Number of pathologists in Germany: comparison with European countries, USA, and Canada.

The rapid development of pathology is in contrast to a shortage of qualified staff. The aims of the present study are to compile basic information on the numbers of German physicians in pathology and to compare it with the situation in Europe and overseas. In addition, model calculations will shed light on the effects of part-time working models. Various publicly accessible databases (EuroStat) as well as publications of medical associations and professional associations of European countries and the USA/Canada were examined. In addition, a survey was carried out among the institutes of German universities. Figures from 24 European countries and the USA/Canada were evaluated. With one pathologist per 47,989 inhabitants, the density of pathologists in Germany in relation to the population is the second-lowest in Europe (average: 32,018). Moreover, the proportion of pathologists among the physicians working in Germany is the lowest in Europe and at the same time lower than in the USA and Canada (Germany: 1:200, USA: 1:70, Canada: 1:49). The ratio of pathologists to medical specialists is shifted in the same direction. The survey among university pathologists revealed a relevant increase in the workload over the last 10 years. The majority of institutes can manage this workload only with considerable difficulties. With a ratio between specialists and residents of 1:1, the university institutes show a high commitment in the area of training. The results of this study indicate a shortage of pathologists in Germany that could lead to a bottleneck in large parts of the health system.

A changing time: the International Society for Cellular Therapy embraces its industry members.

The last decade has seen a dramatic rise in the development of new cellular therapeutics in a wide range of indications. There have been acceptable safety profiles reported in early studies using blood-derived and adherent stem cell products, but also an inconsistent efficacy record. Further expansion has been hindered in part by a lack of capital (both private and public) and delayed entry into the cell therapy space by large healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, those members of the industry most reliably able to initiate and maintain advanced-phase clinical trials. With recognition that the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) is uniquely positioned to serve the global translational regenerative medicine research community as a network hub for scientific standards and policy, the ISCT commissioned the establishment of an Industry Task Force (ITF) to address current and future roles for industry. The objectives of the ITF were to gather information and prioritize efforts for a new Commercialization Committee (CC) and to construct innovative platforms that would foster constructive and synergistic collaborations between industry and ISCT. Recommendations and conclusions of the ITF included that the new CC: (1) foster new relationships with therapeutic and stem cell societies, (2) foster educational workshops and forums to cross-educate and standardize practices, (3) create industry subcommittees to address priority initiatives, with clear benchmarks and global implementation, and (4) establish a framework for a greater industry community within ISCT, opening doors for industry to share the new vision for commercialization of cell therapy, emphasizing the regenerative medicine space.

Histochemical assessment of early myocardial infarction using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride in blood-perfused porcine hearts.

INTRODUCTION: Although the chemical mechanism of the triphenyltetrazolium (TTC) reaction, for macroscopic detection of myocardial infarction, has been described previously, literature reports on correct tissue preparation and the use of this technique in intact large animals are lacking. METHODS: We investigated the special requirements for TTC staining in blood-perfused porcine hearts, validated the various handling steps and provided detailed information for precise and easy use of this histochemical method. The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 45 min followed by 6 h of reperfusion in an open chest preparation using anesthetised domestic pigs. The hearts were excised and the organ-handling steps and TTC-staining procedure validated. RESULTS: The protocol includes (i) intracoronary saline perfusion, (ii) pressure-controlled determination of the non-ischemic region by Evans blue dye, (iii) a freeze-thaw cycle, (iv) a triphenyltetrazolium incubation period, and (v) a bleach cycle with 4% paraformaldehyde. The TTC-staining results were confirmed by histology of transitional regions of the infarct area, area-at-risk and non-risk-region. DISCUSSION: If some special features associated with blood-perfused porcine hearts are considered carefully, reliable results for subsequent infarct size calculations can be obtained and large potential errors excluded.