This paper is the 28th consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning
the endogenous opioid system, now spanning over a quarter-century of research. It …

Background: Experimental studies have related the cardio-protective effects of sevoflurane
both to preconditioning properties and to beneficial effects during reperfusion. In clinical …

Ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction continue to be leading causes of
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Activation of opioid, adenosine, bradykinin …

Smoking, heavy alcohol drinking and drug abuse are detrimental lifestyle factors leading to
loss of million years of healthy life annually. One of the major health complications caused …

Background Opioid receptors mediate cardiac ischemic preconditioning. Remifentanil is a
new, potent ultra-short-acting phenylpiperidine opioid used in high doses for anesthesia …

Caveolae, small invaginations in the plasma membrane, contain caveolins (Cav) that
scaffold signaling molecules including the tyrosine kinase Src. We tested the hypothesis that …

Patients with heart failure have a diminished cardiac reserve capacity that may be further
compromised by anesthesia. In addition to depression of sympathetic activity, most …

Cardioprotection in humans by carotenoids has been inferred from observational and
epidemiologic studies, however, direct studies of cardioprotection and myocardial salvage …

Over the past 20 years, we have observed a paucity of morbidity and mortality due to
cardiovascular disease among drug users in a methadone maintenance clinic. The present …

Background Whether volatile anesthetics produce a second window of preconditioning is
unclear. The authors tested the hypothesis that isoflurane causes delayed preconditioning …