Analysis of the ST-segment in terms of principal components: application on multichannel magnetocardiographic recordings

Parameterization of the ST-segment is used as a tool for risk stratification for patients to suffer from ventricular tachycardia. This parameterization is performed in terms of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) applied on multichannel magnetocardiographic (MCG) recordings. 55-channel MCG was recorded from 14 normal persons, 10 patients with CHD, 14 patients with MI, and six patients with VT. We found a significantly (p < 0.05) lower PCA-score in patients with MI compared to normals. The lowest PCA-score was found in VT patients. Significant differences can be found between VT patients and normals and also between VT patients and CHD patients.     

Neue Angaben zur chromosomalen Struktur des Sticker-Sarkoms

Zusammenfassung In allen den bisher untersuchten Fällen von Sticker-Sarkome des Hundes wurden die gleichen Chromosomenanomalien gefunden: 58–59 Chromosomen, darunter 13–17 metazentrische und 40–45 telozentrische. Ein beobachteter Tumor wies die doppelte Chromosomenzahl auf, auch die Zahl der metazentrischen Chromosomen machte etwa das Zweifache des bisher mitgeteilten Wertes aus. Dieser Chromosomensatz war auch in den Zellen von Transplantaten nachzuweisen. Es dürfte sich also um eine stabile polyploide Abart des Sticker-Sarkoms handeln.

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A new chromosomal variant of the Sticker venereal sarcoma

Summary In all earlier investigations of the Sticker venereal sarcoma in dogs identical chromosomal aberrations were found; there were 58–59 chromosomes of which 13–17 were metacentrics and 40–45 telocentrics. In the tumour presented here the karyotype was similar to that recorded previously except that the chromosome number was doubled; thus all the characteristic chromosomes were present in duplicate. The same duplicate chromosomal set was preserved when the tumour was transplanted to other dogs. Thus the tumour may be regarded as a stable polyploid variant of the Sticker venereal sarcoma.

     

Analysis of the ST-segment in terms of principal components: application on multichannel magnetocardiographic recordings

Parameterization of the ST-segment is used as a tool for risk stratification for patients to suffer from ventricular tachycardia. This parameterization is performed in terms of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) applied on multichannel magnetocardiographic (MCG) recordings. 55-channel MCG was recorded from 14 normal persons, 10 patients with CHD, 14 patients with MI, and six patients with VT. We found a significantly (p?<?0.05) lower PCA-score in patients with MI compared to normals. The lowest PCA-score was found in VT patients. Significant differences can be found between VT patients and normals and also between VT patients and CHD patients.     

The use of toxicokinetic data in preclinical safety assessment: a toxicologic pathologist perspective

Collection of toxicokinetic data has become a routine practice during the last 15 years in most general toxicity studies on pharma. It enables the correlation of pathological changes with the plasma concentration of drugs and/or their metabolites. This overview summarizes the use of the toxicokinetic data from the perspective of the toxicologic pathologist.     

Difficulties faced by patients with chronic diseases in the primary care setting in Singapore: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTIONPatients with chronic diseases face difficulties when navigating the healthcare system. Using the Healthcare System Hassles Questionnaire (HSHQ) developed by Parchman et al, this study aimed to explore the degree of hassles faced by patients in primary care in Singapore and identify the characteristics associated with greater hassles.METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with chronic diseases at Hougang Polyclinic, Singapore, using the interviewer-administered HSHQ. The mean HSHQ score was compared with that reported by Parchman et al. The associations between the number of chronic diseases, demographic variables and healthcare hassles were assessed using multivariate linear logistic regression analysis.RESULTSIn total, 217 outpatients aged 21 years and above were enrolled. Their overall mean HSHQ score (4.77 ± 6.18) was significantly lower than that of patients in the study by Parchman et al (15.94 ± 14.23, p < 0.001). Patients with five or more chronic diseases scored 3.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.11–6.65, p = 0.043) points higher than those with one chronic disease did. With each increasing year of age, the mean HSHQ score decreased by 0.17 (95% CI −0.26 to −0.08, p = 0.001) points. Patients with polytechnic/diploma/university education and higher scored 2.65 (95% CI 0.19–5.11, p = 0.035) points higher than those with primary education and lower did.CONCLUSIONPatients in our population reported less hassles than those in the study by Parchman et al did. Increasing age and lower education level were associated with less hassles. Further analysis of the types of chronic diseases may yield new information about the association of healthcare hassles with the number and types of chronic diseases.     

Genetic amniocentesis in twin pregnancy--experience of eleven years

AIMS: Genetic amniocentesis is the most commonly used method for the diagnosis of genetic disorders of the fetus. PATIENT AND METHODS: The authors give an account of their experiences on genetic amniocentesis performed in almost 200 cases of twin pregnancies in the last eleven years. They examined the outcome of the pregnancies, the fetal loss, the distribution of the deliveries, the perinatal mortality data and the technical aspects of the procedures. The control group included twin pregnancies not undergoing genetic amniocentesis. RESULTS: The authors found that the spontaneous fetal loss between the 18th and 24th gestation weeks is 2.39%. After genetic amniocentesis this rate is 3.87%. According to their results this light increase in fetal loss is non significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that beyond the 5th week after genetic amniocentesis the fetal loss can not be concluded as a result of the procedure. Regarding the outcome of the pregnancies they suggest, that the procedure should be done around the 18th gestation weeks. In their experience the procedure did not affect the perinatal mortality data.     

Die Verteilung des Arginins im Jensen-Rattensarkom

Zusammenfassung Es wurde der Extrakt- und Gesamtargininwert desJensenschen Rattensarkoms ermittelt. Zum Vergleich wurden Wertbestimmungen in der Leber der Ratten gemacht. Die Werte des Sarkoms betrugen für Extraktarginin im Durchschnitt pro 1 g frisches Gewebe 0,0385 mg, für Gesamtarginin auf Trockensubstanz bezogen 4,46%. Die Werte der Leber sind für Extraktarginin auf 1 g frisches Gewebe berechnet 0,00–0,0147 mg. Der Betrag für Gesamtarginin, bezogen auf Trockensubstanz, ist 3,16%. Die Erklärung des hohen Argininwertes des Sarkoms ist in einem Eiweißkörper zu suchen, welcher die Eigenschaften der Histone zeigt und einen Arginingehalt von 13,94% hat. Der Stickstoffgehalt dieses Eiweißkörpers ist 18,38% und der Prozentsatz des Argininstickstoffes, bezogen auf den Gesamtstickstoffwert, beträgt 21,38.