Quantitative assessment of myocardial perfusion defects with real-time three-dimensional myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of measurement of myocardial perfusion defects with intravenous contrast-enhanced real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (CE-RT3DE).

Methods: RT3DE was performed in 21 open-chest mongrel dogs undergoing acute ligation of the left anterior descending artery (LAD, n = 14) or distal branch of the left circumflex artery (LCX, n = 7). A perfluorocarbon microbubble contrast agent was injected intravenously to assess the resulting myocardial perfusion defects with Philips Sonos-7500 ultrasound system.

Effects of cholesterol on the phenotype of rabbit bile duct fibroblasts.

Aim: To investigate how cholesterol (Ch) can affect the phenotype of bile duct fibroblasts of New Zealand rabbits.

Methods: 16 rabbits were divided randomly into two groups: the control group and the experiment group. The rabbits in experiment group were fed with hypercholesterol diet for 8 weeks.

Effect of cholesterol liposomes on calcium mobilization in muscle cells from the rabbit sphincter of Oddi.

Aim: To analyze the influence of cholesterol liposome on the Ca2+ mobilization of cultured muscle cells in the rabbit sphincter of Oddi's.

Methods: New Zealand rabbit was sacrificed and the sphincter of Oddi (SO) segment was obtained aseptically. The SO segment was cut into pieces and cultured in DMEM solution.