应用血流向量成像技术对不同程度舒张功能受损患者左心室舒张期流体变化的研究

【】目的 应用血流向量成像技术(Vector Flow Mapping, VFM)从心腔血液流场变化角度评价不同程度舒张功能受损患者左室血流动力学改变特征,探讨能量损耗(Energy Loss,EL)评价舒张功能受损程度的临床应用价值。方法 根据舒张功能受损分级将病例组126例分为3组(I、II、III),正常对照组80例(N),通过VFM研究速度向量图、流线图演变特征,各组间的EL差异性比较,分析E/e’与EL相关性。结果 ①N组和I组速度向量图、流线图较II、III组涡流形态更加规则,而II、III组散乱。②病例组分别与对照组比较,II组与N组中间段与基底段总的能量损耗(Sum Total Energy Loss,SEL)在P2与P3差异有统计学意义；P2基底段与中间段平均损耗 (Average Energy Loss,AEL)、P3各节段AEL均有统计学意义；III组与N组基底段SEL在P0及P1、AEL在P1各节段均有统计学意义。③病例组间比较,在P1及P3时段I组、II组的基底段AEL、P3时段两组基底段与中间段SEL、P1基底段与中间段AEL差异有统计学意义；II组与III组的各时相基底段SEL、P0基底段与中间段AEL、P1各节段AEL、P2基底段AEL、P3基底段与中间段AEL差异有统计学意义；④病例组在P1各段、P0、P2与P3基底段的左心室SEL与E/e’呈正相关(P＜0.05),在P1与P3基底段与中间段的AEL与E/e’呈正相关(P＜0.05),P0、P2基底段的AEL与E/e’呈正相关(P＜0.05)。结论 VFM技术可以直观的显示左心室舒张期流体EL变化,对左室舒张功能受损程度的评价具有重要意义。     

Clinical efficacy of irrigated catheter application of amiodarone during ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation

Background

Pharmacological treatment during ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) is common, but utility of irrigated catheter application of amiodarone during ablation of persistent AF remains unclear.

Hypothesis

Irrigated catheter application of amiodarone improves quality of ablation and long‐term outcomes.

Methods

We enrolled 90 persistent AF patients who underwent catheter ablation. Patients were randomized to the amiodarone group (n = 45) or control group (n = 45). All patients underwent stepwise ablation beginning with isolation of the pulmonary veins. Next, we performed ablation of linear lesions and focal triggers until sinus rhythm (SR) was achieved. The primary endpoint was documented atrial arrhythmia during follow‐up. The secondary endpoint was cardioversion to SR during ablation.

Results

All pulmonary veins were successfully isolated. Conversion of AF to SR occurred more frequently in the amiodarone group than in the control group (33 vs 23 [73.3% vs 51.1%]; P = 0.03). The amiodarone group had lower procedure, radiofrequency, and fluoroscopy times than the control group (167.4 ± 22.5 min vs 186.7 ± 25.3 min; 78.3 ± 14.2 min vs 90.4 ± 15.5 min; and 6.5 ± 1.9 min vs 8.6 ± 2.4 min, respectively; P < 0.05). More importantly, the atrial arrhythmia recurrence‐free survival rates were 80% in the amiodarone group and 60% in the control group during the 14.7 ± 7.5‐month follow‐up (P = 0.043).

Conclusions

Irrigated catheter application of amiodarone during ablation for persistent AF resulted in higher cardioversion rates and lower procedure times and significantly reduced rates of atrial arrhythmia recurrence.

     

Repolarization heterogeneity and rate dependency in a canine rapid pacing model of heart failure

Background

Repolarization heterogeneity and rate dependency have long been established as factors contributing to arrhythmogenic risk. However, there are conflicting observations regarding the nature and extent of ventricular repolarization heterogeneity that complicate understanding of arrhythmogenic mechanisms. To explore these disparate findings, we studied ventricular repolarization heterogeneity and rate dependency in a canine, rapid pacing model of heart failure.

Methods and Results

We studied ventricular repolarization heterogeneity and rate dependency in 10 canine hearts (5 normal and 5 after 1 month of rapid pacing at 240 beats per minute) by analyzing 64 body surface electrocardiograms, 64 epicardial, and 190 intramural plunge electrograms. We estimated mean ventricular depolarization and repolarization times from R- and T-wave peaks of the root-mean-square electrocardiogram (body surface) and local depolarization and repolarization times using activation-recovery interval (ARI) methods from recordings obtained during a range of fixed rate pacing. In addition, we estimated local epicardial and transmural gradients of ARIs to assess cardiac locations of greatest spatial repolarization heterogeneity. We compared changes in repolarization at different rates between normal and heart failure hearts. Findings documented prolongation of repolarization, repolarization rate dependency, and increased repolarization gradients in the heart failure hearts compared with control as observed from body surface, epicardial, and transmural measurements. Maximum local epicardial and intramural ARI gradients were comparable both in heart failure and control hearts. Intramural ARI distributions tended to be more irregular in the heart failure hearts compared with the systematic epicardium to endocardium ARI increase observed in control animals.

