doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000084643.24676.28
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(Circulation. 2003;107:e9055.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.
Cardiovascular News
Circulation Newswriter
An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract. |
Looking for the Genes for Familial Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections
A third locus for familial thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections has been mapped by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston, and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, as well as the University of Iowa.
In a report in this week’s issue of the journal Circulation (Circulation. 2003;107:3184–3190), researchers led by Sumera N. Hasham, MD, described studying a 4-generation family with a dominant mode of inheritance of the disorder. None of the family members evaluated for the study had symptoms characteristic of Marfan’s syndrome. After determining that the family’s disorder did not stem from a known locus for a defective gene, researchers carried out a genome-wide scan. The locus was mapped to a small region at 3p24-25.
In the future, the researchers hope to determine if the locus termed TAAD2 is allelic to MFS2 (a locus of a defective gene associated with Marfan’s syndrome). The researchers said they hope identification of the defective gene associated with this familial disorder will improve diagnosis of the disease in individuals before they begin to demonstrate symptoms, as well as provide information about the cause of the condition.
Automated External Defibrillators in Children
With the growing number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places and their increasing use by lay people, the likelihood that they will be used in children who weigh less than 50 pounds and who are under the age of 8 years is growing.