Magnetic resonance imaging and quantitative analysis of intracranial cystic lesions: surgical implication.

The authors evaluated a series of proven intracranial cystic lesions prospectively. The relative signal intensities of these lesions on both T1- and T2-weighted sequences were correlated with the composition and viscosity of the cystic contents. Specimens were collected from 51 patients by cyst aspiration or at the time of surgery.

Interaction of creatine kinase and adenylate kinase systems in muscle cells.

Elsewhere in this book the important role of creatine kinase and its metabolites in high energy phosphate metabolism and transport in muscle cells has been reviewed. The emphasis of this review article is mainly on the compartmentalized catalytic activity of adenylate kinase in relation to creatine kinase isoenzymes, and other enzymes of energy production and utilization processes in muscle cells. At present the role of adenylate kinase is considered simply to equilibrate the stores of adenine nucleotides.

Effect of food restriction on the phosphocreatine energy shuttle components in rat heart.

Malnutrition has been associated with changes in cardiac metabolism and performance. We have previously reported a diabetic-type cardiomyopathy associated with chronic food restriction and weight loss. Because the creatine-phosphocreatine-creatine kinase system is important in the contractile process, we studied the components of this system in rats fed a food-restricted diet (33% of control animal intake).

Diabetic type of cardiomyopathy in food-restricted rats.

We have demonstrated that food restriction that is associated with weight loss can produce a type of cardiac dysfunction similar to that produced by diabetes. As in diabetic atria, the food-restricted atria had a 2-fold increase in contraction force, rate of force development, and rate of force decline compared with controls. Both food-restricted and diabetic atria could tolerate anoxia better than controls.

Alteration of the phosphocreatine energy shuttle components in diabetic rat heart.

Considering the important role of the phosphocreatine energy shuttle in contractile function of the heart we decided to study the different components of this shuttle in STZ-induced diabetic rat heart with a known diabetic related cardiomyopathy. Diabetes produced a gradual decline in total CK activity, reaching a maximum of 35-40% decrease after 4 weeks of diabetes, in both atria and ventricles. All of the CK isoenzymes including the mitochondrial CK (CKm) were reduced but to a different extent in these two tissues.