Gabapentin has been known to elicit the antinociceptive effect. However, little has been known about the effect of gabapentin on the cardiovascular system. The author's aim of this experiment was to examine the hemodynamic effects of gabapentin. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Intrathecal or intracerebroventricular catheters were implanted and gabapentin was delivered through each catheter or directly into the peritoneal cavity. For hemodynamic measurements, catheters were inserted into the tail artery. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured over 60 min following administration of gabapentin. Intrathecal and intraperitoneal gabapentin did not induce significant changes of hemodynamics over the 60 min compared to the baseline value. Intracerebroventricular gabapentin increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but there is no statistically difference in blood pressure change according to the dose.
Acetic Acids/*pharmacology ; Analgesics/*pharmacology ; Animals ; Blood Pressure/*drug effects ; Catheterization ; Diastole/drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Systole/drug effects ; Time Factors

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Diastole ; drug effects ; Female ; Male ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; blood ; Propanolamines ; pharmacology ; Rabbits ; Ventricular Function, Left ; drug effects

Adult ; Aged ; Cardiovascular Agents ; therapeutic use ; Diastole ; drug effects ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Heart Failure ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Injections ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Systole ; drug effects ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; complications ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the changes in blood pressure (BP) of elderly hypertensive patients having dental extraction under sedation with continuous intravenous infusion of midazolam.

METHODSOne hundred elderly hypertensive patients undergoing dental extraction were recruited for this single-blind, randomized, controlled study. Patients in intervention group (n = 50) were given midazolam dissolved in glucose solution and patients in control group (n = 50) were given glucose solution only with communication technique. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were recorded in five time points.

RESULTSUnder basal conditions, intervention group did not show significant difference in BP compared with control group. Before sedation, mean values of SBP and DBP (especially SBP) significantly increased compared with basal conditions in both groups (P < 0.05). During dental extraction sessions, mean values of BP in intervention group significantly decreased than control group (P < 0.05), but coefficient of variation did show significant difference in both groups.

CONCLUSIONContinuous intravenous infusion of midazolam has been proved to be very successful in controlling BP of elderly patients having dental extraction.

Aged ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; physiology ; Diastole ; drug effects ; Humans ; Hypertension ; prevention & control ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Midazolam ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Systole ; drug effects ; Tooth Extraction ; methods

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of oral administration of guanxin II decoction (GX II) on cardiovascular function, especially on the dynamics of coronary blood flow in healthy males.

METHODSChanges of heart rate, diastolic pressure, systolic pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), E peak, A peak, E/A value of mitral flow, diastolic peak velocity (Vmax) and diastolic flow velocity time integrals (VTI) of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in 11 healthy male subjects were measured before and after oral administration of GX II, using non-invasive echocardiogram.

RESULTSCompared with those before GX II administration, the changes after administration in heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, LVEF, E peak, A peak and E/A value, were insignificantly different (P>0.05), but the Vmax and VTI significantly increased at 30 min, 60 min, 90 min and 120 min after GX II administration (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONTo increase the coronary blood flow is possibly one of the mechanisms of GX II in treating coronary heart disease and angina pectoris.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Blood Flow Velocity ; drug effects ; Coronary Circulation ; drug effects ; Coronary Disease ; drug therapy ; Coronary Vessels ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Diastole ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Echocardiography ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Systole ; drug effects ; Vasodilator Agents ; pharmacology ; Ventricular Function, Left ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of different doses of taurine (Tau) on calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) and ATPase on cardiocyte membrane of diastole heart failure rats.

METHODDiastole heart failure model was established by the coarctation of abdominal aorta. Four weeks after operation, forty diastole heart failure rats were divided into four groups randomly as follows, model (normal saline 2 mL), taurine (400 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), taurine (200 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), taurine (100 mgx kg(-1) x d(-1)), with 10 rats for each group (n=10), and 10 sham operation rats was taken as control(normal saline, 2 mL). After 4 weeks administration, Isolate single cardiocyte by enzymatic isolation method which were loaded with Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent indicator Fluo-3/AM. [Ca2+]i was measured by laser scanning confocal microscope [LSCM], and represented it by fluorescent intensity [FI]; ATPase activity of cell membrane was measured by the method of enzymatic reaction chromatometry.

