Mirror therapy in upper limb motor recovery and activities of daily living, and its neural correlates in stroke individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Available literature indicates that 30-66% of stroke survivors present persistent upper limb impairment. Considering the importance of upper limb function for activities of daily living, it is necessary to investigate neurorehabilitation therapies that could improve the upper limb function. Among stroke complementary therapies, mirror therapy has shown promising results.

Echocardiographic Assessment of Ventricular Function in Young Patients with Asthma.

Background: Despite significant advances in understanding the pathophysiology and management of asthma, some of systemic effects of asthma are still not well defined.

Objectives: To compare heart function, baseline physical activity level, and functional exercise capacity in young patients with mild-to-moderate asthma and healthy controls.

Methods: Eighteen healthy (12.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 activation improves endothelial function.

Diminished release and function of endothelium-derived nitric oxide coupled with increases in reactive oxygen species production is critical in endothelial dysfunction. Recent evidences have shown that activation of the protective axis of the renin-angiotensin system composed by angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, angiotensin-(1-7), and Mas receptor promotes many beneficial vascular effects. This has led us to postulate that activation of intrinsic angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 would improve endothelial function by decreasing the reactive oxygen species production.

Chronic knockdown of the nucleus of the solitary tract AT1 receptors increases blood inflammatory-endothelial progenitor cell ratio and exacerbates hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

AT1 receptor subtype a (AT1Ra) expression is increased in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) compared with Wistar Kyoto controls. However, the chronic role of AT1Ra in the NTS for cardiovascular control is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that the NTS AT1Ra is involved in the neural regulation of the peripheral inflammatory status and linked with hypertension.

Cardiovascular effects of angiotensin A: a novel peptide of the renin-angiotensin system.

Introduction: Angiotensin (Ang) A was first identified in human plasma and it differs from Ang II in Ala(1) instead of Asp(1). Here, we hypothesized that the actions of this peptide might explain, at least partially, the limited effects of AT1R antagonists in certain cardiovascular diseases.

Materials And Methods: The effects of Ang A and Ang II on blood pressure (BP) and heart function were compared.

Nucleus of the solitary tract (pro)renin receptor-mediated antihypertensive effect involves nuclear factor-κB-cytokine signaling in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

The importance of the (pro)renin receptor (PRR) in the function of the central nervous system is increasingly evident because PRR seems to play a role in neuronal control of cardiovascular function. PRR expression is elevated in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that altered activity of PRR in the NTS is linked to hypertension.

Oral administration of an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 activator ameliorates diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction.

We evaluated the hypothesis that activation of endogenous angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2 would improve cardiac dysfunction induced by diabetes. Ten days after diabetes induction (streptozotocin, 50 mg/kg, i.v.

Cardiac responses of rats submitted to postnatal protein restriction.

Undernutrition during critical stages of development and childhood has important effects on cardiovascular homeostasis. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the in vivo and ex vivo cardiac function of rats submitted to postnatal protein restriction. Male Wistar rats (28 days old) were fed a regular (20%) or low-protein (6%) diet over 5 weeks.

New cardiovascular and pulmonary therapeutic strategies based on the Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2/angiotensin-(1-7)/mas receptor axis.

Angiotensin (Ang)-(1-7) is now recognized as a biologically active component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The discovery of the angiotensin-converting enzyme homologue ACE2 revealed important metabolic pathways involved in the Ang-(1-7) synthesis. This enzyme can form Ang-(1-7) from Ang II or less efficiently through hydrolysis of Ang I to Ang-(1-9) with subsequent Ang-(1-7) formation.

Chronic activation of endogenous angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 protects diabetic rats from cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction.

In this study, we evaluated whether the activation of endogenous angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) would improve the cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction of diabetic rats. Ten days after induction of type 1 diabetes (streptozotocin, 50 mg kg(-1) i.v.