Delta Values Research Articles

Relationship of circulating resistin levels with muscle mass determined by bioelectrical impedance in females with obesity

IntroductionSerum resistin levels have been associated with obesity, visceral fat, and insulin resistance. Its relationship with muscle mass has been less evaluated. Objectivesto evaluate the relationship between muscle mass determined by electrical bioimpedance and circulating resistin levels in obese women over 60 years of age. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in 313 obese women. Anthropometric data (weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference), BIA parameters (total fat mass (TFM), fat-free mass (FFM), fat-free mass index (FFMI)), skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI)), blood pressure and laboratory tests were recorded. ResultsPatients were divided into two different groups according to the mean value of SMI (11.93 kg/m2): low SMI versus high SMI. In the low SMI group, the resistin levels were higher than the resistin levels in the high SMI group (delta value: 2.8 + 0.3 ng/dl:p = 0.01). Serum resistin levels are inversely correlated with FFM, FFMI, SMM, and SMI. This adipokine shows a positive correlation with insulin, HOMA-IR and PCR levels. In the model with SMI as the dependent variable, resistin levels explained 12% of the variability in muscle mass (Beta −0.38, 95% CI −0.91 to −0.11). ConclusionsSerum resistin levels are associated with low skeletal muscle mass in obese women over 60 years of age.

Impact of Incisional Access Site in Primary Breast Augmentation: Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction with SCAR-Q.

Scarring at the incision site represents one of the most impactful outcomes in breast augmentation surgery for both the patient and the surgeon. Few studies exist with the aim of assessing patient perception of scarring outcomes in primary breast augmentation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on quality of life of scars by submitting the SCAR-Q in patients who underwent primary augmentation mammoplasty. The SCAR-Q was administered at one and at 6months after surgery to 54 consecutive patients underwent primary breast augmentation with inferior hemi-periareolar or inframammary incision. A total of 50 patients were divided into two groups of 21 patients with inferior hemi-periareolar incision and 29 patients with inframammary fold incision, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed with Prism 9. All mean values of the three SCAR-Q scales tend to decrease at the second administration meaning that the perception of the scar is better at time 6 from the patient perspective. Inthe "Psychosocial scale," lower values at both 1month and 6months for group 2 compared to group 1 were shown. Unpaired T tests with Welch's correction showed significance for delta values variations between the two groups with P values <0.0001. Data show that patients undergoing primary breast augmentation have a scar that has no significant impact. Patients with inframammary fold scar have less psychosocial impact than those with inferior hemi-periareolar scar. There were no statistically significant differences in scar-related symptoms and scar appearance between scar along the inframammary groove and inferior hemi-periareolar scar. Case series study. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Arthroscopic Treatment of Shoulder Stiffness With Rotator Cuff Repair Yields Similar Outcomes to Isolated Rotator Cuff Repair

To compare patient-reported and surgical outcome measures in patients with and without secondary shoulder stiffness (SSS) undergoing rotator cuff repair (RCR). Patients undergoing rotator cuff repair from 2014 to 2020 with complete patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) by the short-form 12 survey (SF-12) were retrospectively reviewed to identify if operative intervention for SSS was performed alongside the RCR. Those patients with operative intervention for SSS were propensity matched to a group without prior intervention for stiffness by age, sex, laterality, body mass index, diabetes mellitus status, and the presence of a thyroid disorder. The groups were compared by rotator cuff tear (RCT) size, surgical outcomes, further surgical intervention, rotator cuff retear rate, postoperative range of motion (ROM), and SF-12 results at 1 year after surgery. Delta values were calculated for component scores of the SF-12 and ROM values by subtracting the preoperative result from the postoperative result. A total of 89 patients with SSS were compared to 156 patients in the control group at final analysis. The patients in the SSS group experienced a significant improvement in the delta mental health component score (MCS-12) of the SF-12 survey that was not seen in the control group (P= .005 to P= .539). Both groups experienced significant improvement by the delta physical health component score (PCS-12) of the SF-12 survey (SSS: 7.68; P < .001; control: 6.95; P < .001). The SSS group also experienced greater improvement of their forward flexion (25.8° vs 12.9°; P= .005) and external rotation (7.13° vs 1.65°; P= .031) ROM than the control group. Operative intervention of SSS at the time of RCR has equivalent postoperative SF-12 survey outcome scores when compared to patients undergoing RCR without preoperative stiffness despite those patients having lower preoperative scores. Level III retrospective comparative study.

