JOURNAL OF HEART AND LUNG TRANSPLANTATION, vol.23, no.6, pp.709-715, 2004 (SCI-Expanded)
Background: Mast cells have been implicated in tissue remodeling and fibroblast stimulation. We explored the effect of mechanical support by left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in failing myocardium and looked into grade and distribution of interstitial fibrosis, mast cell density, mast cell phenotypes and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expression pre- and post-LVAD.