Quantitative ballistocardiography (Q-BCG) for measurement of cardiovascular dynamics.

In the seventies of the past century ballistocardiography had been thought to be obsolete in cardiology for impossibility of objective calibration. In the present work the quantitative ballistocardiography (Q-BCG) for measurement of systolic force (F) and minute cardiac force (MF) in sitting subject was described. The new principle of piezoelectric transducer enabled to register the force caused by the heart and blood movement, which was not measured before. The calibration proved that the action of the force on the transducer was expressed quantitatively without the amplitude-, time-, and phase deformation. The close relationship of skeletal muscle force and F was proved. The F and MF changed under different physiological conditions (age, partial pressure of oxygen, body weight, skeletal muscle force). It was shown that the systolic force (F) and minute cardiac force (MF) are the physiological parameters neurohumorally regulated similarly as the heart rate or systolic volume.

New clearance evaluation method for hepatological diagnostics.

Pulse dye densitometry (PDD) enables the evaluation of hemodynamic state as well as liver function. A repeated examination, even after a short pause (or under stress condition), enables to follow safely the dynamics of liver pathology. From presented parameters we have evaluated as reliable the C5-clearance, an expression of equilibrium state in the two compartment liver system. Furthermore, T-index expresses ratio of C5 value to cardiac output, it is a sensitive indicator of the blood pole, i.e. sinusoidal uptake, which is in very good correlation with staging of hepatopathies. The isolated h constant in correlation to T-index is valuable For functional grading. The Japanese automatic analyzer of indocyanine green (ICG) dilution and elimination curves, after incorporation of a two compartment mathematical model, becomes more useful for complex hepatological diagnostics. Non-invasive PDD is becoming of uppermost importance to clinical interest, yielding comparable results as other complicated and invasive examinations and may be, therefore, repeated in short time intervals for different indications with minimal stress of examined patient.

The new clearance method for hepatic diagnostics.

New multiparametric analysis and method of their evaluation were derived. The bolus dye injection is used for evaluation of ICG (indicyaningreen) and BSP (bromsulphophtalein) kinetics. This arrangement is a form of spectrophotometric measurement of BSP in plasma and/or pulse dye densitometry of ICG. Clearance values enable to differentiate liver diseases and to add their clinical staging. Pathophysiology of dye kinetics is discussed from two points of view i.e. sinusoidal and canalicular membrane transfer.

Electrocardiographic body surface maps (BSM) in patients with ischemic heart disease examined by coronary angiography.

ECG body surface maps (BSM) is one of the noninvasive methods for the detection of ischemic heart disease. In the present work we registered the BSM in 25 patients, 18 men, mean age 56.8 (31-83) years, 7 women, mean age 58.7 (43-72) years with coronary artery disease and in 23 healthy persons, 17 men, mean age 55 (46-60) years, 6 women, mean age 57 (42-70) years. Using diagnostic system Cardiag we measured 32 parameters of heart electric field (ECG, VCG, isopotential, isointegral, and isoarea maps). The results of BSM examination were compared with the results of coronary angiography (CAG) and other noninvasive methods. Twenty-four patients were BSM positive, 5 of them with negative CAG. In one case both BSM and CAG were negative. None of persons with positive CAG were BSM negative. The values of positive BSM in patients with negative CAG approached more to the values of positive CAG persons than to controls. Despite of small number of persons examined in our study one can conclude that the BSM method detects the damage of myocardium by another way than the CAG.

ECG body surface isointegral and isoarea maps (BSM) in 30 and 60-years-old healthy humans.

