Growth hormone prolongs survival in experimental postinfarction heart failure.

Objectives: We evaluated the effects of growth hormone (GH) on survival in experimental heart failure (HF).

Background: Growth hormone has been beneficial in various models of experimental HF. Whether GH also affects HF progression and survival is not known.

Aldosterone receptor blockade improves left ventricular remodeling and increases ventricular fibrillation threshold in experimental heart failure.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of aldosterone receptor blockade in postinfarction heart failure.

Methods: Eighty-seven rats with moderate myocardial infarction were randomized to receive either no drug or canrenone, the active metabolite of spironolactone, 20 mg/kg/day, or ramipril, 1 mg/kg/day, or a combination of the two drugs. Treatment was initiated 1 month after coronary ligation and lasted 4 weeks.

Prospective evaluation of hypertensive patients with carotid kinking and coiling: an ultrasonographic 7-year study.

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of vascular events during a 7-year follow-up evaluation in a group of 34 hypertensive patients with kinking of the internal carotid artery and 36 well-matched hypertensive control subjects. The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured at three points of the carotid bifurcation and at three points of carotid kinking on the ultrasonographic posterior wall. The mean IMT measured in the segment of the angular bending was lower than the mean values detected at the bifurcation in normal subjects and in hypertensives without carotid elongation (p < 0.

A preliminary randomized study of growth hormone administration in Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophies.

Aim: Since growth hormone (GH) has proven beneficial in experimental heart failure, and the natural history of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is frequently complicated by the development of dilated cardiomyopathy, we administered GH to six patients with DMD and 10 with BMD, with the evidence of cardiac involvement.

Methods And Results: Patients were randomized to receive for 3 months either placebo or recombinant human GH, in a double-blind fashion. In GH-treated patients, left ventricular (LV) mass increased by 16% in BMD and by 29% in DMD (both p<0.

Effects of canrenone on myocardial reactive fibrosis in a rat model of postinfarction heart failure.

Background: Spironolactone reduces overall mortality by 30% in advanced congestive heart failure. Nevertheless, few data are available with regard to the effects of mineral corticoid inhibition in postinfarction heart failure.

Materials And Methods: Experimental myocardial infarction was induced by left coronary ligation in 70 male rats with body weights ranging from 180 to 200 gr.

Differential expression of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IGF-1 by graded mechanical stress in normal rat myocardium.

An isovolumic normal rat heart Langendorff model was used to examine the effects of moderate (15 mmHg) and severe (35 mmHg) mechanical stretch on the time course (from 0 to 60 min) of myocardial expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and their cognate receptors. After 10 min of moderate stretch, TNF-alpha was de novo expressed, whereas constitutive IL-6 and IGF-1 levels were slightly upregulated; no further changes occurred up to 60 min. In comparison, severe stretch resulted in a higher and progressive increase in TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IGF-1 expression up to 20 min.