Coronary artery height differences and their effect on fractional flow reserve.

Background: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) uses pressure-based measurements to assess the severity of a coronary stenosis. Distal pressure (Pd) is often at a different vertical height to that of the proximal aortic pressure (Pa). The difference in pressure between Pd and Pa due to hydrostatic pressure, may impact FFR calculation.

Typical takotsubo cardiomyopathy in suspected ST elevation myocardial infarction patients admitted for primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aim: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is increasingly being recognised in patients admitted with suspected acute coronary syndrome, as access to angiography and echocardiography is much quicker than before. We aimed to analyse the prevalence of typical TCM in patients admitted for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) with suspected ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to a single tertiary centre in United Kingdom.

Methods: All patients admitted to our unit with suspected STEMI from September 2009 to November 2011 were included for analysis.

How safe and how good are drug-eluting stents?

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty revolutionized therapy for coronary artery disease. This early promise of a viable alternative to surgical treatment of coronary artery disease was thwarted by the high rates of angiographic restenosis. The advent of stenting reduced the rates of restenosis, although it was hindered by the new problem of in-stent restenosis.

MAPKAPK-2 modulates p38-MAPK localization and small heat shock protein phosphorylation but does not mediate the injury associated with p38-MAPK activation during myocardial ischemia.

MAPKAPK-2 (MK2) is a protein kinase activated downstream of p38-MAPK which phosphorylates the small heat shock proteins HSP27 and alphaB crystallin and modulates p38-MAPK cellular distribution. p38-MAPK activation is thought to contribute to myocardial ischemic injury; therefore, we investigated MK2 effects on ischemic injury and p38 cellular localization using MK2-deficient mice (KO). Immunoblotting of extracts from Langendorff-perfused hearts subjected to aerobic perfusion or global ischemia or reperfusion showed that the total and phosphorylated p38 levels were significantly lower in MK2(-/-) compared to MK2(+/+) hearts at baseline, but the ratio of phosphorylated/total p38 was similar.

Activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase contributes to the early cardiodepressant action of tumor necrosis factor.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK) contributes to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-induced contractile depression.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor has both beneficial and detrimental consequences that may result from the activation of different downstream pathways. Tumor necrosis factor activates p38-MAPK, a stress-responsive kinase implicated in contractile depression and cardiac injury.

Cardioprotection initiated by reactive oxygen species is dependent on activation of PKCepsilon.

To examine whether cardioprotection initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is dependent on protein kinase Cepsilon (PKCepsilon), isolated buffer-perfused mouse hearts were randomized to four groups: 1) antimycin A (AA) (0.1 microg/ml) for 3 min followed by 10 min washout and then 30 min global ischemia (I) and 2 h reperfusion (R); 2) controls of I/R alone; 3) AA bracketed with 13 min of N-2-mercaptopropionyl- glycine (MPG) followed by I/R; and 4) MPG (200 microM) alone, followed by I/R. Isolated adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM) were exposed to AA (0.

Antimycin A induced cardioprotection is dependent on pre-ischemic p38-MAPK activation but independent of MKK3.

To examine the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK) in the cardioprotection afforded by antimycin A. Langendorff perfused murine hearts exposed to antimycin A or vehicle prior to global ischemia with p38-MAPK and HSP27 phosphorylation examined in the presence and absence of SB203580 or the presence (mkk3(+/+)) and absence (mkk3(-/-)) of MKK3. Infarct size was determined after 30 or 40 min of global ischemia and 2 h reperfusion.

Inhibition of p38 MAPK activity fails to attenuate contractile dysfunction in a mouse model of low-flow ischemia.

Objective: The basal activity of p38 MAPK has recently been shown to impair myocardial contractility. This kinase is activated by ischemia and short-term hibernation. We hypothesized that p38 MAPK activation may contribute to the contractile deficit that characterizes low-flow ischemia.

Varying susceptibility to myocardial infarction among C57BL/6 mice of different genetic background.

Genetically manipulated mouse lines are invaluable to investigate the effects of a single gene on sensitivity to ischemia. When choosing appropriate controls, we were concerned that intrinsic, strain-independent but colony-dependent differences may influence the susceptibility to ischemia. We, therefore, compared the infarct:risk volume ratio (I:R%) after 30-min global ischemia in Langendorff-perfused hearts from outbred C57BL/6 mice with that in wild-type mice derived from heterozygote x heterozygote crosses of two different in-house C57BL/6 mouse lines with targeted disruption of an MKK3 or MAPKAPK2 allele.