Multi-phase post-mortem CT angiography: development of a standardized protocol.

The objective of this work was to develop an easily applicable technique and a standardized protocol for high-quality post-mortem angiography. This protocol should (1) increase the radiological interpretation by decreasing artifacts due to the perfusion and by reaching a complete filling of the vascular system and (2) ease and standardize the execution of the examination. To this aim, 45 human corpses were investigated by post-mortem computed tomography (CT) angiography using different perfusion protocols, a modified heart-lung machine and a new contrast agent mixture, specifically developed for post-mortem investigations. The quality of the CT angiographies was evaluated radiologically by observing the filling of the vascular system and assessing the interpretability of the resulting images and by comparing radiological diagnoses to conventional autopsy conclusions. Post-mortem angiography yielded satisfactory results provided that the volumes of the injected contrast agent mixture were high enough to completely fill the vascular system. In order to avoid artifacts due to the post-mortem perfusion, a minimum of three angiographic phases and one native scan had to be performed. These findings were taken into account to develop a protocol for quality post-mortem CT angiography that minimizes the risk of radiological misinterpretation. The proposed protocol is easy applicable in a standardized way and yields high-quality radiologically interpretable visualization of the vascular system in post-mortem investigations.

Stable isotope composition of smectite in suevites at the Ries crater, Germany: Implications for hydrous alteration of impactites

The 24-km diameter Ries crater, Germany, exhibits well-preserved crater filling and surficial melt-rich breccia deposits that are believed to have been altered by post-impact hydrothermal fluids. The alteration mineralogy of the crater filling breccias is characterized by clay (smectite, chlorite) and a zeolite assemblage, and secondary clay phases (smectite, minor halloysite) in surficial melt-bearing breccia deposits. Using stable isotope analysis of secondary smectitic clay fractions, evidence of significant hydrous alteration of impactites at large water/rock ratios was found. The estimated fluid temperatures, using data derived by delta(18)O and delta D fractionation, suggest smectite precipitation in surficial breccias in equilibrium with meteoric fluids at temperatures 16 +/- 5 degrees C in agreement with the long-term variation of modern precipitation in the area. The stable isotope composition of smectite in crater-fill breccia, however, suggests a trend of monotonously increasing temperatures from 43 to 112 degrees C. with increasing depth through the breccia sequence. This demonstrates a different origin of alteration and temperature distribution for the surficial and crater filling melt-bearing impact breccias in the Ries crater. Our results suggest that the inverted structure of hydrothermal systems observed in some terrestrial impact craters, including the Ries crater, could indicate the initial configuration of a thermal anomaly in the crater filling sequence, but which is replaced with a normal hydrothermal convection in crater proper, during the course of post-impact cooling. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Artificial muscle: the human chimera is the future.

Severe heart failure and cerebral stroke are broadly associated with the impairment of muscular function that conventional treatments struggle to restore. New technologies enable the construction of "smart" materials that could be of great help in treating diseases where the main problem is muscle weakness. These materials "behave" similarly to biological systems, because the material directly converts energy, for example electrical energy into movement. The extension and contraction occur silently like in natural muscles. The real challenge is to transfer this amazing technology into devices that restore or replace the mechanical function of failing muscle. Cardiac assist devices based on artificial muscle technology could envelope a weak heart and temporarily improve its systolic function, or, if placed on top of the atrium, restore the atrial kick in chronic atrial fibrillation. Artificial sphincters could be used to treat urinary incontinence after prostatectomy or faecal incontinence associated with stomas. Artificial muscles can restore the ability of patients with facial paralysis due to stroke or nerve injury to blink. Smart materials could be used to construct an artificial oesophagus including peristaltic movement and lower oesophageal sphincter function to replace the diseased oesophagus thereby avoiding the need for laparotomy to mobilise stomach or intestine. In conclusion, in the near future, smart devices will integrate with the human body to fill functional gaps due to organ failure, and so create a human chimera.