Portable Electrochemical System and Platform with Point-of-Care Determination of Urine Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio to Evaluate Chronic Kidney Disease and Cardiorenal Syndrome.

The urine albumin (Alb)-to-creatinine (Crn) ratio (UACR) is a sensitive and early indicator of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiorenal syndrome. This study developed a portable and wireless electrochemical-sensing platform for the sensitive and accurate determination of UACR. The developed platform consists of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)(ABTS)-based modified UACR sensor, a miniaturised potentiostat, a cup holder embedded with a magnetic stirrer and a smartphone app.

AI Accelerator with Ultralightweight Time-Period CNN-Based Model for Arrhythmia Classification.

This work proposes a classification system for arrhythmias, aiming to enhance the efficiency of the diagnostic process for cardiologists. The proposed algorithm includes a naive preprocessing procedure for electrocardiography (ECG) data applicable to various ECG databases. Additionally, this work proposes an ultralightweight model for arrhythmia classification based on a convolutional neural network and incorporating R-peak interval features to represent long-term rhythm information, thereby improving the model's classification performance.

A Direct Current-Sensing VCO-Based 2nd-Order Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulator for Biosensor Readout Applications.

A second-order voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)-based continuous-time sigma-delta modulator (CTSDM) for current-sensing readout applications is proposed. Current signals from the sensor can directly be quantized by the proposed VCO-based CTSDM, which does not require any extra trans-impedance amplifiers. With the proportional-integral (PI) structure and a VCO phase integrator, the capability of second-order noise shaping is available to reduce the in-band quantization noise.

Atrial high-rate episodes intensify RCHADS-VASc score for prognostic stratification in pacemaker patients.

Patients with device detected atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) have an increased risk of MACE. The RCHADS-VASc, CHADS, RCHADS and CHADS-VASc score have been investigated for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in different groups of patients. We aimed to evaluate the RCHADS-VASc score in combination with AHRE ≥ 6 min for predicting MACE in patients with dual-chamber PPM but no prior atrial fibrillation (AF).

Proposed strategies to overcome venous occlusion in the implantation of a cardiac implantable electronic device: A case report and literature review.

This case report describes a successful balloon venoplasty to overcome a total occlusion from the brachiocephalic vein to the superior vena cava in a patient undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy. It is crucial for implanting physicians to be familiar with strategies to overcome venous occlusion in lead implantation, especially balloon venoplasty, which is an effective and safe approach.

The Ratio of Urine N-Terminal Pro B-Type Natriuretic Peptide to Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate Predicts Emergency Department Visits for Heart Failure.

Introduction: Emergency department (ED) visits for decompensated heart failure (HF) are frequent and associated with poor long-term outcomes. Plasma N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) are used in diagnosis and prognosis of HF patients, while clinical values of urine NT-proBNP/cGMP ratio have been rarely explored. This study aims to compare the predictive values of urine NT-proBNP/cGMP ratio versus plasma NT-proBNP for ED visits for decompensated HF.

Case report: A rare complication after the implantation of a cardiac implantable electronic device: Contralateral pneumothorax with pneumopericardium and pneumomediastinum.

Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) including pacemakers (PM), implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), and cardiac resynchronized therapy (CRT) have become the mainstay of therapy for many cardiac conditions, consequently drawing attention to the risks and benefits of these procedures. Although CIED implantation is usually a safe procedure, pneumothorax remains an important complication and may contribute to increased morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and hospital costs. On the other hand, pneumopericardium and pneumomediastinum are rare but potentially fatal complications.

A 0.8-μW and 74-dB High-Pass Sigma-Delta Modulator With OPAMP Sharing and Noise-Coupling Techniques for Biomedical Signal Acquisition.

This work presents a third-order high-pass sigma-delta modulator (HPSDM) for biomedical signal acquisition. The operational amplifier (op-amp) sharing and noise-coupling techniques are adopted to reduce the required quantity of op-amps and add a noise-shaping order, which can achieve low power consumption and high resolution. A novel switched-capacitor architecture is proposed to suppress the increasing in-band noise and alleviate the circuit sensitivity to capacitor mismatch in the high-pass integrator.

Unexplained Left Ventricular Hypertrophy with Symptomatic High-Grade Atrioventricular Block in Elderly Patients: A Case Report.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is common among older adults. Amidst all causes, Fabry disease (FD) should be considered when LVH occurs with family history, specific clinical manifestations, or cardiac alert signs. Here, we report a case of a 76-year-old male who presented late onset concentric LVH with symptomatic high-grade atrioventricular (AV) block.

