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Biomedical subjects

W Paulsen

Publications and source records attributed to W Paulsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Noninvasive estimation of left atrial pressure in patients with congestive heart failure and mitral regurgitation by Doppler echocardiography.

A completely noninvasive method for estimating left atrial pressure in patients with congestive heart failure and mitral regurgitation has been devised with the use of continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography and brachial sphygmomanometry. Of 46 patients studied with mitral regurgitation, 35 (76%) had jets with distinct Doppler spectral envelopes recorded. The peak ventriculoatrial gradient was obtained by measuring peak mitral regurgitant velocity in systole and using the modified Bernoulli equation. This gradient was then subtracted from peak brachial systolic blood pressure, an estimate of left ventricular systolic pressure, to yield left atrial pressure (left atrial pressure = systolic blood pressure - mitral regurgitant pressure gradient). Noninvasive estimates of left atrial pressure from 35 patients were plotted against simultaneous recordings of mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure resulting in the correlation y = 0.88x + 3.3, r = 0.88, standard error of estimate = +/- 4 mm Hg (p less than 0.001). Therefore, continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography and sphygmomanometry may be used in selected patients with congestive heart failure and mitral regurgitation for noninvasive estimation of left atrial pressure.

Atrial Function, Left↗

Origin and function of adherent lymphokine activated killer cells in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia who relapse following bone marrow transplantation.

Adherent lymphokine activated killer (ALAK) cells are a subpopulation of activated natural killer (NK) cells with MHC unrestricted antitumour activity distinguished by their propensity to adhere to plastic in the presence of interleukin-2 (IL-2). We generated ALAK cells from seven patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) following Campath-1-depleted bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Five had relapsed and were in chronic phase, one had cytogenetic evidence of relapse and one had prior evidence of cytogenetic relapse but was in complete remission at time of study. Phenotypically the ALAK cells included both CD56+/CD3- NK cells and CD56-/CD3+ T cells. The CD3- subpopulation were studied cytogenetically and their functional activity tested in a 4 h 51Cr release cytotoxicity assay using the pretransplant leukaemia cells as targets. Cytogenetic studies showed that the ALAK cells from six patients were Ph negative, and where donor and recipient were sex mismatched, ALAK cells were exclusively of donor origin. In one patient ALAK cells were Ph positive and of recipient origin in eight of nine metaphases. In the 51Cr release assay the ALAK cells showed significant lysis of the pretransplant leukaemia in five of the seven patients tested. These data indicate that in CML patients who relapse post-BMT the NK cells are usually of donor origin but may be recipient-derived. In most patients these ALAK cells have antileukaemic activity in vitro.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗

The role of the MDR-1/P-170 mechanism in the development of multidrug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia.

We studied blood and bone marrow cells from 42 patients with Ph-chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and 20 normal subjects for amplification of the multidrug resistance gene (MDR-1) by Southern blotting and for overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-170) by immunocytochemistry on intact cells with the monoclonal antibody C219. No P-170 could be detected in normal bone marrow or buffy coat. Overexpression of P-170 without amplification of MDR-1 was found in four of 11 patients with chronic phase CML at diagnosis, seven of 16 patients treated with busulfan or hydroxyurea in chronic phase and four of 15 patients in blast crisis. The P-170 overexpression involved only cells of the granulocyte lineage and varied from weak to strong in individual patients. It did not correlate with duration of or response to treatment during chronic phase. In transformation P-170 expression was seen in differentiated cells of the granulocyte lineage but not in blast cells, although three patients had been treated intensively with lipophilic and other cytotoxic drugs to which they had become resistant. We conclude that resistance to busulfan and hydroxyurea in chronic phase and resistance of blast cells to other cytotoxic drugs in transformation are not mediated primarily through the MDR-1/P-170 pathway.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Electrocardiographic criteria for diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in the presence of complete right bundle branch block.

