Here are some Friday links for you…

Novel Way to Prevent Cardiac Fibrosis Identified- In a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis — the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage — researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body’s pro- and anti-fibrotic response.

Chocolate Bar Shown To Lower Cholesterol- “Eating two CocoaVia dark chocolate bars a day not only lowered cholesterol, it had the unexpected effect of also lowering systolic blood pressure,” said John Erdman, a U. of I. professor of food science and human nutrition.

Heart Derived Stem Cells Develop Into Heart Muscle- Dutch researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute have succeeded in growing large numbers of stem cells from adult human hearts into new heart muscle cells.

“Engineering blood vessels for bypass surgery, promoting the formation of new blood vessels or regenerating new skin tissue using stem cells obtained from the most accessible source — hair follicles — is a real possibility,” said Stelios T. Andreadis, Ph.D., co-author of the paper in Cardiovascular Research and associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Researchers in the past have shown that there are stem cells in hair follicles but the newest study shows that the hair contains the smooth muscle that can regrow vasculature. Better yet, the engineered blood vessels prepared with smooth muscle progenitor cells from the hair follicles were capable of dilating and constricting which is essential for re-generated cardiac tissue.

Oh I get so excited at this type of research.

via University at Buffalo

Our last poll of 2007! Have a happy and safe new year!