The Role of the Rho/ROCK Pathway in Ang II and TGF-β1-Induced Atrial Remodeling.

Objectives: To study the role of the Rho/ROCK pathway in Ang II and TGF-β1-induced atrial remodeling.

Methods And Results: A canine atrial fibrillation (AF) model was established by rapid atrial pacing (RAP) of the left atrium. The roles of TGF-β1, the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in atrial remodeling were studied via both in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Efficacy of different doses of aspirin in decreasing blood levels of inflammatory markers in patients with cardiovascular metabolic syndrome.

Objectives: Inflammation and platelet aggregation and activation are key processes in the initiation of a cardiovascular event. Patients with metabolic syndrome have a high risk of cardiovascular events. This study determined whether small and medium doses of aspirin have anti-inflammation and antiplatelet aggregation effects in patients with metabolic syndrome.

[Side effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on gastric mucosa and preventive effects of teprenone].

Objective: To evaluate the side effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) on gastric mucosa, and to study the preventive effects of teprenone in patients.

Methods: 108 patients taking NSAID for more than 3 months with no infection of helicobacter pylori (Hp) were collected. All patients were screened by endoscopy and their upper gastrointestinal symptoms were evaluated.

[Ischemic postconditioning attenuates ischemia/reperfusion injury in isolated hypertrophied rat heart].

Objective: To explore the effects of ischemic postconditioning on ischemia/reperfusion injury in isolated hypertrophied rat heart and investigate the signal transduction pathway changes induced by ischemia postconditioning.

Methods: Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in rats by abdominal aortic banding, and isolated hypertrophied rat heart ischemia/reperfusion model was made by Langendorff technique to evaluate the effects of ischemia postconditioning on left ventricular systole pressure, coronary artery flow, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, myocardial infarction size, and the level of myocardial phospho-protein kinase B/Akt (Ser473), phospho-glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (Ser9). Following groups were studied (n = 12 each group): IR, 30 min ischemia (I)/60 min Reperfusion (R); Post: 30 min ischemia, 6 circles of 10 s I/10 s R followed by 60 min R; Post Wort: 30 min ischemia, 6 circles of 10 s I/10 s R, wortmannin (10(-7) mol/L) followed by 60 min R; Wort: 30 min ischemia, wortmannin (10(-7) mol/L) followed by 60 min R.

[Pathologic changes of the cardiac conduction system in 12 patients with abnormal ECG].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between abnormal ECG and pathologic changes in the cardiac conduction system (CCS).

Method: Pathological changes of the CCS in 12 cases with abnormal ECG out of 16 pre-death ECG were observed.

Results: (1) Among 7 cases of sudden cardiac death, ECG monitoring recorded bradyarrhythmia in 6 cases, tachyarrhythmia 6 cases, bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome 2 cases, conduction block 6 cases, atrial premature beats 6 cases, ventricular premature beats 6 cases, and ST-T changes 4 cases.

Reduced arterial elasticity is associated with endothelial dysfunction in persons of advancing age: comparative study of noninvasive pulse wave analysis and laser Doppler blood flow measurement.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest marker for age-related abnormalities in vascular function, and examination of endothelial function has important clinical relevance. The present study was performed to evaluate effects of aging on arterial elasticity by using pulse waveform analysis and to investigate whether the changes in arterial elasticity might be used as a noninvasive measure for endothelial dysfunction.

Methods: A total of 24 healthy male volunteers were divided into young (n = 12) and elderly (n = 12) groups.