Improving Prenatal Diagnosis of Coarctation of the Aorta

Background

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the association between fetal echocardiographic measurements and the need for intervention (primary coarctation repair, staged coarctation repair, or catheter intervention) in prenatally diagnosed coarctation of the aorta.

Methaemoglobin formation in the koala and the possum

Measurements were made of glutathione (GSH) levels, catalase activity and the oxidant sensitivity of the erythrocytes from the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) and the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). The oxidant sensitivity was tested by treating the haemolysates with either 0.55 him H₂O₂ or 1.4mm NaNO₂. The erythrocytes of the koala had greater levels of GSH and catalase and yet were found to be more susceptible to oxidation induced by both these oxidants.     

FDA’S Perspectives on Cardiovascular Devices

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision process for approving or clearing medical devices is often determined by a review of robust clinical data and extensive preclinical testing of the device. The mission statement for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is to review the information provided by manufacturers so that it can promote and protect the health of the public by ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices deemed appropriate for human use (Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, §903(b)(1, 2(C)), December 31, 2004; accessed December 17, 2008 ). For high-risk devices, such as ventricular assist devices (VADs), mechanical heart valves, stents, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, pacemakers, and defibrillators, the determination is based on FDA’s review of extensive preclinical bench and animal testing followed by use of the device in a clinical trial in humans. These clinical trials allow the manufacturer to evaluate a device in the intended use population. FDA reviews the data from the clinical trial to determine if the device performed as predicted and the clinical benefits outweigh the risks. This article reviews the regulatory framework for different marketing applications related to cardiovascular devices and describes the process of obtaining approval to study a cardiovascular device in a U.S. clinical trial.     

A reaction route graph analysis of the electrochemical hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions

The reaction route (RR) graph approach recently developed by us for complex, non-linear kinetic mechanisms is applied to the hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions. A corresponding RR graph is constructed and translated into an equivalent electrical circuit network by associating each elementary step with a characteristic resistance for the steady-state case and considering the overall reaction as a power source. It is further shown that the steady-state kinetics of the reaction can be investigated employing the conventional methods of the electrical network theory. Using a set of rate constants for the hydrogen evolution reaction (her) in alkaline solutions from the literature, the dominant RRs are identified and simplified mechanisms and kinetics derived.     

Disposition in humans of racemic picenadol, an opioid analgesic

Racemic picenadol is being tested clinically as an analgesic. The (+)-enantiomer of picenadol is an opioid agonist and the (-)-enantiomer is a weak agonist/antagonist. The disposition of racemic [14C] picenadol was studied in healthy men after a single dose was administered im (N = 3) and orally (N = 5). After the dose, virtually none of the radioactivity that appeared in blood was associated with the red cells. In plasma, approximately 4% of the radioactivity was attributable to the parent drug, the remainder being picenadol glucuronide (approximately 35%) and other metabolites. The t1/2 for total radioactivity was 6 hr, that for the unchanged drug was 3.5 hr. Picenadol was present in plasma almost exclusively as the (+)-enantiomer. However, after incubation with glucuronidase and sulfatase, plasma contained 2 to 4 times more (-)- than (+)-picenadol, indicating that more conjugated (-)-picenadol than conjugated (+)-picenadol was in the plasma. After im and oral administration of [14C]picenadol, plasma levels of radioactivity were generally 10 and 70 times higher than those in saliva, respectively. More than 90% of the administered radioactivity was excreted in the urine, mostly as picendol glucuronide, and lesser amounts of picenadol sulfate and N-desmethylpicenadol sulfate. Only about 1% of the administered dose of picenadol appeared unchanged in urine. The disposition of racemic picenadol in humans was stereoselective, the (-)-picenadol apparently being metabolized preferentially over the (+)-enantiomer. This finding was of particular interest in view of the dissimilar pharmacologic activities of the enantiomers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Overexpression/amplification of HER-2/neu is uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND： Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most prevalent fatal cancers in the world. Despite advances in early diagnosis and improvements in surgical techniques, the survival of patients with HCC even after resection is poor because of the high incidence of recurrences. Therefore, the identification of prognostic factors may be helpful in the development of new treatment protocols. AIMS： To investigate HER-2/neu status in HCC by immunohistochemistry （IHC） and fluorescence in situ hybridisation （FISH）, and to explore the possibility of using trastuzumab in the treatment of HCC. METH ODS： Eight hundred and sixty eight surgical samples from patients with primary HCC were examined for their HER-2/neu status. IHC for HER-2/neu was performed with the HercepTest kit; FISH analysis was performed with the PathVysion HER-2 DNA probe kit. The correlations between HER-2/neu overexpression and clinicopathological characteristics were analysed statistically. RESULTS： HER-2/neu overexpression was detected in 21 （2.42%） of the 868 primary HCCs. Only one specimen showed HER-2/neu gene amplification by FISH. No significant associations were found between HER-2/neu overexpression and the clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSIONS： There is a low frequency of HER-2/neu overexpression/amplification in HCC. There appears to be no role for HER-2/neu as a prognostic marker and no benefit of anti-HER-2/neu trastuzumab treatment in patients with HCC.     

The long-term effect of pinealectomy on the crypts of the rat gastrointestinal tract

Abstract: Previously it has been found that rat small bowel crypt cell hyperplasia occurred several weeks after pinealectomy. To determine if this effect was longer-lasting (because of the possible role of the pineal in bowel malignancy) the crypt cell proliferation rate was determined in rat small bowel and colon 6 months after pinealectomy, using a stathmokinetic technique. Although the hyperproliferative effect of pinealectomy was well maintained in the small bowel crypts after 6 months, the hyper proliferative effect in the colonic crypts was much less marked. There is no obvious explanation for these findings, although it is possible that regional differences in levels of gut neuropeptides or melatonin are involved. The mechanism of the effect of pinealectomy on the crypts remains unexplained—in particular, why the effect is so prolonged.     

Recommendations for educational reform in the United States

This article suggests that the United States educational system needs significant changes. The goal of the article is to present a basic educational philosophy that would facilitate this reform. Specifically, education should be viewed as not only a means to an end that teaches basic skills for employment, but also as a process that enhances social development and self-actualization. Recommendations are offered to achieve this important goal.