Swimming training attenuates the decrease of calcium responsiveness in female infarcted rats.

To evaluate the influence of swimming training on calcium responsiveness of the myocardium of rats with different infarction sizes (MI). female Wistar rats, sedentary sham (SS = 14), sedentary moderate MI (SMI = 8) and sedentary large MI (SLI = 10) were compared to trained sham (TS = 16), trained moderate MI (TMI = 9) and trained large MI (TLI = 10). After 4 weeks of MI, the animals swam for 60 min/day, 5 days/week, for additional 8 weeks.

Digitoxin Attenuates Heart Failure, Reduces Myocardial Hypertrophy, and Preserves the Calcium-Binding Proteins in Infarcted Rats.

We previously showed that digitoxin prolongs the survival of rats with heart failure due to myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, we evaluated the effect of digitoxin on myocardial structure, ventricular function, and proteins involved in calcium kinetics. Seventy-two rats with MI >35% of the left ventricle were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups: sham (n = 15), digitoxin (n = 11), infarction (n = 20), and infarction + digitoxin (n = 26).

Haemophilia A: health and economic burden of a rare disease in Portugal.

Background: Haemophilia A is a hereditary bleeding disorder, which has been considered rare and chronic. The burden of this disease in Portugal remains unknown. The aim of this study was to estimate the annualized cost and health burden of haemophilia A in Portugal.

Paradoxical Sleep Deprivation Causes Cardiac Dysfunction and the Impairment Is Attenuated by Resistance Training.

Background: Paradoxical sleep deprivation activates the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, subsequently interfering with the cardiovascular system. The beneficial effects of resistance training are related to hemodynamic, metabolic and hormonal homeostasis. We hypothesized that resistance training can prevent the cardiac remodeling and dysfunction caused by paradoxical sleep deprivation.

Are there gender differences in left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats?

Objective: An unclear issue is whether gender may influence at cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). We evaluated left ventricle remodeling in female and male rats post-MI.

Methods: Rats were submitted to anterior descending coronary occlusion.

Severity of the cardiac impairment determines whether digitalis prolongs or reduces survival of rats with heart failure due to myocardial infarction.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate if the influence of digitalis on survival depends on the severity of cardiac dysfunction in heart failure (HF).

Methods And Results: Doppler echocardiogram (DE) parameters were analyzed in 84 Wistar control (C) and 80 Wistar rats treated with 0.1mg/100g/day of digitoxin (D) five days after coronary occlusion.

Rat adipose tissue-derived stem cells transplantation attenuates cardiac dysfunction post infarction and biopolymers enhance cell retention.

Background: Cardiac cell transplantation is compromised by low cell retention and poor graft viability. Here, the effects of co-injecting adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) with biopolymers on cell cardiac retention, ventricular morphometry and performance were evaluated in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI).

Methodology/principal Findings: 99mTc-labeled ASCs (1x10(6) cells) isolated from isogenic Lewis rats were injected 24 hours post-MI using fibrin a, collagen (ASC/C), or culture medium (ASC/M) as vehicle, and cell body distribution was assessed 24 hours later by gamma-emission counting of harvested organs.

Digitoxin prolongs survival of female rats with heart failure due to large myocardial infarction.

Background: We analyzed whether digitoxin affects the survival of rats with congestive heart failure.

Methods And Results: The influence of digitoxin (0.1 mg.

Left ventricle radio-frequency ablation in the rat: a new model of heart failure due to myocardial infarction homogeneous in size and low in mortality.

Background: The purpose of the current study was to create a model of myocardial infarction (MI) that is homogeneous in size with a low immediate (24 hours) mortality.

Methods And Results: Male and female rats (n = 256) underwent left ventricle (LV) ablation (Ab) by a radiofrequency current (1000 kHz; 12 watts for 12 seconds) to promote a MI. A transmural MI occurred in all rats.