Baseline cardiac magnetic resonance imaging versus baseline endomyocardial biopsy for the prediction of left ventricular reverse remodeling and prognosis in response to therapy in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) and late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) imaging performed at baseline are both used to evaluate the extent of myocardial fibrosis. However, no study has directly compared the effectiveness of these diagnostic tools in the prediction of left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) and prognosis in response to therapy in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). Seventy-five patients with newly diagnosed IDCM who were undergoing optimal therapy were assessed at baseline using LGE-CMR imaging and EMB; the former measured LGE area and the latter measured collagen volume fraction (CVF) as possible predictive indices of LVRR and cardiac event-free survival.

Molecular characterization and transcriptional regulation of nitrate reductase in a ruminal bacterium, Selenomonas ruminantium.

Nitrate reductase (NaR) of a strain of Selenomonas ruminantium was purified, and the gene encoding NaR (nar) was sequenced. The 6.4 kbp nar gene consisted of narG, H, J, and I in this order.

Regulation of lactate dehydrogenase synthesis in a ruminal bacterium, Streptococcus bovis.

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was purified from three strains of Streptococcus bovis, and the gene ldh was cloned and sequenced. The ldh of S. bovis from a goat (TH1) was different from the ldhs of two other strains from cattle (TH2, JB1) in that Asp(220) was substituted for Glu.

Structure and transcriptional regulation of the gene encoding pyruvate formate-lyase of a ruminal bacterium, Streptococcus bovis.

The gene (pfl) encoding pyruvate formate-lyase (Pfl) from Streptococcus bovis was sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence of Pfl was similar to Streptococcus mutans Pfl, and included the conserved regions necessary for free-radical formation and a catalytic site. The Pfl of S.