Diastolic time during exercise in normal subjects and in patients with coronary artery disease. A plethysmographic study.

Percent diastole (%D) was evaluated at rest and during effort (submaximal upright exercise) in 13 normal subjects and in 14 age-matched patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Systolic time intervals were also simultaneously recorded by using the thermistor pulse transducer. At rest, in both groups, a positive linear regression was found between %D and cycle length (RR) (%D = 19.

Intropic effects of several antiarrhythmic drugs.

The effects of intravenous administration of several quinidine-like antiarrhythmic drugs (bunaftine, monochloroacetyl ajmaline, lidocaine, mexiletine, disopyramide, aprindine, diphenylhydantoin, procainamide) on left ventricular performance, evaluated by systolic time intervals (STI), were studied in 100 patients with atherosclerotic heart disease. The STI were measured: the pre-ejection period (PEP), the isometric contraction time (ICT), the left ventricular ejection time (LVET), corrected LVET (LVETc), and the PEP/LVET ratio. The degree of impairment of left ventricular performance was maximal after aprindine and disopyramide administration.

Systolic time-interval evaluation by thermistor plethysmography during uninterrupted dynamic stress test in normals and in patients with coronary artery disease.

18 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 21 normal subjects underwent a triangular bicycle exercise test. Systolic time intervals (STI) were calculated at rest and every 2 min during exercise. Under resting conditions, STI were similar in the two groups.

Two-dimensional echocardiography in idiopathic enlargement of the right atrium. Reliability and limitations.

A 36-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with exertional dyspnea, palpitation and cardiac enlargement on standard chest X-ray. Physical examination did not reveal any significant abnormality and routine laboratory tests were normal. ECG showed atrial fibrillation and negative T waves in lead III and a VF, with a stiffened ST segment.

Quantitative assessment of infarct size in isoproterenol-infarcted rats.

The authors performed a number of experiments aiming at quantifying the infarct size in Sprague-Dawley male rats. The experimental model employed was isoproterenol (ISP) induced, infarctlike myocardial lesions. In quantifying the extent of the infarct area they compared the cross reliability of enzymatic and histological methods.

Severity of mitral regurgitation assessed by echocardiography. Reliability and limitations.

To assess whether echocardiography may represent a useful mean to evaluate the degree mitral regurgitation (DR), left ventricular diastolic internal dimension (LVIDd), left atrial dimension (LAD), and velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcf) were compared to DR assessed by left ventriculography in 48 patients with primary (n = 21) and cardiomyopathic (n = 27) valvular incompetence. In patients with good left ventricular contractility, i.e.

Non-invasive evaluation by thermistor plethysmography of left ventricular performance during dynamic exercise. Comparison with echocardiography.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of two non-invasive techniques (STI and echocardiography) in assessing cardiovascular response during exercise. STI were obtained using a new carotid pulse transducer (thermistor pulse) proved to be reliable in exercise recording. The study population included 12 male rowers (age 15-20 years), who performed supine bicycle exercise; STI and echocardiographic recording of left ventricle were simultaneously obtained at rest and continuously throughout the exercise period.

Relationship between systolic time intervals and heart rate during atrial or ventricular pacing in normal subjects.

Systolic time intervals (STI) are regarded as good indices of cardiac performance in many heart diseases. It must be considered, however, that they are temporally related to the cardiac contraction cycle and, therefore, may be modified by heart rate changes. Thus, it is necessary to define the possible relationship between STI and heart rate changes.

[Arterial revascularization of the liver after portacaval shunt in the rabbit].

A new experimental model has been employed as part of research into portosystemic encephalopathy, namely end-to-side portacaval shunt associated wih revascularization of the portal bed with the right renal artery in the rabbit. Study of the changes brought on by the operation is based on the evaluation of survival, the behaviour of the weight curve, the weight liver-body/weight ratio, and the angiographic and histologic pictures. Significant variations were obtained by comparison with animals in which an associated portocaval shunt was performed.

Myocardial hypertrophy in the rat. Correlation between two experimental models.

Two different conditions responsible for cardiac hypertrophy in the rat were investigated: the first one is isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarct, the second is exposure to hypoxia (0.42 atmospheres/24 h) in hypobaric chamber. To demonstrate that in both experimental models stimulation of protein synthesis is an absolute requirement to induce cardiac hypertrophy, a variety of techniques were employed including: evaluation of dry heart weight value, concentration of radiothallium (201T1) in the heart and effects of inhibitors of protein synthesis (Puromycin).

Effects of intravenous disopyramide on myocardial function in patients with different degrees of cardiac failure.

The effects of intravenous disopyramide phosphate on myocardial function were evaluated by non-invasive indices of cardiac performance (systolic time intervals, STI) in 15 patients with atherosclerotic heart disease and different degrees of cardiac failure. Disopyramide (1.5 mg/Kg) was given intravenously over a period of 5 min.

[Effects of metoprolol on myocardial performance in hypertensive patients during exercise (author's transl)].

In this study the effects of metoprolol administration (200 mg daily per os) to 20 hypertensive subjects (WHO stage I and II), as a 20-days course, on heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (BP) and myocardial performance evaluated by systolic time intervals, were studied both at rest and during exercise. This treatment was able to reduce significantly HR and BP in all the patients, both at rest and during exercise. After the 20 days treatment, the left ventricular ejection time corrected for HR (LVETc) did not show any significant change both at rest and during exercise.

[Correlations between polygraphic and hemodynamic parameter changes induced by high concentrated oxygen administration in patients with mitral valvulopathy (author's transl)].

The goal of this study was to identify, utilizing apexcardiogram, other noninvasive parameters useful to evaluate the functional condition of the pulmonary vascular bed in patients with mitral stenosis and insufficiency. The patients of both sexes with mitral stenosis and insufficiency underwent left and right heart catetherization and simultaneously a polygraphic study was performed. Recordings of polygraphic as well as hemodynamic parameters were performed under control condition and after 5 min breathing of 100% Oxygen administered by facial mask.

[Anti-arrhythmic effect of magnesium cations. Protection against ventricular excitability during cardiotonic therapy].

This study showed the effectiveness of magnesium sulphate during digitalis therapy complicated by ventricular hyperexcitability. 28 patients with cardiac disease and ventricular arrhythmias in heart failure were studied. Magnesium sulphate was given by slow intravenous infusion (30--50 mg/min) twice daily.

[Mondor's disease. Considerations on 5 cases].

The clinical, anatomical, topographical and pathological features of Mondor's disease are described, and five personal cases are presented. Their aetiopathogenetic characteristics reflect the doubts expressed in the literature. Stress is laid on the benign nature of the disease, the possibility of treating it at the out-patient level, and the complete remission of both subjective and objective symptoms obtainable in the space of a few weeks.

[An unusual case of entero-vesical fistula caused by a foreign body].

The authors describe a rare case of sigmoidovesical fistula due to a foreign body and giving trouble 30 years after the causative surgical procedure, namely an oopheroctomy. The cause of the fistula was apparently some suture material that had not been reabsorbed. Surgical excision of the fistula produced a complete recovery.

[Clinical and hemodynamic effects of disopyramide phosphate administered i.v. in cardiopathic subjects (author's transl)].

The antiarrhythmic action of disopyramide (1.5 mg/Kg) administered i.v.