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[sup 123]I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy was performed in 20 diabetic patients (NIDDM) and 8 control subjects to investigate the association between clinical autonomic nerve dysfunction and myocardial accumulation of MIBG. We used coefficient variance of R-R interval (CV[sub R-R]) as a index of the autonomic neuropathy and categorized diabetes into two groups (CV[sub R-R][>=]2.0: non-autonomic neuropathy. CV[sub R-R]<2.0: autonomic neuropathy). In planar imaging studies, heart to mediastinum MIBG uptake ratio (H/M) was calculated on both early and delayed images. The washout ratio of [sup 123]I-MIBG in the heart (%WR) was also obtained using myocardial tracer activity on the both images. Mean value of these indices in diabetic group did not reveal any significant difference with the value in the control group. On the SPECT images, low uptake was observed in the ...

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Iodine-131 MIBG, a radiolabeled adrenergic neuron-blocking agent, decreased rapidly from the heart and liver of patients with adrenergic dysfunction and pheochromocytoma when compared with eight controls. However, there was no significant difference in the rate of (/sup 131/I)MIBG decrease in these organs between controls and patients in the intervals subsequent to 4 hr. These findings suggest that adrenergic neuronal uptake of (/sup 131/I)MIBG in these organs is smaller in the patients than in the controls. Measurements of time-activity relationships of radioiodinated MIBG may be useful for assessment of adrenergic function of these organs and thus of generalized disorders of adrenergic innervation.

Science.gov (United States)

... and Cardiac Function test (including optional measurements of central venous pressure (CVP), via a peripherally inserted central catheter, and cardiac output ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundIsoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice has been used in a number of studies to model human cardiac disease. In this study, we compared the transcriptional response...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This manuscript reviews some of the more controversial dose-related issues in cardiac CT imaging. Discussion covers the relative merits of cardiac CT versus MR, advantages and concerns regarding gated versus nongated cardiac CT and advantages and concerns regarding the use of breast shields in girls undergoing cardiac CT imaging.

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A set of eight questions was put to advanced nuclear medicine physicians-in-training participating in a continuing assessment exercise in practical therapeutic nuclear oncology. Using the particular example of {sup 131}I-MIBG treatment of neuroblastoma in children, the questions were directed to the rationale of therapy and the contribution of other forms of treatment to toxic effects. The best answer to the questions are reproduced together with an introduction by the examiner, Dr. H. Turner. tabs.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Phospholemman (PLM), a member of the FXYD family of regulators of ion transport, is a major sarcolemmal substrate for protein kinases A and C in cardiac and skeletal muscle. In the heart, PLM...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Diagnostic accuracy of the currently available serum markers of cardiac injury, such as myoglobin, creatine kinase and its myocardial isoform, are altered in patients with renal failure. It is shown...Full Text Available

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Cardiac Arrest; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

KoreaScience (Korea)

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The intracellular A chromogranin (ACg) is specific in neuroendocrine cells. This work is a contribution to the study of clinical interest of serumal dosage of this protein in a series of patients carrying neuroendocrine tumors (NET). From January `94 to November `96, 143 patients were subjected to OctreoScan scintigraphy and/or to MIBG. In 104 of them a dosage of ACg by RIA method was effectuated. A study of a statistical relation was performed on the rate of ACg and histopathological, clinical and scintigraphic criteria. Analysis of results excluded the patients with abnormal creatininemy; it referred exclusively to the patients the histopathology of whose it was proved. The global results concerning the sensitivity and specificity of ACg are: 68% and 92%, respectively, for a threshold of normality at 100 ng/ml; 65% and/or 100% for a threshold at 110 ng/ml. There is a significant difference between the group of patients with NET (70 patients): 371 {+-} 59 ng/ml ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

How an individual’s sex and genetic background modify cardiac adaptation to increased workload is a topic of great interest. We systematically evaluated morphological and physiological...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Chest compression-only (CC-only) is now incorporated in the Norwegian protocol for dispatch guided CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac aetiology.We present...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Cardiovascular modelling has been a major research subject for the last decades. Different cardiac models have been developed at a cellular level as well as at the whole organ level. Most of...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Tumor embolism occurs in 30 to 50% of all cases of cardiac myxoma, but the causes are still uncertain. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes that degrade the extracellular matrix...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background:The cardiac sodium–calcium exchanger (NCX1) is a key sarcolemmal protein for the maintenance of calcium homeostasis in the heart. Since heart failure...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. The effects of 1 mg/ml whole Naja nivea (Cape cobra) venom, and of three different toxins isolated from it, on spinal reflex excitability and cardiac and skeletal muscle activity...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Myocarditis, often initiated by viral infection, may progress to autoimmune inflammatory heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Although cardiac myosin is a dominant autoantigen...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the contribution of distance to hospitals with cardiac interventional services (CIS) to county age-adjusted myocardial infarction...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Physiological cardiac hypertrophy is associated with mitochondrial adaptations that are characterized by activation of PGC-1α and increased fatty acid oxidative (FAO) capacity. It is...Full Text Available

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of routine laboratory parameters in the decision to treat refractory cardiac arrest patients with extracorporeal life support (ECLS). Methods: Sixty-six adults with witnessed cardiac arrest of cardiac origin unrelated to poisoning or hypothermia undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation without return of spontaneous circulation (duration: 155min [120-180], median, [25-75%-percentiles]) were included in a prospective cohort-study. ECLS was implemented under cardiac massage, using a centrifugal pump connected to a hollow-fiber membrane-oxygenator, aiming to maintain ECLS flow >=2.5l/min and mean arterial pressure >=60mmHg. Results: Forty-seven of 66 patients died within 24h from multiorgan failure and massive capillary leak. Of 19/66 patients who survived >=24h...

