- Does Preschool Boost Kids’ Long-Term Academic Success? Study Finds Mixed Results
- AI Might Spot Rare Diseases in Patients Years Earlier
- An Orangutan Healed Himself With Medicinal Plant
- Quit-Smoking Meds Not Working for You? Try Upping the Dose
- Fewer Americans Are Suffering Most Dangerous Form of Heart Attack
- Even Skipping Meat for One Meal Helps Liver Disease Patients
- You May Not Have to Fast Before Catheter-Based Heart Test, Study Suggests
- EPA Earmarks $3 Billion to Replace Lead Pipes Nationwide
- Johnson & Johnson Will Pay $6.5 Billion to Settle Talc Ovarian Cancer Lawsuits
- No Sign of Bird Flu in Ground Beef, USDA Says
Mutant Gene Spurs Dangerous Heart Condition in Newfoundland Dogs: Study
Researchers have pinpointed a gene mutation that causes a potentially deadly heart condition in Newfoundland dogs.
The inherited condition — called subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS) — also affects children and other dog breeds. Surgery can correct the problem in children, but not in dogs, the researchers noted.
In dogs, SAS shows up in the heart as a ridge or ring of abnormal tissue growth below the aortic valve that restricts blood flow from the heart into the aorta. The condition can cause fainting, sudden collapse, irregular heart rate or sudden death.
Dogs with mild SAS can have a normal lifespan, but those with the severe form are likely to die before they are 4.5 years old, even if they receive medications.
The researchers identified the gene mutation associated with canine SAS after analyzing thousands of genes in Newfoundland dogs. The mutation occurs in a gene called PICALM, according to the study published recently in the journal Human Genetics.
The same gene mutation has been linked to the formation of plaque-like lesions in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to study leader Dr. Joshua Stern, a veterinary cardiologist at the University of California, Davis.
“Our hope now is that breeders will be able to make informed breeding decisions and avoid breeding dogs that harbor this mutation, thus gradually eliminating the disease from the Newfoundland breed,” Stern said in a university news release.
“In addition, now that we know one gene is responsible for SAS and more about which proteins are involved, we can move forward to consider novel therapies that may help treat this devastating condition,” he added.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about congenital heart defects in people.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.