Comparison of the effectiveness of 2 shockwave therapy protocols for the treatment of vascular erectile dysfunction: a randomized, multicenter, open-label, noninferiority, phase 4 clinical trial.

Background: Shockwave therapy is an optional adjuvant treatment for vascular erectile dysfunction (ED). There is variability in treatment protocols and challenges with patients adherence to the weekly protocol, which is the most commonly used.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the noninferiority of a monthly shockwave therapy protocol compared to the weekly protocol for treating vascular ED.

Global atmospheric methane uptake by upland tree woody surfaces.

Methane is an important greenhouse gas, but the role of trees in the methane budget remains uncertain. Although it has been shown that wetland and some upland trees can emit soil-derived methane at the stem base, it has also been suggested that upland trees can serve as a net sink for atmospheric methane. Here we examine in situ woody surface methane exchange of upland tropical, temperate and boreal forest trees.

Acute Interstitial Inflammation on Skin Biopsies and Positive Tissue Cultures in Cellulitis Patients Are Associated a Worse Prognosis.

Background: Cellulitis is a significant public health burden and lacks a gold standard for diagnosis. Up to 1/3 of patients are incorrectly diagnosed. The skin biopsy has been proposed as the gold standard.

Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell DDAH1-mediated nitric oxide production promotes pulmonary smooth muscle cell apoptosis in co-culture.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common chronic lung disease in preterm infants, and pulmonary hypertension (PH) develops in 25%-40% of patients with BPD, increasing morbidity and mortality. BPD-PH is characterized by vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling. Nitric oxide (NO) is a pulmonary vasodilator and apoptotic mediator made in the pulmonary endothelium by NO synthase (eNOS).

Hyperspectral Face Recognition with Adaptive and Parallel SVMs in Partially Hidden Face Scenarios.

Hyperspectral imaging opens up new opportunities for masked face recognition via discrimination of the spectral information obtained by hyperspectral sensors. In this work, we present a novel algorithm to extract facial spectral-features from different regions of interests by performing computer vision techniques over the hyperspectral images, particularly Histogram of Oriented Gradients. We have applied this algorithm over the UWA-HSFD dataset to extract the facial spectral-features and then a set of parallel Support Vector Machines with custom kernels, based on the cosine similarity and Euclidean distance, have been trained on fly to classify unknown subjects/faces according to the distance of the visible facial spectral-features, i.

Spatiotemporal variability and origin of CO and CH tree stem fluxes in an upland forest.

The exchange of multiple greenhouse gases (i.e., CO and CH ) between tree stems and the atmosphere represents a knowledge gap in the global carbon cycle.

Role of sCD40L in the prediction of super-response to cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Background: The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of the biomarkers Interleukin 6, Tumoral Necrosis Factor a, sCD40L, high sensitive Troponin T, high sensitive C-Reactive Protein and Galectin-3 in predicting super response (SR) to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT), as they have not been studied in this field before.

Methods: Clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data was obtained preimplant and after one year. SR was defined as reduction in LVESV = 30% at one year follow-up.

Experimental influence of storm-surge salinity on soil greenhouse gas emissions from a tidal salt marsh.

Storm surges can substantially alter the water level and salinity in tidal salt marshes. Little is known about how changes experienced during storm surges affect greenhouse gas emissions (GHG; CO, CH, NO) from tidal salt marsh soils. Understanding how storm surges influence ecosystem processes is critical for evaluating the ecosystem's sensitivity to sea level rise.

Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Tree Stems.

Tree stems exchange carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide with the atmosphere. The biophysical mechanisms controlling these fluxes are not fully understood, and consequently are not included in process-based models. We highlight advances and opportunities that will allow quantification of the role of these plant structures in the local-to-global balance of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Automated measurements of greenhouse gases fluxes from tree stems and soils: magnitudes, patterns and drivers.

Tree stems exchange CO, CH and NO with the atmosphere but the magnitudes, patterns and drivers of these greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes remain poorly understood. Our understanding mainly comes from static-manual measurements, which provide limited information on the temporal variability and magnitude of these fluxes. We measured hourly CO, CH and NO fluxes at two stem heights and adjacent soils within an upland temperate forest.

Adjustments and coordination of hydraulic, leaf and stem traits along a water availability gradient.

Trait variability in space and time allows plants to adjust to changing environmental conditions. However, we know little about how this variability is distributed and coordinated at different organizational levels. For six dominant tree species in northeastern Spain (three Fagaceae and three Pinaceae) we quantified the inter- and intraspecific variability of a set of traits along a water availability gradient.

Methane emissions from tree stems: a new frontier in the global carbon cycle.

Tree stems from wetland, floodplain and upland forests can produce and emit methane (CH ). Tree CH stem emissions have high spatial and temporal variability, but there is no consensus on the biophysical mechanisms that drive stem CH production and emissions. Here, we summarize up to 30 opportunities and challenges for stem CH emissions research, which, when addressed, will improve estimates of the magnitudes, patterns and drivers of CH emissions and trace their potential origin.

[First report of a case of fungal keratitis due to Curvularia hominis in Spain].

