David Sedmera, Jan Neckar, Jiri Benes, Jana Pospisilova, Jiri Petrak, Kamil Sedlacek, Vojtech Melenovsky
Abstract
Volume overload leads to development of eccentric cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. In our previous report, we have shown myocyte hypertrophy with no fibrosis and decrease in gap junctional coupling via connexin43 in a rat model of aorto-caval fistula at 21 weeks. Here we set to analyze the electrophysiological and protein expression changes in the left ventricle and correlate them with phenotypic severity based upon ventricles to body weight ratio. ECG analysis showed increased amplitude and duration of the P wave, prolongation of PR and QRS interval, ST segment elevation and decreased T wave amplitude in the fistula group. Optical mapping showed a prolongation of action potential duration in the hypertrophied hearts. Minimal conduction velocity (CV) showed a bell-shaped curve, with a significant increase in the mild cases and there was a negative correlation of both minimal and maximal CV with heart to body weight ratio. Since the CV is influenced by gap junctional coupling as well as the autonomic nervous system, we measured the amounts of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) as a proxy for sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation, respectively. At the protein level, we confirmed a significant decrease in total and phosphorylated connexin43 that was proportional to the level of hypertrophy, and similarly decreased levels of TH and ChAT. Even at a single time-point, severity of morphological phenotype correlates with progression of molecular and electrophysiological changes, with the most hypertrophied hearts showing the most severe changes that might be related to arrhythmogenesis.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 26 August 2016.
All research outputs
#20,337,788
of 22,883,326 outputs
Outputs from Frontiers in Physiology
#9,419
of 13,673 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#296,993
of 340,306 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Frontiers in Physiology
#107
of 166 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,883,326 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 13,673 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.6. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 340,306 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 166 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