Text-Independent Speaker Recognition System Using Feature-Level Fusion for Audio Databases of Various Sizes

To improve the speaker recognition rate, we propose a speaker recognition model based on the fusion of different kinds of speech features. A new type of feature aggregation methodology with a total of 18 features is proposed and includes mel frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC), linear predictive coding (LPC), perceptual linear prediction (PLP), root mean square (RMS), centroid, and entropy features along with their delta (Δ) and delta–delta (ΔΔ) feature vectors. The proposed approach is tested on five different sizes of speech datasets, namely the NIST-2008, voxforge, ELSDSR, VCTK, and voxceleb1 speech corpora. The results are evaluated using the MATLAB classification learner application with the linear discriminant (LD), K nearest neighbor (KNN), and ensemble classifiers. For the NIST-2008 and voxforge datasets, the best SI accuracy of 96.9% and 100% and the lowest speaker verification (SV) equal error rate (EER) values of 0.2% and 0% are achieved with the LD and KNN classifiers, respectively. For the VCTK and ELSDSR datasets, the best SI accuracy of 100% and the lowest SV EER of 0% are achieved with all three classifiers using different feature-level fusion approaches, while the highest SI accuracy and lowest EER achieved on the voxceleb1 database are 90% and 4.07%, respectively, using the KNN classifier. From the experimental results, it is observed that the fusion of different features with their delta and delta–delta values shows an increase in speaker identification accuracy of 10–50%, and the EER value for SV is reduced compared to the value obtained with a single feature.

An efficient hybrid algorithm for non-contact physiological sign monitoring using plethysmography wave analysis

ABSTRACT Nowadays, a variety of studies have shown that a person’s physiological indicators can be reliably extracted from a distance through an RGB camera. For this purpose, our work suggests an effective hybrid approach based on photoplethysmographic signal (PPG) analysis for the continuous monitoring of physiological signs, including heart rate and respiration rate. Our approach presents dependable methods for image and signal processing that combine moving average filtering and successive variable mode decomposition methods (w.r.t. MAF-SVMD). These two latter approaches will be applied to the PPG signal in order to overcome drawbacks, filter the disturbances in the signal, and decompose the PPG signal. Additionally, the suggested method, MAF-SVMD, has much lower computational complexity and is more robust to the initial values. Our findings were contrasted with those of traditional techniques, including EMD and VMD methods. Between the proposed approach and the VMD algorithm, the derived respiratory rates show an average delta error of 0 and a coefficient correlation of 0.99; however, between the suggested technique and the EMD method, the relative delta value is equal to 7.71 and a coefficient correlation of 0.69. While the retrieved heart rate from each of the three methods shown is generally convergent to the same value.

Distinguishing Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Electroencephalography Records

In this study, it was aimed to find out whether electroencephalographic (EEG) frequency bands can be used to distinguish people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) from those who do not have it. 11842 different cases taken from 121 patients suffering from OSA were combined with the case study of 30-person control group without sleep apnea. Apneas were highlighted at the respiration-record channels and EEG records which are concurrent with abnormal respiration cases were extracted from C4-A1 and C3-A2. Following that, they were examined with Fourier and Wavelet Transforms using a new software that was developed by us. The percentage values of Delta (0, 5-4 Hz), Theta (4-8 Hz), Alpha (8-13 Hz) and Beta (13-30 Hz) frequency bands were evaluated with the help of t-test and ROC Analysis to differentiate between apneas. The C3-A2 Beta (%) frequency level gave the highest distinguishing asset (AUC=0.662; p

Evaluation of endometrial thickness in breast cancer patients with tamoxifen treatment – Difference between 2-dimensional ultrasonography and elastosonography

