RATIONALE Fibrillation/defibrillation episodes in failing ventricles may be followed by action potential duration (APD) shortening and recurrent spontaneous ventricular fibrillation (SVF). OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that activation of apamin-sensitive small-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (SK) channels is responsible for the postshock APD shortening in failing ventricles. METHODS AND RESUL...

Mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) is a common valvular disease in dogs. Hydrokinetic evaluation of the blood flow within the ventricles has become possible by vector flow mapping (VFM), which shows the blood flow within the ventricles in vector and vortex flows. Blood flow within the left ventricle of MVR dogs was compared at different stages of MVR and to that of normal dogs. 14 normal dogs and...

BACKGROUND Previous studies suggested a high incidence of congestive heart failure in patients with single and/or systemic right ventricles. The corresponding risk in an adult population is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS A cohort of 188 consecutive adult patients with single or systemic right ventricles was prospectively assessed with gated radionuclide angiography (n=135) or 2D echocardiograph...

Two distinct myosin heavy chain isoforms, referred to as alpha and beta, were identified in the human heart with specific antimyosin antibodies. By indirect immunofluorescence, myosin heavy chain alpha was found to be a major component of atrial myosin and a minor component of ventricular myosin, while heavy chain beta was found to be a major component of ventricular myosin and a minor componen...

KCNE2 functions as an auxiliary subunit in voltage-gated K and HCN channels in the heart. Genetic variations in KCNE2 have been linked to long QT syndrome. The underlying mechanisms are not entirely clear. One of the issues is whether KCNE2 protein is expressed in ventricles. We use adenovirus-mediated genetic manipulations of adult cardiac myocytes to validate two antibodies (termed Ab1 and Ab...

mitral valve regurgitation (mvr) is a common valvular disease in dogs. hydrokinetic evaluation of the blood flow within the ventricles has become possible by vector flow mapping (vfm), which shows the blood flow within the ventricles in vector and vortex flows. blood flow within the left ventricle of mvr dogs was compared at different stages of mvr and to that of normal dogs. 14 normal dogs and...

today, with emphasis on the mechanical heart and heart transplantation from one human to another andone species to another, a knowledge of the anatomy of the bird’s heart could contribute to theseaccomplishments. eight male adult ostriches were used to study the heart macroscopically. this studyrevealed that the ostrich heart has some different features from the other birds. in the ostrich, fib...

Previous studies have demonstrated that environmentally or genetically induced changes in the intracellular proteins that compose the cytoskeleton can contribute to heart failure. Because neonatal right ventricular myocytes are immature and are in the process of significant cytoskeletal change, we hypothesized that they may be particularly susceptible to pressure stress. Newborn calves exposed ...

This work is dedicated to the simulation of full cycles of the electrical activity of the heart and the corresponding body surface potential. The model is based on a realistic torso and heart anatomy, including ventricles and atria. One of the specificities of our approach is to model the atria as a surface, which is the kind of data typically provided by medical imaging for thin volumes. The b...