Influence of Scanning Strategy on Residual Stresses in Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion Manufactured Alloy 718: Modeling and Experiments.

In additive manufacturing, the presence of residual stresses in produced parts is a well-recognized phenomenon. These residual stresses not only elevate the risk of crack formation but also impose limitations on in-service performance. Moreover, it can distort printed parts if released, or in the worst case even cause a build to fail due to collision with the powder scraper.

Utility of Simultaneous Left Atrial Strain-Volume Relationship During Passive Leg Lift to Identify Elevated Left Ventricular Filling Pressure-A Proof-of-Concept Study.

: The assessment of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure in heart failure (HF) poses a diagnostic challenge, as HF patients may have normal LV filling pressures at rest but often display elevated LV filling pressures during exercise. Rapid preload increase during passive leg lift (PLL) may unmask HF in such challenging scenarios. We explored the dynamic interplay between simultaneous left atrial (LA) function and volume using LA strain/volume loops during rest and PLL and compared its diagnostic performance with conventional echocardiographic surrogates to detect elevated LV filling pressure.

Assessing left atrial dysfunction in cardiac amyloidosis using LA-LV strain slope.

Aims: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is an infiltrative disease of the myocardium in which extracellular deposits of amyloid cause progressive cardiac impairment. We aimed to evaluate left atrial (LA) deformation and its association with left ventricular (LV) deformation using LA-LV strain loops in patients with ATTR-CM and patients with LV hypertrophy (LVH). We hypothesized that LA strain in ATTR-CM patients is abnormal and more independent of LV strain, compared to LVH patients.

Autonomic nervous system responses to hypo- and hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

Objective: Previous research points to a role of the brain in the regulation of glucose and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) via modulation of counter-regulatory hormone secretion and activity in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The aim of this study was to investigate glucose-dependent responses of catecholamines and ANS activity in individuals with T2D, prediabetes (PD), and normoglycemia (NG).

Design: Cross-sectional.

Impaired Exercise Capacity and Mortality Risk in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: An association between impaired exercise capacity and risk of mortality has been reported among adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). Over the years, treatment methods have improved and may influence outcome. Hence, we report data from a national cohort reflecting a contemporary population.

Holter study of heart rate variability in children and adolescents with long QT syndrome.

Objectives: This study aimed to retrospectively assess cardiac autonomic activity in children with LQTS, considering genotype, symptoms, sex, age, and beta-blocker therapy (BB) and compare it to healthy controls.

Methods: Heart rate variability (HRV), using power spectrum analysis, was analyzed in 575 Holter recordings from 116 children with LQTS and in 69 healthy children. The data were categorized into four age-groups and four heart rate (HR) ranges.

Our initial experience of monitoring the autoregulation of cerebral blood flow during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is believed to be relatively constant within an upper and lower blood pressure limit. Different methods are available to monitor CBF autoregulation during surgery. This study aims to critically analyze the application of the cerebral oxygenation index (COx), one of the commonly used techniques, using a reference to data from a series of clinical registrations.

Cardiac response to water activities in children with Long QT syndrome type 1.

Background: Swimming is a genotype-specific trigger in long QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1).

Objective: To examine the autonomic response to water activities in children and adolescents with LQT1.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, LQT1 patients were age and sex matched to one healthy control subject.

Heart rate variability and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A longitudinal study.

Background: It is established that the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Heart rate variability (HRV) is a method for evaluating the activity in the cardiac autonomic nervous system. Our aim was to assess the longitudinal development of HRV in patients with RA and compare with healthy controls.

Pulmonary function in a cohort of heart-healthy individuals from Northern Sweden-a comparison with discordant reference values.

Background: Dynamic spirometry is an important investigation to differentiate between impaired and normal lung function. This study aimed to evaluate the results of lung function testing in a cohort of subjects from Northern Sweden without any known heart or pulmonary disease. Our focus was to compare with two reference materials that have showed differences in the age-dependency of lung function in Swedish subjects.

ICD harm and benefit: risk scores applied to the Swedish ICD-treated LQTS population.

The use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in long QT syndrome (LQTS) patients is essential in high-risk patients. However, it is sometimes used in patients without high-risk profiles for whom the expected benefit may be lower than the risk of ICD harm. Here, we evaluated ICD benefit and harm by assessing risk according to risk scores and pre-ICD clinical characteristics.

Aberrant autonomic pattern during the post-exercise recovery phase in long QT syndrome patients.

Objectives: It is well-established that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a central role in arrhythmogenesis. During and after exercise the ANS is particularly active, and since long QT syndrome (LQTS) patients have an increased risk of lethal arrhythmias during physical activity, it is important to investigate the autonomic function in these patients. In this study we investigate the ANS response during and after exercise in LQTS patients and healthy age and sex matched controls.

Are ECG changes in heart-healthy individuals of various ages related to cardiac disease 20 years later?

Background: This research study aimed at assessing the electrocardiographic (ECG) changes caused by ageing in a cohort of healthy subjects with normal echocardiographic examinations.

