Long-term amiodarone administration remodels expression of ion channel transcripts in the mouse heart.

Background: The basis for the unique effectiveness of long-term amiodarone treatment on cardiac arrhythmias is incompletely understood. The present study investigated the pharmacogenomic profile of amiodarone on genes encoding ion-channel subunits.

Methods And Results: Adult male mice were treated for 6 weeks with vehicle or oral amiodarone at 30, 90, or 180 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1).

Does the pretransplant UNOS status modify the short- and long-term cardiac transplant prognosis?

Background: We compared the morbidity and mortality rates of patients who had urgent heart transplantation or transplantation after bridging with a ventricular assist device, with the rates of patients whose clinical stability allowed them to wait at home.

Methods: From March 1985 to December 2000, 404 patients underwent heart transplantation in a single center. There were 273 patients with UNOS status 2 (US 2), 103 patients with UNOS Status 1A (US 1A), and 28 patients with UNOS Status 1B (US 1B).