Skin cells from heart attack victims turned into healthy heart muscle tissue for the first time

Heart attack patients could one day have their organ repaired using their own skin cells, say scientists. Teams from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have demonstrated they can transform skin cellsobtained from heart failure patients into stem cellsand use these to generate new heart muscle cells. The cells are fully functional and capable of working together with adult heart muscle cells. Previous studies have shown it is possible to derive stem cells from young and healthy people and transform these into heart cells, but it was not clear if this would work for elderly and diseased patients. Research leader Professor Lior Gepstein said: 'What is new and exciting about our research is that we have shown that it's possible to take skin cells from an elderly patient with advanced heart failure and end up with his own beating cells in a laboratory dish that are healthy and young - the equivalent to the stage of his heart cells when he was just born.' Using a patient's own cells would avoid the problem of patients' immune systems rejecting the cells as 'foreign'. Researchers took skin cells from two male heart failure patients aged 51 and 61, and reprogrammed them by delivering three genes followed by a small molecule called valproic acid to the cell nucleus. They did not include a transcription factor called c-Myc in their reprogramming cocktail, as although it has been used for creating stem cells, it is a known cancer-causing gene. The resulting stem cells were able to differentiate to become heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) just as effectively as those that had been developed from healthy, young volunteers who acted as controls for the study. Researchers were then able to make the cardiomyocytes develop into heart muscle tissue, which was joined together with existing cardiac tissue and within 48 hours the tissues were beating together. The new tissue was transplanted into healthy rat hearts and the researchers found it started to establish connections with the cells in the host tissue. Writing for the European Heart Journal, the researchers say much further research is needed to make sure they could scale up their study to make a sufficient amount of cells for a reasonable cost. They added it could take five to ten years before clinical trials start. Dr Nicholas Mills, Consultant Cardiologist from the Universityof Edinburgh, said there was an urgent need to develop effective and safe treatments to regenerate the heart as more people are surviving cardiac arrests than ever before. He said of the latest study: 'Thistechnology needs to be refined before it can be used for the treatment ofpatients with heart failure, but these findings are encouraging and take us astep closer to our goal of identifying an effective means of repairing theheart and limiting the consequences of heart failure.' The research has been published in The European Heart journal.

Skin cells from heart attack victims turned into healthy heart muscle tissue for the first time

Heart attack patients could one day have their organ repaired using their own skin cells, say scientists. Teams from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have demonstrated they can transform skin cellsobtained from heart failure patients into stem cellsand use these to generate new heart muscle cells. The cells are fully functional and capable of working together with adult heart muscle cells. Previous studies have shown it is possible to derive stem cells from young and healthy people and transform these into heart cells, but it was not clear if this would work for elderly and diseased patients. Research leader Professor Lior Gepstein said: 'What is new and exciting about our research is that we have shown that it's possible to take skin cells from an elderly patient with advanced heart failure and end up with his own beating cells in a laboratory dish that are healthy and young - the equivalent to the stage of his heart cells when he was just born.' Using a patient's own cells would avoid the problem of patients' immune systems rejecting the cells as 'foreign'. Researchers took skin cells from two male heart failure patients aged 51 and 61, and reprogrammed them by delivering three genes followed by a small molecule called valproic acid to the cell nucleus. They did not include a transcription factor called c-Myc in their reprogramming cocktail, as although it has been used for creating stem cells, it is a known cancer-causing gene. The resulting stem cells were able to differentiate to become heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) just as effectively as those that had been developed from healthy, young volunteers who acted as controls for the study. Researchers were then able to make the cardiomyocytes develop into heart muscle tissue, which was joined together with existing cardiac tissue and within 48 hours the tissues were beating together. The new tissue was transplanted into healthy rat hearts and the researchers found it started to establish connections with the cells in the host tissue. Writing for the European Heart Journal, the researchers say much further research is needed to make sure they could scale up their study to make a sufficient amount of cells for a reasonable cost. They added it could take five to ten years before clinical trials start. Dr Nicholas Mills, Consultant Cardiologist from the Universityof Edinburgh, said there was an urgent need to develop effective and safe treatments to regenerate the heart as more people are surviving cardiac arrests than ever before. He said of the latest study: 'Thistechnology needs to be refined before it can be used for the treatment ofpatients with heart failure, but these findings are encouraging and take us astep closer to our goal of identifying an effective means of repairing theheart and limiting the consequences of heart failure.' The research has been published in The European Heart journal.

