Effects of canola oil and antioxidants on performance, serum parameters, carcass traits, and rumen fermentation patterns of Nellore cattle.

Several nutritional strategies have been used in beef cattle production in order to increase animal performance and profitability. However, in the past two decades, the increase of consumer preference for functional foods has driven the investigation for improving food via adding functional substances to animal diets. We evaluated the effect of canola oil supplementation associated with vitamin E and selenium on performance, rumen metabolism, carcass traits, meat tenderness, and serum, liver, and meat status of antioxidants in finishing Nellore males. Animals were fed for 106 days in a feedlot and were randomly distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: two levels of oil in the diet (no inclusion and 3% canola oil, defined as diet without oil inclusion (NO) and effect of oil (OIL), respectively) and two levels of antioxidants in the diet (no inclusion and 2.5 mg of Se/kg of DM + 500 UI of vitamin E/kg of DM, defined as diet without antioxidant inclusion (NA) and effect of the antioxidants (ANT), respectively). DM intake (kg/day) was evaluated daily; performance and serum were analysed at the beginning of the feedlot and every 28 days. Animals were slaughtered and hot carcass weight (kg) was recorded; ruminal fluid and liver samples were collected. At 24 h postmortem, carcass pH was recorded and the Longissimus thoracis was sampled. There was no significant effect of the OIL*ANT interaction (P > 0.05) for any trait evaluated. Bulls fed OIL presented greater final BW (P < 0.01), average daily gain (kg/day; P < 0.01), feed efficiency (P < 0.01), rump fat thickness (P8RF; P < 0.05), and greater tenderness; the ANT diet increased P8RF (P < 0.05). The levels of selenium and vitamin E in serum, liver, and meat were increased (P < 0.01) with the inclusion of ANT. ANT did not change triiodothyronine (T3, ng/mL) and thyroxine (T4, µg/gL) serum concentrations but decreased serum glucose levels. The treatments did not affect (P > 0.05) ruminal parameters or the protozoa population. Our results showed that the inclusion of 3% canola oil in the diet DM increased performance, feed efficiency, carcass fat deposition, and tenderness, with no effect on rumen fermentation and protozoa population of Nellore cattle in a feedlot system. The inclusion of ANT in the cattle diet did not affect performance or rumen parameters. However, the levels of ANT were increased in the serum, liver, and meat, enriching the final product with these compounds.

The effects of essential oils and their major compounds on fish bacterial pathogens - a review.

The increased resistance of fish pathogens to conventional treatments has lead researchers to investigate the antibacterial properties of natural resources, such as essential oils (EOs) of plants, in an effort to find products that are less harmful to the environment. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the studies, in vivo and in vitro, that addressed the use of EOs and their major compounds as antimicrobial agents in fish, to identify the best EOs and compounds to investigate considering feasibility of application and suggest possible future studies. To date, studies suggest that the use of EOs in the prevention and/or treatment of infectious diseases in fish may be a promising strategy to reduce the use of conventional antibiotics in aquaculture, since several EOs effectively reduce or avoid the effects of bacterial infections in fish. The use of EOs through nanotechnology delivery systems, especially in dietary supplementation experiments, is promising. This form of application of the EOs allows a potentiation and targeting of the desired effect of the EOs and also allows the protection of EOs active constituents against enzymatic hydrolysis, deserving further study.

Monoterpenoids (thymol, carvacrol and S-(+)-linalool) with anesthetic activity in silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen): evaluation of acetylcholinesterase and GABAergic activity.

This study evaluated the anesthetic potential of thymol and carvacrol, and their influence on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the muscle and brain of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen). The AChE activity of S-(+)-linalool was also evaluated. We subsequently assessed the effects of thymol and S-(+)-linalool on the GABAergic system. Fish were exposed to thymol and carvacrol (25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/L) to evaluate time for anesthesia and recovery. Both compounds induced sedation at 25 mg/L and anesthesia with 50-100 mg/L. However, fish exposed to carvacrol presented strong muscle contractions and mortality. AChE activity was increased in the brain of fish at 50 mg/L carvacrol and 100 mg/L thymol, and decreased in the muscle at 100 mg/L carvacrol. S-(+)-linalool did not alter AChE activity. Anesthesia with thymol was reversed by exposure to picrotoxin (GABAA antagonist), similar to the positive control propofol, but was not reversed by flumazenil (antagonist of benzodiazepine binding site), as observed for the positive control diazepam. Picrotoxin did not reverse the effect of S-(+)-linalool. Thymol exposure at 50 mg/L is more suitable than carvacrol for anesthesia in silver catfish, because this concentration did not cause any mortality or interference with AChE activity. Thymol interacted with GABAA receptors, but not with the GABAA/benzodiazepine site. In contrast, S-(+)-linalool did not act in GABAA receptors in silver catfish.

