BioMEMS Education at Louisiana Tech University

A course in BioMEMS was recently taught at the senior undergraduate and graduate level at Louisiana Tech University and the Institute for Micromanufacturing. The course focused on the basic principles and applications of MEMS technology in the area of biomedical microsystems. The course was well received and had an enrollment well above that expected. Student feedback and a review of the course evaluations indicated that the course was effective in achieving its aims. A poster session involving the presentation of student design projects at the end of the course proved to be a highlight and a valuable experience for all involved. While the course proved successful, suggestions for improvement of the course are outlined and a summary of student responses is presented. An overview of a BioMEMS short course based on the University course is also presented.     

Primary tumors of the heart: experience at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

BACKGROUND: An analysis of primary cardiac tumors in the English-speaking Caribbean has never been previously conducted. This paper is an attempt to fill this void. METHODS: A retrospective review of autopsy and surgical pathology records of the Department of Pathology at the University Hospital of the West Indies was carried out in search of all primary cardiac tumors. RESULTS: Altogether, 15 patients with primary cardiac tumors were identified. Twelve patients had myxomas, 2 of which were newborn infants. There were 2 cases of fibroma and 1 of rhabdomyoma, also in children. No malignant tumors were identified. Of the 10 adult patients all of whom had myxoma, there were 5 men and 5 women whose ages ranged from 33 to 83 years with a mean of 52 years. Echocardiography was used in making the diagnosis of cardiac tumor in all but one of these cases. All adult patients were symptomatic, with shortness of breath, often accompanied by congestive cardiac failure, being the most common symptom. One patient presented with embolic phenomena. CONCLUSION: This analysis of the clinicopathologic features of primary cardiac neoplasms represents the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean. While the total number of cases was small, there appears to be a disproportionate number of pediatric tumors representing a third of the total. Furthermore, the distribution of tumor types within the pediatric population was dissimilar to that usually seen with only one rhabdomyoma.     

Dermatology teleconsultations to Central Prison: experience at East Carolina University.

OBJECTIVE: To review our experience with dermatology teleconsultations between East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville and Central Prison in Raleigh, NC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consultation forms kept on file in the Department of Internal Medicine served as the source of data. One physician reviewed the forms from the initial 22 months of our dermatology teleconsultation service to Central Prison. Patient demographics and the diagnoses made by the consulting physician were recorded. Recommendations were tabulated as either diagnostic or therapeutic. Diagnoses and recommendations for known HIV-positive individuals were separately recorded. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-eight dermatology teleconsultations were performed over the 22-month period. Seventy two per cent of the patients seen were African-American. The average age was 32 years. One hundred fifty-nine diagnoses were made. The most common problems were eczema and acneiform eruptions. Fifty-nine diagnostic and 252 therapeutic recommendations were made. CONCLUSION: Consultants generally were confident of their diagnoses and management decisions. Dermatologists can assist primary care physicians through telemedicine consultation.     

Management of fertility preservation in prepubertal patients: 5 years' experience at the Catholic University of Louvain

BACKGROUND Since prepubertal boys cannot benefit from sperm banking, a potential alternative strategy for fertility preservation involves immature testicular tissue (ITT) banking aimed at preservation of spermatogonial stem cells. Survival of spermatogonia has been demonstrated after ITT freezing, which is considered ethically acceptable. We report the results of a pilot program set up for fertility preservation in prepubertal boys. METHODS All boys undergoing ITT cryobanking from May 2005 were identified from our clinical register. Data were collected from medical files. RESULTS Testicular tissue was retrieved from 52 prepubertal patients under 12 years of age and 10 peripubertal patients aged between 12 and 16 years, in whom no spermatozoa were identified in testicular biopsies. Malignant disease accounted for 80.6% of cases; the remaining patients suffered from benign disorders requiring gonadotoxic treatments. Mean ages, Tanner stages and occurrence rates of urogenital pathology were 6.43 ± 3.32 and 14 ± 1.23 years, I and I-IV, and 13.5 and 20% for pre- and peripubertal patients, respectively. Mean volumes of removed tissue were 20.1 ± 8.6 and 42.4 ± 15.6 mm(3) for pre- and peripubertal patients, respectively. No complications occurred during or after tissue retrieval and 93.5% of referred patients accepted ITT storage. The presence of spermatogonia, and thus the potential for later tissue use, was established in all of these patients. CONCLUSIONS The majority of cryopreserved samples showed reproductive potential. Storage was accepted by most parents. All parents and children considered this fertility preservation strategy a positive approach.     

