The β Adrenergic Receptor Antagonist L-748,337 Attenuates Dobutamine-Induced Cardiac Inefficiency While Preserving Inotropy in Anesthetized Pigs.

Excessive myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO) is considered a limitation for catecholamines, termed oxygen cost of contractility. We hypothesize that increased MVO induced by dobutamine is not directly related to contractility but linked to intermediary myocardial metabolism. Furthermore, we hypothesize that selective β adrenergic receptor (βAR) antagonism using L-748,337 prevents this.

Positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography imaging of tertiary lymphoid structures during the development of lupus nephritis.

Lymphoid neogenesis occurs in tissues targeted by chronic inflammatory processes, such as infection and autoimmunity. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), such structures develop within the kidneys of lupus-prone mice ((NZBXNZW)F1) and are observed in kidney biopsies taken from SLE patients with lupus nephritis (LN). The purpose of this prospective longitudinal animal study was to detect early kidney changes and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) using in vivo imaging.