Characteristics of Bifocal Pacing:

Bifocal RIGHT ventricular stimulation (BRIGHT) is an ongoing, randomized, single-blind, crossover study of atrial synchronized bi-right ventricular (RV) pacing in patients in New York Heart Association heart failure functional class III, a left ventricular ejection fraction <35%, left bundle branch block and QRS complexes ≥120 ms. This analysis compared the electrical and handling characteristics, and the complications of pacing at the RV apex (Ap) with passive, versus RV outflow tract (OT) with active fixation leads. A mean of 1.6 ± 0.9 and 2.2 ± 2.0 attempts were needed to position the Ap and OT leads, respectively (ns). R-wave amplitudes at Ap versus OT were 23 ± 13 mV versus 14 ± 8 mV (n = 36, P < 0.001). R-wave amplitudes at the Ap remained stable between implant and M7. R-wave amplitudes at the OT could not be measured after implantation. In two patients, atrioventricular block occurred during active fixation at the OT. Conduction recovered spontaneously within 4 months. Ventricular fibrillation was induced in one patient during manipulation of an Ap lead in the RV. Marked differences were found between leads positioned in the OT versus Ap, partly related to the difference in lead design. Mean R-wave amplitude was higher at the Ap that at the OT. Ease and success rate of lead implant was similar in both positions.     

A Comparison of the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Mirtazapine and Mianserin

Although the chemical structures of the antidepressants mirtazapine and mianserin are closely related there are considerable differences in their biological properties. To find an explanation of this, various physicochemical properties of mirtazapine and mianserin were measured or calculated. Isosteric replacement of CH in mianserin by N in mirtazapine has profound effects on physicochemical properties. The charge distributions as indicated by NMR and calculated by semi-empirical quantum mechanics differ, not only for the changed aromatic A-ring (as expected), but also in other regions of the molecule. The N5 atom in particular, which is conjugated to the changed aromatic ring, is less negatively charged in mirtazapine than in mianserin. Consequently the oxidation potential of mirtazapine is significantly higher than that of mianserin. Another result of this difference in charge distribution is that the (calculated) dipole-moment vectors of the compounds are oriented roughly perpendicular to each other. The dipole moment of mirtazapine is, moreover, three times larger than that of mianserin; mirtazapine is, therefore, more polar than mianserin and this is reflected in a lower retention index. Finally, the basicity of mirtazapine, expressed as the pK_a value, is slightly but significantly lower than that of mianserin. The observed differences between the physicochemical properties of mirtazapine and mianserin result in different interactions of these two antidepressants with macromolecules, such as receptors, transporters and metabolizing enzymes; this might explain the differences observed in pharmacological activity and metabolic and kinetic behaviour, that is, the reduced affinity for the α₁-adrenoceptor and negligible noradrenaline reuptake of mirtazapine compared with mianserin.     

Bronchial allergen challenge: dose versus concentration

This study was designed to investigate if two equivalent doses of allergen administered by different dosing regimes--two breaths and 10 breaths of each concentration--would result in the same magnitude of the early and late asthmatic response. Fifteen patients with extrinsic allergic asthma were challenged twice with either two or 10 breaths of twofold increasing allergen concentrations. The challenge was continued until a 20% decrease in FEV1 had been achieved. A non-cumulative PC20FEV1 allergen was derived, and the cumulative dose of allergen given was similarly derived. In order to assess the reproducibility of the challenge, seven patients were challenged twice with two-breath regime. The mean value of allergen PC20 obtained by the two-breath regime was 4.1 fold (95% CI: 2.3-7.1 fold) greater than those obtained by the 10-breath regime (P less than 0.05), whereas the difference was 1.4 fold (95% CI: -3.3-0.5 fold) for the cumulative dose (P greater than 0.05). A statistically significant larger magnitude of the early asthmatic response, as determined by the maximum per cent fall in FEV1, and late asthmatic response determined by the maximum per cent fall in peak expiratory flow domiciliary recorded during the following 24 hr after challenge, was observed in favour of the 10-breath regime compared to the two-breath regime (mean difference 6%, 95% CI: 0.6-11%). The reproducibility of the provocation test was acceptable (+/- 1.8 two-fold concentration difference). These results confirm the 'equivalent dose hypothesis', and demonstrates that dosage rather than concentration appears to determine the early and late asthmatic response after bronchial allergen challenge.     

Health promotion and environmental management: a partnership for the future

Health Promotion as a professional practice is facing its thirdmajor challenge this century. To the infectious diseases ofthe past and the lifestyle risks of the present have been addedthe global environmental hazards of the future. Each wave of health risk has three things in common. The firstis that ill-health results from a change in the relationshipbetween the environment and society. The second is that theill-health so caused falls predominantly on already disadvantagedgroups in the community. Third in each case there is a tunelag of two or more decades between recognition of the freshrisks to health and effective professional response. The challengetoday is to shorten the lead time for responding to the thirdphase, the degradation of the global environment. This willgive a radical reorientation to the field of health promotion,which has traditionally safe guarded the health of people fromenvironmental change, not vice versa. The reorientation of health promotion is discussed in termsof the contributions which health promotion can make to environmentalmanagement. The options for managing environmental change areidentified as protection, prevention, resilience and adaptation.These strategies are already in use in the different branchesof health promotion.     

