How Significant is First Degree Heart Block?
First degree heart block is an abnormality in the electrical conduction of the heart noted on the ECG, the recording of the electrical activity of the heart. It is not a block in the blood vessels of the heart which we are more familiar with. The waves on an ECG are P, QRS complex and the T wave.
Normal interval between the onset of the P wave and the onset of QRS complex is up to one fifth of a second (0.2 seconds). When this interval is increased, it is called first degree heart block or first degree atrioventricular or AV block to be specific. Atria are the upper chambers of the heart and ventricles the lower chambers.
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Source: Cardiophile MD - April 23, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Investigating the Mechanisms of Very Early Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers here look at cellular dysfunction that may form the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, prior to the accumulation of misfolded amyloid-β and cognitive decline. In general, intervening early in the progression of a disease will always be easier, given the right target. The challenge lies in identifying and understanding the causative mechanisms, in an environment in which (a) there is little access to brain tissue in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, and (b) the animal models are highly artificial, as mice do not normally develop anything resembling Alzheimer's disease, and thus may not accurately...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 23, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
L-type and T-type Calcium Channels
Calcium channels in the heart muscle are of two types: L-type (ICa-L) and T-type (ICa-T). Both these are voltage gated calcium channels. L-type channels are involved in the myocardial contraction while T-type channels are involved in impulse generation and conduction. The calcium channels are located in the plasma membrane and are protein complexes that are voltage gated to regulate entry of calcium ions into the cell.
Phase 2 or plateau phase of myocardial action potential is featured by influx of calcium ions through L-type calcium channels (ICa-L). In addition to myocardial cells, L-type calcium channels are important i...
Source: Cardiophile MD - April 21, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) for Coronary Intervention
Coronary Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) equipment consists of an IVUS catheter, pullback device and the imaging console. If lesion lengths have to be assessed, motorized pullback is required. For assessing lesion morphology a manual pullback can also be done. While manual pullback allows concentration on specific lesions, it may miss some lesions in between if the pullback is not steady. Catheter has to be disengaged while evaluating coronary ostial lesions.
Heparin and intracoronary nitroglycerine are given before the guide wire is inserted after the coronary cannulation with a guide catheter. The IVUS catheter is then i...
Source: Cardiophile MD - April 11, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
In Other Words: What Being Unionized Means for Molecules
Did you know that molecules can be unionized? But it doesn’t mean they form a labor union. In chemistry, unionized (pronounced “un-ionized”) is the opposite of ionized, which means “electrically charged.”
Credit: NIGMS.
Unionized molecules don’t have electrical charges because they have the same number of electrons and protons. Ionized molecules, also called ions, become charged by gaining or losing electrons. Ions with extra electrons, known as anions, have a negative charge. Ions with fewer electrons than normal, called cations, have a positive charge.
Unionization’s Impacts
A molecule’s c...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - April 3, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Tools and Techniques In Other Words Source Type: blogs
Ventricular Fibrillation, ICD, LBBB, QRS of 210 ms, Positive Smith Modified Sgarbossa Criteria, and Pacemaker-Mediated Tachycardia
An elderly man collapsed. There was no bystander CPR. Medics found him in ventricular fibrillation. He was defibrillated, but they also noticed that he was being internally defibrillated and then found that he had an implantable ICD.He was unidentified and there were no records availableAfter 7 shocks, he was successfully defibrillated and brought to the ED.Bedside ED ultrasound showed exceedingly poor global LV function, and no B lines.Here is the initial ED ECG. What do you think?Rhythm: Residents asked me why it is not VT. If you use calipers (or equvalent), it is clear that the rhythm...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - April 2, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Brugada Syndrome
Transcript of the video: Brugada Syndrome was described by Brugada brothers in 1992 as right bundle branch block pattern in anterior leads with ST segment elevation and syncope or sudden cardiac death and it was later in 1998, that the genetic basis of the disease was identified, with mutations in sodium channel. Later on, several other mutations have been attributed to cause the ECG pattern in Brugada syndrome.
I am always happy to see this ECG of Brugada syndrome sent to me by Professor Josep Brugada, in 2001, for the inaugural issue of the Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology Journal, which I started in 2001. And, this r...
Source: Cardiophile MD - March 28, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Wide Complex Tachycardia -- VT, SVT, or A Fib with RVR? If SVT, is it AVNRT or AVRT?
