SMILE REHAB
REJUVENATION DENTISTRY
SENSITIVE TEETH
Scientists Create Heart Mu
Haifa, Israel
R
esearchers at the Technion-
Israel Institute of Technology
have created new heart
muscle with its own blood supply using
human embryonic stem cells.
The researchers say the newly engi-
neered muscle could replace cardiac
tissue damaged in heart attacks. Their
study was published online Jan. 11 in
the journal Circulation Research.
According to Professor Shulamit
Levenberg of the Technion biomedical
engineering department and Professor
Lior Gepstein of the faculty of medi-
cine, this is the first time that three-
dimensional human cardiac tissue
complete with blood vessels have been
constructed.
Despite progress over the past two
decades in treating cardiac disease,
there are few good ways to fix damaged
heart muscle. One possibility would be
to rebuild a broken heart with a trans-
plant of healthy heart tissue.
However, scientists have been
stymied in these efforts by a lack of
human heart tissue to work with and
the failure of transplanted tissue to
thrive in its new home. The heart tissue
grown by the Technion researchers has
a greater chance of survival because
it is threaded throughout with a net-
work of tiny blood vessels that would
improve the tissue's survival after
being transplanted in a human heart,
Levenberg says.
The researchers engineered the heart
muscle by seeding a sponge-like, three-
dimensional plastic scaffold with heart
muscle cells and blood vessel cells pro-
duced by human embryonic stem cells,
along with cells called embryonic fibro-
blasts. Levenberg's team used a similar
technique in 2005 to grow skeletal
muscle from scratch, and she says the
lessons learned from that study helped
in designing the heart muscle.
For instance, the skeletal muscle
study showed that it was important to
grow all the different cell types together
on the scaffold, and that fibroblasts
were key to supporting the blood vessel
walls as they developed.
The scientists conducted several tests
to make sure the new muscle looked
and behaved like heart tissue. Four to
six days after being seeded on the scaf-
fold, patches of the new muscle cells
began to contract together, a move-
ment that spread until the entire tissue
scaffold was beating like normal heart
muscle. The researchers are prepar-
ing to transplant the tissue into living
hearts in animals to study how well
the heart muscle adapts to its new sur-
roundings.
Levenberg says the technique might
also prove useful in engineering tissues
for other organs, such as the liver. It
could also have unique applications for
studies of cardiac development, func-
tion and tissue replacement therapy. I
One of the most common problems that bring people to our office is sensitive
teeth. If your teeth hurt with exposure to cold air, hot or cold food and
beverages, or sweets, you may have sensitive teeth.
What causes sensitive teeth?
Offen, teeth are sensitive because the dentin layer
of the tooth had become exposed. The dentin is
the middle layer of the tooth. Above the gums, the
dentin layer is normally covered by an outer layer,
called the enamel and on the roots.
One way dentin can become exposed is when
the enamel is worn away. Brushing too hard,
using a medium- or hard-bristled toothbrush,
using an abrasive 'tartar-control" or 'whitening"
toothpaste, grinding or clenching your teeth,
can all expose the dentin. Some dental
procedures may temporarily expose the
dentin, leading to short-term sensitivity.
It you have sensitive teeth and are
concerned, please don't hesitate
to call our office.
ROBERT P. DI PILLA DDS PC
FELLOW ACADEMY OF GENERAL DENT STRY
Catch Your Breat h
Detroit will be the theme of the
American Lung Association of
Michigan's (ALAM) kickoff for its
yearlong, statewide Catch Your Breath:
Women's Lung Health Campaign to
raise awareness about the importance
of lung health among women.
The kickoff event, "Don't Hold Your
Breath: A Fashionable Event for Men
and Women;' will be held at 6 p.m.
Friday, March 30, at the Radisson
Bloomfield Hills Grand Ballroom.
The evening will feature local celebri-
ties and fashions by Prodigy of Royal
Oak and Hersh's of West Bloomfield.
Foods and snacks from Detroit, includ-
ing Coney Island hot dogs, Better Made
Potato Chips, Faygo and Vernor's soda,
will be among the items served. Music
will have a Detroit flair as Inside Out
presents a Motown revue.
Proceeds from the event will pro-
mote women's lung health awareness,
research, advocacy and education.
According to ALAM, more women than
men are threatened by or have lung dis-
ease. Nearly 10,000 Michigan women
are living with lung diseases, such as
lung cancer, asthma, emphysema and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
while thousands more have died.
During the yearlong Catch Your
Breath Campaign, ALAM will host edu-
cational opportunities and awareness
events to encourage women to be atten-
tive to their lungs.
Detroit-area philanthropist Maggie
Allesee of Bloomfield Hills will chair
the kickoff event, which is open to the
public.
Reservation deadline is Friday, March
16. Cost is $75. Guests may pay at the
door, send a check to the American
Lung Association of Michigan, 25900
Greenfield, Suite 401, Oak Park, MI
48237, or charge their tickets.
For information, contact Pam Ayres,
(248) 784-2000.
M I B U N
It's more than a massage.
It's more than an experience. And there
is nothin•like it in the entire world.
PteseaT
and lestea*"ett
WOW lien
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1248J 539-9985 124131 393-0885
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February 22 0 2007
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