[An assessment of myocardial contractility in experimental atherosclerosis].

Experimental atherosclerosis reduced the parameters of the myocardium contractility in rats: the time of reaching the maximum of isometric contractions and the relative time of relaxation were shortened, and the velocity of the muscle shortening was decelerated. These changes seem to be due to a developing hypertrophy of the right ventricle's papillary muscles. The specific feature of the myocardium in rats with atherosclerosis involves a phenomenon of mechanochemical dissociation (inactivation) due, probably, to the effect of dyslipoproteinemia on the contractile processes.

[Comparison of the results of serial determination of CPK activity with electrocardiographic and clinical data in patients with acute myocardial infarction].

Correlations between clinical pattern of the disease, electrocardiographic evidence of necrosis from standard leads and the size of infarction expressed in CPK gram-equivalents were examined in 92 patients with acute primary transmural myocardial infarction. In addition, maximum total CPK activity and the pattern of the curve obtained through serial measurements were assessed. The patients were divided in five groups depending on electrocardiographic evidence of necrotic spread, which differed significantly in terms of both enzyme activity and clinical pattern of the disease.