Fertility preservation in adolescent males: experience over 22 years at Rouen University Hospital

BACKGROUND: Sperm banking is a suitable procedure to prevent infertilityafter cancer therapy in male adolescents. We evaluated the feasibilityof semen preservation in 156 adolescents aged between 13 and20 years and then we assessed fertility outcome after treatment. METHODS: Age, urogenital history, indications for cryopreservation, histologicaldiagnosis and semen parameters were recorded. Fertility statusafter treatment was assessed by a questionnaire addressed tothose patients who had utilized sperm storage. Post-treatmentsemen analysis was performed for 22 patients. RESULTS: Cryopreservation was possible in 88.5% of cases. Azoospermiawas detected in 2.6% of the patients at the time of diagnosis.Malignant disease accounted for 84% of our male adolescents.In this type of disease, semen parameters were significantlyaltered only among patients with metastatic malignant bone tumour.After treatment, nine patients presented azoospermia, five patientsachieved pregnancy spontaneously, two achieved it after assistedreproductive technique using fresh ejaculated spermatozoa andone following sperm donation. Three failed with cryopreservedsperm. CONCLUSIONS: Semen cryopreservation is possible for most adolescents and,regardless of disease type, may be a means of preserving fertilityprior to gonadotoxic treatment that might impair the spermatogenesisprocess.     

Initial experience with the AbioCor implantable replacement heart at the University of Louisville

Potential benefits of heart transplantation are limited by the severe donor organ shortage. The AbioCor implantable replacement heart has been developed as a potential alternative to heart transplantation. We report our initial experience with the AbioCor in a bovine model. A right thoracotomy was performed for access to the heart and great vessels. After initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass, excision of the native ventricles was followed by orthotopic placement of the IRH and complete implantation of the transcutaneous energy transfer coil, controller, and battery pack. Invasive monitoring of IVC, SVC, carotid artery, pulmonary artery, and left atrial (LA) pressures was performed in all animals. Twelve calves have undergone implantation of the AbioCor. There were three early deaths, one from bleeding, one from respiratory failure, and one from neurodysfunction from low flow during CPB. Nine animals have had a normal recovery and survived a mean of 24.5 days (range, 4-48 days). All the animals have demonstrated excellent hemodynamics with the maintenance of normal pressures in the LA, SVC, IVC, pulmonary artery, and aorta. Adjustment of the right-sided internal hydraulic fluid shunt has allowed for control of right-left balance and, thereby, manipulation of left and right side filling pressures. Late morbidity has consisted of neck wound infection and sepsis, pneumonia, and bleeding. Successful orthotopic implantation of all components of the AbioCor has been achieved in a bovine model. This device has demonstrated restoration of normal hemodynamics and excellent function of the atrial hydraulic shunt to achieve right-left balance.     

Lung abscess: a review of three-years' experience at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

The experience with 45 patients with lung abscess over a three-year period at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, is presented. This study confirms the rarity of this disease among Nigerian children and its prevalence in young adults in the third and fourth decades of life. The most common presenting symptoms were purulent cough, chest pain, fever, and life-threatening hemoptysis which was the sole indication for emergency operation in 14 out of 16 patients who were treated surgically. The predominance of these abscesses in the right lung, especially in the superior segment of the lower lobe, supports the fact that aspiration of infected material, following depressed level of consciousness, esophageal obstruction, foreign bodies, and oral sepsis form the major causative factors in patients with lung abscess. The frequent association of sickle cell disease, bronchiectasis, hypertension, and pulmonary aspergilloma contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality attendant to this disease in our environment. Twenty-nine patients were treated medically with five deaths and 16 patients were treated surgically with six deaths. The high operative mortality (37.5 percent) in this series was due to the extreme emergency conditions under which these patients were operated.     

Problem-based learning outcomes: ten years of experience at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine.

PURPOSE: To add to a previous publication from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine (UMCSOM) on students' improvement in United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 scores after the implementation of a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum by studying the performance of ten PBL class cohorts at the UMCSOM. METHOD: Characteristics of graduating classes matriculating in both traditional and PBL curricula, 1993-2006, were compared for Medical College Admission Test component scores, undergraduate grade point averages, performance on the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 exams, faculty contact hours, and residency directors' evaluations of UMCSOM graduates' performance in the first year of residency. RESULTS: Mean scores of six of the ten comparisons for USMLE Step 1 and six of nine comparisons for USMLE Step 2 are significantly higher (p < .01) for UMCSOM PBL students than for first-time examinees nationally. These differences cannot be accounted for by preselection of academically advantaged students, increased time on task, or reduced class size. Gains in performance continue into residency, as evidenced by program directors' perceptions of superior performance of UMCSOM PBL graduates. CONCLUSIONS: The PBL curricular changes implemented with the graduating class of 1997 resulted in higher performances on USMLEs and improved evaluations from residency program directors. These changes better prepare graduates with knowledge and skills needed to practice within a complex health care system. Outcomes reported here support the investment of financial and human resources in our PBL curriculum.     

