Positron emission computed tomography (PET) has introduced a new dimension into cardiology by its ability of imaging in-vivo cardiac metabolism non-invasively. Following administration of labelled substrates PET provides display of digitized heart tomograms, which reflect tracer concentration quantitatively. Thus, regional myocardial metabolism and perfusion can be measured using appropriate tr...

Objective(s):This study aimed to examine the hypothesis that an antiarrhythmic effect might be obtained by ischemic preconditioning of the liver, and also to characterize the potential underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were anesthetized by thiopental sodium (50 mg/kg, IP) followed by IV injection of heparin (250 IU). Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) was induce...

Studies have shown that hypertrophied hearts are unusually vulnerable to ischemia. Compromised O2 supply has been postulated as a possible explanation for this phenomenon on the basis of elongated O2 diffusion distance and altered coronary vasculature found in hypertrophied myocardium. To examine the postulate, perfused heart experiments followed the metabolic and functional responses of hypert...

The effects of cold storage using Custodiol® (Histidine-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarate, HTK) or isotonic saline solution on mitochondrial function in hearts (left and rights ventricles) and various blood vessels of pigs were investigated. Hearts, saphenous veins, internal-mammary-arteries and aortas of male landrace pigs were harvested and exposed to cold ischemia in either saline or Custodiol-HTK so...

Background: High CVD mortality among the middle-aged is a major cause of low life expectancy in Russia, especially among men. Hazardous alcohol consumption is suspected to be a powerful factor. Methods: All men (1099) and women (519) who died between 01.01.08 and 31.08.09 from cardiovascular disease at ages of 30-70 years in the city of Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia, were included. CVD mortalit...

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has a medical examiner system, in which all cadavers classified as "unusual death" in the city of Tokyo should be examined, and if necessary, autopsied to determine the cause of death. Of about 10,000 unusual deaths examined per year, two thirds are usually determined to have died of natural causes. The most common cause of sudden natural death is ischemic hear...

objective(s) the aim of this study was to investigate the overall effect of cardiac vasoactive factors during coronary occlusion and reperfusion on peripheral vascular tone, using a sequential isolated rabbit heart-ear perfusion model. materials and methods isolated ears were perfused with the effluent of isolated hearts subjected to ischemia (30 min) and reperfusion (180 min, n=6). the compara...

Cardiovascular diseases and, among them, channelopathies and cardiomyopathies are a major cause of death worldwide. The molecular and genetic defects underlying these cardiac disorders are complex, leading to a large range of structural and functional heart phenotypes. Identification of molecular and functional mechanisms disrupted by mutations causing channelopathies and cardiomyopathies is es...