2003 HBP news tips( oot.com>pierre.fesler@bigfoot.com . ...),Health

4 p.m. Abstract P61 High potassium diet may protect brain from stroke damage. In an animal study, researchers have shown for the first time that dietary potassium significantly reduced the size of a stroke. Scientists fed rats either a low-potassium (Low K) or high-potassium (High K) diet for six weeks. At the end of the diet, a stroke was induced. Later, the researchers measured the part of the brain that had lost blood supply during the stroke. They measured percentage of the hemisphere affected. Rats fed the High K diet showed damage in 37 percent of the affected hemisphere, while rats on the Low K diet had 56 percent damage. The researchers believe potassium protects the brain by affecting cellular processes that expand the blood vessels in the brain. Anne M. Dorrance, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta; (706) 721-8901; adorrance@mail.mcg.edu.
*presentation time is 5:50 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003

4 p.m. Abstract 21 Hypertension genes pinpointed. Researchers say they have validated that two genes on chromosome 2 influence blood pressure in humans. Humans have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) that contain genetic material. Chromosome 2 has been consistently identified as a region of the human genome that affects blood pressure levels, researchers said. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Family Blood Pressure Program has concentrated its efforts to narrow down the area of chromosome 2 to identify gene(s) for high blood pressure. They looked at the genetic "map" of chromosome 2 from 1,411 non-Hispanic whites, 1,696 African Americans and 1,649 Hispanics. Their search turned up two genes called SLC4A5 and SLC9A2. Both of these genes are expressed in the kidney and are involved with transporting material across cell membranes -- one transports sodium bicarbonate, the other exchanges sodi
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Contact: Carole Bullock
carole.bullock@heart.org
214-706-1279
American Heart Association
25-Sep-2003