ObjectiveThis study aimed to confirm the clinical significance of elastographic endometrium measurement in comparison with conventional ultrasonography for tamoxifen users with breast cancer. Materials and methodsIn this retrospective analysis, 98 women receiving tamoxifen as postoperative breast cancer treatment were included. Patient medical charts were reviewed, and related medical, obstetric, and gynecological information and histories relevant to breast cancer were evaluated. Patient clinical imaging data included endometrial thickness measurements using both conventional ultrasonography and elastography, and the differences between these two modalities in delta values were statistically analyzed along with possible influencing factors. ResultsEndometrial thickness measured using 2-dimensional ultrasonography had a mean value of 5.81 mm (standard deviation [SD] = 3.09), and elastosonography showed a mean value of 3.07 mm (SD = 1.62). A paired t-test was conducted and a significant difference between them was confirmed (P-value <0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that age and duration of tamoxifen treatment significantly influenced the degree of difference between endometrial thickness measurements. ConclusionsElastosonography may be a more successful and useful tool for measuring actual endometrial thickness than generalized 2-dimensional ultrasonography. In clinical cases with limited use of elastosonography and consequent inability for thorough evaluation of endometrial thickness, practitioners should exercise caution in deciding whether or not to adopt invasive diagnostic procedures, such as endometrial curettage, especially for young patients of reproductive age or those with prolonged treatment of breast cancer with tamoxifen.

The Effect of Additional of Aerobic Exercise to Functional Therapy on Resting Heart Rate in Patients with Chronic Phase Post Stroke

Introduction: Regular aerobic exercise has a direct effect on resting heart rate, both acute and chronic effects. One of the chronic effects decrease resting heart rate which is beneficial for heart health. The objective of this study was to prove the effect of adding aerobic exercise to functional therapy on resting heart in post-stroke patients with chronic phase.&#x0D; Methods: The study used a randomized controlled trial with pre and post-test control group design. The treatment group (n = 10) received additional aerobic exercise and the control group only received functional therapy (n = 10). Assessment of resting heart rate measurements was carried out before and after exercise.&#x0D; Results: There was a significant difference (p=&lt;0.001) in the mean resting heart rate in the treatment group before intervention 89.00 ± 9.13 and after intervention 76.10 ± 10.16. There was a significant difference (p=0.017) in the mean resting heart rate in the control group before intervention 88.60 ± 7.75 and after intervention 84.40 ± 6.98. There was a significant difference in the resting heart rate delta value between the treatment group (-12.90 ± 6.56) compared to the control group (-4.20 ± 4.37).&#x0D; Discussion: The value of resting heart rate pre and post-test in the treatment group showed a more significant difference than the control group. Aerobic exercise can inhibit the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and increase the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system due to the effects of cardiovascular adaptation&#x0D; Conclusion: The intervention of adding aerobic exercise can reduce resting heart rate in post-stroke patients with chronic phase.&#x0D; Keywords: Aerobic exercise, functional therapy

Comparison of Protein- or Amino Acid-Based Supplements in the Rehabilitation of Men with Severe Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Weight loss is associated with a reduction in all body compartments, including muscle mass (MM), and this effect produces a decrease in function and muscle strength. Our objective was to assess the impact of protein or amino acid supplements on MM loss in middle-aged men (age < 65 years) with severe obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2) during weight loss. We conducted a single-site randomized controlled trial (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05143398) with 40 in-patient male subjects with severe obesity. Participants underwent an intervention program consisting of a low-calorie balanced diet and structured physical activity. They were randomly assigned to 4-week treatment groups: (1) control (CTR, N = 10), (2) protein (P, N = 10), (3) branched-chain amino acid (BCAA, N = 10), and (4) essential amino acid mixture with tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates (PD-E07, N = 10) supplementation. Following 4 weeks of intervention, all groups showed similar reductions in body weight compared to baseline. When examining the delta values, a notable increase in muscle mass (MM) was observed in the PD-E07 intervention group [MM (kg): 2.84 ± 3.57; MM (%): 3.63 ± 3.14], in contrast to the CTR group [MM (kg): -2.46 ± 3.04; MM (%): -0.47 ± 2.28], with a statistical significance of p = 0.045 and p = 0.023, respectively. However, the MM values for the P group [MM (kg): -2.75 ± 5.98, p = 0.734; MM (%): -0.44 ± 4.02, p = 0.990] and the BCAA group [MM (kg): -1 ± 3.3, p = 0.734; MM (%): 0.34 ± 2.85, p = 0.956] did not exhibit a statistically significant difference when compared to the CTR group. Amino acid-based supplements may effectively mitigate the loss of MM typically observed during weight reduction. Further validation through large-scale studies is necessary.

