Real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography in rat: infusion versus bolus administration.

To compare the feasibility of real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) in rats with infusion and bolus administration of a second-generation ultrasound contrast agent BR1. B-mode real-time MCE was performed in 12 Sprague Dawley rats following the BR1 infusion or bolus injection. The myocardium signal intensity (SI) was plotted against time and was fitted to exponential functions.

Three- and 4-dimensional ultrasonography in the prenatal evaluation of fetal anomalies associated with trisomy 18.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of 3- and 4-dimensional ultrasonography (3D/4DUS) for the description of anomalies associated with trisomy 18 and to determine whether 3D/4DUS adds diagnostic information over what is provided by conventional 2-dimensional ultrasonography (2DUS) alone.

Methods: Twenty-six fetuses subsequently proven to have trisomy 18 underwent prenatal ultrasonographic evaluations by both 2DUS and 3D/4DUS. Volume data sets were acquired by the same sonographers after the conventional 2DUS examinations and were explored with 4-dimensional imaging software by another independent examiner blinded to the indications of 2DUS.

[Prognostic value of ventricular longitudinal systolic velocities and maximal oxygen consumption in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy].

Objective: To compare the prognostic value of regional longitudinal ventricular systolic velocities with that of maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2max)) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Methods: VO(2max) derived from cardiopulmonary exercise tests and regional longitudinal ventricular systolic velocities obtained from tissue Doppler imaging were compared in 18 DCM patients with cardiac events (death, cardiac transplantation, hospitalization, group A) and 24 patients without cardiac events (group B). Peak velocities during isovolumic contraction (is) and ejection (ez) were interrogated at the mitral or tricuspid annulus (site 1), at the mid parts of the walls (site 3, at the level of papillary muscle), and at the midpoints (site 2) between sites 1 and 3 of interventricular septum (S), lateral wall of LV (L) and of RV (R) in apical 4 chambers view.

[Noninvasive assessment of left anterior descending and right coronary artery flow reserve by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in patients with coronary artery disease].

Objective: To assess the feasibility of evaluation of CFR for LAD and right coronary artery (RCA) as well as diagnostic accuracy for patency of each vessel by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE).

Methods: 65 consecutive patients (age 58 +/- 14, ejection fraction 49% +/- 8%, 48 men and 17 women) were studied for CFR by TTDE with adenosine infusion (140 microg.kg(-1).

[Construction of VEGF eukaryotic expression vector and its expression in endothelial cells and cardiac myocytes in-vitro].

Aim: To study the feasibility of VEGF165 gene transfection to endothelial cells and cardiac myocytes in-vitro.

Methods: The VEGF165 DNA fragment was inserted into a green fluorescent protein fusion vector, which was then transfected into endothelial cells and cardiac myocytes with lipofectamine.

Results: The endothelial cells and cardiac myocytes were successfully transfected with pIRES2-EGFP-hVEGF165 gene, which was confirmed by fluoroscopy and immunohistochemistry.