Search results for "Heart"
showing 10 items of 3201 documents
Heart failure and chronic kidney disease in a registry of internal medicine wards
2014
Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in tertiary care centers using the clinical records of patients enrolled in internal medicine departments.Patients and methods: We used the clinical records of 1380 elderly patients to identify patients with a history of HF and CKD using admission ICD codes and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) formulas. Magnitude and strength of such associations were investigated by univariable and multivariable analysis.Results: Of the 1380 patients enrolled, 27.9% had HF (age 80 ± 7, BMI 27 ± 6 kg/m2) and 17.4% CKD (age 81 ± 7, BMI 26.8 ± 6 kg/m2). Both groups were signific…
Atherosclerosis, degenerative aortic stenosis and statins
2009
Aortic stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease among adult subjects in western countries The current treatment for aortic stenosis is aortic valve replacement. The possibility of a medical treatment that can slow the progression of aortic stenosis is very fascinating and statins have been tested to reduce the progression of degenerative aortic stenosis (DAS). The rationale for statin treatment in DAS has a deep pathophysiological substrate, in fact inflammation and lipid infiltration constitute the same histopathological pattern of both aortic stenosis and atherosclerosis and these two conditions have the same risk factors. Whether retrospective studies have shown some efficacy o…
Role of Nitrates for the Therapy of Coronary Artery Disease Patients in the Years beyond 2000
1999
Vasodilator therapy with nitrates has been used for almost a century to bring relief to patients suffering from angina. The acute anti-ischemic effects of nitro-vasodilators for the treatment and prevention of anginal attacks is unquestioned. In addition, nitrates are administered in order to reduce symptomatic and silent ischemic episodes, in patients with proven coronary heart disease who exert ST segment alterations on Holter monitoring. The reduction in total ischemic burden may result in an improved prognosis with regard to infarct prevention and possible prevention of deterioration of left ventricular function due to repetitive episodes of myocardial ischemia. In patients with unstabl…
The Role of Endothelium in COVID-19
2021
The 2019 novel coronavirus, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is causing a global pandemic. The virus primarily affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts and raises the risk of a variety of non-pulmonary consequences, the most severe and possibly fatal of which are cardiovascular problems. Data show that almost one-third of the patients with a moderate or severe form of COVID-19 had preexisting cardiovascular comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, heart failure, or coronary artery disease. SARS-CoV2 causes hyper inflammation, hypoxia, apoptosis, and a renin–angiotensin system imbalance …
A Multi-Variate Predictability Framework to Assess Invasive Cardiac Activity and Interactions during Atrial Fibrillation
2017
Objective: This study introduces a predictability framework based on the concept of Granger causality (GC), in order to analyze the activity and interactions between different intracardiac sites during atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: GC-based interactions were studied using a three-electrode analysis scheme with multi-variate autoregressive models of the involved preprocessed intracardiac signals. The method was evaluated in different scenarios covering simulations of complex atrial activity as well as endocardial signals acquired from patients. Results: The results illustrate the ability of the method to determine atrial rhythm complexity and to track and map propagation during AF. Conc…
Update on cardiovascular prevention in clinical practice: A position paper of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the European Socie…
2020
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology following peer review. The version of record Piepoli, M.F., Abreu, A., Albus, C., Ambrosetti, M., Brotons, C., Catapano, A.L. ... Tiberi, M. (2020). Update on cardiovascular prevention in clinical practice: A position paper of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology*. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (EJPC), 27(2), 181-205 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487319893035. European guidelines on cardiovascular prevention in clinical practice were first published in 1994 and have been regu…
Adenosine activates a potassium conductance in guinea-pig atrial heart muscle.
1983
Adenosine shortens the action potential and diminishes the force of contraction in guinea-pig left atria. These effects may be brought about by the activation of a potassium conductance. This assumption is supported by voltage clamp and 42K release experiments.
Stimulatory effects of DB-c-AMP and adrenaline on myocardial contraction and 45Ca exchange. Experiments at reduced calcium concentration and low freq…
1973
The effects of adrenaline (2.2×10−6 M) and cyclic N6-2′-O-dibutyryl-adenosine-3′,5′-monophosphate (DB-c-AMP; 10−3 M) on mechanical performance, 45Ca uptake and total tissue calcium concentration were investigated in electrically stimulated left auricles isolated from female rats weighing 180–220 g. The experiments were performed at reduced [Ca]e of 0.45 mM and at various frequencies of stimulation (0–120 beats/min). In the first series of experiments 45Ca incubation time was 5 min. Under these conditions DB-c-AMP as well as adrenaline enhanced contractile force to 300–450% of the control values at all frequencies tested (Fig.1). This increase in contractile force was accompanied by a signif…
Failure of opioids to affect excitation and contraction in isolated ventricular heart muscle
1989
The opioid agonists morphine (selective for mu-receptors) and ethylketocyclazocine (selective for kappa-receptors), at concentrations evoking strong effects in neuronal structures, did not significantly affect the configuration of the intracellularly recorded action potential and the force of contraction in ventricular heart muscle isolated from guinea pigs, rabbits and man. These results suggest that any changes of heart functions in vivo in response to opioid-like drugs are probably not mediated postsynaptically at the myocardial cell membrane but rather presynaptically, influencing the release of noradrenaline and/or acetylcholine from the nerve terminals.
Effects of inhibitors of cGMP-dependent protein kinase in atrial heart and aortic smooth muscle from rats
1995
Several activators of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase G) such as 8-Br-cGMP reduced force of contraction in rat left atria. Inhibitors of protein kinase G antagonized the negative inotropic effect of 8-Br-cGMP but not of acetylcholine in atria. However, the acetylcholine-induced relaxation in aortic rings was significantly inhibited by protein kinase G inhibition. It is concluded that the reduction by 8-Br-cGMP of force of contraction in atria is related to activation of protein kinase G. In response to acetylcholine, activation of protein kinase G is probably a major step in smooth muscle relaxation but is not involved in the reduction of force of contraction in atria.