Magnito-, electro- and echocardiography in detecting symptoms of the "hypertensive heart"

The study compared diagnostic potential of magnetocardiography (MCG), electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography (echo-CG) in 18 patients with arterial hypertension (AH). 32 healthy males served as control. Elements of MCG from normal subjects have been analyzed morphologically in 36 points of precordial leads. Left ventricular hypertrophy was registered at echo-CG, MCG, ECG in 11 (61%), 16 (84%) and 7 (34%) of the AH patients, respectively. Left atrial hypertrophy was discovered primarily by echo-CG and MCG. Defects in ventricular repolarization were recorded by MCg in 7 (39%) patients basing on MCG, echo-CG and rarely ECG signs of left ventricular hypertrophy. MCG is recommended as an effective tool in diagnosis of "hypertensive heart".     

Langerhans' cell histiocytosis and juvenile xanthogranuloma of the orbit. Clinicopathologic, CT, and MR imaging features

The clinical, radiologic, and histopathologic features of two main disorders of the orbit are discussed. Group I, Langerhans cell histiocytosis (histiocytosis X, Class I), is caused by proliferation of X histiocytic Langerhans' cells. Group II is juvenile xanthogranuloma, and Class II is related to the proliferation of non-X histiocytic (monocyte-macrophage) cells. The two diseases are of unknown cause and differ in their clinical, radiologic, and histopathologic features.     

Ultrasonic test of carbon composite/copper joints in the ITER divertor

The vertical targets of the ITER divertor consist of high flux units (HFU) actively cooled: CuCrZr tubes armoured by tungsten and carbon/carbon fibre composite (CFC). The armour is obtained with holed parallelepiped blocks, called monoblocks, previously prepared and welded onto the tubes by means diffusion bonding. The monoblock preparation consists in the casting of a layer of copper oxygen free (Cu OFHC) inside the monoblock hole.Each HFU is covered with more than 100 monoblocks that have to be joined simultaneously to the tube. Therefore, it is very important to individuate any defects present in the casting of Cu OFHC or at the interface with the CFC before the monoblocks are installed on the units.This paper discusses the application of non-destructive testing by ultrasound (US) method for the control of the joining interfaces between CFC monoblocks and Cu OFHC, before the brazing on the CrCrZr tube.In ENEA laboratory an ultrasonic technique (UT) suitable for the control of these joints with size and geometry according to the ITER specifications has been developed and widely tested. Real defects in this type of joints are, however, still hardly detected by UT. The CFC surface has to be machined to improve the mechanical strength of the joint. This results in a surface not perpendicular to the ultrasonic wave. Moreover, CFC is characterized by high acoustic attenuation of the ultrasonic wave and then it is not easy to get information regarding the Cu/CFC bonding. Nevertheless, the UT sharpness and simplicity pushes to perform some further study. With this purpose, a sample with artificial defects induced on the CFC/Cu interface during the Cu casting, has been manufactured and investigated, both by pulse-echo technique and by different techniques. The results obtained by the UT on this sample are reported and compared with X-ray method.