Abstract: The present invention describes the use of a nitric oxide synthetase inhibitor or nitric oxide antagonist to reduce or eliminate unwanted physiological effects encountered with the parenteral administration of particulate drugs.

Abstract: Ultrasound contrast agents comprising two or more types of gas-containing microparticles which differ in their susceptibility to ultrasonic pressure. Microparticle types having relatively low susceptibility to ultrasonic pressure provide a response to high acoustic energy in the near field where microparticle types with relatively high susceptibility tend to be inactivated through destruction. More highly susceptible microparticle types are effective in the lower acoustic energy environment of the far field, where lower susceptibility microparticle types will tend to exhibit little interaction.

Abstract: Temporal variations in backscatter from an ultrasound contrast agent located in the vascular system and induced by movement of the scatterers are used to visualize the presence of contrast agent by determining areas where correlation between successive ultrasound images is poor. This low level of correlation from intravascular contrast agent movement permits distinction between stationary bulk tissue and moving bulk tissue since movement of the latter solid tissue scatterers is correlated.