RESULTCompared with the control group, [Ca2+]i in cardiocyte increased markedly and the ATPase activity of cardiocyte membrane decreased significantly in the model group. Compared with the model group, fluorescent value decreased and ATPase activity increased significantly in Tau high-dose group; fluorescence value and ATPase activity decreased significantly in Tau mid-dose group; fluorescent value decreased and ATPase activity increased significantly in Tau low-dose group.

CONCLUSIONLarge dosage of Tau can increase ATPase activity on cardiocyte membrane, improve [Ca2+]i in cardiocyte and antagonise calcium overload of DHF rats.

Adenosine Triphosphatases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Diastole ; drug effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Heart Failure ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Taurine ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

INTRODUCTIONCentral aortic systolic pressure (CASP) has been shown to be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular events than brachial blood pressure (BP). Different classes of drugs have differential effects on CASP and brachial BP. This open prospective cohort study aimed to observe changes in CASP (measured using radial tonometry) among hypertensive Asians after 12 weeks of treatment with valsartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB).

METHODSPatients with treatment-naïve hypertension or uncontrolled hypertension who were on non-ARB therapy were eligible for inclusion. Patients with uncontrolled BP (i.e. ≥ 140/90 mmHg) received valsartan for 12 weeks. The patients' brachial systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), and CASP changes were monitored using the BPro® watch.

RESULTSThe mean age of the 44 enrolled patients was 35 years. At baseline, the mean BP and CASP were 150.2/91.4 ± 10.6/9.4 mmHg and 136.3 ± 12.2 mmHg, respectively. Valsartan reduced SBP, DBP and CASP by 14.9 ± 10.7 mmHg, 10.9 ± 8.4 mmHg and 15.3 ± 10.9 mmHg, respectively (all p < 0.001). Every 1.0-mmHg reduction in brachial SBP resulted in a 0.8-mmHg reduction in CASP (p < 0.001). A CASP cut-off of 122.5 mmHg discriminated between controlled and uncontrolled BP (sensitivity 74%, specificity 88%).

CONCLUSIONUsing radial tonometry, we demonstrated good correlation between CASP and brachial SBP reductions after 12 weeks of treatment with valsartan in our study cohort. Correlation analysis between CASP and SBP reductions may be useful for demonstrating whether a drug is able to lower CASP beyond lowering SBP.

Adult ; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Aorta ; drug effects ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory ; Diastole ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; Male ; Manometry ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Receptors, Angiotensin ; metabolism ; Systole ; drug effects ; Valsartan ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and safety of Western medicine combined with Chinese medicine (CM) based on syndrome differentiation in the treatment of elderly polarized hypertension (PHPT), or isolated systolic hypertension with low diastolic blood pressure (DBP).

METHODSA total of 125 elderly patients with PHPT were randomly assigned to two groups: 59 in the control group treated by Western medicine and 66 in the intervention group treated by Western medicine combined with CM treatment. Based on syndrome differentiation, the patients in the intervention group were further divided into subgroups of yang-qi deficiency and yin-qi deficiency. All subjects were treated with Western medicine of Amlodipine Besylate Tablets and Irbesartan Tablets (or Irbesartan and Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets), to decrease their systolic blood pressure (SBP) slowly to 125-135 mm Hg in 2-6 weeks. In the intervention group, Shiyiwei Shenqi Capsule was given additionally to the subgroup of yang-qi deficiency at the dosage of 3-5 capsules, thrice a day, while Dengzhan Shengmai Capsule was given additionally to the subgroup of yin-qi deficiency at the dosage of 2 capsules, 2-3 times per day. For all subjects, SBP, pulse pressure (PP), and DBP were measured before treatment and at the terminal of a 6-week treatment. For subjects in the intervention group, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was also recorded.

