essay about dr magdi yacoub

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A surgeon and a maverick: the wonderful life of magdi yacoub.

The notion of heart surgery and the science that informs it is often an obscure landscape for many of us. It is a world for the privileged and gifted and the few honoured to enter its orbit.

Yet, veteran journalists Simon Pearson and Fiona Gorman have penned the biography of one of the most remarkable heart surgeons of the 20th century, Magdi Yacoub, animating the topography of surgery, biomedicine, research, and healthcare for a broader audience.

Their new book, A Surgeon and a Maverick: The Life and Pioneering Work of Magdi Yacoub , is not simply about Yacoub’s extensive and distinctive professional career but an all-encompassing examination of his life and how his personality and incentives drove his accomplishments.

"From pioneering work with aortic root and valve disease to developing the arterial switch, Yacoub has been universally acknowledged by world leaders and clerics for pushing the boundaries of surgical endeavours"

The book is an intimate portrait of the man who humbly calls himself an ordinary man despite his colossal achievements and the illimitable individuals that would become intertwined in his story.

Born in Belbeis, a small town on the banks of the Nile in Egpyt, to a Coptic Christian family, Magdi Habib Yacoub would grow to be one of the world's most formidable scientists and surgeons. Knighted in 1992 and awarded the highest honour in the gift of the Queen, the Order of Merit, 2014.

Yacoub has pioneered advances in heart surgery, leaving a multigenerational impact. While the book is permeated with medical vernacular, this tale transcends boundaries, exemplifying a life in service to humanity and knowledge.

Sir Magdi Yacoub is best known for performing the UK's first combined heart and lung transplant in 1983 [Getty Images]

Magdi Yacoub: A life of firsts

Born in 1935, Yacoub was always precocious and had an impressive academic record. However, it was the death of his aunt from heart disease caused by rheumatic fever that would ignite his lifelong career in medicine.

While his family did not always encourage him in his ambitions, he nonetheless felt more determined, always doing things unconventionally. This sentiment would shape his adult life, earning him the title of Maverick. He would rise among the top graduates as a medical student at Cairo University.

In 1956, during the Suez Crisis, when Britain collaborated with France and Israel to invade Egypt, Yacoub was recruited by the civil defence organisation and sent to the canal as a part of the medical team.

Although he committed to remaining apolitical, Yacoub recalled, “I didn’t want to mix with activists. My focus was medicine and humanity. I have never veered from that position.” He forged relationships with influential professors and gained prominence for his acuity, stamina, and compassion.

While medical education in Egypt flourished, advances abroad drew in Yacoub. He eventually left his homeland for Britain under the auspices of working with Professor Sir Russel Brock. Brock was an inspirational figure who worked at Guy’s and the Royal Brompton Hospital and pioneered open heart surgery.

His career is marked by partnerships with other remarkable surgeons, researchers, and grateful patients. He would go on to make salient advancements in cardiac surgery and, more notably, be the first surgeon to perform a heart-lung transplant in Europe in 1983.

Despite national outrage, he never wavered, navigating fierce debates on the ethics and legality of organ donation, and would later establish the longest-running transplant program at Harefield Hospital in its eponymous rural and idyllic village.

A brief stint in America revealed the strength of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to Yacoub. He would remain perplexed by the inequity in American healthcare despite their achievements in medicine, an attitude that continues to emphatically echo today. In retirement, he continues to work in research and bolster charities to make healthcare more accessible to impoverished communities.

Egyptian juror takes on mob justice in rural Coptic town

The book results from over forty interviews with Yacoub, who remains deeply engaged in medicine and humanitarian work despite his age and retirement. We are exposed to many facets of a marvellous man. His intelligence is indubitably unmatched, and still, he is described as regularly being self-composed and warm.

Numerous accounts of his patients and their families are documented by Pearson and Gorman to give a comprehensive and almost cinematic overview of his influence.

The reader is introduced to the complexities of several cardiac procedures, such as heart-lung transplants, heart valve surgery, and the Ross procedure, in which a diseased heart valve is replaced by the patient’s pulmonary valve and the atrial switch. These operations' poetic precision is conveyed tactfully for the lay reader juxtaposed with Yacoub’s life as a father, husband, colleague, and mentor and a look into his love for music, gardening, and even fast cars.

A heart of gold: Magdi Yacoub the humanitarian

Furthermore, his philosophy on healthcare and community is heartening. He approached all patients with the resolve to help them, taking on often deemed hopeless cases.

Yacoub regards the NHS as the best healthcare model to follow and is passionate about its history and unifying forces. He was always troubled by the inequities in healthcare delivery, wondering how to redress them. When he was in America, it became clear that while American medicine was outstanding, the healthcare system had conformed to a profit-driven and capitalistic industry for which he had no tolerance.

Decades later, little has changed. The American insurance-based system continues to bankrupt people, forcing them to choose between debt or survival. In contrast, the British NHS is a nationwide socialised system funded by taxes, making it more attainable. While both systems need improvement, according to Yacoub, the primary ethos of healthcare as a right and not a privilege must be the foundation.

Coptic Christians must renew their solidarity with Palestine

From pioneering work with aortic root and valve disease to developing the arterial switch, Yacoub has been universally acknowledged by world leaders and clerics for pushing the boundaries of surgical endeavours. His techniques have been life-changing for thousands of families.

The story of Magdi Yacoub is memorable regardless of one’s life path. It is marked by his indefatigability, imagination, and empathy. Moreover, his work has always been underpinned by the belief that healthcare is a human right and uncovering ways to make it unrestricted to all.

He is a man who has acquired wealth in unprecedented ways but has never considered money as an end in itself but rather a means of achieving a fairer world.

Although Madgi Yacoub is celebrated globally for being at the forefront of surgical innovation, Pearson and Gorman’s book will allow his enchanting charisma to radiate and reach a far-ranging audience, amplifying his influence. Whether or not you are interested in the medical field, Yacoub’s tale will impassion anyone striving to create a more just and honourable society.

Noshin Bokth has over six years of experience as a freelance writer. She has covered a wide range of topics and issues including the implications of the Trump administration on Muslims, the Black Lives Matter movement, travel reviews, book reviews, and op-eds. She is the former Editor in Chief of Ramadan Legacy and the former North American Regional Editor of the Muslim Vibe

Follow her on Twitter: @BokthNoshin

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Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the Leonardo da Vinci of cardiac surgery

Peter a. alivizatos.

a Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, DallasTexas

b Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, AthensGreece

The second half of the 20th century witnessed the emergence and the triumph of cardiac surgery. One of the legends of the period is Sir Magdi H. Yacoub (1935–), pioneer surgeon, scientist, master craftsman, and philanthropist. Yacoub established heart transplantation in the United Kingdom and introduced a variety of new concepts and new operations. His recent work focuses on molecular cardiology. This personal reminiscence highlights his personality, his surgical dexterity, and his many accomplishments and honors.

I met Magdi Yacoub ( Figure 1 ) in his private consulting rooms near Harley Street in Central London in late July 1982, after finishing a year of pediatric cardiac surgery at the prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. He received me in a simple, friendly manner, sitting behind a large desk devoid of paperwork. Knowing him better later on, I would say that he had to receive me somewhere and chose this virtually empty room. It was better like that, because I was able to concentrate on his appearance without being distracted by a diploma or a photograph on the wall. The impression was astounding, as if some pharaoh had risen from the grave! The same swarthy skin, the same ancient, calm gaze in a perfectly noble face gave the impression that my interlocutor had lived and seen everything 3000 years before. As a surgeon I was impressed by his exceptionally delicate fingers, with unusual flexibility and dexterity. After two or three routine questions, he asked when I could start. The answer was “immediately!”

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Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the “Leonardo” of cardiac surgery.

Two days later I met his team at the private Hillside Hospital, a large two-story residence that had been transformed to accommodate his foreign patients. The “international” flavor was enhanced by a constant stream of European and overseas visitors, who would spend 6 months to a year with the master. In addition to the family atmosphere in this small facility, everyone’s admiration of Magdi was striking, despite the small moans about his indifference to punctuality. It could happen that we started surgery at 7 pm and he would come at 9 pm and continue well past midnight. Bernie Logan, his robust, regular anesthesiologist, took it well, but the diminutive Allan Gillston asked venomously: “When will the pharaoh deign to come to Killside ?”—using a witty pun to make a rather vitriolic joke.

BACKGROUND AND TRAINING

Magdi Yacoub (“M.Y.” to his colleagues), an Egyptian and a Christian Copt (b. 1935), came to England to train as a surgeon in 1962, because the Muslim regime in his country would not have allowed him to develop his talents. He worked first with Sir Russell Brock, well known for his pulmonary valvotomies at Guy’s Hospital. The two most famous students of Sir Russell, afterward Lord Bock, were Donald Ross, a South African surgeon and fellow student of Christiaan Barnard, and Magdi Yacoub. As Ross wrote, their boss, although a genius in the development of new ideas, was technically not particularly good. 1 To the same category belong Owen Wangensteen, the famous professor at the University of Minnesota, teacher of Lillehei and Shumway, and Alfred Blalock of Johns Hopkins, professor of Denton Cooley. 2 This bears out an American colleague’s pithy comment: “Great surgeons do not have ‘good hands,’ they’ve got ‘guts.’”

At the end of the 1960s, Magdi applied for a position at the historic Royal Brompton Hospital. Unfortunately for the Brompton, instead of the budding genius they chose an English surgeon with a historic name. And so only in 1973 was Magdi made a consultant at Harefield Hospital, west of London, which, due to its position in the country, was also a sanatorium. Built during the First World War, Harefield is a complex of small houses connected by long corridors. In this insignificant, anachronistic environment, Magdi Yacoub was to make major contributions to cardiac surgery and then create the greatest service for heart and lung transplants in the world, with more than 2500 cases up to the end of his career. Of course, no one could have predicted his meteoric rise, not even the people he worked with. He once suggested to Sir Peter Morris, the famous Oxford professor and authority on kidney transplantation, that together they should create a program at Harefield, perhaps the largest in the world, only to receive Morris’s condescending reply: “Are you being serious, Magdi? Can you imagine me at Harefield?” (M. Yacoub, personal communication).

SURGERY AT HAREFIELD

At Harefield, Magdi very quickly showed that he was an intellectual surgeon. He did not hesitate to apply new techniques or question established ones. He was also unbelievably skillful. His closest colleague there, the pediatric cardiology consultant Rosemary Radley-Smith, said: “Most good surgeons are only good technically. Magdi, on the other hand, has both innovative ideas and is a very fine surgeon.” And then she added: “Finesse is a characteristic of the very good surgeon.”

Although Donald Ross introduced antibiotic preserved “homografts” (more accurately allografts) to treat valvular diseases, 3 it took Yacoub’s industry to establish their widespread use. 4–7 The grafts were easily available (from the morgue). They were cheap and afforded excellent hemodynamics for the first few years. Implanted and unstented aortic homografts demonstrated their superiority over mechanical Starr-Edwards prostheses. 8 Initially there was great excitement, but after 5 years new diastolic murmurs were detected and acute heart failure developed because of torn cusps. Failed excised valves showed an intact structure but the collagen lattice was totally acellular; that is, they were not populated by the patient’s own cells. 1 Eventually, in the 1980s, the introduction of the Carpentier-Edwards bioprosthesis provided long and reliable service, even 15 years after implantation. 9–11

In the mid-1970s, successful correction of complete (“D”) transposition of the great arteries was reported (the so-called switch operation). 12 However, it was soon found that if surgery was undertaken several weeks after birth, the left ventricle would lose mass in facing the low-pressure pulmonary circuit and would not sustain the burden of systemic circulation after the repair. 13 Early results of the switch proved disappointing. At this point, Magdi Yacoub introduced a two-stage operation for correcting the anomaly. 14 The initial surgery consisted of banding the pulmonary artery proximally to increase the afterload to the left ventricle and strengthen it for the future definitive surgery. At the same time, an aortopulmonary Blalock-Hanlon shunt was constructed to improve oxygenation. Then, 4 months later, anatomical correction (“switch”) of the transposition would successfully be performed. 15

His stamina was monumental. He could work days and nights on end. Finishing at 3 am , he would snatch a couple of hours of sleep before starting the new day at Harefield or the National Heart Hospital. In the evening, after more than fulfilling his obligations to the National Health Service, he would operate at the Harley Street Clinic, the Princess Grace Hospital, or Hillside. He was always calm and had the utmost concentration, without making mistakes or losing his temper with coworkers because of lack of sleep. Even after two sleepless nights he was able to discuss data regarding some project we were about to present. His superhuman strength and tranquility disarmed everyone and I, of course, was no exception.

