Moderating Role of Depression on the Association of Tic Severity With Functional Impairment in Children.

Background: Chronic tic disorders (CTDs) commonly co-occur with other psychiatric disorders. CTDs have been linked to functional impairment and reduction in quality of life. Insufficient research is available on depressive symptoms in patients with CTD, especially children and adolescents, yielding conflicting findings.

Cervical length and quantitative fetal fibronectin in the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic women with congenital uterine anomaly.

Background: Congenital uterine anomalies are associated with late miscarriage and spontaneous preterm birth.

Objective: Our aim was 1) to determine the rate of spontaneous preterm birth in each type of congenital uterine anomaly, and 2) to assess the performance of quantitative fetal fibronectin and cervical length measurement by transvaginal ultrasound in asymptomatic women with congenital uterine anomalies for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth at <34 and <37 weeks of gestation.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort of women with congenital uterine anomalies asymptomatic for spontaneous preterm birth, from 4 tertiary referral centers in the United Kingdom (2001-2016).

Rosemary-Whitefly Interaction: A Continuum of Repellency and Volatile Combinations.

The sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci Genn (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) has been recorded to differentially prefer rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) varieties in commercial fields in Israel. As chemical signaling is a significant component in plant-insect interaction, the present study examined the involvement of rosemary essential oil volatiles in this differential colonization to elucidate the rosemary-whitefly ecological interaction. Thirty-two rosemary varieties with different chemical profiles were used.

Whitefly attraction to rosemary (Rosmarinus officinialis L.) is associated with volatile composition and quantity.

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is an important insect pest, causing severe damage to agricultural crops. The pest was recorded in a commercial rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, Lamiaceae) field, colonizing rosemary variety (var.) '2', but not '11'.

Is it necessary to induce labor in cases of intrauterine growth restriction at term?

Objectives: Infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) have increased morbidity and mortality. The decision whether to induce labor at term or to expectantly manage these pregnancies is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of these two management strategies in term pregnancies.

Detection of multiple sclerosis from exhaled breath using bilayers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and single-wall carbon nanotubes.

A cross-reactive array of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and single wall carbon nanotube bilayers was designed for the detection of volatile organic compounds (tentatively, hexanal and 5-methyl-undecane) that identify the presence of disease in the exhaled breath of patients with multiple sclerosis. The sensors showed excellent discrimination between hexanal, 5-methyl-undecane, and other confounding volatile organic compounds. Results obtained from a clinical study consisting of 51 volunteers showed that the sensors could discriminate between multiple sclerosis and healthy states from exhaled breath samples with 85.

Modeling of the heart's ventricular conduction system using fractal geometry: spectral analysis of the QRS complex.

Many biological systems having one or more characteristics that remain constant over a wide range of scales may be considered self-similar or fractal. Geometrical and functional overview of the ventricular conduction system of the heart reveals that it shares structures common to a tree with repeatedly bifurcating "branches," decreasing in length with each generation. This system may further simplify by assuming that the bifurcating and decreasing process is the same at any generation, that is, the shortening factor and the angle of bifurcation are the same for each generation.

Real-time abdominal fetal ECG recording using a hardware correlator.

A real-time fetal ECG monitoring system using abdominal recording is presented. The system is based on an IBM AT compatible personal computer. The computer lacks the performance required for real-time analysis.

Simulation of high-resolution QRS complex using a ventricular model with a fractal conduction system. Effects of ischemia on high-frequency QRS potentials.

Recent studies have analyzed the high-fidelity surface electrocardiographic signal, and efforts have been made to increase the diagnostic sensitivity of the electrocardiogram by observing its high-frequency components. It was found that the high-frequency (150-250-Hz) electrocardiogram appears to detect evidence of transient ischemia with greater sensitivity than visual inspection of the surface electrocardiogram. A finite-element three-dimensional model of the ventricles with a self-similar (fractal) conduction system has been introduced as a bridge to the understanding of electrocardiographic phenomena related to high-frequency potentials.

Power spectrum analysis of fetal heart rate variability using the abdominal maternal electrocardiogram.

A signal analysis procedure is described for obtaining the power spectrum of the fetal and maternal heart rates as recorded from the abdomen. This technique, which includes the subtraction of an averaged maternal ECG waveform using a cross-correlation function and the fast Fourier transform algorithm, enables the detection of all the fetal QRS complexes in spite of their coincidence with the maternal ECGs. The power spectrum of the fetal heart rates (FHR) obtained from 15 women at 32-41 weeks gestation were studied and two indices were measured which are related to the long term and short term variabilities in the FHR signal.

Quantification of the fetal electrocardiogram using averaging technique.

A signal analysis procedure is described for obtaining time intervals parameters of the fetal electrocardiogram as recorded from the maternal abdomen. Applying averaging to the fetal electrocardiogram quantification of the PR interval, QRS duration and QT interval were measured. This technique which includes the subtraction of an averaged maternal ECG waveform using cross-correlation function and fast Fourier transform algorithm, enables the detection of all the fetal QRS complexes in spite of their coincidence with the maternal ECGs.

High frequency electrocardiography of three orthogonal leads in dogs during a coronary artery occlusion.

