Diallel analysis of corn for special use as corn grits: determining the main genetic effects for corn gritting ability.

Corn grits are used for various purposes such as flakes, snacks, livestock feed, hominy, extruded products, beer, etc. The grit size proportion varies according to the hybrid, and thus, once the use of the grits is linked to the particle size, determining the genetic effects is essential to develop hybrids for any specific use. For this purpose a complete diallel series of crosses, involving eight parents, was performed near Maringá, PR, Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining abilities of 28 progeny for selection of hybrids for breeding programs and extraction of inbred lines for hybrid development. The response variables, such as plant height, ear insertion height, crop stand, grain yield, and grits, small grits and bran production, were gauged and appraised for each of the 28 progeny. The trait effects and GCA were significant for all response variables, while for SCA, only grain yield and crop stand showed significance (P < 0.05), according to Griffing (1955) analysis. A significant weak negative partial correlation was found between grain yield and grits conversion. In relation to the hybrid selection for breeding programs, the parent IAC Nelore was highly recommended for recurrent selection and the hybrids IPR 119 x HT 392 and IAC Nelore x HD 332 for the extraction of pure lines for hybrid development.

Combining ability of tropical maize lines for seed quality and agronomic traits.

Studies of genetic effects of early selection of maize based on seed quality traits are rare, especially those that use materials from different heterotic groups. These studies are also useful in tropical environments and for the advancement of sustainable agriculture with cropping during seasons not commonly used for cultivation. We estimated, through diallel crosses, the predominant genetic effects on the expression of agronomic traits and seed quality and on the general combining ability of nine maize lines from commercial hybrids and the specific combining ability of hybrid combinations among them. In the evaluation of seed quality, seven tests were used: first count and final count of seed germination, seedling vigor classification, cold tolerance, seedling emergence rate in a sand seedbed, speed of emergence in a sand seedbed, and speed of emergence index. Plant height, first ear height and grain yield were the estimated agronomic traits. In the diallel analysis, method 3 (model I) proposed by Griffing was used. There was a greater significance of non-additive genetic effects in the genetic control of seed quality of the various lines. The Flash, Dekalb 350 and P 30F80 lines combined high seed quality and high grain yield. For growth during the normal planting season, the combinations CD 3121-1 x P 30F80, Speed x CD 3121-2, Dow 8330 x AG 8080 and Dekalb 350 x CD 3121-2 were the most promising for both seed quality and agronomic traits.

Balloon dilatation of supravalvular aortic stenosis: a report of two cases.

Balloon dilatation was performed in two cases of supravalvular aortic stenosis with variable results. There was remarkable reduction in gradient in the patient with membranous obstruction and the benefits are sustained at 18 months follow-up. The patient with hour-glass obstruction had only a partial success with reappearance of obstruction within 1 week. Balloon dilatation may emerge as a viable treatment modality for membranous obstructions. However, a large study is needed to establish the place of this procedure.

Transient myocardial dysfunction in a patient with subarachnoid haemorrhage.

We report a patient of subarachnoid haemorrhage who presented with severe left ventricular dysfunction and marked electrocardiographic changes indistinguishable from acute myocardial infarction. Coronary arteriography showed normal anatomy and the ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities recovered spontaneously after 3 weeks. The implications of this association are discussed.

Balloon valvotomy for mitral restenosis after open or closed surgical commissurotomy.

Balloon mitral valvotomy was performed in 48 patients (Group I) with mitral restenosis following prior surgical commissurotomy 3-21 years previously. Their results were compared with those of balloon valvotomy in 302 patients without prior commissurotomy (Group II). The procedure was successful in 91.7% of Group I. The mitral valve area, cardiac output, mitral valve gradient, mean left atrial and pulmonary arterial pressures significantly improved following valvotomy (all P < 0.001) in Group I and similar results were obtained in Group II. A comparison of the absolute and percentage change in the mitral valve area following valvotomy amongst the two groups revealed no significant difference (P = N.S.). The baseline clinical characteristics in both the groups were similar except for a higher echocardiographic score (8.64 +/- 1.5 vs. 7 +/- 1.7; P < 0.005) in Group I. Despite the high echo score, achievement of an 'optimal' result and occurrence of postprocedural mitral regurgitation were similar in both groups. The complications included systemic embolus in one patient and increase in mitral regurgitation to > or = 2+ in 2. There were no deaths. Balloon valvotomy for mitral restenosis following surgical commissurotomy is safe, effective and produces clinical and hemodynamic results comparable to those in unoperated cases.

Superiority of transoesophageal echocardiography in detection of multichambered multiple myxoma.

