Experimental studies have shown the action of green tea in modulating cardiac remodeling. However, the effects of green tea on the cardiac remodeling process induced by doxorubicin (DOX) are not known. Therefore, this study is aimed at evaluating whether green tea extract could attenuate DOX‐induced cardiac remodeling, assessed by cardiac morphological and functional changes and associated with the evaluation of different modulators of cardiac remodeling. The animals were divided into four groups: the control group (C), the green tea group (GT), the DOX group (D), and the DOX and green tea group (DGT). Groups C and GT received intraperitoneal sterile saline injections, D and DGT received intraperitoneal injections of DOX, and GT and DGT were fed chow supplemented with green tea extract for 35 days prior to DOX injection. After forty‐eight hours, we performed an echocardiogram and euthanasia and collected the materials for analysis. Green tea attenuated DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity by increasing cardiac function and decreasing the concentric remodeling. Treatment with DOX increased oxidative stress in the heart, marked by a higher level of lipid hydroperoxide (LH) and lower levels of antioxidant enzymes. Treatment with green tea increased the antioxidant enzymes’ activity and decreased the production of LH. Green tea extract increased the expression of Top2‐ β independent of DOX treatment. The activity of ATP synthase, citrate synthase, and complexes I and II decreased with DOX, without the effects of green tea. Both groups that received DOX presented with a lower ratio of P‐akt/T‐akt and a higher expression of CD45, TNF α , and intermediate MMP‐2, without the effects of green tea. In conclusion, green tea attenuated cardiac remodeling induced by DOX and was associated with increasing the expression of Top2‐ β and lowering oxidative stress. However, energy metabolism and inflammation probably do not receive the benefits induced by green tea in this model.
We report a case of a male patient with stroke caused by atrial fibrillation (AF) due to thyrotoxicosis. At hospital admission, he presented hypertension and AF. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a right-side ischemic area. The thyrotoxicosis was confirmed by thyroid function and thyroid scintigraphy that showed goiter with diffuse hypercaptation. The patient was treated with tapazole and total thyroidectomy, and pathological findings suggested Graves' disease. Hyperthyroidism is associated with increased supraventricular ectopic activity in patients with a normal heart, and may be an important causal link between hyperthyroidism and AF. The patient experienced significant clinical improvement, but presented long-term neuropsychiatric disorders.
Aerobic exercise training (AET) has been used in the management of heart disease. AET may, totally or partially, restore the activity and/or expression of proteins that regulate calcium (Ca2+) handling, optimize intracellular Ca2+ flow, and attenuate cardiac functional impairment in failing hearts. However, the literature presents conflicting data regarding the effects of AET on Ca2+ transit and cardiac function in rats with heart failure resulting from aortic stenosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of AET on calcium handling and cardiac function in rats with heart failure due to aortic stenosis. Wistar rats were distributed into two groups: control (Sham; n= 61) and aortic stenosis (AoS; n= 44). After 18 weeks, the groups were redistributed into: non-exposed to exercise training (Sham, n = 28 and AoS, n = 22) and trained (Sham-ET, n = 33 and AoS-ET, n = 22) for 10 weeks. Treadmill exercise training was performed with a velocity equivalent to the lactate threshold. Echocardiogram, isolated papillary muscle, and isolated cardiomyocyte analyzed cardiac function. During isolated papillary muscle assay and isolated cardimyocyte was evaluated Ca2+. The expression of regulatory proteins of diastolic Ca2+ was analyzed via Western Blot. AET attenuated the diastolic dysfunction and benefited the systolic function. AoS-ET animals presented better response to post-rest contraction, and SERCA2a and L-type Ca2+ channels blocked than the AoS. Furthermore, AET was able to improve aspects of the mechanical function and the responsiveness of the myofilaments to the Ca2+ of the AoS-ET animals. AoS animals presented alteration in the protein expression of the SERCA2a and NCX, and AET restored SERCA2a and NCX levels near normal values. Therefore, AET increased SERCA2a activity, improved the cellular Ca2+ influx mechanism, and increased myofilament responsiveness to Ca2+, attenuating cardiac dysfunction at cellular, tissue, and chamber levels in animals with aortic stenosis and heart failure.
