adjunct therapy - supplemental therapy that is used with a primary treatment to help improve patient outcome.
allograft - tissue transplanted between individuals of the same species, for example, transplantation of skin from a human cadaver or of fibroblast-based tissue from a donor to a recipient (Anginera is such an allograft tissue).
angina - chest pain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart muscle tissue.
angiogenesis - process of forming blood vessels in living tissue.
arteriole - A tiny artery, especially a terminal artery continuous with the capillary network.
autograft - (such as an autologous skin graft) - surgical transplantation of any tissue from one part of the body to another location in the same body.
bioengineering - application of engineering principles to living structures, as in construction of tissue and artificial organs.
cell-based therapy - any treatment that utilized living human cells to provide a benefit; examples include living tissues such as Dermagraft (for wound healing) and Anginera (for heart treatment) as well as implantation of pancreatic islet cells for diabetes, etc.
coronary heart disease (ischemic heart disease) - Nr. 1 cause of death in U.S. It causes reduced blood flow to the heart; typically caused by arteriosclerosis, a calcification of the arteries.
congestive heart failure (CHF) - inability of the heart muscle to pump sufficient blood to the lungs and rest of the body due to loss of contractile (squeezing) function.
coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) - surgical procedure, usually open-chest, where blocked blood vessels are "bypassed" by a vein or artery which allows blood to flow around the obstruction, to improve blood flow and heart function.
cyropreservation - preservation of biological materials at a very low temperature; in the case of living tissues, the process involves freezing and then thawing in a way that protects the cells and allows them to survive the process.
cytokines - intercellular mediators for signals, for example, chemicals that are involved in growth regulation, such as those that stimulate fibroblast migration and proliferation.
diffuse distal disease - condition where there are multiple blockages of the small downstream (distal) coronary arteries; these vessels are too small for CABG to be used.
echocardiography - use of ultrasound waves to look at structural and functional abnormalities of the heart (similar to the use of ultrasound In pregnancy).
ejection fraction - (EF) or, more correctly, left-ventricular ejection fraction, is a measure of how much blood the left ventricle of the heart pumps out with each contraction. The EF is a very important measure in cardiology as it indicates the degree to which the pumping function of the heart is damaged. Patients with CHF, for example, have a low EF.
epicardium - the outer layer of heart tissue, or surface of the heart. It is actually a part of the pericardium, called the visceral pericardium.
fibroblast - a cell that makes the structural fibers and ground substance of connective tissue. Fibroblasts, for example, make collagen and the other elements of human dermis (skin). The tissue portion of Anginera is comprised on human fibroblast cells.
gene therapy - insertion of genes into an individual's cells and tissues to treat a disease by getting them to make missing factors.
growth factor - a protein that is involved in cell differentiation and growth.
infarction - necrosis (tissue death) due to upstream obstruction of its arterial blood supply. It is most closely associated with atherosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries") and the sudden event we call a "heart attack".
ischemia - oxygen deficiency in organ tissues that may be due to constriction of obstruction in vessels supplying blood to a particular body part. Can lead to a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction); (see below).
left ventricle - chamber on the left side of the heart that receives the arterial blood from the left atrium and contracts to force it into the aorta and out to the body.
matrix protein - proteins such as collagen, fibronectin, elastin, etc. that make up the matrix of tissues.
myocardium - The middle layer of the heart, consisting of cardiac muscle. Other heart tissues are the endocardium (inner lining), epicardium (outer surface) and the pericardium (connective tissue membrane or "sac" around the heart). Coronary arteries supply blood to the myocardium. If these arteries are occluded (obstructed) by atherosclerosis and/or thrombosis (blood clots), this can lead to myocardial infarction or angina pectoris.
myocardial infarction - necrosis (tissue death) of a region of the myocardium caused by an interruption in the supply of blood to the heart, usually as a result of occlusion of a coronary artery.
myocardial ischemia - ischemia (oxygen deficiency) to the heart muscle.
perfusion - process of delivering arterial blood to the cells and tissues of the body.
pericardium - membranous sac enclosing the heart and the roots of the great vessels, consisting of two layers: the epicardium or visceral layer, immediately surrounding the heart; and the outer parietal layer, which forms the sac and is lined with a serous membrane. The epicardial layer is so closely attached to the heart muscle that it appears to actually be the outermost layer of the heart.
peripheral vascular disease - disease of the arteries and veins of the legs or arms that disturb the blood flow; can result from atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries" leading to stenosis (blockage), and blood clots. It causes either acute or chronic ischemia with initial symptoms of pain and later damage to structures (such as nerves).
regenerative medicine - a newer approach in medicine aimed at restoring function to damages body organs and tissues.
revascularization - Reestablishment of blood supply to a part or organ by reestablishing new blood vessels.
scaffolding - a synthetic or biologic framework that provides a structure on which tissue can grow.
tissue engineering - a process involving the controlled ex vivo (outside the body) growth of living tissues and organs on three-dimensional support structures using the principles of cell biology, biochemistry and polymer science.
vascularization - development of new blood vessels in tissue.