Spatially discordant alternans due to periodic pacing site alternation.

Background: Bidirectional ventricular tachycardia (BVT) is a rare type of ventricular tachycardia that is characterized by a beat-to-beat alternation in the QRS axis. Previous studies have shown that it is caused by alternating focal activities from 2 locations.

Objective: This study proposes a novel mechanism for the formation of spatially discordant alternans (SDA) due to the periodic pacing site alternation that occurs in BVT.

The 2022 symposium on dementia and brain aging in low- and middle-income countries: Highlights on research, diagnosis, care, and impact.

Two of every three persons living with dementia reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The projected increase in global dementia rates is expected to affect LMICs disproportionately. However, the majority of global dementia care costs occur in high-income countries (HICs), with dementia research predominantly focusing on HICs.

Language Learning for People Living with Dementia and Their Caregivers: Feasibility and the Quality of Experience.

Background: A body of research from around the world has reported positive effects of bilingualism on cognitive ageing and dementia. However, little is known about whether foreign language learning could be applied as an intervention for people already living with dementia. Yet, before it is possible to determine the efficacy of language courses as an intervention for people living with dementia (PLWD), it is necessary to establish whether such an intervention is feasible.

Deep learning-based label-free hematology analysis framework using optical diffraction tomography.

Hematology analysis, a common clinical test for screening various diseases, has conventionally required a chemical staining process that is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To reduce the costs of chemical staining, label-free imaging can be utilized in hematology analysis. In this work, we exploit optical diffraction tomography and the fully convolutional one-stage object detector or FCOS, a deep learning architecture for object detection, to develop a label-free hematology analysis framework.

Investigation of the Impact of Damaged Smartphone Sensors' Readings on the Quality of Behavioral Biometric Models.

Cybersecurity companies from around the world use state-of-the-art technology to provide the best protection against malicious software. Recent times have seen behavioral biometry becoming one of the most popular and widely used components in MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication). The effectiveness and lack of impact on UX (User Experience) is making its popularity rapidly increase among branches in the area of confidential data handling, such as banking, insurance companies, the government, or the military.

Choledochoduodenostomy continues to be a safe alternative for biliary reconstruction in deceased-donor liver transplantation.

Debate continues as to whether choledochoduodenostomy (CDD) can be used instead of Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy (CDJ) when duct-to-duct (DTD) is not an option. We hypothesized that CDD and CDJ had similar rates of complications. All deceased-donor liver transplantations from September 2011 to March 2020 were categorized by biliary reconstruction.

Membrane Emulsification-A Novel Solution for Treatment and Reuse of Produced Water from Oil Field.

Produced water (PW) is, by volume, the largest waste product of the oil- and gas-exploration industry and contains pollutants such as hydrocarbons and heavy metals. To meet the stringent environmental regulations, PW must be treated before discharging into the environment. The current study proposes a novel treatment method where PW is used to prepare oil-in-water emulsion with potential applications within the oil-exploration industry.

The impact of interdisciplinarity and user involvement on the design and usability of an assistive upper limb exoskeleton - a case study on the EXOTIC.

This study describes an interdisciplinary approach to develop a 5 degrees of freedom assistive upper limb exoskeleton (ULE) for users with severe to complete functional tetraplegia. Four different application levels were identified for the ULE ranging from basic technical application to interaction with users, interaction with caregivers and interaction with the society, each level posing requirements for the design and functionality of the ULE. These requirements were addressed through an interdisciplinary collaboration involving users, clinicians and researchers within social sciences and humanities, mechanical engineering, control engineering media technology and biomedical engineering.

User Based Development and Test of the EXOTIC Exoskeleton: Empowering Individuals with Tetraplegia Using a Compact, Versatile, 5-DoF Upper Limb Exoskeleton Controlled through Intelligent Semi-Automated Shared Tongue Control.

This paper presents the EXOTIC- a novel assistive upper limb exoskeleton for individuals with complete functional tetraplegia that provides an unprecedented level of versatility and control. The current literature on exoskeletons mainly focuses on the basic technical aspects of exoskeleton design and control while the context in which these exoskeletons should function is less or not prioritized even though it poses important technical requirements. We considered all sources of design requirements, from the basic technical functions to the real-world practical application.

Toward an idiomatic framework for cognitive robotics.

Inspired by the "cognitive hourglass" model presented by the researchers behind the cognitive architecture called Sigma, we propose a framework for developing cognitive architectures for cognitive robotics. The main purpose of the proposed framework is to ease development of cognitive architectures by encouraging cooperation and re-use of existing results. This is done by proposing a framework dividing development of cognitive architectures into a series of layers that can be considered partly in isolation, some of which directly relate to other research fields.

Coupling cognitive and brainstem dysfunction in multiple sclerosis-related chronic neuropathic limb pain.

