Clustering properties of the cardiac ryanodine receptor in health and heart failure.

The cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) is an intracellular Ca release channel vital for the function of the heart. Physiologically, RyR2 is triggered to release Ca from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) which enables cardiac contraction; however, spontaneous Ca leak from RyR2 has been implicated in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). RyR2 channels have been well documented to assemble into clusters within the SR membrane, with the organisation of RyR2 clusters recently gaining interest as a mechanism by which the occurrence of pathological Ca leak is regulated, including in HF.

A case of bacteremia and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi infection in a 70-year-old female following horse exposure in rural Wyoming.

Background: The occurrence of zoonotic infections following an animal exposure continues to be an important consideration for all patients, especially those within agricultural communities. Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi subsp.

The role of the circadian rhythms in critical illness with a focus on acute pancreatitis.

Circadian rhythms are responsible for governing various physiological processes, including hormone secretion, immune responses, metabolism, and the sleep/wake cycle. In critical illnesses such as acute pancreatitis (AP), circadian rhythms can become dysregulated due to disease. Evidence suggests that time of onset of disease, coupled with peripheral inflammation brought about by AP will impact on the circadian rhythms generated in the central pacemaker and peripheral tissues.

A novel small molecule inhibitor of human Drp1.

Mitochondrial dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) is a large GTPase regulator of mitochondrial dynamics and is known to play an important role in numerous pathophysiological processes. Despite being the most widely used Drp1 inhibitor, the specificity of Mdivi-1 towards human Drp1 has not been definitively proven and there have been numerous issues reported with its use including off-target effects. In our hands Mdivi-1 showed varying binding affinities toward human Drp1, potentially impacted by compound aggregation.

Identifying sex differences in predictors of epicardial fat cell morphology.

Predictors of overall epicardial adipose tissue deposition have been found to vary between males and females. Whether similar sex differences exist in epicardial fat cell morphology is currently unknown. This study aimed to determine whether epicardial fat cell size is associated with different clinical measurements in males and females.