The aim of the study was to detect the changes of QT dispersion (QTd) due to cardiotoxicity of tricyclic antidepressant dosulepin. Electrocardiographic and vectorcardiographic recordings were obtained using Cardiag 112.2 diagnostic system from 28 psychiatric outpatients treated with prophylactic doses of dosulepin and compared to those obtained from 37 healthy volunteers. From these recordings following parameters were evaluated: QTd, spatial QRS-STT angle and amplitude of T-wave. The acquired data were correlated with the dosulepin plasma levels using Spearman´s rank order correlation test. The average QTd (±S.D.) in the dosulepin group was significantly higher (70±21 ms) than that in the control group (34±12 ms) (P<0.001). Moreover, the correlation between QTd and the dosulepin plasma levels was highly significant (r = 0.7871, P<0.001). Similar results were obtained when QTc dispersion was used. On the contrary, the QRS-STT space angle did not correlate with the dosulepin plasma levels. Furthermore, the T-wave amplitude was not significantly correlated to the QT-interval. Thus we can conclude that the QT dispersion could be used as a simple marker of the dosulepin effect on the myocardium.
In a group of 26 preterm newborn infants (gestational age 24-37 weeks, birth weight 560-2800 g) we followed the possible relationship between the birth weight and the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids n=3 in the blood serum. The blood samples were taken usually within 24 hours after birth, exceptionally within 48 hours. The newborns as well as their mothers did not receive antibiotics, tocolytics or hormonal therapy. We found a positive correlation between the birth weight and the proportion (expressed in %) of polyenoic fatty acids(n-3) in the blood serum. This relation could be expressed by the regression line (r=0.636, p<0.001, % FAn-3 = -1.166 + 0.00217 x birth weight in g. The value of Kruskal-Wallis criterion H was 15.158. The importance of such a relationship is discussed.
The aim of our study was to assess if repolarization BSPM were able to evaluate the site, size and severity of chronic ischaemic damages and if BSPM were in any way related to the regional attenuation of myocardial contractility or to the site of coronary artery occlusion. The BSPM were obtained from 69 patients suffering from coronary artery disease confirmed by coronarography, with at least 75 % occlusion of at least one coronary artery. According to the site of single occlusion, or a combination of the sites of multiple occlusions, the patients were divided into 6 subgroups. According to the region of attenuated kinetics the same group of 69 patients was also divided into other 6 subgroups. As in the polarity distribution there was only a limited accordance in BSPM with coronarographie and échocardiographie Findings, in the localization of extreme values there were very important specific changes in patients with normal kinetics as determined by both contrast ventriculography and two-dimensional echocardiography. The repolarization maps can distinguish patients with coronary artery disease and normal echocardiography from healthy persons with a sensitivity of 85 % and a specificity of 65 % in the case of the isoareal map from the ST segment (R1AM) and 90 % and 85 %, respectively, in the case of the isointegral map from the whole ST-T segments (R1IM).