A review of telemedicine in vascular surgery

Telemedicine refers to the delivery of medical care through telecommunications and has been utilized by many medical specialists. In its basic form, telemedicine can involve the use of a telephone or fax. More advanced forms are the transmission of still images, often referred to as "store-and-forward" technology, or real-time two-way interactive video. The former is possible over existing phone lines or the Internet and has enjoyed success in visually oriented disciplines such as radiology and dermatology. The latter requires high bandwidth communication lines and is therefore considerably more expensive. This article reviews the use of telemedicine as applied specifically to vascular surgery. Initial studies indicate that store-and-forward technology can be used to adequately assess and treat wounds in vascular patients. A recent study reported the use of two-way interactive video for remote assessment of a wide variety of vascular patients. Diagnosis and treatment recommendations by the remote physician were found to be comparable to conventional on-site examinations. Patient satisfaction with the telemedicine examination was noted to be extremely high. In conclusion, telemedicine, although not commonly used in vascular surgery, has the potential of increasing patient access to specialty care, while decreasing patient or physician travel. The use of telemedicine in vascular surgery will likely continue to expand as technology improves and costs decrease.

Proline-specific proteases in cultivated neuronal and glial cells

The activities of several proline-specific endo- and exopeptidases were determined in homogenates of immunocytochemically defined cultures of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neurones obtained from rat cerebral cortex. Astrocytes are significantly enriched in post-proline cleaving dipeptidyl peptidase II, prolidase and aminopeptidase P activities; neurones and astrocytes contain prolyl endopeptidase. Dipeptidyl peptidase IV and prolyl carboxypeptidase activities are low or absent in the cultures. The physiological significance of these findings is discussed.

On the ultrastructure of polypeptide hormone-producing cells in the gut of the ascidian, Ciona intestinalis L. and the bivalve, Mytilus edulis L

Ultrastructural evidence has been found for the presence of polypeptide hormone-producing cells in the gut of Ciona intestinalis L. and Mytilus edulis L. which do not appear to have been described before. Due to their localization and ultrastructural characteristics, it is suggested that the cells in Mytilus edulis probably produce an insulin-like substance and that some of these cells in Ciona interstinalis may produce 5-HT (5-Hydroxytryptamine). In each species only one granulated cell type can be observed; The granules, which are electron dense and membrane bound, also show a halo. The average diameter of the granules is 100-200 nm for Ciona and 200-400 nm for Mytilus.