Amazing information about the heart: from its formation in
the womb to the influence of music and space
Scientists from Perm University have compiled a collection of little-known facts about the human body's main organ - from the first heartbeat in the womb to the heart muscle's response to music and space.
Dr. Sergei Solodnikov explained that the heart begins to form in the second week of pregnancy, and the first contractions are recorded between the twenty-first and twenty-third days, that is, around the fourth week. By the eighth week, the heart acquires its four-chambered structure.
The heart
beats on average about 100,000 times a day
and its pulse rate depends not only on age and gender
but also on mood, class, and body temperature.
For example
a woman's heart beats faster than a man's heart, while the heart rate of individuals with an anxious or sad mood is higher than that of those with a calm mood.
Researcher Norslo Kdryeva points out that
gender differences affect life expectancy. Men lose the elasticity of their blood vessels earlier due to low testosterone levels after the age of thirty, while estrogen protects women's blood vessels for a longer period, making a woman's average lifespan about 10 years longer.
In space
the heart behaves unusually; due to zero gravity and fluid redistribution
its volume decreases, but it regains its normal state upon returning to Earth.
Studies have also shown that music can synchronize the heartbeat; soothing melodies slow its pulse, and Johannes Brahms's pieces produce the greatest rhythmic harmony.
Scientists estimate that the heart
even at rest
- produces up to 2.5 gigajoules of energy per day
- enough to drive a car 32 kilometers, which is
- equivalent to a round trip to the moon.
Experts have warned against
the common myth that red wine is good for the heart. Solodnikov confirmed that ethanol and its decomposition products harm the heart muscle and blood vessels, and increase the risk of irregular heartbeat and strokes.
Instead
- it is recommended to strengthen
- the heart through a healthy diet that
- includes fish, vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Scientists reveal how the human heart can repair itself!
Scientists have studied in detail the ways the heart restores itself after a heart attack (myocardial infarction), hoping to find evidence that could lead to better treatments for cardiovascular problems.
New research has revealed that the body's immune response and the lymphatic system (part of the immune system) are essential in the way the heart repairs itself after a heart attack that caused heart muscle damage.
The key to
the study was to discover the role played by macrophages, specialized cells that can destroy bacteria or initiate beneficial inflammatory responses. The researchers reported that they are the first responders somewhere after a heart attack, as this connective tissue produces a specific type of protein called VEGFC.
We found that macrophages
or immune cells that rush into the heart after a heart attack, 'eat up' damaged or dead tissue, also stimulate vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC)
which stimulates the formation of new lymphatic vessels and promotes healing," says pathologist Edward Thorpe of Northwestern University in Illinois.
The researchers describe it as a Jekyll-Hyde scenario:
a "good" connective produces VEGFC and a "bad" connective does not produce any VEGFC but causes a pro-inflammatory response that can cause further damage to the heart and surrounding tissues.
In order for the heart to fully repair itself
- dying cells must be removed
- a process known as connective
- cell proliferation in
which macrophages play an important role. What future research could then examine is how to increase the number of beneficial macrophages in the heart and reduce - or even eliminate
the number of
harmful macrophages, enhancing the chances of healthy recovery.
"The challenge we face now is to find a way to either administer VEGFC or persuade this connective tissue to induce more VEGFC, in order to speed up the heart repair process," Thorpe says.
When people have a heart attack, they are more likely to develop heart failure, as the heart becomes unable to pump blood throughout the body.
This risk can be reduced with modern medications
such as beta blockers, but it still exists.