Arrhythmia unraveled

Approximately half of all individuals implanted with pacemakers suffer from sinus node dysfunction. A new study of one such patient reveals a previously unknown mutation in the gene thought to primarily regulate the rhythmicity of the beating heart.

TITLE: Pacemaker channel dysfunction in a patient with sinus node disease

CONTACT:
Schulze-Bahr, Eric
Department of Cardiology, Hospital of the University of Mnster, Mnster, Germany.
Phone: 49-251-835-2982
E-mail: heart@uni-muenster.de

View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/press/16750.pdf

Throwing lupus for a loop

Lupus, an autoimmune disease primarily affecting women of childbearing age, is treated with steroids that often leave patients susceptible to infections, diabetes, and high blood pressure. A new study in non-human primates reports that treatment with specific antibodies can reverse established disease without the side effects associated with current steroid-based therapies.

TITLE: CD137 costimulatory T cell receptor engagement reverses acute disease in NZB x NZW F1 lupus-prone mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Robert Mittler
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Phone: 404-727-9425
Fax: 404-727-8199
E-mail: rmittler@rmy.emory.edu

View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/press/17662.pdf

Programmed death of cardiac cells can cause heart failure

TITLE: A mechanistic role for cardiac myocyte apoptosis in heart failure

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Richard Kitsis
Albert Einstein College Of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Phone 1: 718-430-2609
Phone 2:
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Contact: Brooke Grindlinger
science_editor@the-jci.org
212-342-9006
Journal of Clinical Investigation
15-May-2003