Change the Laminin, Change the Cardiomyocyte: Improve Untreatable Heart Failure.

No effective medical treatment exists for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), accounting for approximately half of all heart failure cases. The elevated passive myocardial stiffness in HFpEF is attributed to a combination of alterations in the extracellular matrix (ECM) collagen content and modifications in the sarcomeric protein titin. Here, we propose polylaminin, a biomimetic polymer of laminin, as a promising approach for manipulating the titin isoform shift and phosphorylation in cardiomyocytes.

Investigation of ion channel gene variants in patients with long QT syndrome.

Background: The long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmia syndrome with increased QT interval and risk of sudden death. Mutations in genes KCNQ1, KCNH2 and SCN5A account for 90% of cases with genotype determined, and genotyping is informative for genetic counseling and better disease management.

Objective: Molecular investigation and computational analysis of gene variants of KCNQ1, KCNH2 and SCN5A associated with LQTS, in families with the disease.