Intracellular calcium overload has been implicated in postischemic reperfusion injury. In myocytes, mitochondrial free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]m), not cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]c), overload is related to reoxygenation injury. We tested the hypothesis that [Ca2+]m, not [Ca2+]c, overload is an important mediator of reperfusion injury in whole hearts. [Ca2+]m and [Ca2+]c were assessed using indo 1 fluorescence in isolated rat hearts subjected to 45 min of ischemia and 20 min of reperfusion. Ruthenium red (RR), a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial calcium uptake at 0.025 microM, attenuated the increase of [Ca2+]m (4% RR vs. 57% control) over preischemic levels (230 +/- 10 nM) but did not affect the increase of systolic [Ca2+]c (990 +/- 100 nM RR vs. 1,010 +/- 130 nM control). This was associated with improved recovery of left ventricular developed pressure (61% RR vs. 37% control) and attenuation of the increase of diastolic pressure (34 mmHg RR vs. 47 mmHg control). Contractile recovery was related to the degree of [Ca2+]m overload in both control and RR hearts (r2 = 0.47, P = 0.001). This study is the first to demonstrate that [Ca2+]m, and not [Ca2+]c, overload is related to reperfusion injury in intact beating hearts.

These findings suggest that BNP is expressed in the ventricular myocytes of HCM with normal systolic function. In HOCM, ventricular expression of BNP may be augmented in response to both obstruction and diastolic dysfunction.

Chronic total coronary occlusion of the tapering type or with a short occluded segment, or both, is possibly favorable for angioplasty, because small lumen recanalized areas or loose fibrous tissue penetrates the occluded segment and may form a route for successful angioplasty.

Medical Sciences. In the article "Activation of protein kinase C correlates with a cardioprotective effect of regular ethanol consumption" by Masami Miyamae, Manuel M. Rodriguez, S.