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Query: UMLS:C0018799 (heart disease)
 34,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The field of myocardial perfusion imaging has made many advances but still is in its infancy. The limitations in the technology at this time include limited instrument resolution of 6-9 mm, intrinsic at the energy of the mercury x-ray; significant Rayleigh scatter, which is particularly distrubing because this scatter cannot be removed by pulse-height analysis; and an effective half-life of thallium in the myocardium, which makes repeated imaging over a short period of time very difficult. Although hopes for the development of a technetium-labeled myocardial imaging tracer have burnt brightly, no new agents are presently in sight. Resolution with a technetium-labeled tracer would almost double that of thallium, and the dose that could be administered to the patient would increase by at least a factor of 4. The effective half-life of the tracer in the myocardium would permit multiple images to be obtained at least in the same day. Even with the limitations of the current techniques, however, myocardial perfusion imaging can make a real contribution to the care of the patients with heart disease. Thallium is now produced commercially and reasonably easily obtained. Extraction of thallium by the myocardium is probably somewhat, but not exactly, analogous to potassium. The tracer has major applications in defining shape and size of the heart, thickness of muscle, and especially myocardial ischemia and infarction. This review is aimed at providing a current perspective of these uses.
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PMID:Thallium-201 as a myocardial imaging agent. 31 35

Generalized hyperpigmentation may be caused by internal diseases, by occasional or occupational intoxications, and by a group of drugs. Seven cases occurring after treatment with amiodarone (Cordarone) are reported, together with one case of argyria and one of mercury poisoning. Several of these cases were initially mistaken for cyanotic heart disease. Silver intoxication may occur after indiscriminate use of currently available silver-containing drugs. It may become even more frequent as a result of antismoking preparations.
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PMID:[Iatrogenic chromodermatoses]. 52 3

Air quality correlates of chronic disease mortality in 180 census tracts of Harris County, Texas, were studied using 3 years mortality for 1969--1971. This study was designed to test with a different data base the universality of several study results which have reported significant correlations between heart disease and air pollutants. Air quality data (suspended particulates, benzene solubles, sulfur dioxide, and metals associated with particulates: copper, mercury, manganese, lead, nickel, zinc, chromium, and cadmium) were related to both sex and age adjusted crude death rates, and cause-specific death rates for age cohorts for 7 categories of heart disease, and pneumonia, asthma, cancer, tuberculosis, and accident deaths. The results of the study were in agreement with the findings of the other researchers who used national data. Suspended particulates and cadmium concentrations were found to be correlated (r=.38, .36; P less than .001) with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Many other significant correlations are reported but are not cause-specific. Socio-economic indicators were also correlated with IHD, thus confounding the issue. Further work is planned using more sophisticated statistical techniques to disentangle the relative contribution of each of these highly intercorrelated factors. No causality can be assigned at this stage, although this study, with the other cited, points to possible risk factors for IHD which need further evaluation.
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PMID:Air quality correlates of chronic disease mortality: Harris County, Texas 1969--1971. 72 89

The experience of the Cardiac Electrostimulation Center of S. Camillo Hospital in Rome on 1503 patients treated with permanent pacemakers for an 11 year period is referred. The Authors analyze the increase of the activity of the Center during these years and some events that caused it. 94.5% of the patients were more than 50 years old; the dominant pathology has been ischemic and idiopathic cardiopathy, which together include 94.7% of the totality. The indication to the implant has been A-V block in 70% of the patients; intraventricular block in 20%; sick sinus syndrome in 10%. In the last years the prophylactic indication has increased (from 0.4% to 4.4%). 2459 pacemakers have been used, of which 79.5% was QRS-inhibit. The mercury prosthesis have been progressively substituted with the lithium ones. 1642 catheters (implant and reimplant) have been used; principally endocardic (95%) and monopolar (85%). The substitution of the catheter has been necessary in 9% of the totality; in 2.6% of the endocardic and in 15.9% of the epimyocardic. Among 50 electrodes, after a period of observation of about 7.7 years, 36 are still in function. The percentage of the complications has been 17.1%; the most important complications have been: dislocation (6%), microdislocation (1.5%), late high threshold (2.1%), failure of catheter (1.2%), generator malfunction (2.3%). The total mortality has been 15.4%; 0.2% caused by deficit of the implant; 2% sudden deaths and 13.2% not depending from the implant; 243 patients (16%) are not to be found. The frequency of out-patients controls has decreased in the last 2 years (from 3.8 controls per years to 1.8).
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PMID:[The experience in cardiac pacing at the Cardiology Department of St. Camillo Hospital (Rome) (author's transl)]. 75 43