We describe a rare case of a sporadiac form of multiple myxoma and highlight the unusual combination of left atrial and right ventricular tumors. Transoesophageal echocardiography proved superior to precordial imaging in detecting all four masses (two in left atrium and two in right ventricle).

Percutaneous mitral valvotomy in 200 patients using Inoue balloon-immediate and early haemodynamic results.

We report our experience with percutaneous balloon valvotomy using the Inoue technique in 200 cases with rheumatic mitral stenosis. The procedure was successful in 195 (97.5%) cases with a fluoroscopy time of 9 +/- 2.7 and procedure time of 60 +/- 19 minutes. Mitral valve area as estimated by Gorlin's equation and pressure half time increased from 0.86 +/- 0.17 to 2.21 +/- 0.41 and from 0.94 +/- 0.14 to 1.90 +/- 0.26 (p < 0.001) respectively. Other hemodynamic variables including mitral valve gradient, cardiac output, left atrial mean and pulmonary artery pressure improved significantly. There were no deaths and the incidence of major complications was small. Increase in mitral regurgitation was observed in 35 (17.9%) with grade 2+ increase in 7 (3.6%). Inoue balloon technique is safe, easy to perform and provides excellent clinical and hemodynamic benefits in majority of cases.

Coronary artery disease in premenopausal Indian women: risk factors and angiographic profile.

Coronary angiographic and clinical profile of 47 premenopausal women presenting with myocardial infarction (MI) or angina is presented. Seventeen patients (36%) had significant obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) (Group I), while 30 (64%) had normal coronaries (Group II). The latter group included 4 who had MI and 26 who presented with angina. Risk factors in Group I included hypertension (53%), diabetes mellitus (24%), hypercholesterolemia (29%), oral contraceptives and a positive family history (11.8%). Frequency of one, two and three vessel disease was 47%, 18% and 35% respectively. The left anterior descending artery was most commonly affected (82%). In Group II the risk factors included hypertension (17%) and diabetes (7%). No patient in either group was a smoker. This analysis shows that significant obstructive CAD in premenopausal Indian females is more commonly associated with hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Smoking was not encountered and ingestion of contraceptive pills is uncommon.

Alteration in pulmonary mechanics after coronary artery bypass surgery: comparison using internal mammary artery and saphenous vein grafts.

Pulmonary function tests, arterial blood gas tensions and morbidity were compared in 50 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Thirty patients had bilateral internal mammary grafts (Group 1), 5 patients had only saphenous vein grafts (Group 2) and 15 patients had a single arterial graft in addition to vein grafts (Group 3). Pleural effusion and wound infection were more common in patients with internal mammary artery grafts (p < 0.05). Patients in Group 2 required prolonged ventilation but this could be related to their underlying left ventricular dysfunction. Patients in all the three groups developed a severe restrictive ventilatory defect in the postoperative period and the degree of impairment was maximum in Group 1 patients (p < 0.01). These patients also had evidence of small airway obstruction. Thus an overall decrease in pulmonary function occurs in the postoperative period by 30 to 40% (p < 0.001). The derangement is greater in patients with arterial grafts, as a result of impaired blood supply, increase in pleural drains and additional surgical trauma secondary to mobilization of internal mammary arteries leading to delayed recovery. The awareness of these findings can be of great value in postoperative management of these patients. In addition, these observations should also be kept in mind while planning the choice of grafts in a patient undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Risk factors for coronary heart disease in Asian Indians: clinical implications for prevention of coronary heart disease.

Contrary to popular belief that coronary heart disease (CHD) is uncommon in developing countries, Asian Indians have among the highest prevalence of CHD. Analysis of numerous studies have now revealed that the usual risk factors i.e. hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, smoking and a family history of CHD, are not common among South Asians. Rather, they possess a different risk factor profile characterized by high triglycerides, low HDL, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, abdominal obesity and increased lipoprotein(a) levels. On account of this difference and the alarming explosion of CHD in India, guidelines for prevention of CHD as laid down by the American Heart Association may not be applicable in our population. A judicious diet incorporating commonly used Indian food items and regular exercise will go a long way in effective primary prevention.

Fatal aortic rupture following balloon angioplasty of aortic restenosis in aortoarteritis.

We report a case of fatal aortic rupture following balloon dilation in a young female with aortoarteritis in whom restenosis of the aorta was observed 16 years after a patch aortoplasty operation. To the best of our knowledge, this complication has not been reported in aortoarteritis, although such instances have been reported in recoarctation. This unfortunate experience leads us believe that aortic segment in operated cases may be resistant to balloon dilation and vulnerable to rupture. In such cases, balloon angioplasty should either be avoided or performed with extreme caution. A sequential balloon dilation technique starting with a smaller balloon may be helpful in avoiding this complication.

