Origin of efferent fibers of the vestibular apparatus in goldfish. A horseradish peroxidase study

After injecting a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) solution into the vestibular apparatus in goldfish (Carassius auratus), cells in the medulla oblongata exhibited retrogradely transported HRP reaction product. These labeled cells were confined to 3 nuclei, i.e. the nucleus motorius tegmenti of Bartelmez (with the most prominent labeled cell groups), the ventral vestibular nucleus (Dieter's nucleus) and the medial vestibular nucleus. We consider these labeled cells to be the origin of the efferent innervation to the vestibular apparatus in goldfish. Neurons providing efferent innervation to the sensory periphery in the nucleus motorius tegmenti have, as yet, not been described.     

Biodegradable-Polymer Versus Polymer-Free Drug-Eluting Stents for the Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease

Background/purposeBiodegradable-polymer (BP) and polymer-free (PF) drug eluting stents (DES) were developed to reduce the risk of delayed arterial healing observed with durable-polymer (DP) platforms. Although trials demonstrate BP-DES and PF-DES are non-inferior to DP-DES, there is limited data directly comparing these technologies. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of BP-DES versus PF-DES for the treatment of coronary artery disease.Methods/materialsElectronic searches were performed identifying randomized trials comparing BP-DES with PF-DES. Co-primary efficacy endpoints were target vessel revascularization (TVR), target lesion revascularization (TLR) and angiographic in-stent late lumen loss (LLL). Co-secondary safety endpoints were all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI) and stent thrombosis (ST).ResultsOf 208 studies, 5 met inclusion criteria including 1975 patients. At mean follow-up (14 ± 5 months), BP-DES were associated with significantly reduced rates of TVR (OR 0.58, 95%CI 0.37–0.92, p = 0.02), TLR (4.7% vs 9.5%) (OR 0.48, 95%CI 0.31–0.75, p = 0.001) and in-stent LLL (pooled mean difference ?0.20 mm, 95%CI ?0.24 to ?0.16, p < 0.001). There was no difference in safety, including all-cause death (OR 1.24, 95%CI 0.68–2.28, p = 0.48), MI (OR 0.92, 95%CI 0.54–1.56, p = 0.75) or ST (OR 1.58, 95%CI 0.67–3.73, p = 0.30).ConclusionsThese data suggests that BP-DES are more efficacious when compared with PF-DES for the treatment of CAD.     

Infection control as a quality control in an integrated hospital quality assurance program

I have discussed infection control in the context of a quality control system in a hospital. To date hospital "quality assurance" has been unfocused, retrospective, and CME related-an inappropriate response to such quality problems as inappropriate antibiotic usage, hospital related infection, and professional (malpractice) liability. I have suggested that the control paradigm (a concurrent signal leads to response system) may provide the approach needed to enhance the effectiveness of the whole hospital quality assurance effort.     

The formation of 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydro-aflatoxin B1 by the metabolism of aflatoxin B1 by liver microsomes isolated from certain avian and mammalian species and the possible role of this metabolite in the acute toxicity of aflatoxin B1

The separation of aflatoxin B_2a, and 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydro-aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁-dhd) and the Tris complexes of these compouds by high-performance liquid chromatography are described. Examination of the metabolism of aflatoxin B₁ by microsomes isolated from rat, mouse, guinea pig, and chicken livers has shown that the previously reported production of AFB_2a was due to a misidentification of AFB₁-dhd. The relative production of this metabolite by microsomes from the various species parallels their in vivo susceptibilities to acute aflatoxin B₁ poisoning. AFB₁-dhd is shown to be a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis in an in vitro system and this may be a mechanism relevant to the acutely toxic action of aflatoxin B₁.