Abstract: A method is provided for identifying a subject likely to have, or at risk of developing a disease condition correlated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), including cancer, by identifying in the subject a missense mutation in a nucleic acid of Complex III, IV and/or V of the OXPHOS system. This invention also provides a method of identifying a likelihood of having a heritable predisposition to cancer by detecting a homoplasmic missense mutation in non-tumor tissue of an OXPHOS system gene. This invention also provides a method for detecting likelihood of having cancer, predisposition to cancer, and likelihood of passing a predisposition to cancer to progeny involving identifying in non-tumor tissue of the subject a missense mutation in a complex III, IV and/or V gene of the mitochondrial OXPHOS system. The mutation may be a nuclear or mitochondrial mutation. The invention has been exemplified with respect to prostate cancer.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for noninvasive fragmentation of body concretions. The apparatus has an integral unit including an ultrasonic locating transducer a relative position determining device, a shockwave generating device and a positioning structure. The method for locating a body concretion includes the steps of locating the body concretion with ultrasonics, the position of the shockwave generating device relative to the concretion, accurately positioning the shockwave generating device at the location of the concretion and then shattering the concretion by generating a shockwave. The shockwave generating device includes a reflector with first and second foci, a location verifying ultrasonic transducer which is positioned so that an axis of the verifying transducer is coincident with a straight line passing through the first and second foci and a spark gap at the first focus which generates the shockwave.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for noninvasive fragmentation of body concretions. The apparatus has an integral unit including an ultrasonic locating transducer and positioning structure. The concretion is localized with ultrasonics and then shattered upon generation of a shockwave, using a relfector with first and second foci. A spark gap at the first focus generates the shockwave which propagates to the second focus coincident with the concretion. The ultrasonic tranducer is positioned so that an axis of the transducer is coincident with a straight line passing through the first and second foci.