OPTIMAL TENSILE-SHEAR STRENGTH OF GALVANIZED/MILD STEEL (SPCC-SD) DISSIMILAR RESISTANCE SPOT WELDING USING TAGUCHI DOE

This paper demonstrates the optimization of resistance spot welding on different connections of galvanized steel sheets and low carbon steels. The zinc coating on galvanized steel sheets will have an effect to reduce the welding ability in the resistance welding process. The practical Taguchi experimental technics were used by implemented adequately to optimize input factors, namely squeezing time, welding current, welding time and holding time. Statistical software implemented an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multilinear regression to investigate and evaluate the significant input factors and compare them with the experimental output factors of resistance spot welding. The 'signal to noise ratio' (S/N ratio) results shows that the welding time and the welding current are the most significant factors on the output. The delta values ​​of welding time and welding current are 3.15 and 2.25, respectively. The ANOVA results showed that welding current and welding time are the most contributing factors by 23.5% and 51.4%, respectively. Taguchi recommends an optimal squeezing time of 20 cycles, a welding current of 27 kA, a welding time of 36 cycles, and a hold/cooling time of 15 cycles. The highest output reaches a tensile shear strength of 5762.04 N on the third iteration. The present research has successfully identified significant variable inputs for resistance spot welding, namely welding current and welding time. In the future, the relevant research may use our corresponding results to improve the RSW practical procedure for other significant impacts.

1516-P: Free Fatty Acid and Amino Acid Predictors of Response to Metformin in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Metformin is one of the most widely used antidiabetic drugs and is also effectively used in treating women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Our global objective is to separate women with PCOS into subtypes by their response to metformin. This pilot study aims to determine which free fatty acids and amino acids metabolites predict response to metformin as categorized by changes in insulin sensitivity and testosterone concentrations after three months of metformin therapy. We recruited 42 participants with PCOS aged between 18-50 years. Participants were randomly categorized into metformin (n= 29; 32.41 ± 7.4 years) and placebo groups (n=13; 32.15 ± 5.65 years). The Metformin group was challenged with three months of metformin titrated to at least 1500 mg daily. Body weights decreased significantly in the metformin treatment group from 98.55 ± 22.76 to 97.27 ± 23.14 (p-value=0.01) but did not change in the placebo group. Fasting plasma glucose decreased only in the metformin group from 89.25 ± 9.12 to 86.37 ± 9.53. Testosterone levels decreased in the metformin-treated group after 12 weeks from 29.0 (18.5 - 35.5) to 23.0 (15.5 - 32.5), but no significant change was observed in the placebo group from 28.0 (20.0 - 43.0) to 27.0 (21.5 -49.0). However, we did not observe a statistically significant change in insulin sensitivity values in PCOS and placebo groups. Linear regression analysis was performed to check the predictive power of those associated metabolites with delta values of testosterone and insulin sensitivity. Our results showed that changes in insulin sensitivity and testosterone levels after metformin treatment could be significantly predicted by using concentrations of metabolites (Fig.1). Disclosure A.Y. Chang: None. A.K. Asokan: None. D. Sakrikar: Employee; The Binding Site. A. Lalia: None. I.R. Lanza: None. M. Petterson: None. K. Nair: None. Funding National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000135)

Solar parameters in long-baseline accelerator neutrino oscillations

Long-baseline (LBL) accelerator neutrino oscillation experiments, such as NOvA and T2K in the current generation, and DUNE-LBL and HK-LBL in the coming years, will measure the remaining unknown oscillation parameters with excellent precision. These analyses assume external input on the so-called “solar parameters,” θ12 and Delta {m}_{21}^2 , from solar experiments such as SNO, SK, and Borexino, as well as reactor experiments like KamLAND. Here we investigate their role in long-baseline experiments. We show that, without external input on Delta {m}_{21}^2 and θ12, the sensitivity to detecting and quantifying CP violation is significantly, but not entirely, reduced. Thus long-baseline accelerator experiments can actually determine Delta {m}_{21}^2 and θ12, and thus all six oscillation parameters, without input from any other oscillation experiment. In particular, Delta {m}_{21}^2 can be determined; thus DUNE-LBL and HK-LBL can measure both the solar and atmospheric mass splittings in their long-baseline analyses alone. While their sensitivities are not competitive with existing constraints, they are very orthogonal probes of solar parameters and provide a key consistency check of a less probed sector of the three-flavor oscillation picture. Furthermore, we also show that the true values of Delta {m}_{21}^2 and θ12 play an important role in the sensitivity of other oscillation parameters such as the CP violating phase δ.

