STUDY OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that the active coronary endothelial lesions in unstable angina raise the endothelin concentration in coronary venous blood. DESIGN Systemic and coronary venous blood samples were obtained from unselected patients with the clinical syndromes of either stable or unstable angina at the time of cardiac catheterisation and coronary arteriography. Control ven...

BACKGROUND Both endothelial cell activation and macrophage activation play a significant role in atherogenesis and atheromatous plaque vulnerability and may determine rapid coronary artery disease (CAD) progression. We sought to assess the association between serum inflammatory markers and rapid CAD progression in patients with chronic stable angina pectoris. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 12...

BACKGROUND Chronic stable angina negatively affects quality of life (QoL). American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines highlight maintaining/restoring a level of activity, functional capacity, and QoL that is satisfactory to the patient as an objective of treatment, and further define the treatment goal for most patients as maximizing survival and achieving prompt and c...

hronic stable angina (CSA) represents the largest cardiovascular disorder in the United States and is the initial clinical presentation of ischemic heart disease in 50% of patients. CSA is the result of the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and becomes symptomatic once the luminal diameter of the vessel is occluded by >50%. Current medical therapy is targeted at reducing the frequency of ...

Background Ranolazine modulates the metabolism of ischemic myocardial cells and improves the efficiency of oxygen use. This study was conducted to evaluate the antianginal and anti-ischemic effects and safety of different doses of ranolazine administered three times daily (tid) compared with placebo in patients with stable angina pectoris. Methods and Results Patients with stable angina pectori...

Background. Terminalia arjuna is a popular Indian medicinal plant with its bark been used for over centuries as cardiotonic. The bark has been found to contain several bioactive compounds including saponins and flavonoids. A number of experimental and clinical studies have been conducted to explore therapeutic potential of Terminalia arjuna in cardiovascular ailments specially in patients of co...