The high consumption of fat and sugar contributes to the development of obesity and co-morbidities, such as diabetes, and cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Different strategies have been used to prevent these diseases associated with obesity, such as changes in eating habits and/or the addition of dietary components with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, such as gamma-oryzanol (γOz) present mainly in bran layers and rice germ.Animals were randomly divided into four experimental groups and fed ad libitum for 20 weeks with control diet (C, n = 8), control diet + γOz (C + γOz, n = 8), high-sugar and high-fat diet (HSF, n = 8), and high-sugar and high-fat diet + γOz (HSF + γOz, n = 8). HSF groups also received water + sucrose (25%). The dose of γOz was added to diets to reach 0.5% of final concentration (w/w). Evaluation in animals included food and caloric intake, body weight, plasma glucose, insulin, triglycerides, uric acid, HOMA-IR, glomerular filtration rate, protein/creatinine ratio, systolic blood pressure, and Doppler echocardiographic.Animals that consumed the HSF diet had weight gain compared to group C, increased insulin, HOMA, glucose and triglycerides, there were also atrial and ventricular structural alterations, deterioration of systolic and diastolic function, decreased glomerular filtration rate, and proteinuria. Gamma-oryzanol is significantly protective against effects on body weight, hypertriglyceridemia, renal damage, and against structural and functional alteration of the heart.Gamma-oryzanol shows potential as a therapeutic to prevent Cardiorenal Metabolic Syndrome.
Purpose: Despite the recognized benefits of practicing physical activity in patients with cardiovascular disease, it is believed that patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction with non-sedentary behavior may present an improvement in cardiovascular function and quality of life compared to sedentary patients, even if they do not practice regular physical exercise. The aim of the present study was to compare functional capacity, systolic and diastolic cardiac function and quality of life of sedentary and non-sedentary patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. Methods: Patients with heart failure and ejection fraction below 50% were divided into two groups, Sedentary (n = 45) and Non-Sedentary (n = 36), using the IPAQ questionnaire. These two groups were evaluated with clinical evaluation, quality of life SF-36 questionnaire, Cooper walking test and transthoracic echocardiography. They were compared by Chi-Square test for categorical variables or Test T or Man-Whitney for continuous variables; the level of significance adopted in the statistical analysis was 5%. Results: The groups were homogeneous in relation to the baseline characteristics and etiology. The Non-Sedentary Group had fewer patients with severe symptoms (p <0.01), less necessity of digitalis (p = 0.02) and better left ventricle fractional shortening (p = 0.03). There was no apparent difference in the walk-test data between groups. Additionally, there was a greater impairment in the functional capacity of the SF-36 Questionnaire in the Sedentary Group. Conclusion: Considering the sample limitation, patients with heart failure and non-sedentary behavior have greater tolerability to exercise because they have fewer limiting symptoms and better quality of life in the functional capacity domain than sedentary patients.
Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is one of the principal risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. When a hypertensive woman becomes pregnant, new hemodynamic condition is installed, with addition from chronic pressure overload to chronic volume overload. This new hemodynamic condition can provide greater myocardial hypertrophy(LVH), whose postpartum evolution has been little studied in the literature. To evaluate LVH in hypertensive women in the third trimester of pregnancy and 6 months postpartum and to establish which clinical variables are associated with elevated risk of LVH. Prospective longitudinal study including 41 pregnant women beyond 35 gestational weeks and with previous SAH. They were submitted to clinical and echocardiographic evaluation at the gestational period and 6 months postpartum. Statistical analysis: multivariate logistic regression with the exposures most strongly associated with maintenance of hypertrophy in univariate analysis. Significance level: P<0.05. The mean age was 29±6.2 years. The majority of the women were white(85.4%). Before pregnancy 23(59%) women used antihypertensive drugs and 28(71.8%) used during pregnancy. At the end of gestation, all women presented LVH, 79% maintained hypertrophy 6 months postpartum. In multivariate analysis, exposures significantly associated with hypertrophy maintenance: systolic blood pressure(SBP) at the end of gestation, OR=1.16(1.03-1.30);P=0.013 and SBP increase at 6 months postpartum in relation to end of gestation, OR=22.9(1.8-294);P=0.016. In hypertensive pregnant women, LVH frequency is elevated at the end of pregnancy, and recovery frequency of this hypertrophy, at 6 months postpartum, is very low. The increase of SBP 6 months postpartum was associated with maintenance of hypertrophy.
