Use of Ballistocardiography to Monitor Cardiovascular Hemodynamics in Preeclampsia.

Pregnancy requires a complex physiological adaptation of the maternal cardiovascular system, which is disrupted in women with pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia, putting them at higher risk of future cardiovascular events. The measurement of body movements in response to cardiac ejection ballistocardiogram (BCG) can be used to assess cardiovascular hemodynamics noninvasively in women with preeclampsia. Using a previously validated, modified weighing scale for assessment of cardiovascular hemodynamics through measurement of BCG and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, we collected serial measurements throughout pregnancy and postpartum and analyzed data in 30 women with preeclampsia and 23 normotensive controls.

Estimation of Instantaneous Oxygen Uptake During Exercise and Daily Activities Using a Wearable Cardio-Electromechanical and Environmental Sensor.

Objective: To estimate instantaneous oxygen uptake VO with a small, low-cost wearable sensor during exercise and daily activities in order to enable monitoring of energy expenditure (EE) in uncontrolled settings. We aim to do so using a combination of seismocardiogram (SCG), electrocardiogram (ECG) and atmospheric pressure (AP) signals obtained from a minimally obtrusive wearable device.

Methods: In this study, subjects performed a treadmill protocol in a controlled environment and an outside walking protocol in an uncontrolled environment.

Classification of Decompensated Heart Failure From Clinical and Home Ballistocardiography.

Objective: To improve home monitoring of heart failure patients so as to reduce emergency room visits and hospital readmissions. We aim to do this by analyzing the ballistocardiogram (BCG) to evaluate the clinical state of the patient.

Methods: 1) High quality BCG signals were collected at home from HF patients after discharge.

Adaptive behavior in adolescents and adults with Down syndrome: Results from a 6-month longitudinal study.

Measures of adaptive behavior are important in the assessment and treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the stability of an established and a novel measure of adaptive behavior over time, and their suitability as outcome measures in clinical trials targeting individuals with Down syndrome (DS). This 6-month, longitudinal, noninterventional, multinational study included adolescents (12-17 years) and adults (18-30 years) with DS.

Safety and efficacy of rivastigmine in children with Down syndrome: A double blind placebo controlled trial.

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have decreased cholinergic function and an uneven profile of cognitive abilities, with more pronounced deficits in learning, memory, and expressive language. Cholinesterase inhibitors may improve cognitive function in adults and adolescents with DS, but studies in children with DS have been limited. This study aimed to: (i) investigate the safety and efficacy of rivastigmine treatment; (ii) build upon our open-label studies in children with DS in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial; and (iii) investigate specific cognitive domains that may respond to rivastigmine treatment.

Preliminary Diffusive Clearance of Silicon Nanopore Membranes in a Parallel Plate Configuration for Renal Replacement Therapy.

Silicon nanopore membranes (SNMs) with compact geometry and uniform pore size distribution have demonstrated a remarkable capacity for hemofiltration. These advantages could potentially be used for hemodialysis. Here, we present an initial evaluation of the SNM's mechanical robustness, diffusive clearance, and hemocompatibility in a parallel plate configuration.

Assessment of Cognitive Scales to Examine Memory, Executive Function and Language in Individuals with Down Syndrome: Implications of a 6-month Observational Study.

Down syndrome (DS) is the most commonly identifiable genetic form of intellectual disability. Individuals with DS have considerable deficits in intellectual functioning (i.e.

Cognitive and adaptive functioning of children with infantile Pompe disease treated with enzyme replacement therapy: long-term follow-up.

This report documents the long-term cognitive and adaptive outcome of children with infantile Pompe disease. Specifically, we describe the cognitive and adaptive functioning of seven children with classic infantile Pompe disease and two children with atypical infantile Pompe disease who have received enzyme replacement therapy (Myozyme®) for an average of 6 years, 8 months and 4 years, 1. 5 months, respectively.

Early cognitive development in children with infantile Pompe disease.

This report describes the cognitive development of 17 children with infantile Pompe disease who participated in a 52-week clinical trial of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) via biweekly infusion of Myozyme® (alglucosidase alfa). Subjects were six months of age or younger (adjusted for gestational age) upon initiation of ERT. The Mental Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Second Edition (BSID-II) was administered to obtain a Mental Development Index (MDI) at baseline and weeks 12, 26, 38, and 52 of ERT to assess cognitive development in this treated cohort.

Safety and efficacy of rivastigmine in adolescents with Down syndrome: long-term follow-up.

