Every day for 10 years, a seemingly heart-healthy 53-year-old woman experienced rapid and irregular heartbeats. She had no personal or family history of hypertension or hyperthyroidism. She did not suffer from myocardial or coronary artery disease, or any abnormalities of the heart as best doctors and medical science could determine. Yet, she complained of heart palpitations and dizziness nearly to the point of fainting.
For the patient in this case study, her symptoms first appeared 10 years ago and they persisted through the years. The symptoms peaked in the morning and occurred more frequently as time went on. Doctors prescribed medication, but it proved to be ineffective.
As a next step, Mayo Clinic physician researchers explored and confirmed the presence of a genetic mutation that clearly established an inherited predisposition to atrial fibrillation.
Their study findings appear in the February issue of Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine (http://www.nature.com/clinicalpractice/cardio).
"Why certain patients develop atrial fibrillation while others do not, despite comparable environmental stress exposure, might ultimately depend on their genetic makeup," the authors write.
Atrial fibrillation is recognized more often in the elderly who have underlying structural heart disease. But in this study, Mayo Clinic researchers address the gene-based form of atrial fibrillation that affects younger people who do not otherwise harbor risk factors for the disease. The case was compared to 2,000 individuals who did not carry the mutation or suffer from atrial fibrillation.
The Mayo Clinic study is the first to identify an atrial fibrillation-associated genetic mutation of the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel. Researchers uncovered its role as a safeguard against atrial arrhythmia under stress conditions. The fail-safe mechanism present in most people to provide electrical stability to the heart under stress was defective in this patient. The sequencing of KATP channel genes, using genomic DNA extracted from the patient's peripheral white blood cells, revealed a genetic mutation......
Whole article: "www.bio.com":[ http://www.bio.com/newsfeatures/newsfeatures_research.jhtml;jsessionid=PMVAERKVN44XDR3FQLMCFEWHUWBNSIV0?cid=26400026]
Major Advance In Treatment Of Multiple Myeloma -
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center announced that a multiple myeloma clinical trial has shown a significant improvement in survival with lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone therapy compared to lenalidomide plus high-dose dexamethasone (9.4.2007)
Hormone-based blood pressure pill possible -
The Mayo Clinic scientists said the study supports the feasibility of developing a peptide-based drug that can be given in pill form to lower blood pressure and that is based on a hormone originating in the heart, called B-type natriuretic peptide (4.4.2007)
Mayo Clinic Discovers New Type of Sleep Apnea -
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified a new type of sleep apnea they call "complex sleep apnea (6.9.2006)
Mayo Clinic (only in Czech language) -
Americká Mayo Clinic z Rochesteru, jedna z nejlepších univerzitních nemocnic USA a současně nositelka Nobelovy ceny za medicínu, se bude aktivně účastnit projektu Mezinárodního centra klinického výzkumu (International Clinical Research Center Brno, dále jen ICRC), které vzniká při Fakultní nemocnici u sv (18.4.2006)
What part will the Mayo Clinic play in preparing the project and what form will its collaboration take? -
In preparing the project we were able to make maximum use of more than 40 years of experience of th Mayo Clinic and its leading specialists in running its own centre for clinical reseach, which is currently the biggest in the world (5.12.2005)
