Life expectancy in Italian track and field athletes.

Nine hundred eighty-three top Italian track and field athletes (700 males and 283 females) were examined for survival, mortality and causes of death for an average follow-up period of 18.6 years starting from their last year of competition as members of the national team. Overall mortality rates were compared to the rates expected on the basis of the life tables for Italian people of the same age, sex and time period. Thirty-four deaths were observed among males (vs 46.6 expected) with a O/E ratio of 0.73, while 3 deaths were observed among women (vs 6.2 expected) with a O/E ratio of 0.48. Neither of these differences was significant, but the O/E ratio for the group as a whole was quite significant (p = 0.0296). Some of the athletes demonstrated behavioural characteristics developed during their active careers that might have contributed to their low mortality rate.

[Clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings in a case of vasospastic angina with alternating pseudonormalization of the ST segment]. / Rilievi clinici, elettrocardiografici ed ecocardiografici in un caso di angina vasospastica con pseudo-normalizzazione alternante del tratto ST.

During Ergonovine-test a patient with Prinzmetal angina presented (in I, aVL, V3-V6) ST downsloping which, after a temporary phase of alternative normalization (AST) beat to beat in V5, progressed to ST upsloping with typical angina. The M-mode echo-study first discovered, before than ecg, septal impairment (hypokinesia which increased to akinesia in the AST phase) and also asynergy of posterior wall of left ventricle. After intravenous nitrate echo-alterations reversed more rapidly than ecg one (transitional phase of ST decrease). The authors relate the AST to temporary alternative pseudonormalization caused by a phase of electrical instability during progressive vasospastic ischemia involving first the endocardial layers and after the epicardium of a single myocardiocoronary district. Probably also other partially opposite ischaemic districts, as suggested from echo data of posterior wall asynergy took a part in these events. This rare ST-alternans type as new pseudonormalization phenomenon and the usefulness of echo-study during ischaemic attacks are stressed.

[Echocardiography in obstructive hypertrophic myocardiopathy. Proposed index of severity of the obstruction]. / Ecocardiografia nella miocardiopatia ipertrofica ostruttiva. Proposta di un indice di gravità dell'ostruzione.

An obstruction index to estimate the left ventricle outflow gradient from the echocardiogram in patients with obstructive cardiomyopathies is proposed. It is based on the measurements of the mean distance between septum and anterior mtral valve leaflet, the total time of narrowing and the time of minimal and maximal narrowing. In the first group of patients studied, it seems to correlate fairely with the severity of clinical picture and with the gradient found at catheterization.