C onstrictive pericarditis can be defined as a syndrome (or syndromes) resulting from compression of the heart caused by rigid, thickened, and frequently fused pericardial membranes. This syndrome was known about more than three centuries ago, but more recently its clinical spectrum has changed in two ways. Firstly, from the aetiologic point of view, there has been an increase in the number of ...

INTRODUCTION Despite the widespread use of the mouse transverse aortic constriction heart failure model, there are no reports on the characterization of the standard-of-care agent carvedilol in this model. METHODS Left ventricular pressure overload was produced in mice by transverse aortic constriction between the innominate and left common carotid arteries. Carvedilol was administered at mul...

We investigated the effects of the Cl- channel blockers niflumic acid, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB) and 4, 4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS) on endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced constriction of rat small pulmonary arteries (diameter 100-400 microm) in vitro, following endothelium removal. ET-1 (30 nM) induced a sustained constriction of rat pulmonary arte...

OBJECTIVE Right ventricular (RV) failure is the leading cause of death in various cardiopulmonary diseases, including pulmonary hypertension. It is generally considered that the RV is vulnerable to pressure overload as compared with the left ventricle (LV). However, as compared with LV failure, the molecular mechanisms of RV failure are poorly understood, and hence therapeutic targets of the di...

• Pulmonary artery constriction has been utilized as an experimental method of stressing the right ventricle" or producing changes in the systemic circulation." As a result, the basic circulatory features of pulmonary artery constriction have been documented. The murmur that is produced by this procedure has not received as much attention. It therefore seemed desirable to investigate this aspec...

Pericardial constriction secondary to metastatic adenocarcinoma is exceedingly rare. We present the first recorded case of pericardial constriction secondary to metastatic signet-ring mucinous adenocarcinoma diagnosed by echocardiography. The cornerstones of echocardiographic diagnosis of constriction are the following: interventricular septal bounce phasic with respiration, M-mode recordings o...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cerebrovascular pressure-dependent constriction may involve the smooth muscle production of diacylglycerol, which could facilitate constriction by activating protein kinase C (PKC). A dysfunctional PKC system could promote the loss of pressure-dependent constriction. We attempted to determine whether the alterations in pressure-dependent constriction in the middle cerebra...

We fabricate ferromagnetic nanowires with constrictions such that the cross-section at the constriction can be controllably reduced from 100 nm to the atomic scale by means of electromigration. This allows measurements of the resistance of a domain wall trapped at the constriction as a function of the cross-section’s size. We observe magnetoresistance (MR) of around 0.3% for a (100 x 30) nm2 wi...

Little is known about the pathophysiological mechanisms of radicular pain. We investigated changes in synaptic transmission of substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons after an injury to the L5 nerve root using in vivo patch-clamp recording. A total of 141 SG neurons were recorded at L4 and L5 segmental levels of the spinal cord in root constriction rats and sham-operated control rats. At L4 and L5 s...

As legless predators, snakes are unique in their ability to immobilize and kill their prey through the process of constriction, and yet how this pressure incapacitates and ultimately kills the prey remains unknown. In this study, we examined the cardiovascular function of anesthetized rats before, during and after being constricted by boas (Boa constrictor) to examine the effect of constriction...