Conclusions

This study documented prolongation of repolarization, increase in both epicardial and transmural repolarization gradients, and irregularity of transmural distribution in a rapid pacing canine model of heart failure compared with control animals. The findings support previously published results of increased repolarization heterogeneity and repolarization prolongation observed in rapid pacing models of heart failure. New findings are the irregularity of transmural heterogeneity and the ability of noninvasive root-mean-square electrocardiogram R-T intervals to estimate mean ventricular repolarization duration in the setting of rapid pacing models of heart failure. These findings suggest increased arrhythmogenic risk in this model and potentially in patients with heart failure.     

Improvements in both psychosis and motor signs in Parkinson's disease, and changes in regional cerebral blood flow after electroconvulsive therapy

Purpose

Psychotic symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) are relatively common and, in addition to creating a disturbance in patients' daily lives, have consistently been shown to be associated with poor outcome. The use of anti-PD medications has been the most widely identified risk factor for PD psychosis (PDP). However, the pathophysiology of PDP remains unclear. Although the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for PD had been pointed out, only one study has demonstrated the effectiveness of ECT on both psychotic symptoms and motor symptoms. The aim of this study was to examine the acute effectiveness of ECT on PD and to identify the brain areas associated with PDP.

Methods

The study was conducted at Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo. Eight patients with L-DOPA- or dopamine (DA) agonist-induced PDP, who were resistant to quetiapine treatment, were enrolled. Severity of PD was evaluated using the Hoehn and Yahr stage. Psychotic symptoms were evaluated using multiple measures from the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS). Technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography (99mTc ECD SPECT) was used to assess regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) before and after a course of ECT. A voxel-by-voxel group analysis was performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM5).

Results

Our study clearly demonstrated that PDP was significantly less severe after ECT than before ECT, as indicated by change in mean SAPS total domain score (t = 7.2, P = 0.0002). Furthermore, the patients showed significant improvement in Hoehn and Yahr stage after ECT (t = 11.7, P < 0.0001). A further notable observation was significant increase in rCBF in the right middle frontal gyrus after ECT.

Conclusion

We conclude that a course of ECT produced notable improvements not only in PDP but also in the severity of PD. The findings of change in rCBF suggest implications for dysfunction in the middle frontal region for patients with PDP.     

A pilot study of brain activation in children with trichotillomania during a visual-tactile symptom provocation task: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Objectives

In order to reveal the etiology and pathophysiology of trichotillomania (TTM), it is necessary to investigate which brain regions are involved in TTM, but limited knowledge exists regarding the neurobiology of TTM and the available functional neuroimaging studies of TTM are little. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the specific brain regions involved in the pathophysiology of TTM with symptom provocation task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for children and adolescents with TTM.

Methods

Pediatric subjects who met the DSM-IV TR criteria for TTM (n = 9) and age-, sex-, handedness-, IQ matched healthy controls(HC) (n = 10), ages 9 to 17 years, were recruited for two fMRI experiments; symptom provocation of Visual Only (VO) and Visual and Tactile (VT). They were scanned while viewing two alternating blocks of symptom provocation (S) and neutral (N) movies.

Results

Random effects between-group analysis revealed significant activation in left temporal cortex(including middle and superior temporal gyrus), dorsal posterior cingulate gyrus, and putamen for the contrast S > N in TTM subjects versus HC subjects during the VO session. And TTM subjects demonstrated higher activity in the precuneus and dorsal posterior cingulate gyrus to the contrast S > N during the VT session.

Conclusions

This study provided an objective whole-brain-based analysis that directed researchers to areas that were abnormal in TTM. Using the symptom provocation tasks, we found significant differences in regional brain function between pediatric TTM and HC subjects. However, in the face of modest statistical power, our preliminary findings in TTM need to be replicated in a larger sample. As the functional neuroanatomic circuits involved in TTM remain largely unexplored, future functional neuroimaging studies using other various paradigms may help investigate the neuroanatomic abnormalities of TTM.     