This complete imperturbability he maintained above all in the operating room. A characteristic reaction occurred the day that Paolo, a “svelte” Italian colleague from Naples, upon opening a chest for reoperation, managed to tear the patient’s right ventricle, superior vena cava, and aorta with his saw. This was an unprecedented catastrophe that Harken would surely have christened “the Paolo maneuver”! 16 Blood was running all over the floor, and Magdi was summoned. Donning gown and gloves but not stopping to scrub, he took the surgeon’s place. I expected the gates of hell to open for Paolo, but Magdi didn’t say a word. With the fingers of his left hand he hastily plugged the holes, and with his right hand he managed to place the purse strings and the cannulae and go on bypass in record time. Only when the patient was stable did he say: “Today, Paolo, you have been very naughty!” This incident only enhanced my growing admiration for the man.

Although he was absolutely calm in the operating room, he could not tolerate the slightest noise because, as he said, it stopped him “from thinking.” For him, surgery was not a simple mechanical process. His brain worked continuously, sifting through details and predicting the possible outcome. It was not unusual for him to finish the operation before completing all of the objectives we had set out. He would say: “This patient won’t tolerate any more. It’s better for him to come out alive and never mind if the operation wasn’t so perfect”—something that my perfectionist American teachers would not have espoused. Results proved him right.

HEART TRANSPLANTATION

Soon after, I moved on to Harefield Hospital as a clinical assistant, so I saw transplants performed by Magdi after he had harvested the heart ( Figure 2 ) . Fourteen cases had been done in 1980 following a moratorium imposed on heart transplantation in the United Kingdom due to poor results. Eleven more cases were done in 1981, with a small increase expected in 1982. I soon realized that the results were unsatisfactory because they were still following the protocols in use before the introduction of cyclosporine. They were a recipe for devastating infections, as I knew from my days at the Medical College of Virginia. That fall, therefore, the wonder drug was used for the first time. The instructions called for administering a generous loading dose before the operation and then large maintenance doses to prevent rejection. Cyclosporine’s harmful effect on the kidneys was not yet fully appreciated, and in a very short time recipients presented with acute renal failure. 17 Some required dialysis in London, from which they never returned. The two transplant registrars (senior residents) resigned in quick succession. I had no experience of cyclosporine but I knew something about other things, so Magdi was relieved to accept my offer to take an active part in the transplants.

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A heart in the hands of Sir Magdi, ready for implantation (1984).

The first donor heart Magdi and I harvested was from the London Royal Free Hospital, mainstay of the National Health Service and later an important center for liver transplants. While Rosemary prepared the cold solution to preserve the heart, Magdi and I scrubbed. Very quickly he removed the heart, cutting the pulmonary veins and the inferior vena cava, then slicing through the pulmonary artery, aorta, and superior vena cava. He plunged the still-beating heart into the bowl with the cold solution and, clamping off the aorta, infused 2 L of cardioplegia solution, ensuring its protection for the next 3 or 4 hours. We packed the heart into three plastic bags, placed it in the small refrigerator, and went down quickly. Outside, a patrol car of the Metropolitan Police was waiting for us with two unsmiling policemen. The car was a Rover Vitesse, souped up and lowered for more speed and stability. Before we set off, the driver asked Magdi: “Do you wish a quick trip or a fast trip, Sir?” “Very fast, as fast as possible, please,” replied Magdi. Without comment they turned on the patrol car’s sirens and lights. The car flung itself downhill toward the London Orbital. My stomach fell to the floor, but the driver calmly pushed the other cars to the side of the road, easily taking the turns at 90 miles an hour. I drove this route every day, because we lived in north London, so I knew that we would shortly come to a 90-degree bend. I imagined that the driver would slow down a little. Nothing of the sort! He continued undaunted and the car went round the bend on two wheels! We were literally flying, and I saw Magdi clinging tightly to the handhold above the door. At the junction with the Oxford motorway, police motorcyclists were waiting and had stopped traffic so we could continue our journey at breakneck speed. The speedometer stayed at 110 to 130 miles per hour. When we arrived at Harefield, the two policemen smoothly opened the doors for us and we thanked them “for the nice trip.” After a few steps, Magdi said, “That was not driving; that was sheer madness.” We went into the operating room and he calmly performed the heart transplant. The following evening he asked me with a twinkle in his eye: “Have you recovered from yesterday’s trip? I’m still trying!”

This was the second incident in my relationship with Magdi that sealed my admiration. Here was the brightest star of European cardiac surgery risking his life to ensure the proper harvesting of the graft. This was real commitment!

One day we received a message that there was a donor in a provincial hospital when Magdi was still doing a difficult case on a child. Because he always gave priority to transplants, he prepared to hand the case over to the senior registrar, at which point Rosemary became almost hysterical. Telling him that leaving the case would be tantamount to “killing” the child, she said: “Let Peter go if the heart cannot wait!” Up to then no one else had harvested the heart. He hesitated but gave in to Rosemary’s insistence. All went well, and from that day forward I became the official surgeon for the harvesting of hearts.

This was one aspect of my work. The other was to staff and organize the transplant team. Thanks to my American training, I knew how to get people to work together. My predecessors had been on bad terms with Ariela Pomerance, a great pathologist, indispensable to our work. 18 The consequence had been a delay in the results of the myocardial biopsies. I offered to go to her to look at the biopsies, at the same time explaining each clinical problem. She was overjoyed and our cooperation continued without interruption until I left. Later I invited her to Baylor where she gave a lecture. With the immunologist Marlene Rose, 19 we already had good communication, and little by little we began to bring in the other subspecialties from Harefield and the neighboring hospital of Mount Vernon. In this way the team was put together, with the participation of the nursing staff, the social worker, and even the hospital dentist, so that the prospective patient would undergo a detailed examination before being seen by Magdi for the final decision.

At that point we began to collate the documents regarding the selection of patient and donor and the immunosuppression regimen. Magdi was informed and gave his approval, pleased with the progress. During this time heart transplants came thick and fast. When I joined the team in the fall of 1982, 40 transplants had been performed; the survival rate before the introduction of cyclosporine was only 30%. In 1983, we did 34 cases with a spectacular increase in survival. It was clear that there would be an increase in the number of procedures in the next few years. Despite the justifiable optimism, Magdi made a historic prediction: cyclosporine would not be a substitute for clinical excellence. He also expressed the opinion that steroids, as a part of the immunosuppression protocol, might not be necessary or might even be harmful. 20 , 21 Following his lead, steroid taper and even discontinuation became a reality in the following years. 22 Future developments proved how right he was on both counts.

HETEROTOPIC AND COMBINED TRANSPLANTATION

During this period, 1982 to 1984, Yacoub embraced heterotopic transplantation. Christiaan Barnard had suggested it to keep the patient alive following irreversible loss of the donor heart due to rejection. 23 Yacoub conceived the idea that, given a period of rest afforded by the donor heart, the recipient’s cardiomyopathic heart would recover. It took several years and the establishment of long-term mechanical circulatory support to achieve clinically meaningful improvement due to structural and functional “reverse remodeling.” 24 A similar hypothesis had been tested in the animal laboratory for short-term support with an allograft after temporary exclusion of the recipient left ventricle. 25

In November 1983, Magdi progressed to a new procedure, the first combined transplantation of a heart and two lungs in Europe. The patient was a Swedish journalist, 33 years old, who had already been rejected by surgeons at Stanford as a lost cause. He asked Yacoub to operate on him, knowing that he would be his first such patient. Yacoub did not go to the animal laboratory as my American training led me to expect. The operation was a “one-off,” the only difference being that we brought the donor intubated to Harefield from the other hospital. In two adjacent rooms, Yacoub first removed the heart and lungs from the donor, immediately afterward doing the same thing with the recipient. He then proceeded with the transplant operation without the slightest hesitation, underlining the difference between a meticulous, well-prepared surgeon and a genius. Unfortunately, in the long run the patient did not survive—not unexpected because Norman Shumway himself had given the case his “seal” of unsuitability. Of course, this did not stop Yacoub from continuing, and even today Harefield still has the greatest experience in the world in this combined transplantation. A few years later, Yacoub introduced the concept of a “domino” transplant, in which the recipient of the combined heart–lung graft becomes a donor by giving his own healthy heart to another patient. 26 This feat was repeated later at Baylor. 27

In April 1984, when I left to start the heart transplantation program at Baylor University Medical Center, 95 transplants had been carried out. From the day I joined Harefield, we had done 55 operations with a short-term survival rate of 83%.

A RENAISSANCE GENIUS

Sir Magdi Yacoub practiced the whole gamut of cardiac surgery, including adults, children, and transplants, unattainable even for Denton Cooley. Despite the technical perfection of the latter, Magdi was the greater genius—not only because he introduced new concepts and new operations, especially in pediatric surgery, but because he could change the plan with the greatest skill if a different situation emerged, suiting the operation to the patient and not, as so often happens, bringing the patient “in line with” the operation. This is the supreme test of a really great surgeon!

In surgical dexterity, Magdi’s technique was unlike any other: it was completely his own. It was like looking at a work of art by Michelangelo or Raphael that “shouts out” who the master is. His movements, without being in any way theatrical, had a princely grace and delicacy. When he operated, he created. You could not be unmoved by the perfection of what he was doing, especially when he was operating on a child with congenital heart disease. I have never seen anyone else who could cut a circular patch to close a hole in the heart while looking at the hole and not the patch! He had a supernatural three-dimensional perception that enabled him to cut it the right size and shape without looking at it, his eyes glued to the hole! I do not exaggerate when I call Sir Magdi Yacoub the real Leonardo da Vinci of heart surgery, and I consider myself fortunate to have worked those 2 years with him ( Figure 3 ) .

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The simplicity of genius: Sir Magdi on a visit to Baylor (1995).

Speaking of working with a renaissance genius, the whole ambiance of Harefield and Hillside was that of such a workshop, with the visitors and disciples buzzing around the master craftsman. It was a fascinating experience, yet the writing on the wall was clear: we all worked for the master, not with him, and at some point had to move on with our lives—which I did.

Magdi never stayed on the beaten track. He immediately adopted mechanical support of the circulation as the alternative solution to transplantation. Going more deeply into the matter of molecular cardiology than anyone else, he proved the theory that hearts supported mechanically have a chance of recovering. 28–30 At a lecture that he gave years ago in Athens, we witnessed the impressive exchange of opinions, actually a duel, with the famous James T. Willerson, editor of Circulation . I do not think anyone understood what they were arguing about, but the ease with which the “surgeon” stood up to the “scientist” made a lasting impression.

In 2001 Yacoub became the founder and director of the Science Center at Harefield, for research into the causes of heart diseases through studies into molecular and cellular biology. There, a new valve from stem cells was developed. 31

In 1986 Yacoub was appointed professor at Imperial College, London, and in 1992 he was knighted. The greatest honor came in 1999, when he became a member of the Royal Society of Great Britain. Having created the Chain of Hope charity for the performance of cardiac surgery in developing countries, such as Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Jamaica, Sir Magdi was presented with the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth in 2014. He received numerous American honors as well, such as the Texas Heart Institute Award (1998), the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Heart Failure Award (2001), the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Lifetime Achievement Award (2004), and the American College of Cardiology Legend of Cardiovascular Medicine Award (2012).

What is Sir Magdi’s hope for the future? Achieving immune tolerance as envisioned by the great Sir Peter Medawar. We are not there yet, and we may have to wait longer. Quoting Winston S. Churchill, Magdi Yacoub noted that the present achievements are “not the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” 32

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An Egyptian charm:...

An Egyptian charm: meet Magdi Yacoub

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Zain Khalpey , clinical research fellow in cardiothoracic surgery 1
1 Harefield Hospital, Harefield

Interested in transplant surgery as a career? Cardiothoracic surgeon and one of the transplant pioneers, Professor Magdi Yacoub talks to Zain Khalpey

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Professor Magdi Yacoub was born in a little village in Egypt. His father was a surgeon, constantly moving from one place to another depending on the need for surgeons around the country. This greatly affected his childhood as it meant moving every three or four years. This taught him two important things. Firstly, you have to be able to adapt, and, secondly, the enjoyment that comes with meeting and interacting with lots of different people. These lessons have served him well throughout his life.

After his initial medical training in Egypt Professor Yacoub decided that he wanted to be a cardiac surgeon. He came to Britain to do his fellowship exam and also went to Denmark, Sweden, and the United States to find the best training he could. He admits, “What I had in mind was to get the very best training I could in cardiac surgery. I targeted great surgeons, like Lord Brock, and then worked with them.”

