Clinical trials demonstrated that statin therapy is associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality when used for either primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Several studies have shown that statins, having an important effect in the prevention of acute coronary syndromes, are also able to prevent ...

AIMS: Right ventricular apical pacing (RVAP) may be deleterious, determining abnormal left ventricular (LV) electrical activation and progressive LV dysfunction. Permanent His-bundle pacing (HBP) has been proposed to prevent this detrimental effect. The aim of our study was to compare the long-term effects of HBP on LV synchrony and systolic ...

Abstract Objectives: We assessed the effect of milrinone application timing after reperfusion against myocardial stunning as compared with levosimendan in swine. Furthermore, we examined the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in the milrinone-induced cardioprotection. Design: All swine were subjected to 12-min ischemia followed by 90-min reperfusion to ...

The article describes the impact of weight training, micro-elements and vitamins on rehabilitation in post-myocardial infarction patients. Cardiac rehabilitation is a multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted intervention aimed at restoring well-being and retarding disease progression in patients with heart disease. It has been shown that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is effective in reducing ...

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is characterized by regionalized contractile alterations resulting in loss of the transmural contractile gradient across the left ventricular free wall. We tested whether a regional alteration in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism during HF could affect myofilament function through PKA signaling. Results: Twelve weeks after permanent left coronary ...

BACKGROUND: Carvedilol and its analogues suppress delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs) and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardias by direct action on the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2). OBJECTIVE: We tested a hypothesis that carvedilol analogue may also prevent triggered activities (TAs) through the suppression of early afterdepolarizations (EADs). METHODS: Intracellular Ca(2+) and membrane voltage ...

Statin, as an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, has been shown to prevent atrial fibrillation due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. However, it is still not know whether statin can improve autonomic remodeling to prevent atrial fibrillation. In the present study, using an in vivo rat myocardial infarction (MI) model, we ...

The Second Medicine, Angioplasty, or Surgery Study (MASS II) included patients with multivessel coronary artery disease and normal systolic ventricular function. Patients underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG, n=203), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, n=205), or medical treatment alone (MT, n=203). This investigation compares the economic outcome at 5-year follow-up ...

During extracorporeal circulation (ECC) controlled hypothermia is a common method of myocardial protection due to a reduction of the myocardial oxygen consumption. Although the beneficial aspects of hypothermia on the myocardial metabolism have been widely demonstrated the effect of hypothermia on the myocardial oxygen tension (PmyO2) is unclear. For this ...

Background: Prognosis of patients with heart failure remains poor despite improved conventional and interventional treatment regimens. The improvement of neovascularisation and repair processes by administration of bone marrow-derived cells modestly improved the recovery after acute myocardial infarction. However, circulating patient-derived cells are reduced in number and function particularly in chronic ...

The effectiveness of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) to protect the heart against ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) declines with age. The deacetylase protein sirtuin 1 (Sirt 1) confers myriad functions including longevity and cardioprotection against IRI. As such, Sirt 1 may be a potential candidate to explain the protective effect of IPC. We ...

Pacemaker implantation is necessary in patients with symptomatic bradycardia. The right ventricular (RV) apex is the traditional pacing site because of its ease of access with simple and reliable technology. However, by forcing mechanical desynchronization, this may induce adverse effects, especially in heart failure patients. To avoid these problems, alternative ...

Experiments on rats have shown that preventive treatment with uridine stabilizes energy metabolism in the heart under conditions of 60-min left coronary artery occlusion. The preparation also prevented antioxidant system dysfunction and LPO hyperactivation. 5-Hydroxydecanoate, a selective blocker of mitochondrial ATP-dependent K(+)-channels, abolished the protective effect of uridine, which attested ...

This manuscript describes the initial experience of 15 patients undergoing aortic arch replacement using a modification of the trifurcate arch technique described by Spielvogel and coworkers [1]. This technique provides continuous antegrade cerebral perfusion and minimal myocardial ischemia with mild hypothermia.

Capecitabine is an orally available chemotherapeutic agent that is converted to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) after absorbtion. Capecitabine and its active metabolite, 5-FU, have cardiotoxic effects with reported instances of acute coronary syndromes caused due to coronary vasospasm. However, these agents exert toxic effects on cardiovascular system and beyond vasospasm provacation. We ...

Cocaine, a natural alkaloid derived from the coca plant, is one of the most commonly abused illicit drugs. Cocaine is commonly abused by inhalation, nasal insufflation, and intravenous injection, resulting in many adverse effects that ensue from local anesthetic, vasoconstrictive, sympathomimetic, psychoactive, and prothrombotic mechanisms. Cocaine can affect all body ...