Methods: A total of 219 healthy individuals (119 males and 100 females) were evaluated for possible arrhythmias with a standard 12-lead resting ECG and 24-h Holter ECG. As the recordings were performed between 1998 and 2000, a 20-year follow-up study was carried out by assessing the local medical records to investigate whether the subjects had experienced any cardiovascular health complications or disease since the baseline assessment.

Vitamin D, liver-related biomarkers, and distribution of fat and lean mass in young patients with Fontan circulation.

Introduction/aim: Young patients with Fontan circulation may have low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, an affected liver, and unhealthy body compositions. This study aimed to explore the association between vitamin D intake/levels, liver biomarkers, and body composition in young Fontan patients.

Method: We collected prospective data in 2017 to 2018, obtained with food-frequency questionnaires, biochemical analyses of liver biomarkers, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans in 44 children with Fontan circulation.

Time Course of Metabolic, Neuroendocrine, and Adipose Effects During 2 Years of Follow-up After Gastric Bypass in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Context: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) markedly improves glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but underlying mechanisms and changes over time are incompletely understood.

Objective: Integrated assessment of neuroendocrine and metabolic changes over time in T2D patients undergoing RYGB.

Design And Setting: Follow-up of single-center randomized study.

Posture-Dependent Collapse of the Optic Nerve Subarachnoid Space: A Combined MRI and Modeling Study.

Purpose: We hypothesize that a collapse of the optic nerve subarachnoid space (ONSAS) in the upright posture may protect the eyes from large translamina cribrosa pressure differences (TLCPD) believed to play a role in various optic nerve diseases (e.g., glaucoma).

Changes in Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability During Surgical Stages to Completed Fontan Circulation.

Arrhythmia is related to heart rate variability (HRV), which reflects the autonomic nervous regulation of the heart. We hypothesized that autonomic nervous ganglia, located at the junction of the superior vena cava's entrance to the heart, may be affected during the bidirectional Glenn procedure (BDG), resulting in reduced HRV. We aimed to investigate changes in heart rate and HRV in a cohort of children with univentricular heart defects, undergoing stepwise surgery towards total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC), and compare these results with healthy controls.

Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery on the Brain: Simultaneous Assessment of Glucose Uptake, Blood Flow, Neural Activity, and Cognitive Function During Normo- and Hypoglycemia.

While Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery in obese individuals typically improves glycemic control and prevents diabetes, it also frequently causes asymptomatic hypoglycemia. Previous work showed attenuated counterregulatory responses following RYGB. The underlying mechanisms as well as the clinical consequences are unclear.

A Comprehensive Study of Complexity and Performance of Automatic Detection of Atrial Fibrillation: Classification of Long ECG Recordings Based on the PhysioNet Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2017.

Objective: The 2017 PhysioNet/CinC Challenge focused on automatic classification of atrial fibrillation (AF) in short ECGs. This study aimed to evaluate the use of the data and results from the challenge for detection of AF in longer ECGs, taken from three other PhysioNet datasets.

Approach: The used data-driven models were based on features extracted from ECG recordings, calculated according to three solutions from the challenge.

Altered hormonal and autonomic nerve responses to hypo- and hyperglycaemia are found in overweight and insulin-resistant individuals and may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Aims/hypothesis: Results from animal models and some clinical work suggest a role for the central nervous system (CNS) in glucose regulation and type 2 diabetes pathogenesis by modulation of glucoregulatory hormones and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The aim of this study was to characterise the neuroendocrine response to various glucose concentrations in overweight and insulin-resistant individuals compared with lean individuals.

Methods: Overweight/obese (HI, n = 15, BMI ≥27.

Density Encoding Enables Resource-Efficient Randomly Connected Neural Networks.

The deployment of machine learning algorithms on resource-constrained edge devices is an important challenge from both theoretical and applied points of view. In this brief, we focus on resource-efficient randomly connected neural networks known as random vector functional link (RVFL) networks since their simple design and extremely fast training time make them very attractive for solving many applied classification tasks. We propose to represent input features via the density-based encoding known in the area of stochastic computing and use the operations of binding and bundling from the area of hyperdimensional computing for obtaining the activations of the hidden neurons.

Sleep apnea in men is associated with altered lipid metabolism, glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and body fat percentage.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with obesity and risk for type 2 diabetes. In this community-based study, we thoroughly investigated fatty acid metabolism, incretin response, glucose tolerance, insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity, and autonomic nerve activity in men with or without OSA.

Methods: Fifteen men without diabetes but with signs of severe OSA, defined as apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >30, and 15 age- and BMI-matched men without OSA (AHI < 5) were recruited from a community-based cohort.

How stable is lung function in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when monitored using a telehealth system? A longitudinal and home-based study.

Background: Many telehealth systems have been designed to identify signs of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but few previous studies have reported the nature of recorded lung function data and what variations to expect in this group of individuals. The aim of the study was to evaluate the nature of individual diurnal, day-to-day and long-term variation in important prognostic markers of COPD exacerbations by employing a telehealth system developed in-house.

Methods: Eight women and five men with COPD performed measurements (spirometry, pulse oximetry and the COPD assessment test (CAT)) three times per week for 4-6 months using the telehealth system.