Professor Yacoub went on to perform the first live lobe lung transplant in the United Kingdom in 1984 and was involved in the first British heart transplant. His current research is on artificial heart assist devices in the UK. He is also working on projects involving ischaemia-reperfusion injury, xenotransplantation, and artificial heart assist devices.

He looks forward to the next day

The professor considers himself privileged to be a cardiac surgeon. “The most important facet is the capacity to treat patients and to see the massive difference in their outlook and in their lives.” He continues, “Cardiac surgery is very closely linked to other disciplines like haemodynamics, basic science, and engineering. I find that extremely appealing.” He confesses that learning more about such things is what motivates him. “I feel more and more enthusiastic the more I learn. I always look forward to the next day to find out what new things I can think about. There is also so much to do in this fantastic specialty.”

Although he knows that there are limits to what you can do in science and medicine, he was always aware of the potential to advance. He has always questioned what can be done and what the limits are of doing things. “This has been very useful, but also difficult. It is very important to think very thoroughly and study the problem at hand in a very deep fashion.” He admits that his love of science has been fuelled by a problem solving approach. “It started by determining what my patients' problems were and then it is driven by the search for the answers. The more you look into a problem, such as heart failure, the more you find. Research is extremely exciting.”

Professor Yacoub believes that cardiac surgery is now the strongest it has ever been. “It is poised to treat things like heart failure via a combination of methods. I think there are very exciting things around the corner.”

His charity work is important

The professor also believes that there are many things that a cardiac surgeon can do, both in terms of clinical work (helping people anywhere in the world) and in research. He is involved in both aspects through his work with the charity Chain of Hope and the Harefield Research Foundation. This foundation, which includes a heart science centre, supports research into the basic mechanisms of cardiac diseases.

He became involved in the Chain of Hope because he has seen the amount of suffering that heart disease can inflict on people. “As a young resident in Egypt I watched children, who had been on the brink of death from heart conditions, recover after corrective surgery. That fuelled my desire to make this an option to as many people as possible, especially in countries where there is so much suffering.”

He has recently returned from a Chain of Hope mission in Mozambique and Jamaica and admits to having mixed feelings. “I am satisfied that a number of children have been treated but am sad that I cannot do more and that things cannot be done faster.”

During his travels Professor Yacoub has met many of the world's great leaders, including Nelson Mandela. He said, “I was interested to see that inside Mandela's living room there was a picture of Gandhi, and you can see that there are obvious similarities between the two.”

The professor believes that all the aspects of his work are equally important and he would like to continue to do a mixture of international and charity work and research. “It is a top priority to help healthcare delivery of the specialty I know most about on an international level. Research--discovering new tools to deliver to people--is just as important. I also want to do everything I can for Chain of Hope to be involved in the wider picture.”

Professor Yacoub's advice to others has always been to work hard, concentrate on the problem at hand, and think about what they are doing rather than comparing it with other people. He also advises people to make use of the opportunities and the facilities available rather than striving for the shortest way to success. “Success is a very elusive thing. Success is to enjoy what you are doing now, to the utmost, and do it very well, and without a shadow of a doubt the next stage will be even more enjoyable.” He concludes, “If you are enjoying yourself to that extent, there is no doubt whatsoever that you will succeed.”

Originally published as: Student BMJ 2002;10:65

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Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the Leonardo da Vinci of cardiac surgery.

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Alivizatos PA 1

Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center) , 24 Jan 2019 , 32(1): 146-151 https://doi.org/10.1080/08998280.2018.1532247 PMID: 30956614 PMCID: PMC6442908

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Abstract

Free full text , sir magdi h. yacoub, the leonardo da vinci of cardiac surgery, peter a. alivizatos.

a Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, DallasTexas

b Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, AthensGreece

Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the “Leonardo” of cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND AND TRAINING

SURGERY AT HAREFIELD

HEART TRANSPLANTATION

A heart in the hands of Sir Magdi, ready for implantation (1984).

HETEROTOPIC AND COMBINED TRANSPLANTATION

A RENAISSANCE GENIUS

The simplicity of genius: Sir Magdi on a visit to Baylor (1995).

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Wikipedia (3).

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdi_Yacoub

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Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub FRS, OM

Founder and Honorary President

Sir Magdi Yacoub is the Founder and Honorary President of the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) and is most known for his notable contributions to the cardiovascular field. Being the first cardiologist to perform a heart transplant surgery, he has helped save the lives of thousands of patients worldwide

Dr. Magdi Yacoub was born on November 16, 1935 in Belbeis, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Cairo University in 1957 and moved to Britain in 1962, where he was appointed as Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the British Heart Foundation (BHF). By the year 1980, Dr. Magdi Yacoub performed the first ever heart transplant surgery on the patient Drake Morris, who successfully lived 25 years after the operation.

From the years of 1969 to 2001, he worked at Harefield Hospital and from 1986 to 2001 at Royal Brompton Hospital as a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon specializing in hearts and lungs.

In 2008, he founded the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) in Egypt with the aim of providing high-quality, sustainable and accessible medical care for the underprivileged, completely free of charge. The Foundation’s Aswan Heart Centre (AHC) operates entirely on donations, and treats up to 4,000 inpatients and 40,000 outpatients annually. Currently, another medical center is set to be built in Cairo, Egypt to offer additional treatment to cater to the increasing need for cardiac care in the country. Being a long-time dream of Dr. Magdi Yacoub's, the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre is set to open its doors by 2024.

Dr. Magdi Yacoub was recognized as a Guinness World Record Holder for his contributions in cardiac advancements, when he performed 100 cardiac surgeries in one year.

Following the success of his career, Dr. Magdi Yacoub was knighted in 1991 by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom due to his contributions in the cardiovascular field. Dr. Magdi Yacoub also received the Order of the Nile award in 2011, which is the highest decoration offered by the Arab Republic of Egypt. He was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.

Awards Received for Dr. Magdi Yacoub

1991: Knighted for services in cardiovascular field New Year Honors list
1998: Texas Heart Institute Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement in Cardiovascular Disease.
1998: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society.
1999: Lifetime outstanding achievement award in recognition of contribution to medicine, Secretary of State for Health (UK).
2003: Golden Hippocrates International Award for Excellence in Cardiac Surgery (Moscow).
WHO Prize for Humanitarian Services.
2004: International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Lifetime Achievement Award, at the 24th annual meeting in San Francisco.
2006: European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal.
2007: Pride of Britain Award.
2007: Honorary citizenships of the city of Bergamo, Italy.
2007: Medal of Merit, President, International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences.
2011: Order of the Nile for science and humanity.
2012: American College of Cardiology Legend of Cardiovascular Medicine.
2015: Lister Medal for contributions to surgical science, presented by Clare Marx, President of the Royal College of Surgeons.
2019: Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Achievement Award (KAHAA).

Eng. Hani Azer

Board Member

Eng. Azer is a naturalized German civil engineer. Azer headed the construction of the tunnel beneath Berlin's Tiergarten in 1994. Subsequently, he became the chief engineer of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Germany's fourth-largest train station. Berliners voted Azer 13th in the top 50 Berliners of the year in 2006.

Azer was honored by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 26 May 2006 at the inauguration of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Azer received one of Berlin's most respected distinctions, Merit of the State of Berlin, for outstanding service to the state. Azer is also considered one of the top tunneling and bridge engineers at the global level today.

Azer is currently an advisor to the President.

Dr. Magdy Ishak, FRCS, CCIM, FRSM

Founder and Chairman of the Board

Professor Magdy Ishak was born in Egypt in 1947, and currently lives in London, UK. He graduated from Ain Shams Medical School in Egypt and was trained as an Orthopaedic and Spinal surgeon in the United Kingdom. During his Medical career, he pioneered the work on lower limb graded pressure stockings which reduce the risk of DVT and Pulmonary Embolism, currently these stockings are used worldwide in all type of surgeries.

Professor Ishak was instrumental in the adaptation of the ISO 9001 in healthcare accreditation, he was chosen by his peers as an Honorary Companion Charter Institute of Management, he also teaches Healthcare Economics to MBA students and was made Freeman of the City of Glasgow for his Civic work.

He is a senior judicator in disputes between government and private healthcare providers in the UK. Professor Ishak is one of the early participants in PPP and has three major projects with the British National health service including the Neuroscience Institute in Preston University.

Professor Ishak is the Chairman of the Egyptian Medical Society-UK, Vice Chairman of the British Egyptian Society, he is member of the IOD, and the Supervisory Board of London Middle East Institute London University. Professor Ishak is one of the leading entrepreneurs in UK healthcare, his entrepreneurship has created a wealth of GBP 800 Million. He is the former founder and CEO of Scotcare group, Crestacare PLC, and Covenant Healthcare Group, and currently he is the Executive Chairman of Optive Group.

DR. AHMED SHAWKI

Founder and Secretary General

Dr. Ahmed Moustafa Shawki has been a Managing Partner at Mostafa Shawki & Co. (MAZARS) since 1992. Dr. Shawki participated in the development of audit and accounting standards for Egypt. He has worked with the Capital Market Authority to rationalize policies for the evaluation and audit of unit trusts. He served as Office Managing Partner at Arthur Andersen Shawki & Co. from 1981 to 1992, Senior Auditor at Arthur Andersen (London, UK) from 1978 to 1981, EDP Director of Management Program, American University in Cairo from 1976 to 1978, Executive Consultant at Industrial Company or Extraction from 1975 to 1978 and Senior Process Engineer at National Research Centre from 1967 to 1975. He serves as Non-Executive Director of the Arab Contractors Osman Ahmed Osman & Co. He serves as a Director of the Egyptian Society of Accountants and Auditors and the Egyptian Taxation Society.

Dr. Shawki was a founding member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and served as its President from 1997 to 1999. He also served as Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Vice President, Program at American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. Dr. Shawki has spoken at several high-profile conferences on Egypt's privatization program both in Egypt and overseas in London; New York, Washington, DC and Stanford University in the United States; and in Bahrain. He received B. Sc. in Accounting from Ain Shams University, Cairo, 1978.

MR. MOHAMED A. EL-HAMAMSY

Founder and Treasurer

Mr. El-Hamamsy graduated from Cairo University with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1967. He later earned an MBA and subsequently a master’s degree in Islamic Art and Architecture in 1992. Mr. El-Hamamsy has had a distinguished career with the IBM Company, where he was assigned as IBM Egypt’s General Manager responsible for Egypt and Sudan in 1979. In 1982, he was assigned to the IBM Europe Headquarters in Paris, later returning to Egypt to lead IBM Egypt’s rapid expansion in the growing market. In 1997, Mr. El-Hamamsy founded the MegaCom Company that specializes in Management and Business Consultancy services.

In 1999, Mr. El-Hamamsy assumed the position of Vodafone Egypt CEO. In May 2002, he became Deputy Chairman of the Board of Vodafone Egypt and is currently Managing Director of the MegaCom consulting firm. Mr. El-Hamamsy served as a board member of a number of organizations, including Bank Misr, Banque du Caire, Raya Holding and others, and serves on the board of trustees of a number of charity and development organizations, including VodafoneFoundation, Bank Misr Foundation and others.

Mr Samih Sawiris

Born in Cairo on the 28th of January 1957. He received his Diploma in economic engineering from the Technical University of Berlin in 1980.

He is the founder and Chairman of Orascom Development Holding (ODH.SW), a Swiss- incorporated company listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX).

Samih is a founder and sits on the board of Sawiris Foundation for Social Development which was founded in April 2001, with an endowment from the Sawiris family, dedicated to social development.

Mrs. Esaad Yones

Mrs Younes is the Co-Founder and CEO of Al Arabia Cinema, she is an Egyptian actress, film producer, TV host and script writer and author.

Dr. Yehia Zaki

Chairman of Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) Y.Zaki is a lead consultant in the construction and development sectors, he managed the implementation of several national projects and executive programs especially the Master Plan of Suez Canal Special Development Zone and the New Administrative Capital near Cairo. Through his extended experience, he has been involved in a broad spectrum of management applications ranging from business development to marketing and management of operations. Y. Zaki has had successful contributions to a wide range of real estate, housing & residential, hospitality, commercial, industrial and healthcare mega projects. Currently Y.Zaki is the Chairman and Managing Director of Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) responsible for the management and operation of 460 km2 of industrial and logistic areas as well as 6 ports alongside the Suez Canal aiming to transform the area into a world-class global logistics hub and industrial processing centre to facilitate economic growth and create sustainable and high-quality jobs for the Egyptian people. Previously, he was Director of Operations in Egypt, for Dar Group, a leading, privately-owned professional services group with a diverse history and a global presence. A world-class multi-Discipline Consultancy firm dedicated to achieving clients’ ambitions and supporting sustainable communities worldwide. He was also Managing Director of Dar Al-Handasah Egypt (the Egyptian affiliate of Dar Group) and a leading Consultancy Firm in Egypt, Africa and the Arab World.