Kerala waives sales tax on latest petrol hike

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress led UDF government in Kerala on Thursday waived the sales tax on the latest petrol price hike, saying it was committed to bringing some relief to the people affected by the latest increase. "UDF government does not justify the Centre's decision to increase prices. But we are committed to bringing some relief to people and are bringing down sales tax on petrol. With this decision, petrol price will come down by Rs 1.63 per litre," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after a special cabinet meeting here today. Stating that Kerala would stand to lose Rs 218 crore through the decision, he said the state had already asked the Centre to reconsider the petrol price hike. The government has also decided to introduce austerity measures and to check use of petrol by government offices, the Chief Minister said. The petrol price was hiked yesterday by a record Rs 7.54 per litre, as rupee had a free fall, an unpopular decision that was attacked by allies of UPA government who demanded its immediate rollback holding it as unacceptable. Petrol price in Delhi has been hiked by Rs 7.54 per litre to Rs 73.18 a litre. In Mumbai it will cost Rs 78.57 per litre as against Rs 70.66 a litre. In Kolkata, Rs 77.88 per litre and Chennai Rs 77.53 a litre. Earlier in the day, the Uttarakhand government decided to waive off VAT on the increased amount, providing a relief of Rs 1.87 per litre to the people of the state.

Kerala waives sales tax on latest petrol hike

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress led UDF government in Kerala on Thursday waived the sales tax on the latest petrol price hike, saying it was committed to bringing some relief to the people affected by the latest increase. "UDF government does not justify the Centre's decision to increase prices. But we are committed to bringing some relief to people and are bringing down sales tax on petrol. With this decision, petrol price will come down by Rs 1.63 per litre," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after a special cabinet meeting here today. Stating that Kerala would stand to lose Rs 218 crore through the decision, he said the state had already asked the Centre to reconsider the petrol price hike. The government has also decided to introduce austerity measures and to check use of petrol by government offices, the Chief Minister said. The petrol price was hiked yesterday by a record Rs 7.54 per litre, as rupee had a free fall, an unpopular decision that was attacked by allies of UPA government who demanded its immediate rollback holding it as unacceptable. Petrol price in Delhi has been hiked by Rs 7.54 per litre to Rs 73.18 a litre. In Mumbai it will cost Rs 78.57 per litre as against Rs 70.66 a litre. In Kolkata, Rs 77.88 per litre and Chennai Rs 77.53 a litre. Earlier in the day, the Uttarakhand government decided to waive off VAT on the increased amount, providing a relief of Rs 1.87 per litre to the people of the state.

Five children drown in Chaliyar River

MALAPPURAM: Five children drowned in the Chaliyer River in Nilambur.
They were identified as Jiny Mathew (15) and Jayini Mathew (11), children of Mathew and Philomina of Wayanad, Aleena (13), Ajay (9) and Alan (10), children of Binu and Neeza of Kunnathukal.The incident happened when the children along with Philomina went for bathing in the ghat

Five children drown in Chaliyar River

MALAPPURAM: Five children drowned in the Chaliyer River in Nilambur.
They were identified as Jiny Mathew (15) and Jayini Mathew (11), children of Mathew and Philomina of Wayanad, Aleena (13), Ajay (9) and Alan (10), children of Binu and Neeza of Kunnathukal.The incident happened when the children along with Philomina went for bathing in the ghat

Raid in Kannur party villages

KANNUR: Widespread searches are being conducted in the forest areas of Kannavam in Kannur and Kaitheri party village for the accused in the murder of T P Chandrasekharan. The raids are conducted by a team led by Koothuparambu circle inspector. Two CPM activists with pistols were taken into custody late last night from Malur Puralimala.

Raid in Kannur party villages

KANNUR: Widespread searches are being conducted in the forest areas of Kannavam in Kannur and Kaitheri party village for the accused in the murder of T P Chandrasekharan. The raids are conducted by a team led by Koothuparambu circle inspector. Two CPM activists with pistols were taken into custody late last night from Malur Puralimala.

Andhra minister arrested, sent to judicial custody in Jagan graft case

Hyderabad: A special court Thursday sent Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkataramna to judicial custody for 14 days in a case involving alleged illegal assets of YSR Congress leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
Venkataramna was arrested at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) camp office soon after he appeared before agency officials for questioning for a second consecutive day. A CBI official said the minister was arrested around 1.30 p.m.
Venkataramna, the first minister in the state's history to be arrested on charges of corruption while in office, was then produced in a CBI court, which remanded him to judicial custody till June 7. The court also agreed to the CBI's petition for five-day custody of the accused.

