Outsourcing critical financial system operations.

Payments Canada provides Canada's national payments systems and is responsible for the clearing and settlement infrastructure, processes and rules that underpin the exchange of billions of dollars each day through the Canadian economy. Strategic sourcing is a reality for this small organisation with a broad scope of national regulations and global standards to comply with. This paper outlines Payments Canada's approach to outsourcing its critical financial system operations, which centres on four key principles: strong relationship management; continuous learning, recording and reporting; evaluating the business landscape; and a commitment to evolving the organisation to greater resilience.

Progress in glaucoma treatment research: a nonrandomized prospective study of 102 patients with advanced refractory glaucoma treated by Leksell gamma knife irradiation.

Object: The authors performed a study to characterize the effects of ciliary body gamma knife surgery (GKS) for advanced glaucoma.

Methods: In addition to a pilot project involving 14 patients, 88 other patients were treated. Four 8-mm isocenters were used.

Leksell gamma knife treatment of uveal melanoma.

Object: The purpose of this study was to analyze treatment results, radiation-induced side effects, and prognostic survival factors for patients with uveal melanoma.

Methods: Eighty-one patients with uveal melanoma were treated using the Leksell gamma knife during a period of 6 years (1996-2001). There were 45 men and 36 women with a median age of 59 years (range 22-85 years).

Initial experience with gamma knife radiosurgery for advanced glaucoma.

Object: The authors assessed the affect of gamma knife radiosurgery on patients with glaucoma.

Methods: Fifteen eyes in 14 patients were treated with gamma knife radiosurgery during a 14-month period. Ocular pain was alleviated in all patients and intraocular pressure was decreased.

[Personal experience with treatment of vascular diseases using the Leksell gamma knife].

The application of radiosurgical treatment in ophthalmology is a new and not quite common procedure. The existence of 80 departments in the world with more than 15,000 treated patients suggests however that the therapeutic method is being extended and that its application in ophthalmology will be more extensive in future. The most numerous indication groups for treatment with a Leksell gamma-knife(LGK) worldwide are vascular malformations (44%), benign tumours (33%) and malignant tumours (22%).