Heparin effect on ionised calcium concentration

The effect of heparin on plasma ionised calcium was studied by adding it in increasing amounts to whole blood from 10 normal subjects. There was no significant change in ionised calcium from the addition of 1 U/ml but a significant fall of 0.02 mmol/1 when 2 U/ml were added and a progressive further fall with increasing concentrations. Heparin from three different manufacturers produced similar results. The effect of heparinisation in vivo was studied during regular haemodialysis on 10 patients with chronic renal failure. Following intravenous injection of 10000 U of heparin there was a consistent and significant fall averaging 0.03 mmol/l.     

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN POSTERIOR CIRCULATION INFARCTION: IMPACT ON DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT

To compare the diagnostic yield of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with computed tomography (CT) in posterior circulation infarction, we used proton MRI with a 0.3 Tesla magnet and a 3rd generation CT scanner in 25 patients. Age-matched controls were compared in a blinded fashion. Seventeen patients (68%) showed relevant pathology on MRI not seen on CT, 11 with normal CT and six with more extensive lesions, chiefly in the brain stem. Evidence of abnormal vertebrobasilar blood flow was seen in 8/25 (32%) of patients, suggested by vascular high intensity signals on MRI. Two tissue and one flow abnormality were seen in the control group. MRI provides additional information concerning infarct site, extent and pathogenesis in posterior circulation infarction.     

Efficacy evaluation of gadoteridol for MR angiography of intracranial vascular lesions

A phase III multicenter study was conducted in 89 patients with known intracranial vascular lesions to evaluate an extracellular gadolinium contrast agent, gadoteridol, for intracranial magnetic resonance (MR) angiography. The pre- and postcontrast MR angiograms of 82 patients were evaluated by the unblinded investigators and by two blinded readers (A and B) for visualization of lesions; arterial and venous anatomy; extent, size, and number of lesions; and disease classification. The unblinded readers indicated that lesions were visualized better on postcontrast images in the following categories: venous anatomy, 87 (81%) of 107 lesions; arterial anatomy, 43 lesions (40%); and extent or size of lesions, 38 lesions (36%). In 29 (35%) of 82 patients, the unblinded readers determined that enhanced MR angiography provided more diagnostic information than unenhanced MR angiography. The blinded readers determined that enhanced MR angiography provided more information for visualization of vascular anatomy in more than 60% of cases. The additional information provided with gadoteridol would have changed the diagnosis in nine (8%) of 107 lesions seen by the unblinded readers, 11 (12%) of 90 lesions seen by reader A, and three (3%) of 93 lesions seen by reader B. The results confirm that the use of gadoteridol improves the visualization of intracranial vascular lesions with MR angiography. The authors conclude that development of new postprocessing algorithms will improve the utility of contrast-enhanced MR angiography.     

Effects of cooling and heating of the tooth on pulpal blood flow in man

Abstract Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) was used to study the changes in pulpal blood flow (PBF) evoked by application of cold or heat to the palatinal surfaces of teeth 11 or 21 in nine young subjects. Switching from a thermode temperature of 33° to 5° G on average induced a slow decrease of PBF to about 80% of control, and also warming to 39°C evoked a small reduction in most subjects. Inter individual differences were large, however, and both cooling and warming sometimes triggered a rise in PBF. In contrast, skin blood flow, as recorded with LDF in the forearm, invariably rose during warming and fell during local cooling. The results suggested a more complex interaction between local and nervously mediated effects of moderate changes in temperature in the tooth pulp than skin, and that the previous held view of cold and heat decreasing and increasing PBF, respectively, is wrong.     

高血压病人药物治疗期间动态血压变化

目的评价高血压病人药物治疗期间２４ｈ动态血压变化。方法２６例住院的高血压病人经药物治疗４周连续３ｄ随测血压，血压正常后进入本研究。治疗前后进行２４ｈ动态血压监测。结果患者随测血压（８～９ＡＭ，３～４ＰＭ）血压恢复到正常水平，但动态血压显示在一段时间内（６～８ＡＭ，６～１１ＰＭ）平均收缩和舒张压仍明显高于正常人平均水平（Ｐ＜０．０１），而该时间段易被临床医生忽视。结论随测血压不能实际全面反映高血压病人药物治疗的疗效，２４ｈ动态血压的监测可以正确评价高血压病人药物治疗的效果并根据高血压分布的时间来调整降压药的种类和剂量。     

紫外线照射充氧自血回输疗法治疗多形性红斑临床及甲皱微循环观察

采用紫外线充氧自血回输治疗多形性红斑的治疗组总有效率为１００％，对照组为４０％；甲皱微循环改善率治疗组为１００％，对照组为７５％，组间差异均有非常显著性（Ｐ＜０．０１）．观察证明，紫外线照射充氧自血回输疗法是治疗多形性红斑的一种好方法．     

Velocity and flow quantitation in the superior sagittal sinus with ungated and cine (gated) phase-contrast MR imaging

Normal blood flow and velocity in the superior sagittal sinus were measured in 30 patients. A fast two-dimensional ungated phase-contrast (PC) pulse sequence was compared with a peripherally gated cine PC technique for velocity and flow quantitation. The same imaging parameters were used for both methods. Measured values for mean velocity and flow obtained with the two methods were compared by using regression analysis and t testing. For blood flow, the correlation coefficient was 0.976. For velocity measurements, r was 0.950. Mean flow was 285 mL/min ± 19 with the ungated PC method and 281 mL/min ± 19 with the cine PC method. The mean velocities measured with the two methods were 12.94 cm/sec ± 1.1 and 13.59 cm/sec ± 1.1, respectively. There was no significant difference (paired t test) between the methods for mean flow or velocity data. This was true even though flow in the superior sagittal sinus is moderately pulsatile, as shown with the cine PC technique. The ungated PC method provided these data in 13 seconds versus 3.5 minutes for the cine PC method.     

Cardiac rehabilitation and return to work after coronary artery bypass surgery

The work situation of 66 male patients who underwent elective coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) and who had been randomly allocated to receive cardiac rehabilitation (group R) was compared with the work situation of 59 similar patients allocated to receive only standard care (group H). The follow-up time was one year. The proportions of subjects working in groups R and H were 26% and 20% (p=ns) before the CABS, 45% and 34% (p=ns) 6 months and 56% and 38% (p=ns) 12 months after the CABS, repectively. The increase in proportion of subjects who worked was significant in both groups at both 6 and 12 months after the CABS (p<0.05 for all changes). The increases were not significantly different between the whole groups, but in patients younger than 55 years of age, return to work was more frequent in group R than in group H (at 12 months 60% vs. 35%, p for the difference in change=0.02). Stepwise logistic regression analysis of the factors influencing return to work showed that a patient's judgement of his own working capacity as good 6 months after CABS (odds ratio (OR) 8.5, confidence interval (CI) 2.3–32.0), functional class 16 months after the CABS (OR 6.7, CI 1.8–24.5), his desire to work (OR 6.4, CI 1.6–26.0) and absence from work of less than 3 months before the CABS (OR 4.9, CI 1.2–20.2) were significant positive predictors of return to work 1 year after the CABS.