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... stenosis. It looks from the transesophageal and the 3-D echo that most of the problem is really ... posterior leaflet, which you can see on the 3-D echo image is a major source. The anterior ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Opinion statement Because a minority of patients with D-transposition of the great arteries are diagnosed in utero by ultrasound, most present after delivery with cyanosis. In the absence of apparent lung disease, cyanotic neonates suspected of having a cardiac lesion should be immediately transferred to an intensive care unit at a pediatric tertiary care center for monitoring, resuscitation, and to define the cardiac anatomy and physiology. A prostaglandin E-1 infusion is usually initiated to maintain ductal patency and promote intra-cardiac mixing. In the past, balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) was routinely performed to enlarge the atrial septal defect and improve intra-cardiac mixing while the infants awaited surgery. Recent literature has reported an increase risk of stroke in neonates ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. CHF is marked by atrial and ventricular enlargement and reduced cardiac contractility, as well as an association...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardiac Malposition refers to any position of the heart other than a left-sided heart in a situs solitus individual. Associated cardiac malformations are so complex that even angiocardiographic and autopsy studies may not afford an accurate information. Although the terms and classifications used to describe the internal cardiac anatomy and their arterial connections in cardiac malpositions differ and tend to be confusing, common agreement exists on the need for a segmental approach to diagnosis. Authors present 18 cases of cardiac malpositions in which cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography were done at the Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital between 1971 and 1979. Authors analyzed the clinical, radiographic, operative and autopsy findings with the emphasis on the angiocardiographic findings. The results are as follows: 1. Among ...

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Cardiac tumours may display diverse symptoms through potential involvement of any structure of the heart. We describe a case of a highly malignant thymoma with involvement of different cardiac structures with important haemodynamic compromise. With the high sensitivity of transthoracic echocardiography for detection of intracardiac masses, computed tomography and magnetic resonance add essential structural preoperative information on the tumour and surrounding tissue as vessels, pleura, lung and mediastinum.

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Recent literature indicates that torsion of the left ventricle (LV) is a promising predictor for response to cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT). Among patients with severe heart failure, 45 to 75% of patients show rigid body rotation, where the base and apex rotate in the same direction, instead of normal, opposite rotation. The occurrence of this phenomenon seems to be a good indicator for response to CRT. From this review, it can be concluded that LV torsion might be a welcome addition to current selection criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardiac contractile function is dependent on the integrity and function of the sarcolemmal membrane. Swimming exercise training is known to increase cardiac contractile performance. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether a swimming exercise program would alter sarcolemmal enzyme activity, ion flux, and composition in rat hearts. After approximately 11 wk of exercise training, cardiac myosin and actomyosin Ca2+-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity was significantly higher in exercised rat hearts than in sedentary control rat hearts. Glycogen content was increased in plantaris and gastrocnemius muscles from exercised animals as was succinic dehydrogenase activity in gastrocnemius muscle of exercised rats in comparison to sedentary rat preparations. Sarcolemmal vesicles were isolated from hearts of exercise-trained and control rats. Sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase and K+-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities, ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Aims and objectives.- To investigate infant well-being as measured by feeding and sleeping and parental support following discharge from the NICU in infants following major cardiac surgery. Background.- Infant feeding and sleeping have been identified as two of the most important concerns reported by parents. These concerns have been reported anecdotally for infants who have undergone cardiac surgery in the neonatal period. Design.- A prospective study using questionnaires and phone interviews followed a cohort of parents of neonates who underwent surgery in the neonatal period for congenital heart disease. Methods.- The study was conducted using validated questionnaires and phone interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered prior to discharge from ...

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Abstract Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is always a devastating and unexpected occurrence. SIDS is the leading cause of death in the first 6 months after birth in the industrialized world. Since the discovery in 1998 of long QT syndrome as an underlying substrate for SIDS, around 10-20% of SIDS cases have been proposed as being caused by genetic variants in either ion channel or ion channel-associated proteins. Until now, 10 cardiac channelopathy susceptibility genes have been found to be implicated in the pathogenesis of SIDS. Four of the genes encode cardiac ion channel a-subunits, 3 genes encode ion channel b-subunits, and 3 genes encode other channel-interacting proteins. All 10 genes have been associated with primary electrical heart diseases. SIDS may hereby be the initial sympt...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) in elective percutaneous coronary intervention...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundMedian sternotomy infection and bony nonunion are two commonly described complications which occur in 0.4 - 5.1% of cardiac procedures. Although relatively infrequent,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Radionuclide angiocardiography provides a noninvasive assessment of cardiac function and blood flow through the heart and lungs. During the past three years, this procedure has been used at the Duke...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectiveTo evaluate the association of physical activity with left ventricular structure and function in the general population in a community setting.Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Although the heart rapidly adapts cardiac output to match the body’s circulatory demands, the regulatory mechanisms ensuring that sufficient ATP is available to perform the required...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... of the American Medical Association JAMA PATIENT PAGE Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation W hen the heart stops beating (cardiac arrest), ... circulation (blood flow) returns or is restored. Providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation ( CPR ) is a way to keep some circulation ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

OBJECTIVE--To develop, test, and validate an algorithm for diagnosing disease in neonates during an over the telephone referral to a specialist cardiac centre. DESIGN--A draft algorithm requiring only...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background With the increasing use of cineless diagnostic angiography laboratories, modern telecommunication networks provide an excellent opportunity to transfer dynamic cardiac...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We report a case of a female patient who was operated at the third relapse of an atrial myxoma caused by Carney complex. The difficult operation was performed without any complications despite extensive...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Zipper-interacting protein kinase (ZIPK) is a member of the death-associated protein kinase family associated with apoptosis in nonmuscle cells where it phosphorylates myosin regulatory light chain...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Two cases of left ventricular aneurysm, a 16-year-old black boy and a 23-year-old white girl, from Bahia, Brazil, are presented. In both patients there was enlargement of the cardiac silhouette and...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

An integrated system of micro-and mini-computers is described to acquire, analyze, store and report data on the total activity of the heart of a critically ill patient. Real-time beat and rhythm diagnoses...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The aim of the study was the attempt to evaluate the influence of two different methods of cardiac perfusion SPECT reconstruction (FBP and ITW) on clinical efficacy in diagnosing the coronary artery disease as well as the cardiac ischemia detection in three areas of heart vascularized by main coronary arteries: LAD, LCX and RCA with the use of artificial neural networks (ANN). The study was performed retrospectively with the use of the diagnostic image records as well as clinical dataset of 43 patients. Myocardial perfusion stress/rest SPECT study and X-ray coronarography data were evaluated for each patient. The results of coronary angiography were considered the reference method. The cardiac SPECT data were reconstructed using the two different methods: filtered backprojection (FBP) and iterative Wallis method (ITW). The local perfusion deficits denominated in stress and rest study in three main vessel ...

