Prolonged exercise alters beta-adrenergic responsiveness in healthy sedentary humans.

To examine whether beta-adrenergic desensitization occurs after prolonged exercise, echocardiograms, heart rate responses to isoproterenol, plasma catecholamines, and circulating lymphocyte beta-adrenergic receptors were examined in 10 sedentary normal subjects at rest and after brief (10 min) and exhaustive (mean duration 95 min) cycle exercise. Resting end-diastolic volume and ejection fraction were significantly reduced after exercise (from 120 +/- 34 to 100 +/- 26 ml and from 60 +/- 0.4 to 54 +/- 0.

Reperfusion and revascularization strategies for coronary artery disease in women.

Objective: One third of all deaths in women in the United States each year are attributable to coronary heart disease. Gender differences exist in the course and management of patients with coronary heart disease. Few randomized trials have been conducted in women to evaluate effective therapeutic strategies.

Echo/Doppler and hemodynamic correlates of vasodilator responsiveness in primary pulmonary hypertension.

To determine correlates of acute vasodilator responsiveness in primary pulmonary hypertension, we retrospectively studied 25 patients, comparing 41 resting echo/Doppler and nine resting catheterization variables with the maximal reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance achieved during vasodilator trials. Twelve vasodilators were tested (mean, 5.6 drugs per patient; range, three to eight).