Randomized Evaluation of an Inflatable Femoral Artery Compression Device After Cardiac Catheterization

Mechanical femoral artery compression devices have several limitations. We compared a novel disposable beltheld pneumatic compression device to manual compression alone in 213 patients randomized into two equal groups. Both were comparable for age, gender, current therapy with aspirin (ASA) and warfarin, diameter of the arterial sheath, previous procedures via the same artery, procedure duration, and blood pressure. Manual compression time was 12 ± 3 minutes. Pneumatic compression was reduced during 60 minutes. Patient discomfort was assessed as none (82% vs 88%), mild (13% vs 8%), moderate (3% vs 4%), or severe (2% vs 0%) for the manual versus pneumatic group, respectively. Bleeding and hematoma occurred in 7.5% of patients with no difference between the treatment groups. However, manual compression was significantly more effective in the higher range of systolic blood pressure, and pneumatic in the lower range, with a cut point of approximately 170 mmHg. Predictors for bleeding were systolic blood pressure and dose of ASA. Among 113 patients with systolic blood pressure < 160 mmHg and low dose (75 mg) or no ASA, only / patient (0.9%) experienced bleeding while 31% of 16 patients with both elevated systolic blood pressure and high dose ASA (150–330 mg) bled. We conclude that pneumatic femoral artery compression does not reduce bleeding and hematoma compared with manual compression. The use of low dose (75 mg) or no ASA, as well as giving special attention to patients with elevated systolic blood pressure, may reduce the risk of bleeding after cardiac catheterization .     

Reproducibility of responsiveness to a standardized bronchial allergen provocation—Rt compared to FEV1 as measurement of response to provocation

Standardized bronchial allergen provocation was performed twice in nineteen extrinsic, well defined, stable asthmatic patients, with an interval of median 15 days (range 14–19) to study the reproducibility of the bronchial response. Smoking and medications were withheld prior to the provocation after a rigid scheme. Ten-fold increasing concentrations of allergen solution 0.9 ml were inhaled by tidal volume breathing for 5 min with intervals of 10 min. The bronchial response to inhaled allergen was determined by forced expiratory volume in the first sec (FEV₁) and by total resistance to breathing (R_t) determined by an opening interrupter method. The provocation was continued until an allergen concentration causing at least 20% decrease of the postsaline FEV₁ or a 40% increase in R_t was reached. A PC₂₀-FEV₁ and a PC₄₀-R_t was calculated by interpolation on the log-dose-response curve. The reproducibility of PC₂₀-FEV₁ allergen was high with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for a single determination being the observed value ±0.83, ten-fold concentration difference, the intraclass correlation (IC) was 0.99 and the coefficient of variation 8.46%. Concerning PC₄₀-R_t a 95% CI for a single determination was calculated being the observed value ±0.58, ten-fold concentration difference, IC was 0.99 and the coefficient of variation was 5.79%. No significant correlation was found between differences in pre-challenge FEV₁ and R_t values and the corresponding PC₂₀-FEV₁ and PC₄₀-R_t values. Least square regression between PC₂₀-FEV₁ and PC₄₀-R₁ was performed for the first and the second provocation (P < 0.05). We conclude that bronchial allergen challenge performed in stable asthmatics is highly reproducible and as such a valuable test in the diagnosis of allergic asthma when connected with anamnesis, skin-prick test and the level of specific immunoglobulin E in peripheral blood.     

ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN EMPLOYMENT: EPIDEMIOLOGY AND RESPONSES

A review is presented of evidence related to the epidemiologyof alcohol-related problems in employment and of policies toprevent or curb such problems. It is concluded that, althoughalcohol use is associated with accidents, absenteeism and inefficiency,epidemiological data from most countries are scarce. Availableevidence is so limited that estimates of the extent or costof alcohol-related problems in the workplace are of dubiousvalue. National responses to alcohol problems in employmenthave been variable. A significant proportion of relevant publishedevidence relates to the U.S.A. It appears that even there veryfew workplace initiatives have been subjected to rigorous assessment.Limited evidence suggests that Employee Assistance Programmesfor problem drinkers have reduced subsequent health-care costs.     

Radiofrequency Current Ablation of Porcine Right Atrium: Increased Lesion Size with Bipolar Two Catheter Technique Compared to Unipolar Application In Vitro and In Vivo

Interruption of atrial flutter and fibrillation by RF catheter ablation may be favored by large, elongated lesions. We administered RF current in unipolar and bipolar mode in porcine right atrium. Bipolar ablation was performed between the tip electrodes of two serially coupled catheters. With 4-mm tip electrodes in vitro, lesion length increased from a mean (SD) of 7.9 (1.2) mm at 3 mm-interelectrode distance (IED) to 13.3 (3.3) mm at 9-mm IED, but decreased at 12-mm IED due to nonconfluent lesions (P < 0.0001), With 4 mm distal electrodes and 8 mm IED, bipolar lesions were 65% longer than corresponding unipolar ablations. Switching to bipolar mode increased the lesion length more than increasing electrode tip length to 6 mm in unipolar mode. Power and temperature controlled ablation created equally sized lesions. Twelve anesthetized pigs were randomized to unipolar or two catheter bipolar temperature controlled ablation of the right atrial free wall. Bipolar ablation created confluent lesions with endocardial length × width of 13.5 (5.8) × 7.3 (3.7) mm, unipolar ablation 6.4 (2.8) × 4.6 (1.4) mm (P < 0.001 when comparing length and P = 0.013 for lesion width). The atrial lesions in both groups were transmural and extended into hilar lung lesions with maximal depth of 3.0 (1.1) and 2.6 (1.0) mm, respectively (P = 0.44). Five bipolarly and four unipolarly ablated pigs developed right diaphragmal paresis. We conclude that bipolar ablation may be preferable in situations where large, elongated lesions are favorable. The two catheter technique is feasible in porcine right atrium. Both bipolar and unipolar ablation of the porcine right atrial free wall may frequently be complicated by injury to the phrenic nerve and adjacent lung tissue.