Risk assessment of diabetic retinopathy with machine and deep learning models with PPG signals and PWV.

Retinopathy is one of the most common micro vascular impairments in diabetic subjects. Elevated blood glucose leads to capillary occlusion, provoking the uncontrolled increase in local growth of new vessels in the retina. When left untreated, it can lead to blindness.

Clustered photoplethysmogram pulse wave shapes and their associations with clinical data.

Photopletysmography (PPG) is a non-invasive and well known technology that enables the recording of the digital volume pulse (DVP). Although PPG is largely employed in research, several aspects remain unknown. One of these is represented by the lack of information about how many waveform classes best express the variability in shape.

Vascular ageing: moving from bench towards bedside.

Prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the largest public health challenges of our time. Identifying individuals at increased cardiovascular risk at an asymptomatic, sub-clinical stage is of paramount importance for minimizing disease progression as well as the substantial health and economic burden associated with overt CVD. Vascular ageing (VA) involves the deterioration in vascular structure and function over time and ultimately leads to damage in the heart, brain, kidney, and other organs.

Assessment of the systolic rise time by photoplethysmography in peripheral arterial diseases: a comparative study with ultrasound Doppler.

Aims: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a major public health burden requiring more intensive population screening. Ankle brachial index (ABI) using arm and ankle cuffs is considered as the reference method for the detection of PAD. Although it requires a rigorous methodology by trained operators, it remains time-consuming and more technically difficult in patients with diabetes due to mediacalcosis.

Diabetes Detection and Management through Photoplethysmographic and Electrocardiographic Signals Analysis: A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose. Recently, some studies approached the diabetes care domain through the analysis of the modifications of cardiovascular system parameters. In fact, cardiovascular diseases are the first leading cause of death in diabetic subjects.

Assessing hemodynamics from the photoplethysmogram to gain insights into vascular age: a review from VascAgeNet.

The photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal is widely measured by clinical and consumer devices, and it is emerging as a potential tool for assessing vascular age. The shape and timing of the PPG pulse wave are both influenced by normal vascular aging, changes in arterial stiffness and blood pressure, and atherosclerosis. This review summarizes research into assessing vascular age from the PPG.

Transfer learning of CNN-based signal quality assessment from clinical to non-clinical PPG signals.

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a non-invasive and cost-efficient optical technique used to assess blood volume variation inside the micro-circulation. PPG technology is widely used in a variety of clinical and non-clinical devices in order to investigate the cardiovascular system. One example of clinical PPG device is the pulse oxymeter, while non-clinical PPG devices include smartphones and smartwatches.

Qishta-A Lebanese Heat Concentrated Dairy Product Characteristics and Production Procedures.

This study aims at exploring the chemical composition of a traditional Lebanese dairy product known as Qishta, describing the process of how to prepare it and understanding the mechanisms leading to its formation. The process of making Qishta can be divided into two phases: a hot phase during which milk is heated in a stainless-steel large shallow vessel, and a cold phase consisting of draining, cooling and packaging. According to milk temperature, two reaction zones were identified: zone A with an average temperature of 100 °C, and zone B with an average temperature of 60 °C.

Pulse wave velocity is lower in trained than in untrained sickle cell trait carriers.

Background: Sickle cell trait (SCT) is a benign condition of sickle cell disease. Nevertheless, previous reports showed that SCT carriers have increased blood viscosity and decreased vascular reactivity compared to non-SCT carrier. The benefit of regular exercise on vascular function has been well documented in the general population but no study focused on the SCT population.

[Impact of sickle cell trait on arterial stiffness in African subjects].

Sickle cell trait (SCT) is the benign condition of sickle cell disease. Often asymptomatic, the carriers of the sickle cell trait have hemorheological disturbances with increased oxidative stress compared to healthy subjects. These disturbances can lead to structural and functional changes in large vessels.

Evaluation of arterial stiffness by finger-toe pulse wave velocity: optimization of signal processing and clinical validation.

Background: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) (cf-PWV) is the gold standard for measuring aortic stiffness. Finger-toe PWV (ft-PWV) is a simpler noninvasive method for measuring arterial stiffness. Although the validity of the method has been previously assessed, its accuracy can be improved.

Outpatient measurement of arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Background: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a marker of arterial stiffness. The aim of the present study was to compare PWV in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or obesity and healthy subjects in an outpatient setting.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with obesity without T2DM (n = 37), T2DM without obesity (n = 40), T2DM plus obesity (n = 43), and healthy controls (n = 114).

A novel device for measuring arterial stiffness using finger-toe pulse wave velocity: Validation study of the pOpmètre®.

Background: The finger-toe pathway could be a good alternative for assessing arterial stiffness conveniently.

Aim: To evaluate the accuracy of the pOpmètre®--a new device that measures finger-toe pulse wave velocity (ft-PWV).

Methods: The pOpmètre has two photodiode sensors, positioned on the finger and the toe.

[Regional and peripheral arterial stiffness measured by pOpmetre® in patients with Cvx risk factor, link with carotid plaques].

Purpose: Aortic stiffness is a functional and structural consequence of ageing and arteriosclerosis. Regional arterial stiffness can be easily evaluated using pOpmetre(®) (Axelife SAS, France). This new technique assesses the pulse wave transit time (TT) between the finger (TTf) and the toe (TTt).

[Arterial stiffness a new risk factor to measure].

We revue the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in the elderly, their relationship to arterial stiffness. The measurement of arterial stiffness is of considerable increasing interest in this early 21 century. This paper is focusing on modeling, in different measurement methods.