Aim To evaluate the effect of western diet on lipid profile and the association with cardiac dysfunction. Methods 24 male Wistar rats were assigned to receive water + standard diet (group C, n = 12) or CHO diet with water + 25% sucrose (CHO group, n = 12) for 20 weeks. During 20 weeks, food consumption (FC) was measured daily and body weight (BW) weekly. After 12 hours of fasting, plasma was used to measurements of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) and non‐HDL cholesterol fraction (an estimate of total atherogenic particles in the plasma) and insulin. Insulin resistance was assessed by HOMA‐IR.SBP was assessed by the non‐invasive tail‐cuff method. Doppler echocardiographic evaluation was performed by a single examiner at the 20 th week. The following cardiac structures were measured: Estimated LV mass, the LV systolic function was assessed by the following parameter: fractional shortening. The LV diastolic function was evaluated by the following deceleration time of E wave (DTE). Differences between groups were determined by using Student's t‐test for independent samples. Pearson regression was used to determine correlations among variables. p ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results CHO group presented higher weight gain, caloric intake and food efficiency even with lower food consumption when compared to C group. About the comorbidites associated with diet in the groups, carbohydrate diet was able to induce higher glucose and HOMA‐IR. CHO group presented higher levels of insulin compared to C group. Cardiac structure and function changes in 20 th week were associated with diet in the groups. Carbohydrate diet was able to induce systolic and diastolic dysfunction, cardiac remodeling. Lipid profile of the groups: CHO group presented higher T‐Chol, TG, Non‐HDL Cholesterol and lower HDL when compared to C group. There were correlations among lipid profile and cardiac variables: higher HDL cholesterol concentrations were related to higher EF(%)(r=0.39, p =0.06) whereas higher non‐HDL cholesterol concentrations were with lower EF(%) (r=−0.35, p =0.09); also, non‐HDL cholesterol was directly related to deceleration time (r=0.46, p =0.02) as well as TG (r=0.50, p =0.01). Furthermore, insulin concentrations were directly related to estimated LV mass (r=0.59, p =0.003). Conclusion Consumption of CHO rich diet implied lipid profile alterations as well as cardiac remodeling. Therefore, lipid metabolism seems to influence obesity‐related cardiac dysfunction. Comorbities, cardiovascular Structure and Function in 20 th week Variables Groups C (n=12) CHO (n=12) LVDD, mm 80.7 ± 2.9 100.6 ± 5.7* LVSD, mm 2.59 ± 1.20 5.28 ± 1.32* LVPWD, mm 18.8 ± 1.7 52.3 ± 3.8* Aorta diameter, mm 68.8 ± 12.1 67.3 ± 15.7* Left Atrium 4.73 ± 0.20 6.17 ± 0.41* Estimated LV mass, g 0.70 ± 0.17 1.07 ± 0.12* Relative wall thickness 114 ± 18 113 ± 17* Systolic volume, mL 23.5 ± 2.8 26.6 ± 5.8* Shortening Δ% endo 58.2 ± 3.3 52.5 ± 55.3* Shortening Δ% meso 25.6 ± 2.1 25.3 ± 2.7 Ejection fraction. % 0.92 ± 0.01 0.89 ± 0.03* Deceleration time, ms 44.1 ± 7.8 53.4 ± 9.4* Ew, m/s 8.9 ± 8.4 77.9 ±6.6 Aw, m/s 48.7 ± 11.6 45.9 ± 14.1 E/A, m/s 1.67 ± 0.27 1.85 ± 0.64 IRT 48.1 ± 7.5 52.1 ± 11.3* Systolic blood pressure, mmHg 126 ± 5 136 ± 5* Glucose (mg/dL) 83.4 ± 6.3 97.9 ± 8.5* Insulin (mg/dL) 2.5 ± 1.2 5.2 ± 1.3* HOMA‐IR 21.3 ± 9.6 50.7 ±11.2*
'/%3e%3cpath id='l' d='M-26.25 0h52.5v-12h-40.5v-16h33v-12h-33v-11H25v-12h-51.25z'/%3e%3cpath id='k' d='M-31.5 0h12v-48l14 48h11l14-48V0h12v-70H14L0-22l-14-48h-17.5z'/%3e%3cpath id='b' fill-rule='evenodd' d='M0 0a31.5 35 0 0 0 0-70A31.5 35 0 0 0 0 0m0-13a18.5 22 0 0 0 0-44 18.5 22 0 0 0 0 44'/%3e%3cpath id='d' fill-rule='evenodd' d='M-31.5 0h13v-26h28a22 22 0 0 0 0-44h-40zm13-39h27a9 9 0 0 0 0-18h-27z'/%3e%3cpath id='n' d='M-15.75-22C-15.75-15-9-11.5 1-11.5s14.74-3.25 14.75-7.75c0-14.25-46.75-5.25-46.5-30.25C-30.5-71-6-70 3-70s26 4 25.75 21.25H13.5c0-7.5-7-10.25-15-10.25-7.75 0-13.25 1.25-13.25 8.5-.25 11.75 46.25 4 46.25 28.75C31.5-3.5 13.5 0 0 0c-11.5 0-31.55-4.5-31.5-22z'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' id='o' transform='scale(31.