A 69 y.o. male with pertinent past medical history including Atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, cardiomyopathy, Pulmonary Embolism, and hypertension presented to the Emergency Department via ambulance for respiratory distress and tachycardia. Per EMS report, patient believes he has been in atrial fibrillation for 5 days, since coming down with flu-like illness with rhinorrhea, productive cough, SOB. Patient is on rivaroxaben, carvedilol, and dofetilide (to suppress atrial fib -- rhythm control). He states that he maybe missed a dose or two during recent illness. On EMS arrival, patient ' s oxygen sat...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - March 28, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Steve Smith Source Type: blogs
Why is the angiogram normal?
Written byWilly FrickA man in his 50s with a 15 pack-year smoking history presented to his primary care physician ' s office complaining of intermittent headache. He also complained of intermittent mild chest pain radiating into into both shoulders and his back, as well as occasional unexplained sweating. (Although radiation into the left arm is most classic for coronary ischemia, radiation into both arms is actually modestly more predictive). The primary care physician ' s note indicates low suspicion for cardiac ischemia, but " for completion, check troponin and ECG. " If an ECG was obtained in the office,...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - March 17, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Willy Frick Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 11th 2024
In conclusion, this Mendelian randomization study found that Streptococcus was causally associated with Bioage acceleration. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to investigate its role in the aging process.
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Considering the Mechanisms of Vascular Calcification
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/03/considering-the-mechanisms-of-vascular-calcification/
Harmful calcification of structures in the cardiovascular system proceeds alongside the development of the fatty lesions of atherosclerosis. Both disease processes are accelerated by chronic inflammation, but d...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 10, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Is It Worth Buying Dexcom CGM Sensors from Best Buy Health? The only way to know with certainty is to do the math!
Last autumn, on October 9, 2023, the electronics retailer Best Buy announced (seehttps://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231009526652/en/Best-Buy-to-Sell-Continuous-Glucose-Monitoring-Systems/ for the press release) that it had started a mail order business called "Best Buy Health"https://wellness.bestbuyhealth.com/ which it said would sell CGM sensors among other products. Best Buy Health aims to sell more than just CGM sensors. Its LinkedIn page https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-buy-health/ describes the business this way:" Best Buy Health aims to enrich and save lives through technology and meaningful connections. ...
Source: Scott's Web Log - March 9, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 2024 Best Buy Best Buy Health Costco Source Type: blogs
Vitamin D Deficiency: 6 Common Signs That Are Easy To Miss
Vitamin D is vital for regulating the levels of phosphate and calcium in the body. (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - March 7, 2024 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jeremy Dean Tags: Nutrition Source Type: blogs
Considering the Mechanisms of Vascular Calcification
Harmful calcification of structures in the cardiovascular system proceeds alongside the development of the fatty lesions of atherosclerosis. Both disease processes are accelerated by chronic inflammation, but derive from very different, distinct underlying mechanisms. There is presently little that can be done to reverse calcification effectively; EDTA chelation therapy is the best option on the table at present, but isn't well regarded in the medical community. Other treatments are more focused on slowing the progression of calcification, and can achieve that goal to some degree.
The primary cause of worldwide mo...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 5, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 4th 2024
In conclusion, HSV (but not CMV) infection may be indicative of doubled dementia risk.
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Increased Dietary Leucine Activates mTOR Signaling in Macrophages, Accelerating Atherosclerosis
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2024/02/increased-dietary-leucine-activates-mtor-signaling-in-macrophages-accelerating-atherosclerosis/
Leucine is an essential amino acid, only obtained from the diet rather than synthesized by our cells. Leucine supplementation has been proposed as a way to slow the loss of muscle mass with age, as leucine processing becomes dysregulated with aging in a way...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 3, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Early Life Physical Fitness Correlates with Lesser Degrees of Atherosclerosis in Later Life
Lifestyle choices related to physical fitness have an impact on many aspects of degenerative aging. As noted here, the pace at which atherosclerosis develops is one of these aspects. Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty deposits in blood vessel wall tissue. Those deposits grow into atheromas that ultimately rupture to produce stroke and heart attack. It is the largest single cause of human mortality. Atherosclerosis is a dysfunction of cholesterol transport and the innate immune cells known as macrophages that are responsible for clearing excess cholesterol from blood vessel walls. Over a full lifetime of exposure, life...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 1, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