[A new index to evaluate arterial ageing independently of arterial blood pressure: pOpscore(®)].

Aim: Pulse wave velocity does not correlate to age in the upper limb but in the aorta and lower limb. We studied the link between ageing and pulse wave transit time (PWtt) indexes at the toe and finger.

Patients And Methods: Measurements were performed in 300 patients in occupational medicine and primary care after 5minutes supine rest using the device studied (pOpmètre(®), Axelife SAS, France).

Relationships between angiotensin I converting enzyme gene polymorphism, plasma levels, and diabetic retinal and renal complications.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), cardiovascular morbidity, and vital prognosis are linked to diabetic nephropathy, which is probably determined by renal hemodynamic abnormalities and by a genetic predisposition. Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) regulates systemic and renal circulations through angiotensin II formation and kinins metabolism. Plasma and cellular ACE levels are genetically determined; an insertion/deletion polymorphism of the ACE gene is strongly associated with ACE levels, subjects homozygote for insertion (genotype II) having the lowest plasma values.

Value of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in type I (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with incipient diabetic nephropathy.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is currently proposed for measuring blood pressure in type I, insulin-dependent diabetic subjects with incipient diabetic nephropathy. However, the value of this method, in comparison with conventional ones in detecting blood pressure differences between normotensive type I, insulin-dependent diabetic subjects with or without microalbuminuria, is questionable. We obtained systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures (SBP/DBP/MBP) in 10 hospitalized normotensive type I, insulin-dependent diabetic subjects with microalbuminuria, and in 29 others without, using a mercury sphygmomanometer (method 1) and an automatic device (Dinamap; method 2) to obtain morning (9 to 11 AM) measurements, and ABPM (SpaceLabs 90207; method 3) to obtain daytime (7 AM to 10 PM) and nighttime (10 PM to 7 AM) measurements.

Comparison of reduction in microalbuminuria by enalapril and hydrochlorothiazide in normotensive patients with insulin dependent diabetes.

Objective: To compare the effects of sodium depletion and of angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibition on microalbuminuria in insulin dependent diabetes.

Design: Randomised, double blind, double dummy parallel study of normotensive diabetic patients with persistent microalbuminuria (30-300 mg/24 h) treated with enalapril or hydrochlorothiazide for one year after a three month, single blind placebo period.

Setting: Diabetic clinic in a tertiary referral centre.

[Microalbuminuria and left ventricular hypertrophy in essential arterial hypertension. A study in non-diabetic patients].

To evaluate the relationship between urinary albumin excretion and left ventricular hypertrophy in essential hypertension, we studied, cross-sectionally, 64 subjects with essential hypertension and no diabetes. Urinary albumin excretion and Sokolow index correlated significantly (r = 0.483; P = 0.

[Comparison of 3 methods of measurement of blood pressure in insulin-dependent diabetic patients with or without incipient diabetic nephropathy].

Incipient diabetic nephropathy is characterized by a urinary albumin excretion (UAE) between 30-300 mg/24 h and a slightly elevated blood pressure. We measured blood pressure in 14 insulin-dependent diabetic subjects (IDDs) with persistent microalbuminuria (group A) and 50 IDDs with persistent normoalbuminuria (group B) using 3 different methods: 1) Sphygmomanometer, by a nurse, on supine position since 10 min, on the third day of hospitalization; 2) automatic device (Dinamap), on supine position, every 5 min, during 30 min; 3) ambulatory blood pressure (Spacelab 90202 every 15 min between 8 a.m.

[Increase of angiotensin converting enzyme activity during oral load of glucose].

Elevated serum angiotensin I-converting enzyme activity may occur in diabetic subjects. This may signal alteration of vascular endothelium. To study the effect of acute glucose change on serum Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE), we performed an oral glucose tolerance test in 17 obese subjects (7M/10F), (Body Mass Index, (BMI): 31 +/- 1 kg/m2), aged 48 +/- 3 years.

[Increase of activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme in insulin-dependent diabetic patients with permanent microalbuminuria].

Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme (ACE), which is synthesized by vascular endothelial cells, can be elevated in some diabetic subjects. To study if serum ACE can be elevated in subjects with high risk for malignant microangiopathy, 34 normotensive type I, insulin-dependent diabetic subjects with persistent microalbuminuria (30-300 mg/24 h) were compared for serum ACE activity (Liebermann's method) with 30 normotensive, normoalbuminuric type I, insulin-dependent diabetic subjects of same age (33 +/- 15 (M +/- SD) vs 39 +/- 14 years), sex (13 F/21 M vs 15 F/15 M), stage of retinopathy (14 vs 16 nil/11 vs 7 background/6 vs 4 preproliferative/3 vs 3 proliferative), HbA1c (7.7 +/- .

Glomerular hyperfiltration in type I, type II, and secondary diabetes.

Glomerular hyperfiltration, a risk factor for diabetic nephropathy, has been reported in type I insulin-dependent diabetics, but it is not clear if it occurs in other types of diabetes. To ascertain the prevalence of glomerular hyperfiltration in various types of diabetes, we measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in 158 diabetics (91 type I, 36 type II without insulin treatment, 20 type II with insulin treatment, and 11 subjects with diabetes secondary to chronic pancreatitis), and classified them as hyper-, normo-, or hypofiltration according to values measured in 36 age-match controls. After elimination of subjects with overt renal disease or hypertension, glomerular hyperfiltration was detected in 35% of the type I diabetics, 32% of the type II diabetics without insulin treatment, one subject with chronic pancreatitis, and one type II diabetics with insulin treatment.