Left ventricular dilation with preserved EF and impaired LV relaxation characterized LV function in chronic asymptomatic alcoholic patients. It appeared that the progression of abnormalities in LV diastolic filling related to the duration of alcoholism.

Previous angiographic observations in patients with mitral valve prolapse have suggested that superior leaflet displacement results in abnormal superior tension on the papillary muscle tips that causes their superior traction or displacement. It has further been postulated that such tension can potentially affect the mechanical and electrophysiologic function of the left ventricle. The purpose of this study was to confirm and quantitate this phenomenon noninvasively by using two-dimensional echocardiography to determine whether superior displacement of the papillary muscle tips occurs and its relation to the degree of mitral leaflet displacement. Directed echocardiographic examination of the papillary muscles and mitral anulus was carried out in a series of patients with classic mitral valve prolapse and results were compared with those in a group of normal control subjects. Distance from the anulus to the papillary muscle tip was measured both in early and at peak ventricular systole. In normal subjects, this distance did not change significantly through systole, whereas in the patient group it decreased, corresponding to a superior displacement of the papillary muscle tips toward the anulus in systole (8.5 +/- 2.6 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.7 mm; p less than 0.0001). This superior papillary muscle motion paralleled the superior displacement of the leaflets in individual patients (y = 1.0x + 0.8; r = 0.93) and followed a similar time course.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

No abstract

No abstract

4Biostatistics and Reporting, Sandwich, Kent 1 A novel animal model of spontaneous colonic inflammation, the multiple drug-resistant (mdr1) a À/À mouse, was identified by Panwala and colleagues in 1998. The aim of our study was to further characterise this model, specifically by measuring cytokines that have been implicated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (IL-8 and IFN-g) in the colon/rectum of mdr1a À/À mice, and by determining the sensitivity of these, together with the macroscopic, microscopic and disease signs of colitis, to dexamethasone (0.05, 0.3 and 2 mg kg À1 subcutaneously (s.c.) daily for 7 days). 2 All mdr1a À/À mice had microscopic evidence of inflammation in the caecum and colon/rectum, while control mice with the same genetic background did not. Significant increases in colon/rectum and caecal weights and also in cytokine levels (both IFN-g and IL-8) in homogenised colon/rectum were observed in mdr1a À/À mice compared to mdr1a þ / þ mice. 3 Dexamethasone reduced the increases in tissue weights and also microscopic grading of colitis severity, but had no effect on IFN-g or IL-8. 4 This study supports the similarity of the gastrointestinal inflammation present in mdr1a À/À mice to that of human IBD, in particular Crohn's disease. This has been demonstrated at the macroscopic and microscopic levels, and was supported further by elevations in colonic levels of IFN-g and IL-8 and the disease signs observed. The incidence of colitis was much higher than previously reported, with all mice having microscopic evidence of colitis. The limited variance between animals in the parameters measured suggests that this model is reproducible.