ABSTRACT
This study was designed to test whether an exercise program is additive to diet counseling in lowering elevated blood cholesterol levels. From a screened population of 1024 subjects, we randomized 66 predominantly female subjects to two intervention groups: diet counseling and diet counseling with exercise. Subjects were selected who had elevated levels of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, an average or low fitness level, and a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol. After 26 weeks of intervention, 51 subjects exhibited significant decreases in serum levels of cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The addition of exercise to diet counseling resulted in improved aerobic capacity, losses of body fat and weight, and further nonsignificant decreases in serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Since these results differ from data acquired in individuals with normal to borderline serum cholesterol levels, further studies appear indicated in hypercholesterolemic subjects, especially in women.
Subject(s)
Diet , Exercise , Hypercholesterolemia/therapy , Adult , Body Weight , Cholesterol/blood , Cholesterol, HDL/blood , Cholesterol, LDL/blood , Counseling , Female , Humans , Hypercholesterolemia/blood , Hypercholesterolemia/diet therapy , Male , Middle Aged , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Triglycerides/bloodABSTRACT
This study tests the hypothesis that acute myocardial ischemia induces a characteristic temporal variation in regional ultrasound amplitudes. Myocardial ischemia was created by circumflex coronary artery occlusion in seven closed-chest mongrel dogs. Ultrasound images were acquired prior to occlusion and post-occlusion on a phased-array two-dimensional system. Unprocessed ultrasound data from end-diastolic images were taken digitally for quantitative gray level analysis. Temporal variation in ultrasonic gray level of a nonischemic control region was compared to the temporal variation in gray level of the ischemic area. In the ischemic area, the average gray level for all seven dogs increased from 39.2 +/- 4.2 prior to occlusion to 42.5 +/- 4.9 at 15 minutes after occlusion, and then to 44.4 +/- 5.9, 45.3 +/- 6.2, and 47.0 +/- 6.0 at 30, 60, and 120 minutes, respectively (p less than 0.05 for control vs 15 minutes and 15 minutes vs 120 minutes). No significant changes in the average gray level of all seven dogs occurred in the nonischemic area from pre-occlusion to 2 hours post-occlusion (38.8 +/- 8.8, 38.4 +/- 8.0, 37.7 +/- 8.4, 37.8 +/- 8.5, and 38.0 +/- 8.2 for control, 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes, respectively. These data show that regions of acute myocardial ischemia can be characterized by temporal variation in intramyocardial ultrasonic gray level, not only from the time before coronary occlusion to 15 minutes after occlusion, but also between 15 and 120 minutes in the post-occlusion period. Gray level values in nonischemic regions of the left ventricle are remarkably constant over time.
Subject(s)
Coronary Disease/diagnosis , Echocardiography , Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted , Animals , Coronary Disease/pathology , Dogs , Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis , Myocardium/pathologyABSTRACT
A patient experienced hypertension, bradycardia, QT prolongation, and multiple episodes of torsade de pointes while receiving an iv vasopressin infusion. The dysrhythmias were attributed to vasopressin, but may have been potentiated by hypomagnesemia. Upon vasopressin discontinuation, ECG findings returned to normal before magnesium supplementation. Vasopressin may contribute to the development of torsade de pointes.
