Clinical Review: Is the perioperative use of beta-blockers still recommended? A critical review of recent controversies.

The optimal role of beta-adrenergic receptor blockade in the perioperative period remains unclear in patients at risk for cardiovascular events. Cardiovascular complications continue to be the most common cause of perioperative morbidity and mortality, and cardioprotective properties of beta-blockers are widely recognized, yet the results of the clinical trials investigating the use of different beta-blockers in the perioperative period are controversial. The discrepancy might be related to differences in the design of studies, use of different agents, administration by different routes, and continuation for different time intervals.

Application of zinc-bis-(DL-hydrogensaspartate) does not reduce apoptotic cell death in myocardial infarction in the rat heart.

Background: Early studies in different stress models have shown potential beneficial effects of exogenous zinc application with reduction in the rate of apoptotic cell death. This has not been shown in models of myocardial infarction.

Methods: Rats were exposed to either brief episodes of acute ischemia followed by reperfusion (phase 1) or chronic coronary occlusion (phase 2).

Improved erectile function after cardiac resynchronization therapy in a patient with heart failure-a case report.

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is very common among heart failure patients and has a very dramatic, negative impact on patients' quality of life. Both ED and heart failure have several risk factors in common; however, little data exist on the correlation between the heart failure-targeted interventions and improvement of ED.

Aim: To report a case of improved sexual function after cardiac resynchronization.

Production of proangiogenic cytokines during thalidomide treatment of multiple myeloma.

Recently a growing number of studies have suggested the efficacy of thalidomide (THAL) in the treatment of relapsed or resistant multiple myeloma. Some of these studies indicate that the thalidomide antimyeloma effect is associated with decreased vessel density. Here we first present our experience with THAL treatment and then focus on the determination of the role of proangiogenic cytokines during THAL therapy.