Context Ischemic-reperfusion injury is accompanied by a decreased contractility of the myocardium. Positive-inotropic agents have proven useful for treating this condition but may exert serious side-effects. Objective In this study, aqueous preparations from Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench (Malvaceae), Annona muricata L. (Annonaceae), Bixa orellana L. (Bixaceae), Cecropia peltata L. (Moraceae)...

The occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with progressive changes in the calcium handling system of atrial myocytes. Calcium cycling instability has been implicated as an underlying mechanism of electrical alternans observed in patients who experience AF. However, the extent to which calcium-induced alternation of electrical activity in the atria contributes to arrhythmogenesis ...

Introduction. The existence of human cardiac stem cells (hCSC) and their regenerative capacity are not fully defined. The aim of this study was to identify and analyse the distribution of hCSCs by flow cytometry (FCM). Methods. Tissue samples from the left ventricle (LV) and the appendages of the right atrium (RA) and left atrium (LA) were taken during cardiac surgery. Mononuclear cells (MNCs) ...

BACKGROUND Simultaneous assessment of longitudinal strain (LS) by 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography in all 4 cardiac chambers has not yet been explored. Our goal was to study LS curves obtained simultaneously from all 4 cardiac chambers in healthy subjects to gain insight into interchamber functional relationships. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 259 healthy subjects (age 44±15; 118 men) in...

To investigate the response of myosin isozyme transition in specialized myocardium to cardiac overload, we examined immunohistochemically the distribution of myosin isozymes in sinus node cells of overloaded canine atria, using the monoclonal antibodies CMA19 and HMC14, which are specific for atrial myosin heavy chain (alpha-HC) and ventricular myosin heavy chain (beta-HC), respectively. Overlo...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to compare the predictive performance of bleeding risk-estimation tools in a cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing anticoagulation. BACKGROUND Three bleeding risk-prediction schemes have been derived for and validated in patients with AF: HEMORR(2)HAGES (Hepatic or Renal Disease, Ethanol Abuse, Malignancy, Older Age, Reduced Pla...

decreased cardiac responsiveness to adrenergic stimulation has been observed in cholestatic liver disease, but the cause remains unclear. previous reports have suggested that nitric oxide overproduction might have a role in cholestasis-induced bradycardia via inhibition of l-type calcium channels. in the present study, the digoxin has been used to increase cardiac ca2+ transient in male sprague...

In search of more efficacious and safe pharmacological treatments for atrial fibrillation (AF), atria-selective antiarrhythmic agents have been promoted that target ion channels principally expressed in the atria. This concept allows one to engage effects atria, but spares ventricles from potentially proarrhythmic side effects. It has suggested cardiac small conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + (SK...