Science.gov (United States)

Exercise training associated with robust conditioning can be useful for the study of molecular mechanisms underlying exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy. A swimming apparatus is described to control training regimens in terms of duration, load, and frequency of exercise. Mice were submitted to 60- vs 90-min session/day, once vs twice a day, with 2 or 4% of the weight of the mouse or no workload attached to the tail, for 4 vs 6 weeks of exercise training. Blood pressure was unchanged in all groups while resting heart rate decreased in the trained groups (8-18%). Skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity, measured spectrophotometrically, increased (45-58%) only as a result of duration and frequency-controlled exercise training, indicating that endurance conditioning was obtained. In groups which received duration and endurance conditioning, cardiac weight (14-25%) and myocyte dimension (13-20%) increased. The best conditioning protocol to ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Ventricular septal defects can occur as part of other congenital cardiac malformations or as an isolated finding. Aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva are rare, most commonly involving the right or noncoronary sinuses. They can be congenital or acquired through infection, trauma, or degenerative diseases. They frequently co-exist with ventricular septal defects, aortic valve dysfunction, or other cardiac abnormalities. More commonly, sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are diagnosed after the clinical sequelae of rupture. Several etiologic factors may lead to the development of pathologic pericardial effusion and the detection of pericardial effusion was one of the first applications of echocardiography to gain widespread acceptance. We present a case of a chance finding of an aneurysm of the right ...

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Introduction: Patients in underdeveloped nations have limited access to life-saving medical technology including cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices. We evaluated alternative means to provide such technology to this patient population while assessing the safety and efficacy of such a practice. Methods: Patients in the United States with clinical indications for extraction of CRM devices were consented. Antemortem CRM devices were cleaned and sterilized following a protocol established at our institution. Surveillance in vitro cultures were performed for quality assurance. The functional status of pulse generators was tested with a pacing system analyzer to confirm at least 70% battery life. Most generators were transported, in person, to an implanting institution in Nicaragua. Recipien...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Positron emission tomography (PET) is the gold standard for non-invasive assessment of myocardial viability and allows accurate detection of coronary artery disease by assessment of myocardial perfusion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides high resolution anatomical images that allow accurate evaluation of ventricular structure and function together with detection of myocardial infarction. Potential hybrid PET/MR tomography may potentially facilitate the combination of information from these imaging modalities in cardiology. Furthermore, the combination of anatomical MRI images with the high sensitivity of PET for detecting molecular targets may extent the application of these modalities to the characterization of atherosclerotic plaques and to the evaluation of angiogenetic or stem cell therapies, for example. This article reviews studies using MRI and PET in parallel to compare their performance in cardiac applications together with the potential benefits ...

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Breath analysis could offer a non-invasive means of intravenous drug monitoring if robust correlations between drug concentrations in breath and blood can be established. In this study, propofol blood and breath concentrations were determined in an animal model under varying physiological conditions. Propofol concentrations in breath were determined by means of two independently calibrated analytical methods: continuous, real-time proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and discontinuous solid-phase micro-extraction coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). Blood concentrations were determined by means of SPME-GC-MS. Effects of changes in pulmonary blood flow resulting in a decreased cardiac output (CO) and effects of dobutamine administration resulting in...

Science.gov (United States)

One of the goals of the DARPA Virtual Soldier Project is to aid the field medic in the triage of a casualty. In Phase I, we are currently collecting 12 baseline experimental physiological variables and a cardiac gated Computed Tomography (CT) imagery for use in an prototyping a futuristic electronic medical record, the "Holomer". We are using physiological models and Kalman filtering to aid in diagnosis and predict outcomes in relation to cardiac injury. The physiological modeling introduces another few hundred variables. Reducing the complexity of the above into easy-to-read text to aid in the triage by the field medic is the challenge with multiple display solutions. A description of the possible techniques follows. PMID:15718701

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The first cardiac pacemaker implants occurred in the late 1950s and involved insertion of epicardial or epimyocardial leads and abdominal pulse generators. By the mid 1960s, cardiologists were making attempts to insert transvenous leads into the right ventricle. These early unipolar leads had large, polished, high polarization electrodes, no fixation device, and no lumen in which to place a stylet for lead positioning. The lead implantation procedures were usually long and the irradiation to both patient and operator excessive. Pulse generators were powered by zinc-mercury cells, which were large, unreliable, and prone to sudden output failure. Postoperative complications such as lead dislodgement, exit block, and premature power source failure were very common with most patients requiring...

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This paper presents a patient specific deformable heart model that involves the known electrical and mechanical properties of the cardiac cells and tissue. The whole heart model comprises ten Tusscher's ventricular and Nygren's atrial cell models, the anatomical and electrophysiological model descriptions of the atria (introduced by Harrild et al.) and ventricle (given by Winslow et al.), and the mechanical model of the periodical cardiac contraction and resting phenomena proposed by Moireau et al. During the propagation of the depolarization wave, the kinetic, compositional and rotational anisotropy is handled by the tissue, organ and torso model. The applied patient specific parameters were determined by an evolutionary computation method. An intensive parameter reduction was performed u...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background and ObjectivesClopidogrel resistance or low-responsiveness may be associated with recurrent atherothrombotic events after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. We prospectively...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. We studied the effects of flash photolysis on the novel enantiomeric cardiac inotropes EMD 57033 (a calcium sensitizer) and EMD 57439 (a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor) in rat isolated ventricular...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

A 56-year-old man admitted to our hospital for cardiac tamponade due to dilated cardiomyopathy did not respond to treatment by usual medical means or surgery. Pericardio-peritoneal drainage was conducted using a subcostal approach. Seven months later, the patient remains well and free of signs of pericardial tamponade. This method has proved to be safe and effective in patients with persistent massive pericardial effusion. PMID:10496067