Background: Dematiaceous fungal genus Curvularia is a causal agent of keratitis, onychomycosis, and skin infections. In 2014, using DNA sequencing techniques, five new species, including Curvularia hominis, were described. In this article, a report is presented on the first clinical case of C.

A 3D Hermite-based multiscale local active contour method with elliptical shape constraints for segmentation of cardiac MR and CT volumes.

Analysis of cardiac images is a fundamental task to diagnose heart problems. Left ventricle (LV) is one of the most important heart structures used for cardiac evaluation. In this work, we propose a novel 3D hierarchical multiscale segmentation method based on a local active contour (AC) model and the Hermite transform (HT) for LV analysis in cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) volumes in short axis view.

An Approach to Integrating Health Disparities within Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Education.

Health disparities are preventable differences in the incidence, prevalence and burden of disease among communities targeted by gender, geographic location, ethnicity and/or socio-economic status. While biomedical research has identified partial origin(s) of divergent burden and impact of disease, the innovation needed to eradicate health disparities in the United States requires unique engagement from biomedical engineers. Increasing awareness of the prevalence and consequences of health disparities is particularly attractive to today's undergraduates, who have undauntedly challenged paradigms believed to foster inequality.

[Patients with vulnerable coronary plaques have higher serum metalloproteinase-1 levels].

Background: Most acute coronary syndromes are caused by the fracture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque. These plaques are thin cap fibroatheromas, which can only be detected with invasive coronary imaging techniques. It is necessary to find a non-invasive biomarker of these vulnerable plaques in order to identify patients at risk without a coronary angiography.

The Stress and Coping Context of Type 1 Diabetes Management Among Latino and Non-Latino White Early Adolescents and Their Mothers.

Examine ethnic differences in diabetes-related stress and coping among adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their mothers. Early adolescents with type 1 diabetes ( N  = 118, ages 10-15 years; 54% female; 47% Latino and 53% non-Latino White) and mothers described the adolescent's diabetes-related stressors and coping strategies, and rated stressor severity and controllability and coping competence. Surveys measured adherence; glycemic control (HbA1c) was indexed from medical records.

Comparison of Patient Outcomes in 3725 Overlapping vs 3633 Nonoverlapping Neurosurgical Procedures Using a Single Institution's Clinical and Administrative Database.

Background: Overlapping surgery is a common practice to improve surgical efficiency, but there are limited data on its safety.

Objective: To analyze the patient outcomes of overlapping vs nonoverlapping surgeries performed by multiple neurosurgeons.

Methods: Retrospective review of 7358 neurosurgical procedures, 2012 to 2015, at an urban academic hospital.

Performing concurrent operations in academic vascular neurosurgery does not affect patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVE Concurrent surgeries, also known as "running two rooms" or simultaneous/overlapping operations, have recently come under intense scrutiny. The goal of this study was to evaluate the operative time and outcomes of concurrent versus nonconcurrent vascular neurosurgical procedures. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed 1219 procedures performed by 1 vascular neurosurgeon from 2012 to 2015 at the University of California, San Francisco.

Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in Combination with Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in A Single Procedure. Rationale and Technique.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and is associated with a fivefold increase in the risk of ischemic stroke and systemic embolism. Left atrial appendage (LAA) is the source of thrombi in up to 90% of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Although thromboembolic prophylaxis by means of oral anticoagulants (OAC) has been shown to be very effective (OAC), they also confer an inevitably risk of serious bleeding.

Epicardial Adipose Tissue in the General Middle-aged Population and Its Association With Metabolic Syndrome.

Introduction And Objectives: There is currently increasing interest in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) as a marker of cardiovascular disease. Our purpose was to describe EAT, measured by transthoracic echocardiography, and to assess its association with metabolic syndrome (MS) in the RIVANA population-based study.

Methods: Physical examination was performed in 880 participants aged 45 to 74 years (492 of them with MS according to the harmonized definition).

Microbes as Engines of Ecosystem Function: When Does Community Structure Enhance Predictions of Ecosystem Processes?

Microorganisms are vital in mediating the earth's biogeochemical cycles; yet, despite our rapidly increasing ability to explore complex environmental microbial communities, the relationship between microbial community structure and ecosystem processes remains poorly understood. Here, we address a fundamental and unanswered question in microbial ecology: 'When do we need to understand microbial community structure to accurately predict function?' We present a statistical analysis investigating the value of environmental data and microbial community structure independently and in combination for explaining rates of carbon and nitrogen cycling processes within 82 global datasets. Environmental variables were the strongest predictors of process rates but left 44% of variation unexplained on average, suggesting the potential for microbial data to increase model accuracy.

Health-related Culinary Education: A Summary of Representative Emerging Programs for Health Professionals and Patients.

Background: Beneficial correlations are suggested between food preparation and home food preparation of healthy choices. Therefore, there is an emergence of culinary medicine (CM) programs directed at both patients and medical professionals which deliver education emphasizing skills such as shopping, food storage, and meal preparation.

Objective: The goal of this article is to provide a description of emerging CM programs and to imagine how this field can mature.