Dosimetric equivalence of nonstandard HDR brachytherapy catheter patterns.

PURPOSE: To determine whether alternative high dose rate prostate brachytherapy catheter patterns can result in similar or improved dose distributions while providing better access and reducing trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Standard prostate cancer high dose rate brachytherapy uses a regular grid of parallel needle positions to guide the catheter insertion. This geometry does not easily allow the physician to avoid piercing the critical structures near the penile bulb nor does it provide position flexibility in the case of pubic arch interference. This study used CT datasets with 3 mm slice spacing from ten previously treated patients and digitized new catheters following three hypothetical catheter patterns: conical, bi-conical, and fireworks. The conical patterns were used to accommodate a robotic delivery using a single entry point. The bi-conical and fireworks patterns were specifically designed to avoid the critical structures near the penile bulb. For each catheter distribution, a plan was optimized with the inverse planning algorithm, IPSA, and compared with the plan used for treatment. Irrelevant of catheter geometry, a plan must fulfill the RTOG-0321 dose criteria for target dose coverage (V100(Prostate) > 90%) and organ-at-risk dose sparing (V75(Bladder) < 1 cc, V75(Rectum) < 1 cc, V125(Urethra) << 1cc). RESULTS: The three nonstandard catheter patterns used 16 nonparallel, straight divergent catheters, with entry points in the perineum. Thirty plans from ten patients with prostate sizes ranging from 26 to 89 cc were optimized. All nonstandard patterns fulfilled the RTOG criteria when the clinical plan did. In some cases, the dose distribution was improved by better sparing the organs-at-risk. CONCLUSION: Alternative catheter patterns can provide the physician with additional ways to treat patients previously considered unsuited for brachytherapy treatment (pubic arch interference) and facilitate robotic guidance of catheter insertion. In addition, alternative catheter patterns may decrease toxicity by avoidance of the critical structures near the penile bulb while still fulfilling the RTOG criteria.

Early administration of abciximab bolus in the emergency department improves angiographic outcome after primary PCI as assessed by TIMI frame count: results of the early ReoPro administration in myocardial infarction (ERAMI) trial.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the safety and efficacy of early administration of abciximab prior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. BACKGROUND: Research suggests that platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors, e.g. abciximab, may improve myocardial perfusion. In particular, early administration in the emergency department, prior to PCI, may result in more effective reperfusion. METHODS: Eighty AMI patients with planned PCI were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive a 0.25 mg/kg abciximab bolus either "early" in the emergency department or "late" in the catheterization laboratory after angiographic assessment. In total, 74 patients underwent PCI after diagnostic angiography, all of which then received an abciximab infusion of 0.125 microg/kg/min for 12 hr. RESULTS: Prior to PCI, no significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding the angiographic endpoints or ST-segment resolution. After PCI, thrombolysis in MI (TIMI) frame count (TFC) was significantly improved in patients treated early rather than in those treated late (23 +/- 10 vs. 41 +/- 35; P = 0.02). Consistent trends, also favoring early treatment, were observed for TIMI flow grade 3 (TFG 3), corrected TFC (CTFC), and TIMI myocardial perfusion grade 3 (TMPG 3). Nine deaths (4 early, 5 late) and six significant bleeds (4 early, 2 late) were observed at 30 days after randomization. CONCLUSIONS: Early administration of abciximab is both feasible and safe in patients planned for primary PCI, increasing coronary flow and myocardial reperfusion after PCI, as demonstrated by significantly decreased TFC scores and trends toward improvements in TFG, CTFC, and TMPG.

