Transcutaneous measurement and spectrum analysis of heart wallvibrations

For the noninvasive diagnosis of heart disease based on the acoustic and elastic characteristics of the heart muscle, it is necessary to transcutaneously measure small vibration signals, including components with an amplitude of less than 100 μm, from various parts of the heart wall continuously for periods of more than several heartbeats in a wide frequency range up to 1 kHz. Such measurement, however, has not been realized by any ultrasonic diagnostic methods or systems to date. By introducing the constraint least-square approach, this paper proposes a new method for accurately tracking the movement of the heart wall based on both the phase and magnitude of the demodulated signal to determine the instantaneous position of the object so that the vibration velocity of the moving object can be accurately estimated. By this method, small vibrations of the heart wall with small amplitudes less than 100 μm on the motion resulting from a heartbeat with large amplitude of 10 mm can be successfully detected with sufficient reproducibility in the frequency range up to several hundred Hertz continuously for periods of about 10 heartbeats. The resultant small vibration is analyzed not only in the time domain, but also in the frequency domain. As confirmed by the preliminary experiments herein reported, the new method offers potential for research in acoustical diagnosis of heart disease     

A luminosity monitor system for the JETSET experiment at LEAR

A luminosity-monitor system for the JETSET experiment at LEAR is described. Four silicon-strip detectors are used as position sensitive devices to monitor the elastic p-scattering. The design concept, data-acquisition and results of the detector system are presented. On-line monitoring is used to assure the proper operation of the JETSET experiment.     

Cutoff frequencies and noise power law model of spectral density:adaptation of the multivariance method for irregularly spaced timingdata using the lowest-mode estimator approach

The concept of structure functions, which is an extension of the variance approach, is useful to determine the variance (the structure function) which is optimized for a type of noise and for an order of drift. The multivariance method was developed to use different variances over the same signal. It is then possible to select a set of variances in which each variance is optimized to the determination of one parameter (of one noise level, drift, or cutoff frequency). Recently, we adapted this method to irregularly spaced timing data. In this connection, we replaced the structure functions by another method of spectral density estimation: the lowest-mode estimator, introduced by J.E. Deeter and P.E. Boynton (1982, 1984) for the analysis of pulsar timing data. Different lowest-mode estimators can be constructed according to two priorities: the order of drifts that must be removed and the type of noise for which the sensitivity must be maximum. Thus, a multivariance system is developed using a set of different estimators. The details of this method are described, and the results for different signals are discussed in this paper     

Some factors affecting the electrical properties of carbon-black-loaded butyl rubber during vulcanization

Butyl rubber mixtures loaded with 70 phr general purpose furnace black (GPF) and tetramethyl thiuram disulphide (TMTD)/S as vulcanizing system were prepared. The kinetics of their electrical conductivity development during the vulcanization process were followed by using an especially devised system. It was found that the increase in the electrical conductivity during vulcanization obeys an exponential growth function with time constant τ, which markedly decreases with increasing vulcanization temperature as well as with the efficiency of the vulcanizing system. After completion of the vulcanization process, about 80 min, the samples obtained possess reasonable stability and reproducibility of electrical conductivity.     

Iron and transferrin in the blood serum of the patients with acute cerebral vascular disease

A postmortem histopathologic investigation of temporal bones of patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was performed after microslicing, acid decalcification of the slices and paraffin embedding. Histopathologic changes in 49 temporal bones from 25 patients included severe otitis media in five patients (20%), low-grade otitis media in fifteen (60%), labyrinthine cryptococcosis in two, Kaposi's sarcoma deposit in the eighth nerve of one, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) inclusion-bearing cells in the inner and middle ear of six (24%). It was possible to identify the CMV genome by in situ hybridization in only two bones and expression of CMV antigen by immunohistochemistry in none, probably because of prolonged decalcification in acid. The ear is no less susceptible to AIDS-associated diseases than any other organ, and is particularly prone to CMV infection.     

Activating mutations of the Gs alpha-gene in nonfunctioning pituitary tumors

The majority of pituitary tumors are of monoclonal origin; however, the molecular basis for their formation is poorly understood. Somatic mutations in the alpha-subunit of the GTP-binding protein, Gs alpha (gsp oncogene) have been found in about one third of GH-secreting tumors. Mutations in another alpha-subunit of a GTP-binding protein, Gi2 alpha (gip mutations) have been described in other endocrine tumors. In this study, we examined 21 nonfunctioning pituitary tumors and 4 macroprolactinomas for gsp mutations and 27 nonfunctioning tumors and 4 macroprolactinomas for gip mutations. Using the polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 2 nonfunctioning pituitary tumors displayed migration abnormalities when the Gs alpha-gene was analyzed. Sequence analysis of these abnormally migrating polymerase chain reaction products revealed two previously known gsp mutations: arginine at codon 201 altered to cysteine, and glutamine at codon 227 changed to leucine. No gip mutations could be demonstrated. These findings emphasize the monoclonal origin of nonfunctioning pituitary tumors and suggest that cAMP may play a role in tumorigenesis of nonfunctioning pituitary tumors.     

Seasonal variation of blood pressure and its relationship to ambient temperature in an elderly population

OBJECTIVE: To measure the magnitude and timing of seasonal variation of blood pressure and related factors in the elderly living in the community, and to assess their potential impact on cardiovascular risk. DESIGN: Prospective study; from January 1991 to February 1992 blood pressure and other variables were measured at 2-monthly intervals in each subject in their own homes. SUBJECTS: Ninety-six men and women, age range 65-74 years, recruited from a single group general practice in Cambridge. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Seasonal variation of blood pressure, seasonal variation of prevalence of hypertension, seasonal variation of ambient temperature and body mass index. RESULTS: Both systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were greatest during the winter across the whole distribution of blood pressure. There was a fourfold increase in the proportion of subjects with blood pressures > 160/90 mmHg in winter compared with in summer. Regression analysis revealed highly significant seasonal differences in both SBP and DBP. After adjustment for confounding seasonal effects, a 1 degree C decrease in living-room temperature was associated with rises of 1.3 mmHg in SBP and 0.6 mmHg in DBP. CONCLUSIONS: Seasonal variation of blood pressure is heightened in older adults and may partly explain the greater cardiovascular disease mortality of elderly subjects during the winter. The blood pressures of elderly people may be inversely related to the ambient temperature. The public health implications of these findings deserve further investigation.