Resistance of Aluminide Coatings on Austenitic Stainless Steel in a Nitriding Atmosphere.

A new slurry cementation method was used to produce silicide-aluminide protective coatings on austenitic stainless steel 1.4541. The slurry cementation processes were carried out at temperatures of 800 and 1000 °C for 2 h with and without an additional oxidation process at a temperature of 1000 °C for 5 min.

Tissue Doppler echocardiographic identification of ischemic etiology in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Objective: To compare the left ventricular function in patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy using tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE).

Methods: We studied 30 patients after myocardial infarction (MI group), 30 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM group) and 60 healthy volunteers in corresponding control groups. TDE velocities, time intervals of cardiac cycle were measured and dispersion index of TDE parameters was calculated.

The assessment of mitral inflow propagation velocity in the diagnosis of advanced left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Background: The echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular diastolic function is usually based on mitral inflow parameters. The main limitation of this method is caused by pseudonormalisation of mitral inflow profile in advanced stages of diastolic dysfunction.

Aim: To evaluate the value of propagation velocity (Vp) of early and atrial mitral inflow wave in the diagnosis of pseudonormalisation.

Clinical application of 3-dimensional echocardiography--a 3-year single center experience.

Unlabelled: 3-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is a novel and rapidly evolving echocardiographic technique. Theoretically, 3DE should be helpful in difficult cases when 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) cannot deliver required information due to complex spatial relationships in diseased heart of inability to obtain a desired cross-sectional view. Accurate quantification is another potential benefit of 3DE.

[Predictive value of pharmacologic echocardiographic test for early and late cardiovascular events].

Purpose: Stress echocardiography (SE) and radionuclide perfusion imaging are competing diagnostic methods in patients with ischemic heart disease. The prognostic value of nuclear studies has been much better established so far. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the long term prognostic value of pharmacological stress echocardiography.