University of Maryland School of Medicine identifies new heart disease pathway

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

2-Oct-2014

Contact: David Kohn dkohn@som.umaryland.edu 410-706-7590 University of Maryland School of Medicine

National Institutes of Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

New research by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) and the Ottawa Heart Institute has uncovered a new pathway by which the brain uses an unusual steroid to control blood pressure. The study, which also suggests new approaches for treating high blood pressure and heart failure, appears today in the journal Public Library of Science (PLOS) One.

"This research gives us an entirely new way of understanding how the brain and the cardiovascular system work together," said Dr. John Hamlyn, professor of physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, one of the principal authors. "It opens a new and exciting way for us to work on innovative treatment approaches that could one day help patients."

For decades, researchers have known that the brain controls the diameter of the peripheral arteries via the nervous system. Electrical impulses from the brain travel to the arteries via a network of nerves known as the sympathetic nervous system. This system is essential for daily life, but is often chronically overactive in high blood pressure and heart failure. In fact, many drugs that help with hypertension and heart failure work by decreasing both acute and chronic activity in the sympathetic nervous system. However, these drugs often have serious side effects, such as fatigue, dizziness and erectile dysfunction. "These drawbacks have led to the search for novel ways to inhibit the sympathetic nervous system while causing fewer problems for hypertension and heart failure patients," says Dr. Frans Leenen, director of hypertension at the Ottawa Heart Institute, and a principal author of the study.

Working with an animal model of hypertension, Dr. Hamlyn and Dr. Mordecai Blaustein, professor of physiology and medicine at the UM SOM, and their research partner, Dr. Leenen, found a new link between the brain and increased blood pressure, namely, a little-known steroid called ouabain (pronounced WAH-bane). Ouabain was discovered in human blood more than 20 years ago by Dr. Hamlyn and Dr. Blaustein, along with scientists at the Upjohn Company. The new study is the first to identify the particular pathway that connects the brain to ouabain's effects on proteins that regulate arterial calcium and contraction. Through this mechanism, ouabain makes arteries more sensitive to sympathetic stimulation, and as a result the enhanced artery constriction promotes chronic hypertension.

"Now that we understand the role of ouabain, we can begin working on how to modify this new pathway to help people with cardiovascular problems," said Dr. Blaustein. "The potential for this is big." Dr. Blaustein, who has been doing research on the substance since 1977, said medications that block ouabain's effects might improve the lives of people with hypertension and heart failure.

The researchers, who include Vera Golovina, Ph.D., an adjunct associate professor of physiology at UM SOM, and Bing Huang, M.D, Ph.D., a research associate at the Ottawa Heart Institute, also found significant new evidence that ouabain is manufactured by mammals, a question that had not been previously answered.

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University of Maryland School of Medicine identifies new heart disease pathway

Jackson Laboratory For Genomic Medicine To Open Next Week

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On the elevator walls at the new Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine are staggered, little rectangles of white light in four vertical columns resembling a Scantron answer sheet used in schools.

Actually, it's a representation of DNA electrophoresis, a procedure used to analyze genes. The elevator lights are one of a few aesthetic details indicating the work that will happen at Jackson once the 158 employees move in from five different temporary spaces on the University of Connecticut Health Center campus.

Researchers will assemble in the new building over the next six weeks and the lab plans to hire more people for a total of 300 over the course of three years.

The building and the lab are funded in part by $291 million from a legislative act three years ago. The lab, at the entrance of the UConn Health Center, is a new campus of the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. Jackson is known around the world for its mammalian genetics research and the mice it designs for laboratories.

On Thursday, journalists were given a tour of the facility ahead of the Tuesday ribbon cutting.

The four-story facility is a curved rectangle for both biological and computational lab space along with an oval-shaped silo in the center for common space.

On the first floor, in the center of the silo, is a subtle take on a DNA double-helix.

The exterior is a combination of zinc panels and locally-sourced dolomitic limestone. Inside, the carpet, wood and steel all have recycled material, such as plastic in the carpet. The entire building is 18 percent recycled material.

The western side of the building is largely windows to allow natural light to flood the space. Rainwater is collected from the rooftops of the building to a tank and then used to irrigate native plants around the building.

All of these details helped earn the building a LEED Gold sustainability rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

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Jackson Laboratory For Genomic Medicine To Open Next Week

WSU, UW negotiating solution over control of medical program – Fri, 03 Oct 2014 PST

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Democratic state Senate challenger Rich Cowan threw his support Thursday behind Washington State Universitys bid to operate its own medical school without having to rely on the University ofWashington.

We need a world-class medical school headquartered here in Spokane, Cowan said. A WSU medical school with its own mission that serves our community and the surroundingarea.

His comments, made during a Rotary 21 debate with incumbent state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, come as the states two largest universities continue sparring over control of Spokanes expanding medical educationprograms.

Baumgartner, seeking a second term in the

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Democratic state Senate challenger Rich Cowan threw his support Thursday behind Washington State Universitys bid to operate its own medical school without having to rely on the University ofWashington.

We need a world-class medical school headquartered here in Spokane, Cowan said. A WSU medical school with its own mission that serves our community and the surroundingarea.

His comments, made during a Rotary 21 debate with incumbent state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, come as the states two largest universities continue sparring over control of Spokanes expanding medical educationprograms.

Baumgartner, seeking a second term in the Legislature, has long favored a continued partnership between WSU and UW, saying one brings the needed enthusiasm and the other the necessaryexperience.

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WSU, UW negotiating solution over control of medical program - Fri, 03 Oct 2014 PST

Windy landing at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – United Express Erj-145 – Video

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Windy landing at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) - United Express Erj-145
Windy landing in Newark, New Jersey Charleston International Airport (CHS)-Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) United Express ERJ-145.

By: Joseph Levell

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Windy landing at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) - United Express Erj-145 - Video