A standardized treatment protocol is essential for scientific evaluation of parameters influencing the outcome and survival of patients who have suffered cardiac arrest in a non-hospital situation. In addition, a standardized therapy algorithm permits effective, time-saving interaction of all members of the emergency team who work together to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in any emergency outside the hospital. This paper gives the results obtained in 50 patients in whom on-the-spot resuscitation was performed by a specially trained team [emergency medical team (EMT)+ on-scene physician] using an ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) protocol modified from the AHA (American Heart Association) standard. Two different algorithms were used one for ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia and one for asystole and pulseless bradycardia. When indicated, countershocks were first administered at a continuous energy level of 360 J, up to three times one after the other. All patients then received epinephrine intratracheally, 2 mg, immediately after intubation. In the case or persisting asystole a further 2-mg dose of epinephrine and then one 5-mg dose were given i.v. in keeping with the ACLS protocol. In the case of persisting VF or pulseless tachycardia we gave one 100-mg dose of lidocaine i.v. and then performed the next countershock at the same energy level. The time the team members actually needed for the single steps of the ACLS protocol was meticulously documented with the aid of a stop watch.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The achievable resolution of a modern transmission electron microscope (TEM) is mainly limited by the inherent aberrations of the objective lens. Hence, one major goal over the past decade has been the development of aberration correctors to compensate the spherical aberration. Such a correction system is now available and it is possible to improve the resolution with this corrector. When high resolution in a TEM is required, one important parameter, the field of view, also has to be considered. In addition, especially for the large cameras now available, the compensation of off-axial aberrations is also an important task. A correction system to compensate the spherical aberration and the off-axial coma is under development. The next step to follow towards ultra-high resolution will be a correction system to compensate the chromatic aberration. With such a correction system, a new area will be opened for applications for which the chromatic aberration defines the achievable resolution, even if the spherical aberration is corrected. This is the case, for example, for low-voltage electron microscopy (EM) for the investigation of beam-sensitive materials, for dynamic EM or for in-situ EM.

In this study we analyzed how elastic and viscoelastic properties differ across 7 locations along the large arteries in 11 sheep. We employed a 2 parameter elastic model and a 4 parameter Kelvin viscoelastic model to analyze experimental measurements of vessel diameter and blood pressure obtained in-vitro at conditions mimicking the in-vivo dynamics. Elastic and viscoelastic wallproperties were assessed via solutions to the associated inverse problem. We used sensitivity analysis to rank the model parameters from the most to the least sensitive, as well as to compute standard errors and confidence intervals. Results revealed that elastic properties in both models (including Young's modulus and the viscoelastic relaxation parameters) varied across locations (smaller arteries were stiffer than larger arteries). We also showed that for all locations, the inclusion of viscoelastic behavior is important to capture pressure-area dynamics.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death from cancer among men in the United States. Currently, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to have higher accuracy than trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) when used to ascertain the presence of prostate cancer. As MRI can provide both morphological and functional images for a tissue of interest, some researchers are exploring the uses of multispectral MRI to guide prostate biopsies and radiation therapy. However, success with prostate cancer localization based on current imaging methods has been limited due to overlap in feature space of benign and malignant tissues using any one MRI method and the interobserver variability. In this paper, we present a new unsupervised segmentation method for prostate cancer detection, using fuzzy Markov random fields (fuzzy MRFs) for the segmentation of multispectral MR prostate images. Typically, both hard and fuzzy MRF models have two groups of parameters to be estimated: the MRF parameters and class parameters for each pixel in the image. To date, these two parameters have been treated separately, and estimated in an alternating fashion. In this paper, we develop a new method to estimate the parameters defining the Markovian distribution of the measured data, while performing the data clustering simultaneously. We perform computer simulations on synthetic test images and multispectral MR prostate datasets to demonstrate the efficacy and efficiency of the proposed method and also provide a comparison with some of the commonly used methods.

A Eurasian lynx and a European wildcat from the same wildlife park were submitted for necropsy examination after sudden death and after death following a clinical history of lethargy, respectively. Neither animal had been vaccinated against feline parvovirus (feline panleukopenia virus). Feral domestic cats were widespread in the area of the wildlife park and a number of these animals that had been captured had recently died from parvovirus infection. Gross and microscopical findings in the two non-domestic felids were consistent with feline parvovirus infection and this was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction. The introduction of feline parvovirus into captive non-domestic felid populations could pose a threat to their health and survival. Vaccination of captive non-domestic felids is therefore recommended.