Mr Moahmed Zaki El Sewedy

Mr Moahmed Zaki El Sewedy is the chairman of FEI (Federation of Egyptian Industries) as well as Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Zaki El Sewedy Group.

AMBASSADOR GEHAD MADI

Ambassador Madi is currently a member of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Rights of the Child since 2011. The group is responsible for monitoring the fulfillment of states party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of their obligations under the convention, and issues recommendations to states, as well as receive and investigate complaints against violations of children's rights.

Throughout his diplomatic career, Ambassador Madi held different positions abroad and in the headquarter in Cairo, including as Ambassador to the Republic of India (2002 - 1998), and Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2008 - 2004), as well as representing Egypt in many international and regional conferences. Ambassador Madi holds a Bachelor's degree in German Language and Literature from Ain Shams University, and a Bachelor's degree in Law from Ain Shams University..

MR. TAWFIK S. DIAB

Mr Diab is the Chief Executive Officer of PICO Energy Services – a leading Petroleum Services Company in Egypt. In January 2016, he moved to head PICO Energy Services, the Petroleum Services arm of PICO Group, as the Chief Executive Officer, running the Company activities in Egypt, Mexico and the United States. Prior to this job, he was the Managing Director of PICO International Petroleum (“PIP”) – the Exploration & Production arm of PICO Group - since 2003.

Under his leadership, the Company has expanded its operations onshore and offshore to increase its reserves and production by ten folds. As part of the Strategic Plan, he also redirected the company operations to position PIP to be an expert in the redevelopment of small to medium size oil & gas fields. Today PIP is the largest indigenous E&P Company in Egypt with daily production in excess of 40,000 bop, and is considered the country leader in the redevelopment of mature fields. Since then PIP expanded its operations to include fields in both Mexico and Romania. Mr Diab graduated in June 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo. Later that year, he joined PICO in Egypt.

Mr Diab is the Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Gas Association. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Al Ahly for Development & Investments (“ADI”) - Private Equity Company with Investments in Egypt - and a Founding Member and Board Member of Cairo Financial Holding Co. (“CFH”) – a Financial Services Company. He is also a member of many economic Associations in Egypt including the Egyptian Businessmen Associations (“EBA”), the American Chamber of Commerce (“AmCham”), and the Young President Organization (“YPO”).

DR. AKEF EL-MAGHRABY

Dr. El-Maghraby is the founder and Chairman of the Magrabi Eye Hospitals and Centres (34 total) in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Each year, this network of eye hospitals provides quality eye care to over a million patients and performs over 120,000 sight-preserving surgeries. He has also founded five non-profit eye hospitals and centres in Bangladesh, North Yemen, Sudan, North Lebanon, Egypt, and Cameroon. Treatment and surgery are available for poor patient in all these hospitals free and minimal charge. He also founded the Magrabi Eye Foundation (first nonprofit organization for prevention of blindness) in the Middle East. He co-founded the Middle East Journal of Ophthalmology, which is the only peer reviewed journal for ophthalmology in the Pan Arab Middle East and African regions.

Dr. El-Maghraby Founded the Middle East African Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) and was its President for 18 years. He is now MEACO Founder and Honorary President for Life. He is the former Vice-President of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO). Dr. El-Maghraby is the board member of many nonprofit organizations, including Future Foundation for Housing, Nile University of Egypt and formerly in the Egyptian Fund for Social Development. He is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Saudi Institute of Health Services, and the Chairman of the Board, El- Mansour & El-Maghraby Investment and Development Company, Egypt.

Former Board Member of Board of Trustees of John’s Hopkins University in USA. His great concern for Prevention of Blindness in undeveloped countries is obvious and instrumental in the formation of the International Federation of Eye Banks. He personally donated six eye banks to different Arab and East European countries. He also endowed a Professorship chair for prevention of blindness at the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. He is a former member of the advisory Board of Trustees of Wilmer Eye Institute, USA.

He operated and lectured in 23 countries all over the world and has 30 publications to his credit. His many international awards and recognition include among others the Shield for Outstanding Work in Humanitarian Causes from the Red Cross in 1997 and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Dean’s Medal–2000. He was chosen Physician of the Year in the Arab World by the International Public Opinion Association. In 2003, Dr. El-Maghraby was awarded the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Senior Achievement Award.

Dr. El-Maghraby was decorated with the Lion Badge of Honor by the President of Senegal in 1993; the Order of Merit by the late King of Jordan in 1997, the Order of the Two Niles, by the President of Sudan in 1998, the Cedar of Lebanon by the President of Lebanon in 2001, also decorated by the President of Tunis in 2003, and was awarded the Golden Medal Award of the Algerian Ophthalmological Society in 2004.

DR. HANI SAREIELDIN

Dr. Sarie-Eldin is a prominent legal practitioner in Egypt and Middle East with an expertise of nearly thirty years in corporate, banking, project finance, PPP Projects, arbitration and capital market. He is the Founder & Managing Partner of Sarie-Eldin & Partners Legal Advisors.

Dr. Sarie-Eldin is a professor of Commercial and Maritime Law at Cairo University, and a Visiting Professor of Economic Development Law Queen Mary College at University of London. He holds a Ph.D. in International Business Law from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London.

In addition to his private professional career, Dr. Sarie- Eldin had served in executive and non-executive public positions including Chairman of Capital Market Authority; Board Member of the Central Bank of Egypt, and General Authority for Investment, and first official US-Egyptian Fund to promote investment in Egypt. He also holds inter- alia, the positions of Chairman of SODIC a leading Real Estate Development Company.

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about magdi yacoub heart foundation

Brief About The Foundation
Our Mission
Message from the founder
Our Board of Trustees
The Annual report

About Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation

responsible for strategic management and administration of the Aswan Heart Centre and Aswan Heart Research Centre. MYF is managed by one of the most reputable Board of Trustees in Egypt.

The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) – an Egyptian registered charity NGO – was founded in 2008 by Sir Magdi Yacoub, the late Dr. Ahmed Zewail and Ambassador Mohamed Shaker. MYF is running one of the exceptional projects of enormous significance to the health and wellbeing of the Egyptian people that is entirely based on donations: the Aswan Heart Centre (AHC). The MYF is the body responsible for strategic management and administration of the Aswan Heart Centre and Aswan Heart Research Centre. MYF is managed by one of the most reputable Board of Trustees in Egypt.

Offering Free of Charge state-of-the-art medical services to the Egyptian people, particularly the underprivileged and vulnerable age-groups.

Training a generation of young Egyptian doctors, nurses and scientists at the highest international standards.

Advancing basic science and applied research as an integral component of the program and promoting biomedical research in Egypt.

Since its establishment in 2008, MYF has committed to building and maintaining a state-of-the-art cardiac care facility in the city of Aswan, Egypt to provide high-quality treatment to the underprivileged. AHC aims primarily to provide free medical care services, as well as advanced training programs for personnel, including nurses, doctors and technicians. Moreover, AHC dedicates effort and resources to the Research Department, which touches on a wide variety of research opportunities, including Bio-Engineering and Life Sciences, to improve our medical care and ensure an advanced, well-rounded treatment experience for the patient.

The Aswan Heart Centre offers an exciting new development in cardiovascular surgery, treatment and research, and seeks to transfer knowledge, skills and experience to new generations and across the region. We also aim to help create a biomedical and innovation knowledge-base, which can be passed on and benefit the world at large.

In line with this vision, the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation has recently embarked on an exceptionally big and ambitious project that is of dire significance to the health and well-being of the people in Egypt and the region. The Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre is set to advance cardiac care and treatment, as well as widen our scope for training and expand our capacity for research.

Our core objective with building the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo is establishing a centre of excellence and international standing, to provide high-quality cardiac treatment at absolutely no cost, thus improving the level of medical care presented to children, youth, and adults in the region, with hopes to save as many hearts and solve as many complex cases as possible, all while offering training and performing ground-breaking research that will benefit generations to come

A Message from

Prof sir magdi yacoub.

The last few years have witnessed considerable progress in the integrated clinical, training and research programmes. This was exemplified by an increase in the number, diversity, complexity and novelty of many of the procedures being applied at the Aswan Heart Centre. These procedures included new approaches to dealing with completely blocked coronary arteries, percutaneous valve procedures, advanced Heart Failure, Heart Attacks, neglected complex Congenital Heart Disease, Rheumatic Heart Disease and others. Apart from its obvious value for the local and global community, these services provide a unique resource for teaching and Research, with many of these advances being reported in international meetings and Peer Review Journals as detailed in the recent report to the Scientific Advisory Board (available on demand from MYF). This report includes disease-based Research projects, population studies and importantly, basic science and bioengineering projects emanating from the basic science platforms available in AHC. In conclusion, the expanded recent activities of the AHC has helped to enhance the sense of commitment and excitement of the entire staff in preparation for the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo, considered by many to be the ultimate step towards achieving “Excellence”. At the same time, Aswan Heart Centre will continue to be the mothership and to act as a clinical and research hub of excellence in Aswan working closely with the future Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo.

This year has witnessed considerable progress in the integrated clinical, training and Research programmes. This was exemplified by an increase in the number, diversity, complexity and novelty of many of the procedures being applied at the Centre. These procedures included new approaches to dealing with completely blocked coronary arteries, percutaneous valve procedures, advanced Heart Failure, Heart Attacks, neglected complex congenital Heart Disease, Rheumatic Heart Disease and others..

In conclusion the expanded activities of the AHC this year has helped to enhance the sense of commitment and excitement of the entire staff in preparation for the New Global Aswan Heart Centre, considered by many to be the ultimate step towards achieving “Excellence”..

board of trustees

Dr. Ahmed Shawki

Mr. Mohamed A. El-Hamamsy

Ambassador Gehad Madi

Mr. Tawfik S. Diab

Mr. Mohamed El Sewedy

Dr. Akef El-Maghraby

Dr. Hani Sareieldin

Magdi yacoub, heart foundation management, ms. zeina tawakol.

Executive Director

Ms. Dina El Gazzar

VP for Development and Fundraising

Ms. Reem Gadelrab

Director of Marketing and Communications

Mr. Marwan Afifi

Director of Administration

Mrs. Mary Iskander

Ambassador to MYF

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Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub

Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub FRS, OM is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Founder and Director of Research at the Magdi Yacoub Institute at Harefield Heart Science Centre, Founder and President of the Chain of Hope and Founder and Director of the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation which created the Aswan Heart Centre.

Born in Egypt and graduated from Cairo University Medical School in 1957 he trained in London and held an Assistant Professorship at the University of Chicago. A former British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery for over 20 years and Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Harefield Hospital from 1969-2001 and Royal Brompton Hospital from 1986-2001, Professor Yacoub established the largest heart and lung transplantation programme in the world at Harefield Hospital where more than 2,500 transplant operations have been performed. He has developed novel operations for several complex congenital heart anomalies.

Research led by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub include tissue engineering heart valves, myocardial regeneration, novel left ventricular assist devices and wireless sensors with collaborations within Imperial College, nationally and internationally. He has also supervised over 20 higher degree (PhD/MD) students and authored or co-authored more than 1,400 published papers and numerous book chapters on topics including Transplantation, Paediatric Cardiac Surgery, Aortic valve surgery.

He has a passion for readdressing inequalities in global healthcare delivery with a focus on developing cardiac services in many countries including Egypt, The Gulf region, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Mozambique Rwanda and Uganda. Here his teams at Chain of Hope link experts together around the world to bring life-saving treatments to children in developing and war-torn countries.

Continuing his desire to make healthcare accessible to all, his Centre in Aswan, offers state-of-the art medical services, free of charge to all patients regardless of colour, religion, or gender and trains a generation of young Egyptian doctors, nurses, scientists, and technicians at the highest international standards. Advancing basic science and applied research is an integral component of the program and he oversees over 60 scientists and students in the areas of Heart Valve Biology and Tissue Engineering, Myocardial Regeneration, Stem Cell Biology, Mechanisms and treatment of Heart Failure and Pulmonary Hypertension in his Centres.

Among his honours he was awarded a Knighthood for his services to medicine and surgery in 1992 and awarded the Order of Merit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the 2014 New Year’s Honours list. He was awarded Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1998 and Fellowship of The Royal Society in 1999. A lifetime outstanding achievement award in recognition of his contribution to medicine was presented to Professor Yacoub by the Secretary of State for Health in the same year. In 2011 was awarded the Order of the Nile for Science and Humanity and the prestigious Lister Medal in 2015 in recognition of his contribution to surgical science.

