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Pacemaker Current
The pacemaker current (I''f'', or IK''f'', also called funny current) is an electric current in the heart that flows through the HCN channel or pacemaker channel. Such channels are important parts of the electrical conduction system of the heart and form a component of the natural pacemaker. First described in the late 1970s in Purkinje fibers and sinoatrial myocytes, the cardiac pacemaker "funny" (If) current has been extensively characterized and its role in cardiac pacemaking has been investigated. Among the unusual features which justified the name "funny" are mixed Na+ and K+ permeability, activation on hyperpolarization, and very slow kinetics. Function The funny current is highly expressed in spontaneously active cardiac regions, such as the sinoatrial node (SAN, the natural pacemaker region), the atrioventricular node (AVN) and the Purkinje fibres of conduction tissue. The funny current is a mixed sodium–potassium current that activates upon hyperpolarization at volta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electric Current
An electric current is a flow of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is defined as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface. The moving particles are called charge carriers, which may be one of several types of particles, depending on the Electrical conductor, conductor. In electric circuits the charge carriers are often electrons moving through a wire. In semiconductors they can be electrons or Electron hole, holes. In an Electrolyte#Electrochemistry, electrolyte the charge carriers are ions, while in Plasma (physics), plasma, an Ionization, ionized gas, they are ions and electrons. In the International System of Units (SI), electric current is expressed in Unit of measurement, units of ampere (sometimes called an "amp", symbol A), which is equivalent to one coulomb per second. The ampere is an SI base unit and electric current is a ISQ base quantity, base quantity in the International System of Qua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP, cyclic AMP, or 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate) is a second messenger, or cellular signal occurring within cells, that is important in many biological processes. cAMP is a derivative of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and used for intracellular signal transduction in many different organisms, conveying the cAMP-dependent pathway. History Earl Sutherland of Vanderbilt University won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1971 "for his discoveries concerning the mechanisms of the action of hormones", especially epinephrine, via second messengers (such as cyclic adenosine monophosphate, cyclic AMP). Synthesis The synthesis of cAMP is stimulated by trophic hormones that bind to receptors on the cell surface. cAMP levels reach maximal levels within minutes and decrease gradually over an hour in cultured cells. Cyclic AMP is synthesized from ATP by adenylate cyclase located on the inner side of the plasma membrane and anchored at v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cardiac Pacemaker
image:ConductionsystemoftheheartwithouttheHeart-en.svg, 350px, Image showing the cardiac pacemaker or SA node, the primary pacemaker within the electrical conduction system of the heart The cardiac pacemaker is the heart's natural rhythm generator. It employs pacemaker Cell (biology), cells that produce electrical impulses, known as Cardiac action potential, cardiac action potentials, which control the rate of contraction of the cardiac muscle, that is, the heart rate. In most humans, these cells are concentrated in the sinoatrial (SA) node, the primary pacemaker, which regulates the heart’s sinus rhythm. Sometimes a secondary pacemaker sets the pace, if the SA node is damaged or if the electrical conduction system of the heart has problems. Cardiac arrhythmias can cause heart block, in which the contractions lose their rhythm. In humans, and sometimes in other animals, a mechanical device called an artificial pacemaker (or simply "pacemaker") may be used after damage to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pacemaker Potential
In the pacemaking cells of the heart (e.g., the sinoatrial node), the pacemaker potential (also called the pacemaker current) is the slow, positive increase in voltage across the cell's membrane, that occurs between the end of one action potential and the beginning of the next. It is responsible for the self-generated rhythmic firing (automaticity) of pacemaker cells. Background The cardiac pacemaker is the heart's natural rhythm generator. It employs pacemaker cells that generate electrical impulses, known as cardiac action potentials. These potentials cause the cardiac muscle to contract, and the rate of which these muscles contract determines the heart rate. As with any other cells, pacemaker cells have an electrical charge on their membranes. This electrical charge is called the membrane potential. After the firing of an action potential, the pacemaking cell's membrane repolarizes (decreases in voltage) to its resting potential of -60 mV. From here, the membrane gradual ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electronic Pacemaker
A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to contract and pump blood, thus regulating the function of the electrical conduction system of the heart. The primary purpose of a pacemaker is to maintain an even heart rate, either because the heart's natural cardiac pacemaker provides an inadequate or irregular heartbeat, or because there is a block in the heart's electrical conduction system. Modern pacemakers are externally programmable and allow a cardiologist to select the optimal pacing modes for individual patients. Most pacemakers are on demand, in which the stimulation of the heart is based on the dynamic demand of the circulatory system. Others send out a fixed rate of impulses. A specific type of pacemaker, called an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, combines pacemaker and d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinus Bradycardia
Sinus bradycardia is a sinus rhythm with a reduced rate of electrical discharge from the sinoatrial node, resulting in a bradycardia, a heart rate that is lower than the normal range (60–100 beats per minute for adult humans). Signs and symptoms The decreased heart rate can cause a decreased cardiac output resulting in symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness, hypotension, vertigo, and syncope. The slow heart rate may also lead to atrial, junctional, or ventricular ectopic rhythms. Bradycardia is not necessarily problematic. People who practice sports may have sinus bradycardia, because their trained hearts can pump enough blood in each contraction to allow a low resting heart rate. Sinus bradycardia can also be an adaptive advantage; for example, diving seals may have a heart rate as low as 12 beats per minute, helping them to conserve oxygen during long dives. Sinus bradycardia is a common condition found in both healthy individuals and those who are considered well- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivabradine
Ivabradine, sold under the brand name Procoralan among others, is a medication, which is a pacemaker current (I''f'') inhibitor, used for the symptomatic management of heart-related chest pain and heart failure. Patients who qualify for use of ivabradine for congestive heart failure are patients who have symptomatic heart failure, with reduced ejection fraction, and heart rate at least 70 bpm, and the condition not able to be fully managed by beta blockers. Ivabradine acts by allowing negative chronotropy in the sinoatrial structure, thus reducing the heart rate via specific inhibition of the pacemaker current. It operates by a mechanism different from that of beta blockers and calcium channel blockers, which are two commonly prescribed antianginal classes of cardiac drugs. Ivabradine has no apparent inotropic properties and may be a cardiotonic agent. Medical uses It is used for the symptomatic treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris in patients with normal sinus rhythm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivabradine 2
Ivabradine, sold under the brand name Procoralan among others, is a medication, which is a pacemaker current (I''f'') inhibitor, used for the symptomatic management of heart-related chest pain and heart failure. Patients who qualify for use of ivabradine for congestive heart failure are patients who have symptomatic heart failure, with reduced ejection fraction, and heart rate at least 70 bpm, and the condition not able to be fully managed by beta blockers. Ivabradine acts by allowing negative chronotropy in the sinoatrial structure, thus reducing the heart rate via specific inhibition of the pacemaker current. It operates by a mechanism different from that of beta blockers and calcium channel blockers, which are two commonly prescribed antianginal classes of cardiac drugs. Ivabradine has no apparent inotropic properties and may be a cardiotonic agent. Medical uses It is used for the symptomatic treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris in patients with normal sinus rhythm w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protein Isoform
A protein isoform, or "protein variant", is a member of a set of highly similar proteins that originate from a single gene and are the result of genetic differences. While many perform the same or similar biological roles, some isoforms have unique functions. A set of protein isoforms may be formed from alternative splicings, variable promoter usage, or other post-transcriptional modifications of a single gene; post-translational modifications are generally not considered. (For that, see Proteoforms.) Through RNA splicing mechanisms, mRNA has the ability to select different protein-coding segments (exons) of a gene, or even different parts of exons from RNA to form different mRNA sequences. Each unique sequence produces a specific form of a protein. The discovery of isoforms could explain the discrepancy between the small number of protein coding regions of genes revealed by the human genome project and the large diversity of proteins seen in an organism: different proteins enc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclic Nucleotide
A cyclic nucleotide (cNMP) is a single-phosphate nucleotide with a cyclic bond arrangement between the sugar and phosphate groups. Like other nucleotides, cyclic nucleotides are composed of three functional groups: a sugar, a nitrogenous base, and a single phosphate group. As can be seen in the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) images, the 'cyclic' portion consists of two bonds between the phosphate group and the 3' and 5' hydroxyl groups of the sugar, very often a ribose. Their biological significance includes a broad range of protein-ligand interactions. They have been identified as secondary messengers in both hormone and ion-channel signalling in eukaryotic cells, as well as allosteric effector compounds of DNA binding proteins in prokaryotic cells. cAMP and cGMP are currently the most well documented cyclic nucleotides, however there is evidence that cCMP (with cytosine) is also involved in eukaryotic cellular messagin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor M2
The muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M2, also known as the cholinergic receptor, muscarinic 2, is a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor that in humans is encoded by the ''CHRM2'' gene. Multiple alternatively spliced transcript variants have been described for this gene. It is Gi-coupled, reducing intracellular levels of cAMP. Function Heart The M2 muscarinic receptors are located in the heart, where they act to slow the heart rate down to normal sinus rhythm after negative stimulatory actions of the parasympathetic nervous system, by slowing the speed of depolarization. They also reduce contractile forces of the atrial cardiac muscle, and reduce conduction velocity of the atrioventricular node (AV node). However, they have little effect on the contractile forces of the ventricular muscle, slightly decreasing force. Airway smooth muscle Both M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors are expressed in the smooth muscles of the airway, with the majority of the receptors being the M2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diastolic Depolarization
In mammals, cardiac electrical activity originates from specialized myocytes of the sinoatrial node (SAN) which generate spontaneous and rhythmic action potentials (AP). The unique functional aspect of this type of myocyte is the absence of a stable resting potential during diastole. Electrical discharge from this cardiomyocyte may be characterized by a slow smooth transition from the Maximum Diastolic Potential (MDP, -70 mV) to the threshold (-40 mV) for the initiation of a new AP event. The voltage region encompassed by this transition is commonly known as pacemaker phase, or slow diastolic depolarization or phase 4. The duration of this slow diastolic depolarization (pacemaker phase) thus governs the cardiac chronotropism. It is also important to point out that the modulation of the cardiac rate by the autonomic nervous system also acts on this phase. Sympathetic stimuli induce the acceleration of rate by increasing the slope of the pacemaker phase, while parasympathetic activati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
