[Evaluation of preoperative cardiac function for orthopedic surgery by chest CT and coronary arteriogram].

Background: In patients with spinal cord diseases, it is difficult to obtain stress electrocardiogram and to evaluate preoperative cardiac risk. We evaluate these patients by chest CT and if the patients have calcified coronary artery, we recommend further testing by coronary arteriogram.

Methods: We evaluated the patients who had undergone coronary arteriogram from January 2008 through December 2009.

The Na+-Ca2+ exchanger contributes to beta-adrenoceptor mediated positive inotropy in mouse heart.

The L-type Ca2+ current (I(Ca,L)) plays an important role in the regulation of cardiac contractility. However, there is little data with regard to the significance of the I(Ca,L)-independent mechanism of beta-adrenoceptor mediated positive inotropy. The effects of isoproterenol (ISO) on I(Ca,L) and contractility in the presence of Ca2+ channel blockers (nifedipine, verapamil) were examined in adult mouse ventricular myocytes.

Negative inotropic effects of angiotensin II, endothelin-1 and phenylephrine in indo-1 loaded adult mouse ventricular myocytes.

Angiotensin II (Ang II). endothelin-1 (ET-1) and phenylephrine are receptor agonists that share the signal transduction acting through acceleration of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the heart. Because the regulation of myocardial contractility induced by these receptor agonists shows a wide range of species-dependent variation among experimental animals, we carried out experiments to elucidate the mechanism of contractile regulation induced by these agents in mice which are employed currently more as transgenic models.