UK researchers have developed a
revolutionary new gene therapy which may pave way for a single jab to
help reverse the damage caused by a devastating heart failure. The gene
could restore proper pumping function to failing hearts, halving the
risk of death or need for heart transplants, experts behind the
ground-breaking treatment claim. "While drugs can offer some relief,
there is no way of restoring function to the heart," British Heart
Foundation (BHF) medical director Professor Peter Weissberg said. "Gene
therapy is one of the new frontiers in heart science and is a great
example of the cutting-edge technologies that the BHF is using to fight
heart failure," Weissberg said. A trial is to start in the next three
to six weeks with the first of 200 patients from around the world being
treated at hospitals in London and Glasgow, 'Daily Express' reported.
All the patients suffer from severe chronic heart failure, both due to
the after effects of heart attacks and inherited conditions. Doctors at
the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, and the Golden Jubilee National
Hospital, Glasgow, will randomly treat half the patients with a harmless
common cold virus carrying a corrective gene directly inserted into
heart cells via an artery in the groin or wrist. The rest will receive
an inactive placebo. The report said the gene has the potential to
reverse some of the molecular damage brought on by a heart attack,
alcohol, disease or infection. Once damage is caused, heart failure
occurs soon – the organ gets too weak to pump blood efficiently around
the body, leading to breathlessness and exhaustion. The treatment is
believed to cost just a few hundred to a few thousands pounds per
person.
Legendary playback singer Manna Dey, who mesmerised generations of listeners with his inimitable voice for over five decades with hits like 'ay mere pyara watan', 'laaga chunri me daag' and 'poocho na kaise', died at a hospital here today at the age of 94 after prolonged illness. Dey, who was in and out of Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in the last five months for respiratory and renal problems, died of cardiac arrest with his daughter Shumita Deb and son-in-law Jnanranjan Deb by his bedside when the end came at 3.50 AM. The condition of Dey, who had made Bangalore his home for the last many years, deteriorated since yesterday afternoon, hospital spokesman Vasuki said. With the demise of Dey, the void has become complete in the famous quartet of singers Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar, who dominated the Hindi music industry from 1950s to 1970s. The mortal remains of Dey, whose unique voice lent a rare dimension to his persona, were cremate...
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