[Hemodynamics and anaerobic glycolysis during the head-down tilt test in myocarditis patients].

The analysis is presented of the changes observed in hemodynamics and anaerobic metabolism in myocarditis patients given increasing preload. It is shown that the antiorthostatic test can specify substantial deposition of blood in the lesser or greater circulation. Patients with congestive cardiac insufficiency demonstrate more frequently increased lactate levels in the blood of the coronary sinus and reduced myocardial extraction of lactate.

[Disorders of the central and intrapulmonary hemodynamics as an index of the degree of severity in myocarditis patients].

Central and intrapulmonary hemodynamic parameters were examined by direct and indirect methods in 46 patients with myocarditis (25 females and 21 males), which revealed diminished myocardial contractility, which was followed by a regular and significant pulmonary blood pressure and a reduction in the elastic properties of the pulmonary-arteriolar bed. Central and intrapulmonary hemodynamic changes are mostly associated with the development of hypodynamia and more rarely with that of the phase hemodynamic syndrome and more rarely with the volume overloading syndrome.

[Clinico-morphological characteristics of dilated cardiomyopathy].

The paper presents the results of a clinicomorphological study of 50 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. ECG, echocardiography, x-ray revealed atrial fibrillation, parasystole, extrasystole, impairment of intraventricular conduction, symptoms of a focal cicatricial myocardial lesion, high end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes, reduced ejection fraction, marked axial dilatation of the heart. Morphologic evaluation showed diffuse and diffuse microfocal cardiosclerosis, combination of sites of hypertrophic myocardiocytes with dystrophic foci, atrophy, sclerosis.

[Clinico-morphological characteristics of pericardial mesothelioma].

The authors describe clinical and morphological features of a rare tumor, pericardial mesothelioma. Their findings lead them to a conclusion that the epithelioid cell form (tubular and papillary variants) is the most incident histologic form of this tumor. They emphasize that life-time diagnosis of pericardial mesothelioma is of paramount importance because rational chemotherapy permits prolongation of the patient's survival.

[Diagnostic significance of indices of kininogenesis in infectious-allergic myocarditis].

Three patterns of kininogenetic changes: enhanced (50% of patients), depressed (40%) and qualitatively-different (10%) kininogenesis, were identified through 3 measurements of blood kallikrein-kinin (BKK) activity by kininogenase techniques in patients with infectious allergic myocarditis and myocarditic cardiosclerosis. The intensity of individual phases of kininogenesis is conditioned by the activity of total plasma kallikrein, its conformation and the level of kallikrein inhibitors. During the activated kininogenesis phase, a direct relation can be seen between changes in the activity of the above-mentioned parameters and clinical severity of the disease.

[Comparative diagnostic value of laboratory tests in infectious allergic myocarditis].

A comparative assessment of a series of laboratory tests has been made in 206 patients with infectious-allergic myocarditis. Routine laboratory parameters were shown to be of little informative value. Neutrophil alkaline phosphatase activity, the index of neutrophil damage with respect to soluble cardiac antigen, basophil and eosinophil degranulation, and absolute blood basophil and eosinophil quantity were found to be the most meaningful criteria for the assessment of the activity of inflammatory and allergic processes in patients with infectious-allergic myocarditis.

[Familial cardiomyopathy].

Data concerning two whole brothers with familial cardiomyopathy diagnosed during life are discussed. The disease was manifetsed in the brothers by similar clinical and instrumental symptoms, namely, congestive circulatory insufficiency, marked hypertrophy mainly of the left parts of the heart, and pronounced cardiomegalia. The diagnosis was confirmed by intravital myocardial puncture biopsy which yielded evidence in favour of clear-cut predominance of processes of hypertrophy with no manifestations of an active inflammatory reaction.

[Differential diagnosis of myocarditis from a number of cardiovascular system diseases].

The work is based on the analysis of 206 patients with myocarditis of whom 168 had infectious allergic myocarditis and 38 had idiopathic myocarditis. A wide variety of clinical laboratory and instrumental methods of examination was used and intravital puncture biopsy of the myocardium was conducted. The article discusses the criteria of differential diagnosis which make it possible to distinguish the form of myocarditis from a large group of cardiovascular diseases following a similar course, i.