Scientists Map Genetic 'Blueprint' of Heart

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THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified the genetic "blueprint" for how a heart becomes a heart -- a sort of instruction manual for building a fully functioning heart from embryonic stem cells.

The scientists reprogrammed embryonic stem cells from mice into beating heart cells. Then they removed and analyzed DNA from developing and mature heart cells to determine which aspects of heart formation they encoded, using large amounts of computing tools and gene-sequencing data to do so.

The findings provide clues into the genetic basis for some forms of congenital heart disease, say the Gladstone Institutes scientists, and could lead to new treatments for life-threatening birth defects such as arrhythmias -- irregular heart beat -- and ventricular septal defects, or "holes" in the heart.

"Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defects -- affecting more than 35,000 newborn babies in the United States each year," Benoit Bruneau, associate director of cardiovascular research at Gladstone, said in an institute news release. "But how these defects develop at the genetic level has been difficult to pinpoint because research has focused on a small set of genes. Here, we approach heart formation with a wide-angle lens by looking at the entirety of the genetic material that gives heart cells their unique identity."

"Our findings reveal new clues as to how complex genetic and epigenetic patterns are precisely regulated during heart formation," study collaborator Laurie Boyer, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in the news release. "In particular, our identification of key segments of the genome that contribute to this process will hopefully allow us to identify the genetic causes of many forms of congenital heart disease -- an important first step in the fight against this devastating disease."

The researchers found that groups of genes work together in heart cells, switching on and off simultaneously at certain times during development. They also identified new genes involved in heart formation and figured out how they interact with previously known genes.

"Next, we hope to examine the DNA of patients living with congenital heart disease, in the hopes that we can pinpoint the specific genetic disruption that caused their heart defect," said Bruneau, who is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. "Once we identify that disruption, we can begin exploring ways to restore normal gene function during early heart formation and reduce the number of babies born with debilitating, and sometimes fatal, congenital heart defects."

The study was published online Sept. 13 in the journal Cell.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Gladstone Institutes, news release, Sept. 2012

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Non-Alcoholic Red Wine May Boost Heart Health

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Non-Alcoholic Red Wine May Be Effective at Lowering Blood Pressure

By Denise Mann
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Sept. 6, 2012 -- Much research has touted the health benefits that come from drinking moderate amounts of red wine.

Now, a new study may extend some of these benefits to teetotalers. Non-alcoholic red wine may be even more effective at lowering blood pressure in men who are high risk for heart attack. The study findings appear in Circulation Research.

The study included 67 men who had diabetes or three or more heart disease risk factors. When the men drank red wine with alcohol, their blood pressure went down a little, and there was no change in blood pressure levels when they drank gin.

When the men drank non-alcoholic red wine, their blood pressure went down enough to lower their risk of heart disease by 14% and stroke by as much as 20%.

The real health benefits in red wine may be found in powerful antioxidants called polyphenols, not the alcohol. In fact, the alcohol in red wine may dampen its blood pressure-lowering potential. In the study, the red wine with alcohol and non-alcoholic wine contained equal amounts of polyphenols.

The researchers were able to link polyphenol levels to a boost in men's levels of nitric oxide, which helps lower blood pressure. Nitric oxide helps blood vessels relax and allows more blood to reach your heart and organs.

During the study, the men ate similar diets and drank either 10 ounces of red wine, 10 ounces of non-alcoholic red wine, or 3 ounces of gin. All of the men tried each diet/beverage combination for four weeks.

"The non-alcoholic part of the wine -- namely polyphenols -- exert a protective effect on the cardiovascular system," says researcher Ramon Estruch, MD, PhD of the University of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. "Polyphenols also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may be useful to prevent other disease such as diabetes."

He predicts that more people will turn to non-alcoholic wine in the future.

This is welcome news for people who can't or don't want to drink alcohol, says Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Although some alcohol is thought to be good for you, too much alcohol can increase blood pressure levels.