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Long-term heat acclimation (AC, 30d/34°C) is a phenotypic adaptation leading to increased thermotolerance during heat stress (HS, 2 h 41°C). AC also renders protection against...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are known to modulate intracellular effectors involved in cardiac function. We recently reported homocysteine (Hcy)-induced ERK-phosphorylation was suppressed...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The myocardial infarct induced by isoproterenol in spontaneously hypertensive rats accumulates higher activities of /sup 99/sup(m)Tc-PM tetracycline compared with the cardiac infarct in normotensive rats caused by the same method. The isoproterenol model of the myocardial necrosis was induced in intact rats without opening the thorax and is a convenient method for experimental radioisotope studies.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Several recently introduced 'new' techniques in computed tomography - iterative reconstruction, gated cardiac CT, multiple-source, and dual-energy CT - actually date back to the early days of CT. We review the historic origins and evolution of these techniques, which may provide some insight into the latest innovations in commercial CT systems. (orig.)

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Since chlordecone (Kepone, CD) interferes with cardiac Na{sup +} ion translocases, we have studied CD effects on cardiac SR calcium pump activity. SR was isolated from heart ventricles of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Cardiac SR Ca{sup 2+}-ATPase, {sup 45}Ca-uptake and cAMP as well as calmodulin (CaM) dependent protein phosphorylation were measured. Ca{sup 2+}-ATPase was differentiated into low affinity and high affinity forms by measuring the activity using 50 and 0.7 {mu}M free Ca{sup 2+} respectively. CD in vitro inhibited {sup 45}Ca-uptake by SR in a concentration dependent manner with an IC50 value of 7 {mu}M and SR {sup 45}Ca-uptake was totally inhibited at 20-30 {mu}M CD. In agreement with this, both high affinity and low affinity Ca{sup 2+}-ATPases, which are involved in Ca{sup 2+} transport across membranes, were also inhibited by CD in a concentration dependent manner with IC50 values of 0.7 and 3.2 {mu}M ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The minimum cardiac transit times (MTT's) at rest and following sub-maximum stresses were measured in 97 individual examinations of untrained persons and high performance athletes. It turned out that there is a strong dependence on cardiac frequency of the MTT's. This relation can be described quite satisfactorily by a hyperbolic function and in this way allows a frequency correction to be made of the MTT's. The MTT's standardized in this way (MTT.f values) represent the quotient of the end diastolic segment volume/beat volume. In the whole lesser circulatory system almost identical MTT.f values were found for the two groups under comparison at rest and following stress. In the ventricles, however, and especially so in the left ventricle, the MTT.f values were clearly higher with athletes than with untrained persons, but they strongly decreased after stresses, while the respective values remained almost constant in ordinary persons. (orig./RF).

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The chicken extracellular matrix glycoprotein ES/130 is necessary for epithelial-mesenchymal transformation in the developing hear and is also expressed in noncardiac chicken tissues such as limb and notochord. We have identified hES, the human homology of chicken ES/130. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis (FISH) localizes hES to human chromosome 20p11.2-p12. FISH analyses of individuals with 20p12 deletions and affected by Alagille syndrome exclude hES as a candidate gene for this disorder. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction studies reveal that hES is expressed in both fetal and adult human tissues and that hES expression in the left ventricle is increased in the failing adult heart. Further studies will evaluate how hES mutations may relate to congenital human cardiac and skeletal anomalies as well as cardiac remodeling in the adult. 16 refs., 2 figs.

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The atrial myocardium has been barely visible with thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy. This is probably related to the difference in size, distance from anterior chest wall, and small coronary blood flow of the atrium, compared with the ventricle. We have encountered eight cases of visualization of the right atrial appendix (RAA). The RAA was identified from multiple projections in all cases and sometimes confirmed by radionuclide angiocardiography. Evidence derived from ECG, chest radiographs, and cardiac catheterization, indicated that the most important factor in the visualization might be the displacement of the RAA to a more anterior position.

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Purpose: To determine the value of MRI in the postoperativ evaluation of a singular ventricle compared to echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. Materials and methods: Thirty-one patients (range: 6 months to 30 years) with a functional single ventricle following palliative corrective operations. Five patients had a Blalock-Taussig-Shunt, 8 patients a Glenn-Anastomosis and 18 a cavopulmonary shunt (6 with classic Fontan-Circulation, 12 with modified cavopulmonary anastomosis). The results in terms of postoperative morphologic changes were compared to percutaneous echocardiography (31/31) and cardiac catheterization (6/31). Results: Echocardiography, which was performed on all patients, could not visualize the entire length of the tunnel, the Glenn-Anastomosis or the central pulmonary arteries in 70% of the patients due to an inadequate acoustic window. MRI was able to show the entire tunnel in 11/12 patients and the central pulmonary ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A 60-year-old male was bitten by a venomous snake (Vipera ammodytes) and gradually developed signs of an allergic reaction including generalized itching, generalized rash, and chest discomfort. This was followed by severe retrosternal pain with electrocardiographic evidence of an inferior myocardial ischemia progressing to acute myocardial infarction. Cardiac enzymes and troponin, serum tryptase, and histamine were elevated. Coronary arteriography showed normal coronary arteries. This is a characteristic type I variant of Kounis syndrome, which is the concurrence of acute coronary syndromes with conditions associated with mast cell activation including allergic or hypersensitivity reactions as well as anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions. This is the first report to show that viper bite...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The relative sensitivity and combined value of myocardial technetium-99m stannous pyrophosphate imaging and determinations of serum MB creatine phosphokinase (the ''myocardial'' CPK isoenzyme) in detecting acute myocardial infarction were evaluated in 41 patients with suspected infarction and 23 patients recovering from cardiac surgery. In the patients with suspected infarction, myocardial infarction was confirmed in 25 and was consistently associated with increased serum MB CPK. Abnormal radionuclide images were obtained in 23 of 25 patients (92%)) with definite myocardial infarction and in 2 of 16 patients without confirmed infarction. Although the localization of infarction by imaging correlated well with the localization by electrocardiogram, infarct size estimated by imaging did not correlate well with estimates based on peak total serum CPK activity or serial changes in CPK activity. Serum MB CPK activity increased after cardiac surgery ...