Variations in sacral sub-epidermal moisture measurements in hospitalized medical and surgical patients: A longitudinal observational sub-study

BackgroundPressure injury risk assessment tools have several well-known limitations. As a result, new methods of assessing risk are emerging, including the use of sub-epidermal moisture measurement to detect localized edema. AimsTo assess the daily variation in sacral sub-epidermal moisture measurement over five days and establish if age and prophylactic sacral dressing use influenced these measurements. MethodsAs part of a larger randomized controlled trial of the use of prophylactic sacral dressings, a longitudinal observational substudy was undertaken in hospitalized medical and surgical adult patients at risk of pressure injury. The substudy was conducted in consecutively recruited patients from 20 May 2021 to 9 November 2022. Using the SEM 200 (Bruin Biometrics LLC), daily sacral sub-epidermal measurements for up to five days were completed. Two measurements were generated, the most recent sub-epidermal moisture measurement and, after at least three measurements, a delta value, the difference between the highest and lowest values. The delta measurement was the outcome, with a delta of ≥0.60 considered abnormal, increasing the risk of pressure injury development. A mixed analysis of covariance was undertaken to determine if there was any change in delta measurements over the five days and to determine if age and sacral prophylactic dressing use influenced sub-epidermal moisture delta measurement. ResultsA total of 392 participants were included in this study; 160 (40.8%) patients had completed five consecutive days of sacral sub-epidermal moisture delta measurements. In total, 1324 delta measurements were undertaken across the five study days. In total, 325 of 392 patients (82.9%) had experienced one or more abnormal delta. Furthermore, 191 (48.7%) and 96 (24.5%) of patients experienced abnormal deltas for two or more and three or more consecutive days. There was no statistically significant variation in sacral sub-epidermal moisture delta measurements over time; increasing age and prophylactic dressing use did not influence sub-epidermal moisture deltas over the five days. ConclusionIf only one abnormal delta was used as a trigger, about 83% of patients would have received additional pressure injury prevention strategies. But, if a more nuanced approach to responding to abnormal deltas is taken, between 25 and 50% of patients may receive additional pressure injury prevention, representing a more time and resource efficient approach. Tweetable abstractSub-epidermal moisture delta measurements did not vary over 5 days; increasing age and prophylactic dressing use did not influence these measurements.

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants through pandemic waves using RT-PCR testing in low-resource settings.

COVID-19 resulted in extensive morbidity and mortality worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 evolved rapidly, with increasing transmission due to Variants of Concern (VOC). Identifying VOC became important but genome submissions from low-middle income countries (LMIC) remained low leading to gaps in genomic epidemiology. We demonstrate the use of a specific mutation RT-PCR based approach to identify VOC in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples through the pandemic in Pakistan. We selected 2150 SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive respiratory specimens tested between April 2021 and February 2022, at the Aga Khan University Hospital Clinical Laboratories, Karachi, Pakistan. Commercially available RT-PCR assays were used as required for mutations in Spike protein (N501Y, A570D, E484K, K417N, L452R, P681R and deletion69_70) to identify Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants respectively. Three pandemic waves associated with Alpha, Delta and Omicron occurred during the study period. Of the samples screened, VOC were identified in 81.7% of cases comprising mainly; Delta (37.2%), Alpha (29.8%) and Omicron (17.1%) variants. During 2021, Alpha variants were predominant in April and May; Beta and Gamma variants emerged in May and peaked in June; the Delta variant peaked in July and remained predominant until November. Omicron (BA.1) emerged in December 2021 and remained predominant until February 2022. The CT values of Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta were all significantly higher than that of Omicron variants (p<0.0001). We observed VOC through the pandemic waves using spike mutation specific RT-PCR assays. We show the spike mutation specific RT-PCR assay is a rapid, low-cost and adaptable for the identification of VOC as an adjunct approach to NGS to effectively inform the public health response. Further, by associating the VOC with CT values of its diagnostic PCR we gain information regarding the viral load of samples and therefore the level of transmission and disease severity in the population.