Chronic pain in multiple sclerosis is common and difficult to treat. Its mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Dysfunction of the descending pain modulatory system is known to contribute to human chronic pain conditions.

The impact of partial-oral endocarditis treatment on anxiety and depression in the POET trial.

Background: The Partial-Oral versus Intravenous Antibiotic Treatment of Endocarditis Trial (POET) found that partial-oral outpatient treatment was non-inferior to conventional in-hospital intravenous treatment in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis. We examined the impact of treatment strategy on levels of anxiety and depression.

Methods: Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at randomization, at antibiotic completion, and after month 3 and month 6.

A normative study of the Czech Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS): a brief report.

Unlabelled: Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS) is a brief, standardized assessment of cognitiveimpairment inamyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objective: We aimed to createa normative dataset for the ECAS Czech version (ECAS-CZ) in order to make the assessment applicable for clinical settings.

Method: Included were 102 healthy participants (mean age: 54.

Phrenic nerve block on severe post-hepatectomy shoulder pain: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study.

Background: Severe shoulder pain occurs frequently after surgery close to the diaphragm, potentially caused by referred pain via the ipsilateral phrenic nerve. We aimed to assess the analgesic effect of an ultrasound-guided phrenic nerve block on moderate to severe right-sided shoulder pain after open partial hepatectomy.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study, comparing ultrasound-guided phrenic nerve block (ropivacaine 0.

Validation of The Edinburgh cognitive and behavioural ALS screen (ECAS) in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Unlabelled: The Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS) was developed to assess cognitive and behavioural changes in an anterior frontotemporal syndrome (executive functions, language, fluency and behaviour), common in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and also assesses posterior cerebral dysfunction (memory and visuospatial abilities).

Objectives: To validate the ECAS in behavioural variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD) without ALS, as compared with Alzheimer's disease (AD), against comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Compare its sensitivity to that of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) and investigate behavioural changes in both types of dementia.

A clinical coagulopathy score concurrent with viscoelastic testing defines opportunities to improve hemostatic resuscitation and enhance blood product utilization during liver transplantation.

Background: An NIH clinical coagulopathy score has been devised for trauma patients, but no such clinical score exists in transplantation surgery. We hypothesize that that this coagulopathy score can effectively identify laboratory defined coagulopathy during liver transplantation and correlates to blood product utilization.

Methods: TEGs were performed and coagulopathy scores (1, normal bleeding - 5, diffuse coagulopathic bleeding) were assigned by the surgeons at 5 intra-operative time points.

Detection of early allograft dysfunction at 30 min of reperfusion in liver transplantation: An intraoperative diagnostic tool with real time assessment of graft function.

Introduction: During the anhepatic phase of liver transplantation (LT), fibrinolytic activity increases, since the liver clears tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). We hypothesize that patients who fail to reduce fibrinolytic activity following graft reperfusion will have an increased rate of early allograft dysfunction (EAD).

Methods: Assessment of fibrinolysis in liver transplant recipients was quantified with thrombelastography (TEG) LY30.

The use of thromboelastography to assess post-operative changes in coagulation and predict graft function in renal transplantation.

Background: End stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with elevated fibrinogen levels and fibrinolysis inhibition. However, there is a paucity of data on how renal transplantation impacts coagulation. we hypothesize that renal transplantation recipients with good functioning grafts will have improved fibrinolytic activity following surgery.

Executive, language and fluency dysfunction are markers of localised TDP-43 cerebral pathology in non-demented ALS.

Objective: Approximately 35% of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) exhibit mild cognitive deficits in executive functions, language and fluency, without dementia. The precise pathology of these extramotor symptoms has remained unknown. This study aimed to determine the pathological correlate of cognitive impairment in patients with non-demented ALS.

Neuronal clusterin expression is associated with cognitive protection in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Aims: Clusterin is a topologically dynamic chaperone protein with the ability to participate in both intra- and extacellular proteostasis. Clusterin has been shown to be upregulated in the spinal cord of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and has been shown to protect against TDP-43 protein misfolding in animal and cell models. Previous studies have demonstrated an association between the pathological burden of TDP-43 misfolding and cognitive deficits in ALS, demonstrating high specificity, but correspondingly low sensitivity owing to a subset of individuals with no evidence of cognitive deficits despite a high burden of TDP-43 pathology, called mismatch cases.

A review of computer vision for semi-autonomous control of assistive robotic manipulators (ARMs).

The advances in artificial intelligence have started to reach a level where autonomous systems are becoming increasingly popular as a way to aid people in their everyday life. Such intelligent systems may especially be beneficially for people struggling to complete common everyday tasks, such as individuals with movement-related disabilities. The focus of this paper is hence to review recent work in using computer vision for semi-autonomous control of assistive robotic manipulators (ARMs).