Early Spironolactone Treatment Attenuates Heart Failure Development by Improving Myocardial Function and Reducing Fibrosis in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Background: We evaluated the role of the aldosterone blocker spironolactone in attenuating long-term pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling and heart failure (HF) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Methods And Results: Thirteen month-old male SHR were assigned to control (SHR-C, n=20) or spironolactone (SHR-SPR, 20 mg/kg/day, n=24) groups for six months. Normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY, n=15) were used as controls.

Long-term low intensity physical exercise attenuates heart failure development in aging spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Background: Physical exercise is a strategy to control hypertension and attenuate pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling. The influence of exercise on cardiac remodeling during uncontrolled hypertension is not established. We evaluated the effects of a long-term low intensity aerobic exercise protocol on heart failure (HF) development and cardiac remodeling in aging spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Heart failure-induced diaphragm myopathy.

Background: Intracellular signaling pathways involved in skeletal myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform alterations during heart failure (HF) are not completely understood. We tested the hypothesis that diaphragm expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and myogenic regulatory factors is changed in rats with myocardial infarction (MI) induced HF.

Methods: Six months after MI rats were subjected to transthoracic echocardiography.

Echocardiographic detection of congestive heart failure in postinfarction rats.

In studies of congestive heart failure (CHF) treatment, it is essential to select animals with a similar degree of cardiac dysfunction. However, this is difficult to establish without hemodynamic evaluation in rat postinfarction-induced CHF. This study aimed to diagnose CHF in long-term follow-up postinfarction rats using only echocardiographic criteria through a J-tree cluster analysis and Fisher's linear discriminant function.

Tissue vitamin A insufficiency results in adverse ventricular remodeling after experimental myocardial infarction.

Background/aims: The role of tissue vitamin-A insufficiency on post-infarction ventricular remodeling is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that cardiac vitamin A insufficiency on post-infarction is associated with adverse myocardial remodeling.

Methods: After infarction, rats were allocated into two groups: C (controls, n=25); VA (dietary vitamin A restriction, n= 26).

Nutritional and cardiovascular profiles of normotensive and hypertensive rats kept on a high fat diet.

Background: Although a high fat diet (HFD) promotes nutritional and heart disorders, few studies have assessed its influence in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Objective: To evaluate and compare the nutritional and cardiovascular profiles of WKY and SHR on a high fat diet.

Methods: 20 WKY and 20 SHR were divided into four groups: Control-WKY (C-WKY), HFD-WKY, Control-SHR (C-SHR) and HFD-SHR.

[Poecilancistrium caryophyllum (Diesing, 1850) (Cestoda, Trypanorhyncha), parasite of Macrodon ancylodon (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) from the Northern littoral of Brazil].

The aim of this research was to report the presence of Trypanorhyncha cestodes, their prevalence and mean intensity in the muscles musculature and abdominal serose in commercial fish processed in Belém, Pará State. Fifty specimens of M. ancylodon were captured in the North Coast of Brazil.

Myostatin and follistatin expression in skeletal muscles of rats with chronic heart failure.

Skeletal muscle abnormalities can contribute to decreased exercise capacity in heart failure. Although muscle atrophy is a common alteration in heart failure, the mechanisms responsible for muscle mass reduction are not clear. Myostatin, a member of TGF-beta family (transforming growth factor), regulates muscle growth and mass.