The usual electrocardiographic criteria recommended for left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy may be unreliable in the presence of complete right bundle branch block (BBB). Thirty-six standard electrocardiographic criteria for LV hypertrophy were evaluated in 100 patients (mean age +/- standard deviation 67 +/- 11 years) with right BBB and technically satisfactory echocardiograms. Eight additional electrocardiographic criteria derived from this study also were evaluated. LV mass index was determined from the echocardiogram using the Penn method. LV hypertrophy defined as LV mass index greater than 132 g/m2 in men and 109 g/m2 in women was present in 56 of the 100 patients. Electrocardiographic criteria with the highest sensitivity were SIII + (R + S) maximal precordial lead greater than or equal to 30 mm (sensitivity 68%), specificity 66%), left axis deviation of -30 degrees to -90 degrees (sensitivity 59%, specificity 71%) and combination of left axis deviation and SIII + (R + S) maximal precordial lead greater than or equal to 30 mm (sensitivity 52%, specificity 84%). The electrocardiographic criteria with the highest sensitivity and specificity greater than 90% were left axis deviation of -30 degrees to -90 degrees and SV1 greater than 2 mm (sensitivity 34%), point-score system, RaVL greater than 12 mm and RI + SIII greater than 25 mm (each with a sensitivity of 27%). In general, limb lead voltage criteria such as RaVL greater than 11 mm (sensitivity 29%, specificity 86%) had higher sensitivities than criteria using right precordial lead S-wave voltage criteria such as SV1 + RV5, V6 greater than 35 mm (sensitivity 2%, specificity 100%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Resting and exercise left ventricular function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) at rest and during exercise was measured in 19 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by means of radionuclide angiography. The results were compared to those in 20 normal subjects. Based on hemodynamic data, patients with HCM were divided into three groups. In group I, no demonstrable left ventricular outflow obstruction, there were five patients; their mean EF increased from 68% +/- 8.9 (+/- SD) at rest to 74% +/- 9.2 during exercise (p less than 0.05). In group II, latent obstruction, there were six patients; their mean EF at rest (75.2% +/- 8.2) and at peak exercise (78.7% +/- 6.7) was not statistically different (p greater than 0.05). Group III, obstruction present at rest, consisted of eight patients; EF at rest (82.6% +/- 8.5) decreased significantly during exercise (75.6% +/- 7.7, p less than 0.01). In normal subjects resting EF was 66.3% +/- 7.6; it increased to 76.4% +/- 7 (p less than 0.001). Exercise duration and heart rate-blood pressure product were lower in groups II and III. Thus there are significant differences in left ventricular systolic function both at rest and during exercise between these three major hemodynamic subgroups. These findings emphasize the importance of such a hemodynamic classification of HCM.

Adult↗

Aortic regurgitation. Detection of left ventricular dysfunction by exercise echocardiography.

Left ventricular performance was assessed in 20 symptom free patients and 10 with symptoms, all with isolated aortic regurgitation, by measuring the echocardiographic peak velocity of circumferential fibre shortening (echo peak Vcf) at rest and during graded bicycle ergometer exercise in the supine position. The normal left ventricular response during such exercise was first determined in 20 healthy controls. On the basis of their resting and exercise echo peak Vcf, the 30 patients with aortic regurgitation could be separated into three groups: Group 1 comprised 11 symptom free patients with a normal resting echo peak Vcf which increased normally with exercise; group 2 comprised nine symptom free patients with a normal resting echo peak Vcf but with a subnormal response to exercise; group 3 consisted of 10 patients with symptoms with a depressed resting echo peak Vcf which remained subnormal with exercise. Subsequent cardiac catheterisation disclosed normal ejection fractions in patients in group 1, borderline ejection fractions in those in group 2, and reduced ejection fractions in those in group 3. Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular performance during supine isotonic exercise may provide a simple noninvasive method for the early detection of left ventricular dysfunction in symptom free patients with aortic regurgitation.

Adolescent↗

Left ventricular function in marathon runners: echocardiographic assessment.

Cardiac alterations induced by chronic isotonic exercise were assessed echocardiographically in 8 active male marathon runners aged 29 +/- 7 yr (mean +/- SD) compared with 10 sedentary controls aged 27 +/- 5 yr. The runners had a significantly higher aerobic capacity than the controls (72.8 +/- 6 vs. 41.4 +/- 6 ml . kg-1 . min-1; P less than 0.001). Compared with the controls, the runners had a significantly lower heart rate at rest (49 +/- 3 vs. 73 +/- 9 beats/min; P less than 0.01) and during submaximal supine exercise at a similar absolute work load (115 +/- 11 vs. 124 +/- 12 beats/min; P less than 0.01). Similarly, the runners had a lower pressure-rate product both at rest (5.52 +/- 1.0 x 10(3) vs. 9.43 +/- 1.4 x 10(-3)) and during submaximal exercise (19.7 +/- 3.2 x 10(3) vs. 25.0 +/- 4.2 x 10(3); P less than 0.01). The left ventricular peak velocity of circumferential fiber shortening of the runners relative to that of the controls was significantly reduced both at rest (1.40 +/- 0.08 vs. 1.64 +/- 0.08 circ/s) and during submaximal supine exercise at a similar absolute work load (2.36 +/- 0.15 vs. 2.71 +/- 0.10 circ/s). However, this reduction in V cf was found to be directly related to the lower pressure-rate product of the runners and therefore did not reflect a decreased intrinsic myocardial contractility in the runners relative to the controls.

Adult↗

Left atrial myxoma: report of six cases and review of the literature.

Six left atrial myxomas were detected at one hospital in a 15-month period. These tumours are not as rare as was once thought and they frequently cause systemic problems. The diagnosis may easily be missed, but echocardiography is a simple way of establishing the diagnosis. Excision of the tumour usually results in marked symptomatic improvement.

Adult↗