The two major hurdles that needed to be tackled are becoming a reality…

…via Science Daily- solve two problems in the development of a stem cell heart patch. The first is undesirable side effects, such as arrhythmia, that can result from immature and undeveloped cardiomyocytes being introduced to the heart. The second is the need for a scaffold that is biocompatible with the heart and able to hold the new cardiomyocytes in place while they integrate into the existing heart tissue. Matching the material to human heart muscle is also hoped to prevent deterioration of heart function before the cells take over.

Are you following me on this one? The current researchers are now understanding how stem cell-derived developing heart cells can be matured in the laboratory and how materials could be synthesized to form a patch to deliver them to damaged areas of the heart. Seriously exciting news. More has to be done and many more hours and months and years of hard work is yet to come, but just think for a second… Would you be willing to give this a try, even in its experimental stage?

Post from: Blisstree

Major Advancement For Stem Cells And Heart Repair

1. The human heart looks like a piece of red meat, aka steak or a raw hamburger patty. In fat or obese people the heart actually looks like it is covered in yellow goo, aka the fat tissue. Yellow… no good. Red… good!

2. Even though we are taught to put our hand over our heart on the left side of our chest, it is actually tucked away between our lungs in the middle of our chests. Think of it as being protected.

3. When you are exercising, it takes about 10-12 seconds for your blood to go from your heart to your big toe and back again. That is fast!

4. A child’s heart has to push blood through 60,000 miles (roughly 96,500 km) of blood vessels. That would be long enough to circle the Earth 2 and a half times. Holy potatoes. Amazing!!!!!

5. Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day which would mean an average lifetime would work out to be… over 2 and a half billion times! Now that’s a big ol’ fact!

This is why we must teach our youth to exercise and eat a healthy diet. We have to keep the ol’ tickers in tip top shape ’cause we’re gonna need em!

Post from: Blisstree

5 Fun Hearty Facts To Share With Our Youth…

Top 10 Hearty Trivia Facts

1. Author of Frankenstein Mary Shelley kept her dead husband’s, poet Percy Shelley, heart wrapped in silk until she died. Imagine how that smelled!

2. You can purchase the largest model of a human heart for a small price of $5795.95 US dollars. Um huh, I said five thousand. It is 8 times the size of an anatomical heart at 100×90x70 cm. Wow, that is a lot of money!

3. The smallest person believed to ever have open heart surgery was just over 25 weeks gestation and about 1.4 lbs. This was back in 2002 and I think it to still be the smallest baby to have open heart. I searched and searched. If you know different, shoot me a hello.

4. Throughout your life your heart contracts about 70 times a minute and pumps about 5 liters of blood each minute. That is amazing!

5. You heart muscle, or myocardium, is unique to just that… your heart. It is not found anywhere else in your body!

6. When you are in love, you really do “feel” with your heart. Yes, it is true. Your heart, more than any other organ, feels and senses emotions and responds accordingly. Everybody now… awwwww!

7. During an average lifetime, your heart will beat over 2.5 billion times. Seriously, that is one hard working muscle!

8. About 1.2 million Americans have heart attacks every year and over 400,000 of them will never make it to the hospital.

9. The word heart, meaning soul or feeling, is termed cor in Latin.

10. The cardiovascular system is my favorite by far, and always has been. Anatomy, micro, nursing, physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology… the heart is so fascinating in every capacity! I am absolutely amazed by it and at times can not even wrap my brain around the fact that it’s muscle never, ever gets a break and keeps us going from the time we are born till the time of our death. Wow!!!

Post from: Blisstree

Top 10 Hearty Trivia Facts…