BACKGROUND: Ranolazine exhibits a synergistic effect in combination with class III drugs to suppress atrial fibrillation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a combination therapy affects repolarization and provokes ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT) in a sensitive model of proarrhythmia. METHODS: Thirty-seven rabbits were assigned to 3 groups and fed with amiodarone (50 mg/kg/d; ...

Inflammation plays an important role in sympathetic remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI), and the inhibition of inflammation has therapeutic benefits that could alleviate the progression of sympathetic remodeling. Recent studies have indicated that the antimalarial agent artemisinin has the ability to inhibit inflammation. In this study, the inhibitory effects of ...

AIMS: Preliminary data from randomized trials with metabolic outcomes have shown that treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) could be associated with a reduced incidence of major cardiovascular events (MACE). The present meta-analysis is aimed at verifying this protective effect, collecting all available data from randomized trials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ...

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention, (pPCI), of native coronaries and saphenous vein grafts (SVGs), is the recommended reperfusion strategy for STEMI, and an early invasive approach is recommended for high risk patients with UA/NSTEMI. Although PCI effectively restores flow in the infarct related artery/culprit vessel in both situations, myocardial perfusion often ...

Cocaine is a powerful stimulant the sympathetic nervous system by inhibiting catecholamine reuptake, stimulating central sympathetic outflow, and increasing the sensitivity of adrenergic nerve endings to norepinephrine (NE). Numerous studies have established that cocaine has the ability to cause irreversible structural damage to the brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney and ...

Object The authors describe a method of securing an external ventricular drain (EVD) to prevent dislodgement and discourage CSF leakage and infection. Methods The EVD is secured using a single permanent suture, creating a box stitch around the exit site attached to a modified roman sandal. Multiple knots are tied ...

The effect of simulated microgravity on ventricular repolarization (VR) has been evaluated on healthy volunteers by a 5-day Head Down (-6°) Bed Rest (HDBR) maneuver. QT to RR and QT(p) (measured until the peak of the T wave) to RR hystereses have been measured during a tilt table test, and ...

For patient's receiving mechanical circulatory support, malfunction of the left ventricular assist device (LVADs) as well as mal-positioning of the cannula imposes serious threats to their life. It is therefore important to characterize the flow pattern and pressure distribution within the ventricle in the presence of an LVAD. In this ...

We introduce a simple method to distinguish permanent from transient non-sinus rhythm immediately after resuscitation in cardiac operations. An ice slush of normal saline is sprayed on the surface of the right atrium around the sinus node. If the arrhythmia is transient, the heart usually regains sinus rhythm; if not, ...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are extensively used to improve clinical outcome of patients with several cardiovascular diseases. Zofenopril proved to be very effective in patients with coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, thanks to its unique effective mechanism of action for improving blood pressure control, left ventricular function and myocardial ischemia ...

BACKGROUND: Participation in coronary heart disease secondary prevention programs is low. Innovative programs to meet this treatment gap are required. PURPOSE: To aim of this study is to describe the effectiveness of a telephone-delivered secondary prevention program for myocardial infarction patients. METHODS: Four hundred and thirty adult myocardial infarction patients ...

Aim: To understand the differences between histopathological characteristics related to PTX3 (pentraxin 3) and CRP (C-reactive protein) in coronary atherosclerotic plaques.Methods and Results: To assess the localization of PTX3 and CRP in coronary plaque, immunohistochemistry was performed using 157 coronary artery specimens from 45 autopsied cases. Overall, immunoreactivity to CRP ...

Aortic regurgitation (AR) is a disease for which there is currently no effective medical treatment. It has been shown previously in an experimental model of AR that the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a major role, and that medications blocking the RAAS are effective to protect against left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy ...

Defibrillation shocks from implantable cardioverter defibrillators can be lifesaving but can also damage cardiac tissues via electroporation. This study characterizes the spatial distribution and extent of defibrillation shock-induced electroporation with and without a 45-min postshock period for cell membranes to recover. Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts (n = 31) with and without ...

The aim of the present study was to characterize the hemocompatibility of ice-free cryopreserved heart valves in anticipation of future human trials. Porcine pulmonary heart valves were infiltrated with either an 83 % cryoprotectant solution followed by rapid cooling and storage at -80 °C or with 10 % DMSO and control rate freezing ...

In an experimental permanent stroke model, we report here the contribution of ONO-1714 to brain damage prevention. Daily drug administration, twenty-one days prior to and two days after an experimental infarct, was performed by using mini-osmotic pumps (ALZET). Infarct volumes were assessed by image analysis of sequential coronal brain 1 mm(3) ...

Extracellular matrix (ECM) of myocardium plays an important role to maintain a multilayered helical architecture of cardiomyocytes. In this study, we have characterized the structural and biomechanical properties of porcine myocardial ECM. Fresh myocardium were decellularized in a rotating bioreactor using 0.1 % sodium dodecyl sulfate solution. Masson's trichrome staining ...

