Refractory angina pectoris, defined as angina refractory to maximal medical therapy and standard coronary revascularization procedures, remains a significant health problem in the United States and the world. Despite a panoply of recent therapeutic advances, patients with refractory angina pectoris are not adequately treated; therefore, scientists have been investigating new technologies to hel...

OBJECTIVES We evaluated the association of baseline body mass index (BMI) on the outcomes of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy for chronic stable angina. BACKGROUND We are in the midst of a pandemic of obesity, which is complicating the care of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS We examined 2730 patients enrolled from 2002 to 2004 in the IEPR-2. Baseline an...

Chinese propolis has been reported to possess various biological activities such as antitumor. In present study, anticancer activity of ethanol extract of Chinese propolis (EECP) at 25, 50, 100, and 200  μ g/mL was explored by testing the cytotoxicity in MCF-7 (human breast cancer ER(+)) and MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer ER(-)) cells. EECP revealed a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effect....

BACKGROUND In 1998, the International EECP Patient Registry (IEPR) was organized to document patient characteristics, safety, and efficacy during the treatment period, and long-term outcomes. All centers with EECP facilities were invited to join the voluntary Registry. The Registry population comprises all patients starting EECP therapy for treatment of angina pectoris in participating centers....

METHODS A multicenter, prospective, randomized, blinded, controlled trial was conducted in seven university hospitals in 139 outpatients with angina, documented coronary artery disease (CAD) and positive exercise treadmill test. Patients were given 35 h of active counterpulsation (active CP) or inactive counterpulsation (inactive CP) over a fourto seven-week period. Outcome measures were exerci...

One hundred patients were referred with suspected acute cardiac failure following acute myocardial infarction. The diagnosis was confirmed in 72: 31 of these patients underwent elective medical treatment, with 2 survivors (6%); 41 were accepted for counter pulsation, but 9 died before this could be initiated and another 2 died shortly after vain attempts to pass the balloon catheter were abando...

BACKGROUND Propolis and its major constituent - caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) have good abilities on antitumor and anti-inflammation. However, little is known about the actions of propolis and CAPE on tumor in inflammatory microenvironment, and inflammatory responses play decisive roles at different stages of tumor development. To understand the effects and mechanisms of ethanol-extracted...

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a narrowing or blockage of the arteries and vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the heart. It is caused by atherosclerosis, an accumulation of fatty materials on the inner linings of arteries. According to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association's 2010 publication on heart disease and stroke statistics, cardiovascular disease rema...

Output power fluctuations in a grating external cavity diode laser with Littman configuration are described, showing peculiar chaotic behaviors of self-pulsation at the L-I curve kink points. Different spectral characteristics with multiple peaks are observed at upper and lower state of the self-pulsation. It is found also that P-N junction voltage jumps in a same pace with the pulsation. The o...