Intramyocardial adrenergic activation in chagasic cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease.

Background: Myocardial norepinephrine is altered in left ventricular impairment. In patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy (CC), this issue has not been addressed.

Objective: To determine the level of myocardial norepinephrine in patients with CC and compare it in patients with coronary artery disease, and to relate myocardial norepinephrine to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Hypotheses, rationale, design, and methods for prognostic evaluation in type 2 diabetic patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries. The MASS IV-DM Trial.

Background: The MASS IV-DM Trial is a large project from a single institution, the Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil to study ventricular function and coronary arteries in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods/design: The study will enroll 600 patients with type 2 diabetes who have angiographically normal ventricular function and coronary arteries. The goal of the MASS IV-DM Trial is to achieve a long-term evaluation of the development of coronary atherosclerosis by using angiograms and coronary-artery calcium scan by electron-beam computed tomography at baseline and after 5 years of follow-up.