Does the increase in sympathetic nerve density in the atrium facilitate atrial fibrillation in patients with rheumatic heart disease?
This study provided direct evidence of the increase in sympathetic nerve density in atrium in patients with RHD. This phenomenon may be associated with the development of Af in RHD patients.
The major findings of the present study are that heavy ethanol consumption increases plasma ET-1 levels and the contraction induced by the peptide in the CSM. Increased CSM reactivity to ET-1 and altered protein levels of ET-1 and ETA receptors could play a role in the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction associated with chronic ethanol consumption.