Acute right ventricular dysfunction in severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

To investigate the right heart function in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a retrospective analysis of 49 COVID-19 patients with ARDS was performed. Patients were divided into severe group and critically-severe group according to the severity of illness. Age-matched healthy volunteers were recruited as a control group.

The effects of high thoracic epidural anesthesia on sympathetic activity and apoptosis in experimentally induced congestive heart failure.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of high thoracic epidural analgesia (HTEA) in congestive heart failure (CHF).

Design: Rat model of CHF.

Setting: Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.

Effect of graft patency on the prediction of myocardial viability by dobutamine stress and myocardial contrast echocardiography before coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background: Myocardial functional recovery after revascularization is considered the "gold standard" for myocardial viability (MV) assessment. However, the patency of the revascularized coronary artery affects myocardial functional recovery in patients subjected to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The influence of graft patency on viability results has not been widely studied.

[On angiotensin II receptor distribution after myocardial infarction in dogs].

Objective: To investigate the effects of valsartan on expression of angiotensin II receptors in different regions of heart after myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: Canines were divided into sham-operated control group (n=7), infarction group (n=7) and Valsartan group (10 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) for 4 weeks after MI operation, n=7). Four weeks after operation, Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) was used to evaluate regional ventricular function in the noninfarcted myocardium (apical and basal near to the infarction region).

Effects of spironolactone on electrical and structural remodeling of atrium in congestive heart failure dogs.

Background: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system has been demonstrated to be associated with both congestive heart failure (CHF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). This study investigated the effects of spironolactone, a kind of aldosterone antagonist, on atrial electrical remodeling and fibrosis in CHF dogs induced by chronic rapid ventricular pacing.

Methods: Twenty one dogs were randomly divided into sham-operated group, control group, and spironolactone group.

Chronic blocking of beta 3-adrenoceptor ameliorates cardiac function in rat model of heart failure.

Background: Stimulation of the heart beta 3-adrenoceptor (AR) may result in a negative inotropic effect. Being up-regulated, beta 3-AR plays a more important role in the regulation of cardiac function during heart failure. However, the effect of chronic blocking of beta 3-AR on heart failure has not been fully elucidated.

[The effects of combined beta(1) adrenergic receptor antagonist and beta(2) adrenergic receptor agonist therapy on cardiac function and myocardial apoptosis in heart failure rats].

Objective: To observe the effects of combined beta(1) adrenergic receptor (AR) antagonist with beta(2)AR agonist therapy on cardiac function and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in heart failure rats.

Methods: Heart failure was induced by isoproterenol and rats were randomly divided into metoprolol group (50 mg/kg twice daily/gavage, n = 11), combined treatment group (fenoterol 125 microg/kg and metoprolol 50 mg/kg twice daily/gavage, n = 11) and placebo group (saline, n = 10), another normal 9 male Wistar rats served as control group. After 8 weeks' treatment, cardiac function, apoptosis index (AI), Caspase-3 activity, expression levels of bcl-2 and bax protein, organ weight/body weight and collagen volume fraction (CVF) were evaluated.

[Effects of cardiac sympathetic blockade on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure].

Objective: To investigate the effects of cardiac sympathetic blockade on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe heart failure (HF).

Methods: Thirty-nine consecutive patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe HF with a left ventricular ejection fraction < 35% were randomly divided into 2 groups: control group (n = 16, 12 males and 4 females, aged 56 +/- 16, undergoing routine anti-HF treatment), and cardiac sympathetic blockade (TEB) group (n = 23, 18 males and 5 females, aged 51 +/- 13, undergoing sympathectomy at the interspinal space T3 - 4 or T4 - 5 in addition to the routine anti-HF treatment). Transthoracic echocardiography was conducted before the treatment and 1 month after the treatment to measure the left atrial diameter (Lad), left ventricular diastolic end diameter (LVDEd), ejection fraction (EF), peak early and late diastolic mitral inflow velocity (Em and Am) at 6 mitral annular sites, and the mean values of Em and Am (MEm and MAm).

[Evaluation of right ventricular function by tissue Doppler echocardiography and Tei index in right ventricular myocardial infarction].

Objective: With tissue Doppler imaging and right ventricular Tei index, right ventricular function in patients with right ventricular myocardial infarction (RVMI) was assessed.

Method: 51 patients admitted to coronary care units and diagnosed as acute inferior myocardial infarction were further studied with the ECG criterion of ST segment elevation >or= 1mm in V(4R) to establish the diagnosis of RVMI. 23 patients were thus diagnosed as RVMI and 28 patients not.