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Nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are widely used in cardiac diagnostics. Both techniques have been carefully evaluated and are equivalent for the assessment of regional and global wall motion as well as the evaluation of ejection fraction and cardiac volumes, though MRI is herein currently seen as gold standard. For evaluation of myocardial perfusion, extensive data exist for nuclear imaging, that, next to high diagnostic accuracy for evaluation of coronary artery disease, show incremental prognostic information and allow for independent risk stratification. Because of rapid technical advance, myocardial perfusion imaging has also become feasible with cardiac MRI. Results of recent studies are promising, but the data are few compared to perfusion scintigraphy. For viability assessment in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, positron emission tomography (PET) with FDG is currently seen as gold ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background Limited data is available for investigating the long-term safety and effects of intracoronary progenitor cell therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Objective To assess the clinical course, NT-proBNP and MRI data as objective markers of cardiac function of the TOPCARE-AMI patients at 5-year follow-up. Design The TOPCARE-AMI trial was the first randomized study investigating the effects of intracoronary infusion of circulating (CPC) or bone marrow-derived progenitor cells (BMC) in 59 patients with successfully reperfused AMI. Results Five-year follow-up data were completed in 55 patients, 3 patients were lost to follow-up. None of the patients showed any signs of intramyocardial calcification or tumors at 5?years. One patient died during the initial hospitali...

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The random walk function is a mathematical function derived from studies of the mass transport and flow of diffusible materials through tubes. Approximations to the function were first used some time ago in the field of cardiac tracer dilution curves, but in the absence of rapid and reproducible curve fitting the method never became commonplace. The current study uses the latest curve-fitting techniques and shows how the method may be used with precision in the analysis of time-activity curves from dynamic oesophageal and blood flow studies. The physiological basis of the method is given and parameters obtained which relate to both the rate of flow and the local dispersion of the bolus.

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Background/Objectives: Cardiotoxic drug poisoning can lead to severe cardiac shock (CS) and death. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a well-established diagnostic and prognostic marker in heart failure but has never been assessed in patients with cardiotoxic drug poisoning. The aim of the study was to determine whether BNP could be useful for early stratification of patients admitted to intensive care unit. Methods: 30 consecutive patients experiencing shock and cardiotoxic drug exposure were enrolled in a prospective monocentric study and underwent at least two BNP measurements within the first 24 h after admission. Results: While BNP values on admission were poorly informative, subsequent BNP measurements (11 +- 6 h after admission) were significantly increased in patients with CS comp...

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Background The Norwood procedure consists of three palliative operations, performed in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Especially the first stage (Norwood I) is associated with the highest mortality rates in paediatric cardiac surgery (up to 25%). During surgery, the aorta is reconstructed and a systemic-to-pulmonary shunt is applied. Originally the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt was used, but recently the right-ventricle-to-pulmonary-artery shunt is increasingly being employed. We reviewed the results of our operative strategy, where an individualised choice of shunt is made. Furthermore, attempts to reduce interstage mortality (between Norwood I and II) were assessed. Methods All neonates who underwent Norwood stage I palliation from August 2004 until November 2010 were in...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract A series of studies performed at our center demonstrates that gaseous microemboli (GME) remain a challenge in cardiac surgical procedures. Evaluation of novel oxygenators must address hemodynamic parameters and microemboli capture capability. The objective of this study is to compare two neonatal membrane oxygenators, the Quadrox i (MAQUET Cardiopulmonary AG, Hirrlingen, Germany) and the Capiox RX05 (Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), with respect to GME capture and hemodynamic energy delivery. The experimental circuit included a Maquet HL 20 heart lung machine, a Heater Cooler Unit HCU 30 (MAQUET Cardiopulmonary AG), a membrane oxygenator (Quadrox i Neonatal or Capiox RX05), and inch tubing from the COBE Heart/Lung Perfusion Pack (COBE Cardiovascular, Inc., Arvada, CO, USA). A Ca...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In spite of its widespread clinical application, there is little information on the cellular cardiac effects of the antidiabetic drug rosiglitazone in larger experimental animals. In the present study therefore concentration-dependent effects of rosiglitazone on action potential morphology and the underlying ion currents were studied in dog hearts. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Standard microelectrode techniques, conventional whole cell patch clamp and action potential voltage clamp techniques were applied in enzymatically dispersed ventricular cells from dog hearts. KEY RESULTS At concentrations -10-M rosiglitazone decreased the amplitude of phase-1 repolarization, reduced the maximum velocity of depolarization and caused depression of the plateau potential. These effects d...

Science.gov (United States)

Self-excited oscillations of a distributed medium can be investigated in terms of discrete physical models described by multidimensional systems of nonlinear equations which transform into equations of self-oscillating distributed media as the number of dimensions goes to infinity. Differential equations of such a self-oscillating system are set up and investigated. Coupling between elements of the medium, conditions under which the system constitutes an open system, internal impedance between the energy source and the system elements, and boundary conditions defining open and closed systems are discussed. The Gunn effect, eolian noise, self-oscillations of DNA molecules and of cardiac muscle, and wave processes in the cerebral cortex are mentioned as examples of self-oscillatory processes in question.

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The effect of exercise training prior to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on left ventricular (LV) remodeling is poorly understood. This study investigated the protective effect of 3 weeks of swimming exercise training prior to AMI on cardiac morphology and function. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 35) were randomly assigned to 3 groups: swimming training (n = 14, 90 min, 5 days/wk, 3 wk), sedentary (n =14), and controls (n = 7, no exercise, no MI). At the end of the training/sedentary period, rats were subjected to AMI (ExMI and SedMI) induced by surgical ligation of the left coronary artery. Thereafter, the rats remained sedentary for a 4-wk recovery period. Trans-thoracic echocardiography was performed in each group at the end of the exercise/sedentary period (pre-AMI), 24 hr after AMI, and following recovery (4 wk after AMI). No differences were observed in LV dimensions and function pre-AMI among the 3 groups; however, LV-end systolic diameter (LVESD) and ...

