Right Cervical Vagotomy Aggravates Viral Myocarditis in Mice Via the Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway.

The autonomic nervous system dysfunction with increased sympathetic activity and withdrawal of vagal activity may play an important role in the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis. The vagus nerve can modulate the immune response and control inflammation through a 'cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway' dependent on the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR). Although the role of ß-adrenergic stimulation on viral myocarditis has been investigated in our pervious studies, the direct effect of vagal tone in this setting has not been yet studied. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effects of cervical vagotomy in a murine model of viral myocarditis. In a coxsackievirus B3 murine myocarditis model (Balb/c), effects of right cervical vagotomy and nAChR agonist nicotine on echocardiography, myocardial histopathology, viral RNA, and proinflammatory cytokine levels were studied. We found that right cervical vagotomy inhibited the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, aggravated myocardial lesions, up-regulated the expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6, and worsened the impaired left ventricular function in murine viral myocarditis, and these changes were reversed by co-treatment with nicotine by activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. These results indicate that vagal nerve plays an important role in mediating the anti-inflammatory effect in viral myocarditis, and that cholinergic stimulation with nicotine also plays its peripheral anti-inflammatory role relying on α7nAChR, without requirement for the integrity of vagal nerve in the model. The findings suggest that vagus nerve stimulation mediated inhibition of the inflammatory processes likely provide important benefits in myocarditis treatment.

Catheter ablation of idiopathic premature ventricular contractions and ventricular tachycardias originating from right ventricular septum.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and ventricular tachycardias (IVTs) originating from the subtricuspid septum and near the His bundle have been reported. However, little is known about the prevalence, distribution, electrocardiographic characteristics and the efficacy of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for the ventricular arrhythmias arising from the right ventricular (RV) septum. This study aimed to investigate electrocardiographic characteristics and effects of RFCA for patients with symptomatic PVCs/IVTs, originating from the different portions of the RV septum. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Characteristics of body surface electrocardiogram and electrophysiologic recordings were analyzed in 29 patients with symptomatic PVCs/IVTs originating from the RV septum. Among 581 patients with PVCs/IVTs, the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias originating from the RV septum was 5%. Twenty (69%) had PVCs/IVTs from the septal portion of the tricuspid valvular RV region (3 from superoseptum, 15 from midseptum, 2 from inferoseptum), and 9 (31%) from the septal portion of the basal RV (1 from superoseptum, 4 from midseptum, 4 from inferoseptum). There were different characteristics of ECG of PVCs/VT originating from the different portions of the RV septum. Twenty-seven of 29 patients with PVCs/IVTs arising from the RV septum were successfully ablated (93.1% acute success). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: ECG characteristics of PVCs/VTs originating from the different portions of the RV septum are different, and can help regionalize the origin of these arrhythmias. The septal portion of the tricuspid valvular RV region was the preferential site of origin. RFCA was effective and safe for the PVCs/IVTs arising from the RV septum.

Establishment of a canine model of cardiac memory using endocardial pacing via internal jugular vein.

BACKGROUND: Development of experimental animal models has played an important role in understanding the mechanisms of cardiac memory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new canine model of cardiac memory using endocardial ventricular pacing via internal jugular vein. METHODS: Twelve Beagle dogs underwent placement of a permanent ventricular pacemaker mimicking the use of pacemakers in humans and induction of cardiac memory by endocardial ventricular pacing. RESULTS: Cardiac memory was achieved in 11 of 12 attempts overall. Procedural mortality due to cardiac tamponade (n = 1) occurred in the first attempt. The T-wave memory persisted for 96 +/- 17 minutes and 31 +/- 6 days in the short-term and long-term cardiac memory groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in the heart rate, blood pressure and echocardiographic parameters in the animals between before and after ventricular pacing in the short-term and long-term cardiac memory groups. No significant pathologic changes with the light microscopy were found in the present study in all dogs. CONCLUSION: The model does require surgery but is not as invasive as an open-chest model. This canine model can serve as a useful tool for studying mechanisms of cardiac memory.

Study on the association of the gene polymorphism of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor with coronary heart disease in Han population / 中华检验医学杂志

0.05)in the frequency of alleles and genotypes between controls and coronary heart disease.In additional,at the 325 position,the TAFI antigen of the Thr325Thr was higher[(114.89?2.53)%]than that of the other genotype(Thr325Ile and Ile325Ile),there was significant difference between the TAFI antigen of the Thr325Thr and the others(P 0.05).But the TAFI activity of the Ile325Ile was lower(3.08?3.63 ?g/ml)than that of the other genotypes(Thr325Ile and Thr325Thr),there was significantly difference between the TAFI activity of the Thr325Thr and the other(P