[Stress myocardial scintigraphy in the pre- and postoperative diagnosis of ischemic cardiopathy. The correlations between the clinical aspects and the coronary angiographic picture]. / La scintigrafia miocardica da sforzo nella diagnostica pre- e postoperatoria della cardiopatia ischemia. Correlazioni tra aspetti clinici e quadri coronarografici.

With radioisotopes it is possible to study the heart obtaining complementary or substitutive informations to those provided by the most common noninvasive methods of myocardial assessment and by coronarography. This paper aim is to report experience with thallium 201 and 99mTc isonitrile in the diagnosis and followup of ischemic heart disease, in particular correlating clinical, coronarographic and scintigraphic findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS. During the biennium 1989-91 we have used the myocardial perfusion imaging with thallium 201 in 29 patients (20 male age ranging from 40 to 60 years) injecting 2 mCi at exercise peak with immediate planar mapping, followed by a second registration at rest 4 hours later (thallium 201). Imaging with 99mTc SESTAMIBI has been carried out in 6 patients (two of whom previously studied with thallium 201) injecting 20-22 mCi both at stress peak and at rest, with SPECT mapping 60'-90' later. All these patients presented specific problems for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia. The exercise testing has been performed by a bicycle ergometer and with a standardized procedure increasing every two minutes the workload to the maximum tolerated according to the clinical conditions and to the response. All antianginal treatments were discontinued for at least 48 hours before testing and the patients were fasted for 6 hours. The images were obtained using a small field scintillation camera with a low-energy general purpose collimator. We divided the patients in 4 groups: Group A. Six patients who had an open heart operation: in 5 coronary revascularization was carried out (plus left ventricular aneurysmectomy in one and plus aortic valve replacement in another); in 1 patient an aortic valve replacement was performed on. Group B. Six patients have been evaluated after coronary angiography. Group C. Seventeen patients with doubtful diagnosis of myocardial ischemia on the base of the symptoms and/or non invasive testing as rest or stress electrocardiogram (ECG). Group D. In 6 more patients (2 of those previously studied with thallium 201) the myocardium has been assessed with SESTAMIBI. RESULTS. In one patient of the group A the thallium 201 images detected silent ischemia; in 5 removed the diagnostic doubts of the ECG findings owing to left ventricular overload or to old infarctions in 2 patients and to electrolytes disturbances or pharmacological effects in 3 patients. In group B patients the thallium 201 further on could assess the extent of ischemic and necrotic areas suggesting the final indications to angioplasty in 3 patients, medical treatment in 2 and surgery in 1. We could not find correlations between the extent of the disease predicted by the coronarography and the findings of the thallium 201 images. In the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, group C, the Thallium 201 has been very useful and specific excluding an ischemic origin in 4 patients with arrhythmias, in 2 patients without symptoms of angina but with doubts at rest and exercise ECG findings and in 4 with atypical thoracoalgia and doubtful ECG. On the contrary, this test could give the final diagnosis of ischemia in 6 patients displaying its sensitivity in detecting coronary artery disease. Among the patients assessed with SESTAMIBI, in 2 this test has been essential in evaluating the myocardial contractility and the segmental wall motion. DISCUSSION. The usefulness of Thallium 201 imaging, as a very sensitive mean in detecting coronary artery disease and in the assessment of myocardial viability, is well known. Although the most common indications of this technique are well standardized, in the clinical practice there are many situations in which the thallium 201 can contribute to the diagnosis and to the management. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Water-air saturation changes in restricted geometries studied by proton relaxation.

The results are reported of a systemic T1 and T2 investigation of natural (sandstones) and artificial (microporous porcelain) porous media, after each step of a water desaturation process by centrifugation in air. The analysis of the relaxation curves permitted distinguishing well the different behaviour of the natural samples as compared to the artificial ones, which can be explained by the different pore structures. In both kinds of samples the evolution of the relaxation time distributions yielded a clear picture of the changes of the water distribution in the pore framework following the displacement process, until irreducible water saturation was attained. The results are compatible with the assumption of a fixed amount of surface area contributing to the relaxation of decreasing amounts of fluid as SW is reduced.

[Epidemiologic research for thalassemia and hemoglobinopathy traits in the territory of a local health unit in Liguria]. / Indagine epidemiologica per traits talassemici ed emoglobinopatie nel territorio di una U.S.L. della Liguria.

The authors investigated the incidence of thalassemia traits and hemoglobinopathies in western Liguria, where up to 70% of people comes from other italian regions, particularly from the South. The authors screened 442 primary school pupils in Albenga and Andora (Savona). Laboratory investigations permitted to detect 19 thalassemia trait carrier subjects (4.30% of the total examined): 12 of them were diagnosed heterozygous for beta-thalassemia, 6 for alpha-thalassemia, and 1 for Hb S. Authors would underline that more than half of the screening positive subjects resulted carrier of beta-thalassemia or Hb S trait, both potentially able to give origin to severe diseases: homozygous beta-thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, and beta-thalassemia/Hb S double heterozygosity.

[Effects of glucocorticoids on the gastrointestinal tract of normal rats and rats deficient in endogenous prostaglandins]. / Effetti dei glicocorticoidi sull'apparato gastro-enterico di ratti normali e di ratti carenti in prostaglandine endogene.

Here are studied the effects of administration of prednisolone on intestinal tract of normal rats and of rats into which a lack of prostaglandins has been caused and shown. The appearance of ulcerative lesions of the same type and of the same size in both groups of the studied animals might lead us to believe that the ulcerative action of glucocorticoids, at least in some cases, may be independent from the production of prostaglandins and may thus be attributed to other mechanisms.

[Findings on chemotherapy of patients with pacemakers]. / Alcune considerazioni sulla farmacoterapia dei portatoir di pace-maker.

The usefulness of pharmacological treatment designed to improve the heart's contractile efficiency and help local circulation in wearers of artificial pacemakers is discussed.

[Effects of indomethacin on rats kept on a normal diet and on a diet without prostaglandin precursors]. / Effetti dell'indometacina in ratti a dieta normale e a dieta carente in precursori delle prostaglandine.

The effects of diet lack of precursors of prostaglandins on the rat's gastrointestinal tract are described. Afterwards the different seriousness of the ulcerative lesions caused by indomethacin on normal rats and on rats kept on a diet lack of precursors of prostaglandins is weighed. The achieved experiment permits to confirm the cytoprotective effect of prostaglandins on the gastrointestinal tract and to suppose this effect should take place above all in reply to ulcerogenic exogenous stimulants.