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The work examines twenty-two patients with coronary artery disease, previous myocardial infarction and LV dysfunction, using the technetium-99m ({sup 99m}Tc) tetrofosmin (SPECT) associated with nitrate administration in the detection of hypoperfused but still viable myocardium. The method allows the detection of this disease. [Italian] Il lavoro analizza i risultati degli esami condotti su 22 pazienti con cardiopatia ischemica cronica e ridotta funzione ventricolare sinistra sottoposti a tomografia computerizzata con emissione di fotone singolo (SPECT) cardiaca con tecnezio-99m ({sup 99m}Tc) tetrofosmina associata alla somministrazione di nitrati nella differenziazione tra tessuto miocardico ipoperfuso ma ancora vitale e tessuto miocardico necrotico. La metodologia usata consente di identificare la presenza di tessuto miocardico vitale in territori vascolari severamente ipoperfusi.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maps transformed so as to have constant density of residential population were used to analyze the spatial distribution of disease in three specific areas. Each area had received recent attention because of suspected environmental pollution. The area adjacent to the Rocky Flats Facility (CO) was examined to identify any association between possible plutonium releases and increases in lung cancer or leukemia incidence. The industrial area of northern Contra Costa County (CA) was studied to explore a relationship between petrochemical industrial emissions and histologic-specific lung cancers. Finally, a suspected increase in the risk of congenital cardiac defects possibly related to pollution of the Santa Clara County (CA) water supply was investigated. No evidence of elevated risk of disease was found to be associated with either the Rocky Flats Facility or the polluted water of Santa Clara County. An increase in lung cancer, found by other investigators in earlier ...

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Twenty-four male weanling rats were fed either copper-adequate or -deficient diets until 9 or 11 weeks of age. Deficient rat hearts had increased mitochondria: myofibril compared to adequate rats. Eleven week old deficient rat hearts had decreased mitochondria: myofibril as the hearts increased in weight, but the larger hearts had greater myofibril volume densities. Cardiac mitochondria of deficient rats appeared vacuolated with fragmented cristae and translucent matrix. Valves from copper deficient rats appeared to have less connective tissue and were fragmented in areas. For deficient rats, heart:body weights of 9 wk old rats were negatively correlated with bicuspid valve pathology scores, whereas tricuspid valve scores from 11 wk old rats were negatively correlated with myofibril volume densities. These data suggest that the enlargement of the copper-deficient rat heart is due to: larger (1) mitochondria and (2) myofibril volume densities.

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Purpose Radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) is a severe side effect of thoracic radiotherapy. This study examined the effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) and a-tocopherol on cardiac injury in a rat model of RIHD. Methods and Materials Male Sprague-Dawley rats received fractionated local heart irradiation with a daily dose of 9 Gy for 5 days and were observed for 6 months after irradiation. Rats were treated with a combination of PTX, 100 mg/kg/day, and a-tocopherol (20 IU/kg/day) and received these compounds either from 1 week before until 6 months after irradiation or starting 3 months after irradiation, a time point at which histopathologic changes become apparent in our model of RIHD. Results Radiation-induced increases in left ventricular diastolic pressure (in mm Hg: 35 +- 6 after sham...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The sources of non-white noise in Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are many. Familiar sources include low-frequency drift due to hardware imperfections, oscillatory noise due to respiration and cardiac pulsation and residual movement artefacts not accounted for by rigid body registration. These contributions give rise to temporal autocorrelation in the residuals of the fMRI signal and invalidate the statistical analysis as the errors are no longer independent. The low-frequency drift is often removed by high-pass filtering, and other effects are typically modelled as an autoregressive (AR) process. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach: Nuisance Variable Regression (NVR). By inclusion of confounding effects in a general linear model (GLM), we first confirm that the spatial distribution of the various fMRI noise sources is similar to what has already been described in the literature. Subsequently, we ...

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A hallmark of congestive heart failure (CHF) is the activation of the cardiac endocrine system, in particular atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). The natriuretic peptides are a group of structurally similar but genetically distinct peptides that have diverse actions in cardiovascular, renal, and endocrine homeostasis. ANP and BNP are of myocardial cell origin and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is of endothelial origin. ANP and BNP bind to the natriuretic peptide-A receptor (NPR-A), which, via 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), mediates natriuresis, vasodilatation, renin inhibition, antimitogenesis, and lusitropic properties. CNP lacks natriuretic actions but possesses vasodilating and growth inhibiting actions via the guanylyl cyclase-linked natriuretic peptide-B receptor. All three peptides are cleared by the natriuretic peptide-C receptor and degraded by the ectoenzyme neutral endopeptidase 24.11, both of which are ...

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Therapeutic hypothermia is a promising method for controlling intracranial pressure (ICP) in severely brain-injured patients. However, clinical data regarding the effect of brain hypothermia on overall outcome of these patients is limited. This may be because there are specific pitfalls associated with the clinical management of induced hypothermia in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These pitfalls may be avoided by preventing specific risk factors when cooling is induced and with rewarming. However, these risk factors have not been well systematically discussed in the literature. In this paper, three categories of clinical issues regarding the management of brain hypothermia are discussed: (1) stress-induced secondary brain injury mechanisms; (2) technical aspects of intensive care unit (ICU) cooling management; and (3) rewarming rates and methods. For patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of less than 8, management of stress-induced insulin-resistant ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MRI provides a non-invasive diagnostic tool complementing echocardiography on one hand, and showing advantages over echocardiography, on the other hand, especially after corrective procedures. The multiple different MRI sequences need to be adapted to examinations of children and patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), and can be used to detect morphologic changes, blood-flow in the heart and thoracic vessels and diastolic or systolic function of myocardium. Several factors determine the success of the examination of a complex congenital heart disease or a postoperative situs. Pediatric radiologists and radiologists experienced in congenital heart diseases have to work in close cooperation. Echocardiography should be performed before MRI. The results of prior examinations and the clinical history of the patients, including possible palliative or reconstructive operations, must be available before MRI to guide the planning of the examination. With a systematic segmental approach ...