HATCH score performance predicting neurologic events after cardiac implantable electronic device.

The HATCH score has been evaluated for predicting new-onset atrial fibrillation in several clinical conditions, but never for adverse neurologic events. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HATCH score in predicting neurologic events in patients with cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED), comparing with atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE). This case-control study enrolled 314 consecutive patients aged 18 years or older with CIED implantation between January 2015 and April 2021.

The performance of five models compared with atrial high rate episodes predicts new atrial fibrillation after cardiac implantable electronic devices implantation.

Aims: Several predicting models have been evaluated for new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in several clinical conditions, but never in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED). We aimed to evaluate the five predicting models compared with atrial high rate episodes (AHRE) to predict new AF in patients with CIED.

Methods And Results: We retrospective enrolled 470 consecutive patients with CIED and without a history of AF.

The HATCH score predicts neurologic events in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices without atrial fibrillation.

Background: The HATCH score has been evaluated for predicting new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in several clinical conditions but never for adverse neurologic events. We aimed to evaluate the HATCH score for predicting neurologic events in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED).

Methods And Results: We retrospectively reviewed 470 consecutive patients who had CIED without a history of AF.

HATCH Score Predicts Systemic Thromboembolic Events in Elderly After Cardiac Electronic Device Implantation.

The HATCH score has been evaluated for predicting new onset atrial fibrillation, but never for adverse systemic thromboembolic events (STE) in elderly. We aimed to evaluate the HATCH score and comparing to atrial high rate episodes (AHRE) ≥24 h for predicting STE in older patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) implantation. We retrospective enrolled 219 consecutive patients ≥ 65 years of age undergoing CIED implantation.

HATCH Score and Left Atrial Size Predict Atrial High-Rate Episodes in Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.

Patients with sustained atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) have a high risk of major adverse cardio/cerebrovascular events (MACCE). However, the prediction model and factors for the occurrence of AHRE are unknown. We aimed to identify independent factors and various risk models for predicting MACCE and AHRE.

Atrial high-rate episodes predict major adverse cardio/cerebrovascular events in patients with cardiac implantable electrical devices.

Patients with atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) have a high risk of neurologic events, although the causal role and optimal cutoff threshold of AHRE for major adverse cardio/cerebrovascular events (MACCE) are unknown. This study aimed to identify independent factors for AHRE and subsequent atrial fibrillation (AF) after documented AHRE. We enrolled 470 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac implantable electrical device (CIED) implantations.

A Portable Wireless Urine Detection System With Power-Efficient Electrochemical Readout ASIC and ABTS-CNT Biosensor for UACR Detection.

This work presents a portable wireless urine detection system which consists of an electrochemical readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and a biosensor composed of 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) and carbon nanotube (ABTS-CNT) for the detection of urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). The ASIC includes a potentiostat, a digital circuitry and a power management circuit which can perform electrochemistry techniques with a dual-channel screen-printing carbon electrode (SPCE). Electrochemical experiments on the proposed biosensor (SPCE|ABTS-CNT|Nafion) have revealed promising sensing characteristics for creatinine and human serum albumin detection.

High-Pass Sigma-Delta Modulator With Techniques of Operational Amplifier Sharing and Programmable Feedforward Coefficients for ECG Signal Acquisition.

A high-pass sigma-delta modulator (HPSDM) is proposed for electrocardiography (ECG) signal acquisition system. The HPSDM is implemented using operational amplifier (op-amp) sharing and programmable feedforward coefficients. The op-amp sharing is adopted to reduce the quantity of amplifiers because they dominate the power consumption of the HPSDM.

The optimal cutoff of atrial high-rate episodes for neurological events in patients with dual chamber permanent pacemakers.

Background: Patients with atrial high-rate episode (AHRE) are at higher risk of neurological events. This study aimed to identify the optimal cutoff threshold for AHRE duration in patients with dual chamber permanent pacemakers (PPM) without prior atrial fibrillation.

Methods: We included 355 consecutive patients receiving dual chamber pacemaker implantation.

PPARγ activation improves the microenvironment of perivascular adipose tissue and attenuates aortic stiffening in obesity.

Background: Obesity-related cardiovascular risk, end points, and mortality are strongly related to arterial stiffening. Current therapeutic approaches for arterial stiffening are not focused on direct targeting within the vessel. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) surrounding the artery has been shown to modulate vascular function and inflammation.