Does the baseline diameter of the inferior vena cava measured by sonography increase with age in normovolemic children?
This pilot study of sonographic measurements of the IVC diameter in normovolemic children suggests a statistically significant positive correlation between age and IVC diameter. Future studies should focus on multicenter enrollment, children in the youngest age group, and the development of normative growth curves for the IVC by age, sex, and body mass index.
The present study demonstrates that the expression of cardiotrophin-1 mRNA is increased in the early stage of ventricular hypertrophy in SHRSP/Izm and it remains elevated after hypertrophy has been established. However, it is unlikely that cardiotrophin-1 plays a mechanistic role in the development and maintenance of left ventricular hypertrophy in SHRSP/Izm. The present study also suggests that cardiotrophin-1, but not LIF, is a possible candidate for natural ligand of a gp130 signaling pathway in the heart.