Science.gov (United States)

The endothelin-B (ETB) receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor that binds endothelin ligands and is essential for the development of epidermal melanocytes and enteric neurons. Recent reports indicate that ETB is localized to nuclei in cardiac ventricular myocytes, although it has been thought that ETB is localized mainly on the plasma membrane. It remains unknown, however, whether this unique distribution of ETB occurs in other tissues. To elucidate the subcellular distribution of ETB in the intestine, we performed immunofluorescence of ETB in mouse intestine using a specific antibody. ETB-like immunoreactivity was detected in both the mucosal and muscle layers. In the mucosal layer, villous epithelial cells, stromal cells of the lamina propria, and cryptic cells were immunostained. Subcellularly, ETB is localized mainly to the nuclei of villous epithelial cells. In the muscle layer, immunoreactivity of ETB was localized to the myenteric plexus. These findings ...

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The purpose of this study was to determine whether low doses of carbon monoxide (CO) exacerbate myocardial ischemia during a progressive exercise test. The effect of CO exposure was evaluated using the objective measure of time to development of electrocardiographic changes indicative of ischemia and the subjective measure of time to onset of angina. Sixty-three male subjects (41-75 years) with well-documented coronary artery disease, who had exertional angina pectoris and ischemic ST-segment changes in their electrocardiograms, were studied. Results from three randomized, double-blind test visits (room air, low and high CO) were compared. The effect of CO exposure was determined from the percent difference in the end points obtained on exercise tests performed before and after a 1-hr exposure to room air or CO. A significant dose-response relationship was found for the individual differences in the time to ST end point and angina for the pre-versus postexposure exercise test at the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Human K2P3.1 (TASK1) channels represent potential targets for pharmacological management of atrial fibrillation. K2P channels control excitability by stabilizing membrane potential and by expediting repolarization. In the heart, inhibition of K2P currents by class III antiarrhythmic drugs results in action potential prolongation and suppression of electrical automaticity. Carvedilol exerts antiarrhythmic activity and suppresses atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery or cardioversion. The objective of this study was to investigate acute effects of carvedilol on human K2P3.1 (hK2P3.1) channels. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Two-electrode voltage clamp and whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology was used to record hK2P3.1 currents from Xenopus oocytes, Chinese hamster o...

Science.gov (United States)

Maternal exposure to ambient air pollution has increasingly been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. The evidence linking this exposure to congenital anomalies is still limited and controversial. This case-control study investigated the association between maternal exposure to ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 ?m (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide (NO), ozone (O(3)), and carbon monoxide (CO) and the occurrence of congenital heart disease in the population of Northeast England (1993-2003). Each case and control was assigned weekly average (weeks 3-8 of pregnancy) of pollutant levels measured by the closest monitor to the mother's residential postcode. Using exposure as both continuous and categorical variables, logistic regression models were constructed to quantify the adjusted odds ratios of exposure to air pollutants and the occurrence of each outcome group. We found exposure to CO and NO to be associated with ...

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Purpose: Cardiomyopathy is one of the major complications of {beta} thalassaemia major as a result of transfusion iron overload. The aim of our study is to evaluate with MR if there is any difference of iron deposition signal intensity (SI) or distribution between non-cardiopatic and cardiopatic thalassaemic patients in order to establish if there is a relationship between cardiopathy and iron deposition. Materials and methods: We studied 20 patients affected by {beta} thalassaemia major, of whom 10 cardiopatic and 10 non-cardiopatic, and 10 healthy volunteers as control group. Serum ferritin and left ventricular ejection fraction were calculated in thalassaemic patients. All patients were examinated using a 1.5 MR unit with ECG-gated GE cine-MR T2*-weighted, SE T1-weighted and GE T2*-weighted sequences. In all cases, using an adequate ROI, the myocardial and skeletal muscle signal intensity (SI), the myocardial/skeletal muscle signal intensity radio (SIR) and the SI average of the ...

Science.gov (United States)

The effect of 50 Hz and 60 Hz (frequencies of current distribution) and 20 kHz to 50 kHz (frequencies of induction cooktop) magnetic interference on implanted pacemakers have been assessed with the present generation of device technology. Sixty patients implanted in 1998 and 1999 with dual chamber pacemakers from 9 different manufacturers were monitored with telemetry while passing through, and standing between a system of two coils. They generated a 50 Hz or a 60 Hz magnetic field at 50 microT. Then, patients used a cooktop at different power. The recordings were made with the standard setting of "medically correct" sensing parameters chosen for the patients. Then pacemakers were reprogrammed to the unipolar mode, with the highest atrial (A) and ventricular (V) sensitivity that did not induce muscular inhibition while moving. Between each exposure (50 Hz, 60 Hz or 20 kHz to 50 kHz), the pacemaker programmation was controlled. At the end of the tests, pacemakers will be reprogrammed ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purpose: To quantify left ventricular function derived from retrospectively ECG-gated multislice spiral CT (MSCT) data sets in comparison to MRI. Materials and Methods: In 16 patients (14 males, 2 females, mean age 56.8 #+-# 11.5 years), retrospectively ECG-gated MSCT angiography of the coronary arteries and breath-hold steady state free precession cine MRI were performed. From MSCT data-sets, 20 axial image series were reconstructed every 5% of the RR interval. Multiplanar images were reformatted in the short axis orientation from axial images. End-systolic and end-diastolic images were selected. From these images end-systolic volume (ESV), end-diastolic volume (EDV) and stroke volume (SV) as well as the ejection fraction (EF) and myocardial mass (MM) were determined using the Simpson's method and compared with MRI. Furthermore, image quality was assessed for both imaging modalities using a four point grading scale. Results: All parameters were found to have an excellent correlation ...