To evaluate the relationship between maximum venous outflow (MVO) of the leg and development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), venous occlusion plethysmography (VOP) using a Mercury strain gauge was carried out in 56 unilateral DVT patients. The data from these patients were compared with those obtained from several control groups. Then, the relationship between plethysmographic and 9 clinical variables was statistically analysed in the normal legs of these patients. The mean MVO of the normal legs of these patients was significantly higher than that of the affected legs, but it was significantly lower than those of normal controls and patients with mild congestive heart disease. However, it was similar to those in patients with lymphedema and obese men. A decrease in the MVO of the normal legs of these patients was noted in older females with femoral vein obstruction of the left leg, with a shorter number of days from the onset of symptoms or with higher values for the obesity index and calf circumference. Significant correlations between the MVO and the obesity index (r = -0.59), venous capacitance (VC, r = 0.49) and the number of days from the onset of symptoms (r = 0.40) were found in the normal right legs of these patients (n = 40). In the normal left legs (n = 16), on the other hand, significant correlations were found between the MVO and the VC (r = 0.65) and the MVO and age (r = -0.65).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Maximum venous outflow and development of deep vein thrombosis. 203 May 45

We have studied 12 sustained hypertensive patients (H) (9 men and 3 women) untreated and without other heart disease than a left ventricular hypertrophy, 37 to 70 years of age (mean 56 +/- 12) and 12 normotensive subjects (N) of the same sex and 35 to 77 years of age (mean 52 +/- 16 ans). We have measured 1) arterial pressure (AP) by a standard mercury sphygmomanometer, 2) diameter of ascending aorta (AD), end diastolic left ventricular radius (r) and thickness (Th) by M mode echocardiography with 2D echo control., 3) isthmus-diaphragm pulse wave delay (PWD) from aortic velocity curves recorded in the isthmus and diaphragm aortic crossing by pulsed doppler. We derived 1) the pulse wave velocity (PWV) as PW = SL/PWD where SL is the sternal length, 2) PWV/AD ratio as an indirect index of characteristic impedance, 3) Th/r and LV mass (m) according to Teichholz formula: (table; see text) In both groups 1) m is significantly correlated with SAP (r = 0.67 p less than 0.001), PP (r = 0.61 p less than 0.001), PWV (r = 0.52 p less than 0.01) but not with PWV/AD; 2) Th/r ratio is significantly correlated with SAP (r = 0.64 p less than 0.001), PP (r = 0.63 p less than 0.001), PWV (r = 0.53 p less than 0.001) and PWV/AD (r = 0.41 p less than 0.05). Relationship between PWV and age of H is linear (r = 0.75 p less than 0.001) and shifted at left of that of N which is also linear (r = 0.061 p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Aorta-left ventricle coupling in permanent arterial hypertension using Doppler echocardiography]. 253 Sep 48

We undertook a case-control study to investigate the association between chemicals in maternal drinking water consumed during pregnancy and congenital heart disease in the offspring. Two hundred and seventy affected children and 665 healthy children were enrolled in the study. Information on contaminant levels in maternal drinking water was available from records of routine water analysis of samples taken from public taps in the communities where the mothers resided during pregnancy. Mothers provided information during a telephone interview on their health, pregnancy management, and demographic characteristics. Nine inorganic metals were analysed for detection of an association with congenital heart disease. The chemical exposures of particular interest were arsenic, lead, mercury and selenium. None of the chemicals was associated materially with an increase in the frequency of congenital heart disease overall. Arsenic exposure at any detectable level was associated with a threefold increase in occurrence of coarctation of the aorta (prevalence odds ratio = 3.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.3-8.9). Detectable traces of selenium in drinking water were associated with a lower frequency of any congenital heart disease than was observed among children exposed to drinking water not containing detectable levels of selenium (prevalence odds ratio = 0.62, 95% confidence limits = 0.40-0.97). A dose-response effect was observed over four levels of selenium exposure. Non-differential errors in the measurement and classification of exposure to contaminants routinely monitored in drinking water could account for lack of positive findings. In addition, most of the contaminant levels were below the maximum levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency, so that lack of evidence of effect may have been due to the low exposure levels in this population.
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PMID:Chemical quality of maternal drinking water and congenital heart disease. 320 40