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Renowned surgeon Magdi Yacoub appointed honorary chancellor of British University in Egypt

Prof yacoub, 87, performed the uk's first combined heart and lung transplant in 1983 and was knighted in 1992.

King Charles III talks with Prof Magdi Yacoub at Buckingham Palace on November 24. Prof Yacoub was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014. Reuters

Renowned cardiologist Prof Magdi Yacoub has been appointed as the first honorary chancellor of the British University in Egypt .

The professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London is the founder of the Magdi Yacoub Institute at Harefield Heart Science Centre in Uxbridge.

The 87-year-old is also one of Egypt’s most respected surgeons and one of its most charitable, having launched the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation in 2008 to provide medical services for the country's poor.

The university held an inauguration ceremony on Saturday night in Cairo attended by Farida Khamis — the chairwoman of its board of trustees — its President and Vice Chancellor Mohamed Lotfi, in addition to the British ambassador to Egypt, Gareth Bayley.

The ceremony was also attended by Egypt’s ministers of health, planning and economic development in addition to a deputy from the country’s Higher Education Ministry.

“It is an honour to have someone as inspirational and awe-inspiring as Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub as our first Inaugural Chancellor, and we would like to thank everyone for joining us at such a monumental and one-of-a-kind event,” the university said.

In a tweet posted on Saturday, Mr Bayley, who spoke at the ceremony, said his message to the audience was simple: "Be like Sir Magdi.”

Prof Yacoub, a British citizen, was knighted in the 1992 New Year Honours list and subsequently awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.

In 1983, Dr Yacoub performed the UK's first combined heart and lung transplant. He went on to hold prominent positions at the British Heart Foundation, the National Heart and Lung Institute and Imperial College Faculty of Medicine.

His Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation, funded mainly through donations, also provides free scientific, medical and nursing training.

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Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub

Faculty of Medicine , National Heart & Lung Institute

+44 (0)1895 828 893 m.yacoub

Heart Science Centre, Harefield Harefield Hospital Harefield Hospital

Publications

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Aikawa E, Blaser MC, Singh SA, Levine RA, Yacoub MH et al. , 2024, Challenges and Opportunities in Valvular Heart Disease: From Molecular Mechanisms to the Community. , Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol , Vol: 44, Pages: 763-767

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Afifi A, Mahgoub A, Yacoub M, 2024, Toward Excellence in Managing Transposition of the Great Arteries in the Community. , Ann Thorac Surg , Vol: 117, Pages: 549-550

Yacoub MH, Afifi A, Hosny H, Mahgoub A, Nagy M, Vaz S, Sarathchandra P, Latif N et al. , 2024, Structural aortic wall abnormalities following the Nikaidoh operation, which could be reversible and include a healing process. , Glob Cardiol Sci Pract , Vol: 2024, ISSN: 2305-7823

The Nikaidoh operation continues to be used for patients with transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. We recently reported structural and functional changes in the aortic root during the follow-up of a patient who underwent the Nikaidoh operation. These changes necessitated re-operation. The pathophysiology of these changes and their potential for reversibility have not yet been studied. In this communication, we describe the extensive structural changes in the aortic wall of the same patient.

Medali T, Couchie D, Mougenot N, Mihoc M, Bergmann O, Derks W, Szweda LI, Yacoub M, Soliman S, Aguib Y, Wagdy K, Ibrahim AM, Friguet B, Rouis M et al. , 2024, Thioredoxin-1 and its mimetic peptide improve systolic cardiac function and remodeling after myocardial infarction. , FASEB J , Vol: 38

Myocardial infarction (MI) is characterized by a significant loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs), and it is suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in cell cycle arrest, leading to impaired CM renewal. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) scavenges ROS and may play a role in restoring CM renewal. However, the truncated form of Trx-1, Trx-80, can compromise its efficacy by exerting antagonistic effects. Therefore, a Trx-1 mimetic peptide called CB3 was tested as an alternative way to restore CMs. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Trx-1, Trx-80, and CB3 on mice with experimental MI and study the underlying mechanism of CB3 on CMs. Mouse cardiac parameters were quantified by echocardiography, and infarction size and fibrosis determined using Trichrome and Picro-Sirius Red staining. The study found that Trx-1 and CB3 improved mouse cardiac function, reduced the size of cardiac infarct and fibrosis, and decreased the expression of cardiac inflammatory markers. Furthermore, CB3 polarized macrophages into M2 phenotype, reduced apoptosis and oxidative stress after MI, and increased CM proliferation in cell culture and in vivo. CB3 effectively protected against myocardial infarction and could represent a new class of compounds for treating MI.

Yacoub MH, Notenboom ML, Melina G, Takkenberg JJM et al. , 2024, Surgical Heritage: You Had to Be There, Ross: The Comeback Kid. , Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg Pediatr Card Surg Annu , Vol: 27, Pages: 37-41, ISSN: 1092-9126

Half a century after the first pulmonary autograft operation (Ross operation), performed in 1967 by Donald Ross in central London, there is a very strong conviction that the Ross operation is the best available valve substitute today, not only for children, but also for younger and older adults. The Ross operation has stimulated a lot of science to do with tissue-engineering and biology of heart valves, which is a promising avenue for the future. For one of us (M.Y.), it has certainly been a privilege to be associated with the comeback of the Ross operation.

Allouba M, Walsh R, Afify A, Hosny M, Halawa S, Galal A, Fathy M, Theotokis PI, Boraey A, Ellithy A, Buchan R, Govind R, Whiffin N, Anwer S, ElGuindy A, Ware JS, Barton PJR, Yacoub M, Aguib Y et al. , 2023, Ethnicity, consanguinity, and genetic architecture of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy , European Heart Journal , Vol: 44, Pages: 5146-5158, ISSN: 0195-668X

AIMS: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by phenotypic heterogeneity that is partly explained by the diversity of genetic variants contributing to disease. Accurate interpretation of these variants constitutes a major challenge for diagnosis and implementing precision medicine, especially in understudied populations. The aim is to define the genetic architecture of HCM in North African cohorts with high consanguinity using ancestry-matched cases and controls. METHODS AND RESULTS: Prospective Egyptian patients (n = 514) and controls (n = 400) underwent clinical phenotyping and genetic testing. Rare variants in 13 validated HCM genes were classified according to standard clinical guidelines and compared with a prospective HCM cohort of majority European ancestry (n = 684). A higher prevalence of homozygous variants was observed in Egyptian patients (4.1% vs. 0.1%, P = 2 × 10-7), with variants in the minor HCM genes MYL2, MYL3, and CSRP3 more likely to present in homozygosity than the major genes, suggesting these variants are less penetrant in heterozygosity. Biallelic variants in the recessive HCM gene TRIM63 were detected in 2.1% of patients (five-fold greater than European patients), highlighting the importance of recessive inheritance in consanguineous populations. Finally, rare variants in Egyptian HCM patients were less likely to be classified as (likely) pathogenic compared with Europeans (40.8% vs. 61.6%, P = 1.6 × 10-5) due to the underrepresentation of Middle Eastern populations in current reference resources. This proportion increased to 53.3% after incorporating methods that leverage new ancestry-matched controls presented here. CONCLUSION: Studying consanguineous populations reveals novel insights with relevance to genetic testing and our understanding of the genetic architecture of HCM.

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Yacoub MH, Tseng Y-T, Kluin J, Vis A, Stock U, Smail H, Sarathchandra P, Aikawa E, El-Nashar H, Chester AH, Shehata N, Nagy M, El-Sawy A, Li W, Burriesci G, Salmonsmith J, Romeih S, Latif N et al. , 2023, Valvulogenesis of a living, innervated pulmonary root induced by an acellular scaffold , Communications Biology , Vol: 6, ISSN: 2399-3642

Heart valve disease is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide with no effective medical therapy and no ideal valve substitute emulating the extremely sophisticated functions of a living heart valve. These functions influence survival and quality of life. This has stimulated extensive attempts at tissue engineering "living" heart valves. These attempts utilised combinations of allogeneic/ autologous cells and biological scaffolds with practical, regulatory, and ethical issues. In situ regeneration depends on scaffolds that attract, house and instruct cells and promote connective tissue formation. We describe a surgical, tissue-engineered, anatomically precise, novel off-the-shelf, acellular, synthetic scaffold inducing a rapid process of morphogenesis involving relevant cell types, extracellular matrix, regulatory elements including nerves and humoral components. This process relies on specific material characteristics, design and "morphodynamism".

Francis N, Hosny M, Yacoub MH, Parker KH et al. , 2023, Asymmetry of flow in aortic root and its application in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. , J Appl Physiol (1985) , Vol: 135, Pages: 840-848

The aortic root (AR) performs sophisticated functions regulating the blood dynamics during the cardiac cycle. Such complex function depends on the nature of flow in the AR. Here, we investigate the potential of new quantitative parameters of flow asymmetry that could have clinical implications. We developed a MATLAB program to study the AR hemodynamics in each sinus of Valsalva using two-dimensional (2-D) cardiac magnetic resonance imaging during systole and particularly at peak systolic flow in 13 healthy volunteers and compared with 10 patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). We show that the effective area of the aortic jet in healthy volunteers is significantly higher at peak systolic flow and on average during systole. The flow asymmetry index, indicating how the jet is skewed away from the left coronary sinus (LCS), is small in healthy volunteers and much larger in HOCM at peak systole. The average of this index over systole is significantly more different between cohorts. Looking in more detail at the flow in the sinuses during systole, we show that the AR jet in healthy volunteers is more symmetrical, affecting the three sinuses almost equally, unlike the asymmetric AR jet in patients with HOCM that has decreased flow rate in the LCS and increased fractional area of backward flow in the LCS. The percentage of backward flow in the sinuses of Valsalva calculated over systole is a potential indicator of perturbed AR hemodynamics and the distribution of vortical flow and could be used as a measure of flow asymmetry.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The aortic root is a vital organ responsible for performing sophisticated functions to regulate the blood flow dynamics during the cardiac cycle. Such synchronized complex performance affects and is affected by the flow symmetry and type of flow reaching the aorta. Here, we report flow asymmetry in the aortic root which could have clinical implications, and we investigate the potential of various quantitative

Kotit S, Yacoub MH, 2023, The Aswan Rheumatic heart disease reGIstry: rationale and preliminary results of the ARGI database , FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE , Vol: 10, ISSN: 2297-055X

Pang KT, Ghim M, Sarathchandra P, Warboys CM, Yacoub MH, Chester AH, Weinberg PD et al. , 2023, Shear-mediated ALK5 expression regulates endothelial activation , BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS , Vol: 642, Pages: 90-96, ISSN: 0006-291X

Citations: 2

Romeih S, Elkafrawy F, Shaaban M, Hassan A, Samuel I, Gergis M, El mozy W, Yacoub M et al. , 2023, Validation of cardiac index measured by four-dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance flow against the invasively measured cardiac index in patients with pulmonary hypertension , Pulmonary Circulation , Vol: 13, ISSN: 2045-8932

The purpose of this study was to validate cardiac index (CI) measured noninvasively by four-dimensional (4D) and two-dimensional (2D) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) flows against the invasively measured CI by right heart catheterization (RHC) in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Thirty patients with PH (mean age: 32 ± 10 years) were included. 4D and 2D flow measured CI within 24 h from RHC measured CI invasively. Qualitative analysis of 4D pulmonary flow (vortex presence and eccentricity of flow) was performed. All patients had helical right-sided flow with vortex formation; the mean vortex diameter was 29 ± 7 mm, occupying 69% of the main pulmonary artery (MPA) lumen. MPA was dilated (42 ± 9 mm). Mean CI measured by 4D flow CMR was closer to mean CI measured invasively (indirect Fick method CI = 2.1 ± 0.8 L/min/m2 vs. PA 4D flow = 2.3 ± 0.7 L/min/m2 “bias 0.22 ± 0.25 L/min, p = 0.001,” and Ao 4D flow = 2.3 ± 0.7 L/min/m2 “bias 0.2 ± 0.28 L/min, p = 0.001”), while 2D flow had a higher mean CI (PA 2D flow = 2.5 ± 0.7 L/min/m2 “bias 0.45 ± 0.7 L/min, p = 0.001” and Ao 2D flow = 2.5 ± 0.8 L/min/m2 “bias 0.45 ± 0.67 L/min, p = 0.001”). The correlation coefficients among the different comparisons of CI showed: a low correlation between the 2D flow-indirect Fick method (Ao r2 = 0.37, PA r2 = 0.32) and a high correlation between the 4D flow-indirect Fick method (Ao r2 = 0.86, PA r2 = 0.89). There is an excellent agreement between CI measured by 4D flow and CI measured invasively. 4D flow, a noninvasive imaging technique, could accurately measure CI better than the conventional 2D flow in patients with PH.

