Rapid assessment of aortic regurgitation and left ventricular function using cine nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and the proximal convergence zone.

In patients with aortic regurgitation (AR), knowledge of the severity of AR, and the degree of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction are important for optimal management. Previous nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies to assess these parameters used multiple tomographic planes that are time-consuming to obtain and analyze, and thus not cost-effective. In addition, these studies assessed the severity of AR by looking simply at the size of the regurgitant jet, a parameter that relates only poorly to regurgitant volume. The present study evaluates a rapid, single-plane, cine NMR approach (scan time < 10 minutes), and a new grading system for AR that is based on the presence, size and persistence of not only the regurgitant jet, but also the zone of proximal signal loss. Compared with color Doppler echocardiography (n = 42), the NMR approach detected AR with a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 95%. NMR regurgitant jet area correlated well with color Doppler regurgitant jet area (n = 20; r = 0.81; p < 0.01), but did not discriminate well between all grades of AR as compared with x-ray contrast aortography (n = 14). Using the new NMR grading criteria, AR grade by NMR was in accordance with aortographic grade in 12 patients, differing by only 1 grade in the remaining 2 patients. NMR grade was in accordance within 1 grade of Doppler in all patients compared (n = 20). LV volumes and ejection fraction using this single-plane approach correlated well with a previously validated, NMR biplane approach (r > 0.87; n = 18).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Metabolic and cellular profile of wether goats: protein fractions and lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes- reference values.

Blood serum concentrations of electrolytes; mineral, serum protein, and biochemical components; serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity; and blood cellular components were determined in 8 wether goats over a 59-day feeding period. The blood was collected on 6 sampling days, the blood cellular components were analyzed on collection days. The biochemical components were analyzed from frozen samples approximately 3 weeks after collection. The serum protein fractions and LDH isoenzymes were separated electrophoretically from frozen samples. The purpose was to determine the variability and changes in these values, using sample-day intervals over the feeding period. The blood serum concentrations of many of the biochemical and blood cellular components that were measured or calculated varied considerably, showing fluctuations over some portion of the period and ending with an erratic peak at period's end. The WBC count, neutrophil, and band neutrophil values were sharply decreased on sampling days 24 and 35, followed by fluctuations over the last half of the period.

Organisms associated with abortion and reproductive problems in cattle.

In 14 herds totaling over 2000 cattle the bacterial species most frequently isolated from the vagina, fetus, and fetal membranes following abortion or reproductive failure were Streptococcus, Corynebacterium, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus, less often E coli. About 5% of the total 1810 isolations included various other agents. Although most of the aborted fetuses had undergone autolysis, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, and placental lesions were observed in a few cases.