The Applicability of Very Low Frequency Diagnostic Testing in the Evaluation of Thermally Aged Stator Coil

In this study, stator coils were aged under thermal stress and changes in insulation condition with the aging cycles were evaluated using diagnostic tests. Diagnostic tests such as partial discharge measurement and tan delta and capacitance measurements were performed at 50 Hz, 1 Hz and 0.1 Hz (very low frequency). The results obtained from this study demonstrate the possibility of evaluating the signs of thermal aging in a stator insulation system with very low frequency tests. Partial discharge parameters like peak apparent charge magnitude and integrated charge per cycle along with tan delta and capacitance tip-up values were used to evaluate the stator insulation condition. Diagnostic test results showed an identical trend with aging cycles at all the chosen test frequency, i.e. 50 Hz, 1 Hz and 0.1 Hz, which indicates that testing at 0.1 Hz is suitable for insulation condition evaluation. Further, the tip-up values have shown distinct variations, especially at 0.1 Hz indicating significant thermal degradation in a stator coil.

Risk-taking is associated with decreased delta value signal and increased theta prediction error signal in the hot Columbia Card Task

Risk-taking is associated with decreased delta value signal and increased theta prediction error signal in the hot Columbia Card Task

Yet Another Compact Time Series Data Representation Using CBOR Templates (YACTS).

The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is growing rapidly, while the IoT devices are being deployed massively. However, interoperability with information systems remains a major challenge for this accelerated device deployment. Furthermore, most of the time, IoT information is presented as Time Series (TS), and while the majority of the studies in the literature focus on the prediction, compression, or processing of TS, no standardized representation format has emerged. Moreover, apart from interoperability, IoT networks contain multiple constrained devices which are designed with limitations, e.g., processing power, memory, or battery life. Therefore, in order to reduce the interoperability challenges and increase the lifetime of IoT devices, this article introduces a new format for TS based on CBOR. The format exploits the compactness of CBOR by leveraging delta values to represent measurements, employing tags to represent variables, and utilizing templates to convert the TS data representation into the appropriate format for the cloud-based application. Moreover, we introduce a new refined and structured metadata to represent additional information for the measurements, then we provide a Concise Data Definition Language (CDDL) code to validate the CBOR structures against our proposal, and finally, we present a detailed performance evaluation to validate the adaptability and the extensibility of our approach. Our performance evaluation results show that the actual data sent by IoT devices can be reduced by between 88% and 94% compared to JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), between 82% and 91% compared to Concise Binary Object Representation (CBOR) and ASN.1, and between 60% and 88% compared to Protocol buffers. At the same time, it can reduce Time-on-Air by between 84% and 94% when a Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) technology such as LoRaWAN is employed, leading to a 12-fold increase in battery life compared to CBOR format or between a 9-fold and 16-fold increase when compared to Protocol buffers and ASN.1, respectively. In addition, the proposed metadata represent an additional 0.5% of the overall data transmitted in cases where networks such as LPWAN or Wi-Fi are employed. Finally, the proposed template and data format provide a compact representation of TS that can significantly reduce the amount of data transmitted containing the same information, extend the battery life of IoT devices, and improve their lifetime. Moreover, the results show that the proposed approach is effective for different data types and it can be integrated seamlessly into existing IoT systems.

The prognostic value of radiomic features from pre- and post-treatment 18F-FDG PET imaging in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is widely used for management of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Combining the radiomic features of pre- and post-treatment FDG PET images may improve tumor characterization and prognostic predication. We investigated prognostic value of radiomic features from pre- and post-radiotherapy FDG PET images in patients with NPC. Quantitative radiomic features of primary tumors were extracted from the FDG PET images of 145 NPC patients and the delta values were also calculated. The study population was divided randomly into two groups, the training and test sets (7:3). A random survival forest (RSF) model was adopted to perform analyses of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). There were 37 (25.5%) cases of recurrence and 16 (11.0%) cases of death during a median follow-up period of 54.5 months. Both RSF models with clinical variables and radiomic PET features for PFS and OS showed comparable predictive performance to RSF models with clinical variables and conventional PET parameters. Tumoral radiomic features of pre- and post-treatment FDG PET and the corresponding delta values may predict PFS and OS in patients with NPC.