Citations: 1

Soppa G, Bilkhu R, Jahangiri M, Yacoub M et al. , 2023, Valve Sparing Aortic Root Procedure: Yacoub’s Procedure , Essentials of Operative Cardiac Surgery, Second Edition, Pages: 177-186, ISBN: 9783031145568

Aortic root replacement is performed for pathology of the aortic root, including aneurysm, dissection, connective tissue disease and in some cases, endocarditis of the aortic valve. Valve-sparing aortic root replacement (VSRR) is performed for aortic aneurysm when the aortic valve leaflets are normal and the aortic valve annulus is not dilated. The remodelling technique of aortic root replacement was originally described by Yacoub and colleagues and has the advantage of preserving the physiological properties of the aortic root. In this chapter, we describe our operative technique of VSRR using the remodelling technique.

Zabielska-Kaczorowska MA, Wierzbicka B, Kalmes A, Slominska EM, Yacoub MH, Smolenski RT et al. , 2022, Beneficial Effects of RNS60 in Cardiac Ischemic Injury , CURRENT ISSUES IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY , Vol: 44, Pages: 4877-4887, ISSN: 1467-3037

Jedrzejewska A, Braczko A, Kawecka A, Hellmann M, Siondalski P, Slominska E, Kutryb-Zajac B, Yacoub MH, Smolenski RT et al. , 2022, Novel Targets for a Combination of Mechanical Unloading with Pharmacotherapy in Advanced Heart Failure , INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES , Vol: 23

Da'as SI, Hasan W, Salem R, Younes N, Abdelrahman D, Mohamed IA, Aldaalis A, Temanni R, Mathew LS, Lorenz S, Yacoub M, Nomikos M, Nasrallah GK, Fakhro KA et al. , 2022, Transcriptome Profile Identifies Actin as an Essential Regulator of Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein C3 Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in a Zebrafish Model. , Int J Mol Sci , Vol: 23

Variants in cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C) are the leading cause of inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), demonstrating the key role that cMyBP-C plays in the heart's contractile machinery. To investigate the c-MYBPC3 HCM-related cardiac impairment, we generated a zebrafish mypbc3-knockout model. These knockout zebrafish displayed significant morphological heart alterations related to a significant decrease in ventricular and atrial diameters at systolic and diastolic states at the larval stages. Immunofluorescence staining revealed significant hyperplasia in the mutant's total cardiac and ventricular cardiomyocytes. Although cardiac contractility was similar to the wild-type control, the ejection fraction was significantly increased in the mypbc3 mutants. At later stages of larval development, the mutants demonstrated an early cardiac phenotype of myocardium remodeling, concurrent cardiomyocyte hyperplasia, and increased ejection fraction as critical processes in HCM initiation to counteract the increased ventricular myocardial wall stress. The examination of zebrafish adults showed a thickened ventricular cardiac wall with reduced heart rate, swimming speed, and endurance ability in both the mypbc3 heterozygous and homozygous groups. Furthermore, heart transcriptome profiling showed a significant downregulation of the actin-filament-based process, indicating an impaired actin cytoskeleton organization as the main dysregulating factor associated with the early ventricular cardiac hypertrophy in the zebrafish mypbc3 HCM model.

Halawa S, Pullamsetti SS, Bangham CRM, Stenmark KR, Dorfmuller P, Frid MG, Butrous G, Morrell NW, de Jesus Perez VA, Stuart DI, O'Gallagher K, Shah AM, Aguib Y, Yacoub MH et al. , 2022, Potential long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the pulmonary vasculature: a global perspective , Nature Reviews Cardiology , Vol: 19, Pages: 314-331, ISSN: 1759-5010

The lungs are the primary target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, with severe hypoxia being the cause of death in the most critical cases. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is extremely heterogeneous in terms of severity, clinical phenotype and, importantly, global distribution. Although the majority of affected patients recover from the acute infection, many continue to suffer from late sequelae affecting various organs, including the lungs. The role of the pulmonary vascular system during the acute and chronic stages of COVID-19 has not been adequately studied. A thorough understanding of the origins and dynamic behaviour of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the potential causes of heterogeneity in COVID-19 is essential for anticipating and treating the disease, in both the acute and the chronic stages, including the development of chronic pulmonary hypertension. Both COVID-19 and chronic pulmonary hypertension have assumed global dimensions, with potential complex interactions. In this Review, we present an update on the origins and behaviour of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and discuss the potential causes of the heterogeneity of COVID-19. In addition, we summarize the pathobiology of COVID-19, with an emphasis on the role of the pulmonary vasculature, both in the acute stage and in terms of the potential for developing chronic pulmonary hypertension. We hope that the information presented in this Review will help in the development of strategies for the prevention and treatment of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Halawa S, Latif N, Tseng Y-T, Ibrahim AM, Chester AH, Moustafa A, Aguib Y, Yacoub MH et al. , 2022, Profiling genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in human aortic and mitral valves , Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine , Vol: 9, ISSN: 2297-055X

Cardiac valves exhibit highly complex structures and specialized functions that include dynamic interactions between cells, extracellular matrix (ECM) and their hemodynamic environment. Valvular gene expression is tightly regulated by a variety of mechanisms including epigenetic factors such as histone modifications, RNA-based mechanisms and DNA methylation. To date, methylation fingerprints of non-diseased human aortic and mitral valves have not been studied. In this work we analyzed the differential methylation profiles of 12 non-diseased aortic and mitral valve tissue samples (in matched pairs). Analysis of methylation data [reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS)] of 16,101 promoters genome-wide revealed 584 differentially methylated (DM) promoters, of which 13 were reported in endothelial mesenchymal trans-differentiation (EMT), 37 in aortic and mitral valve disease and 7 in ECM remodeling. Both functional classification as well as network analysis showed that the genes associated with the DM promoters were enriched for WNT-, Cadherin-, Endothelin-, PDGF-, HIF-1 and VEGF- signaling implicated in valvular physiology and pathophysiology. Additional enrichment was detected for TGFB-, NOTCH- and Integrin- signaling involved in EMT as well as ECM remodeling. This data provides the first insight into differential regulation of human aortic and mitral valve tissue and identifies candidate genes linked to DM promoters. Our work will improve the understanding of valve biology, valve tissue engineering approaches and contributes to the identification of relevant drug targets.

Vizza CD, Lang IM, Badagliacca R, Benza RL, Rosenkranz S, White RJ, Adir Y, Andreassen AK, Balasubramanian V, Bartolome S, Blanco I, Bourge RC, Carlsen J, Conde Camacho RE, D'Alto M, Farber HW, Frantz RP, Ford HJ, Ghio S, Gomberg-Maitland M, Humbert M, Naeije R, Orfanos SE, Oudiz RJ, Perrone S, Shlobin OA, Simon MA, Sitbon O, Torres F, Vachiery JL, Wang K-Y, Yacoub MH, Liu Y, Golden G, Matsubara H et al. , 2022, Aggressive Afterload Lowering to Improve the Right Ventricle A New Target for Medical Therapy in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension? , AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE , Vol: 205, Pages: 751-760, ISSN: 1073-449X

Citations: 15

Latif N, Sarathchandra P, Mccormack A, Yacoub M, Chester A et al. , 2022, Atypical expression of smooth muscle markers and co-activators and their regulation in rheumatic aortic and calcified bicuspid valves , Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine , Vol: 9, Pages: 1-13, ISSN: 2297-055X

Objective: We have previously reported that human calcified aortic cusps have abundantexpression of smooth muscle (SM) markers and co-activators. We hypothesised that cells inbicuspid aortic valve (BAV) cusps and those affected by rheumatic heart valve (RHV)disease may follow a similar phenotypic transition into smooth muscle cells, a process thatcould be regulated by transforming growth factors (TGFs).Aims: Cusps from 8 patients with BAV and 7 patients with RHV were analysed for ealy andlate SM markers and regulators of SM gene expression by immunocytochemistry andcompared to healthy aortic valves from 12 unused heart valve donors. The ability of TGFs toinduce these markers in valve endothelial cells (VECs) on two substrates was assessed.Results: 7 out of 8 BAVs and all the RHVs showed an increased and atypical expression ofearly and late SM markers α-SMA, calponin, SM22 and SM-myosin. The SM marker coactivators were aberrantly expressed in 6 of the BAV and 6 of the RHV, in a similar regionalpattern to the expression of SM markers. Additionally, regions of VECs, and endothelial cellslining the vessels within the cusps were found to be positive for SM markers and coactivators in 3 BAV and 6 RHV. Both BAVs and RHVs were significantly thickened andHIF1α expression was prominent in 4 BAVs and 1 RHV. The ability of TGFβs to induce theexpression of SM markers and myocardin was greater in VECs cultured on fibronectin thanon gelatin. Fibronectin was shown to be upregulated in BAVs and RHVs, within the cusps aswell as in the basement membrane.Conclusion: BAVs and RHVs expressed increased numbers of SM marker-positive VICsand VECs. Concomittantly, these cells expressed MRTF-A and myocardin, key regulators ofSM gene expression. TGFβ1 was able to preferentially upregulate SM markers andmyocardin in VECs on fibronectin, and fibronectin was found to be upregulated in BAVs andRHVs. These findings suggest a role of VEC as a source of cells that express SM cel

El-Mehalmey WA, Latif N, Ibrahim AH, Haikal RR, Mierzejewska P, Smolenski RT, Yacoub MH, Alkordi MH et al. , 2022, Nine days extended release of adenosine from biocompatible MOFs under biologically relevant conditions , Biomaterials Science , Vol: 10, Pages: 1342-1351, ISSN: 2047-4830

Adenosine is a small molecule directly involved in maintaining homeostasis under pathological and stressful conditions. Due to its rapid metabolism, delivery vehicles capable of exhibiting extended release of adenosine are of paramount interest. Herein, we demonstrate a superior long-term (9 days) release profile of adenosine from biocompatible MOFs in a physiologically relevant environment. The key to the biocompatibility of MOFs is their stability under biologically relevant conditions. This study additionally highlights the interplay between the chemical stability of prototypal MOFs, assessed under physiological conditions, and their cytotoxicity profiles. Cytotoxicity of the prototypal Zn-based MOF (ZIF-8) and three Zr-based MOFs (UiO-66, UiO-66-NH2, and MOF-801) on six cell types was assessed. The cell types selected were valve interstitial cells (VICs), valve endothelial cells (VECs), adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs), and cell lines U937, THP1, and HeLa. Zr-based MOFs demonstrated a wide tolerance range in the cell culture cytotoxicity assays, demonstrating cell viability up to a very high dose of ∼1000 μg mL−1, as compared to ZIF-8 which showed notable cytotoxicity in as little as ∼100 μg mL−1 dose. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the utilization of biocompatible MOFs for adenosine delivery as well as establishes a direct link between structural instability in the cell culture medium and the observed cytotoxicity of the studied MOFs.

Yacoub MH, 2022, The Ross Operation and the Long Windy Road to the Clinic , JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY , Vol: 79, Pages: 816-818, ISSN: 0735-1097

Yacoub MH, Hosny H, Afifi A, Nagy M, Mahgoub A, Simry W, AbouZeina MG, Doss R, El Sawy A, Shehata N, Elafifi A, Abdullahh H, Romeih S et al. , 2022, Novel concepts and early results of repairing common arterial trunk , EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CARDIO-THORACIC SURGERY , Vol: 61, Pages: 562-571, ISSN: 1010-7940

Vikhorev P, Vikhoreva N, Yeung W, Li A, Sean L, dos Remedios C, Blair C, Maya G, Campbell K, Yacoub M, de Tombe P, Marston S et al. , 2022, Titin-truncating mutations associated with dilated cardiomyopathy alter length-dependent activation and its modulation via phosphorylation , Cardiovascular Research , Vol: 118, Pages: 241-253, ISSN: 0008-6363

Aims Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is associated with mutations in many genes encoding sarcomere proteins. Truncating mutations in the titin gene TTN are the most frequent. Proteomic and functional characterizations are required to elucidate the origin of the disease and the pathogenic mechanisms of TTN-truncating variants.Methods and results We isolated myofibrils from DCM hearts carrying truncating TTN mutations and measured the Ca2+ sensitivity of force and its length dependence. Simultaneous measurement of force and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) consumption in skinned cardiomyocytes was also performed. Phosphorylation levels of troponin I (TnI) and myosin binding protein-C (MyBP-C) were manipulated using protein kinase A and λ phosphatase. mRNA sequencing was employed to overview gene expression profiles. We found that Ca2+ sensitivity of myofibrils carrying TTN mutations was significantly higher than in myofibrils from donor hearts. The length dependence of the Ca2+ sensitivity was absent in DCM myofibrils with TTN-truncating variants. No significant difference was found in the expression level of TTN mRNA between the DCM and donor groups. TTN exon usage and splicing were also similar. However, we identified down-regulation of genes encoding Z-disk proteins, while the atrial-specific regulatory myosin light chain gene, MYL7, was up-regulated in DCM patients with TTN-truncating variants.Conclusion Titin-truncating mutations lead to decreased length-dependent activation and increased elasticity of myofibrils. Phosphorylation levels of TnI and MyBP-C seen in the left ventricles are essential for the length-dependent changes in Ca2+ sensitivity in healthy donors, but they are reduced in DCM patients with TTN-truncating variants. A decrease in expression of Z-disk proteins may explain the observed decrease in myofibril passive stiffness and length-dependent activation.

