Bridging the gap between the technological singularity and mainstream medicine: highlighting a course on technology and the future of medicine.

The "technological singularity" is defined as that putative point in time forecasted to occur in the mid twenty-first century when machines will become smarter than humans, leading humans and machines to merge. It is hypothesized that this event will have a profound influence on medicine and population health. This work describes a new course on Technology and the Future of Medicine developed by a diverse, multi-disciplinary group of faculty members at a Canadian university.

A ferritin-containing cell type in the stria vascularis of the mouse inner ear.

This report describes a new cell type within the stria vascularis of the mouse inner ear. The cell is similar ultrastructurally to the classically described intermediate cell. However, it can be distinguished by the presence of dense vacuoles, presumably lysosomes, within which can be visualized electron dense particles resembling ferritin molecules.

DNA content, mitotic activity, and incorporation of tritiated thymidine in the developing inner ear of the rat.

The rat inner ear is ectodermally derived from a region adjacent to the developing hindbrain. Beginning on day 8 of a 22-day gestational period, This zone of ectoderm first forms the otic placode, then the otocyst, and ultimately the definitive membranous labyrinth. This report provides an estimation of total DNA content of the developing inner ear, and hence an estimation of the total number of cells that comprise the inner ear at each developmental stage.

Effects of fluorodeoxyuridine on the developing inner ear of the rat.

The inner ear in rats develops from the surface ectoderm on day 8 of a 22-day gestational period. Labeled thymidine incorporation studies have indicated that in the developing inner ear most of the cells undergo terminal mitosis between gestational days 13 and 15. During this period the developing inner ear would be particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards.

Apparent immunologic nonidentity of human placental and endometrial 17beta-estradiol dehydrogenase.

Immunohistochemical techniques were used to search for the presence of 17beta-estradiol dehydrogenase activity in human endometrial and placental tissues, with the use of antibodies raised against highly purified human placental 17beta-estradiol dehydrogenase. Sensitivity and specificity of the antibodies were documented by radioimmunoassay and immunodiffusion on cellulose acetate. Although staining was consistently demonstrated in the syncytiotrophoblast layer of term placentas, in both cytoplasm and nuclei, no immunohistochemical reaction was observed in endometrial samples.