• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.321-328
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• 2011

This study divided a group of healthy adults aged 20 or older who had a health examination at J General Hospital in Gyeonggi Province into three groups according to the degrees of metabolic syndrome risk factors. They include the normal group (n=58), the pre-metabolic syndrome group (n=112) and the metabolic syndrome group (n=32). They were compared in exercise capacity and cardiac structure and function and impacts of exercise capacity on the cardiac diastolic function. All the groups took echocardiography to have their cardiac structures and functions examined and an exercise stress test to have their exercise capacity measured. The research findings were as follows: There were differences in exercise capacity, cardiac structure, and diastolic heart function among three groups. Between exercise capacity and diastolic heart function was found to be related. It turned out exercise capacity affected the cardiac diastolic functions. In conclusion, there were significant differences in exercise capacity between the normal group and the metabolic syndrome group and in the cardiac structure and function among the normal, metabolic syndrome, and pre-metabolic syndrome group. In addition, METs (metabolic equivalents) and heart rate recovery of exercise capacity turned out to affect cardiac diastolic functions.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to find out any difference and correlation between the cardiac structure and its function according to the level of obesity as evaluated by waist measurement and BMI (body mass index) in healthy adults. For research subjects, the study selected a final 519 subjects excluding 198 subjects aged 55 or over out of 717 subjects who received echocardiography through a medical checkup at J General Hospital. For the criteria for obesity, men were defined as being obese in case their waist measurement was over 90 cm, whereas women were defined as being obese in case their waist measurement was over 80 cm. Also, regarding the BMI criteria, in case a person's BMI was 30 kg/$m^2$, the subject was classified as belonging to an obese group, and in case a person's BMI was between 25 kg/$m^2$ and 30 kg/$m^2$, the subject was classified as belonging to an overweight group. Concerning the evaluation of cardiac structure and function, they were evaluated using two-dimensional, M-mode, doppler echocardiography. According to the stage of obesity in accordance with waist measurement and BMI, the cardiac structure showed both eccentric and centripetal changes, and the cardiac function was also discovered to show differences according to the stage of obesity. In addition, also in the overweight group, which is a prior stage to obesity, out of the criteria for obesity classification according to BMI, there were differences in the cardiac structure and function. Also, both the waist measurement and BMI were found to have a correlation with cardiac structure and diastolic function. Consequently, cardiac structure and function are correlated with BMI and waist measurement, which are anthropometrical variables, and obesity is assumed to induce not only structural change but also functional change of the heart.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.50
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• pp.20.1-20.9
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• 2020

Arthropods have an open circulatory system with a simple tubular heart, so it has been estimated that the contractile pumping structure of the cardiac muscle will be less efficient than that of vertebrates. Nevertheless, certain arthropods are known to have far superior properties and characteristics than vertebrates, so we investigated the fine structural features of intercalated discs and cardiac junctions of cardiac muscle cells in the black widow spider Latrodectus mactans. Characteristically, the spider cardiac muscle has typical striated features and represents a functional syncytium that supports multiple connections to adjacent cells by intercalated discs. Histologically, the boundary lamina of each sarcolemma connects to the basement membrane to form an elastic sheath, and the extracellular matrix allows the cells to be anchored to other tissues. Since the intercalated disc is also part of sarcolemma, it contains gap junctions for depolarization and desmosomes that keep the fibers together during cardiac muscle contraction. Furthermore, fascia adherens and macula adherens (desmosomes) were also identified as cell junctions in both sarcolemma and intercalated discs. To enable the coordinated heartbeat of the cardiac muscle, the muscle fibers have neuronal innervations by multiple axons from the motor ganglion.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for approximately 30% of all deaths worldwide and its prevalence is constantly increasing despite advancements in medical treatments. Cardiac remodeling and dysfunction are independent risk factors for CVD. Recent studies have demonstrated that cardiac structure and function are genetically influenced, suggesting that understanding the genetic basis for cardiac structure and function could provide new insights into developing novel therapeutic targets for CVD. Regular exercise has long been considered a robust nontherapeutic method of treating or preventing CVD. However, recent studies also indicate that there is inter-individual variation in response to exercise. Nevertheless, the genetic basis for cardiac structure and function as well as their responses to exercise training have yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this review summarizes accumulated evidence supporting the genetic contribution to these traits, including findings from population-based studies and unbiased large genomic-scale studies in humans.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.7
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• pp.752-755
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• 2009

It is well known that hemodynamic load is one of the most important determinants of cardiac structure and function. Circadian variations in blood pressure (BP) are usually accompanied by consensual changes in peripheral resistance and/or cardiac output. In recent years, reduction in circadian variations in BP and, in particular, loss of nocturnal decline of BP were observed in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The patients with only a slight or no loss of nocturnal decline of BP were considered "non-dippers". Regression of LVH was observed after prolonged antihypertensive therapy. Restoration of the circadian rhythm of BP was also observed. However, the classification of patients into "dippers" and "non-dippers" is arbitrary and poorly standardized and repeatable, and in the recent studies, most hypertensive patients with LVH were "dippers". Therefore, we should be particularly cautious about the conclusions drawn using this index. On the other hand, reduced activity of low-pressure cardiopulmonary baroreceptors and impaired day-to-night modulation of autonomic nervous system activity were observed in patients with only LVH. Therefore, alterations in cardiac structure may impair BP modulation. On the other hand, the reverse can also be trueprimary alterations in BP modulation, through a persistently elevated afterload, can increase cardiac mass. Thus, the interrelationship between cardiac structure and BP modulation is complex. Hence, new and more specific methods of evaluating circadian changes in BP are needed to better clarify the abovementioned reciprocal influences.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.50
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• pp.9.1-9.8
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• 2020

