The Subclavian Intraaortic Balloon Pump: A Compelling Bridge Device for Advanced Heart Failure.

Background: A subclavian intraaortic balloon pump (SC-IABP) can help to optimize patients with advanced congestive heart failure as a bridge to definitive therapy. We retrospectively reviewed our experience to assess the application and safety of this technique.

Methods: We studied 88 patients with decompensated advanced congestive heart failure who received SC-IABP placement between January 2011 and December 2014.

Cardiovascular surgery in Jehovah's Witness patients: The role of preoperative optimization.

Objective: We aimed to identify factors associated with adverse outcomes in Jehovah's Witness patients undergoing complex cardiovascular surgery and to validate our preoperative optimization protocol.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 144 Jehovah's Witnesses who underwent cardiovascular surgery between 1999 and 2014. We excluded 7 salvage cases.

Inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate induced Ca2+ release and excitation-contraction coupling in atrial myocytes from normal and failing hearts.

Key Points: Impaired calcium (Ca(2+)) signalling is the main contributor to depressed ventricular contractile function and occurrence of arrhythmia in heart failure (HF). Here we report that in atrial cells of a rabbit HF model, Ca(2+) signalling is enhanced and we identified the underlying cellular mechanisms. Enhanced Ca(2+) transients (CaTs) are due to upregulation of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor induced Ca(2+) release (IICR) and decreased mitochondrial Ca(2+) sequestration.

NFAT transcription factor regulation by urocortin II in cardiac myocytes and heart failure.

Urocortin II (UcnII), a cardioactive peptide with beneficial effects in normal and failing hearts, is also arrhythmogenic and prohypertrophic. We demonstrated that cardiac effects are mediated by a phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt kinase (Akt)/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)/nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathways. Nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) transcription factors play a key role in the regulation of gene expression in cardiac development, maintenance of an adult differentiated cardiac phenotype, and remodeling processes in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure (HF).

Micronutrient supplementation in adult nutrition therapy: practical considerations.

Preexisting micronutrient (vitamins and trace elements) deficiencies are often present in hospitalized patients. Deficiencies occur due to inadequate or inappropriate administration, increased or altered requirements, and increased losses, affecting various biochemical processes and resulting in organ dysfunction, poor wound healing, and altered immune status with deleterious sequelae. Guidelines for the 13 essential vitamins and 10 essential trace elements have been established.