Relationship of parental bonding styles with gray matter volume of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in young adults

Previous epidemiologic studies using the parental bonding instrument (PBI), a self-report scale to rate attitudes of parents during the first 16 years, have suggested that a lower parental care score or higher parental overprotection score could lead to an increased risk of several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and mood disorder. However, neuroimaging studies of an association between PBI scores and brain developmental abnormalities are still limited. In this region-of-interest analysis study using a cross-sectional design, we examined 50 normal young adults, in terms of relationships of parental bonding styles during the first 16 years measured by PBI with regional gray matter (GM) volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Our study showed that paternal care score positively correlated with the GM volume in the left DLPFC, and paternal and maternal overprotection score negatively correlated with the GM volume in the left DLPFC. In conclusion, our results suggest that in normal young adults, lower paternal care and higher parental overprotection scores correlated with the GM volume reduction in the DLPFC     

妊娠期高血压疾病孕产妇脑电生理学研究

目的分析妊娠期高血压疾病（HDP）孕产妇脑电生理的特点。方法对2009年9月至2010年3月在我院产科住院分娩的HDP孕产妇进行脑电图（EEG）和脑电地形图（BEAM）检查,分析其特点并与正常孕产妇EEG和BEAM进行比较。结果 30例正常分娩孕产妇,EEG均为正常EEG。32例HDP孕产妇（轻度HDP20例,重度HDP12例）,其中13例为正常EEG,19例为异常EEG（界限性EEG7例,异常EEG12例）。异常EEG中,15例（79%）表现为癫痫样放电,2例以慢波活动为主,2例以快波活动为主。HDP与正常孕产妇EEG结果经卡方检验,P〈0.01,两者有非常显著性差异;30例正常孕产妇BEAM均正常;32例HDP孕产妇,4例BEAM异常,经Fisher精确检验,P=0.11,两者无显著性差异。结论非子痫性HDP孕产妇EEG改变以癫痫样放电为主。与正常孕产妇相比,HDP孕产妇EEG变化显著,而BEAM变化不大。     

Prevalence of Trachoma in Northern Benin: Results from 11 Population-Based Prevalence Surveys Covering 26 Districts

Aims: We sought to evaluate trachoma prevalence in all suspected-endemic areas of Benin.

Methods: We conducted population-based surveys covering 26 districts grouped into 11 evaluation units (EUs), using a two-stage, systematic and random, cluster sampling design powered at EU level. In each EU, 23 villages were systematically selected with population proportional to size; 30 households were selected from each village using compact segment sampling. In selected households, we examined all consenting residents aged one year or above for trichiasis, trachomatous inflammation – follicular (TF), and trachomatous inflammation – intense. We calculated the EU-level backlog of trichiasis and delineated the ophthalmic workforce in each EU using local interviews and telephone surveys.

Results: At EU-level, the TF prevalence in 1–9-year-olds ranged from 1.9 to 24.0%, with four EUs (incorporating eight districts) demonstrating prevalences ≥5%. The prevalence of trichiasis in adults aged 15+ years ranged from 0.1 to 1.9%. In nine EUs (incorporating 19 districts), the trichiasis prevalence in adults was ≥0.2%. An estimated 11,457 people have trichiasis in an area served by eight ophthalmic clinical officers.

Conclusion: In northern Benin, over 8000 people need surgery or other interventions for trichiasis to reach the trichiasis elimination threshold prevalence in each EU, and just over one million people need a combination of antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement for the purposes of trachoma’s elimination as a public health problem. The current distribution of ophthalmic clinical officers does not match surgical needs.     

人工耳蜗术后编程中神经反应遥测阈值及行为T值的比较分析

目的 了解人工耳蜗术后神经反应遥测(NRT)阈值的变化,NRT与行为T值之间的相关性,以及长期行为T值的变化,为人工耳蜗植入术后的患儿编程提供帮助。 方法 20例接受Nucleus CI24R型多导人工耳蜗植入的患儿,在开机时及6个月调试时对1、11、20号电极进行NRT阈值测试,通过NRT值进行电子耳蜗程序设置;开机后1年和2年对患儿进行行为T值测试,并设置程序;收集开机时及6个月的NRT值分别与1年及2年的行为T值比较。 结果 1号电极开机时和6个月时NRT相互比较差异无统计学意义,11号和22号电极开机时和6个月时NRT差异有统计学意义,三对电极1年与2年行为T值差异都无统计学意义;开机时NRT阈值与行为T值的相关关系中:开机时NRT阈值与行为T值只有22号电极呈正相关,其余两电极中无相关关系。6个月NRT阈值与行为T值的相关关系中:1号电极6个月NRT阈值与行为T值均为正相关;22号电极开机6个月NRT值与1年行为T值为正相关,其他无相关关系。 结论 各电极NRT阈值自开机时基本保持稳定,NRT阈值与行为T值部分电极具有相关性,开机时和最初几次调机时患儿不能配合进行行为测试可以选择NRT阈值来参考调试耳蜗;1年和2年的行为T值也基本稳定,说明患儿术后1年能较好配合行为T值测试,对于配合较好者的患儿可以适当延长调试时间。