Prerequisites for a Cc/Cs-corrected ultrahigh-resolution TEM.

After the introduction of a corrector to compensate for the spherical aberration of a TEM and the acceptance of this new instrumentation for high-resolution CTEM (conventional transmission electron microscope) and STEM (scanning transmission electron microscope) by the electron microscopy community, a demand for even higher resolution far below 1A has emerged. As a consequence several projects around the world have been launched to make these new instruments available and to further push the resolution limits down toward fractions of 1A. For this purpose the so-called TEAM (transmission electron aberration-corrected microscope) has been initiated and is currently under development.

Right-sided endocarditis due to Staphylococcus lugdunensis: First reported case.

Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a coagulase-negative organism first identified in 1988. It is often incorrectly identified as Staphylococcus aureus, and has been isolated as the etiological agent in over 20 cases of left-sided endocarditis. This report describes the first documented case of right-sided endocarditis caused by S lugdunensis.

Oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To assess the evidence supporting the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, platelet aggregation and heart failure, and to evaluate the status of antioxidant therapy in the clinical management of cardiovascular disease.

Data Sources: No attempt was made to provide insight into mechanisms of oxidative stress and the response to antioxidant intervention. Human studies were scrutinized for evidence that oxidative stress was present and whether antioxidant therapy provides clinical benefit.

An endogenous positive inotropic factor (EPIF) from porcine heart: its effects on sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) Ca2+ metabolism.

We have isolated an endogenous positive inotropic factor (EPIF) from porcine left heart ventricular tissue, which demonstrated to have only weak digitalis-like properties including the inhibition of myocardial Na+,K(+)-ATPase. EPIF completely lacks digitalis-like toxicity such as after-contractions in larger doses. In our recent studies, we have demonstrated that EPIF produces a decrease in the amplitude of the post-rest rapid cooling contracture which indicated that EPIF may release Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.