[Significance of hawthorn extract in general practice - a current positioning].

Background: Traditionally, hawthorn extract has been used for preventive and curative support in mild forms of age-related cardiovascular problems. There are now solid data demonstrating pre-clinical effects and mechanisms of action on a molecular-biological and cellular level that appear to be of particular interest in influencing vascular ageing and in arterial vascular disorders.

Method: The review presents the results of a meeting of experts that took place to work out a current assessment of the therapeutic suitability of hawthorn extract in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Benefit-Risk Assessment of Crataegus Extract WS 1442: An Evidence-Based Review.

Preparations from Crataegus (hawthorn) have a long history in the treatment of heart failure. WS 1442 is a dry extract from hawthorn leaves with flowers (4-6.6:1), extraction solvent of ethanol 45% (w/w), adjusted to 17.

[Indications and Clinical Implications of the Use of the Cardiac Markers BNP and NT-proBNP].

B-type natriuretic peptides are markers of myocardial wall stress. BNP or NT-proBNP are used for the differential diagnosis of acute dyspnoe where normal serum concentrations make a cardiac cause unlikely. New data show their importance for risk prediction in different stages of heart failure and in primary prevention.

Hotline update of clinical trials and registries presented at the American College of Cardiology Congress 2010: ACCORD, INVEST, NAVIGATOR, RACE II, SORT OUT III, CSP-474, DOSE, ASPIRE and more.

This article gives an overview on a number of novel clinical trials in the field of cardiovascular medicine, which were presented during the Late Breaking Clinical Trial Sessions at the 59th annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta, USA, from 14th March to 16th March 2010. The data were presented by leading experts in the field with relevant positions in the trials. These comprehensive summaries should provide the readers with the most recent data on diagnostic and therapeutic developments in cardiovascular medicine similar as previously reported (Schirmer SH, van der Laan AM, Bohm M, Mahfoud F in Clin Res Cardiol 98:691-699, 2009; Maier LS, Schirmer SH, Walenta K, Jacobshagen C, Bohm M in Clin Res Cardiol 98:413-419, 2009).

Ischemia triggers BNP expression in the human myocardium independent from mechanical stress.

Background: It is unknown whether the increased B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) values found in ischemic heart disease are triggered directly by ischemia or whether they are caused indirectly by ischemia through diastolic contractures or regional wall motion abnormalities. Therefore, we investigated the BNP expression in isolated human muscle strips under conditions of ischemia with and without mechanical stress.

Methods: Muscle strips (n=90) were isolated from human right atria (n=46).