No abstract

Aims-To determine whether mitral annular calcification and aortic valve calcification, with or without stenosis, are expressions of atherosclerotic disease. Methods-The

In anterior AMI, the ECG is useful to predict the LAD occlusion site in relation to its major side branches.

Although the overall difference between the fluoxetine and placebo groups was not significant, there was a trend favoring fluoxetine in this relatively small sample. The response rate in the group receiving fluoxetine was comparable with that observed in other studies of patients with cardiovascular disease. In addition, fluoxetine seemed to be particularly effective in patients with mild depression and was associated with a statistically significant reduction in hostility. The results of this study suggest that fluoxetine can be safely used to treat patients with post-MI depression beginning 3 months after the event.

Various kinds of abnormal, asynchronous electric activation of the left ventricle (LV) decrease mechanical load in early versus late activated regions of the ventricular wall. Because myocardium usually adapts its mass to changes in workload, we investigated by echocardiography whether regional differences in wall thickness are present in two kinds of asynchronous electric activation of different origin and conduction pathway: epicardial ventricular pacing in dogs and left bundle branch block (LBBB) in patients. In six dogs, 3 months of epicardial LV pacing at physiologic heart rates decreased the thickness of the early activated anterior wall by 20.5 +/- 8.1% without significantly changing LV cavity area and septal thickness. In a retrospective study of 228 LBBB patients, the early activated septum was significantly thinner than the late activated posterior wall. The asymmetry most pronounced was as large as 10% in 28 patients with LBBB and paradoxic septal motion. No difference in regional wall thickness was present in 154 control patients. In conclusion, chronic asynchronous electric activation in the heart induces redistribution of cardiac mass. This redistribution occurs in hearts, which differ in impulse conduction pathway, disease, and species and is characterized by thinning of early versus late activated myocardium.

No abstract

A prolonged PA-TDI interval may predict the development of new-onset AF. This measure may be used to identify patients at risk in future strategies to prevent the development or complications of AF.

Maternal hemodynamic adaptation in the first weeks of pregnancy is defective in IUGR pregnancies, presumably associated with a concomitant inadequacy of the vascular filling state.