Efferent activation of the cervical vagus nerve (cVN) dampens systemic inflammatory processes, potentially modulating a wide-range of inflammatory pathological conditions. In contrast, afferent cVN activation amplifies systemic inflammatory processes, leading to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the sympathetic nervous system through the greater splanchnic nerve (GSN), and elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Ideally, to clinically implement anti-inflammatory...

Fibroblasts play a significant role in the development of electrical and mechanical dysfunction of the heart; however, the underlying mechanisms are only partially understood. One widely studied mechanism suggests that fibroblasts produce excess extracellular matrix, resulting in collagenous septa that slow propagation, cause zig-zag conduction paths, and decouple cardiomyocytes, resulting in a substrate for cardiac arrhythmia. An emerging mechanism suggests that fibroblasts promote arrhyt...

We used the Dynamic Clamp technique for i) comparative validation of conflicting computational models of the hyperpolarization-activated funny current, If, and ii) quantification of the role of If in mediating autonomic modulation of heart rate. Experimental protocols based on the injection of a real-time recalculated synthetic If current in sinoatrial rabbit cells were developed.

Repolarization and its stability are exquisitely sensitive to IKr features. Information on the relative importance of specific IKr abnormalities is missing and would assist in the evaluation of arrhythmogenic risk.