The minister was later shifted to Dilkusha Guest House, the CBI camp office where the investigators would question him for five days.
As the minister's name did not figure in the First Information Report (FIR) registered in August last year, the CBI filed a memo before the special court including him as an accused in the case.
Venkataramna, through his aide, sent his resignation to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Claiming that he has done no wrong, he wrote that he got entangled in the case. He said as a true follower of the Congress party, he signed the government orders on the direction of then chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
The fourth accused and first minister to be arrested in the case, Venkataramna was nabbed a day before Jaganmohan Reddy, known as Jagan, is to appear before CBI for questioning.
Venkataramna was minister for infrastructure and investment in the Rajasekhara Reddy government when certain companies were allegedly shown undue favours in return for investments they made in businesses of Jagan, the chief minister's son.

The CBI has booked the minister for corruption, cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by public servant, and falsification of accounts.He has been arrested for issuing certain government orders for allotment of lands and other concessions to the Vanpic project in 2008.

Venkataramna reportedly violated norms and also did not take the opinion of the finance and law departments while issuing government orders allotting 15,000 acres of land in Guntur and Prakasam districts to Vanpic and granting it exemptions under Stamps and Registration Act.The CBI last week arrested leading industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad and bureaucrat K.V. Brahmananda Reddy.Prasad, one of the two promoters of Vanpic, allegedly invested over Rs.800 crore in Jagan's companies in return for the land and other concessions he received under a quid pro quo arrangement.

The CBI grilled the minister Wednesday. He was questioned along with Prasad and Brahmananda Reddy, then special secretary, infrastructure and investment.Talking to reporters after meeting the chief minister Thursday morning, the minister said allotments to Vanpic were made as per the cabinet decisions.Following the minister's arrest, his followers in his native Guntur district attacked a few buses and blockaded roads. Police arrested some protesters and imposed prohibitory orders in Repalle town.The minister's followers have called for a shutdown in Repalle assembly constituency represented by him.Various organisations of backward classes condemned Venkataramna's arrest and alleged that he was being made a scapegoat

Andhra minister arrested, sent to judicial custody in Jagan graft case

Hyderabad: A special court Thursday sent Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkataramna to judicial custody for 14 days in a case involving alleged illegal assets of YSR Congress leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
Venkataramna was arrested at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) camp office soon after he appeared before agency officials for questioning for a second consecutive day. A CBI official said the minister was arrested around 1.30 p.m.
Venkataramna, the first minister in the state's history to be arrested on charges of corruption while in office, was then produced in a CBI court, which remanded him to judicial custody till June 7. The court also agreed to the CBI's petition for five-day custody of the accused.

The minister was later shifted to Dilkusha Guest House, the CBI camp office where the investigators would question him for five days.
As the minister's name did not figure in the First Information Report (FIR) registered in August last year, the CBI filed a memo before the special court including him as an accused in the case.
Venkataramna, through his aide, sent his resignation to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Claiming that he has done no wrong, he wrote that he got entangled in the case. He said as a true follower of the Congress party, he signed the government orders on the direction of then chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
The fourth accused and first minister to be arrested in the case, Venkataramna was nabbed a day before Jaganmohan Reddy, known as Jagan, is to appear before CBI for questioning.
Venkataramna was minister for infrastructure and investment in the Rajasekhara Reddy government when certain companies were allegedly shown undue favours in return for investments they made in businesses of Jagan, the chief minister's son.

The CBI has booked the minister for corruption, cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by public servant, and falsification of accounts.He has been arrested for issuing certain government orders for allotment of lands and other concessions to the Vanpic project in 2008.

Venkataramna reportedly violated norms and also did not take the opinion of the finance and law departments while issuing government orders allotting 15,000 acres of land in Guntur and Prakasam districts to Vanpic and granting it exemptions under Stamps and Registration Act.The CBI last week arrested leading industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad and bureaucrat K.V. Brahmananda Reddy.Prasad, one of the two promoters of Vanpic, allegedly invested over Rs.800 crore in Jagan's companies in return for the land and other concessions he received under a quid pro quo arrangement.

The CBI grilled the minister Wednesday. He was questioned along with Prasad and Brahmananda Reddy, then special secretary, infrastructure and investment.Talking to reporters after meeting the chief minister Thursday morning, the minister said allotments to Vanpic were made as per the cabinet decisions.Following the minister's arrest, his followers in his native Guntur district attacked a few buses and blockaded roads. Police arrested some protesters and imposed prohibitory orders in Repalle town.The minister's followers have called for a shutdown in Repalle assembly constituency represented by him.Various organisations of backward classes condemned Venkataramna's arrest and alleged that he was being made a scapegoat