Atrioventricular (AV) conduction was studied in anesthetized, open-chest, 1-35-day-old goats. Atrial, bundle of His, and ventricular bipolar electrograms were recorded, and the functional refractory periods of the AV conduction system and the ventricles were determined. Supraventricular premature excitation invaded the ventricles during their vulnerable period. This AV conduction property is di...

for the evaluation of shortness of breath. Her previous medical record was unremarkable. ECG revealed negative T waves in the inferior and precordial derivations (Fig. 1). Chest X-ray showed dense calcification around the heart, compatible with a calcified pericardium (Fig. 2a, b). Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiogram revealed severe thickening and calcification of the pericardium, lead...

Despite current treatments, including use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, digoxin, and diuretics, morbidity and mortality remain alarmingly high. An estimated 50% of patients with severe signs and symptoms of heart failure will die within 1 year and 70% within 3 years. Additional pharmacological therapies to mitigate this disorder, such as β-blockers, continue to be investiga...

Diffusely increased glucose metabolic activity in the right and left ventricles using 2-deoxy-2-(F-18) fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDGPET/CT) and global left ventricular hypokinesia at echocardiography can be evident in acute myocarditis. But, there has been no case report that the ventricular 18F-FDGuptake remains unchanged even ...

then slowly repolarize, which is denoted as the T wave on the ECG, leading to cardiac relaxation and completion of one cardiac cycle. The rhythmic activity of the human heart is clearly apparent by ultrasound after only five weeks of gesta-Department of Cardiology Children's Hospital tion. It is remarkable to think how flawlessly the heart performs in the course of one's life, beating ‫07ف‬ tim...

BACKGROUND Stretch-induced arrhythmias (SIAs) can be elicited in normal canine left ventricles by transient diastolic dilatation. Since clinically important ventricular arrhythmias arise most commonly in failing and dilated ventricles, we hypothesized that the arrhythmogenic effect of transient diastolic stretch would be enhanced in chronically dilated failing canine hearts. METHODS AND RESUL...

Connexin43 (Cx43) is the principal connexin isoform in the mouse ventricle, where it is thought to provide electrical coupling between cells. Knocking out this gene results in anatomic malformations that nevertheless allow for survival through early neonatal life. We examined electrical wave propagation in the left (LV) and right (RV) ventricles of isolated Cx43 null mutated (Cx43(-/-)), hetero...

Balloon aortic valvotomy (BAV) is an alternative to surgical valvotomy in infants and children. We compared BAV in 16 consecutive neonates (1985-1988) to surgical valvotomy in a prior group of 16 consecutive neonates (1978-1984). Both groups were comparable in terms of age, weight, hemodynamic data, left ventricular size, and associated lesions. There were six early and one late deaths after su...

Objective: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), key transcriptional regulators of lipid and energy metabolism in cardiomyocytes, have recently been proposed to modulate cardiovascular pathophysiological responses in experimental models. However, there is little information about the functional activity of PPARs in human heart failure. Aims: To investigate PPAR-a and -g expressio...

Balloon aortic valvotomy (BAV) is an alternative to surgical valvotomy in infants and children. We compared BAV in 16 consecutive neonates (1985-1988) to surgical valvotomy in a prior group of 16 consecutive neonates (1978-1984). Both groups were comparable in terms of age, weight, hemodynamic data, left ventricular size, and associated lesions. There were six early and one late deaths after su...