Effects of exercise training on endothelial progenitor cells in patients with chronic heart failure.

Background: The enhancement of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) obtained by exercise training can be beneficial to patients with cardiac disease. Changes in the levels and differentiation of CD34(pos)/KDR(pos) EPCs, as well as the plasma concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1 EPC-mobilizing cytokines, were evaluated in patients with chronic heart failure after 8 weeks of supervised aerobic training (SAT) and 8 weeks of subsequent discontinued SAT (DSAT).

Methods And Results: The levels of circulating EPC and EPC differentiation potential of 22 patients who underwent SAT were studied by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis and colony forming-unit assay, respectively.

Autonomic modulation of the sinus node following electrical cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation: relation with early recurrence.

Background: The aim of this study was to correlate early atrial fibrillation (AF) relapses with heart rate variability (HRV) parameters immediately recorded after electrical cardioversion (EC) of persistent AF.

Methods And Results: We performed the spectral analysis of short-term HRV 30 min after EC in 25 patients with persistent AF. The numbers of patients who maintained sinus rhythm at 48 h, 7, and 30 days were 22, 16, and 14, respectively.