objectives in order to provide a pharmacological profile for some newly synthesized dihydropyridines, we investigated their effects on the isolated rat colon segments and the isolated rat atrium contractility. the tested compounds include alkyl ester analogues of nifedipine, in which the ortho-nitrophenyl group at position 4 is replaced by 2-alkylthio-1-benzyl-5-imidazolyl substituent, and nife...

It was possible to calculate pressure gradients across the interatrial septum in several cases of congenital heart disease. Gradients in cases of interatrial septal defect are similar to those found in animals with artificially produced defects. The data are used to form a rounded picture of the hemodynamics of interatrial septal defect. In pulmonic stenosis with interatrial communication, reve...

We investigated the impact of heart defects on the developing human fetus by examining 412 hearts from consecutive spontaneous abortuses. In each case, the cardiac morphology was correlated with the autopsy findings and the karyotype (unavailable in 115 hearts not successfully cultured). Of the 412 hearts, 10 (2.4%) contained structural defects (six ventricular septal defects, one atrial septal...

Holt-Oram syndrome is a rare inherited disorder involving the hands, arms, and the heart. The defects involve carpal bones of the wrist and the thumb and the associated cardiac anomalies like atrial or ventricular septal defects. Congenital cardiac and upper-limb malformations frequently occur together and are classified as heart-hand syndromes. The most common amongst the heart-hand disorders ...

Fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3) is a member of the intracellular lipid-binding protein family, and is primarily expressed in cardiac muscle tissue. Previously, we found that FABP3 is highly expressed in patients with ventricular-septal defects and is often used as a plasma biomarker in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, and may play a significant role in the development of these defects in...

Jumonji (jmj) was cloned in a gene trap screen to identify and mutagenize genes important for heart development. To investigate the role of jmj in heart development, we generated mice homozygous for the jmj mutation. The jmj homozygous mouse embryos showed heart malformations, including ventricular septal defect, noncompaction of the ventricular wall, double-outlet right ventricle, and dilated ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate any association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) taken during pregnancy and congenital major malformations. DESIGN Population based cohort study. PARTICIPANTS 493 113 children born in Denmark, 1996-2003. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Major malformations categorised according to Eurocat (European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies) with additional d...

BACKGROUND As a result of antenatal screening, abortion of fetuses with Down syndrome has become increasingly common. Little is known about the cardiovascular phenotype in infants with Down syndrome born today. METHODS Population-based cohort study based on national health registers including 2588 infants with Down syndrome, live-born in Sweden from 1992 to 2012. Risk ratios for congenital he...

The heart is the first functioning organ to develop during embryogenesis. The formation of the heart is a tightly regulated and complex process, and alterations to its development can result in congenital heart defects. Mutations in sarcomeric proteins, such as alpha myosin heavy chain and cardiac alpha actin, have now been associated with congenital heart defects in humans, often with atrial s...