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ABSTRACT: Chagas' disease is a severe health problem in Latin America, causing approximately 50 000 deaths a year, with approximately 18 million infected people. About 25-30% of the patients infected with Trypanosoma cruzi develop the chronic form of the disease. The protective response against T. cruzi depends on both innate and acquired immunity involving macrophages, natural killer cells, T and B lymphocytes, and the production of proinflammatory Th-1 cytokines. In addition, an increased nitric oxide (NO) production in macrophages leading to effective microbicidal action is needed to control parasitemia. Melatonin is detectable in T. cruzi and may play a role in promoting infection whereas, when administered in high doses during the acute phase of T. cruzi infection, it can decrease parasitemia while reducing NO production. During chronic disease progression, the sustained oxidative stress concomitant to myocardial damage could be reduced by administering melatonin. It is hypothesized that the coordinated administration of a melatonin agonist like the MT1 /MT2 agonist ramelteon, that lacks antioxidant activity and may not affect NO production during the acute phase, and of melatonin in doses high enough to decrease oxidative damage, to preserve mitochondrial and to prevent cardiomyopathy during the chronic phase, could be a novel add-on treatment of Chagas' disease.
Medicina 01/2011; 71(5):477-83. · 0.47 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: "Cardiac memory" refers to abnormal T waves (TW) appearing after transient periods of altered ventricular depolarization. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that in the presence of abnormal TW, short periods of tailored ventricular pacing (VP) can be followed by normalization of ventricular repolarization.
Ten patients with normal TW (control group) and 18 patients with abnormal TW (study group) underwent 15 min of VP at a cycle length of 500 ms. In the control group, VP was performed from the right ventricular apex, and in the study group from right or left ventricular sites that resulted in paced QRS complexes of opposite polarity to that of the abnormal TW. Before and after VP, atrial pacing was maintained at a stable cycle length. Simultaneous 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) was recorded before, during, and following VP to assess changes in TW polarity, amplitude, electrical axis, QTc interval, and QTc interval dispersion.
As expected, VP was followed by memory-induced changes in TW in eight of ten patients in the control group. Mean T wave axis shifted from +60 degrees + or - 21.2 degrees to +23.5 degrees + or - 50.7 degrees (p = 0.01) in the frontal plane. In the study group, complete or partial normalization of TW occurred in 17 of 18 patients. Mean T wave axis shifted from -23.7 degrees + or - 22.9 degrees to +19.7 degrees + or - 34.7 degrees (p < 0.0002) in the frontal plane when paced from right ventricular outflow tract. The QTc interval shortened after VP both in the control group (424 + or - 25 vs. 399 + or - 27 ms; p = 0.007) and in the study group (446 + or - 26 vs. 421 + or - 22 ms; p < 0.0002). No significant changes were found in QTc interval dispersion.
Transient changes in the sequence of ventricular activation may either induce or normalize abnormal TW. The background of preceding ventricular depolarization needs to be taken into account before determining the clinical significance of a given pattern of ventricular repolarization.
Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology 03/2010; 28(1):23-33. · 1.17 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The anterograde refractory period (RP) of the accessory pathway (AP) is the main determinant factor of ventricular rate during atrial fibrillation in the Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. We describe 3 examples of anterograde supernormal conduction (SNC) and 1 of retrograde SNC in APs. The paradoxical early recovery of propagation due to SNC, well inside a prolonged anterograde RP in the AP, may play a relevant role to determine the rate of ventricular response during atrial fibrillation, eventually leading to extremely fast ventricular rates, syncope, and even ventricular fibrillation in patients with WPW syndrome supposed a priori to be exposed to a low risk of sudden cardiac death. This may require very precise conditions, including an enhanced adrenergic influence on the heart. Retrograde SNC in APs may also participate in the mechanism of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias that are not easily induced by programmed cardiac stimulation.
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics 10/2007; 12(3):181-91. · 1.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Las velocidades miocárdicas evaluadas por Doppler pulsado tisular (DPT) presentan un incremento promedio del 140% bajo efecto del eco estrés con dobutamina en sujetos normales.ObjetivosEl propósito del estudio fue investigar si el eco estrés con dobutamina asociado con el DPT del ventrículo izquierdo (VI) podría evidenciar miocardiopatía incipiente en pacientes con enfermedad de Chagas sin cardiopatía demostrada por exámenes convencionales.Se estudiaron 39 pacientes (14 hombres y 25 mujeres), cuya edad media era de 44 años (rango 29 a 67), seropositivos para enfermedad de Chagas sin cardiopatía evidente (grupo A). Se determinaron la frecuencia cardíaca (FC) y la tensión arterial sistólica y diastólica(TAS y TAD). Se realizaron radiografía de tórax y ECG. Por eco-Doppler se midieron los siguientes parámetros: diámetros del ventrículo izquierdo diastólico (DDVI) y sistólico (DSVI), fracción de acortamiento (FA), motilidad segmentaria y fracción de acortamiento de área del VI (FAA), velocidades (V) E, A (m/seg) y relación E/A del flujo mitral. Con DPT se evaluaron en los segmentos basal de la pared anterolateral y medio del septuminferior las velocidades miocárdicas (Vm) diastólicas Em (velocidad miocárdica durante el llenado rápido), Am (velocidad miocárdica durante la contracción auricular), sistólica Sm yrelación Em/Am. Se administró dobutamina en dosis de hasta 40 gammas/kg/min y se repitieron las determinaciones con la dosis máxima. Estos resultados se compararon con los obtenidos en 15 sujetos normales (grupo B).ResultadosPosdobutamina, la FC se incrementó de 65 a 120 latidos por minuto (lpm) en el grupo A (p < 0,001) y de 74 a 151 lpm en el grupo B (p < 0,001). La FC máxima alcanzada fue menor en el grupo A que en el grupo B: 120 versus 151 lpm (p < 0,01).La motilidad parietal fue normal en 38 pacientes (grupo A). Posdobutamina, los incrementos de las Vm respecto de las Vm basales fueron en el grupo A: Em 9% (ns), Am 6,6% (ns) y Sm 15% (ns) y en el grupo B: Em 46% (p < 0,05), Am 72% (p < 0,01) y Sm 108% (p < 0,01).Posdobutamina, la FA y la FAA se incrementaron en forma significativa en ambos grupos.ConclusionesLos pacientes con enfermedad de Chagas evidenciaron incompetencia cronotrópica y un incremento menor de las Vm luego del estrés respecto de los sujetos normales. El escaso incrementode las Vm con dobutamina podría sugerir la presencia de una miocardiopatía incipiente.
Revista Argentina de Cardiología. 01/2007;
