Florida International University: development and accreditation of Miami's Public College of Medicine.

Anticipating pressing health care needs in the region, Florida International University (FIU) proposed the FIU College of Medicine (COM), which was approved by the Florida Board of Governors in March 2006. The FIU COM provides a program of study enabling graduates to pursue a wide spectrum of professional careers. This includes careers in general and subspecialty private practice, academic medicine, public service, health care, and public policy leadership.

Direct actions of cocaine on cardiac cellular electrical activity.

The hypothesis that cocaine has Class I-type antiarrhythmic drug effects was tested in tissues isolated from rabbit heart with standard microelectrode methods. Propranolol (1 microM) was used to block beta-adrenergic effects. The actions of cocaine on cellular electrophysiology were concentration- and time-dependent and were reversible.

Response to gallamine: an indicator of diminished neuromuscular function in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.

A test for diminished neuromuscular function in animals with experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis is described. Within minutes following an injection of gallamine triethiodide, mice exhibit a dramatic yet transient response which is dose-dependent. Mice previously inoculated with acetylcholine receptor are approximately twice as sensitive to gallamine as normal mice.

On the interaction of cobra venom protein cardiotoxins with erythrocytes.

The principally active hemolytic toxin (cardiotoxin) previously purified from the venom of the Thailand cobra, Naja naja siamensis, was shown to produce spontaneous twitching, contractures and membrane depolarization in sartorius muscles from the frog, Rana pipiens. Spontaneous twitching, observed at concentrations greater than 0.1 uM was completely abolished by addition of tetrodotoxin and not affected by d-tubocurarine.