Peripheral arterial disease screening for hemodialysis patients using a fractional-order integrator and transition probability decision-making model.

Atherosclerosis and resultant peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are common complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus or end-stage renal disease and in elderly patients. The prevalence of PAD is higher in patients receiving haemodialysis therapy. For early assessment of arterial occlusion using bilateral photoplethysmography (PPG), such as changes in pulse transit time and pulse shape, bilateral timing differences could be used to identify the risk level of PAD.

Bilateral photoplethysmography for arterial steal detection in arteriovenous fistula using a fractional-order decision-making quantizer.

As inflow and outflow stenoses worsen, both flow resistance and pressure increase in the stenotic vascular access. During dialysis, when blood flow decreases, it may retrograde from the peripheral artery through the palmar arch to the arterial anastomosis site. Arterial steal syndrome (ASS) causes distal hypoperfusion, resulting in hand ischemia or extremity pain and edema.

Virtual-Reality Simulator System for Double Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Using Fractional-Order Vascular Access Tracker and Haptic Force Producer.

This study proposes virtual-reality (VR) simulator system for double interventional cardiac catheterization (ICC) using fractional-order vascular access tracker and haptic force producer. An endoscope or a catheter for diagnosis and surgery of cardiovascular disease has been commonly used in minimally invasive surgery. It needs specific skills and experiences for young surgeons or postgraduate year (PGY) students to operate a Berman catheter and a pigtail catheter in the inside of the human body and requires avoiding damaging vessels.

[Left ventricular function in newborn infants of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus].

Objective: To evaluate left ventricular function in newborn infants of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods: Forty newborn infants of mother with GDM (GDM group) and forty normal newborn infants (control group) were enrolled in this study. Two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging was used to measure interventricular septal thickness, posterior left ventricular wall thickness and left ventricular ejection fraction in both groups.

Activity enhancement and stabilization of lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia in polyallylamine-mediated biomimetic silica.

Triacylglycerol lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia and Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles were encapsulated simultaneously within biomimetic silica through the catalysis of polyallylamine. The encapsulation efficiency reached 96% with an activity recovery of 51%. After 5 h at 37°C, the activities of the free and encapsulated lipases decreased by 77 and 16%, respectively.

[Left versus right ventricular Tei index for evaluating third-trimester fetal cardiac function in pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the value of Tei index and the sensitivity of left versus right ventricular Tei index in evaluating the fetal cardiac function in pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome in the third trimester.

Methods: Fetal echocardiograms were performed in 30 women with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) syndrome and 55 with normal pregnancy of the third trimester. Tei index was obtained by calculating the ratio of the isovolumic time (isovolumic contraction and relaxation time) to the ejection time of the left and right ventricle.