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.

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.

Doppler echocardiographic predictors of mortality in female rats after myocardial infarction.

Background: Doppler echocardiogram is useful for the evaluation of anatomical and functional changes in late myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. However, no studies have evaluated the prognostic value of echocardiographic parameters 1 week after MI.

Methods And Results: Doppler echocardiogram was performed in 84 female Wistar rats 1 week after MI to determine infarction size, left chambers dimensions, fractional area change (FAC) of the left ventricle (LV), mitral inflow and tissue Doppler, myocardial performance index (MPI), and signs of pulmonary hypertension.