Did syphilis truly strike the kidneys this time?

Is this truly ischemic preconditioning?

To the Editor: In a recent article, Cai and Semenza1 claim to have demonstrated a role for modulation of PTEN activity in the setting of ischemic preconditioning (IPC), using an isolated perfused rat heart. We believe the findings of this study are potentially of great significance as this study is the first to implicate PTEN in myocardial ischemia– reperfusion injury. However, we question the ...

Shakespeare's chancre: did the bard have syphilis?

Shakespeare's obsessive interest in syphilis, his clinically exact knowledge of its manifestations, the final poems of the sonnets, and contemporary gossip all suggest that he was infected with "the infinite malady." The psychological impact of venereal disease may explain the misogyny and revulsion from sex so prominent in the writings of Shakespeare's tragic period. This article examines the ...

Did Catherine the Great of Russia have syphilis?

Catherine the Great (1729-96) ruled Russia for the last 34 years of her life. She pursued many reforms with energy, intelligence and political shrewdness. Not least amongst her activities was a serious interest in matters of public health which extended to personal involvement in the care of the venereally infected. This paper suggests that perhaps her zeal in this last was based on more than s...

Cognitive dysfunction after concussion. Authors did not to comment on the single truly significant result.

Is the time constant of the pulmonary circulation truly constant?

I read with great interest the recent article by DELCROIX et al. [1] on vascular and right ventricular remodelling in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). I found it very informative; however, I would like to comment on some of the statements that were made. In relation to pulmonary vascular remodelling, the authors have stated that in spite of there being proportionally more ...