Thoracic bilateral sympathectomy attenuates oxidative stress and prevents ventricular remodelling in experimental pulmonary hypertension.

Objectives: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a cardiopulmonary disease that affects the pulmonary vasculature, leading to increased afterload and eventually right ventricular (RV) remodelling and failure. Bilateral sympathectomy (BS) has shown promising results in dampening cardiac remodelling and dysfunction in several heart failure models. In the present study, we investigated whether BS reduces pulmonary arterial remodelling and mitigates RV remodelling and failure.

Perspectives of bilateral thoracic sympathectomy for treatment of heart failure.

Surgical neuromodulation therapies are still considered a last resort when standard therapies have failed for patients with progressive heart failure (HF). Although a number of experimental studies have provided robust evidence of its effectiveness, the lack of strong clinical evidence discourages practitioners. Thoracic unilateral sympathectomy has been extensively studied and has failed to show significant clinical improvement in HF patients.

Cardiac MicroRNA Expression Profile After Experimental Brain Death Is Associated With Myocardial Dysfunction and Can Be Modulated by Hypertonic Saline.

Background: Brain death (BD) is associated with systemic inflammatory compromise, which might affect the quality of the transplanted organs. This study investigated the expression profile of cardiac microRNAs (miRNAs) after BD, and their relationship with the observed decline in myocardial function and with the changes induced by hypertonic saline solution (HSS) treatment.

Methods: Wistar rats were assigned to sham-operation (SHAM) or submitted to BD with and without the administration of HSS.

Brain death effects on lung microvasculature in an experimental model of lung donor.

Objective: Brain death (BD) triggers important hemodynamic and inflammatory alterations, compromising the viability of organs suitable for transplantation. To better understand the microcirculatory alterations in donor lungs caused by BD. The present study investigated the pulmonary microcirculation in a rodent model of BD via intravital microscopy.

Effect of bilateral sympathectomy in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy induced by doxorubicin.

Objective: The study objective was to evaluate the effect of bilateral sympathectomy on ventricular remodeling and function in a rat model of dilated cardiomyopathy induced by doxorubicin.

Methods: Dilated cardiomyopathy was induced in male Wistar rats by weekly intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin (2 mg/kg) for 9 weeks. Animals were divided into 4 groups: dilated cardiomyopathy; bilateral sympathectomy, submitted on day 15 of the protocol to bilateral sympathectomy; angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, treated with enalapril through day 15 until the end of the experimental protocol; and sham, nonsubmitted through doxorubicin protocol, with weekly intraperitoneal injections of saline solution (0.

Hypertonic Saline Modulates Heart Function and Myocardial Inflammatory Alterations in Brain-Dead Rats.

Background: Brain death (BD) in potential organ donors is responsible for hemodynamic instability and organ hypoperfusion, leading to myocardial dysfunction. Hypertonic saline (HS) is a volume expander with positive effects on hemodynamics and immunomodulation and was tested in this study to prevent left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and myocardial injury.

Methods: BD was induced in anesthetized Wistar rats by inflating a subdural balloon catheter, except in sham-operated animals (n = 6).

Bilateral sympathectomy improves postinfarction left ventricular remodeling and function.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of bilateral or left sympathectomy on left ventricular remodeling and function after myocardial infarction in rats.

Methods: Myocardial infarction was induced in rats by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary. Seven days later, rats were divided into 4 groups: the myocardial infarction, myocardial infarction with left sympathectomy, myocardial infarction with bilateral sympathectomy, and sham groups.

Hypertonic saline solution reduces mesenteric microcirculatory dysfunctions and bacterial translocation in a rat model of strangulated small bowel obstruction.

We examined the effects of hypertonic saline (HS) on inflammatory, metabolic variables, and bacterial translocation (BT) in rats submitted to intestinal obstruction and ischemia (IO). Male Wistar rats were submitted to IO and treated, 2 h thereafter, with lactated Ringer's (LR) (4 mL/kg per 5 min, i.v.

Pulmonary impact of N-acetylcysteine in a controlled hemorrhagic shock model in rats.

Background: Experimental hemorrhagic shock (HS) is based on controlling bleeding and the treatment of fluid resuscitation to restore tissue oxygenation and perfusion. The HS could promote ischemia/reperfusion injury, which induces a general exacerbation of the inflammatory process, initially compromising the lungs. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, may attenuate ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Paradoxical effects of brain death and associated trauma on rat mesenteric microcirculation: an intravital microscopic study.

Objective: Experimental findings support clinical evidence that brain death impairs the viability of organs for transplantation, triggering hemodynamic, hormonal, and inflammatory responses. However, several of these events could be consequences of brain death-associated trauma. This study investigated microcirculatory alterations and systemic inflammatory markers in brain-dead rats and the influence of the associated trauma.

Microcirculatory effects of local and remote ischemic preconditioning in supraceliac aortic clamping.

Introduction: Supraceliac aortic clamping in major vascular procedures promotes splanchnic ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury that may induce endothelial dysfunction, widespread inflammation, multiorgan dysfunction, and death. We tested the hypothesis that local or remote ischemic preconditioning (IPC) may be protective against injury after supraceliac aortic clamping through the modulation of mesenteric leukocyte-endothelial interactions, as evaluated with intravital microscopy and expression of adhesion molecules.

Methods: Fifty-six male Wistar rats (weight, 190 to 250 g), were divided into four groups of 14 rats each: control-sham surgery without aortic occlusion; I/R through supraceliac aortic occlusion for 20 minutes, followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion; local IPC through supraceliac aortic occlusion for two cycles of 5 minutes of ischemia and 5 minutes of reperfusion, followed by the same protocol of the IR group; remote IPC through infrarenal aortic occlusion for two cycles of 10 minutes of ischemia and 10 minutes of reperfusion, followed by the same protocol of the IR group.

Mesenteric microcirculatory dysfunctions and translocation of indigenous bacteria in a rat model of strangulated small bowel obstruction.

Purpose: Bacterial translocation has been shown to occur in critically ill patients after extensive trauma, shock, sepsis, or thermal injury. The present study investigates mesenteric microcirculatory dysfunctions, the bacterial translocation phenomenon, and hemodynamic/metabolic disturbances in a rat model of intestinal obstruction and ischemia.

Methods: Anesthetized (pentobarbital 50 mg/kg, i.