Real-time Technical Support Using a Remote Technology During Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Follow-up: A Preliminary Multicenter Experience in Clinical Practice.

Industry-employed allied professionals (IEAPs) provide technical assistance to physicians during cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation, programming, troubleshooting, and follow-up. The Heart Connect™ application (Boston Scientific Inc., Marlborough, MA, USA) is a data-sharing system that enables remote access and display sharing of the CIED Programmer.

New insights into oocyte cytoplasmic lattice-associated proteins.

Oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryo development are critical to successful pregnancy outcomes and the correct establishment and maintenance of genomic imprinting. Thanks to novel technologies and omics studies in human patients and mouse models, the importance of the proteins associated with the cytoplasmic lattices (CPLs), highly abundant structures found in the cytoplasm of mammalian oocytes and preimplantation embryos, in the maternal to zygotic transition is becoming increasingly evident. This review highlights the recent discoveries on the role of these proteins in protein storage and other oocyte cytoplasmic processes, epigenetic reprogramming, and zygotic genome activation (ZGA).

Implantation of a novel insertable cardiac monitor: preliminary multicenter experience in Europe.

Background: The LUX-Dx™ is a novel insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) introduced into the European market since October 2022.

Purpose: The aim of this investigation was to provide a comprehensive description of the ICM implantation experience in Europe during its initial year of commercial use.

Methods: The system comprises an incision tool and a single-piece insertion tool pre-loaded with the small ICM.

A maternal-effect variant causes nuclear and cytoplasmic abnormalities in oocytes, as well as failure of epigenetic reprogramming and zygotic genome activation in embryos.

Maternal inactivation of genes encoding components of the subcortical maternal complex (SCMC) and its associated member, PADI6, generally results in early embryo lethality. In humans, SCMC gene variants were found in the healthy mothers of children affected by multilocus imprinting disturbances (MLID). However, how the SCMC controls the DNA methylation required to regulate imprinting remains poorly defined.

Frequent Home Monitoring of ICD Is Effective to Prevent Inappropriate Defibrillator Shock Delivery.

Recently, in the context of telemedicine, telemonitoring services are gaining attention. They are offered, for example, to patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). A major problem associated with ICD therapy is the occurrence of inappropriate shocks which impair patients' quality of life and may also be arrhythmogenic.

Ablation of paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation with multielectrode phased radiofrequency duty-cycled catheters: long-term results from a large cohort of patients.

Background: Catheter ablation is a widely used approach to treat patients with drug refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) and persistent atrial fibrillation (CAF). The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of the multielectrode/phased radiofrequency (RF)/duty-cycled ablation catheters in the treatment of both PAF and CAF in a large cohort of patients.

Methods And Results: From July 2008 to February 2010, 429 consecutive drug refractory symptomatic patients (mean age 60 ± 12 years old, 58% men, 68% PAF, 32% CAF) were treated.

Sympathetic nervous system and hypertension in diabetic patients.

Although it has been demonstrated that the sympathetic nervous system participates in the genesis of essential hypertension, it is still unclear whether this system can also account for the increased incidence of arterial hypertension in diabetic patients. However, there are some observations which make this hypothesis extremely likely. In fact, it has been demonstrated that in diabetic normotensive patients the reflex control of the sympathetic discharge is normal, but in hypertensive patients there are some derangements of the autonomic nervous tone control which may contribute to increasing the incidence of arterial hypertension in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Haemodynamic and metabolic effects of rilmenidine in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome X. A double-blind parallel study versus amlodipine.

Objective: To compare the effects of rilmenidine with those of amlodipine on blood pressure, glucose metabolism, plasma lipid concentration and fibrinolysis parameters.

Design: A four-month randomized double-blind, parallel group study.

Patients And Methods: Obese hypertensive patients with hypertriglyceridaemia (> or = 2.

Effect of eprosartan and enalapril in the treatment of elderly hypertensive patients: subgroup analysis of a 26-week, double-blind, multicentre study. Eprosartan Multinational Study Group.

A double-blind comparator study was performed in 528 hypertensive patients [baseline sitting diastolic blood pressure (SitDBP) 95-114 mmHg]. The primary objective was to compare the incidence of drug-related cough in patients treated with enalapril and eprosartan. The secondary objective was to compare antihypertensive efficacy between treatments.

Distinct vasodilation, without reflex neurohormonal activation, induced by barnidipine in hypertensive patients.

Barnidipine is a new 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium antagonist with a strong and long-lasting vasodilatory effect. In order to assess the haemodynamic profile of the antihypertensive effect of barnidipine, a randomized, double-blind study of barnidipine vs nitrendipine was performed in 24 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. Following an initial 4-week placebo period, patients whose sitting diastolic blood pressure (SiDBP) was between 95 and 114 mm Hg, and whose sitting systolic blood pressure was between 150 and 219 mm Hg, were randomized (2:1 ratio) to receive either barnidipine (10 mg) or nitrendipine (10 mg) once daily, for a 6-week double-blind period.

Dietary sodium restriction impairs endothelial effect of insulin.

Hyperinsulinemia and high salt intake represent two independent cardiovascular risk factors. However, it is still unknown whether the change in dietary salt intake may affect the ability of insulin to stimulate whole-body glucose uptake and to modulate endothelial function. Regarding this latter issue, we have recently demonstrated that insulin enhances endothelial-mediated alpha2-adrenergic vasorelaxation.

