Apoptosis in the failing human heart

BACKGROUND: Loss of myocytes is an important mechanism in the development of cardiac failure of either ischemic or nonischemic origin. However, whether programmed cell death (apoptosis) is implicated in the terminal stages of heart failure is not known. We therefore studied the magnitude of myocyte apoptosis in patients with intractable congestive heart failure. METHODS: Myocardial samples were obtained from the hearts of 36 patients who underwent cardiac transplantation and from the hearts of 3 patients who died soon after myocardial infarction. Samples from 11 normal hearts were used as controls. Apoptosis was evaluated histochemically, biochemically, and by a combination of histochemical analysis and confocal microscopy. The expression of two proto-oncogenes that influence apoptosis, BCL2 and BAX, was also determined. RESULTS: Heart failure was characterized morphologically by a 232-fold increase in myocyte apoptosis and biochemically by DNA laddering (an indicator of apoptosis). The histochemical demonstration of DNA-strand breaks in myocyte nuclei was coupled with the documentation of chromatin condensation and fragmentation by confocal microscopy. All these findings reflect apoptosis of myocytes. The percentage of myocytes labeled with BCL2 (which protects cells against apoptosis) was 1.8 times as high in the hearts of patients with cardiac failure as in the normal hearts, whereas labeling with BAX (which promotes apoptosis) remained constant. The near doubling of the expression of BCL2 in the cardiac tissue of patients with heart failure was confirmed by Western blotting. CONCLUSIONS: Programmed death of myocytes occurs in the decompensated human heart in spite of the enhanced expression of BCL2; this phenomenon may contribute to the progression of cardiac dysfunction.     

Analogue micropowered log-domain tone controller for auditoryprostheses

A micropower tone-control circuit comprising two first-order log-domain filters and a subtractor built with MOS transistors in weak inversion is described. The tone-controller is capable of providing bass cut/boost and treble cut operations. This circuit is being used in new designs of a conventional (acoustic) hearing-aid and cochlear implant     

How far is it to the nearest hospital? Calculating distances using the Statistics Canada Postal Code Conversion File

This report demonstrates how to calculate distances between points described in terms of latitude and longitude, using the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) and other files available from the Geography Division of Statistics Canada. Examples based on hospital data show how the results can be summarized in the form of tables, figures, or maps. Aerial distance to the nearest hospital is a crude but objective indicator of geographic accessibility to hospital services. Distances were calculated between enumeration area centroids for the population and blockface or enumeration area centroids for the hospitals. The median aerial distance to the nearest hospital facility in Canada was less than 3 km, while the mean distance was about 6 km. For teaching hospitals, the median aerial distance was a little less than 30 km, while the mean distance was a little more than 90 km. As most health files for administrative and research purposes contain postal codes, these techniques have potentially wide application.     

Alcohol in Munich secondary school students--a study for dissemination of experiences, knowledge, attitude and behavior

The Munich Community Health Service (Medical School-Service Department) conducted an alcohol prevention project in ten public secondary schools. The 423 pupils (11-17 years of age) filled in a questionnaire on alcohol and discussed it afterwards under the guidance of a school physician and a teacher using guideline information. The results of the survey are presented in this paper. Additionally, suggestions for transferring the results to conceptualize and carry out preventive measures are made. The results indicate that the first experience with alcohol occurred early in life. One-fifth of the sample had already tried alcohol at the age of six. Immediate effects of alcohol (e.g. state of drunkenness) were experienced by 35.7 percent of the sample group. Kiosks, shops, and beverage stores were named most frequently as sources for alcohol. The sources of social support varied with respect to sex and age. With increasing age of the children, parents were contacted less frequently whereas the role of peers increased. The present results supply possible paths of action for the development of successful prevention strategies, e.g. by pointing out the early age of onset as well as specific sources of alcohol acquisition.     

Analysis of the validity of vaginal-cervical cytologic examination in 162 pre- and post-menopausal patients

The authors examine 162 cervico-vaginal smears of women in peri-menopause presenting cellular alterations (ASCUS). These patients were treated with a local topic therapy as the persistence of these alterations in 23 cases (14.2%) second level analyses were performed: gynecological visit, colposcopy and biopsy. In addition to inflammatory aspects 2 in situ carcinomas and 2 moderate dysplasias were recorded. We believe therefore that cytology could be a valid aid also in pre-menopausal women in the cervico-vaginal pathology.     

Cortical implants for the blind

Arrays of stimulating electrodes can be placed in the brain itself, in the visual cortex, to bring vision to the profoundly blind. However, when designing such devices one needs to take into consideration the fact that the visual pathway maps images onto cortical structures in a complex and unpredictable way