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' id='p' transform='scale(26.25)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' id='r' transform='scale(21)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' id='q' transform='scale(15)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' id='s' transform='scale(10.5)'/%3e%3cg id='m'%3e%3cclipPath id='c'%3e%3cpath d='M-31.5 0v-70h63V0zM0-47v12h31.5v-12z'/%3e%3c/clipPath%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23b' clip-path='url(%23c)'/%3e%3cpath d='M5-35h26.5v10H5z'/%3e%3cpath d='M21.5-35h10V0h-10z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg id='h'%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23d'/%3e%3cpath d='M28 0c0-10 0-32-15-32H-6c22 0 22 22 22 32'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg id='a' fill='%23fff'%3e%3cg id='f'%3e%3cpath id='e' d='M0-1v1h.5' transform='rotate(18 0 -1)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23e' transform='scale(-1 1)'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23f' transform='rotate(72)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23f' transform='rotate(-72)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23f' transform='rotate(144)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23f' transform='rotate(216)'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/defs%3e%3crect width='100%25' height='100%25' x='-50%25' y='-50%25' fill='%23009b3a'/%3e%3cpath fill='%23fedf00' d='M-1743 0 0 1113 1743 0 0-1113z'/%3e%3ccircle r='735' fill='%23002776'/%3e%3cclipPath id='g'%3e%3ccircle r='735'/%3e%3c/clipPath%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M-2205 1470a1785 1785 0 0 1 3570 0h-105a1680 1680 0 1 0-3360 0z' clip-path='url(%23g)'/%3e%3cg fill='%23009b3a' transform='translate(-420 1470)'%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23b' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(-7)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23h' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(-4)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23i' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(-1)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23j' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(2)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23k' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23l' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(9.75)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23d' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(14.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23h' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(17.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23b' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(20.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23m' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(23.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23h' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(26.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23j' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(29.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23n' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(32.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23n' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(35.5)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23b' y='-1697.5' transform='rotate(38.5)'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23o' x='-600' y='-132'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23o' x='-535' y='177'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='-625' y='243'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23q' x='-463' y='132'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='-382' y='250'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='-404' y='323'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23o' x='228' y='-228'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23o' x='515' y='258'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='617' y='265'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='545' y='323'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='368' y='477'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='367' y='551'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='441' y='419'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='500' y='382'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='365' y='405'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='-280' y='30'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='200' y='-37'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23o' y='330'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='85' y='184'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' y='118'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='-74' y='184'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23q' x='-37' y='235'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23p' x='220' y='495'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='283' y='430'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23r' x='162' y='412'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23o' x='-295' y='390'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23s' y='575'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