Emmons-Bell S, Johnson C, Boon-Dooley A, Corris PA, Leary PJ, Rich S, Yacoub M, Roth GA et al. , 2022, Prevalence, incidence, and survival of pulmonary arterial hypertension: A systematic review for the global burden of disease 2020 study , Pulmonary Circulation , Vol: 12, ISSN: 2045-8932

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by increased resistance in the pulmonary arterioles as a result of remodeled blood vessels. We sought all available epidemiologic data on population-based prevalence, incidence, and 1-year survival of PAH as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study. We performed a systematic review searching Global Index Medicus (GIM) for keywords related to PAH between 1980 and 2021 and identified population-representative sources of prevalence, incidence, and mortality for clinically diagnosed PAH. Of 6772 articles identified we found 65 with population-level data: 17 for prevalence, 17 for incidence, and 58 reporting case fatality. Reported prevalence ranged from 0.37 cases/100,000 persons in a referral center of French children to 15 cases/100,000 persons in an Australian study. Reported incidence ranged from 0.008 cases/100,000 person-years in Finland, to 1.4 cases/100,000 person-years in a retrospective chart review at a clinic in Utah, United States. Reported 1-year survival ranged from 67% to 99%. All studies with sex-specific estimates of prevalence or incidence reported higher levels in females than males. Studies varied in their size, study design, diagnostic criteria, and sampling procedures. Reported PAH prevalence, incidence, and mortality varied by location and study. Prevalence ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 per 100,000 persons. Harmonization of methods for PAH registries would improve efforts at disease surveillance. Results of this search contribute to ongoing efforts to quantify the global burden of PAH.

Citations: 11

Ali AM, Dena ASA, Yacoub MH, El-Sherbiny IM et al. , 2022, Drag-minimizing spore/pollen-mimicking microparticles for enhanced pulmonary drug delivery: CFD and experimental studies , JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY , Vol: 67, ISSN: 1773-2247

Latif N, Tseng Y-T, Yacoub MH, 2021, Starry Night by Van Gogh and morphogenesis of a tissue engineered heart valve. , Global Cardiology Science & Practice , Vol: 2021, Pages: 1-2, ISSN: 2305-7823

Pelliccia F, Seggewiss H, Cecchi F, Calabro P, Limongelli G, Alfieri O, Ferrazzi P, Yacoub MH, Olivotto I et al. , 2021, Septal Ablation Versus Surgical Myomectomy for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy , CURRENT CARDIOLOGY REPORTS , Vol: 23, ISSN: 1523-3782

Chester AH, McCormack A, Miller EJ, Ahmed MN, Yacoub MH et al. , 2021, Coronary vasodilation mediated by T cells expressing choline acetyltransferase , AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-HEART AND CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY , Vol: 321, Pages: H933-H939, ISSN: 0363-6135

Torii R, Yacoub MH, 2021, CT-based fractional flow reserve: development and expanded application. , Glob Cardiol Sci Pract , Vol: 2021, ISSN: 2305-7823

Computations of fractional flow reserve, based on CT coronary angiography and computational fluid dynamics (CT-based FFR) to assess the severity of coronary artery stenosis, was introduced around a decade ago and is now one of the most successful applications of computational fluid dynamic modelling in clinical practice. Although the mathematical modelling framework behind this approach and the clinical operational model vary, its clinical efficacy has been demonstrated well in general. In this review, technical elements behind CT-based FFR computation are summarised with some key assumptions and challenges. Examples of these challenges include the complexity of the model (such as blood viscosity and vessel wall compliance modelling), whose impact has been debated in the research. Efforts made to address the practical challenge of processing time are also reviewed. Then, further application areas-myocardial bridge, renal stenosis and lower limb stenosis-are discussed along with specific challenges expected in these areas.

Nagy M, Hosny H, Sawy AE, Mahgoub A, Yacoub MH et al. , 2021, Characterization of morphology and function of the 'neo-atria' after a modified Mustard operation. , Glob Cardiol Sci Pract , Vol: 2021, ISSN: 2305-7823

Background: There is a pressing need to improve early and long-term results of the Mustard operation. A modification of the operation was introduced at the Aswan Heart Centre for this purpose which relies on creating new functional atria rather than the two rigid channels in the classical Mustard operation. Objectives: To evaluate the morphology and function of the neo-atria, shortly after modified mustard operation for a 'neglected' patient with TGA, VSD and severe pulmonary hypertension. Methods: A 6-year-old with neglected TGA, VSD and pulmonary hypertension presented with severe cyanosis, clubbing and haemoconcentration (Hb 22 g/dL), underwent the modified Aswan-Mustard operation (MAM) with rapid smooth postoperative recovery. Repeated 2D echograms and multi-slice CT scans, followed by 3D segmentation, were performed after the operation. The size, shape, and morphology of the neo-atria were measured and measurements of the patterns of instantaneous filling and emptying of the right and left ventricles were quantified. Results: The neo-systemic venous atrium consisted of three components with a combined volume of 78 mL/m2, all of which contributed to the reservoir, conduit, and importantly contractile function of the neo-atrium. The pulmonary venous atrium consisted of two components with a combined volume of 66 mL/m2. These measurements were made at atrial end diastole. The volumes of the systemic venous and the pulmonary venous diminished to 51 and 54 mL/m2, respectively, at the end atrial systole - indicating relatively preserved contractile functions. Conclusion: Following the modified Aswan-Mustard operation, neo-atrial function was relatively well preserved compared to the classical operation. The long-term results of these findings and their effects on quality of life need to be studied further.

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The History of Moscow City

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Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Apr 24 2017

City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Moscow, Russia

*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

At over 12 million people, Moscow is the largest city in Russia and second largest in Europe by population ( Istanbul is #1). An urban, cosmopolitan metropolis with more than enough glitz and glam to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of Soviet era roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of West meets Russia atmosphere and beauty that provides plenty of unique interest. The Red Square is as famous as it gets, but there’s so much more to this city, including the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen. It would take years to capture all of Moscow, but that means you have an endless amount of areas to discover.

So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Moscow has to offer before you even arrive!

Patriarch’s Pond
Old Arbat Street
Maroseyka Street
Tverskoy Boulevard

Top 5 Street Spots:

1. red square.

The Red Square is the most famous square in not just Russia, but all of Eastern Europe. The name actually doesn’t come from the color of the bricks or communism, but from the name in Russian, Krásnaya, once meaning “beautiful” before its meaning changed to “red.” This large plaza is what you see on the cover of guide books and magazines for Moscow, with St. Basil’s Cathedral being the center piece next to Lenin’s Mausoleum surrounded by the Kremlin Wall. Of course, the Red Square attracts hordes of tourist due to the main attractions, but all that activity around an interesting atmosphere does provide street photo opportunities. It’s also the central square connecting to the city’s major streets, providing a good starting point to explore outward.

You’ll also find the popular pedestrian only Nikolskaya Street connecting the Red Square to Lubyanka Square. This line of expensive shops includes plenty of activity, while also leading you to another popular square. Filled with history rivaling any city, the Red Square and surrounding areas are the heart and soul of Russia.

2. Patriarch’s Ponds

Patriarch’s Ponds is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Moscow. Despite the name being plural, there’s only one large pond, but it’s worth a visit with your camera. It’s a popular spot for locals and expats to come relax or take a stroll around the pond. You get an interesting mix of young and old too, from young love to “babushkas” feeding pigeons. It’s a very peaceful park atmosphere in one of the nicer areas within the city center, while bringing enough activity for street photography.

The pond is shallow and in the winter becomes a popular spot for ice-skating too. The area is also well-known for the location in the famous Russian novel, The Master and Margarita.

3. Old Arbat (Stary Arbat)

Old Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Moscow, and dating back to the 15th century, also one of its oldest. Originally, it was an area of trade, but soon became the most prestigious residential area in Moscow. During the 18th century, Arbat started attracting the city’s scholars and artists, including Alexander Pushkin. Cafes lined the streets and impressive homes filled the neighborhood. Since then, New Arbat street was created as a highway in the area, while Old Arbat was paved for a 1km pedestrian only walkway.

Due to the historic buildings, famous artists that lived here, and the bohemian atmosphere, Old Arbat has become a big attraction for tourists today. Now, there’s a mix of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, street performers, street merchants and other attractions for visitors, and some locals, to come enjoy. It can get really busy here and there’s usually something interesting going on so it’s a good street to come walk with your camera for guaranteed life.

4. Gorky Park

One of the most famous places in Moscow is Gorky Park. The official name is Maxim Gorky’s Central Park of Culture & Leisure, which gives you an idea of what goes on here. When built, it was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Divided into two parts, it stretches along Moscow River. One end contains fair rides, foods stands, tennis courts, a sports club, a lake for boat rides, and more. This end brings more active life due to its number of attractions, while the other end is more relaxed, where you’ll find gardens, trees, older buildings, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Gorky Park attracts mostly locals so it’s a good spot to capture the non-tourist side of Moscow life. Muscovites come here to escape the city and unwind in a picturesque setting. The park remains alive outside of the warmer months too, especially when the lake turns into the city’s largest outdoor skating rink. I’d recommend taking the metro out here to spend at least half a day exploring the massive park’s life with your camera.

5. Maroseyka Street

Maroseyka Street is a popular area not too far from the Red Square. The long, winding street turns into Pokrovka and is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and places to stay. It’s actually where I like to stay when I’m in Moscow due to its location and solid street photography opportunities itself. You have Kitay-gorod station near and if you keep walking southwest, you’ll get to the Red Square. But if you walk northwest, as it changes to Pokrovka, you can find a long street of activity for photography with its own interesting atmosphere.

6. Tverskoy Boulevard

Tverskoy Boulevard is the oldest and longest boulevard in Moscow, beginning at the end of Nikitsky Boulevard, and finishing at Pushkin Square, a spot to come for activity itself. The boulevard is made up of two avenues, with pedestrian walkways in-between. You’ll find grass, shrubbery, trees, benches and more walking it’s almost kilometer length. Many people come here to enjoy some relaxation, walk their dog, or just to use it to walk wherever they’re going. Its center location also provides a nice place to walk with your camera near plenty of other spots you’ll want to check out anyway.

Sample Street Walk:

For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Moscow:

Start your morning walking around the Red Square (1), while exploring the surrounding area, including Nikolskaya Street
Then walk northwest to Patriarch’s Ponds (2) and slowly walk the pond and surrounding area with your camera
Next, walk east to the Pushkin Monument and stroll down Tverskoy Boulevard (6)
Once Tverskoy Boulevard (6) ends, it will turn into Nikitsky Boulevard. Follow this down until you get to the start of Old Arbat Street (3), across from Arbatskaya station
After you’re done walking down Old Arbat Street (3) for more street photography, spend some time checking out Moscow’s beautiful metro stations
To finish off the day with more street photography, get off the metro near Red Square (1) again, Maroseyka Street (5) or wherever you’re staying for the night.

3 Things I’ll Remember about Shooting in Moscow:

1. museum metro.

The Moscow metro system was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union and today includes 203 stations across 340km of routes. The elaborate system has some of the deepest stations in the world too, with escalators that seem to go on forever. None of this is what makes it so special, though. Many of its stations feel like stepping inside a museum, making it without a doubt the most interesting and beautiful metro system I’ve been in.

When built, Stalin wanted to make the metro stations “palaces for the people” with marble, chandeliers, and grand architecture. The best part is the variety of architecture and styles used, making many of the stations a completely different experience visually. You could easily spend a whole day traveling the stations and there are even tours available for people who wish to do just that. My advice, though, would be just to buy a ticket and hop on and off at different stations, while exploring different lines. The museum-like surrounding mixed with the crowds of characters can make for a great photography experience.