  The diagnosis of early myocardial infarction (MI) after death, especially in the first few hours (c. 6 h) after the onset of MI, poses a challenge to the forensic pathologists. During this time, the damaged myocardium does not show grossly identifiable morphological changes and may not be recognized even with ...

An ectopic coronary artery that courses between the aortic root and the pulmonary trunk may lead to sudden cardiac death, especially in athletes. It has been speculated that during exercise, compression of the coronary artery between the great vessels may impair coronary blood flow and produce myocardial ischemia and fatal ...

Cardiac mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is necessary and sufficient to prevent cardiac dysfunction in pathological hypertrophy. However, the role of cardiac mTOR in heart failure after ischemic injury remains undefined. To address this question, we used transgenic (Tg) mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of mTOR (mTOR-Tg mice) to study ischemia-reperfusion ...

Myocardial infarction often leads to an increase in deposition of fibrillar collagen. Detection and characterization of this cardiac fibrosis is of great interest to investigators and clinicians. Motivated by the significant limitations of conventional staining techniques to visualize collagen deposition in cardiac tissue sections, we have developed a Fourier transform ...

Aims: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) exert favorable effects on the vascular system, which are not directly related to hypertension lowering function. The no-reflow phenomenon determines the prognosis in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Early ARB treatment has many beneficial effects on the prognosis after AMI. In the present study, ...

Objective: To evaluate whether garlicin can attenuate reperfusion no-reflow in a catheter-based porcine model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Twenty-two swine were used: six in a sham-operation group, and eight each in the control and garlicin groups. The distal part of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in ...

Illicit drug use continues to be a common problem among pediatric patients. Daily marijuana use among high school seniors is currently at a 30-year high. Marijuana use in adults has rarely been associated with cardiovascular adverse effects, including hypertension, tachycardia, arrhythmia, and myocardial infarction. Recently, abuse of synthetic cannabinoids, such ...

Noninvasive measurements of left ventricular wall thickness (LVT) and left ventricular chamber diameter (LVD) allow calculation of expected left ventricular weight (LVW), but not of myocyte breadth (MyB), so that specification of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is not optimal. Hypertrophied hearts, excluding coronary heart disease, and comparison specimens without hypertrophy ...

A 69-year-old male presented with inferior wall ischemia. Transradial coronary angiogram with an Optitorque Jacky shape catheter showed unobstructed coronary arteries (Terumo Medical Corporation). Left ventriculography was complicated with myocardial and pericardial contrast staining. The catheter was pulled back. The patient experienced sharp chest pain that resolved in 20 minutes. ...

Several techniques have already been described for selective cerebral perfusion during repair of aortic arch pathology in children. One method combining cerebral with myocardial perfusion has also been proposed. A novel technique is reported here for selective and independent cerebro-myocardial perfusion for neonatal and infant arch surgery. Technical aspects and ...

Aim:  The aim of the present study was to determine whether remodelling of the desmin (DES) cytoskeleton affects myocardial function and whether it could be a useful marker of disease progression in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). Material and methods:  Endomyocardial biopsy was performed in 195 IDCM patients and ...

The purpose of this study was to clarify the protective role of mangiferin on postinfarction myocardial remodeling and potential mechanisms. The myocardial infarction (MI) model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Cardiac function, myocardial apoptosis and fibrosis, serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated ...

Left atrial appendage (LAA) plays a crucial role as a source of atrial thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Thus, the need to close LAA becomes evident in patients with AF who undergo concomitant mitral valve surgery. Unfortunately, it has been reported a high rate of unsuccessful LAA occlusion, ...

Our nation?s servicemembers commonly use dietary supplements to enhance their performance. Despite this prolific use, many of these products have detrimental side-effects that compromise servicemembers? health and could, by proxy, compromise a mission. This paper presents the case of a 32-year old Navy Special Operations Forces (SOF) Sailor who, prior ...

Few clinically effective approaches reduce CNS-white matter injury. After early in-vivo white matter infarct, NFκB-driven pro-inflammatory signals can amplify a relatively small amount of vascular damage, resulting in progressive endothelial dysfunction to create a severe ischemic lesion. This process can be minimized by 15-deoxy-Δ(12,14)-prostaglandin J2 (PGJ(2)), an analog of the ...

Abstract  We report the first documented case of HeartMate II® left ventricular assist device (LVAD) reimplantation following Cohn Teflon felt plug repair of the initial left ventricular apical cannulation site. This case highlights the current limitations of the predictability of myocardial recovery while describing an effective technique for possible future ...

Heart rate (HR) is a precisely regulated variable, which plays a critical role in health and disease. Elevated resting HR is a significant predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in the general population and patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). β-blocking drugs exert negative effects on regional myocardial blood flow and ...