Myoplasty--a surgical option for end-stage heart failure.

Congestive heart failure is a growing problem in the Western world, which modern therapeutic options are doing little to ameliorate. Dynamic cardiomyoplasty may be one option which has great potential. This article reviews the use of skeletal muscle for circulatory assist and suggests that, with further work, it should take a significant place in the treatment armamentarium.

Plasma and urine measurements for monitoring of treatment in the primary hyperoxaluric patient.

Reliable methods for the assaying of oxalate in biological fluids are now available. However, preanalytical sample collection and storage conditions are critical to produce meaningful results for the diagnosis and assessment of treatment modalities in primary hyperoxaluria. Spontaneous in vitro generation of oxalate from ascorbate is possible, especially in plasma measurements, where the ascorbate to oxalate ratio is considerably greater than that of urine.