Optimal treatment of patients with NSTE-ACS in the Dutch health care system

In the current daily practice of acute coronary syndromes, patients experiencing non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) represent the majority of this population. In these patients it is of utmost importance to estimate both ischaemic and bleeding risk, with subsequent, and preferably tailored pharmacological and, if indicated, invasive treatment. In this paper we describe the several risk scores and evaluate which are most applicable to the Dutch health-care system. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the recommended pharmacological treatment in keeping with the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. An important topic of this paper is how to decide between early or delayed invasive strategies. We describe the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology and evaluate to which level these should be applied to the Dutch health-care system.     

Cesar: A computer supported measurement system for the enhancement of diagnostics and quality in cytology

In the following presentation, the concept of the CESAR Cytology system (CE11 Screen and Analysing Routine system) is introduced, which unlike conventional systems also comprehensively integrates human empiric knowledge in the evaluation and interpretation of the measurement results. For this purpose CESAR is especially equipped with an object-oriented data base. Due to its special structure graphical presentations of the measurement or classification results (histograms, scatterplots) can be used as directories of a cell image data base. In this way the numerical results can be ‘translated’ into cell images with a similar content of information, but which are far better suited to be compared with the empirical knowledge of the human brain.     

Influence of antitumor system rhenium-platinum on biochemical state of the liver

Influence of the antitumour rhenium-platinum system on biochemical liver characteristics in the model of tumor growth (Guerin carcinoma) was studied and possible hepatoprotective activity of rhenium cluster compounds when introducing them in different forms was shown, that was confirmed by decreasing of diagnostic enzymes activity in blood (aminotransferase--AST 6 times and ALT 5.6 times, lactatedehydrogenase 4.9 times, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase 3.6 times) and normalization of morphological state of the liver cells. The hepatoprotective activity of the cluster rhenium compound with adamanthyl ligands was confirmed in the model of acute toxic hepatitis. Introduction of this compound led to reduction of the concentration of MDA in homogenates of liver tissue (2 times), and in blood plasma (3.8 times); to reduction of levels of diagnostic liver enzymes in blood--AST and ALT 5.8 and 5.5 times respectively in comparison with control group. Some aspects of the mechanism of hepatoprotection were discussed, that included the presence of conjugated systems around the quadrupol rhenium-rhenium bond and alkyl radicals with significant positive inductive effects.     

Influence of alkali-freezing treatment on the solid state structure of chitin

Chitin was soaked in frozen sodium hydroxide for further modification. The solid state structural changes of the resulting chitin powders were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy measurements. During the alkali-freezing process, the crystal space parameters of chitin changed, and the order of the hydrogen bonds of chitin was modified. The study explains how the treatment is beneficial for further modification of chitin. The crystallinity of chitin was assessed according to XRD results. It decreased by half after the alkali-freezing treatment for the first 3 days, and then a few changes happened on the following days while the crystallinity of chitin was kept in the scale of 13.5-18%. That means that the alkali-freezing treatment of chitin for several days is suitable and sufficient.