Since there are so many stations, here are some of my favorites to check out:

Novoslobodskaya
Mayakovskaya
Elektrozavodskaya
Komsomolskaya
Ploschad Revolyutsii
Dostoyevskaya
Prospekt Mira

2. Moscow is Big

It’s no secret that Moscow is a big city, but it can feel even bigger with how spread out much of it is. This is especially true if you compare it to cities outside of Asia. If I compared it to cities in Europe, I’d probably say only Istanbul would warrant more time to really discover the depths of this city. Most only explore around the Red Square and surrounding area, but that is such a small part of the city. Although, that central area does give you plenty to see on its own.

Fortunately, I had a good friend living in the city to show me around, but it opened up my eyes even more to how much there is to discover in Moscow. It’s a big city with a variety of atmosphere that can take you from “east” to “west” and trendy to rugged depending on where you go. I’d imagine you’d have to live here a while to really know the city.

3. Cosmopolitan Mix of East meets West

Modern skyscrapers mixed with amazing architecture, a world-class metro system with museum-like beauty, trendy fashion and chic clubs, Moscow is a rich mix of Russian culture and history in a more western cosmopolitan package. There is a push to keep the Russian culture, while also pushing forward with a modern metropolis the whole world will envy. This comes with an impressive skyline, that continues to grow, and endless modernities, but with soviet nostalgia and atmosphere mixed in for good measure.

Mixed in with this grand western cosmopolitan atmosphere, is a strong national pride in Russia. This includes their famous leader, Vladimir Putin. Maybe no other place will you see a country’s leader more often. All over, from the pricey tourist shops to the underground walkway stalls, you’ll find goods with Putin’s likeness covering them. From t-shirts to magnets to Matryoshka dolls. There’s a strong national pride that can be seen around the city, which also extends to their leader. Moscow is many things. It’s East meets West, modernizations meets Soviet era, and a whole lot more.

What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:

Eat at a stolovaya.

Stolovayas are Russian cafeterias that became popular in the Soviet days. You grab a tray and walk down the line of freshly prepared local dishes, and select whatever you want from the chefs. They’re usually inexpensive and a much better value than restaurants, while giving you the opportunity to try from a wide selection of everyday Russian food. They’re also very tasty. I always include some borsch on my tray and go from there. The places themselves are all over Moscow and usually come with Soviet-era aesthetics to complete the experience.

Street Safety Score: 7

*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!

Being the 2nd largest city in Europe with over 12 million people, you’re going to have your dangerous areas, but for the most part, it feels safe walking around. Russia is statistically higher in crime compared to most of Europe, but this generally doesn’t apply to tourists and visitors. Around the Red Square and surrounding city center, you should feel completely safe walking around. Pick pocketing can happen, but no more than other touristic places. I always explore Moscow freely without coming across too much to worry about. It’s a spread out city, though, so of course it matters where you are. Just use basic street smarts, know where you are and Moscow shouldn’t give you a problem.

People’s Reaction Score: 7

Moscow is fast paced, big city life, which usually means people aren’t too concerned with you, or your camera. I don’t find people notice or pay much attention to me when I’m out taking photos in Moscow. For the most part, people just go about their day. You shouldn’t get too many looks or concern. But it can depend on the area you are in. The more you stick out, the more you might get noticed with suspicions. I’ve never had any problems in Moscow, or Russia, but just be careful who you’re taking a photo of if you get out of the city center. Other than that, it’s about average for reactions.

Street Tips:

Learn the alphabet .

Much of Moscow, including the metro system, doesn’t use english. The Russian alphabet uses letters from the Cyrillic script, which if you aren’t familiar with it and don’t know the sounds, can be hard to decipher the words. This is most important for street names and metro stops when trying to get around. It can save confusion and make it easier getting around if you learn the basic alphabet. At the very least then, you can sound out the words to see which are similar in the english conversion, which can help matching them to maps. When out shooting street photography, getting around is as important as anything. So save yourself some time and frustration by learning the Russian Alphabet.

Use the metro

While Saint-Petersburg feels very walkable for a city its size, Moscow can feel very spread out, even for its bigger size. Outside of the Red Square area, you can have plenty of walking before getting anywhere very interesting, so you’ll need to take the metro a lot if you really want to explore the city. Maps are deceiving here too, it will always be further than it looks.

Another reason it’s less walkable than Saint-Petersburg is its completely different set-up. Moscow’s streets are mostly contstructed in rings with narrow, winding streets in-between. This is common with medieval city cities that used to be confined by walls, but you usually don’t have it in a city this massive. Saint-Petersburg has a more grid-like pattern that also uses the canals to help you know your way around. When it comes to navigating on foot in Moscow, it can be more difficult, so bring a map and take the metro when needed. It’s why Moscow’s metro carries more passengers per day than the London and Paris subways combined.

Explore other areas if you have time

Moscow is really big. While most people stay around the Red Square within the Boulevard Ring, there’s so much more to the city. I covered some other spots outside of this circle, but if you really want to see the city, you’ll need time. If you do have time, some other areas I’d check out first are Zamoskvarechye, along some of the south and western Moscow.

Inspiration:

For some more inspiration, you can look through the Street Photography of Moscow photographer Artem Zhitenev and check out 33 of my photos taken in Moscow .

Conclusion:

Moscow’s name brings a certain mystique, but once you’re there it might bring a different atmosphere than you expect. It’s big and sprawling, but beautiful in many ways. It can feel like a European capital on a grand scale, but you can definitely find its Russian side in there.

The urban sprawl of Moscow can be intimidating, but give it enough time and you’ll be rewarded with plenty to discover. All with the world’s best metro system to take you around.

I hope this guide can help you start to experience some of what Moscow contains. So grab your camera and capture all that Moscow has to offer for Street Photography!

If you still have any questions about shooting in Moscow, feel free to comment below or email me!

(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring, Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya. Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya. This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war. The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station, and change onto the 3/Blue line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya. Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar. One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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21 Things to Know Before You Go to Moscow

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retrospect, it seems that Sir Magdi Yacoub was destined from an early age to become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. Now one of the world's leading heart transplantation surgeons, his choice of career was influenced both by his father's work as a general surgeon in Egypt and by the early death of his aunt from uncorrected mitral stenosis.
Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the Leonardo da Vinci of cardiac surgery
The answer was "immediately!". Figure 1. Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the "Leonardo" of cardiac surgery. Two days later I met his team at the private Hillside Hospital, a large two-story residence that had been transformed to accommodate his foreign patients. The "international" flavor was enhanced by a constant stream of European and ...
An Egyptian charm: meet Magdi Yacoub
Cardiothoracic surgeon and one of the transplant pioneers, Professor Magdi Yacoub talks to Zain Khalpey. Professor Magdi Yacoub was born in a little village in Egypt. His father was a surgeon, constantly moving from one place to another depending on the need for surgeons around the country. This greatly affected his childhood as it meant moving ...
Home
Professor Yacoub was born in Egypt and graduated from Cairo University Medical School in 1957, trained in London and held an Assistant Professorship at the University of Chicago. He is a former BHF Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery for over 20 years and Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Harefield Hospital from 1969-2001 and Royal Brompton ...
PROFESSOR Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub, FRS, FRCS, FRCP, DS: a conversation
Sir Magdi Yacoub was born on November 16, 1935 in Belbais, Egypt. He grew up in several different small towns or villages in Egypt. At age 15, he entered the University of Cairo College of Medicine on a full scholarship. Following a rotating internship at Cairo University Hospital, he did 2 years residency in general surgery at the same institution and then went to London, where he did his ...
Egyptian-British surgeon Magdi Yacoub flies 'like a butterfly' but is
Renowned Egyptian-British heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, 87, made his mark a long time ago.. In 1980, he established what was to become one of the world's largest and most successful heart transplant units, at Harefield Hospital in west London; in 1983, he performed the UK's first combined heart and lung transplant; in 1992, he was knighted; and in 2014, he was awarded the Order of Merit ...
Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the Leonardo da Vinci of cardiac surgery.
Europe PMC is an archive of life sciences journal literature. I met Magdi Yacoub (Figure 1) in his private consulting rooms near Harley Street in Central London in late July 1982, after finishing a year of pediatric cardiac surgery at the prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. He received me in a simple, friendly manner, sitting behind a large desk devoid of paperwork.
About Us
The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation (MYF) - an Egyptian registered charity NGO - was founded in 2008 by Sir Magdi Yacoub, the late Dr. Ahmed Zewail and Ambassador Mohamed Shaker. MYF is running one of the exceptional projects of enormous significance to the health and wellbeing of the Egyptian people that is entirely based on donations: the ...
Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub
The Magdi Yacoub Institute, Heart Science Centre, Harefield Hospital, Hill End Road, Harefield, Middlesex UB9 6JH The Magdi Yacoub Institute is a registered charity in the UK no. 1082750 and a registered company (ltd by guarantee) no 04061607
Magdi Yacoub: a surgeon and a scientist
In retrospect, it seems that Sir Magdi Yacoub was destined from an early age to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. Now one of the world's leading heart transplantation surgeons, his choice of career was influenced both by his father's work as a general surgeon in Egypt and by the early death of his aunt from uncorrected mitral stenosis. But his choice was also affected by his strong interest in ...
Renowned surgeon Magdi Yacoub appointed honorary chancellor of British
Renowned cardiologist Prof Magdi Yacoub has been appointed as the first honorary chancellor of the British University in Egypt.. The professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London is the founder of the Magdi Yacoub Institute at Harefield Heart Science Centre in Uxbridge.. The 87-year-old is also one of Egypt's most respected surgeons and one of its most charitable, having ...
‪Magdi S. Yacoub‬
S Hatahet, MS Yacoub, M Farag, U Gasimova, S Elhamamsy. Cureus 13 (10) , 2021. 2. 2021. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of Mavacamten therapy in international cohort of 524 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. MS Yacoub, T El-Nakhal, EA Hasabo, N Shehata, K Wilson, KH Ismail, ...
Publications
Journal article. Yacoub MH, Afifi A, Hosny H, et al., 2021, A New Technique for Shaping the Aortic Sinuses and Conserving Dynamism in the Remodeling Operation, ANNALS OF THORACIC SURGERY, Vol: 112, Pages: 1218-1226, ISSN: 0003-4975. Author Web Link. Cite.
The History of Moscow City: [Essay Example], 614 words
The History of Moscow City. Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia as well as the. It is also the 4th largest city in the world, and is the first in size among all European cities. Moscow was founded in 1147 by Yuri Dolgoruki, a prince of the region. The town lay on important land and water trade routes, and it grew and prospered.
City Street Guides by f.d. walker:
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be […]
Walking Tour: Central Moscow from the Arbat to the Kremlin
Or at the bottom of Tverskaya right opposite Kremlin entrance, stop in at Grand Cafe Dr Zhivago for a taste of Imperial Russian food and decor.. Take a walk around the Kremlin and Red Square, perhaps visit Lenin's Tomb. Then, duck into GUM, Moscow's department store from the 1800s.Wander through the legendary food hall, Gastronome No. 1. These days, it may stock fine food imports from all ...
How to get around Moscow using the underground metro
Just avoid rush hour. The Metro is stunning andprovides an unrivaled insight into the city's psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi,butalso some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time ...

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Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the Leonardo da Vinci of cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND AND TRAINING

SURGERY AT HAREFIELD

HEART TRANSPLANTATION

HETEROTOPIC AND COMBINED TRANSPLANTATION

A RENAISSANCE GENIUS

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An Egyptian charm: meet Magdi Yacoub

He looks forward to the next day

His charity work is important

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Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, the Leonardo da Vinci of cardiac surgery.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND TRAINING

SURGERY AT HAREFIELD

HEART TRANSPLANTATION

HETEROTOPIC AND COMBINED TRANSPLANTATION

A RENAISSANCE GENIUS

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Awards Received for Dr. Magdi Yacoub

Eng. Hani Azer

Dr. Magdy Ishak, FRCS, CCIM, FRSM

DR. AHMED SHAWKI

MR. MOHAMED A. EL-HAMAMSY

Mr Samih Sawiris

Mrs. Esaad Yones

Dr. Yehia Zaki

Mr Moahmed Zaki El Sewedy

AMBASSADOR GEHAD MADI

MR. TAWFIK S. DIAB

DR. AKEF EL-MAGHRABY

DR. HANI SAREIELDIN

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About Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation

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Dr. Ahmed Shawki

Mr. Mohamed A. El-Hamamsy

Ambassador Gehad Madi

Mr. Tawfik S. Diab

Mr. Mohamed El Sewedy

Dr. Akef El-Maghraby

Dr. Hani Sareieldin

Ms. Dina El Gazzar

Ms. Reem Gadelrab

Mr. Marwan Afifi

Mrs. Mary Iskander

MAGDI YACOUB

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Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub