of IRICoR's Board of Directors, and Jacques Parisien, director and advisor for several Canadian companies.

About the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC)An ultra-modern research hub and training centre located in the heart of the Universit de Montral, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) was created in 2003 to shed light on the mechanisms of cancer and discover new, more effective therapies to counter this disease. The IRIC operates according to a model that is unique in Canada. Its innovative approach to research has already led to discoveries that will, over the coming years, have a significant impact on the fight against cancer. For more information: http://www.iric.ca/en/

SOURCE Institut de recherche en immunologie et en cancrologie de l'Universit de Montral

For further information: or interviews: Catherine Cardinal, Chief, Communication and media relations, 514 343-6111, ext. 41299, catherine.cardinal@umontreal.ca; Cristina Annunzi, Advisor, Communication and media relations, 514 343-7283, cristina.annunzi@umontreal.ca

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Appointment and reappointment to the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Universit de Montral ... - Canada NewsWire (press release)