By using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, we aimed to investigate the structural and functional changes on myocardium in chronic asymptomatic alcoholics without any cardiovascular disease. Forty-one consecutive asymptomatic male alcoholics who were admitted to the outpatient alcoholism unit and 30 age matched healthy male volunteers selected as the control group were enrolled in the study. The study group were investigated by using standard two-dimensional echocardiography and speckle tracking echocardiography. The left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain and LV global circumferential strain were significantly lower in alcoholics when compared with control subjects. There was no difference in global radial strain between the two groups. To demonstrate the effect of total life time dose of ethanol (TLDE) on echocardiographic abnormalities, we assessed the correlation analysis. There was a nonsignificant weak correlation between global LV circumferential strain and TLDE (r = 0.27, p = 0.083). Speckle tracking echocardiography derived left ventricular systolic function was impaired in chronic alcoholic patients when compared with healthy controls.

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OBJECTIVE: We investigated the role of selenium in bevacizumab induced cardiotoxicity and involvement of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels in cardiomyocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All cells (Human cardiomyocyte cell line) were cultured at 37 °C. We divided the cells into seven groups as control, bevacizumab, bevacizumab + capsazepin, bevacizumab + selenium, bevacizumab + selenium + capsazepin, selenium and selenium + capsazepin groups. Cells in the groups were stimulated with capsaicin and inhibited with capsazepin in related experiments for activation and inactivation of TRPV1 channels, respectively. RESULTS: Cytosolic calcium, apoptosis and intracellular ROS production levels were lower in bevacizumab + selenium group than in the bevacizumab group of cardiomyocytes (p ˂ 0.001). Also, values were markedly lower in the bevacizumab + selenium + capsazepine group when compared to the bevacizumab + selenium group (p ˂ 0.001). CONCLUSION: We found that cytosolic calcium, apoptosis, intracellular ROS production levels were increased in bevacizumab induced cardiotoxicity and selenium treatment could have benefi cial effects on these parameters (Fig. 5, Ref. 51). Text in PDF www.elis.sk. KE Y WORDS: apoptosis, bevacizumab, cardiomyocyte, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, selenium.

OBJECTIVES: Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside which is widely used in cardiovascular medicine. Oxidative stress, as well as intracellular Ca 2+ overload, plays an important role in digoxin toxicity. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels are found in cardiomyocyte cells and they are activated by reactive oxygen species. We investigated the effects of digoxin toxicity and alterations in Ca 2+ infl ux, oxidative stress and apoptosis through TRPV1 channels and modulator role of melatonin in cardiomyocytes. METHODS: The cells were divided into seven main groups as control, digoxin, digoxin+capsazepine, digoxin+melatonin, digoxin+capsazepine+melatonin, melatonin and melatonin+capsazepine groups. Cells in the groups were stimulated with capsaicin and inhibited with capsazepine in related experiments for activation and inactivation of TRPV1 channels, respectively. We measured cytosolic calcium, intracellular reactive oxygen, mitochondrial depolarization, caspase 9 and caspase 3 levels. RESULTS: The apoptosis values were signifi cantly lower in the melatonin and digoxin+melatonin groups than in the digoxin group of cardiomyocytes (p < 0.001). The cell viability values were higher in the digoxin+capsazepine (p < 0.001), digoxin+melatonin (p < 0.001) and digoxin+melatonin+capsazepine (p < 0.001) groups than in the digoxin group. CONCLUSION: TRPV1 channels are overactivated during digoxin toxicity and melatonin could show a cardioprotective effect through TRPV1 channel modulation (Fig. 5, Ref. 56).

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