Vanishing pleural fluid collections in cardiac failure simulating lung tumours

Vanishing fluid collections in interlobar fissures, associated with congestive cardiac failure, are uncommon but well-recognized. Previous studies have highlighted the occurrence of solitary vanishing ‘tumours’, but in the study reported here 7 out of 12 consecutive patients presented with more than one interlobar fluid collection simulating pulmonary tumours. In most cases a lateral radiograph confirmed the correct diagnosis and in all cases follow-up radiographs demonstrated resolution of all pleural fluid collections. In one case ultrasound was helpful. Making the correct diagnosis is very important inorder to prevent inappropriate investigations and treatment such as biopsy or surgery. It is suggested that unusual pleural fluid collections may be more common in communities where pleural disease following stab wounds or tuberculosis are more prevalent.     

Virtual real-time digital processing of hemodynamic data

At present, the majority of cardiac catheterization laboratories acquire and store hemo-dynamic data in analog form. To examine the possibility of performing complex analysis of digital data during the catheterization procedure, we examined whether virtual realtime digital (fast Fourier) analysis improves the accuracy of clinical data. We compared digital filtering of fluid manometry during right heart catheterization with 10-Hz and 250-Hz analog filters. Using the simultaneously acquired micromanometry as the “gold standard,” we found that analog filtering is associated with a greater error and time delay than digital filtering. This study demonstrates that digital hemodynamic data analysis performed during cardiac catheterization can improve the quality of data obtained during right heart catheterization, with the results available within seconds. More extensive use of computers in the cardiac catheterization laboratory may be useful for both clinical and research purposes. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Post-prandial cardiovascular responses in man after ingestion of carbohydrate,protein or fat

Changes in cardiac output and in superior mesenteric arterial flow were followed with Doppler ultrasound techniques in five young, healthy persons for 2 h after ingestion of medium-sized (4 MJ), fluid meals containing either carbohydrate, protein, fat or water only. Measurements were carried out before meals and at regular post-meal intervals, during which mean arterial blood pressure was also followed. All energy-containing meals caused marked and gradually developing post-prandial increases in cardiac output as well as in superior mesenteric arterial flow. The maximum flow levels were reached in the course of 30–60 min and maintained until the observations ended after 2 h. The intake of water caused no such flow increases. There were considerable interpersonal variations in the size and in the speed of development of the flow increases after the three types of energy-containing meals. The flow-increasing effects of the three meal types were not significantly different, even if the most marked increases (median values about 1 1 min^-1 for both cardiac output and superior mesenteric arterial flow) occurred after carbohydrate meals. The marked effects on circulation of the three food components were also revealed in the calculated, integrated amounts of ‘extra’ cardiac output and superior mesenteric arterial flow observed in the course of the 2 h following the meal. Values of more than 100 1 for such ‘extra’ flows were seen after carbohydrate meals. The marked ingestion-released increase in blood flow to the splanchnic organs is apparently partly met by an increase in cardiac output, and partly by some redistribution of flow, which benefits the digestive system.     

Thrombus causing fatal left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in a heart transplant patient

A 60 year male, orthotopic heart transplant recipient developed a fatal left ventricular outflow obstruction secondary to thrombus at 38 months post transplant. Although he had episodes of mild to moderate rejection at 2 and 16 months post transplant, subsequent biopsies were negative and annual cardiac catheterizations showed mild left ventricular hypokinesis and normal coronary arteries. This case represents a catastrophic complication of transplant rejection and illustrates the problems with identifying rejection using current diagnostic methods.     

Vasoactive eicosanoids in the rat heart: Clues to a contributory role of cardiac throm☐ane to post-ischaemic hyperaemia

