Antipsychotic Agents/adverse effects* ; Heart Failure/chemically induced* ; Humans ; Syncope

Stem cells transplantation is a promising strategy for treating myocardial infarction and/or chronic heart failure; however, with respect to nonischemic heart failure, there are some limitations inherent in the current methods of transplantation. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of a novel method, i. e. transplantation through the root of aorta when the ascending aorta occluded above the sinus aortae. Japanese white ears rabbits were used as chronic heart failure models by intravenous injection of adriamycin. Autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNC) were infused into the root of aorta when the ascending aorta was occluded by a couple of balloons above the sinus aortae. After 4 weeks, ejection fraction was significantly improved in MNC group. In conclusion, we have developed a unique method for efficient and safe cell transplantation based on infusion in aorta. This method, potentially suitable for nonischemic heart failure and could be used to achieve even and global supply of cells in heart.
Animals ; Aorta ; surgery ; Doxorubicin ; Feasibility Studies ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; surgery ; Rabbits ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods

Cardiac hypertrophy is a common pathological process of various cardiovascular diseases and eventually develops into heart failure. This paper was aimed to study the different pathological characteristics exhibited by different mouse strains after hypertrophy stimulation. Two mouse strains, A/J and FVB/nJ, were treated with isoproterenol (ISO) by osmotic pump to induce cardiac hypertrophy. Echocardiography was performed to monitor heart morphology and function. Mitochondria were isolated from hearts in each group, and oxidative phosphorylation function was assayed in vitro. The results showed that both strains showed a compensatory enhancement of heart contractile function after 1-week ISO treatment. The A/J mice, but not the FVB/nJ mice, developed significant cardiac hypertrophy after 3-week ISO treatment as evidenced by increases in left ventricular posterior wall thickness, heart weight/body weight ratio, cross sectional area of cardiomyocytes and cardiac hypertrophic markers. Interestingly, the heart from A/J mice contained higher mitochondrial DNA copy number compared with that from FVB/nJ mice. Functionally, the mitochondria from A/J mice displayed faster O
Animals ; Cardiomegaly/chemically induced* ; Heart Failure ; Isoproterenol/toxicity* ; Mice ; Mitochondria ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism*

Acute amiodarone toxicity after a single dose of intravenous amiodarone is very rarely seen. We report the case of a 64-year-old Chinese man who presented with atrial fibrillation and fluid overload due to congestive cardiac failure. He was treated with a single bolus dose of intravenous amiodarone, after which he developed elevated serum transaminases, coagulopathy, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure. His parameters returned to normal after 25 days and his recovery was uneventful.
Acute Kidney Injury ; chemically induced ; Amiodarone ; adverse effects ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; adverse effects ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Blood Coagulation Disorders ; chemically induced ; Heart Failure ; complications ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thrombocytopenia ; chemically induced ; Transaminases ; blood ; Treatment Outcome

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Chronic Disease ; Daunorubicin ; adverse effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Antitubercular Agents ; adverse effects ; Chronic Disease ; Heart Failure ; complications ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rhabdomyolysis ; chemically induced ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Xinfuli Granule (XG) on cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with adriamycin-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

