Restitution of action potential duration (APD) is thought to be critical in activation instability. Although restitution is used to predict APD during sequential changes in diastolic interval (DI), currently used protocols to determine restitution do not use sequential changes in DI. We explored restitution using a new pacing protocol to change DI sequentially and independently of APD. Transmem...

AIMS Although we previously demonstrated abdominal paracentesis drainage (APD) preceding percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) as the central step for treating patients with moderately severe (MSAP) or severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), the predictors leading to PCD after APD have not been studied. METHODS Consecutive patients with MSAP or SAP were recruited between June 2011 and June 2013. As a...

BACKGROUND Halothane shortens ventricular action potential duration (APD), as a consequence of its inhibitory effects on a variety of membrane currents, an effect that is greater in sub-endocardial than sub-epicardial myocytes. In hypertrophied ventricle, APD is prolonged as a consequence of electrical remodelling. In this study, we compared the effects of halothane on transmural APD in myocyte...

AIMS To elucidate the properties of the PMJ and myocardium underlying these effects. Transmural heterogeneity of action potential duration (APD) is known to play an important role in arrhythmogenesis. Regions of non-uniformities of APD gradients often overlap considerably with the location of Purkinje-muscle junctions (PMJs). We therefore hypothesized that such junctions are novel sources of lo...

AIMS Repolarization has rate-dependent and rate-independent components. A function considering such components separately was validated in canine Purkinje fibres and applied to the QT/RR relation in humans. METHODS AND RESULTS Action potential duration (APD) was measured in Purkinje fibres during steady-state pacing at different cycle lengths (CL) and after prolonged quiescence (APD(0)). The ...

We studied the effects of nibentan on transmembrane action potentials of canine Purkinje fibers (PF), ventricular epicardial and endocardial tissues and atrial tissue. Nibentan (1 x 10(-8) to 5 x 10(-6) M) had no effects on maximum diastolic potential of all tissues and produced a modest concentration- and use-dependent decrease in V(max). However, a remarkable tissue specificity was observed i...

The restitution kinetics of action potential duration (APD) were investigated in paced canine Purkinje fibers (P; n = 9) and endocardial muscle (M; n = 9), in isolated, perfused canine left ventricles during ventricular fibrillation (VF; n = 4), and in endocardial muscle paced at VF cycle lengths (simulated VF; n = 4). Restitution was assessed with the use of two protocols: delivery of a single...

Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) is a personality disorder that is most commonly associated with the legal and criminal justice systems. The study of the brain in APD has important implications in legal contexts and in helping ensure social stability. However, the neural contribution to the high prevalence of APD is still unclear. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic re...

AIMS To examine the value of the anteroposterior pericardial sac diameter (APD) for prediction of the volume of pericardial effusion. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured the APD by echocardiography before 52 pericardiocentesis procedures and correlated it with the aspirate volume, etiology, symptoms, and clinical outcome. The volume of the aspirate ranged from 60 to 2300 ml (median 650 ml). The A...