BACKGROUND The safety of beta-blockers as a heart rate-limiting drug (HRLD) in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) has not been properly assessed in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. This study aims to compare the use of beta-blocker drugs relative to non-beta-blocker ones in COPD patients with ARF due to heart rate-limiting with res...

This study explored the process of arterial baroreflex adaptation to microgravity, starting from the first day of flight, during the 16-day STS-107 Columbia Space Shuttle mission. Continuous blood pressure (BP), ECG, and respiratory frequency were collected in four astronauts on ground (baseline) and during flight at days 0-1, 6-7, and 12-13, both at rest and during moderate exercise (75 W) on ...

PATIENT Male, 53 FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Myocardial infarction Symptoms: Chest pain • tachycardia MEDICATION - Clinical Procedure: - Specialty: Cardiology. OBJECTIVE Challenging differential diagnosis. BACKGROUND Comorbidities, including obesity and sleep-breathing disorders, can adversely influence outcomes in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and should be considered in diagnosis and treatmen...

BACKGROUND Preoperative evaluation and perioperative management of cardiac disease in patients undergoing vascular surgery (VS) is important for patients and vascular surgeons. Recent evidence has emerged that has allowed us to develop contemporary paradigms for evaluating and managing coronary artery disease in VS patients perioperatively. METHODS The utility of stress testing, the role of p...

BACKGROUND Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of hospitalization and mortality in many industrialized countries. We analysed the diagnostic accuracy of multi-detector row spiral computed tomography (MDCT) in determining mid- to high-grade coronary artery stenoses (> 50%). METHODS Sixty-nine patients with suspected CAD were referred to MDCT coronary angiography. Patients wi...

Gehrmann, Josef, Michael Meister, Colin T. Maguire, Donna C. Martins, Peter E. Hammer, Eva J. Neer, Charles I. Berul, and Ulrike Mende. Impaired parasympathetic heart rate control in mice with a reduction of functional G protein -subunits. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 282: H445–H456, 2002; 10.1152/ajpheart. 00565.2001.—Acetylcholine released on parasympathetic stimulation slows heart rate th...

According to life expectancy tables, women outlive men. One possible explanation might be that women have less sympathetic drive than men and therefore are more energy efficient. What are the main gender differences in this regard? The major contributors protecting the cardiovascular system in women are sex hormones. In fact, estrogen enhances vascular dilatatory mechanisms and baroreflex regul...

Cardiovascular Disease? C ardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death in patients with type 2 diabetes. Unclear, however, is the effect of intensive therapy in reducing the development of cardiovascular complications. The UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), involving patients with newly diagnosed disease, showed a nonsignificant trend in the reduction of rates for myocardial infarc...

Corresponding author: Jae Hyoung Cho https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2235-8874 Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul 06591, Korea E-mail: [email protected] Type 2 diabetes mellitus causes many kinds of chronic complications, such as microvascular complications including di...

BACKGROUND Multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) is a promising technique for noninvasive coronary angiography, although clinical application has remained limited because of frequently incomplete interpretability, caused by motion artifacts and calcifications. METHODS AND RESULTS In 59 patients (53 male, aged 58+/-12 years) with suspected obstructive coronary artery disease, ECG-gated ...