Five years of peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty : the St Luke’s Hospital experience

This article reviews the first series of 54 cases of Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty on the peripheral vasculature performed at the Radiological/Surgical Department at St. Luke’s Hospital, Malta, over a five year period. After describing in detail the technique used, the indications and the objective criteria utilised for assessment are reviewed and analysed. The two year patency rate for femoro-popliteal and iliac stenoses was 93% and 86% respectively, while for corresponding occlusions, the figures were 42% and 0% respectively. Thus, while the results were very encouraging for femoro-popliteal stenoses and occlusions, they were unacceptable for iliac occlusions. As expected the major risk factors were smoking, diabetes mellitus and associated ischaemic heart or cerebrovascular disease. This series had no mortality and there was minimal morbidity, mainly at the site of arterial access. Elective surgery for iliac re-stenosis was only required in one patient.peer-reviewe

Cation-pi interactions in aromatics of biological and medicinal interest: Electrostatic potential surfaces as a useful qualitative guide

The cation-pi interaction is an important, general force for molecular recognition in biological receptors. Through the sidechains of aromatic amino acids, novel binding sites for cationic ligands such as acetylcholine can be constructed. We report here a number of calculations on prototypical cation-pi systems, emphasizing structures of relevance to biological receptors and prototypical heterocycles of the type often of importance in medicinal chemistry. Trends in the data can be rationalized using a relatively simple model that emphasizes the electrostatic component of the cation-pi interaction. In particular, plots of the electrostatic potential surfaces of the relevant aromatics provide useful guidelines for predicting cation-pi interactions in new systems

Hospitals, Physicians, and Health Insurers: Guarding Against Implied Agreements in the Health Care Context

This Article discusses and explores the importance of the federal antitrust laws to the health care industry in the provider network context and then suggests guidelines for avoiding antitrust liability