The fine structural characteristics of cardiac muscle cells and its myofibril organization in the orb web spider N. clavata were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Although myofibril striations are not remarkable as those of skeletal muscles, muscle fibers contain multiple myofibrils, abundant mitochondria, extensive sarcoplasmic reticulum and transverse tubules (T-tubules). Myofibrils are divided into distinct sarcomeres defined by Z-lines with average length of 2.0 ㎛, but the distinction between the A-band and the I-bands is not clear due to uniform striations over the length of the sarcomeres. Dyadic junction which consisted of a single T-tubule paired with a terminal cisterna of the sarcoplasmic reticulum is found mainly at the A-I level of sarcomere. Each cell is arranged to form multiple connections with neighboring cells through the intercalated discs. These specialized junctions include three types of intercellular junctions: gap junctions, fascia adherens and desmosomes for heart function. Our transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations clearly show that spider's cardiac muscle contraction is controlled by neurogenic rather than myogenic mechanism since each cardiac muscle fiber is innervated by a branch of motor neuron through neuromuscular junctions.

• Entomological Research
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.429-438
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• 2018

Fine structural characteristics of the cardiac muscle and its sarcomere organization in the black widow spider, Latrodectus mactans were examined using transmission electron microscopy. The arrangement of cardiac muscle fibers was quite similar to that of skeletal muscle fibers, but they branched off at the ends and formed multiple connections with adjacent cells. Each cell contained multiple myofibrils and an extensive dyadic sarcotubular system consisting of sarcoplasmic reticulum and T-tubules. Thin and thick myofilaments were highly organized in regular repetitive arrays and formed contractile sarcomeres. Each repeating band unit of the sarcomere had three apparent striations, but the H-zone and M-lines were not prominent. Myofilaments were arranged into distinct sarcomeres defined by adjacent Z-lines with relatively short lengths of $2.0{\mu}m$ to $3.3{\mu}m$. Cross sections of the A-band showed hexagon-like arrangement of thick filaments, but the orbit of thin filaments around each thick filament was different from that seen in other vertebrates. Although each thick filament was surrounded by 12 thin filaments, the filament ratio of thin and thick myofilaments varied from 3:1 to 5:1 because thin filaments were shared by adjacent thick filaments.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2007

The obstacles for cardiac imaging are motion artifacts due to cardiac motion, respiration, and blood flow, and low signal due to small tissue volume of heart. To overcome these obstacles, fast imaging technique with ECG gating is utilized. Cardiac exam using MRI comprises of morphology, ventricular function, myocardial perfusion, metabolism, and coronary artery morphology. During cardiac morphology evaluation, double and triple inversion recovery techniques are used to depict myocardial fluidity and soft tissue structure such as fat tissue, respectively. By checking the first-pass enhancement of myocardium using contrast-enhanced fast gradient echo technique, myocardial blood flow can be evaluated. In addition, delayed imaging in 10 - 15 minutes can inform myocardial destruction such as chronic myocardial infarction. Ventricular function including regional and global wall motion can be checked by fast gradient echo cine imaging in quantitative way. MRI is acknowledged to be practical for integrated cardiac evaluation technique except coronary angiography. Especially delay imaging is the greatest merit of MRI in myocardial viability evaluation.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.949-955
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• 2016

The purpose of the study was to investigate effects of Low intensity cardiac rehabilitation, using a treadmill, on the myocardial structure. We identified the effects by analyzing changes in the rats' weights and the results of biopsies. Twenty Sprague-Dawley male rats, 50 weeks old, were randomly divided into the exercise group and the control group. myocardial infarction(MI) was induced by ligaturing their left anterior descending artery. After the acute MI induction, two rats of each group began to fall dead, therefore, eight of each group completed at the end of the experiment. We used treadmills for animals for the exercise group. This exercise group performed 30 minutes of exercise five times per week for six weeks, while the control group did not perform any exercise. No statistically significant differences in weight were found in within group comparison and between group comparison. Furthermore, we observed histological changes in the myocardium using Hematoxylin & Eosin and Masson's trichrome staining in both groups. Low-intensity exercise inhibited myocardial fibrosis, may serve as a reference in the cardiopulmonary field, which plays a role in rehabilitating patients with cardiac disorders, including acute MI.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.107-123
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• 1993

The ultrastructural changes of the cardiac ganglion and granule-containing cells in the heart of vacor-induced diabetic Mongolian gerbils were studied by electron microscopy. After one month of vacor-induced diabetes the ganglion cells showed increase in numbers of dense bodies and mitochondria compared with the normal cardiac ganglion. Most of the satellite cells were filled with numerous phagosomes containing digested debris. Both electron-dense and lucent types of degenerating axon terminals were observed. The former was characterized by clusters of agranular vesicles and numerous mitochondria. The electron lucent type of degenerating axon terminal contained a few agranular vesicles and swollen mitochondria. Degenerating unmyelinated and myelinated axons contained large numbers of dense bodies, lamellar bodies, and mitochondria. Numerous macrophages containing phagosomes were reveled in the interstitial spaces. Some of the granule-containing cells in the heart showed a variety of degenerative changes and a decreased number of dense-cored vesicles. After three months of vacor-induced diabetes the unmyelinated and myelinated axons showed degenerative changes, whereas no structure changes could be demonstrated in intraatrial ganglion and granule containing cells. The satellite cells containing engulfed debris were observed in the cardiac ganglion cells. These results suggest that the degenerative changes occur in the cardiac ganglion cells of vacor-induced diabetic Mongolian gerbils as well as atrial granule-containing cells.