Radiation dose reduction during hysterosalpingography: an application of scanning-beam digital radiography

Hysterosalpingography was performed in 31 patients by means of a low-dose scanning-beam digital radiographic system. The technique permits adequate evaluation of gynecologic abnormalities while allowing significant reduction in radiation: 2.4-mR (6.1 X 10(-7) C/kg) exposure to the skin and 0.7-mrad (7 X 10(-6) Gy) mean dose to the ovaries per image obtained. Sixteen patients demonstrated readily recognizable and documented abnormalities, corroborated by laparoscopy, laparotomy, or other supportive evidence.     

The conservative coronary angioplasty strategy after thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction: immediate and short-term results.

The in-hospital and short-term follow-up results of a conservative coronary angioplasty approach in 354 consecutive patients treated after thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction were compared with results obtained in 408 control noninfarcted patients treated for the classical indication of myocardial ischemia. Only 20% of the study patients underwent angioplasty during the initial hospitalization period and the clinical success rate was 93% versus 95% in the control group (p = NS). No significant differences in the total number of in-hospital untoward events were observed (10.2% and 7.6%, respectively). During a 7.4 +/- 1.5 month follow-up period, the total number of adverse events was only 16.9% in the study patients but it was 27.8% in the control group (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in death, myocardial infarction, or coronary surgery as individual events, but repeat angioplasty was less frequent in the study group (14.0% versus 21.5%, p < 0.01). Thus in-hospital results in patients undergoing angioplasty on a deferred basis after thrombolysis for myocardial infarction were largely comparable with those results obtained in noninfarcted patients. Moreover, short-term clinical follow-up events were reduced when compared with the control group, an observation apparently largely related to the subgroup without clinical evidence of residual ischemia.     

F-19 MR imaging of glucose metabolism in the rabbit

Noninvasive metabolic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging reflecting glucose metabolism in the aldose-reductase-sorbitol (ARS) pathway was performed in the rabbit head; after administration of the fluorinated glucose analogue 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-glucose (3FD-glucose), fluorine-19 images were generated. Images of 3FD-glucose showed significant 3FD-glucose uptake by adipose tissue, indicating its buffering effects in case of excess loads of glucose. Images of 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-sorbitol (3FD-sorbitol) demonstrated the spatial distribution of aldose reductase activities and significant sorbitol accumulation in the lens. Images of 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-fructose (3FD-fructose) showed preferential uptake of fructose by muscle tissue. The extremely low toxicity of 3FD-glucose indicates promise for its clinical application in metabolic imaging.     

Computer scoring of motility patterns for states of sleep and wakefulness: human infants

A procedure is described for continuous monitoring of sleep states and wakefulness of infants in the home, with no intervention required for the recording. The infant's motility patterns produced by respiration and body movements are recorded from a pressure-sensitive mattress in the crib onto a single channel of a small 24-h analog recorder. In this way, signals produced by the naturally occurring states are obtained during all portions of the day when the infant is in the crib. Later, in the laboratory, the signals are analyzed by computer, using a pattern recognition program with a template-matching procedure that scores the data every 30 s for Active Sleep, Quiet Sleep, Active-Quiet Transition Sleep, Sleep-Wake Transition, and Wakefulness. Computer-scored records for 2-h recordings of 10 infants were compared with direct behavioral state observations that were made at the same time as the mattress recording. The results confirmed the validity of the computer scoring procedure, both when templates were obtained from each infant's observation and when a standard set of templates from one infant were used for scoring the data from all other subjects.     

大鼠移植心脏组织中血小板衍生生长因子A mRNA表达及雷帕霉素的干预效应

目的:血小板衍生生长因子在平滑肌细胞的表型转化过程中起重要作用。观察大鼠移植心脏组织中血小板衍生生长因子AmRNA表达的变化及雷帕霉素的干预效应。方法:实验于2005-10/2006-01在中南大学湘雅二医院胸心外科实验室完成。将60只SD大鼠、24只Wistar大鼠按随机数字表法分为3组:①同系移植组:供、受体各12只,均为SD大鼠。②异系移植组:供体为Wistar大鼠(n=24),受体为SD大鼠(n=24),受体大鼠随机分为雷帕霉素组(n=12)和环孢霉素组(n=12),术后分别给予雷帕霉素1.25mg/(kg·d)灌胃及环孢霉素A10mg/(kg·d)皮下注射,给药60d,给药结束后留取移植心脏待检。③另12只SD大鼠直接取心脏组织作为正常对照组。指标检测:①对移植心脏组织行VanGieson染色后采用Miassystem4.1医学图像分析管理系统分析血管狭窄程度。②应用反转录-聚合酶链反应检测血小板衍生生长因子AmRNA在移植心脏组织中的表达情况。结果:36只受体SD大鼠及12只正常SD大鼠全部进入结果分析,无脱失。①同系移植组、环孢霉素组及雷帕霉素组大鼠的冠状动脉狭窄指数均显著高于正常对照组[(13.12±0.72)%,(62.45±8.12)%,(28.91±3.24)%,(0.09±0.02)%(P<0.01)],环孢霉素组及雷帕霉素组高于同系移植组(P<0.05),环孢霉素组高于雷帕霉素组(P<0.01)。②正常对照组、同系移植组、环孢霉素组及雷帕霉素组大鼠的血小板衍生生长因子AmRNA相对含量分别为0.19±0.06,0.21±0.08,1.12±0.22及0.47±0.11,环孢霉素组、雷帕霉素组显著高于同系移植组(P<0.01),环孢霉素组高于雷帕霉素组(P<0.05)。结论:血小板衍生生长因子AmRNA的高表达与移植心脏的血管硬化有关;雷帕霉素具有预防大鼠心脏移植物血管病变的作用,其作用可能与抑制心脏组织中血小板衍生生长因子AmRNA的表达有关。