Duration of visit: 1st August 2013-31 August 2013
Excellence Cluster CardioPulmonary System (ECCPS), Giessen, Germany
Director: Prof. Ralph Schermuly
Gerald’s PhD project investigates the cardioprotective effects of a natural product called melatonin in rat model of monocrotaline induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This model develops PAH as an underlying cause which leads to cardiac hypertrophy. Gerald’s PhD assesses the effects of melatonin on cardiac hypertrophy but as melatonin may reverse/improve the underlying PAH it will also reverse he cardiac hypertrophy leaving no opportunity for Gerald to study the molecular processes of this hypertrophic process. For this reason he will need to test melatonin in a model that does in fact develop cardiac hypertrophy without PAH. Such a model is the rat model of pulmonary artery banding during which these animals develop pressure overload induced cardiac hypertrophy or more specifically, right ventricular hypertrophy.
This model is unfortunately unvailable in South Africa (SA) but has already been established at the ECCPS in Germany by our colleagues where I was given an opportunity to acquire the skills from the model at their laboratory. During my stay , I learnt how to perform the surgical procedure to induce hypertrophy in these animals as well as acquiring the technique of specialized histological staining to assess pulmonary muscularisation, medical thickening and cardiomyocyte size. Furthermore, I learned how to perform right heart catheterisation for the measurement of cardiac hemodynamic parameters. This I performed with the Millar catheter or custom made fluid filled catheter. None, of the above techniques are currently available at the Hatter Institute, therefore, I am on the verge of establishing it there.
Comments are closed.
Visiting NIH Millennium Chronic Disease Leadership Programme PhD candidates Jul 4, 2014
Hatter Students Graduate – 20 June 2014 Jun 28, 2014
ANNUAL B-A-HEF STUDY MEETING: 26th & 27th May 2014 Jun 2, 2014
Titin gene mutations are common in families with both peripartum cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Mar 24, 2014
EBRU ERTEKIN, visiting medical student from Erasmus Medical University, Rotterdam Oct 29, 2013
Ventricular function. In: Essential Cardiology, Principles and Practice Oct 3, 2013
Upcoming Travels: Staff & Students Jul 9, 2013
