How stem cells can
repair injured hearts
B
efore my granddaughter was
born, when her embryo was six
weeks old, her mum had an
ultrasound scan. The
obstetrician offered us a close-up of
her embryonic heart. Yes, please, we
said. And she focused in on what no
one could recognise as a heart.
She went in close on a microscopic
tube which was wriggling like a worm.
It was my granddaughter’s primitive
foetal heart and those wriggles were
primitive heartbeats.
I was watching her stem cells
fashion themselves into heart muscle
cells. Astonishing!
Well, fast forward. Now, hundreds of
thousands of patients with heart
failure are to be offered help by a patch
made from stem cells, just like my
granddaughter’s, that can beat on their
own. Researchers at Imperial College
London have created 3cm strips of
beating heart muscle in the lab that
can be grafted to a failing heart to
support it, and encourage it to repair.
Human trials are expected to beginwithin three years. In a decade doctors
could choose off-the-shelf versions.
Heart failure is increasingly
common and affects nearly a million
people in Britain, of whom only half
will live five years. There are no drugs
or treatments to reverse heart damage,
the only option being a transplant.
Professor Jeremy Pearson of theBritish Heart Foundation argues there
would never be enough donated
hearts and the need for better
treatments is becoming more urgent.
“More people are surviving heart
attacks than ever but that means
there’s a growing number of people at
risk of heart failure, as their hearts
can’t recover from the damage,” hesaid. The technology could also have
benefits for children with congenital
heart conditions.
To create the patches, researchers
can take cells from the patient’s own
skin, blood or even urine, turn those
into stem cells and reprogram them as
heart cells. They’re then encouraged
to group into patches of heart muscle
in a gel and are stimulated mechani-
cally or electrically to begin beating. A
patch would be stitched over scarred
tissue during open-heart surgery.
If a patient’s own cells are used it
means there should be no problem of
rejection and the whole process should
take about three months.
Richard Jabbour, of Imperial College,
said: “What we envisage in the future
is, in the same way you have a
universal blood donor, you have a
universal cell line that is compatible
with all humans.
“Instead of waiting three months, it
could be prescribed in a clinic. That is
our long-term goal.”
Brave new world.(^30) DAILY MIRROR MONDAY 19.08.2019
DM1ST
DR MIRIAM STOPPARD
Helping to keep you fit and healthy
MINUTES ON...
Munchausen syndrome
This is a psychological disorder where someone pretends to be ill or deliberately
produces symptoms of illness in themselves.
Their main intention is to assume the ‘sick role’, to have people care for them
and be the centre of attention. Any practical benefit in pretending to be sick – for
example, claiming incapacity benefit – isn’t the reason for their behaviour.
Munchausen syndrome is named after a German aristocrat, Baron
Munchausen, who became famous for telling wild tales about his exploits.
WHAT IS IT?
[email protected]
@MiriamStoppard
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DR MIRIAM STOPPARD
Helping to keep you fit and healthy
Heatwave
Why is a heatwave a problem?
You’re put more at risk of
dehydration, overheating, heat
exhaustion and heatstroke.
Who’s at risk?
Older people, especially those over
the age of 75, babies and young
children, people with a serious
chronic condition, people with
mobility problems, people with
serious mental health problems
and people who are physically
active such as labourers.
The Met Office has a warning
system that issues alerts if a
heatwave is likely:
Level one is the minimum alert
and is in place from June 1 until
September 15.
You don’t have to do anything
during a level one alert.
The alert is raised to level two if
there’s a high chance of 30C by day
and 15C at night over the next two
to three days. You don’t need to
take any immediate action but stay
tuned to the weather forecast and
keep cool.
A level three alert is triggered
when the Met Office confirms there
will be a heatwave.
To help you keep cool, shut
windows and pull down the shades.
Stay out of the sun and don’t go out
between 11am and 3pm. Have cool
baths or showers.
Drink cold drinks regularly and
avoid excess alcohol, caffeine or
drinks that are high in sugar. Wear
loose, cool clothing and a hat and
sunglasses if you go outdoors.
Check up on friends, relatives
and neighbours who may be less
able to look after themselves.
Level four alert is the
highest heatwave alert in Britain.
It’s raised when a heatwave is
severe and/or prolonged, and
is an emergency situation because
the heatwave can affect fit and
healthy people, not just those in
high-risk groups.
The advice in the case of a
level four alert is the same as it is
for level three.
HAVE YOU HEARD OF....
the axilla?
The axilla is the Latin name for that
ticklish area, the armpit. In the Scottish
vernacular, the word ‘oxter’ is used
instead of axilla. The armpit can be
especially ticklish, possibly due to the
number of nerve endings it contains.
Some people find it particularly
unpleasant when tickled in this area.
Q
I’m thinking of having
the contraceptive
vaginal ring fitted. Can you
tell me something about it?
A
The contraceptive
vaginal ring is a flexible,
transparent, plastic ring
fitted in the top of the
vagina where it
releases two
hormones, oestrogen
and progesterone.
These are similar to
the natural hormones
that you produce in your
ovaries and are like those
used in the combined oral
contraceptive pill.
How effective it is depends
on how old you are, how
often you have sex and
whether you follow the
instructions. If the vaginal
ring is used correctly it’s
over 99% effective, meaning
less than one woman in 100
will get pregnant in a year.
It’s easy to insert and
remove, it doesn’t
interrupt sex and
your periods
usually become
more regular,
lighter and less
painful.
Just a word of
warning: you shouldn’t
use the vaginal ring if you’ve
got a thrombosis, if you had
breast cancer, suffer from
migraine headaches or
gallbladder disease.
Get your doctor to advise
you about it.
Ask Dr Miriam
If children drink water when
they’re thirsty, not drinks that
come in a bottle or a can, it
seems inevitable that they will
consume fewer calories from
sugar sweetened beverages.
And that’s exactly what an
analysis of data from the US
National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey shows.
A fifth of children in the
study reported that they drank
no water. Their calorie intake
from sugar sweetened drinks
varied by age and ethnic group
but it was consistently greater
than that of children who did
drink water.
What parents need to know... kids should
have water instead of sweetened drinks
[email protected]
@MiriamStoppard
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The process
should take
three months
g remo
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