Benefits of combination therapy in hypertensive patients with associated coronary artery disease: a subgroup with specific demands.

Although prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the main goals of antihypertensive therapy, when first seen hypertensive patients often have associated CAD. These patients need a therapy that can exert an acute anti-ischemic action, such as ad hoc relief of angina pectoris, and can also reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) or reinfarction. Reduction in blood pressure (BP) alone does not appear to be adequate because in hypertensive patients CAD is a complex and multifactorial process involving not only hemodynamic, neurohormonal, and metabolic factors but also hypertension-induced myocardial and vascular structural changes, which appear independently to contribute to risk for CAD.

Lisinopril in the treatment of congestive heart failure in elderly patients: comparison versus captopril.

The present study was performed in order to compare the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of lisinopril, a long-acting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, with captopril, the shorter acting ACE inhibitor available, in the treatment of elderly patients (mean age 70 +/- 0.5 years) with congestive heart failure (mean left ventricular ejection fraction 33.5 +/- 1%).

[Tetrofosmin: a new compound labeled with 99mTc for the study of myocardial perfusion. Correlations with coronary anatomy in patients with suspected ischemic cardiopathy].

The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of quantitative one-day exercise-rest 99mTc tetrofosmin tomography in the identification of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and in the detection of single stenosed coronary vessels. Sixty-one patients with suspected CAD and submitted to coronary angiography were examined. All patients were given 2 i.

Technetium 99m-labeled tetrofosmin myocardial tomography in patients with coronary artery disease: comparison between adenosine and dynamic exercise stress testing.

Background: Pharmacologic coronary vasodilation with adenosine, combined with myocardial scintigraphy, is a useful test for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients unable to exercise. It has been demonstrated recently that exercise 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin cardiac imaging can be used for the detection of CAD. However, no data are available comparing 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin adenosine and exercise tests in the same patients.

Adenosine coronary vasodilation quantitative technetium 99m methoxy isobutyl isonitrile myocardial tomography in the identification and localization of coronary artery disease.

Background: Exercise and dipyridamole 99mTc-labeled methoxy isobutyl isonitrile (MIBI) myocardial scintigraphy have been widely used for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, only limited data on adenosine 99mTc-labeled MIBI cardiac imaging are currently available. This study was designed to assess the accuracy of quantitative adenosine-rest 99mTc-labeled MIBI tomography in the diagnosis and localization of CAD.

[Arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis: their epidemiology and physiopathology].

Several epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that hypertensive patients have an increased risk for the development of atherosclerosis. Although the appearance of atherosclerosis only in those parts of vascular system subjected to high blood pressure suggests that the mechanical stress is the principal factor involved in the development of atherosclerosis, the mechanisms underlying the linkage between hypertension and atherosclerosis are not yet completely understood. In fact, the evidence that antihypertensive treatments are not able to abolish the increased incidence of ischemic accidents in hypertensive patients suggests that other cellular and molecular mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Assessment of systolic wall thickening using technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile in patients with coronary artery disease: relation to thallium-201 scintigraphy with re-injection.

The results of resting planar ECG-gated technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) imaging were compared with those of thallium-201 (Tl) re-injection after exercise-redistribution scintigraphy in 20 patients (19 men, 1 woman, mean age 53 +/- 10 years) with angiographically proven coronary artery disease. Eight normal subjects (seven men, one woman, mean age 50 +/- 8 years) constituted the control group. In these subjects, only resting 99mTc-MIBI imaging was performed.

Rilmenidine in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy: beyond the reduction of left ventricular mass.

It is generally accepted that the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) represents a multifactorial phenomenon that also involves neurohormonal mechanisms. This finding may account for the ability of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors to induce faster and more complete reversal of LVH than that observed with other antihypertensive treatments. The sympathetic system is also involved in the genesis of hypertension-induced LVH.

[Evaluation of systolic parietal thickening of the left ventricle using technetium-99m methoxy isobutyl isonitrile. Relationship with coronary anatomy].

Forty-three patients (40 men and 3 women, mean age 54 +/- 9 years) with coronary artery disease underwent 99mTc methoxy isobutyl isonitrile (sestamibi) myocardial scintigraphy and coronary arteriography. Sestamibi uptake and wall thickening index (WTI) were quantitatively evaluated in each myocardial segment. Segments were divided into group 1 (normal coronary arteries, no.

Noninvasive evaluation of cardiac hemodynamics during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure: effects of short-term coenzyme Q10 treatment.

In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), the addition of coenzyme Q10 to conventional therapy reduces the hospitalization rate for worsening of heart failure and the incidence of serious cardiovascular complications. The present study was planned to assess the hemodynamic mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Cardiac hemodynamics was evaluated continuously using an ambulatory radionuclide detector (VEST) which allows a noninvasive monitoring of left ventricular function.

[The practical aspects of treatment in heart failure].

Congestive heart failure (CHF) has been treated for several years on empiric basis, until the results of the major clinical trials have made possible a pathophysiological approach to the treatment of patients with CHF. Studies from our laboratories have demonstrated that hemodynamic and neurohormonal responses to acute volume expansion are markedly impaired in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and mild heart failure (NYHA Class I) and that pretreatment with ACE-inhibitors is able to prevent these abnormal responses. New insights into a more pathophysiological approach to CHF treatment are now possible by the development of new noninvasive techniques for the study of cardiac function.