Double-Blind Clinical Trial of Arginine Supplementation in the Treatment of Adult Patients with Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Background: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is the most prevalent monogenic disease in Brazil. In SCA, haemoglobin S (HbS) is formed, which modifies red blood cell morphology. Intravascular haemolysis occurs, in which free Hb and free radicals degrade nitric oxide (NO) and release arginase, which reduces arginine levels.

S-EMG Signal Compression in One-Dimensional and Two-Dimensional Approaches.

This paper presents algorithms designed for one-dimensional (1-D) and 2-D surface electromyographic (S-EMG) signal compression. The 1-D approach is a wavelet transform based encoder applied to isometric and dynamic S-EMG signals. An adaptive estimation of the spectral shape is used to carry out dynamic bit allocation for vector quantization of transformed coefficients.

Coronary Embolization from a Left Atrial Myxoma Containing Malignant Lymphoma Cells.

Systemic embolization from a primary cardiac tumor is a relatively frequent presentation. However, an acute myocardial infarction due to coronary embolization is rarely seen. We offer an unusual case of a 50-year-old man who presented with severe angina and was diagnosed with an inferolateral ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.

Same-day discharge or overnight stay after percutaneous coronary intervention: comparison of net adverse cardiovascular events.

Background: Same-day discharge after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), if achieved with acceptable safety, could result in greater patient satisfaction and potential cost savings. Comparative analyses reporting the safety outcomes of same-day discharge vs overnight stay after elective PCI are lacking.

Methods: Data of same-day discharge and overnight-stay patients undergoing elective PCI in a high-volume center were compared.

Outcomes of minimally invasive triple valve surgery performed via a right anterior thoracotomy approach.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The feasibility of minimally invasive triple valve surgery performed via a right anterior thoracotomy approach was evaluated.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on all patients who underwent minimally invasive triple valve surgery via a right anterior thoracotomy approach at the authors' institution between December 2009 and February 2013. The operative times and intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay, postoperative complications, and mortality were analyzed.

Usefulness of the troponin-ejection fraction product to differentiate stress cardiomyopathy from ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

The presentation of stress cardiomyopathy (SC) with nonobstructive coronary artery disease mimics that of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) due to coronary occlusion. No single parameter has been successful in differentiating the 2 entities. We thus sought to develop a noninvasive clinical tool to discriminate between these 2 conditions.

Wearable cardioverter defibrillator in stress cardiomyopathy and cardiac arrest.

A 57-year-old woman presented with nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. She had severe hypokalaemia and hypomagnesemia with marked QTc (680 ms) prolongation after suspected viral diarrhoea. She then developed progressive dyspnoea with congestion.

Asymptomatic anomalous left anterior descending artery arising from the right coronary artery with a rare anterior course.

The presence of a malignant course on the coronary circulation is the second leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young adults. One type of malignant conformation is an anomalous left anterior descending artery (LAD) arising from the right coronary artery (RCA). In a study examining 70,850 patients undergoing coronary angiography, the prevalence of this anomaly was noted in 0.

A meta-analysis of transcatheter closure of patent foramen ovale versus medical therapy for prevention of recurrent thromboembolic events in patients with cryptogenic cerebrovascular events.

Objectives: We sought to perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing percutaneous patent-foramen-ovale (PFO) closure with medical therapy for preventing recurrent thromboembolic events after cryptogenic stroke.

Background: Observational studies suggested that transcatheter PFO closure decreases recurrent events after cryptogenic stroke; however, three recent RCTs failed to demonstrate such benefit.

Methods: Trials were identified from the PubMed and Cochrane databases.

Clinical predictors of prosthesis-patient mismatch after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis.

Objective: We sought to ascertain predictors of Patient Prosthesis Mismatch, an independent predictor of mortality, in patients with aortic stenosis using bioprosthetic valves.

Method: We analyzed 2,107 sequential surgeries. Patient Prosthesis Mismatch was calculated using the effective orifice area of the prosthesis divided by the patient's body surface area.

The characteristics of stress cardiomyopathy in an ethnically heterogeneous population.

Objectives: Stress cardiomyopathy is a cardiac syndrome that is characterized by transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. Its epidemiology has been described in homogeneous Asian, Caucasian and Black populations, but its characteristics in heterogeneous populations are poorly understood. Our aim was to assess the characteristics of stress cardiomyopathy in a heterogeneous population that included a large percentage of Hispanics.

Energy efficient simulator for patient monitoring in Body Sensor Networks.

The medical tracking of patients carried out from a distance by means of wireless technology, incorporating various sensors simultaneously connected to the body of an individual, can promote health in suitable time. This article proposes a simulator for the monitoring of human health. This prototype simulates the workings of a BSN (Body Sensor Network) functioning as a sensor (electrophysiological signal) that is to be monitored, which utilizes a strategy based on the concept of data fusion.

Semi-automatic detection of the left ventricular border.

Two semi-automatic methods for the detection of the left ventricular border in two-dimensional short axis echocardiographic images are presented and compared. In these methods, the left ventricular area variation curve is calculated during a complete cardiac cycle after the segmentation of several frames. This allows the evaluation of the cardiovascular dynamics and the identification of important clinical parameters.

An instrument to measure the convective heat transfer coefficient on large vessels.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. During radiofrequency hepatic ablation, the tumor is heated by means of radiofrequency energy. The heating causes necrosis of the malignant tumor.

A new biomechanical hand prosthesis controlled by surface electromyographic signals.

This paper describes the development of a low-cost hand prosthesis for use in patients with an amputated hand due to congenital problems or to trauma wound, who possess a part or the forearm endowed with muscular activity. The paper covers the constructive aspects of both mechanical and electronic designs. The prototype is controlled by electromyographic signals measured at the remaining part of the injured limb of the patient.

A new wavelet-based algorithm for compression of EMG signals.

Despite the growing interest in the transmission and storage of electromyographic signals for long periods of time, only a few studies dealt with the compression of these signals. In this article we propose a novel algorithm for EMG signal compression using the wavelet transform. For EMG signals acquired during isometric contractions, the proposed algorithm provided compression factors ranging from 50 to 90%, with an average PRD ranging from 1.

A new model for programming software in body sensor networks.

A Body Sensor Network (BSN) must be designed to work autonomously. On the other hand, BSNs need mechanisms that allow changes in their behavior in order to become a clinically useful tool. The purpose of this paper is to present a new programming model that will be useful for programming BSN sensor nodes.