BACKGROUND In patients with angina and nonobstructive coronary artery disease (NOCAD), confirming symptoms due to coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) remains challenging. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) assesses myocardial perfusion with high spatial resolution and is widely used for diagnosing obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to validate ...

Evidence-based criteria for applying cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy are still scarce. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive value of real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography (RT-MCE) in a preclinical canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy who received CRT. Ischemic cardiomyopathy was produced by ligating the first di...

BACKGROUND Estrogen improves endothelial function in the coronary conduit vessels of animals; however, its effects on the coronary microcirculation have not been studied completely in humans. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured myocardial blood flow (MBF) with a PET scan at rest, during cold pressor testing (CPT), and during dipyridamole hyperemia in 54 postmenopausal women without coronary arter...

OBJECTIVES Regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) and flow reserve measurements using nitrogen-13 (N-13) ammonia positron emission tomography (PET) were compared with quantitative coronary angiography to determine their utility in the detection of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND Dynamic PET protocols using N-13 ammonia allow regional quantification of MBF and flow reserve....

Several studies have shown that, per unit mass, myocardial blood flow (MBF) and oxygen consumption are similar in hypertrophic and non-hypertrophic ventricles. This observation may be explained by the degree of myocardial growth matching the increase in oxygen demand. Such matching may, however, not be perfect at the local level, because substantial heterogeneity of MBF exists within the ventri...

We recently demonstrated that endothelin-1-induced medullary vasodilation despite a potent cortical vasoconstriction in the rat kidney may be accounted for by 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) production. This study characterized the effects of 20-HETE and its metabolites, 20-hydroxy prostaglandin E(2) (20-OH PGE(2)) and 20-hydroxy prostaglandin F(2alpha) (20-OH PGF(2alpha)), and the co...

BACKGROUND In fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe G1/S cell-cycle regulated transcription depends upon MBF. A negative feedback loop involving Nrm1p and Yox1p bound to MBF leads to transcriptional repression as cells exit G1 phase. However, activation of the DNA replication checkpoint response during S phase results in persistent expression of MBF-dependent genes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FI...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Hemodialysis is associated with hemodynamic instability, acute cardiac ischemia, and the development of regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMAs). This study used serial intradialytic H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography scanning to confirm that the development of dialysis-induced RWMAs was associated with reduction in myocardial blood flow (MBF). DESIGN, SETTING,...

OBJECTIVE Postprandial glycemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease that is more powerful than fasting glycemia and determines myocardial perfusion defects in type 2 diabetes. We examined the efficacy of two different insulin regimes (regular insulin and insulin analog) in controlling postprandial hyperglycemia and in preventing myocardial perfusion abnormalities. RESEARC...