If left untreated, it can lead to blindness, kidney failure, stroke and amputations, in addition to the strong risk of cardiovascular disease. Complications from cardiovascular disease are the leading cause of death among diabetics, resulting in more than 80 percent of all deaths. Diabetics have fewer warning signs of heart attack, increased mortality during the first year after a heart attack, poorer response to angioplasty, and high rates of congestive heart failure, according to the researchers. The research will determine the role of a compound, endothelin-1, in the development of heart failure in diabetics. The concentration of this compound in the blood is increased in individuals with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Concentrations also are high in other diseases, most of which primarily affect the heart and kidney.
In all cases, the researchers state that a significant correlation between increased plasma levels of endothelin-1 and the seriousness of the disorder has been observed. It's hoped that such therapies will dramatically decrease the cardiovascular related deaths in the diabetic population. He will be joined in the four-year research by colleagues Kumar Rajappan, Atanu Roy and Cliff Yin, all in the Department of Chemistry. Viral mRNA is the biological molecule that serves as the link between genetic information of the virus and the proteins and enzymes that function to produce new viral particles. The NIH selected Schneller's research to address its concern over the reemergence of smallpox at a time of waning immunity and a heightened threat of bioterrorism, and, to gain a better understanding of the orthopoxviruses.