Ok, its not just the stroke medical world that is stupid. Throughout this article they never once consider that maybe the gas is the cause of better outcomes. Something similar was tried for stroke and the assumption was also that the vibration was the effective factor rather that the xenon gas in the bubbles.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=128689&CultureCode=en
Scientists from the Bonn University Hospital successfully tested a
method in mice allowing the morphological and functional sequelae of a
myocardial infarction to be reduced. Tiny gas bubbles are made to
oscillate within the heart via focused ultrasound - this improves
microcirculation and decreases the size of the scar tissue. The results
show that the mice, following myocardial infarction, have improved
cardiac output as a result of this method, as compared to untreated
animals. The study is now being presented in the professional journal
PLOS ONE.
Every year in Germany, approximately 280,000 people suffer a
myocardial infarction; more than 52,000 die as a result. Due to an
occluded vessel, parts of the heart muscle no longer have sufficient
circulation and the tissue dies off. These regions are not replaced by
new heart muscle cells but instead by scar tissue – this generally
causes the pump function of the heart to decrease following an
infarction. Scientists from the Bonn University Hospital have now
successfully tested a new method on mice with which scar tissue can be
reduced and cardiac output increased.
Microbubbles are made to oscillate within the heart
“There are attempts to treat the scar tissue with gene therapy or
stem cells - by contrast, we have chosen a physical approach to
treatment,“ reports Adj. Professor Dr. med. Alexander Ghanem from the
Department of Cardiology of the Bonn University Hospital. The
researchers injected a total of 17 mice which had previously had a
myocardial infarction with microscopically small, gas-filled bubbles in
the bloodstream. Once the microbubbles reached the heart, they were made
to vibrate there using focused ultrasound. “Through this mechanical
stimulation, the circulation of the area of the infarction is improved -
and the scar shrinks,“ says the cardiac specialist.
Treated animals demonstrate ameliorated post-infarction remodelling
The scientists compared the results of the mice treated with the
microbubbles to those of a control group. Two weeks after the myocardial
infarction, there was expected worsening of heart function in the
control group due to the maturing of the scar tissue. In contrast, the
mice treated with the microbubbles did not develop any cardiac
insufficiency. Jonas Dörner, the first author of the study, summarizes
the results: “The pumping function was significantly better in the
treated animals as compared to the control group; there was also a
significantly smaller amount of decayed heart muscle tissue.” Along with
the Department of Cardiology, the Departments of Cardiac Surgery and
Anesthesiology and the Institute of Physiology took part in the
investigations.
Ultrasound treatment stimulates growth hormones
The scientists sought the causes of the positive treatment success
which is, however, unexplained to date. Following ultrasound treatment
of the mice, it was demonstrated that the amount of the body’s own
growth hormones significantly increased in the heart. “This is evidently
the reason why the scar formation decreased as a result of the
oscillating microbubbles,“ says Dr. Ghanem. The scientists now hope that
humans will also be able to eventually be treated with the
microbubble-ultrasound method, however further investigations are still
needed. “Potentially, all patients who have had an acute myocardial
infarction are eligible for this follow-up treatment,“ explains the
cardiologist of the Bonn University Hospital. Interestingly,
microbubbles are already used as a diagnostic contrast agent.
Patent for novel ultrasound method filed
The study, conducted with support from the BONFOR funding program of
the Medical Faculty of Bonn University and the German Heart Foundation
[Deutsche Herzstiftung e.V.], gave rise to a patent application.
“Together with the company Philips Medical, we developed a novel
ultrasonic probe which enables a standardized impulse discharge in the
heart,“ reports the cardiologist. The special feature is that two
ultrasound sources linked together are contained in one hybrid
ultrasonic probe: one with low frequency for the focused stimulation of
the microbubbles in the target organ and one with higher frequency for
imaging. In this way, it can be very precisely determined where the scar
tissue and the microbubbles are located. “This study demonstrates again
that university research inspires technological developments in
medicine,“ says Dr. Ghanem.
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