Quality improvement in interventional cardiology: the role of risk adjustment in evaluation of health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The use of the methodology of adjusted risk to check the calculation of the differences between patients, groups and populations, as regards outcomes, is being used more often in the era of modern interventional cardiology to validate a reliable and balanced comparison of results between institutions and to maintain uniformity of data, criteria and definitions with a view to carrying out multicenter studies in this area of medicine. In this way, the ability to determine which variables have greater predictive value for adverse events that result from percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an extremely important tool for clinical decisions and for risk adjustment in each patient, when evaluating the quality of the health care given. METHODS AND RESULTS: this work took the research design of a case-control study. The data analyzed related to all patients who had undergone PCI in an interventional cardiology unit, during 2002 (567 patients). The group of cases (33) corresponds to those patients in whom a major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular event (MACCE) occurred during the procedure or within a 30-day period. The control group (534 patients) was made up of the rest of the population that underwent a PCI but that remained free of events in the same study period. The data on the PCIs carried out was taken from the database of the interventional cardiology unit. Analysis of the data was based on a descriptive and analytical statistical treatment (SPSS 11.5) with recourse to contingency tables, the Pearson's chi-square test, the Fisher exact test, and simple and multiple logistic regression, using odds ratios (OR) as a measure of association. The level of significance was 0.05 and the confidence interval was 95%. It should be noted that in the group of variables that showed greatest predictive value of the occurrence of an MACCE we found the following: female gender (OR = 1.593), advanced age (80 years, OR = 9.460), diabetes (OR = 3.063), chronic renal failure (OR = 3.063), depressed ejection fraction (30%, OR = 8.475), priority at PCI (OR = 7.108), multivessel disease (OR = 1.683), type C lesion (OR = 2.208), acute myocardial infarction (OR = 5.045) and cardiogenic shock (OR = 28.169). CONCLUSIONS: This study allowed us to identify, characterize and grade the set of variables that presented the strongest association with major adverse events that resulted from PCIs, for the population that underwent this type of procedure in an interventional coronary unit over the course of one year. At the same time, it enabled us to characterize the procedures that were carried out during this period, and also the demographic and clinical profile of the population. Although in some of the variables the OR values found were not statistically significant in either bivariate or multivariate analysis, we should point out that these variables are comparable to most results from similar multicenter international studies carried out with large populations. This type of study is an important contribution to improving the quality of health care given and to more efficient risk management in the field of interventional cardiology.

Efeito da suplementaçäo de selênio e vitamina E sobre a incidência de mastite clínica em vacas da raça holandesa / Effect of selenium and vitamin E supplementation on incidence of clinical mastitis in Holstein cows

Oitenta e quatro vacas da raça holandesa foram distribuídas em quatro tratamentos (grupos): o grupo A recebeu 5mg Se/dia, o B recebeu 1000 UI vit. E/dia, o C 5mg Se + 1000 UI vit. E/dia e o D foi usado como controle. A suplementaçäo foi iniciada 30 dias antes da provável data de pariçäo, prolongando-se até o parto. Amostras do volumoso e do concentrado foram colhidas quinzenalmente para análise bromatológica completa e levantamento dos níveis de Se e de vit. E. O sangue foi colhido antes do início da suplementaçäo, ao parto, aos 30 e aos 60 dias após o parto para determinaçäo dos níveis de Se no soro sangüíneo das vacas. O teste de Tamis foi realizado semanalmente para detecçäo dos casos clínicos de mastite e iniciado logo após o parto, prolongando-se até a 12ª semana da lactaçäo. Um mês após a suplementaçäo, as vacas que receberam selênio apresentaram níveis séricos de Se superiores (P<0,05) aos do grupo-controle. A administraçäo de vitamina E (P<0,05) e de selênio (P<0,08) diminuiu a incidência de mastite clínica nas 12 primeiras semanas de lactaçäo.

Use of stents for small coronary arteries. Results of the Multi-Link 2.5 Portuguese Registry.

