New strategies to improve treatment and ultimately prevent, heart failure in children

Structural cardiovascular abnormalities at birth are the most common cause of heart failure in children. Nearly half a million children in the United States have structural problems in the heart of the gravity of relatively simple issues, like small holes between the chambers of the heart, very severe malformations, including the complete absence one or more chambers of valves.

The July edition of the journal Pediatric Cardiology focuses on a recent meeting of the Pediatric Cardiology, experts from around the world participating in the Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children for the first heart Riley Center Symposium on Cardiac development. The experts presented new basic research and clinical research aimed at improving the treatment and, finally, avoid innate defects and damage acquired after birth, with heart failure in children.

The symposium focuses on the growth of the ventricular wall in development and disease and the diagnosis and treatment of non-compression of the left ventricle - an anomaly of the great chamber of the heart pump, which are often the heart failure. The two areas of the current research of the heart Riley.

"A wide range of innate and acquired heart injuries are to children with heart failure. For our capacity to treat heart failure in children, it is crucial for understanding the cellular mechanisms and the molecular origins of inborn heart defects and a better understanding of molecular processes, the negative effects on the function of cardiac muscle cells and survival during the progression of heart failure in childhood, Symposium organizer says Loren Field, Ph.D., professor of medicine and pediatrics, who heads the research and the convening of the symposium Riley heart. The Riley Heart Research Center is located at Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research in the department of pediatrics at the School of Medicine, EI and Riley Hospital.

Admittedly, there are fewer children than adults in these serious and sometimes deadly condition, social problems and health costs of heart failure, are important in young patients, the lifetime children.

The growth of the heart during the development phase is characterized by differentiation and proliferation of heartbeat muscle cells. After birth, there is a transition period, the heart's ability to regenerate after injury or illness. In his presentation and paper, Dr. zone describes the innovative cell cycle in the laboratory, he has held for the promotion of heart to repair muscle tissue resulting in regeneration of damaged tissue.

Development and testing of genetically modified mice, Weinian Shou, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics, says that he and his colleagues to gain a better understanding of genetics and molecular mechanisms of the noncompact left ventricle, with the objective of the search for potential new therapies.

In a study evaluating the performance of children with noncompact of the left heart, Ebenroth Eric, MD, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Riley Hospital followed 46 patients with this type of heart failure. He noted that if the disease is before the child's first birthday, the child has a lower chance of survival. Colleague, Mr. Ebenroth and now work for other risk factors in the context of increased risk of death in these patients in the hope of contributing to improving their results.

"It is hoped that this procedure, and Riley future cardiac center seminars, cooperation between basic and clinical research, researchers at the improvement of treatment, and ultimately prevent the emergence of the heart failure among young people, "said Dr Field.