Publications by authors named "Iris R Betz"
Article Synopsis
- Intragastric botulinum neurotoxin injections (IBNI) are being used as a weight-loss treatment, but an outbreak of severe iatrogenic botulism occurred in early 2023 in Europe after patients received this treatment in Turkey.
- A retrospective analysis was conducted on ten patients in Austria and Germany who experienced severe symptoms like double vision, swallowing difficulties, and paralysis after IBNI.
- Despite the severity of their conditions, all patients were hospitalized, many in intensive care, and ultimately recovered without lasting health issues, underscoring the need for awareness and risk mitigation in medical procedures involving botulinum neurotoxins.
Palmitoleic acid (C16:1n7) has been identified as a regulator of physiological cardiac hypertrophy. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the molecular pathways involved in C16:1n7 responses in primary murine cardiomyocytes (PCM) and a mouse model of isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac damage. PCMs were stimulated with C16:1n7 or a vehicle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiac remodeling and contractile dysfunction are leading causes in hypertrophy-associated heart failure (HF), increasing with a population's rising age. A hallmark of aged and diseased hearts is the accumulation of modified proteins caused by an impaired autophagy-lysosomal-pathway. Although, autophagy inducer rapamycin has been described to exert cardioprotective effects, it remains to be shown whether these effects can be attributed to improved cardiomyocyte autophagy and contractility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) reduce morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure. Novel nonsteroidal MRAs are currently developed and need to be pharmacologically characterized in comparison to classical steroidal MRAs. A mouse model of cardiac fibrosis induced by short-term isoproterenol injection was used to compare the nonsteroidal MRA finerenone and the steroidal MRA eplerenone in equi-efficient systemic MR blocking dosages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates the vulnerability of the subendocardium to damage in cardiac disease and explores the use of myocardial strain parameters for early detection of such damage.
- Male mice were injected with isoproterenol to induce subendocardial fibrosis, and various echocardiography techniques were employed to assess heart function and collagen content in heart tissues.
- Results showed significant changes in strain parameters correlated with subendocardial collagen levels, indicating that global longitudinal peak strain is a reliable predictor for detecting subendocardial fibrosis.