Chronic Red Bull Consumption during Adolescence: Effect on Mesocortical and Mesolimbic Dopamine Transmission and Cardiovascular System in Adult Rats

Energy drinks are very popular nonalcoholic beverages among adolescents and young adults for their stimulant effects. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of repeated intraoral Red Bull (RB) infusion on dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell and core and in the medial prefrontal cortex and on cardiac contractility in adult rats exposed to chronic RB consumption. Rats were subjected to 4 weeks of RB voluntary consumption from adolescence to adulthood. Monitoring of in vivo dopamine was carried out by brain microdialysis. In vitro cardiac contractility was studied on biomechanical properties of isolated left-ventricular papillary muscle. The main finding of the study was that, in treated animals, RB increased shell dopamine via a nonadaptive mechanism, a pattern similar to that of drugs of abuse. No changes in isometric and isotonic mechanical parameters were associated with chronic RB consumption. However, a prolonged time to peak tension and half-time of relaxation and a slower peak rate of tension fall were observed in RB-treated rats. It is likely that RB treatment affects left-ventricular papillary muscle contraction. The neurochemical results here obtained can explain the addictive properties of RB, while the cardiovascular investigation findings suggest a hidden papillary contractility impairment

Cor Triatriatum Sinister diagnosed in adult life with three dimensional transesophageal echocardiography

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cor triatriatum is a very rare congenital abnormality, usually symptomatic during childhood, diagnosis in adult age is less common.</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 40 years old woman referred to our hospital for atrial flutter ablation, transthoracic cardiac bidimensional echocardiography showed an abnormal membrane bisecting the left atrium, the diagnosis of cor triatriatum was fully made via three dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. More interstingly three other cardiac anomalies were associated: ostium secundum atrial septal defect, dilated coronary sinus due probably to persistent left superior vena cava and normally functioning bicuspid aortic valve.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cor triatriatum sinister in adult life is important to recognize because it may be easily surgically correctable when hemodynamically significant. Three Dimensional transesophageal echocardiography is a minimally invasive and highly sensitive diagnostic modality.</p

Systemic Maternal Inflammation and Neonatal Hyperoxia Induces Remodeling and Left Ventricular Dysfunction in Mice

The impact of the neonatal environment on the development of adult cardiovascular disease is poorly understood. Systemic maternal inflammation is linked to growth retardation, preterm birth, and maturation deficits in the developing fetus. Often preterm or small-for-gestational age infants require medical interventions such as oxygen therapy. The long-term pathological consequences of medical interventions on an immature physiology remain unknown. In the present study, we hypothesized that systemic maternal inflammation and neonatal hyperoxia exposure compromise cardiac structure, resulting in LV dysfunction during adulthood.Pregnant C3H/HeN mice were injected on embryonic day 16 (E16) with LPS (80 µg/kg; i.p.) or saline. Offspring were placed in room air (RA) or 85% O(2) for 14 days and subsequently maintained in RA. Cardiac echocardiography, cardiomyocyte contractility, and molecular analyses were performed. Echocardiography revealed persistent lower left ventricular fractional shortening with greater left ventricular end systolic diameter at 8 weeks in LPS/O(2) than in saline/RA mice. Isolated cardiomyocytes from LPS/O(2) mice had slower rates of contraction and relaxation, and a slower return to baseline length than cardiomyocytes isolated from saline/RA controls. α-/β-MHC ratio was increased and Connexin-43 levels decreased in LPS/O(2) mice at 8 weeks. Nox4 was reduced between day 3 and 14 and capillary density was lower at 8 weeks of life in LPS/O(2) mice.These results demonstrate that systemic maternal inflammation combined with neonatal hyperoxia exposure induces alterations in cardiac structure and function leading to cardiac failure in adulthood and supports the importance of the intrauterine and neonatal milieu on adult health

Stem cells and heart: an open future or a mirage?

Stem cells (SC) look like to be the possible solution to a number of human pathologies, including those involving the heart. In fact, some studies based on animal models suggest that SC can be used to repair the damaged cardiac tissue, such as in case of myocardial infarction. In fact it has been demonstrated that it would be possible to produce a quantity of SC sufficient to repair an animal heart having physiology and dimensions as the human heart. The aim of this short review is to examine the different subtypes of SC potentially involved in the heart repair (autologous and heterologous) processes as well as the serious concerns that have still to be overcome before considering SC a sure therapy for the heart diseases: rejections, oncogenesis due to SC high proliferative activity, difficult in ruling their differentiation, massive SC death when introducing them in an ischemic environment, ethical problems when SC are derived from embryos

Antihypertensive therapy in children: differences in medical approach between the United States and Europe

Similarly to a series of chronic diseases, essential arterial hypertension (HTN) may be manifested during childhood as a blood pressure (BP) reading which repeatedly rises above the 95th percentile of population-specific standards. Since BP tends to track along the same percentiles throughout life, children with higher BPs are more likely to become hypertensive adults. When healthy measures aimed at reducing BP (i.e. body weight reduction, aerobic physical exercise, low sodium intake) have failed, pharmacological treatment is usually required. This paper aims to undertake a review of antihypertensive pharmacological therapy in children, examining the drugs used in chronic treatment as well as those administered to treat hypertensive crisis (i.e. a BP major than 99th percentile of paediatric normograms). Moreover, several important differences registered in the therapeutic approach to paediatric HTN between US and European Guidelines will be underline

An old drug for use in the prevention of sudden infant unexpected death due to vagal hypertonia

Reflex vagal hypertonia (RVH) has been identified as a possible cause of sudden unexpected death in infants during the first year of life. Homatropine methylbromide (HM) is an anticholinergic drug known to inhibit muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, thus affecting the parasympathetic nervous system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of HM on 24-h Holter electrocardiographic signs of RVH (pre-HM treatment vs post-HM treatment; post-HM treatment vs a control group of healthy infants). A total of 50 patients (mean age, 6.1+/-2.7 months; 28 males, 22 females; 12 born pre-term) affected by RVH were enrolled in the study. Pre-HM treatment vs post-HM treatment: statistically significant differences were detected for higher heart rate, lower heart rate, mean heart rate, longer sinusal pause, presence of advanced atrio-ventricular blocks, and systolic blood pressure (p<0.001, p<0.00001, p<0.02, p<0.00001, p<0.05, and p<0.04, respectively). A statistically significant correlation was revealed between HM-administered dose and both average heart rate and systolic blood pressure (r=0.93, p<0.0001; r=0.94, p<0.0001, respectively). No significant differences were detected between post-HM treatment electrocardiographic data and those of the control group. By antagonizing action of the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic system on the heart, thus increasing cardiac frequency, HM treatment appears to feature a good safety profile and be highly effective in preventing transient infantile hypervagotonia, the potential cause of several cases of sudden unexpected death during the first year of life