AIDS at Central University Hospital of Brazzaville: experience of the "Grands Enfants" pediatric department

The epidemiological factors, clinical aspects and short term evolution of children infected by aids were assessed over a period of five years in "Grands Enfants" paediatric service of Brazzaville CHU. The medical reports of 81 patients have been collected, their average age was 9 years old +/- 3.5. The HIV 1 was the only identified virus. 59% of children's parents were divorced, and 7% were single. The infection transmission was vertical in 70% of cases, transfusional in 28% of cases and indeterminate in 1% of cases. The symptoms were: the impairment of body status in 90% of cases, shown by a weight loss in 89% of cases; a long-term fever was observed in 56% of cases and a chronic diarrhoea was noticed in 54% of cases. The lymphadenopathies and digestive Candida were observed in 26% and 36% of cases. 6% of the patients had a psychomotor retardation. The respiratory infections and the diarrhoea were pathologies the most frequently noticed. The associated infections were essentially pulmonary tuberculosis 40% of cases, the otitis, the pneumococcal and cryptococcal meningia 2% of cases. The Burkitt lymphoma and the Kaposi sarcoma were shown in 1% of cases. The evolution was shown by a high mortality due to a dehydration in 59% of cases, a respiratory pathology in 22% of cases and anaemia in 15% of cases. This high mortality points out the problem of the treatment of patients, a problem increased by family poverty.     

A core curriculum for international health: evaluating ten years' experience at the University of Arizona.

215 graduates (118 women and 97 men) of the University of Arizona's International Health Core Curriculum received a questionnaire after completion of their clinical practice in order to evaluate the experience of 10 years from 1982-91. The curriculum consisted of a 3- week orientation course given to 4th year medical students with core contents of population, nutrition, and infectious diseases followed up by student evaluation upon completion. 192 students were eligible for the survey of whom 154 completed it yielding an 80% response rate: 139 future physicians and 15 nurses, health educators, and nutritionists. 113 of 154 respondents completed an international health field experience after the course in 43 developing countries: 22% in Africa, 39% in Asia-Pacific, and 39% in Latin American-Caribbean. 79% were in rural and 34% in urban areas. A public health-community medicine program was incorporated in the clinical work at most sites. 95% of them participated in clinical care, 73% in community teaching, and 51% in research and evaluation. The duration of this field experience lasted 6-12 months for 69% of them. The median responses regarding the possibility of postcourse international field work and rating the worth of the course for clinical care, teaching others, and research were well or very well. They also rated the preparation of the course for subsequent work at 43 specific sites as good and dealing with limited resources and cross-culture communication as very good. All were willing to recommend the course to their peers.     

Adenomyosis in Pakistani women: four year experience at the Aga Khan University Medical Centre, Karachi.

As part of a quality assurance programme at the Aga Khan University Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, all hysterectomy specimens were reviewed from January 1986 to December 1989. Adenomyosis was found in 237 of the 419 (56.5%) specimens studied. Of these 237 patients, 232 (97.9%) were parous and 196 (82.8%) were in the fourth and fifth decades of life. This high prevalence in parous women aged 40-59 years was significant. Fibroids, cervicitis, and endometrial hyperplasia were the most common associated diagnoses. Of all the associations studied, only endometrial hyperplasia was significantly more prevalent in the group with adenomyosis. Adenomyosis was stated as an indication for surgery in 69 patients and was confirmed by histopathology in 49 (71%). Preoperative suspicion of adenomyosis was present in 49 (20.6%) patients of all those ultimately found to have the disease. There is a high prevalence of adenomyosis in the population studied, which indicates that the condition may have been underdiagnosed in the past, especially as it is difficult to diagnose without surgery and hysterectomy is currently the only treatment.     

Colorectal carcinoma in young persons: experience at Howard University Hospital, 1955--1977.

Case records of all patients 30 years of age and under with a proven pathological diagnosis of colorectal cancer at Howard University Hospital between January 1955 and December 1977 were reviewed. Over this 23-year period, 14 cases were documented. All patients were black. This study reaffirms the poor prognosis which accompanies colorectal carcinoma in the young, particularly in those patients with mucinous carcinoma.     

Position of bioengineering education in Hungary

Medical electronic equipment has been produced in Hungary since the early forties. Industrial production of bioengineering started only in 1957. At the same time the bioengineering section of the Scientific Society of Measurement and Automation was founded. This Section was instrumental in recognizing the necessity for and establishing a structured education programme in bioengineering which started in the Postgraduate Institute for Engineers within Budapest Technical University. Later this was incorporated in the programme of the Technical University as an optional subject. Today there is also a specialised engineering course at the Technical University. There are significant developments in the bioengineering education of physicians and medical students. This paper deals with the possibility of classification bioengineering devices which has proved useful in education in Hungary.