Selective overexpression of inflammatory molecules in hearts from brain-dead rats.

Background: Inflammatory processes that occur before, during, and after surgery may contribute to damage of transplanted hearts and their ability to withstand acute and chronic rejection.

Methods: We determined the expression of mRNA for 10 inflammatory indicator molecules in hearts from brain-dead animals in which stable circulation was maintained. To produce brain death in male rats (n = 11), we inflated an intracranial balloon with saline (245 microl +/- 27 microl) to produce apnea and areflexia.

Advantages of positron emission tomography over computed tomography in mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: New treatment algorithms in early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) involving preoperative chemotherapy require accurate clinical staging of the mediastinum. This study compares the accuracy of 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scanning with that of computed tomography (CT) scanning in the clinical staging of non-small cell lung cancer.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 52 patients with NSCLC who were evaluated with both CT and PET scans.