The ability to detect cardiac ischemia in dogs was studied using high frequency electrocardiography and signal averaging technique. Ischemia was induced via a balloon occluding cuff placed around the left anterior descending coronary artery. Three surface orthogonal bipolar leads (X, Y, and Z) were recorded prior to inflation of the occluding cuff.

Spectral analysis of the fetal electrocardiogram.

The spectral curves of the averaged fetal and maternal electrocardiograms as recorded from the abdomen were studied. The power spectrums were obtained using a technique which includes the subtraction of an averaged maternal ECG waveform using cross-correlation function and fast Fourier transform algorithm. The spectral curves of the averaged maternal and fetal ECG waveforms obtained from 21 pregnant women who had gestation periods of 32-41 weeks were studied.

Altered cardiac repolarization in some victims of sudden infant death syndrome.

Abnormal prolongation of cardiac repolarization, as reflected by a long QT interval with respect to the RR interval on the electrocardiogram, is known to be associated with ventricular tachyarrhythmias. To test the hypothesis that prolonged cardiac repolarization may characterize some babies who die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), we studied the dependence of the QT interval on the preceding RR interval in 10 babies with SIDS and 29 healthy control babies. We analyzed approximately 5000 pairs of QT and RR intervals in each subject over a wide range of RR intervals.

Detection of transient myocardial ischemia by computer analysis of standard and signal-averaged high-frequency electrocardiograms in patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Electrocardiographic manifestations of transient myocardial ischemia were studied, in 11 patients undergoing angioplasty (PTCA) of a left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis, by the visual inspection of the standard surface electrocardiogram (S-ECG) and the intracoronary ECG (IC-ECG) as well as computer-assisted analysis of the S-ECG. Cross-correlation analysis (CCA) performed by computer was used to compare beat-to-beat variability in ST-T morphology of the S-ECG during different stages of PTCA. CCA was also applied to the signal-averaged high-frequency QRS (SA-HFQ).

Signal averaging technique for noninvasive recording of late potentials in patients with coronary artery disease.

An advanced non invasive signal averaging technique was used to detect late potentials in two groups of patients: Group A (24 patients) with coronary artery disease (CAD) and without sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) and Group B (8 patients) with CAD and sustained VT. Recorded analog data were digitized and aligned using a cross correlation function with fast Fourier transform schema, averaged and band pass filtered between 60 and 200 Hz with a non-recursive digital filter. Averaged filtered waveforms were analyzed by computer program for 3 parameters: (1) filtered QRS (fQRS) duration (2) interval between the peak of the R wave peak and the end of fQRS (R-LP) (3) RMS value of last 40 msec of fQRS (RMS).

A new technique to determine the correlation between the QT interval and heart-rate for control and SIDS babies.

The ability of the autonomic nervous system to alter the QT interval in response to heart rate changes is essential to cardiovascular control. An accurate way to determine the relation between QT intervals and their corresponding RR intervals is described. A computer algorithm measures the RR intervals using digital filtering and cross-correlating the QRS sections of consecutive waveforms.

High frequency electrocardiography using an advanced method of signal averaging for non-invasive detection of coronary artery disease in patients with normal conventional electrocardiogram.

The ability to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with normal, conventional electrocardiograms (ECG) was studied using high frequency electrocardiography and an advanced method of signal averaging in three groups of subjects. Group A consisted of ten healthy subjects under the age of 30; Group B of 15 patients with chest pains and normal coronary arteries; and Group C of 20 patients with chest pains and CAD. Four hundred ECG waveforms from leads V3, V4 and V5 were recorded, and the recorded analog data were digitized.

Frequency and time domain analysis of airflow breath patterns in patients with chronic obstructive airway disease.

Airflow patterns from patients with chronic obstructive airway diseases (COAD) and normal subjects were analyzed using time and frequency domain analysis. Data were recorded during tidal breathing with a pause between the breaths, digitized at 320 samples per second (10-bit resolution), and processed with a CDC 6600 computer. The appearance of high-frequency components (10-20 Hz) in the time domain waveform and the spectral curve in the power spectrum were studied.

An improved method for on-line averaging and detecting of ECG waveforms.

The most widely used methods for accurate signal averaging were studied and compared in order to gain a better understanding of the qualities and performances of each method. The level-triggering, contour-limiting, and correlation methods were simulated and compared. A new correlation method which is a weighted correlation of differences proved to be most suitable for real-time signal averaging, and detection of waveforms' variations.

Cross-correlation technique for arrhythmia detection using PR and PP intervals.

A combined, cross-correlation procedure for computerized arrhythmia detection is presented. It enables the classification of a wide range of arrhythmia and is based upon the determination of both P and QRS waves. The electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is recorded from external leads, digitized (10 bits of resolution) at 1.

The use of cross-correlation function for the alignment of ECG waveforms and rejection of extrasystoles.

The cross-correlation function for alignment of ECG waveforms and rejection of artifacts was studied. ECG waveforms were recorded and digitized (10-bit resolution) at 1.28 KHz and were processed with a CDC 6600 computer.

Non-invasive recording of His bundle activity in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Ten patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome underwent external His bundle recording using an advanced signal-averaging technique. Surface ECG waveforms were recorded and digitized at 1.28 kHz (10 bit resolution) and then averaged with a CDC-6600 computer.