Percutaneous mitral valvotomy using Inoue and double balloon technique: comparison of clinical and hemodynamic short term results in 350 cases.

The results of percutaneous mitral valvotomy (PMV) by double balloon (N = 230, Group I) and Inoue single balloon (N = 120, Group II) technique were compared. The groups were similar with respect to baseline characteristics. Following PMV there were marked symptomatic and haemodynamic benefits in both the groups. There was significant increase in mitral valve area (MVA) estimated by Gorlin's equation (Group I: from 0.83 +/- 0.18 cm2 to 2.10 +/- 0.45 cm2, p < 0.001; Group II: from 0.83 +/- 0.17 cm2 to 2.16 +/- 0.39 cm2, p < 0.001) and by echoplanimetry (Group I: from 0.84 +/- 0.18 cm2 to 1.91 +/- 0.35 cm2, p < 0.001; Group II: from 0.88 +/- 0.17 cm2 to 1.96 +/- 0.30 cm2, p < 0.001). However, the percentage increase in MVA in the two groups by echoplanimetry (Group I: 136 +/- 59; Group II: 130 +/- 51; p = NS) and by Gorlin's equation (Group I: 164 +/- 69; Group II: 168 +/- 61; p = NS) were not statistically significant. Results were considered optimal when increase in MVA was > or = 1.5 cm2, percentage increase was > or = 50, and mitral regurgitation was < 2/4. Out of 216 patients in Group I where PMV could be performed, optimal results were achieved in 184 (85.2%) by Gorlin's equation and 178 (82.4%) by echoplanimetry. In Group II, out of 116 patients, optimal results were achieved in 107 (92.2%) by Gorlin's equation and 103 (89%) by echoplanimetry. Incidence of mitral regurgitation although higher in Group II (24.1% vs. 18.9%) was not statistically significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Percutaneous double-valve balloon valvotomy for multivalve stenosis: immediate results and intermediate-term follow-up.

Ten patients each with combined mitral and tricuspid stenosis (group 1) and with combined mitral and aortic stenosis (group 2) underwent double-valve balloon valvotomy as a single staged procedure. The aortic valve was dilated by the Mansfield balloon technique, whereas the mitral and tricuspid valves were dilated with either the Mansfield or Inoue balloon. The mitral valve area increased from 0.78 +/- 0.21 cm2 to 2.05 +/- 0.56 cm2 (p < 0.0005) in group 1 and from 0.75 +/- 0.20 cm2 to 2.1 +/- 0.59 cm2 (p < 0.05) in group 2. The tricuspid valve area increased from 1.11 +/- 0.41 cm2 to 2.52 +/- 0.69 cm2 (p < 0.0005). In group 2, the transaortic gradient decreased from 93.56 +/- 17.7 mm Hg to 28.56 +/- 7.8 mm Hg (p < 0.0005) and the valve area increased from 0.37 +/- 0.05 cm2 to 1.03 +/- 0.25 cm2 (p < 0.005). The excellent symptomatic and hemodynamic results were sustained at 30.3 +/- 9.8 months of follow-up in group 1 and at 23.5 +/- 9.1 months in group 2. Double-valve balloon valvotomy is feasible and safe and provides excellent immediate and intermediate-term follow-up results in selected patients with multivalve disease. A longer follow-up in a larger number of cases is needed to define further the role of this therapy.

Selective coronary angiography via antegrade venous route in congenital cyanotic heart disease.

An antegrade venous technique was utilised to perform selective coronary angiography in cyanotic infants and children. The procedure was successful in 88% (37/42) cases and excellent quality angiograms were recorded. The importance of proper catheter selection and details of the technique are discussed.

Incidencia de ictericia em recem-nascidos de alto risco. / Occurrence of jaundice in high risk newborn infants

O estudo de 4.703 recem-nascidos da Unidade Neonatal do Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, no periodo de julho de 1979 a dezembro de 1980, revelou uma maior incidencia de ictericia nos nascimentos por cesarea, nao havendo diferenca estatisticamente significativa na incidencia de ictericia entre os recem-nascidos a termo, prematuros e com desnutricao intra-uterina. Nao se evidenciou a importancia de processos patologicos neonatais (disturbios respiratorios, metabolicos e infecciosos) como fatores responsaveis por uma maior incidencia de ictericia nesse periodo de vida