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Conventional Radiography, Fuji Computed Radiography (FCR) hardcopy and CRT images were evaluated about the detectability of pulmonary nodule using the chest phantom. Conventional and digitized chest radiographs (FCR) were used, including 45 normal cases and 45 abnormal cases with a variety pulmonary nodule. Observer performance tests were conducted to compare the effects on diagnostic accuracy of Conventional Radiography, FCR hardcopy and CRT images, and diagnostic accuracy was determined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. ROC study was performed in which six radiologists were asked to locate nodule on three modalities. Two CRT monitors were used to observed CRT images. The left side CRT monitor was divided into two parts and displayed two images which were done as same image processing as FCR hardcopy. The right side CRT monitor was divided into four parts and displayed four images as a subsidiary diagnosis. The upper two images were displayed to diagnose the ...

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Synthetic atrial natriuretic peptide (carperitide) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP; nesiritide) are used to treat congestive heart failure. However, despite beneficial cardiac unloading properties, reductions in renal perfusion pressures limit their clinical effectiveness. Recently, CD-NP, a chimeric peptide composed of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) fused to the C-terminal tail of Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide (DNP), was shown to be more glomerular filtration rate-enhancing than BNP in dogs. However, the molecular basis for the increased responsiveness was not determined. Here, we show that the DNP tail has a striking effect on CNP, converting it from a non-agonist to a partial agonist of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-A while maintaining the ability to activate NPR-B. This effect is specific for human receptors because CD-NP was only a slightly better activator of rat NPR-A due to the promiscuous nature of CNP in this species. Interesting, the DNP ...

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Eleven patients who had undergone cardiac surgery were studied by means of high-field MR imaging (1.5 T). Six patients had aortic root and valve replaced with a Bjork-Shiley (BS) composite tubular aortic graft prosthesis for acute dissection of ascending aorta. In the other 5 patients with rheumatic calcific aortic disease, the valve had been replaced with a BS prosthesis. As a whole, MR studies were 14. Previous evaluations of magnetic field effects had seem carried out ex vivo on both BS valves and BS composite prostheses, on surgical ligation clips (Tantalium and Stainless) and on stainless wires for sternal closure. In 4 patients (2 BS composite grafts, and 2 BS valves) MRI diagnosed chronic dissection of both arch and descending aorta. In 1 of them, with a bs valve, associated localized acute dissection of ascending aorta was observed. In 3 patients with BS composite grafts, MRI revealed pseudo-aneurysms (including a thrombosed one) at the graft level. In one ...

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Computerized tomography-guided neurolytic splanchnic nerve block is a technique for relieving abdominal cancer pain; the goal is the alcoholic neurolytic interruption of the sensitive structures in retroperitoneal space. Computerized tomography yields accurate anatomical detailing and the course for needle placement and alcohol spread. January, 1993, to July, 1996, twenty-one bilateral splanchnic nerve blocks were performed through the posterior access. Forty-eight hours after alcoholism. 14 patients (66%) had complete pain regression; 52% of the patients needed no analgesics for 6 to 54 days and only 9 patients (42%) needed another low opioid therapy. Complications included hypotension and diarrhea in all cases. One had a cardiac arrest and diet 8 days after the procedure. There were no other complications. The whole procedure usually lasted 60 min (range: 45 to 90 min). Splanchnic nerve neurolysis is a useful treatment in the patients with severe chronic ...

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Objective: To determine the optimal contrast injection protocol for 64-MDCT coronary angiography. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive patients scheduled to undergo retrospectively electrocardiographically gated 64-MDCT. Each 30 patients were assigned to use a different contrast protocol: group 1: uniphasic protocol (contrast injection without saline flush); group 2: biphasic protocol (contrast injection with saline flush); group 3A, 3B and 3C: triphasic protocol (contrast media + different saline diluted contrast media + saline flush). Image quality scores and artifacts were compared and evaluated on both transaxial and three-dimensional coronary artery images among each contrast protocol. Results: Among the triphasic protocol groups, group 3A (30%:70% contrast media-saline mixture was used in second phase) used the least contrast media and had the least frequency of streak artifacts, but there were no significant differences in coronary artery attenuation, image ...

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The important role of thyroid hormones in growth and development, maintenance of body temperature, digestion, cardiac function, and normal brain development can be disrupted by environmental contaminants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Polychlorinated biphenyls are environmental contaminants that are widespread, persistent, lipophilic, and bioaccumulate through food webs, concentrating in adipose tissue. Placental and lactational PCB exposure of offspring causes metabolic and endocrine disruptions including hypothyroxinemia, spatial learning and memory deficits, neurochemical and neurobehavioral alterations, and reproductive problems. Previous studies in our lab using the individual congeners PCB 47 (2,2',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, ortho-substituted) and PCB 77 (3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, non-ortho-substituted) have demonstrated alterations in thyroid hormone levels, alterations in brain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, and spatial learning ...

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Materials and methods: 12 patients with 22 coronary bypass grafts underwent intraoperative flow quantification using the transit time ultrasound method. These values were compared to postoperative MR phase shift measurements. Flow measurements were performed preoperatively in 28 coronary arteries of 20 patients. For flow measurement, we used a velocity-encoded k-space segmented gradient echo sequence with a temporal resolution of 110 or 125 ms, respectively. 6-8 pase shift images could be acquired during one cardiac cycle. Results: There was a significant correlation between intraoperative and flow measurements using velocity-encoded MR imaging (r=0.76, p<0.0001, t-test). Flow volumes determined by MR imaging were systematically larger than those determined by the transit time ultrasound method. Mean flow in coronary arteries was reduced in severely stenosed vessels (>70%) compared to normal vessels. Intra- and interobserver variability were 10.5 and ...

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MRI provides a non-invasive diagnostic tool complementing echocardiography on one hand, and showing advantages over echocardiography, on the other hand, especially after corrective procedures. The multiple different MRI sequences need to be adapted to examinations of children and patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), and can be used to detect morphologic changes, blood-flow in the heart and thoracic vessels and diastolic or systolic function of myocardium. Several factors determine the success of the examination of a complex congenital heart disease or a postoperative situs. Pediatric radiologists and radiologists experienced in congenital heart diseases have to work in close cooperation. Echocardiography should be performed before MRI. The results of prior examinations and the clinical history of the patients, including possible palliative or reconstructive operations, must be available before MRI to guide the planning of the examination. With a systematic segmental approach ...