INTRODUCTION: Stents are being used with increasing frequency in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) but their use in small vessels is still controversial, due to the possibility of excessively high rates of adverse events and restenosis. OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and clinical efficacy of ACS RX Multi-Link (ML) 2.5 mm stents, in "de novo" coronary stenosis. DESIGN: Prospective Registry, with 6 months clinical follow-up, involving all Portuguese centers of Interventional Cardiology. POPULATION: Between April 7 and November 20 1998, 102 patients were enrolled, 82 male and with ages ranging from 30 to 86 years (average 58 +/- 11). Clinical presentation for PTCA was stable angina in 53%, unstable angina in 36% and silent ischemia in 11%. There was a history of previous myocardial infarction in 29% of patients. The main risk factors were hypertension (58%), hyperlipidemia (57%), smoking (25%) and diabetes (20%). Multivessel coronary artery disease was present in 46% of patients and left ventricular function was normal in 89%. Of the 217 existing lesions, 188 (87%) were treated: 35 with balloon angioplasty and 153 with stent implantation, 114 of which were ML 2.5 mm: 79 of 15 mm in length and 35 of 25 mm. METHODS: Angiographic success with ML stent implantation and major adverse cardiac events (MACE)--myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), new target vessel revascularizations and death--were evaluated during hospital stay, and at 1 and 6 months clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Angiographic success was 97.4%. In one patient it was not possible to cross the lesion, in another there was stent migration and in a third distal coronary flow after stenting was TIMI grade 1. Clinical success was 96.1% and there were no cases of death, Q-wave MI or urgent CABG. Two patients had non-Q wave MI and two required urgent repeat angioplasty. Subacute stent thrombosis occurred in 1 patient. There were no additional MACE at 1 month follow-up. At 6-month follow-up (in 97% of patients) MACE had occurred in 14.1%: 2 deaths (one non-cardiac), 3 MI (one non-Q) and 14 new PTCA (one in a non-ML stent). There was no need for CABG in any patient. Six-month survival rate was 97.9%, 94.9% were free of infarction and 84.8% were free of infarction and new revascularization. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-Link 2.5 mm stent implantation appears to be safe and efficient with a low incidence of immediate and 6-month adverse events in the range of centers and operators of the Registry.

[Coronary angioplasty in the acute phase of myocardial infarct]. / Angioplastia coronária na fase aguda do enfarte do miocárdio.

Primary coronary angioplasty is a reperfusion method increasingly used for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Several studies are reviewed, demonstrating a reduction in mortality and morbidity, namely due to recurrent ischaemia and haemorrhagic stroke, in comparison to thrombolysis. This benefit seems larger in high risk patients, such as those with cardiogenic shock, anterior wall infarction, elderly patients and those with contraindications thrombolysis or with a non diagnostic electrocardiogram.

Degradabilidade no rúmen da matéria seca e da proteína do caroço integral e do farelo de algodäo (Gossypium hirsutum L.) pela técnica dos sacos de náilon in situ com bovinos / Dry matter and protein degradabilities of whole cottonseed and cottonseed meal through nylon bags in situ technique with steers

Avaliou-se a degradabilidade "in situ" da matéria seca e da proteína bruta: a) do caroço de algodäo integral; b) do caroço de algodäo integral quebrado e c) do farelo de algodäo, com três novilhas mestiças, (europeu x zebú) dotadas de fístulas de rúmen, utilizadas em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetiçöes. Os animais receberam como volumoso a cana-de-açúcar e uma mistura de concentrados que continha farelo de algodäo (0,3kg), caroço de algodäo integral (0,6kg) e milho moido (1,6kg). As taxas médias de degradabilidade para a MS com 48 horas de incubaçäo foram maiores (p<0,01) para o farelo de algodäo (62,3 por cento) seguidos pelo caroço de algodäo integral quebrado (57,1 por cento) e caroço de algodäo integral (22,1 por cento). Para a proteína bruta as taxas foram maiores (p<0,01) para o farelo de algodäo (93,5 por cento), seguidos pelos caroço de algodäo (82,5 por cento) e caroço de algodäo inteiro (18,3 por cento)

Degradabilidade ruminal de forragens nas formas verde e desidratada. III. Degradabilidade ruminal do capim Napier (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) e quatro fases de crescimento pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ" com bovinos fistulados / Fresh and artificially dried forages ruminal degradability. III. Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) degradabilities in four growth stages, through \"in situ\" dacron bags in rumen fistulated steers