"Certain people don't want to drink alcohol, so here we have an alternative way for them to get the heart health benefits," she says. "It's not so much the alcohol as it is the polyphenols in red wine."

Other alcoholic drinks have also been shown to have health benefits, but they may do so differently than red wine, Steinbaum says.

SOURCES: Chiva-Blanch, G. Circulation Research, study received ahead of print. Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, preventive cardiologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ramon Estruch, MD, PhD, of the University of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. Connie Diekman, RD, director, university nutrition, Washington University, St. Louis.

©2012 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Health Tip: What's a Heart-Healthy Diet?

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(HealthDay News) -- A heart-healthy diet focuses on plenty of healthy, high-fiber foods while avoiding foods that are high in fat, salt, sugar and cholesterol.

The womenshealth.gov website offers these specifics:

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods.Eat fat-free or low-fat cheese, milk and yogurt.Choose lean proteins, such as eggs, nuts, dried beans, lean meats and poultry without skin.Choose healthier unsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, fish and vegetable oils.Avoid saturated and trans fats, found in fried and processed foods, fatty meats and baked goods.Limit foods high in cholesterol, sodium and sugar.

-- Diana Kohnle Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Heavy Drinkers at Greater Risk for Stroke

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Drinking 3 or More Alcoholic Drinks a Day Raises Stroke Risk

By Denise Mann
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Sept 10, 2012 -- Heavy drinkers may be at a much greater risk for a bleeding stroke, a new study suggests.

People who drank about three or more alcoholic drinks per day also had the strokes almost a decade and a half before those who didn't drink quite as much. The findings appear in Neurology.

Exactly how heavy drinking may raise risk of this type of stroke is not clear.

The study included 540 French people with an average age of 71 who had a less common type of stroke called an intracerebral hemorrhage. This type of stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain, not a blood clot.

The people in the study and/or their caregivers or relatives were asked about drinking habits. Fully 25% were heavy drinkers. This was defined as having about three or more drinks per day, or about 1.8 ounces per day of "pure" alcohol. Participants also had CT scans of their brains, and French researchers reviewed their medical records.

The heavy drinkers were about 60 when they had stroke. By contrast, the people who were not heavy drinkers were about 74 when they had a stroke. The heavy drinkers were also more likely to be smokers and did show some evidence of irregularities in their blood that would make them more likely to have a bleeding stroke.

"The study does add to our knowledge that excessive drinking is bad for our health in a variety of ways, including increased risk of bleeding into the brain," says Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH. He is a heart doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

Still, the study is small, and larger ones will be needed before telling people not to drink past a certain level.

Heavy drinkers may be more likely to have high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for stroke. "If someone enjoys drinking, I don't discourage them, but I will caution them even more so after this study to make sure that the amount is considered moderate," Bhatt says.

Risks of falling and liver problems are also linked to heavy drinking, he says.

However, "we do know that one glass of red wine a day, on average, lowers heart attack and stroke risk, and that is still true," says Patrick Lyden, MD. He is the chair of the department of neurology at of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

His advice remains unchanged. "If you don't drink, don't start because you think it will protect your heart, and if you do drink, keep it moderate."

So what is moderate drinking, exactly? "My rule of thumb is one glass of wine a night, and that is the same as a glass of beer or one mixed drink," he says. "This doesn't mean you can save them up and have seven drinks on a Saturday."

Certain people should avoid alcohol, including those taking blood thinners and people with high blood pressure, Lyden adds.

Rafael Ortiz, MD, is the director of the Center for Stroke and Neuro-Endovascular Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He tells WebMD that smart stroke prevention includes:

Not smokingEating a healthy dietMaintaining normal blood pressure levelsModerate drinking

"These are concrete things we can all do today to lower our risk of stroke," he says.

SOURCES: Casolla, B. Neurology, 2012, study received ahead of print. Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, cardiologist, Brigham and Women's Hospital; associate professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Patrick Lyden, MD, chair, department of neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Rafael Ortiz, MD, director, Center for Stroke and Neuro-Endovascular Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City.

©2012 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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