The ability of electron microscopes to analyze all the atoms in individual nanostructures is limited by lens aberrations. However, recent advances in aberration-correcting electron optics have led to greatly enhanced instrument performance and new techniques of electron microscopy. The development of an ultrastable electron microscope with aberration-correcting optics and a monochromated high-brightness source has significantly improved instrument resolution and contrast. In the present work, we report information transfer beyond 50 pm and show images of single gold atoms with a signal-to-noise ratio as large as 10. The instrument's new capabilities were exploited to detect a buried Sigma3 {112} grain boundary and observe the dynamic arrangements of single atoms and atom pairs with sub-angstrom resolution. These results mark an important step toward meeting the challenge of determining the three-dimensional atomic-scale structure of nanomaterials.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of the addition of fused positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) imaging vs computed tomography alone in the identification of the gross tumour volume (GTV) in patients with gastro-oesophageal carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with gastro-oesophageal cancer referred for radiation therapy underwent both (18F)fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-PET (FDG-PET) and computed tomography in the treatment position. Image sets were anonymised and co-registered. Six radiation oncologists independently defined the GTV, first using the computed tomography data alone supplemented by standardised clinical and diagnostic imaging information, and second, using co-registered computed tomography and FDG-PET data (PET-CT). The standard deviation for both GTV length and volume (excluding involved lymph nodes) was taken as a measurement of inter-observer and intra-observer variability. Computer software that calculates volume overlap between contours was also used to generate an observer agreement index to compare intra- and inter-observer variability. RESULTS: The addition of FDG-PET imaging decreased the median standard deviation for tumour length from 10mm (range 8.1-33.3, mean 12.4mm) for computed tomography alone to 8mm (range 4.4-18.1, mean 8.1mm) for PET-CT (P=0.02). Eight of the 10 patients showed an increase in volume of overlap between observers with the addition of FDG-PET imaging to the contouring process (P=0.05). The average observer agreement index in PET-CT was 72.7% compared with 69.1% when using computed tomography alone. There was significantly less intra-observer variability in all measures when PET-CT was used. The median standard deviation in length improved from 5.3 to 1.8mm, the median standard deviation in volume improved from 4.5 to 3cm(3) and the median observer agreement index improved from 76.2 to 78.7% when computed tomography alone was compared with PET-CT. The corresponding P values were 0.001, 0.033 and 0.022, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of FDG-PET to computed tomography-based planning for the identification of primary tumour GTV in patients with gastro-oesophageal carcinoma decreases both inter-observer and intra-observer variability.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3 - August 7, 2008.

The tRNA(Gly)/glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) system belongs to the so-called 'class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase system' in which tRNA identity elements are assured by rather few and simple determinants mostly located in the tRNA acceptor stem. Regarding evolutionary aspects, the tRNA(Gly)/GlyRS system is a special case. There exist two different types of GlyRS, namely an archaebacterial/human type and a eubacterial type reflecting an evolutionary divergence within this system. Here we report the crystal structure of a human tRNA(Gly) acceptor stem microhelix at 1.2A resolution. The local geometric parameters of the microhelix and the water network surrounding the RNA are presented. The structure complements the previously published Escherichia coli tRNA(Gly) aminoacyl stem structure.

tRNA identity elements assure the correct aminoacylation of tRNAs by the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with the cognate amino acid. The tRNA(Gly)/glycyl-tRNA sythetase system is member of the so-called 'class II system' in which the tRNA determinants consist of rather simple elements. These are mostly located in the tRNA acceptor stem and in the glycine case additionally the discriminator base at position 73. Within the glycine-tRNA synthetases, the archaebacterial/human and the eubacterial sytems differ with respect to their protein structures and the required tRNA identity elements, suggesting a unique evolutionary divergence. In this study, we present a comparison between the crystal structures of the eubacterial Escherichia coli and the human tRNA(Gly) acceptor stem microhelices and their surrounding hydration patterns.