RESULTSAfter a 6-week treatment, the SBP in the two groups and the PP in the intervention group decreased significantly compared to those before treatment (P<0.05), while the PP in the control group showed no significant difference between prior and post-treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, the DBP in the control group decreased (P>0.05), while the DBP and LVEF in the intervention group showed an increase tendency although it had no statistical significance (P>0.05). When subjects in the intervention group were classified further by the course of disease, the DBP and LVEF of subjects whose course of disease were less than 2 years, increased significantly after treatment (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONWestern medicine combined with CM treatment based on syndrome differentiation was safer and more effective than Western medicine alone in the treatment of elderly PHPT, because it not only reduced SBP but also improved DBP, which might lower the incidence of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Aged ; Amlodipine ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antihypertensive Agents ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Biphenyl Compounds ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Diastole ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Male ; Stroke Volume ; drug effects ; Syndrome ; Tetrazoles ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVEAlthough several reports documented the association of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and left ventricular (LV) function in infants or neonates, right ventricular (RV) function in neonates with CH has not been previously studied. The aim of the present study was to assess RV function in neonates with CH before and after thyroxine substitution therapy by quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) and tissue tracking imaging (TTI).

METHODSFifty-two neonates aged 18-28 days (25 males and 27 females) with CH and 35 healthy neonates aged 18-28 days (16 males and 19 females) were studied by QTVI, TTI as well as conventional pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography (PWD). The standard apical four-chamber view for long-axis motion of the right ventricle was used for echocardiographic evaluation. Peak systolic displacement (D), peak systolic velocity (Vs), peak early (Ve) and late (Va) diastolic velocity of tricuspid annule were measured, Ve/Va ratio was calculated as well. Transtricuspid flow velocity during early diastole (E) and late diastole (A) were also measured by pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography. PWD and E/A ratio were calculated too. For each neonate, serum hormone levels of TSH, TT(3), TT(4), FT(3) and FT(4) were measured with a standard chemiluminescent immunoassay. After 1 month of levothyroxine (L-T(4)) substitution therapy in CH neonates, all the echocardiographic evaluations and biochemical tests were re-evaluated. Correlation analysis was also made between serum thyroid hormones levels and right ventricular function.

RESULTSThe indices of right ventricular diastolic function by PWD (E and E/A ratio) in CH group were (45 +/- 10) cm/s and (0.8 +/- 0.3), respectively. Compared with controls, E and E/A ratio in CH neonates were significantly lower (P < 0.001, respectively), while A did not differ between the two groups (P > 0.05). QTVI and TTI showed that right diastolic function (Ve and Ve/Va ratio) as well as right systolic function (Vs and D) in CH group were (3.69 +/- 1.38) cm/s, (0.74 +/- 0.19) cm/s, (4.38 +/- 0.63) cm/s and (0.52 +/- 0.12) cm, respectively. CH neonates had significantly lower Ve, Ve/Va ratio, Vs and D of tricuspid annular velocity (P < 0.001, respectively), whereas there was no significant difference in Va between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 1 month of substitutive therapy, CH neonates showed a significant increase of Ve, Ve/Va ratio, Vs, D, E, and E/A ratio, (6.92 +/- 1.86) cm/s, (1.13 +/- 0.22), (5.92 +/- 1.03) cm/s, (0.78 +/- 0.17) cm, (61 +/- 10) cm/s and (1.1 +/- 0.4), respectively (P < 0.001). Those parameters were positively correlated with serum TT(3), TT(4), FT(3) and FT(4) levels (P < 0.01, respectively), and were negatively correlated with serum TSH levels (P < 0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSOur findings suggest that neonates with CH are associated with right ventricular subclinical systolic and diastolic dysfunction, which can be reversed by early L-T(4) substitution therapy. QTVI and TTI are valuable methods to evaluate right ventricular function in neonates. Systolic and diastolic velocities of the tricuspid annulus measured by QTVI and TTI are useful and accurate to assess RV function in neonates.

