Tumour necrosis factor-alpha in diastolic dysfunction.

Background: Active relaxation develops as a result of sequestration of calcium into the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and is controlled mainly by sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) and phospholamban.Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) downregulates both of these proteins, so it may play a role in the development of abnormal relaxation. However, a possible relationship between TNF-alpha and diastolic dysfunction has not been sufficiently evaluated in vivo.

Comparison of clopidogrel versus ticlopidine for prevention of minor myocardial injury after elective coronary stenting.

We searched a randomized, double-blinded, prospective study that compared the effectiveness of clopidogrel versus ticlopidine for prevention of minor myocardial injury (MMI) and major clinical events (MCEs) after elective coronary stenting. A total of 158 consecutive patients (98 male, 60 female patients with a mean age of 59.3+/-5.

A rare variant of single coronary artery and non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

A single coronary artery (SCA) constitutes a rare congenital anomaly. The reported incidence of SCA ranges from 0.2 1.