Automatic noise detection for ambulatory electrocardiogram in presence of ventricular arrhythmias through a machine learning approach.

Noise detection in ambulatory electrocardiography is investigated as a machine learning binary classification problem on a set of twelve noise indices. Ten of these noise indices are replicated from relevant scientific literature. Two novel noise indices are also introduced: the electrocardiogram derivative pattern similarity index (edp) and the number of inversions of the signal's slope over a minimum amplitude threshold (inv).

Music Modulates Autonomic Nervous System Activity in Human Fetuses.

Context: Fetal Autonomic Nervous sysTem Evaluation (FANTE) is a non-invasive tool that evaluates the autonomic nervous system activity in a fetus. Autonomic nervous system maturation and development during prenatal life are pivotal for the survival and neuropsychiatric development of the baby.

Objective: Aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of music stimulation on fetal heart rate and specific parameters linked to ANS activity, in particular fetal heart rate variability.

Heartbeat-Evoked Cortical Potential during Sleep and Interoceptive Sensitivity: A Matter of Hypnotizability.

Individuals with different hypnotizability display different interoceptive sensitivity/awareness (IS) and accuracy (IA), likely sustained by morphofunctional differences in interoception-related brain regions and, thus, possibly also observable during sleep. We investigated the heartbeat-evoked cortical potential amplitude (HEP) during sleep, its association with IS, and the role of hypnotizability in such association. We performed a retrospective analysis of polysomnographic recordings of 39 healthy volunteers.

Geometric Features of the Pial Arteriolar Networks in Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats: A Crucial Aspect Underlying the Blood Flow Regulation.

Background: Several studies indicate that hypertension causes major changes in the structure of the vessel wall by affecting the regulation of blood supply to the tissues. Recently, it has been observed that capillary blood flow is also considerably influenced by the structural arrangement of the microvascular networks that undergo rarefaction (reduction of the perfused vessel number). Therefore, this study aimed to assess the geometric arrangements of the pial arteriolar networks and the arteriolar rhythmic diameter changes in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

A feasibility study on non-invasive fetal ECG to evaluate prenatal autonomic nervous system activity.

Background: Maturity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is of paramount importance for fetal adaptation to extrauterine life and for early neurological development. Markers of ANS maturity, such as electrophysiological heart rate parameters, are of interest as tools to determine prenatal fetal maturity. The available technology, fetal magnetocardiography is expensive and not suitable for clinical use.