Adult ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Child, Preschool ; Congenital Hypothyroidism ; physiopathology ; Diastole ; drug effects ; physiology ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Systole ; drug effects ; physiology ; Thyrotropin ; pharmacology ; Thyroxine ; blood ; pharmacology ; Tricuspid Valve ; physiopathology ; Ventricular Function, Left ; drug effects ; physiology ; radiation effects ; Ventricular Function, Right ; drug effects ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the protective effects of Tongxinluo on myocardium and microvasculature after reperfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

METHODSThe research was performed on the patients with AMI whose initial ECG showed ST segment elevation and the patients received PCI or thrombolysis immediately after onset. These patients were classified randomly into two groups: control group in which the patients were given routine drug treatment (52 cases) and treatment group in which the patients were given routine drug plus Tongxinluo capsule (60 cases). We observed the abnormal movement of the ventricle wall in 2DE, and the change in LVEDV or LVEF on the 1st day, 7th day, 13th day, 3rd month, and 6th month after onset, which were compared with the result of DISA and SPECT for myocardial image. At the same time we also examined the blood NO and MDA levels on the 1st day, the 7th day and 13th day.

RESULTS(1) The recover rate for the abnormal movement of the ventricle segments in the treatment group were 11.86%, 18.12% and 18.79% respectively, which were higher than that of the control group (4.13%, 8.27% and 11.11% respectively) on the 1st week, the 2nd week, and the 1st month. At the 6th month the total recover rate for the abnormal movement of the ventricle segments of Tongxinluo group was 70.03%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (51.68%). The WMSI was also decreased more than that of the control group. (2) The LVEDV in Tongxinluo group increased by 9.42% one week after onset, which was close to that of the control group (9.59%). There was no significant change (9.40% and 9.42% respectively) after two weeks and one month in Tongxinluo group, whereas it was increased continuously in the control group (11.84% and 12.33%). LVEDV in Tongxinluo group was decrease obviously after three and six months (3.62% and 5.07% respectively), which was close to the original level, whereas the result of the control group remained on a higher level (13.70% and 11.72% respectively). (3) LVEF of the Tongxinluo group was 53.32% before treatment, which was comparable with that of the control group (P = 0.45). There was no significant difference between the two groups after treatment for 1 week, 2 week and 1 month (P = 0.11, P = 0.13, P = 0.18, respectively). LVEF for the two groups was 58.27% and 53.40% respectively after three months and there was a statistical significance (P < 0.01). LVEF for the two groups was 58.33% and 53.82% respectively after 6 months and the difference remained statistically significant (P < 0.05). (4) The 2DE WMSI for the Tongxinluo group was 1.7552 after 12 hours to 24 hours of the CVR and there was no significant difference compared with that of the control group (WMSI = 1.5380, P = 0.6945). After 6 months, the WMSI decreased to 1.3767 in the Tongxinluo group, which was statistically different from that of the control group (WMSI = 1.5380, P < 0.01). The myocardium acquire isotope score index of the Tongxinluo group was 0.6075 at 6 months, which was significantly different from that of the control group (0.8781). (5) Ultrasonic humerus artery examination in static status showed that there was no significant difference on the diameter of blood vessel and the speed of blood stream between Tongxinluo group and control group with. The diameter of the blood vessel after artery pressure in Tongxinluo group was expanded, which was significantly different from that in the static status (P < 0.001) and that in control group (P < 0.001). The diameter of blood vessel after administration of nitroglycerin in both groups was expanded, which was significantly different from that in the static status (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05). However, Tongxinluo group was expand more obviously than that of the control group (P < 0.05). (6) The MDA level of the Tongxinluo group was decreased (all P < 0.05) and the NO level was increased (all P < 0.05) gradually from the 1st week to the 4th week; however, the MDA level of the control group was not decreased until the 4th week (P < 0.05), and the NO level of the control group was increased evidently at the 2nd week (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS(1) After reperfusion in AMI patients, administration of routine drug combined with Tongxinluo is more effective than routine drug alone in the reduction of infarction size. (2) In Tongxinluo group, the recover time and the total recover rate of the abnormal movement of the ventricle segments were higher than the control group, and the WMSI were significantly decreased than the control group. (3) The improvement degree and the recover time on LVEDV in Tongxinluo group was superior to control group. (4) The improvement of LVEF in time and in degree was superior to control group. (5) The blood concentration of the MDA was decreased significantly in Tongxinluo group, while the NO level was increased significantly, and the time was superior to control group significantly.

Diastole ; drug effects ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Microcirculation ; drug effects ; physiology ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; prevention & control ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Stroke Volume ; drug effects ; Ventricular Function, Left