Cardiac atria are thought to be the principle source of plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), a potent natriuretic and diuretic peptide. Whether other ANF production sites are recruited in disease states exhibiting elevated plasma ANF levels is not known. Accordingly, in the cardiomyopathic hamster, an animal model of congestive heart failure with high circulating levels of ANF, contribution ...

The left ventricular free wall (LVFW) grew approximately three times faster than the right ventricular free wall (RVFW) during the first 10 days of life in neonatal pigs. Faster growth was associated with proportional increases in total RNA and messenger RNA. These findings indicated that greater capacity for protein synthesis was a major factor in accelerated growth. Despite faster growth, hea...

Previous soft robotic ventricular assist devices have generally targeted biventricular heart failure and have not engaged the interventricular septum that plays a critical role in blood ejection from the ventricle. We propose implantable soft robotic devices to augment cardiac function in isolated left or right heart failure by applying rhythmic loading to either ventricle. Our devices anchor t...

The electrocardiographic records taken during vagus stimulation by pressure from children suffering with chronic heart disease have shown that the stimulation of the vagi in these cases is strikingly effectual. In some of the cases, a definite difference was demonstrated between the action of the right and left vagi. The control of the rate of the heart-beat seemed to predominate usually in the...

Soft robots fabricated from low modulus, compliant materials hold significant potential for medical device applications that warrant safe, synergistic interaction with humans. We have recently applied this technology to develop ventricular assistive devices (VADs) that can externally massage the failing heart [1][2]. In heart failure (HF), the heart cannot provide sufficient pumping support to ...

Small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (SK channels, KCa channels) have been reported in excitable cells, where they aid in integrating changes in intracellular Ca2+ with membrane potential. We recently reported for the first time the functional existence of SK2 (KCa2.2) channels in human and mouse cardiac myocytes. Here, we report cloning of SK1 (KCa2.1) and SK3 (KCa2.3) channels from mo...

choroid plexus papillomas are rare intracranial tumors, accounting for less than 1% of all intracranial tumors in adults. however, they are relatively more common in children and constitute 1.5 to 4% of childhood intracranial tumors. in children, choroid plexus papillomas are predominately located in the lateral ventricles, followed by the forth and third ventricles and, rarely, in the cerebell...