Bedside ultrasound of the internal jugular vein to assess fluid status and right ventricular function: The POCUS-JVD study.

Background: Accurate estimation of fluid status is important in the management of heart failure patients, however, the current methods for bedside assessment can be unreliable or impractical for daily use.

Methods: Non-ventilated patients were enrolled immediately prior to scheduled right heart catheterization (RHC). Using M-mode, IJV maximum (Dmax) and minimum (Dmin) anteroposterior diameters were measured during normal breathing, while supine.

Sarcomere length affects Ca2+ sensitivity of contraction in ischemic but not non-ischemic myocardium.

In healthy hearts, myofilaments become more sensitive to Ca2+ as the myocardium is stretched. This effect is known as length-dependent activation and is an important cellular-level component of the Frank-Starling mechanism. Few studies have measured length-dependent activation in the myocardium from failing human hearts.

MgADP Promotes Myosin Head Movement toward Actin at Low [Ca] to Increase Force Production and Ca-Sensitivity of Contraction in Permeabilized Porcine Myocardial Strips.

Myosin cross-bridges dissociate from actin following Mg-adenosine triphosphate (MgATP) binding. Myosin hydrolyses MgATP into inorganic phosphate (P) and Mg-adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and release of these hydrolysis products drives chemo-mechanical energy transitions within the cross-bridge cycle to power muscle contraction. Some forms of heart disease are associated with metabolic or enzymatic dysregulation of the MgATP-MgADP nucleotide pool, resulting in elevated cytosolic [MgADP] and impaired muscle relaxation.

Prior Freezing Has Minimal Impact on the Contractile Properties of Permeabilized Human Myocardium.

Background Experiments measuring the contractile properties of human myocardium are important for translational research but complicated by the logistical difficulties of acquiring specimens. Accordingly, many groups perform contractile assays using samples that are acquired from patients at one institution and shipped to another institution for experiments. This necessitates freezing the samples and performing subsequent assays using chemically permeabilized preparations.

Retail 101: ringing up hospital sales.

Healthcare organizations can recapture lost revenue by offering healthcare products in on-site retail outlets. Healthcare organizations should look for retail opportunities inside the facility, customizing products to the subspecialty services offered. The products should meet the needs of their captive audience of patients, visitors, and employees.

Growth and fertility rates in the offspring of pregnant rats treated with L-omega nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide inhibitor.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine neonatal growth, fertility, and blood pressure for offspring of pregnant rats following in utero exposure to L-omega nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME).

Study Design: Osmotic mini-pumps were inserted on day 14 of gestation during the index pregnancy to deliver L-NAME (50 mg/day/rat) or a placebo control continuously. Pup weights were obtained longitudinally until postnatal day 76.