METHODSSeventy-two male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, i.e., the normal control group, the model group, the irbesartan group, the low dose XG group, the medium dose XG group, and the high dose XG group. The DCM heart failure rat model was established using peritoneal injection of ADR. Equal volume of normal saline was injected to those in the normal control group, once per week for 6 consecutive weeks. The medication was started from the 5th week by gastrogavage. XG was dispensed into 0.5 g/mL suspension with distilled water. The XG was administered at the daily dose of 0.675 g/kg, 1.350 g/kg, and 2.700 g/kg to those in the low dose XG group, the medium dose XG group, and the high dose XG group, respectively. Irbesartan was administered to rats in the irbesartan group at the daily dose of 50 mg/kg. Equal volume of normal saline was administered to those in the normal control group and the model group by gastrogavage, once in the morning for 4 consecutive weeks. Myocardial apoptosis was measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and the expressions of the Bcl-2 and Bax protein of cardiomyocytes were measured by immunohistochemical assay.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, the cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate and Bax expression level obviously increased, but the expression of Bcl-2 and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio decreased significantly in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the expression of Bax and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio increased significantly in the high dose XG group and the irbesartan group (P < 0.01). The Bax expression level obviously decreased in all groups except the normal control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSXG could obviously attenuate cardiomyocyte apoptosis in the adriamycin-induced DCM rats, and reverse the occurrence and development of heart reconstruction. The underlying mechanism might be related to regulating and controlling the expressions of Bax and Bcl-2.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; chemically induced ; complications ; Doxorubicin ; adverse effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; pathology ; Male ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE: This article investigated the changes of some biochemical markers and cardiac function in chronic heart failure (CHF), and provided the basis for the diagnosis of CHF. METHODS: New Zealand rabbit CHF model was established using adriamycin (ADR). Twenty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into model group (=15) and control group (=5), injected with ADR and saline solution the ear vein respectively, 2 times a week, lasting for 8 weeks. After that, myocardial enzymes, carotid artery pressure, echocardiogram (ECG) and phonocardiogram (PCG) of all New Zealand rabbits were detected and recorded. RESULTS: Compared with control group, all parameters of the model group were changed significantly (<0.05). CONCLUSIONS CHF leads to myocardial damage in New Zealand rabbits, decreased systolic and diastolic function, cardiac reserve index can be used to assess cardiac function.
Animals ; Biomarkers ; analysis ; Blood Pressure ; Carotid Arteries ; physiopathology ; Chronic Disease ; Doxorubicin ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Myocardium ; enzymology ; Phonocardiography ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of cholinergic nerves in doxorubicin (DOX)-induced rat failing heart and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the heart tissue and serum.

METHODSAdult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into control (n=10) and DOX-induced chronic heart failure (CHF) groups (n=15), and in the latter group, the rats were given intraperitoneal injections of 2.5 mg/kg DOX once a week for 6 weeks, with a total cumulative dose of 15 mg/kg. The control rats were injected with normal saline (1 ml/week). Karnovsky-Roots histochemical staining combined with point counting was used to demonstrate the distribution of cholinergic nerves in the heart. The expression levels of TNF-α in the heart tissue and serum were determined with ELISA.

RESULTSPositively stained cholinergic nerves were found in all the rat hearts in the two groups, but in CHF group, the point counts of cholinergic nerves were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.01). Compared with the control rats, those with DOX-induced CHF showed elevated levels of TNF-α both in the heart tissue and in the serum (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONIn rats with DOX-induced CHF, the parasympathetic nervous system is down-regulated in the failing heart, and the diminished cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway may play an important role in the progression of CHF.

Animals ; Cholinergic Agents ; pharmacology ; Cholinergic Fibers ; drug effects ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; Heart ; drug effects ; innervation ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe the protective effects of resveratrol (RES) on the heart function of the rats with adriamycin-induced heart failure.

METHODThirty adult male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal control (NC) group, adriamycin (ADR) group, RESL + ADR group, RES(H) + ADR group and RES group. RES of 30, 120, 120 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) was given intraperitoneally (ip) once a day for 3 days in RES(L) + ADR group, RES(H) + ADR group and RES group respectively. The other two groups were given the same amount of normal saline the same way. On the 4h day,ADR of 10 mg x kg(-1) was given intraperitoneally once to induce myocardium injury model. After twenty-four hours, the pathological and biochemical changes of the myocardium were examined.

RESULTAs compared with NC group, the MDA, NO and NOS of the ADR group were significantly higher (P < 0.05), and the SOD of the ADR group were markedly lower (P < 0.05). As compared with ADR group, the indexes in RES(L) + ADR group, RES(H) + ADR group were exactly opposing, and took on dose dependance (P < 0.05). Light microscopic morphometry of the heart samples of the rats in ADR + RES(L, H) groups revealed typical diminishing of damage.

CONCLUSIONRES can relieve the toxic effects of ADR on myocardium, and the cardioprotective effects may be correlated with its antioxidant activity and downregulation of NO.

Animals ; Doxorubicin ; Heart ; physiopathology ; Heart Failure ; chemically induced ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; blood ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stilbenes ; pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood