Background Creatine kinase (CK) reaction is the primary energy reserve reaction in skeletal muscle (SM), providing additional ATP during exercise. Although exercise intolerance is a major limitation in systolic heart failure (SHF), the rate of ATP delivery by CK (CK flux) has not been studied during exercise in healthy subjects (HS) or SHF patients. We hypothesized that SM high-energy phosphate...

RATIONALE The dorsal mesenchymal protrusion (DMP) is a prong of mesenchyme derived from the second heart field (SHF) located at the venous pole of the developing heart. Recent studies have shown that perturbation of its development is associated with the pathogenesis of atrioventricular (AV) septal defect. Although the importance of the DMP to AV septation is now established, the molecular and ...

The fruit of Stauntoniahexaphylla is commonly used as a traditional anthelmintic in Korea, Japan, and China. However, its anti-inflammatory activity and the underlying mechanisms have not been studied systematically. In the present study, we examined the anti-inflammatory activities of an aqueous extract of S. hexaphylla fruit (SHF) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells. The SHF...

The CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and R2CHADS2 scores are well-known predictors of stroke caused by atrial fibrillation (AF), but no studies have evaluated their use for stratifying all-cause mortality risk in patients discharged for systolic heart failure (SHF) with or without AF.This study analyzed data in the Taiwan Society of Cardiology-heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (TSOC-HFrEF) regi...

Heart failure (HF) is accompanied by complex alterations in myocardial energy metabolism. Up to 40% of HF patients have dyssynchronous ventricular contraction, which is an independent indicator of mortality. We hypothesized that electromechanical dyssynchrony significantly affects metabolic remodeling in the course of HF. We used a canine model of tachypacing-induced HF. Animals were paced at 2...

RATIONALE Cardiac progenitor cells from the second heart field (SHF) contribute to rapid growth of the embryonic heart, giving rise to right ventricular and outflow tract (OFT) myocardium at the arterial pole of the heart, and atrial myocardium at the venous pole. Recent clonal analysis and cell-tracing experiments indicate that a common progenitor pool in the posterior region of the SHF gives ...

AIMS Cardiac-resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (SHF) and a wide QRS complex. It is unclear whether the same benefit extends to patients with QRS duration (QRSd) <130 ms. METHODS AND RESULTS Our aim was to perform a meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trial (RCTs) and to evaluate the effect of implantable CRT ...

Despite inducing a strong host cellular and humoral immune response, the helminth Echinococcus granulosus is a highly successful parasite that develops, progresses, and ultimately causes chronic disease. Although surgery remains the preferred therapeutic option, pharmacological research now envisages antihelminthic strategies. To understand the mechanisms that E. granulosus uses to escape host ...

BACKGROUND Medial pinning is one of the most controversial aspects of the surgical treatment of supracondylar fractures (SHF) owing to the risk of ulnar nerve injury. AIM To evaluate the safety and usefulness of medial pinning for SHF using ultrasound imaging for ulnar nerve visualization. METHODS Fifteen children, with a mean age of 60 months, with displaced SHF were treated with a crossed...

The vertebrate heart develops from two distinct lineages of cardiomyocytes that arise from the first and second heart fields (FHF and SHF, respectively). The FHF forms the primitive heart tube, while adding cells from the SHF allows elongation at both poles of the tube. Initially seen as an exclusive characteristic of higher vertebrates, recent work has demonstrated the presence of a distinct F...