OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of noninvasive procedures for the detection of myocardial ischemia and its relation with other coexistent clinical factors in patients with asymptomatic type 2 diabetes mellitus. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 42 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, aged 41-72 years with no clinical history suggestive of coronary heart disease, were evaluated for silent myoca...

Sepsis is generally viewed as a disease aggravated by an inappropriate immune response encountered in the afflicted individual. As an important organ system frequently compromised by sepsis and always affected by septic shock, the cardiovascular system and its dysfunction during sepsis have been studied in clinical and basic research for more than 5 decades. Although a number of mediators and p...

UNLABELLED Hypertension is the leading cause of heart failure and cardiovascular comorbidities in developed countries. Left ventricular structural/functional alterations such as concentric remodeling or hypertrophy have been extensively studied in hypertensive heart diseases. Furthermore, it is also well-recognized that diastolic function actually deteriorates in hypertensive subjects prior to ...

BACKGROUND Syndecan-4 is a transmembrane glycoprotein associated with inflammation and fibrosis. Increased syndecan-4 levels were previously detected after acute myocardial infarction and in subjects with heart failure. However, the levels of syndecan-4 in subjects with Chagas disease have not so far been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of serum sydenca...

INTRODUCTION Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), a synthetic derivate of testosterone, have become a popular drug among athletes and bodybuilders to enhance muscle mass and improve the athletic performance. Many pathological effects such as hepatic and endocrine dysfunction, behavioural changes and cardiovascular complications have been reported. CASE REPORT Within these ast ones, we find an ...

Past studies reported by this laboratory have documented myocardial dysfunction and progressively developing hypoglycemia in canine endotoxin shock. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of glucose concentrations and insulin infusions on myocardial performance following endotoxin administration. Experiments were carried out on isolated, working canine left ventricular he...

BACKGROUND Although type 2 diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for developing congestive heart failure, the mechanism leading to heart failure is unclear. We examined the prevalence of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in relation to vascular function and myocardial perfusion. METHODS AND RESULTS A prospective observational study...

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for myocardial dysfunction in HIV infection. SUBJECTS 173 patients infected with HIV underwent echocardiography. 119 were current or previous injection drug users, 38 were homosexuals, 10 were haemophiliac patients, and six were heterosexual. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Detection of impaired ventricular function. RESULTS 26 patients with...

AIMS The incidence and mortality of myocardial infarction (MI) in diabetic patients are higher than in non-diabetic patients; however, the mechanisms by which diabetes results in cardiac dysfunction are poorly understood. The present study tested the hypothesis that an impaired sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway contributes to cardiac dysfunction in type 1 diabetic mice with MI. METHODS AND RESULTS...

In most patients with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction, the underlying cause is coronary heart disease. To reduce progression to heart failure in a patient with acute myocardial infarction, it is important to achieve the earliest possible reperfusion, whether by thrombolysis or primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Every patient with acute myocardial infarction s...