Overweight children show abnormalities in eating style, such as restrained eating and tendency toward overeating (comprising both emotional and external eating). Family surroundings play a major role in developing eating behaviors in children. We tested whether restrained eating and tendency toward overeating predicted the amount of food intake in 41 overweight children (23 girls and 18 boys) a...

Left ventricular hemodynamics were studied using M-mode and pulsed doppler echocardiography in 18 cases with post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (PSAGN) during the acute phase. Both the ratio of left atrial to aortic dimension and the end-diastolic volume index increased in the acute phase compared with those in the recovery phase in each case (p < 0.01, p < 0.01). These results indicat...

The purpose of the study was to investigate interactions between myocardial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and myocardial fibrosis, both of which determine left ventricular (LV) preload reserve in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In previous animal experiments, chronic inhibition of NOS induced myocardial fibrosis and limited LV preload reserve. Twenty-eight DCM patients und...

Ultrasonic backscatter is substantially modified by pathologic changes in myocardium. Influence of physiologic changes in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, preload, and inotropic state were studied in 17 anesthetized open-chest dogs. Heart rate was changed with atrial pacing/ULFS'49 (a selective bradycardiac agent). Mean arterial pressure was varied with aortic constriction/nitroprusside, pre...

Mitral annular (MA) excursion during diastole encompasses a volume that is part of total left ventricular (LV) filling volume (LVFV). Altered excursion or area variation of the MA due to changes in preload or inotropic state could affect LV filling. We hypothesized that changes in LV preload and inotropic state would not alter the contribution of MA dynamics to LVFV. Six sheep underwent marker ...

We examined the interrelationship of afterload, preload and left ventricular (LV) performance at two levels of systolic loading in 20 patients with chronic aortic regurgitation to determine if the concept of afterload mismatch and preload reserve can be applied to this clinical entity. We identified two groups of patients at different stages in the natural history of volume overload. Patients i...

Mechanical properties of cardiomyocytes from different transmural regions are heterogeneous in the left ventricular wall. The cardiomyocyte mechanical environment affects this heterogeneity because of mechano-electric feedback mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the mechanical load (preload and afterload) on transmural differences in contraction of subendocardial (E...

Shortening of oblique left ventricular (LV) fibers results in torsion. A unique relationship between volume and torsion is therefore expected, and the effects of load and contractility on torsion should be predictable. However, volume-independent behavior of torsion has been observed, and the effects of load on this deformation remain controversial. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with...