ECG body surface isointegral and isoarea maps (BSM) are the sensitive indications of local electrical depolarization and repolarization changes both in controls and in coronary artery disease. In the present work the absolute values of maximum and minimum (extremum) in BSM have been compared in 24 healthy persons (20-36 years) with 18 older ones (54-70) of both sexes, non-smokers and without cardiovascular diseases in their medical history. Twenty-nine parameters of the heart electric field were registered by 96 unipolar electrodes placed regularly on the thorax and analyzed by the system Cardiag. A lower heart rate and a longer QT interval were found in older persons. The maximum (extremum) of isointegral and isoarea maps was less positive and the minimum was less negative in the older than in the younger subjects (p < 0.01). The maximum Q-wave amplitude on surface thorax was significantly lowers in older than in younger persons. The results confirmed the age-dependent decrease of QRS and T wave potentials.

[Effect of a 10-day animal fat-free diet on cholesterol and glucose serum levels, blood pressure and body weight in 50-year-old volunteers]. / Vliv desetidenní diety bez zivocisného tuku na hladinu sérového cholesterolu, glykemie, krevní tlak a telesnou hmotnost u padesátiletých dobrovolníku.

The morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases is high in developed countries including Czech Republic. The lifestyle decreases it in 50%. The aim of this work was to ascertain if the short lasting stay without stress and with vegetarian diet (without eggs) and physical activity is able to decrease the main risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. In 106 volunteers, mean age 49.1 (+/- 14.1) years, 83 women and 23 men, the body weight, blood pressure, serum cholesterol and blood glucose (Accutrend GC, Boehringer, Mannheim, BRD) have been measured before and after the stay at the same conditions. Eighty persons were healthy, seven persons with essential hypertension, eight persons with ischemic heart disease, four persons with diabetes mellitus and seven persons with other than cardiovascular diseases. In some persons the lipid spectrum was measured. Cholesterol decreased in blood serum from 4.9 to 4.3 mmol/l (11%--p < 0.01), blood glucose decreased from 4.2 to 3.3 mmol/l (p < 0.05), blood pressure systolic from 121.5 to 117.4 mm Hg (p < 0.01) and diastolic from 76.5 to 73.8 mm Hg (p < 0.05), body weight was not significantly changed. Our results showed, that 10-days lasting stay containing vegetarian diet and physical activity decreased the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in 50 years-old volunteers.

Antidepressant drugs and heart electrical field.

Some antidepressant drugs, especially tricyclic ones--(TCA), have cardiovascular side effects. To compare the effects of antidepressant drugs, the electrocardiogram (ECG), vectorcardiogram (VCG), and body surface maps (BSM) were recorded in psychiatric patients without cardiovascular diseases treated by a) TCA amitriptyline or dosulepin (daily dose 50-200 mg, 22 patients), b) lithium (serum level 0.66 +/- 0.08 meq/l, 21 patients), c) selective serotonine reuptake inhibitor citalopram (daily doses 20-60 mg, 30 patients), and in 23 control patients. In the TCA-treated patients, the heart rate was increased, QT and RR intervals shortened (p < 0.01, antimuscarinic effect). This was not observed in lithium- and citalopram-treated patients. All antidepressants decreased the absolute maximum values of depolarization isointegral maps, lithium and TCA reduced the initial and citalopram the later phase of depolarization. Citalopram slightly diminished the amplitude of the R wave. The results confirm the antimuscarinic effects of TCA in therapeutic doses and specify the intraventricular effects of antidepressants.

[Relations between postnatal weight loss and feeding of newborn infants with breast milk]. / Beziehungen zwischen der postnatalen Gewichtsabnahme und der Ernährung der Neugeborenen mit Muttermilch.

Data presented in this study prove that in term neonates as well as in premature newborns the normal postnatal fall of the body weight is of a smaller extend when breast milk, especially breast milk from their own mothers, is used for nutrition.

[Specific and nonspecific indicators of activation of influenza viruses before an epidemic caused by influenza viruses subtype A/H3N2 and type B in Czechoslovakia in 1986]. / Specifické a nespecifické indikátory aktivizace chripkových viru pred epidemií vyvolané viry chripky subtypu A/H3N2/ a typu B v CSR v roce 1986.

