Bone formation and resorption biological markers in cosmonauts during and after a 180-day space flight (Euromir 95).

Long-term spaceflights induce bone loss as a result of profound modifications of bone remodeling, the modalities of which remain unknown in humans. We measured intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) and serum calcium; for bone formation, serum concentrations of bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), intact osteocalcin (iBGP), and type 1 procollagen propeptide (PICP); for resorption, urinary concentrations (normalized by creatinine) of procollagen C-telopeptide (CTX), free and bound deoxypyridinoline (F and B D-Pyr), and Pyr in a 36-year-old cosmonaut (RTO), before (days -180, -60, and -15), during (from days 10 to 178, n = 12), and after (days +7, +15, +25, and +90) a 180-day spaceflight, in another cosmonaut (ASW) before and after the flight. Flight PTH tended to decrease by 48% and postflight PTH increased by 98%.

Serum levels of tumor markers and presence of human antimouse antibodies: implications for diagnosis and treatment with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies.

Our study is based on 100 radioimmunodetections and five immunotherapies in 84 patients with advanced carcinomas. We used a monoclonal anti-CEA F(ab')2 and anti-CA 19.9 F(ab')2 antibody "cocktail" in 75% of the cases and monoclonal anti-alpha FP, anti-beta HCG, and OC 125 F(ab')2 antibodies in the other cases.

[Hemodynamic and angiographic aspects of endomyocardial fibrosis. Apropos of 19 cases].

19 cases of endomyocardial fibrosis were studied. Angiocardiography localises the site of fibrosis and seems to be the best diagnostic method. All cases in this series had left ventricular involvement which resulted in changes of the silhouette (square, polylobulated or deformed like the shape of a heart on a playing card) and of the ventricular contour (smooth, lacunar or "doubled").

[Quantitative echocardiography using a minicomputer (author's transl)].

Echocardiography should not remain merely qualitative but every effort should be made to make it quantitative, providing the clinician with numerical values. Three items are necessary: a graphic table, a minicomputer and an electronic reprograph, all small in size. The tracings obtained in TM technique are digitalised using the graph table, and the computer provides the results in the form of listings and graphs.

[Recording of His potentials from surface chest leads using a computer].

Under certain circumstances it is possible to record His potentials using surface chest leads. These potentials have a very low intensity over the thorax, and must be separated from the "background noise" by an averaging technique. The desired activity occurs before the R wave and has a constant relationship to it; the potentials picked up by the chest leads are amplified, coded numerically, and presented to the memory store which accepts only those potentials which precede the R wave.

Right atrial myxoma: an echocardiographic study.

A case of right atrial myxoma is reported in a 29-year-old man. Though it was a large tumour, the diagnosis remained unsuspected for a long time. Multiple echo recordings strongly contributed to the diagnosis.

[The possibility of the detection of His bundle potentials using thoracic surface electrodes (author's transl)].

Under certain conditions, it is possible to record His bundle potentials from thoracic surface electrodes. These potentials, which are extremely weak on the chest wall, must be extracted from the "background noise" using an averaging method. The required signal being situated before the R wave, and at a constant distance from the latter, the potentials collected from the thoracic electrodes are amplified, numerised and despatched to a memory which retains only the values preceeding the R wave and produces a summation of successive cycles, causing them to coincide using a synchronisation signal.

[Interventricular communication caused by nonpenetrating injury of the thorax].

Previously fatal in the majority of cases, traumatic interventricular communications are now curable by surgery. This is illustrated by the case described here of a 20 year old man. 62 other cases were found in the literature.

[Determination of first signs of pacemaker failure. Oscilloscopic study before and after removal].

An oscilloscopic study aimed at determining the first signs of pacemaker failure was carried out in vitro after removal in 95 cases. Using a differential apparatus with a 1 megahertz passing band, the following parameters were measured: interspike interval, amplitude, duration and morphology of the spike. During the course of the study, signs of pacemaker failure were seen in 66 cases.

[Fibroblastic constrictive endocarditis. Apropos of a form localized in the left ventricle].

The authors report a case of a localised form of this strange disorder which was confined to the left ventricle, and in which the diagnosis was tentative for a long time. In this case it was possible to carry out a removal of the fibrous plaque after opening the apex of the left ventricle, the mitral valve being preserved, as described by Dubost; the functional and haemodynamic results of this procedure were very satisfactory.

[Liebow desquamative interstitial pneumopathy. Review of the literature; discussion of a new case].

After a new observation, the authors make as complete a review as possible of the literature on this disease right up to the end of June 1974. They counted 104 observations and analyzed 91 of them. They think the clinical description could be enlarged to include the extra-thoracic signs.

[Diagnosis of myxomas of the left auricle by ultrasonic echography].

The two case histories of myxoma of the left auricle reported in this paper illustrate how echography is a diagnostic method which is non-invasive, simple, and relatively accurate provided that different angles of incidence are used, and especially the "root aorta-left auricle" incidence. It is indicated especially in cases with variable mitral murmurs on auscultation, but also where there is a very large left auricle, heart failure of unknown cause, or even an apparently straightforward case of mital stenosis. Moreover, as one of these case histories demonstrates, the technique allows both short and long term postoperative follow-up to be carried out with ease and safety, so that a possible recurrence can be picked up later.

[A genealogical study of Steinert's disease (author's transl)].

As a result of retrospective genealogical studies on 41 cases of myotonic dystrophy, the authors have found: 1) sound arguments to support the hypothesis of anticipation often discussed in association with this disease; 2) a high rate of mortinatality in the progeny of affected females; this aspect merits being taken into consideration in genetic counselling and should be reported to obstetricians. Its pathogenetic determination still remains obscure; 3) a relative frequency of illegitimacy in familes with affected fathers. On the basis of the low fertility associated with the disease, the authors postulate that new mutations may not be rare.

[Study of the action of acebutolol on the parameters of cardiac contraction measured by ultrasonic echography].

Recording by means of echography the motions of the posterior wall of the left ventricle makes it possible to compare in subjects acting as their own controls the amplitude of the movement, contraction and decontraction time of the myocardium before and after medication. This report concerns the variations recorded in 10 healthy patients before and after oral administration of 200 mg/day of acebutolol for 10 days. A statistically significant decrease of 8-9 p.