Discrimination of vascular aging using the arterial pulse spectrum and machine-learning analysis.

Aging contributes to the progression of vascular dysfunction and is a major nonreversible risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using arterial pulse-wave measurements, frequency-domain pulse analysis, and machine-learning analysis in distinguishing vascular aging. Radial pulse signals were measured noninvasively for 3 min in 280 subjects aged 40-80 years.

Classification of patients with Alzheimer's disease using the arterial pulse spectrum and a multilayer-perceptron analysis.

Cerebrovascular atherosclerosis has been identified as a prominent pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD); the link between vessel pathology and AD risk may also extend to extracranial arteries. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of using arterial pulse-wave measurements and multilayer perceptron (MLP) analysis in distinguishing between AD and control subjects. Radial blood pressure waveform (BPW) and finger photoplethysmography signals were measured noninvasively for 3 min in 87 AD patients and 74 control subjects.

Epidural abscess caused by Veillonella parvula: Case report and review of the literature.

Veillonella parvula, an anaerobic, Gram-negative coccus is part of the normal flora of the oral, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and genitourinary tracts in humans and animals. We herein present a case of epidural abscess caused by V. parvula in a 68-year-old man with sinus squamous cell carcinoma who presented with a 3-week history of low back pain.

The association between zolpidem and infection in patients with sleep disturbance.

Objective: Recent case reports suggest that zolpidem usage may be associated with infection events. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of infection events in patients with sleep disturbance taking zolpidem in a full 3-year follow-up study.

Methods: A total of 17474 subjects with a diagnosis of sleep disturbance in 2002 and 2003 were identified, of whom 5882 had used zolpidem after recruitment.

Septic arthritis caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium abscessus in a prosthetic knee joint: case report and review of literature.

Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) is an infrequent cause of prosthetic knee joint infections. Simultaneous infection with different NTM species in a prosthetic knee joint has not been previously reported. A case of prosthetic knee joint infection caused by Mycobacterium abscessus and M.