The changes of vaccinia related kinase 1 in grafted heart after rat heart transplantation.

Objective: To assess the expression and significance of vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) after rat heart transplantation.

Materials And Methods: Lewis and Wistar rats weighing 250 to 300 g were used as donors and recipients. Allografts were from Wistar transplanted into Lewis, and isografts were transplanted from Lewis into Lewis.

Reliability of intramyocardial electrogram for the noninvasive diagnosis of acute allograft rejection after heart transplantation in rats.

Objectives: To examine the reliability of the QRS amplitude of the autonomous intramyocardial electrogram (IMEG) and the maximum slope of the descending T wave (Tslew) of the ventricular evoked response (VER) for surveillance of acute allograft rejection (AR) after heart transplantation in rats.

Methods: Forty rats underwent heterotopic heart transplantation, including ten isograft (isograft group) and 30 allograft (allograft group) recipients. Autonomous IMEG and VER were recorded with epicardiac pacing leads.