Objetivou-se determinar a degradabilidade ruminal da MS, PB e FB, por meio de sacos de náilon "in situ", do capim Napier, em quatro estágios de crescimento correspondentes às seguintes idades em dias após o corte, e respectivas alturas: A = 72 dias e 1,30 m; B = 105 dias e 2,35 m; C = 135 dias e 3,25 m e D = 165 dias e 3,25 m. Foram utilizados 8 bovinos com fístulas permanentes de rúmen, o delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado e os seguintes resultados foram obtidos: as degradabilidades da MS, PB e FB diminuíram de forma linear com o aumento da idade da planta (p<0,05); os valores com 48 horas de incubaçäo foram: para MS = 56,02 por cento, 47,71 por cento e 38,76 por cento; para FB = 47,37 por cento; 41,77 por cento; 32,28 por cento e 22,92 por cento nos tratamentos A, B, C e D respectivamente. Para proteína, foram considerados apenas os estádios A, B e C: 53,59 por cento, 35,32 por cento e 26,42 por cento de degradabilidade às 48 horas de incubaçäo. O volume de líquido ruminal aumentou linearmente de A para D (p<0,01), sendo que o "turn-over" líquido ruminal foi maior em A (p<0,05)

[Chronic Chagas' cardiopathy causing congestive heart failure in childhood: a clinical and histopathological study of a case with emphasis on the lesions of the intracardiac conduction and autonomic nervous systems]. / Cardiopatia chagásica crônica causando insuficiência cardíaca congestiva na infância: estudo clínico e histopatológico de um caso, com ênfase para as lesões dos sistemas excitocondutor e nervoso autônomo intracardíaco.

A case of decompensated chagasic cardiopathy in a nine-year-old boy from the south of the State of Goiás, is described. He developed congestive heart failure four months before death. The serological reaction for Chagas' disease and the xenodiagnosis were positive. Electrocardiograms showed sinusal tachycardia, ventricular and supraventricular extrasystoles, left anterior hemiblock, complete right bundle branch block and signs of chambers overload. The echocardiogram demonstrated chamber dilatation with diffuse hypocontractility. He presented a downhill course complicated with several pneumonic episodes, the last one just before death. At necropsy, the heart, exhibited a chronic pancarditis with fibrosing chronic myocarditis involving mainly the interventricular septum and left ventricle. The heart conduction system showed slight to moderate exudative, inflammatory changes. Scattered foci of slight chronic periganglionitis and rare degenerative phenomena of ganglionic cells were found in intracardiac autonomic nervous, without neuronal depopulation.

Degradabilidade ruminal de forragens nas formas verde e desidratada. I. Degradabilidade dos capins coloniäo (Panicum maximum Jack) e elefante (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ", com bovinos dotados de fístula ruminal / Fresh and artificially dired forages ruminal degradatibility. I. Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) and coloniao grass (Panicum maximum Jack) degradabilities through \"in situ\" dacron bags in rumen fistulated steers

As taxas de degradaçäo ruminal da matéria seca, proteína bruta e fibra bruta dos capins Coloniäo e Napier, nas formas fresca e desidratada, foram determinadas pela técnica de sacos de náilon "in situ". Oito bovinos machos mestiços, com fístulas de rúmen, foram usados em um delineamento em "change-over" com dois grupos de 4 animais, para testar os seguintes tratamentos: A) campim Coloniäo; B) capim Coloniäo desidratado; C) campim Napier e D) capim Napier desidratado. As taxas de degradabilidade mostraram-se estatisticamente semelhantes e foram as seguintes, com 48 horas de incubaçäo: MS = 42,5 por cento; 45,9 por cento; 52,7 por cento e 50,7 por cento, PB = 37,9 por cento; 53,0 por cento; 49,7 por cento e 46,9 por cento, FB = 32,2 por cento; 39,7 por cento; 40,0 por cento e 45,2 por cento para os tratamentos A, B, C e D respectivamente

Degradabilidade ruminal de forragens nas formas verde e desidratada. II. Degradabilidade da soja perene (Neonotonia wightii) e da alfafa (Medicago satira L.) pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ" com bovinos dotados de fístula ruminal / Fresh and artificially dried forages ruminal degradability. II. Perennial soybean (Neonotonia wightii) and alfafa (Medicago satira L.) degradabilities through \"in situ\" dacron bags in rumen fistulates steers

