Coronary artery disease
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Coronary artery disease · Jun 2012
Ischemic postconditioning through percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in pigs: roles of PI3K activation.
Ischemic postconditioning (IPOC) has been suggested to reduce ischemic reperfusion injury. It remains unclear whether the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt is a causal mechanism in the cardioprotection afforded by IPOC, which was examined in the model of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) minipigs. ⋯ Our findings show that IPOC is capable of protecting the myocardium against IR injury in the PTCA minipig model. The PI3K/Akt-signaling pathway is involved in the cardioprotective effect of IPOC.
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Coronary artery disease · Jun 2012
Comparative StudyBrain natriuretic peptide in apical ballooning syndrome (Takotsubo/stress cardiomyopathy): comparison with acute myocardial infarction.
Apical ballooning syndrome (ABS) is a transient cause of ventricular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and hemodynamic correlates of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in ABS and compare the biomarker profiles in ABS with acute myocardial infarction controls. ⋯ BNP elevation is almost universal in ABS. Cardiac hemodynamic indices do not correlate with BNP levels. The magnitude of BNP elevation is higher in ABS compared with STEMI and NSTEMI.