Development of a Method for Isolation of Mature Cardiomyocytes from Human Heart Biopsy Specimens.

To increase the yield of living cells and their survival, studies were carried out to optimize the method for isolating cardiomyocytes from biopsy specimens excised from the right atrial appendages. It was found that creatine, blebbistatin, and taurine are necessary components of the buffer solution during cardiomyocyte isolation, and that composition of the solutions is a more important factor than their oxygenation.

[Echocardiographic study of patients with alcoholic heart lesions].

The authors provide data obtained during echocardiographic examination of 16 patients with different patterns of alcoholic heart injury primarily at the early stages of alcoholism. The group of patients without heart rhythm abnormality showed a decrease in myocardial contractile function, moderate dilatation of the left ventricle and its hypertrophy. In patients with heart rhythm abnormalities, the progress of myocardial lesions, dilatation of the left ventricle, left atrium and right ventricle prevailed over hypertrophy of the left ventricle.