Consumption of kefir made with traditional microorganisms resulted in greater improvements in LDL cholesterol and plasma markers of inflammation in males when compared to a commercial kefir: a randomized pilot study.

Kefir has long been associated with health benefits; however, recent evidence suggests that these benefits are dependent on the specific microbial composition of the kefir consumed. This study aimed to compare how consumption of a commercial kefir without traditional kefir organisms and a pitched kefir containing traditional organisms affected plasma lipid levels, glucose homeostasis, and markers of endothelial function and inflammation in males with elevated LDL cholesterol. We utilized a crossover design in n = 21 participants consisting of two treatments of 4 weeks each in random order separated by a 4-week washout. Participants received either commercial kefir or pitched kefir containing traditional kefir organisms for each treatment period. Participants consumed 2 servings of kefir (350 g) per day. Plasma lipid profile, glucose, insulin, markers of endothelial function, and inflammation were measured in the fasting state before and after each treatment period. Differences within each treatment period and comparison of treatment delta values were performed using paired t tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank test, respectively. When compared to baseline, pitched kefir consumption reduced LDL-C, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1, while commercial kefir consumption increased TNF-α. Pitched kefir consumption resulted in greater reductions in IL-8, CRP, VCAM-1, and TNF-α when compared to commercial kefir consumption. These findings provide strong evidence that microbial composition is an important factor in the metabolic health benefits associated with kefir consumption. They also provide support for larger studies examining these to assess whether traditional kefir organisms are necessary to confer health benefits to individuals at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Rapid recovery of post-stroke cardiac autonomic dysfunction - causes to be considered.

Acute stroke frequently causes cardiovascular-autonomic dysfunction (CAD). Studies of CAD-recovery are inconclusive while post-stroke arrhythmias may wane within 72 hours. We evaluated whether post-stroke CAD recovers within 72 hours upon stroke-onset in association with neurological improvement or increased use of cardiovascular medication. In 50 ischemic-stroke patients (68±13 years) who - prior to hospital-admission - had no known diseases nor took medication affecting autonomic modulation, we assessed NIHSS-scores, RR-intervals (RRI), systolic, diastolic blood-pressures (BP), respiration-rate, parameters reflecting total autonomic modulation [RRI-standard-deviation, RRI-total-powers], sympathetic [RRI-low-frequency-powers, BPsys-low-frequency-powers] and parasympathetic modulation [RMSSD, RRI-high-frequency-powers], and baroreflex-sensitivity within 24 hours (assessment-1) and 72 hours after stroke-onset (assessment-2) and compared data to those of 31 healthy-controls (64±10 years). We correlated delta-NIHSS-values (assessment-1 - assessment-2) with delta-values of autonomic parameters (Spearman-Rank-correlation tests; significance: P<0.05). At assessment-1, patients were not yet on vasoactive medication and had higher systolic blood pressure, respiration-rate, heart rate, i.e. lower RRIs, but lower RRI-Standard-Deviation, RRI-coefficient-of-variance, RRI-low-frequency-powers, RRI-high-frequency-powers, RRI-total-powers, RMSSDs, and baroreflex-sensitivity. At assessment-2, patients were on antihypertensives, had higher RRI-Standard-Deviation, RRI-coefficient-of-variance, RRI-low-frequency-powers, RRI-high-frequency-powers, RRI-total-powers, RMSSDs, and baroreflex-sensitivity but lower systolic blood pressure and NIHSS-values than at assessment-1; values no longer differed between patients and controls except for lower RRIs and higher respiration-rate in patients. Delta-NIHSS-scores correlated inversely with delta-values of RRI-Standard-Deviation, RRI-coefficient-of-variance, RMSSDs, RRI-low-frequency-powers, RRI-high-frequency-powers, RRI-total-powers, and baroreflex-sensitivity. In our patients, CAD-recovery was almost complete within 72 hours after stroke-onset and correlated with neurological improvement. Most likely, early initiation of cardiovascular medication and probably attenuating stress supported rapid CAD-recovery.