Shengmai injection, a traditional chinese patent medicine, for intradialytic hypotension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is a global public health problem. A rising number of IDH sufferers resort to Chinese patent medicine, Shengmai Injection (SMI) in China. The objectives of present study are to assess the effectiveness and safety of SMI as an adjunct therapy for IDH.

Premature ventricular contractions originating from the left ventricular septum: results of radiofrequency catheter ablation in twenty patients.

Background: RFCA has been established as an effective and curative therapy for severely symptomatic PVC from the outflow tract in structurally normal hearts. However, it is unknown whether PVCs originating from the left ventricular septum, are effectively eliminated by RFCA. This study aimed to investigate electrophysiologic characteristics and effects of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for patients with symptomatic premature ventricular contraction (PVC) originating from the left ventricular septum without including fascicular PVCs.

Successful epicardial ablation of idiopathic mitral annular ventricular tachycardia from the great cardiac vein.

This case report describes idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (VT) originating from the anterolateral site of mitral annulus. Radiofrequency (RF) energy application at an endocardial site of mitral annulus could not eliminate the tachycardia. The earliest epicardial activation preceding the onset of the QRS complex by 34 ms was found at the great anterior cardiac vein just opposite to the endocardial ablation catheter, pace mapping provided an identical (12/12) match with the VT morphology at the site, and RF ablation effectively eliminated the VT from the great cardiac vein within the coronary venous system.

Ablation of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia in a patient with reversal of slow and fast pathways inputs into the atrioventricular node.

We report a case of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) coexistent with His bundle anomaly and atrial septal defects. The His-bundle potential was recorded at the coronary sinus (CS) ostium. Fractionated atrial potentials and an A:V electrogram ratio 1:3 were recorded at the anterior septum of the tricuspid annulus approximately 2 cm from CS ostium.

Danshen protects endothelial progenitor cells from oxidized low-density lipoprotein induced impairment.

In this study, we examined the protective effects of Danshen both on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in patients with hypercholesterolemia and on in-vitro EPCs of healthy volunteers. In the clinical study, we randomly divided 24 subjects with hypercholesterolemia into two groups (the control group and the Danshen-treated group). At the end of two weeks of treatment, the EPC cellular functions of both groups were tested.

Carvedilol treatment ameliorates acute coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis associated with oxidative stress reduction.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute myocarditis. The imbalance between the occurrence of reactive oxygen species and the cellular antioxidant defense mechanism plays a key role in myocardial injury of viral myocarditis. Carvedilol, a nonselective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist with additional alpha1-adrenergic blocking and antioxidant properties, has been shown to be cardioprotective in experimental myocarditis.

Pulse pressure index (pulse pressure/systolic pressure) may be better than pulse pressure for assessment of cardiovascular outcomes.

Pulse pressure (PP) is emerging as a major pressure predictor of cardiac disease. However, there are two major limitations for PP as an evaluation index. First, PP has alterability in the same individual.

A case of massive pulmonary embolism with ST elevation in leads V1-4.

A 35-year-old man was referred to the emergency department after having a short syncopal episode while waiting for a Doppler scan of the lower extremities for a 4-week history of a painful right leg. He had no significant past medical history and was a non-smoker. On presentation he had severe chest pain and dyspnea associated with diaphoresis, and was hemodynamically unstable.

Potassium channels: possible new therapeutic targets in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders and still remains incurable. New targets for potential pharmacological intervention should be explored and evaluated in order to slow down, delay or reverse the progress of this disease, and/or to avoid the serious side effects of levodopa praeparatum. Potassium (K+) channels widely express in basal ganglia and play crucial roles in the pathophysiology of PD, thereby raising their therapeutic application.

[Inhibition of puerarin on pulmonary hypertension in rats with hypoxia and hypercapnia].

Objective: To study the effects of puerarin on pulmonary Vascular remodeling in rats with pulmonary hypertension induced by chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia.

Method: Forty male rats (180-220) g of grade two were randomly divided into five groups: normal control group (NC), hypoxia-hypercapnia 1, 2, 3 week groups (LH1, LH2, LH3) and hypoxia-hypercapnia 3-week + puerarin group (LHP3 group, puerarin intraperitoneal injection, 20 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)). Collagen I, III and their mRNA were observed in pulmonary arterioles by the technique of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.

Contrast-enhanced sonographic characteristics of neovascularization in carotid atherosclerotic plaques.

Purpose: To evaluate neovascularization within carotid atherosclerotic plaques with contrast-enhanced sonography.

Methods: We used contrast-enhanced sonography to examine 63 patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques. The features of neovascularization within the plaques were analyzed and correlated with plaque size and echogenicity.

Protective effects of carvedilol in murine model with the coxsackievirus B3-induced viral myocarditis.

Carvedilol, a nonselective beta-blocker with additional alpha1-adrenergic blocking and antioxidant properties, has been shown to be cardioprotective in experimental myocarditis. However, the antioxidative effects of carvedilol have not been investigated in the setting of acute viral myocarditis. Therefore, this study investigated whether carvedilol protects against viral myocarditis primarily by its antioxidant and/or antiinflammatory properties.

[Effects of compound Salvia injection on number and activity of endothelial progenitor cells].

Objective: To investigate the effects of Compound Salvia injection (CSI) on the number and activity of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs).

Method: Mononuclear fraction of human umbilical cord blood was obtained by density gradient centrifugation and plated on fibronectin coated culture dishes. Cells were divided in to five groups: group control, group VEGF, group CSI 50, group CSI 10 and group CSI 2 (supplemented with none cytokine, VEGF 10 ng x mL(-1), CSI 50, 10, 2 microg x mL(-1), respectively).