The authors submit an aetiological and epidemiological analysis of the influenza epidemic which occurred in the CSR between the 4th and 14th week of 1986 and was caused by the influenza virus subtype A/H3N2/ and type B. The epidemic affected a total of 27.1% of the population, in the age group of 0-5 years 63.7%, in the age group 6-14 years 52.7% and in the age group above 15 years 17.1%. In the course of the epidemic 77,458 cases of pneumonia and bronchitis were reported and 1,412 deaths with the diagnosis influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia and chronic affection of the lungs. The authors analyze also specific indicators of the activation of influenza viruses and reach the conclusion that serological evidence of the circulation of influenza viruses in the population was detected already in the third quarter of 1985, the first isolations were made six weeks before the influenza epidemic. Activation of the influenza viruses is indicated already during the pre-epidemic period by some non-specific indicators which include the rising number of patients with acute respiratory affections in surgeries and the rising number of children absent from nurseries and nursery schools on account of these diseases. The most sensitive non-specific indicator is the rising number of patients with respiratory diseases in surgeries of the First aid medical service.

Epidemiological study on non-tuberculous non-tumorous respiratory diseases in metropolitan population.

The occurrence of non-tuberculous non-tumorous respiratory diseases in children and in adults was investigated in a population of approximately 28 300 inhabitants from selected health communities of a Prague industrial district between October 1, 1976 and December 31, 1978. In the course of this period such a disease occurred once at least in 31% of the population. Of a total of 17 133 respiratory disease cases, acute upper respiratory infections occurred in 72.0%, acute bronchitis in 12.2%, influenza in 12.5%, pneumonia in 1.3%, chronic bronchitis in 0.3%, bronchial asthma in 0.6% and other respiratory diseases in 0.5%. Repeated respiratory diseases with four or more episodes of a disease in the course of one year occurred in 6.0% of preschool-age children (0-5 years of age), in 2.8% of school-age children (6-14 years of age), and in 0.2% subjects from the age of 15. Differences in the morbidity rate among the three age groups were statistically significant. In most cases repeated respiratory diseases began to occur after the entry of children to collective institutions. The most frequent respiratory diseases as a cause of incapacity for work were acute upper respiratory infections and influenza with a predominance of incidence in persons younger than 40 years of age. By contrast, in chronic bronchitis as a cause of incapacity for work there was a significant predominance of affected subjects from 40 years of age. The mean duration of incapacity for work due to chronic bronchitis was longer than that due to acute respiratory diseases. In respiratory diseases chronic bronchitis was found to be the most frequent primary cause of death, while pneumonia was quite often an immediate cause of death in the subjects weakened by other diseases.

Determination of cardiac output by the CO2 - rebreathing method in fifteen-year-old boys subjected to graduated loading.

The dynamics of cardiac output changes were studied in 23 15-year-old boys subjected to graduated loading up to maximum on an bicycle ergometer and relationships between cardiac output and other indexes of cardiorespiratory functions were determined. The correlation between cardiac output (Q in 1/min) and oxygen consumption (VO2 in 1/min) was Q = 6.84 + 5.64. VO2. CO2-rebreathing was found to be a suitable non-invasive method for determining cardiac output in loading tests in adolescents. Maximum cardiac output correlated with maximum oxygen consumption, maximum pulmonary ventilation, body weight, lean body mass and physical working capacity W 170 and did not correlate with systolic volume, the arteriovenous oxygen difference, the pulse rate and ballistocardiographic force. The absence of any statistically significant differences between the various functional indexes of the physical fitness of trained and untrained boys indicates that training was not very effective.

Development of the quantitative ballistocardiographic characteristics in children.

Based on the examination of 493 boys and girls of ages 6-19 years, we have tried to express the relationship of quantitative ballistocardiographic characteristics to age. The absolute values exhibit increase which is common up to 13 years of age but is then followed by the steadily enlarged decline of curves. The relative values exhibit decrease with age and the differences between boys and girls get gradually larger, being smaller inrelation to the lean body mass than to the body weight. It bears evidence to the fact that body fat plays a certain role in relative values.