As taxas de degradaçäo ruminal da matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) e fibra bruta (FB) das leguminosas alfafa e soja perene, nas formas verde e desidratada, foram determinadas pela técnica dos sacos de náilon "in situ". Oito bovinos machos mestiços, com fístulas de rúmen, foram usados em um delineamento "change-over" com dois grupos de 4 animais, para testar os seguintes tratamentos: A) soja perene verde; B)soja perene desidratada; C) alfafa verde; D) alfafa desidratada. Os resultados mostraram-se estatisticamente semelhantes para MS e PB. As taxas de degradabilidade foram as seguintes, com 48 horas de incubaçäo: MS = 56,89 por cento; 58,73 por cento; 59,55 por cento e 55,43 por cento; PB = 73,91 por cento; 74,43 por cento; 76,44 por cento e 71,16 por cento. Para fibra bruta a degradabilidade da soja perene foi mais elevada que a da alfafa, nos períodos de 12, 24 e 48 horas de incubaçäo, näo havendo diferenças entre as formas verde e desidratada. Os resultados para 48 horas de incubaçäo foram: 20,10 por cento; 21,63 por cento; 35,71 por cento e 29,61 por cento, nos tratamentos A, B, C e D respectivamente

Contagens diferenciais de protozoários ciliados em rúmen de bovinos arraçoados com capim elefante Napier (Pennisetum purpureum Schum), em vários estádios de crescimento vegetativo / Differencial rumen protozoa counting from steers fed Napier elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) at different maturity stages

Capim elefante Napier (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) colhido em quatro estádios de desenvolvimento: a)1,30m de altura e 17,54 por cento de matéria seca; b) 2,35m de altura e 25,84 por cento de matéria seca; e c)3,25m de altura e 26,31 por cento de matéria seca, foi fornecido "ad libitum" a 8 bovinos com 5/8 de sangue europeu-zebu, com 220 kg de peso vivo médio, providos de fístulas ruminais. Todos receberam 1,5 kg de uma mistura concentrada com 24,10 por cento de proteína bruta. Os tratamentos foram comparados em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, sendo que na quarta semana de cada período experimental colheram-se amostras de líquido de rúmen antes da oferta dos alimentos, para contagens diferenciais dos seguintes gêneros de protozoários ciliados e auferir suas concentraçöes por mililitro: Entodinium spp; Diplodinium spp; Eudiplodinium spp e Polyplastron spp. Os resultados mostraram que os protozoários ciliados do gênero Entodinium predominaram com 96,73 por cento do total da populaçäo desses microorganismos. O número de Entodinium spp decresceu com a maturaçäo da planta: a)18,2 x 10 elevada à quarta potência/ml; b)12,1 x 10 elevada à quarta potência/ml; e c)9,8 x 10 elevada à quarta potência/ml.

[Equilibrium radionuclide angiography in patients with previous myocardial infarct. Correlation with electrocardiogram and coronarography]. / Angiografia de radionuclídos de equílibrio em doentes com enfarte do miocárdio prévio. Correlação com o electrocardiograma e a coronariografia.

Fifty five patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI), 47 male and 8 female, mean age 55.5 +/- 8.9 years, have been studied in order to correlate the alterations found on the equilibrium (gated) radionuclide angiogram (RNA) with the location of the MI on the electrocardiogram of the obstructive lesions on coronary angiographies. Of the 55 patients studied, 22% showed no regional wall motion abnormalities (WMA). Both MI with and without Q wave may show WMA, which are significatively more frequent in patients with anterior MI on the ECG and with occlusive lesions (greater than 90%) on coronariographies. Regional localization of the WMA on the RNA does not identify the localization of the obstructive lesions. Hypokinesia was the most frequent type of WMA found both with occlusive (greater than 90%) and sub-occlusive (greater than 75%) lesions. Low values of the ejection fraction (less than 45%) were found in the presence of WMA and occlusive artery lesions.

[Surgical treatment of variant angina. Apropos of a clinical case]. / Terapêutica cirúrgica na angina variante. A propósito de um caso clínico.

A case of a male 66 years-old patient who presented with a clinical picture of Prinzmetal's variant angina early in the evolution of an acute myocardial infarction is reported. Transient elevation of ST-segment was documented on Holter monitoring in association with angina at rest as well as asymptomatic episodes of ST-segment changes. Significant two-vessels obstructive lesions (left anterior descending and circumflex arteries) was present. As variant angina had several recurrences in spite of medical therapy with nitrates and calcium antagonists, the patient was submitted to coronary by-pass surgery associated to plexectomy. A Thallium myocardial scintigraphy suggests that a peroperative infarction had occurred. The patient was asymptomatic at six months follow-up.