The accumulation of triglyceride in and around the myocardium of moderately obese individuals is significant, and it is related to FFA exposure, generalized ectopic fat excess, and peripheral vascular resistance. These changes precede LV overload and hypertrophy.

The age-dependent occurrence of cervical degenerative changes was studied using 0.1 T MRI in 89 asymptomatic volunteers aged 9 to 63 years. The degree of DD (disc darkening on T2*-weighted images), disc protrusions and prolapses, narrowing of disc spaces, dorsal osteophytes and spinal canal stenosis were assessed. Abnormalities were commoner in older subjects, 62% of being seen in those over 40 years old. In subjects aged less than 30 years there were virtually no abnormalities. DD was the most common abnormality, seen in 10% of discs; 57% DD was in subjects aged over 40. DD at the C5/6 level was the most common finding. No differences in abnormal findings between males and females was observed, nor any statistically significant association between DD and other abnormalities. Thus, DD begins later age in the cervical spine than in the lumbar region. Asymptomatic degenerative changes are common on MRI in the cervical spine after 30 years of age.

Nuutila. Liver steatosis coexists with myocardial insulin resistance and coronary dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 291: E282-E290, 2006. First published February 14, 2006 doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00604.2005.-Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) is a common comorbidity in patients with type 2 diabetes and links to the risk of coronary syndromes. The aim was to determine the manifestations of metabolic syndrome in different organs in patients with liver steatosis. We studied 55 type 2 diabetic patients with coronary artery disease using positron emission tomography. Myocardial perfusion was measured with [15 O]H2O and myocardial and skeletal muscle glucose uptake with 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose during hyperinsulinemic euglycemia. Liver fat content was determined by magnetic resonance proton spectroscopy. Patients were divided on the basis of their median (8%) into two groups with low (4.6 Ϯ 2.0%) and high (17.4 Ϯ 8.0%) liver fat content. The groups were well matched for age, BMI, and fasting plasma glucose. In addition to insulin resistance at the whole body level (P ϭ 0.012) and muscle (P ϭ 0.002), the high liver fat group had lower insulin-stimulated myocardial glucose uptake (P ϭ 0.040) and glucose extraction rate (P ϭ 0.0006) compared with the low liver fat group. In multiple regression analysis, liver fat content was the most significant explanatory variable for myocardial insulin resistance. In addition, the high liver fat group had increased concentrations of high sensitivity C-reactive protein, soluble forms of E-selectin, vascular adhesion protein-1, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (P Ͻ 0.05) and lower coronary flow reserve (P ϭ 0.02) compared with the low liver fat group. In conclusion, in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, liver fat content is a novel independent indicator of myocardial insulin resistance and reduced coronary functional capacity. Further studies will reveal the effect of hepatic fat reduction on myocardial metabolism and coronary function. hepatic steatosis; coronary disease; positron emission tomography; magnetic resonance spectroscopy INSULIN RESISTANCE characterizes over 80% of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (44). Impaired glucose uptake in several tissues and endothelial dysfunction are usual findings. Increased hepatic fat content has been found to affect ϳ50% of type 2 diabetic patients in the United States (6); thus nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) often coexists with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Futhermore, Hamaguchi et al. Fatty liver has been closely linked to insulin resistance at the whole body level irrespective of body weight, BMI, fat distribution, and glucose tolerance (35). Coronary risk factors tend to cluster in patients with high liver fat content, and patients with NAFL show more advanced carotid atherosclerosis compared with healthy controls (3,8,52). Recently, in a prospective study, it was shown that T2DM patients with NAFL had more cardiovascular related events during follo...

We have analyzed the normal patellar motion during the first 30 degrees of knee flexion by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ten males and 10 females without knee symptoms were examined. The patellar articulation was imaged both sagittaly and axially with the knee flexed 0, 10, 20, and 30 degrees. The axial images were produced through the middle of the patellar articular cartilage. When the knee was in extension compared to 30 degrees flexion, the sulcus angle was greater, the lateral patellofemoral angle was smaller, there was more lateral patellar displacement, the patella tilted more laterally, and the congruence angle was directed more laterally. Differences between males and females were found.

In-phase and out-of-phase imaging can be used to rapidly estimate the LFC in patients with NAFLD. The cutoff value of 5.1% enables objective rapid and reliable discrimination of normal LFC from elevated LFC.