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A single protein could stop sudden death after heart attacks

A team at Massachusetts General Hospital uncovered that an immune defense protein, Resistin-like molecule gamma, attacks heart cells after a heart attack—literally punching holes in them. This discovery explains why dangerous, fast heart rhythms can strike after an infarction. By removing this molecule in mice, the researchers reduced deadly arrhythmias twelvefold, suggesting that targeting immune-driven damage could open a new path to preventing sudden cardiac death.

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