Transhepatic venous approach to permanent pacemaker placement in a patient with limited central venous access.

The end-stage renal disease population poses a challenge for obtaining venous access required for life-saving invasive cardiac procedures. In this case report, we describe an adult patient with end-stage renal disease in whom the hepatic vein was the only available access to implant a single-lead permanent cardiac pacemaker. A 63-year-old male with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis and permanent atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter presented with symptomatic bradycardia.

Urotensin II alters vascular reactivity in animals subjected to volume overload.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) alters vascular reactivity and up regulates in urotensin II (UTII), a potent vasoactive peptide. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between CHF and UTII in altering vascular reactivity in a rat model of volume overload heart failure. Animals were divided into 4 groups: control, UTII infused (UTII), volume overload only (VO) or volume overload+UTII (VO+UTII).

PPAR-gamma expression in animals subjected to volume overload and chronic Urotensin II administration.

Activation of PPAR-gamma through the administration of glitazones has shown promise in preserving function following cardiac injury, although recent evidence has suggested their use may be contraindicated in the case of severe heart failure. This study tested the hypothesis that PPAR-gamma expression increases in a time dependent manner in response to chronic volume overload (VO) induced heart failure. Additionally, we attempted to determine what effect 4 week administration of Urotensin II (UTII) may have on PPAR-gamma expression.

Hemodynamic effects of chronic urotensin II administration in animals with and without aorto-caval fistula.

Urotensin II (UTII) is a potent vasoactive peptide. Recent studies have demonstrated increased expression of both UTII and its receptor (UTR) expression in end-stage congestive heart failure (CHF), but it is unclear whether UTII and UTR are late stage markers of decompensation, or earlier adaptive responses. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of chronic UTII administration in normal and volume overloaded animals.

PPAR-gamma agonists induce the expression of VEGF and its receptors in cultured cardiac myofibroblasts.

Objectives: Myofibroblasts (myoFb) are the major cell types that appear at the site of myocardial infarction (MI) in response to injury and play a vital role in tissue repair/remodeling. Since vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in the infarcted/ischemic heart, we hypothesized that activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma by its agonists induces VEGF expression while simultaneously decreasing inflammation (NF-kappaB). Such an increase in myoFb VEGF expression by PPAR-gamma agonists may play a role in angiogenesis.

Comparison of measured and predicted residual lung volume in determining body composition of collegiate wrestlers.

This investigation compared percent fat obtained via underwater weighing using measured and predicted residual lung volume (RLV) in euhydrated and hypohydrated collegiate wrestlers (N = 67). RLV was measured using O(2) rebreathing or O(2) dilution and predicted using 3 equations-Equation 1: (0.019 x height [cm]) + (0.

Evaluation of air displacement for assessing body composition of collegiate wrestlers.

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of air displacement plethysmography (ADP) by using the BOD POD in comparison with hydrostatic weighing (HW) in a collegiate wrestling population in hydrated and acutely dehydrated states.

Methods: Body composition was determined by ADP, HW, and three-site skinfolds (SK) in 66 NCAA Division I collegiate wrestlers before and after acute dehydration (2.6% reduction in body mass).