Clinical application of pulsed Doppler tissue imaging for assessing abnormal left ventricular relaxation.

Conventional assessment of left ventricular (LV) relaxation by calculating the time constant of LV pressure decay during the isovolumic diastole requires an invasive approach. Conversely, noninvasive parameters obtained by measuring isovolumic relaxation time and transmitral flow velocity often give inaccurate information. Using LV pressure curve, pulsed Doppler echocardiography, and pulsed Doppler tissue imaging in 38 patients with heart disease and 12 control subjects, we calculated the time constant and recorded transmitral flow velocity and motion velocities at the endocardial portions of the ventricular septum and LV posterior wall. Compared with the controls, patients exhibited a prolonged time constant, a decreased peak early diastolic velocity of the LV posterior wall, and a prolonged time interval from the second heart sound to the peak of the early diastolic wave. The time constant correlated well with the isovolumic relaxation time and various parameters calculated from the transmitral flow velocity, except in patients with elevated LV end-diastolic pressure. In all subjects, the time constant correlated negatively with the peak early diastolic velocity of the posterior wall and positively with the time from the second heart sound to the peak of the early diastolic wave. Thus, early diastolic parameters derived from the motion velocity of the LV posterior wall by pulsed Doppler tissue imaging were closely related to the time constant. This technique may allow noninvasive evaluation of abnormal LV relaxation in patients with various heart diseases.

Influence of living conditions on the incidence of anemia and effects of health guidance and diet supplementation on recovery from anemia of women in fishing villages.

Studies were made on the relationship between the incidence of anemia and living conditions of women in fishing villages in Tokushima prefecture, and also on the effects of health guidance and supplementation of the diet with iron enriched food on recovery from anemia. With regard to economic conditions, Hb values were found to be higher in women who spent more money on food and who had much leisure time compared with working hours. With regard to diet, Hb values were higher in women with higher intakes of animal protein and vitamin C. Intake of vitamin C was significantly higher in a group with hemoglobin value of over 12.0 g/dl than in a group with hemoglobin value of under 12.0 g/dl. The cumulative recovery rate from anemia of women receiving health guidance was 61.5% and the cumulative recovery rate from anemia of women receiving Tsukudani (a preparation of small dried sardines) enriched with iron for 60 to 105 days (30 to 75 mg iron per day: average 59.3 mg per day) was 53.3%. But the recovery rate of serum iron was lower than those of Hb and Ht, being about 40% on the average.