To determine whether altered vascular reactivity could contribute to hypertension after repair of coarctation, the change in forearm and calf vascular resistances to small intra-arterial infusions of norepinephrine were measured in six patients who had undergone surgical correction of coarctation of the aorta but still had upper extremity hypertension and compared with similar measurements made in five normotensive patients with mild heart disease. Only the mean upper extremity pressure was significantly greater in the group that underwent repair of coarctation (102 +/- 11 vs 83 +/- 5 mm Hg, p less than .05, for mean arm pressures and 96 +/- 13 vs 83 +/- 7 mm Hg for mean leg pressures in patients who had coarctation vs normotensive patients, respectively). Forearm and calf blood flows were measured in the right arm and leg with a mercury-in-plastic strain-gauge plethysmograph. Forearm and calf vascular resistances were calculated by dividing mean arterial pressure of the appropriate extremity by the blood flow of that extremity. Norepinephrine was infused into the right brachial and femoral arteries of the patients at doses of 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 microgram/min. Resting forearm and calf vascular resistances were similar in both groups of patients. The norepinephrine dose-response curves showed that control patients required more than three times the norepinephrine to produce the same percent increase in forearm vascular resistance (after 0.2 microgram/min forearm vascular resistance increased by 55% in the coarctation group, while the resistance in the control group increased by only 3%, p less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Increased forearm vascular reactivity in patients with hypertension after repair of coarctation. 397 23

Previous studies have demonstrated that the anesthetic amine, chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CPZ), prevents cell necrosis in experimentally induced ischemic liver and heart disease and decreases the extent of galactosamine-induced cell death in the liver. The present model was designed to determine whether CPZ exerts a similar beneficial effect in kidney in a nephrotoxic model of acute renal failure in rats induced by the administration of mercuric chloride (2 mg/kg of body weight). The functional and structural changes in the kidney were evaluated and quantitated in animals pretreated with CPZ (40 mg/kg of body weight) or saline and then subjected to nephrotoxic injury. Compared to controls, the glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) in saline- and CPZ-pretreated rats receiving mercuric chloride. Twenty-four hours after mercuric chloride administration the glomerular filtration rate was 446 +/- 38 microl/minute/gm of kidney weight, the fractional sodium excretion was 0.4 +/- 0.2%, and the urinary osmolality was 1440 +/- 193 mOsmoles/kg of H2O in the CPZ-treated animals compared to 26 +/- 18 microl/minute/gm of kidney weight (p less than 0.001), 10.1 +/- 9.8% (p less than 0.025), and 353 +/- 28 mOsmoles/kg of H2O (p less than 0.005), respectively, in the animals receiving mercuric chloride alone. The percentage of proximal tubule cell necrosis was 26.5 +/- 8.9% in the CPZ-pretreated group compared to 88.1 +/- 3.6% in the untreated group (p less than 0.001). Metabolic cage studies were performed to follow the time course of this model for 48, 72, and 96 hours after mercury injection. The serum creatinine values and fractional sodium excretions were significantly less in animals receiving CPZ compared to the untreated group at all time intervals examined. The serum urea nitrogen concentration and glomerular filtration rate were similar for the two groups after 48 hours, but the serum urea nitrogen level was significantly lower and the glomerular filtration rate higher after 72 and 96 hours in the animals pretreated with CPZ. In agreement with these findings were observations that animals pretreated with CPZ had significantly fewer necrotic cells 48 and 72 hours after mercury administration, and tubular regeneration appeared to be markedly accelerated. These results suggest that pretreatment with CPZ markedly lessens the degree of structural and functional impairment seen in mercuric chloride-induced acute renal failure in rats and increases the rate of recovery.
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PMID:Partial protection by chlorpromazine in mercuric chloride-induced acute renal failure in rats. 623 24

Before World War II, the mortality pattern in the Arctic was characterized by very high mortality due to infectious diseases, in particular tuberculosis, and to injuries. Life expectancy was low and chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease were rare. Improved living conditions and health services have drastically altered health conditions since then. The circumpolar population groups are small and scattered, and the burden of pathogenic factors is high. The impact of environmental contaminants is therefore difficult to study epidemiologically. In the absence of local industrial sources of pollution, mercury and organochlorines in the traditional diet are presently the most serious environmental threats to human health in Greenland. Although we observe no effects on human health at present, the situation is potentially serious and should be closely monitored.
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PMID:Health and environment in Greenland and other circumpolar areas. 789 82


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