To assess the potential role of vasoactive cardiac eicosanoids in the modulation of coronary flow, we measure thromboxane(TX)B2, 6-keto-prostaglandin(PG)F1 alpha, PGE2 and sulphido-peptide leukotrienes (LTC4, D4, E4) in the coronary effluent of isolated perfused rat heart in both baseline and post-ischaemic conditions. Leukotrienes were undetectable. The order of production rate for the other eicosanoids was 6-keto-PGF1 alpha > TXB2 > PGE2. Production of such substances was increased about seven-fold over control after 5 min. global ischaemia; experiments with hypoxia showed that this was due to an actual increase in synthesis and not to a washout effect. A platelet source for TXB2 was excluded by 111In platelet labelling experiments. We assessed relative sensitivity to inhibition of cardiac TX synthesis relative to production of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha to inhibition by aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac and the specific thromboxane synthase inhibitor OKY-046. Aspirin, ibuprofen and diclofenac decreased 6-keto-PGF1 alpha production at a concentration always greater than required for a similar extent of TX inhibition. On the other hand a selective inhibition (> 90%) of TX was observed in the presence of OKY-046. Regression analysis of various 6-keto-PGF1 alpha/TXB2 ratios, as obtained in these different conditions, vs coronary flow, showed no correlation in baseline conditions, but a significant positive correlation (r = 0.59, P < 0.01) for post-ischaemic values. These data suggest a role for cardiac eicosanoids, including a non-platelet, cardiac-derived TX, in modulating the hyperaemic response in the isolated rat heart.     

Bipolar Stimulation of Cardiac Tissue Using an Anisotropic Bidomain Model

Bipolar Stimulation of the Cardiac Bidomain. Introduction: One of the fundamental electrophysiologic problems that has not yet been completely elucidated is the response of cardiac tissue to externally applied electric currents. A limited number of theoretical and experimental techniques has been used to study the electric behavior of cardiac tissue in the presence of stimulating currents, and to demonstrate that the anisotropy in the passive electrical properties of the tissue plays an important role in the genesis and propagation of the activation wave-front and the resulting potential distributions.
Methods and Results: In this work we have applied the finite element method to study the electric and magnetic fields produced by cardiac tissue in response to bipolar current injection, using a linear bidomain model to represent the tissue. We found that the transmembrane potential distribution close to the stimulus electrode has a rather complex geometrical pattern, with adjacent hyperpolarized and depolarized regions.
Conclusion: This behavior is consistent with previous theoretical and experimental results and may have implications in the study of electrical stimulation of cardiac tissue that are not apparent using other models.     

雷公藤氯内酯醇对大鼠异位心脏移植免疫抑制作用的实验研究

本研究应用纯系大鼠（Ｌｏｕ→Ｆ３４４）心脏移植模型，比较分析了ＣｓＡ和不同剂量Ｔ４治疗组的移植心脏存活时间、病理损害计分以及移植受体大鼠脾单个核细胞ＩＬ－２生成活性和血清ｓＩＬ－２Ｒ水平，证实Ｔ４可明显延长移植心脏存活时间和减少移植排异反应程度。此研究结果表明Ｔ４具有较强的抗移植排异作用。     

Effect of atrial pacing therapy with selective pacing algorithms on paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia among the elderly. Its incidence increases dramatically with increasing age and decreasing left ventrieular function, peaking in subjects with overt congestive heart failure, Because of the unsatisfactory efficacy and possible serious side effects of clinically available anti-AF drugs for AF patients with sick sinus syndrome, pacing techniques have recently been applied in the treatment of AF. The cardiac pacemaker Vitatron     

听性脑干反应和听觉相关电位测试对聋儿听力的评估

目的:探讨听性脑干反应(ABR)和40 Hz听觉相关电位(40Hz AERP)测试的相关性及对聋儿听力评估的重要性。方法:对401例6岁以下聋儿行ABR和40Hz AERP测试并比较。结果:ABR测试无反应者为589耳(73.4％),40 Hz AERP测试无反应者为311耳(19.4％),前者明显高于后者(P<0.01)。两种测试中有残余听力的耳数随阈值的升高,检出率亦升高,结论:ABR测试只反映高频听阈,无反应率高,而40 Hz AERP可显示低、中频的听阈,无反应率低。两种测试应同时进行,可全面了解聋儿的听力损失情况。同时因聋儿多为重度聋,更应及早选配助听器。     

Phase-sensitive cardiac tagging--REALTAG.

Fully inverting spins, instead of merely saturating them, provides superior contrast for tagging procedures. The resulting improvement in tag contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) yields higher-precision tag detection. Also, thinner slices and hence reduced tag separations can be employed, providing displacement and strain measurements with better spatial resolution. Alternatively, the improved tag contrast can be used to obtain cine images covering a greater portion of the cardiac cycle. The use of standard magnitude reconstruction for images of these inversion tags causes rectification of the negative-valued signals from the tags, confounding the image interpretation. Therefore, a phase-sensitive reconstruction scheme of the inverted tags must be employed. Here we demonstrate the implementation of inverted tags with phase-sensitive reconstruction in a ramped-flip-angle, steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence.