Effect of remimazolam vs. propofol on hemodynamics during general anesthesia induction in elderly patients: Single-center, randomized controlled trial

The current study aimed to compare the effects between remimazolam and propofol on hemodynamic stability during the induction of general anesthesia in elderly patients.We used propofol at a rate of 60 mg/(kg·h)in the propofol group(group P)or remimazolam at a rate of 6 mg/(kg·h)in the remimazolam group(group R)for the induction.A processed electroencephalogram was used to determine whether the induction was successful and when to stop the infusion of the study drug.We measured when patients entered the operating room(T_(0)),when the induction was successful(T_(1)),and when before(T_(2))and 5 min after successful endotracheal intubation(T_(3)).We found that mean arterial pressure(MAP)was lower at T_(1–3),compared with T_(0) in both groups,but higher at T_(2) in the group R,whileΔMAP_(T0–T2) andΔMAP_(max) were smaller in the group R(ΔMAP_(T0–T2):the difference between MAP at time point T_(0) and T_(2),ΔMAP_(max):the difference between MAP at time point T_(0) and the lowest value from T_(0) to T_(3)).Cardiac index and stroke volume index did not differ between groups,whereas systemic vascular resistance index was higher at T_(1–3) in the group R.These findings show that remimazolam,compared with propofol,better maintains hemodynamic stability during the induction,which may be attributed to its ability to better maintain systemic vascular resistance levels.

The effectiveness of physical activity interventions on blood pressure in children and adolescents:A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background:High blood pressure(BP)is a major contributor to mortality and cardiovascular diseases.Despite the known benefits of exercise for reducing BP,it is crucial to identify the most effective physical activity(PA)intervention.This systematic review and network meta-analysis(NMA)aimed to evaluate the available evidence on the effectiveness of various PA interventions for reducing BP and to determine their hierarchy based on their impact on BP.Methods:A search of PubMed,SPORTDiscus,PsycINFO,Web of Science,CINAHL,Cochrane,and Eric databases was conducted up to December 2022 for this systematic review and NMA.Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies targeting healthy children and adolescents aged 6-12 years old were included in this study.Only studies that compared controlled and intervention groups using PA or exercise as the major influence were included.We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)guidelines.Three independent investigators performed the literature screening,data extraction,and risk of bias assessment.We used Bayesian arm-based NMA to synthesize the data.The primary outcomes were systolic BP and diastolic BP.We calculated the mean differences(MDs)in systolic BP and diastolic BP before and after treatment.Mean treatment differences were estimated using NMA and random-effect models.Results:We synthesized 27 studies involving 15,220 children and adolescents.PA combined with nutrition and behavior change was the most effective intervention for reducing both systolic BP and diastolic BP(MD=-8.64,95%credible interval(95%CI):-11.44 to-5.84;MD=-6.75,95%CI:-10.44 to-3.11),followed by interventions with multiple components(MD=-1.39,95%CI:-1.94 to-0.84;MD=-2.54,95%CI:-4.89 to-0.29).Conclusion:Our findings suggest that PA interventions incorporating nutrition and behavior change,followed by interventions with multiple components,are most effective for reducing both systolic BP and diastolic BP in children and adolescents.

Deep learning echocardiographic intelligent model for evaluation on left ventricular regional wall motion abnormality

Objective To observe the value of deep learning echocardiographic intelligent model for evaluation on left ventricular(LV)regional wall motion abnormalities(RWMA).Methods Apical two-chamber,three-chamber and four-chamber views two-dimensional echocardiograms were obtained prospectively in 205 patients with coronary heart disease.The model for evaluating LV regional contractile function was constructed using a five-fold cross-validation method to automatically identify the presence of RWMA or not,and the performance of this model was assessed taken manual interpretation of RWMA as standards.Results Among 205 patients,RWMA was detected in totally 650 segments in 83 cases.LV myocardial segmentation model demonstrated good efficacy for delineation of LV myocardium.The average Dice similarity coefficient for LV myocardial segmentation results in the apical two-chamber,three-chamber and four-chamber views was 0.85,0.82 and 0.88,respectively.LV myocardial segmentation model accurately segmented LV myocardium in apical two-chamber,three-chamber and four-chamber views.The mean area under the curve(AUC)of RWMA identification model was 0.843±0.071,with sensitivity of(64.19±14.85)%,specificity of(89.44±7.31)%and accuracy of(85.22±4.37)%.Conclusion Deep learning echocardiographic intelligent model could be used to automatically evaluate LV regional contractile function,hence rapidly and accurately identifying RWMA.

Ultrasound blood flow characteristics changes in fetal umbilical artery thrombosis:A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND Umbilical artery thrombosis(UAT)is extremely uncommon and leads to adverse perinatal outcomes.Hypercoagulation of blood in pregnant women is suspected to be an important risk for UAT.Ultrasound is an effective way to detect thrombosis.The mother can monitor her own fetal health using ultrasound,which enables her to take preventative action in case of emergency.AIM To investigate ultrasonic blood signal after UAT in the umbilical artery,and evaluate the relationship between hypercoagulability and UAT.METHODS We described a case of a newly formed UAT with markedly altered ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow,and retrospectively studied it with 18 UAT patients confirmed by histopathology from October 2019 and March 2023 in Xiamen Women and Children's Hospital.Patients’information was collected from medical archives,including maternal clinical data,neonatal outcomes,pathological findings and ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow,such as systolic-diastolic duration ratio(S/D),resistance index(RI),pulsatility index(PI)and peak systolic velocity(PSV).Ultrasound and coagulation indices were analyzed with matched samples t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test using the statistical packages in R(version 4.2.1)including car(version 3.1-0)and stats(version 4.2.1),and visualized by ggplot2 package(version 3.3.6).RESULTS A patient with normal findings in second and third-trimester routine ultrasound scan developed UAT with severe changes in ultrasonic indices of umbilical artery blood flow(within 2.5th of reference ranges)in a short period of time.Statistical analysis of umbilical artery blood flow ultrasound indices for 19 patients with UAT showed that the decrease in S/D,RI,and PI and increase of PSV during the disease process was greater than that of non-UAT.All 18 patients delivered in our hospital showed characteristic manifestations of UAT on histological examination after delivery,most of which(16/18)showed umbilical cord abnormalities,with 15 umbilical cord torsion and 1 pseudoknot.Coagulation parameters were not significantly changed in UAT patients compared with normal pregnancy women.CONCLUSION Significant changes in ultrasound indicators after UAT were demonstrated.PSV can play important roles in the diagnosis of UAT.Hypercoagulability alone is not sufficient for the occurrence of UAT.

Application of three-dimensional speckle tracking technique in measuring left ventricular myocardial function in patients with diabetes

BACKGROUND Diabetic cardiomyopathy is considered as a chronic complication of diabetes mellitus(DM).Therefore,early detection of left ventricular systolic function(LVSF)damage in DM is essential.AIM To explore the use of the three-dimensional speckle tracking technique(3D-STI)for measuring LVSF in DM patients via meta-analysis.METHODS The electronic databases were retrieved from the initial accessible time to 29 April 2023.The current study involved 9 studies,including 970 subjects.We carried out this meta-analysis to estimate myocardial function in DM compared with controls according to myocardial strain attained by 3D-STI.RESULTS Night articles including 970 subjects were included.No significant difference was detected in the left ventricular ejection fraction between the control and the diabetic group(P>0.05),while differences in global longitudinal strain,global circumferential strain,global radial strain,and global area strain were markedly different between the controls and DM patients(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION The 3D-STI could be applied to accurately measure early LVSF damage in patients with DM.

Prognostic Role of Preoperative Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE) in Mitral Valve Replacement (MVR) for Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis Patients

Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion has been proposed as a simple and reproducible parameter for quantitative assessment of the right ventricular ejection fraction. The prognostic importance of preoperative TAPSE in patients with mitral valve replacement for rheumatic mitral stenosis patients is still under focused. Therefore, the objective of the study was to predict the outcome after MVR in rheumatic mitral stenosis patients in relation to preoperative TAPSE. This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute. A total of 72 patients of rheumatic mitral stenosis patients who underwent mitral valve replacement were included in the study. They were divided into two groups: Group A and B. Group A included 36 patients with TAPSE 0.05) except for the preoperative TAPSE. Mean TAPSE of Group A was 13.17 (±1.40) and Group B was 18.61 (±1.57), the difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). Among the postoperative complications, including postoperative atrial fibrillation was higher in Group A (30.56%) than Group B (11.11%), mean ventilation time was higher in Group A (27.78%) than Group B (5.56%), length of intensive care was higher in Group A (33.33%) than Group B (11.12%), and hospital stay was higher in Group A (25.0%) than Group B (5.56%), (p < 0.05). Higher preoperative TASPE could be used as a prognostic tool for MVR in rheumatic mitral stenosis patients in our settings.

Evolution of heart transplant donor characteristics in the 21st century: A United States single center’s experience

Despite a record setting number of heart transplants performed annually,the national donor shortage continues to plague transplant teams across the United States.Here we describe the barriers to adaptation of numerous“non-traditional”orthotopic heart transplant donor characteristics including donors with hepatitis C virus,those meeting criteria for donation after cardiac death,donors with coronavirus disease 19 infection,donors with the human immunodeficiency virus,and grafts with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.Our center’s objective was to increase our transplant volume by expanding our donor pool from“traditional”donors to these“non-traditional”donors.We detail how medical advances such as certain laboratory studies,pharmacologic interventions,and organ care systems have allowed our center to expand the donor pool thereby increasing transplantation volume without adverse effects on outcomes.

Systoles of hyperbolic surfaces with big cyclic symmetry

We obtain the exact values of the systoles of these hyperbolic surfaces of genus g with cyclic symmetry of the maximum order and the next maximum order.Precisely,for the genus g hyperbolic surface with order 4 g+2 cyclic symmetry,the systole is 2 arccosh(1+cosπ/(2 g+1)+cos 2π/(2 g+1))when g≥7,and for the genus g hyperbolic surface with order 4 g cyclic symmetry,the systole is 2 arccosh(1+2 cos 2π/2 g)when g≥4.

Single-Arm Clinical Study of Combination Perindopril-Amlodipine Tablets in the Treatment of High-Altitude Hypertension

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of combination perindopril/amlodipine tablets in patients with high-altitude hypertension who were previously unable to control their blood pressure with monotherapy.Methods:A total of 151 patients with high-altitude hypertension whose blood pressure remained inadequately controlled with previous monotherapy were enrolled in this study.All patients received an 8-week treatment with a combination of perindopril/amlodipine tablets,consisting of perindopril 10 mg/day and amlodipine 5 mg/day.Blood pressure measurements,including both diastolic and systolic pressures,were taken at baseline,and after 2,4,6,and 8 weeks of treatment.Results:After 8 weeks of treatment,there was a significant reduction in both average systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to baseline(P<0.0001).Specifically,the average systolic blood pressure decreased by 24.45±13.75 mmHg,and the average diastolic blood pressure decreased by 13.37±8.40 mmHg.The overall heart rate showed no significant changes during the treatment period.Conclusion:A combination of perindopril/amlodipine tablets significantly improved blood pressure control in patients with high-altitude hypertension after 8 weeks of treatment.These results support the efficacy of combination perindopril/amlodipine as a viable treatment option for high-altitude hypertension.

Effect of renal denervation for patients with isolated systolic hypertension:a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Renal denervation(RDN)is a promising treatment based on catheter intervention for patients with refractory hypertension.However,the effect in patients with isolated systolic hypertension(ISH)remains controversial.The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the blood pressure lowing effect of RDN in patients with ISH compared with combined systolic/diastolic hypertension(CH)patients.METHODS PubMed,Embase,Cochrane and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for prospective clinical studies that included RDN.The outcomes of interest were the change of 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure(SBP)from baseline.We used the fixed effects model to calculate weighted mean difference(WMD)with 95%confidence interval(CI).RESULTS Six trials were included,with 1405 participants,including 597 patients with ISH and 808 patients with CH.Mean follow-up was five months.The reduction of 24-hour ambulatory SBP was significantly greater for the CH patients than the ISH patients(WMD=3.89,95%CI:2.32–5.45,P<0.0001).RDN also showed a greater reduction in office SBP in the CH patients compared to the ISH patients(WMD=10.24,95%CI:4.24–15.74,P=0.0003).And the effect was independent of age,length of follow-up,and ablation device.CONCLUSIONS RDN provides superior blood pressure control in the CH patients compared with the ISH patients,and the CH patients may be the best suitable population for which RDN is indicated.

CNN Accelerator Using Proposed Diagonal Cyclic Array for Minimizing Memory Accesses

This paper presents the architecture of a Convolution Neural Network(CNN)accelerator based on a newprocessing element(PE)array called a diagonal cyclic array(DCA).As demonstrated,it can significantly reduce the burden of repeated memory accesses for feature data and weight parameters of the CNN models,which maximizes the data reuse rate and improve the computation speed.Furthermore,an integrated computation architecture has been implemented for the activation function,max-pooling,and activation function after convolution calculation,reducing the hardware resource.To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed architecture,a CNN accelerator has been implemented for You Only Look Once version 2(YOLOv2)-Tiny consisting of 9 layers.Furthermore,the methodology to optimize the local buffer size with little sacrifice of inference speed is presented in this work.We implemented the proposed CNN accelerator using a Xilinx Zynq ZCU102 Ultrascale+Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA)and ISE Design Suite.The FPGA implementation uses 34,336 Look Up Tables(LUTs),576 Digital Signal Processing(DSP)blocks,and an on-chip memory of only 58 KB,and it could achieve accuracies of 57.92% and 56.42% mean Average Precession@0.5 thresholds for intersection over union(mAP@0.5)using quantized 16-bit and 8-bit full integer data manipulation with only 0.68% as a loss for 8-bit version and computation time of 137.9 and 69 ms for each input image respectively using a clock speed of 200 MHz.These speeds are expected to be doubled five times using a clock speed of 1GHz if implemented in a silicon System on Chip(SoC)using a sub-micron process.

Acute Effects of Virtual Reality Exercise on Young Adults’ Blood Pressure and Feelings

Virtual reality(VR)seems to have the potential to provide opportunities to promote physical activity(PA)in a fun way.This paper aimed to examine the acute effects of three different virtual reality-based exercise bikes on young adults’blood pressure(BP)and feelings compared to a traditional exercise cycling session.Four exercise sessions(immersive VR cycling,two non-immersive VR cycling,and traditional cycling)were completed by 36 young adults(22 females;Mage=23.6 years).BP was measured immediately before and after each session using a BP cuff and exercise-induced feelings were assessed via an established survey immediately after each session.Parti-cipants’previous experience with VR was used as the covariate in the ANCOVA with repeated measures.Signif-icant main effects were observed across cycling sessions for systolic blood pressure[F(2,29)=3.04,p=0.02,(η^(2)=0.38)]and feelings[F(3,32)=7.74,p<0.01,η^(2)=.42].In particular,immersive VR and traditional cycling signif-icantly increased systolic blood pressure compared to the two non-immersive VR sessions.Moreover,immersive VR significantly increased feelings compared to the two non-immersive VR sessions,whereas these two non-immersive VR exercises had significantly greater increased feelings compared to traditional cycling,respectively.Findings suggest immersive VR-based exercise cycling may lead to higher exercise intensities compared to non-immersive VR cycling.Further,immersive VR cycling yielded higher feelings compared to non-immersive VR and traditional cycling.Thus,immersive VR-based exercise can be a fun and physically active health promotion tool among young adults.

Anatomic Correlates of Mitral Systolic Anterior Motion in Transposition of the Great Arteries Following Atrial Switch Operation

Introduction:We sought to investigate whether the development of sub-pulmonic systolic anterior motion(SAM)may be inherent to the anatomy of the the mitral valve(MV)or affected by external factors,such as a dilated right ventricle or chest abnormalities in d-looped transposition of the great arteries post atrial switch operation(d-TGA/AtS).Methods:Analysis was performed of clinical and cardiac imaging studies acquired on 19 adult patients with d-TGA/AtS(age 42±6 years old,56%male)between 2015–2019.Echocardiography data included mitral apparatus anatomy,and CT/MRI data included biventricular dimensions,function,and Haller index(HI)for pectus deformity.Results:Patients with leaflet SAM(n=6)compared to patients without SAM(n=13)had higher MV protrusion height(2.3±0.5 vs.1.5±0.4 cm,p≤0.01)and longer anterior MV leaflet length(3.1±0.4 cm vs.2.6±0.3 cm p≤0.05),when compared to those without.CT/MRI showed higher sub-pulmonic left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)in the SAM group(71%±8%vs.54%±7%,respectively).RV size and function,significant chest deformity(HI>3.5),presence of a ventricular lead pacemaker,and septal thickness did not play a role in development of SAM.Conclusions:An elongated mitral apparatus is associated with the development of SAM,and the development of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction(LVOTO),in d-TGA/AtS.LV hyperkinesia is associated with SAM.Systemic RV dimensions,septal thickness,and degree of chest deformity did not differ significantly between subjects with SAM and those without.

Hybrid Recommender System Using Systolic Tree for Pattern Mining

A recommender system is an approach performed by e-commerce for increasing smooth users’experience.Sequential pattern mining is a technique of data mining used to identify the co-occurrence relationships by taking into account the order of transactions.This work will present the implementation of sequence pattern mining for recommender systems within the domain of e-com-merce.This work will execute the Systolic tree algorithm for mining the frequent patterns to yield feasible rules for the recommender system.The feature selec-tion's objective is to pick a feature subset having the least feature similarity as well as highest relevancy with the target class.This will mitigate the feature vector's dimensionality by eliminating redundant,irrelevant,or noisy data.This work pre-sents a new hybrid recommender system based on optimized feature selection and systolic tree.The features were extracted using Term Frequency-Inverse Docu-ment Frequency(TF-IDF),feature selection with the utilization of River Forma-tion Dynamics(RFD),and the Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)algorithm.The systolic tree is used for pattern mining,and based on this,the recommendations are given.The proposed methods were evaluated using the MovieLens dataset,and the experimental outcomes confirmed the efficiency of the techniques.It was observed that the RFD feature selection with systolic tree frequent pattern mining with collaborativefiltering,the precision of 0.89 was achieved.

Comparison of Ultrasound Blood Flow Characteristics of the Lower Limb in Diabetics with Early-Stage Peripheral Artery Disease and Non-Diabetic Controls

The aim of this study was to compare lower limb blood flow in asymptomatic diabetic patients with early-stage peripheral artery disease (PAD) and non-diabetic controls using duplex ultrasound parameters. This was a comparative cohort study of lower limb blood flow in 35 Black-African diabetic patients (25 females and 10 males with early-stage PAD median age 54 [IQR, 47 - 61] years;median HbA1c 6.3 [IQR, 5.7 - 8.0]%;BMI 29.2 ± 6.7;ABI 1.1 ± 0.1) and 36 non-diabetic controls (28 females and 8 males;median age 54 [IQR, 47 - 61] years;median HbA1c 6.3 [IQR, 5.7 - 8.0] %, BMI 29.2 ± 6.7;ABI 1.1 ± 0.1). Peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulsatility index (PI) and resistive index (RI), were utilised to compare blood flow in the popliteal arteries (PA), anterior tibial arteries (ATA) and posterior tibial arteries (PTA) in addition to ankle brachial index. All the ultrasound parameters showed good (ICC ≥ 0.7;0.50 - 0.85, 95% CI) to excellent (ICC = 1.0;1.0 - 1.0, 95% CI) reliability within groups as well as acceptable variability () other than pulsatility index of the anterior tibial artery within diabetic patients (11.1% CV). PSV, RI and PI were significantly and meaningfully higher (P;d ≥ 0.33), in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic controls except for PI - PTA (P = 0.72;d = 0.11). Differences in PSV and RI highlighted the effects of early-stage PAD on lower limb blood flow of diabetic patients. In contrast, the effects of early-stage PAD on blood flow were not demonstrated in the PTA and ATA of diabetic patients by PI.

Lower Limb Arteriopathy in Diabetics at the Oueme-Plateau Provincial Hospital in Porto-Novo: Frequency and Associated Factors

Introduction: The distribution of arteriopathy of the lower limbs (ALL) is not familiar in the city of Porto-Novo. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of ALL in diabetic patients in treatment at the Oueme-Plateau Provincial Teaching Hospital. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study from July 12 to October 10, 2021, at the Oueme-Plateau Provincial Teaching Hospital in Porto-Novo. ALL was screened by performing systolic pressure index (SPI) in all diabetic patients aged at least 18 years, seen in consultation or hospitalization during the study period and who had given their consent. Results: The study registered 165 diabetics and 98.2% of them were type 2. Subjects aged between 55 and 65 years were the most represented (33.9%), with an average age of 59.4 years. Women were in the majority (61.2%), with a sex ratio of 0.6. High blood pressure was associated with diabetes in 61.2% of patients. The prevalence of ALL was 48.5% (80 patients). Obliterative arteriopathy of the lower limbs (OALL) was observed in 70 patients (42.4%), mediacalcosis in 8 patients (4.8%), and mixed arteriopathy in 2 patients (1.2%). In 88.5% of patients, the pathology was symptomless. Factors significantly associated with ALL included advanced age (p = 0.01), the age of the glycemic imbalance (p = 0.03), lack of regular physical activity (p = 0.001) and dyslipidemia (p = 0.008). Conclusion: Pelvic limb arteriopathy is usual among diabetics at Oueme-Plateau Provincial Teaching Hospital. The use of SPI, which enables diagnosis, requires simple, low-cost means, and should be encouraged.

基于快速逆QR分解的自适应波束形成方法

在实时自适应阵处理中 ,基于逆QR分解 (IQRD)的方法在求自适应权值时由于避免了三角方程回代运算而受到了很大的重视。但是和基本的QR分解 (QRD)一样 ,IQRD方法也存在着平方根运算。平方根的运算量相当大 ,因此成为并行实时处理的速度瓶颈。提出了一种快速的IQRD方法 ,该方法有效地消除了平方根运算 ,从而使基于IQRD的自适应波束形成法便于实时实现 ,更适合于实际应用。

基于输入输出模型广义预测控制的并行算法

本文提出了脉动（Systolic）算法实现基于输入输出模型的参数辨识及广义预测自校正控制，给出了相应阵列结构并行实现这些算法，时序分析表明该方法可使广义预测自校正控制的实时性得到很大提高．

基于状态空间模型广义预测控制的并行算法

本文首先基于脉动（Ｓｙｓｔｏｌｉｃ）阵列结构，提出了一种实时参数辨识的并行算法，然后推导出基于状态空间模型广义预测控制（ＧＰＣ）的两种新算法，这两种算法都可以通过阵列结构并行实现．

一维小波变换及其逆变换结构

小波变换是信号处理、图像压缩和模式识别等诸多领域中一个非常有效的数学分析工具.然而,实时小波变换计算量大,需要专用硬件来实现.在专用小波变换芯片设计中,小波变换及其逆变换的结构设计已经成为关键技术.本文提出用Systolic阵列结构来完成小波变换及其逆变换,利用缓冲器来解决小波逆变换重建延迟问题.仿真结果表明本文所提结构有效,含乘法器、寄存器数目较少.