Following the completion of a 20-week, open-label study of the safety and efficacy of liquid rivastigmine for adolescents with Down syndrome, 5 of the 10 adolescents in the clinical trial continued long-term rivastigmine therapy and 5 did not. After an average period of 38 months, all 10 subjects returned for a follow-up assessment to determine the safety and efficacy of long-term rivastigmine use. Rivastigmine was well tolerated and overall health appeared to be unaffected by long-term rivastigmine use.

Donepezil for treatment of cognitive dysfunction in children with Down syndrome aged 10-17.

The objective of this 10-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study was to assess the efficacy and safety of donepezil for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction exhibited by children with Down syndrome (DS). Intervention comprised donepezil (2.5-10 mg/day) in children (aged 10-17 years) with DS of mild-to-moderate severity.

Cross-reactive immunologic material status affects treatment outcomes in Pompe disease infants.

Deficiency of acid alpha glucosidase (GAA) causes Pompe disease, which is usually fatal if onset occurs in infancy. Patients synthesize a non-functional form of GAA or are unable to form native enzyme. Enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant human GAA (rhGAA) prolongs survival in infantile Pompe patients but may be less effective in cross-reactive immunologic material (CRIM)-negative patients.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia in infants and children with infantile Pompe disease.

Pompe disease is a rare genetic progressive neuromuscular disorder. The most severe form, infantile Pompe disease, has historically resulted in early mortality, most commonly due to cardiorespiratory failure. Treatment with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) using alglucosidase alfa (Myozyme(®)) has extended the lifespan of individuals with this disease.

New views on the hypothesis of respiratory cancer risk from soluble nickel exposure; and reconsideration of this risk's historical sources in nickel refineries.

Introduction: While epidemiological methods have grown in sophistication during the 20th century, their application in historical occupational (and environmental) health research has also led to a corresponding growth in uncertainty in the validity and reliability of the attribution of risk in the resulting studies, particularly where study periods extend back in time to the immediate postwar era (1945-70) when exposure measurements were sporadic, unsystematically collected and primitive in technique; and, more so, to the pre-WWII era (when exposure data were essentially non-existent). These uncertainties propagate with animal studies that are designed to confirm the carcinogenicity by inhalation exposure of a chemical putatively responsible for historical workplace cancers since exact exposure conditions were never well characterized. In this report, we present a weight of scientific evidence examination of the human and toxicological evidence to show that soluble nickel is not carcinogenic; and, furthermore, that the carcinogenic potencies previously assigned by regulators to sulphidic and oxidic nickel compounds for the purposes of developing occupational exposure limits have likely been overestimated.

The efficacy, safety, and tolerability of donepezil for the treatment of young adults with Down syndrome.

The objective of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of donepezil in young adults with Down syndrome (DS) but no evidence of Alzheimer disease (AD). A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with a 12-week, open-label extension was conducted. The intervention consisted of donepezil (5-10 mg/day) in young adults (aged 18-35 years) with DS, but no AD.

Preliminary study of the safety and efficacy of donepezil hydrochloride in children with Down syndrome: a clinical report series.

There is growing evidence to support the use of early central cholinergic enhancement to improve cognitive functioning in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). This report summarizes preliminary safety and cognitive efficacy data for seven children (8-13 years) with DS who participated in a 22-week, open-label trial of donepezil hydrochloride. Donepezil was dosed once daily at 2.

Safety and efficacy of rivastigmine in adolescents with Down syndrome: a preliminary 20-week, open-label study.

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit a cholinergic deficiency similar to that found in Alzheimer's disease. Cholinesterase inhibitors, used to treat Alzheimer's disease, may improve cognitive function in individuals with DS. This is the first investigation of the safety and efficacy of rivastigmine (an acetyl and butyryl cholinesterase inhibitor) on specific cognitive domains in pediatric DS.

Clinical trials in children with Down syndrome: issues from a cognitive research perspective.

Clinical and translational research play a key role in the transition of basic research discoveries to effective therapies. In Down syndrome (DS), these research approaches are not well utilized or developed to test new therapies to improve cognitive and/or adaptive function in this population. This article reviews the history of clinical trial research in children with DS from a cognitive research perspective and discusses important issues relevant to the conduct of well designed clinical trials for this population.

Donepezil for the treatment of language deficits in adults with Down syndrome: a preliminary 24-week open trial.

At present, there is no proven pharmacologic treatment for cognitive or language impairments in Down syndrome (DS). Cholinergic deficits have been documented in DS and linked to cognitive deficits. This study is a 24-week open-label clinical trial of donepezil hydrochloride for the treatment of language deficits in adults with DS.