A Comparison of Radiation Dose Between Standard and 3D Angiography in Congenital Heart Disease

Background: The use of three-dimensional rotational angiography (3D-RA) to assess patients with congenital heart diseases appears to be a promising technique despite the scarce literature available. Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe our initial experience with 3D-RA and to compare its radiation dose to that of standard two-dimensional angiography (2D-SA). Methods: Between September 2011 and April 2012, 18 patients underwent simultaneous 3D-RA and 2D-SA during diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Radiation dose was assessed using the dose-area-product (DAP). Results: The median patient age and weight were 12.5 years and 47.5 Kg, respectively. The median DAP of each 3D-RA acquisition was 1093µGy.m2 and 190µGy.m2 for each 2D-SA acquisition (p<0.01). In patients weighing more than 45Kg (n=7), this difference was attenuated but still significant (1525 µGy.m2 vs.413µGy.m2, p=0.01). No difference was found between one 3D-RA and three 2D-SA (1525µGy.m2 vs.1238 µGy.m2, p = 0.575) in this population. This difference was significantly higher in patients weighing less than 45Kg (n=9) (713µGy.m2 vs.81µGy.m2, P = 0.008), even when comparing one 3D-RA with three 2D-SA (242µGy.m2, respectively, p<0.008). 3D-RA was extremely useful for the assessment of conduits of univentricular hearts, tortuous branches of the pulmonary artery, and aorta relative to 2D-SA acquisitions. Conclusions: The radiation dose of 3D-RA used in our institution was higher than those previously reported in the literature and this difference was more evident in children. This type of assessment is of paramount importance when starting to perform 3D-RA.

Sleep Apnea and Nocturnal Cardiac Arrhythmia: A Populational Study

Background: The mechanisms associated with the cardiovascular consequences of obstructive sleep apnea include abrupt changes in autonomic tone, which can trigger cardiac arrhythmias. The authors hypothesized that nocturnal cardiac arrhythmia occurs more frequently in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Objective: To analyze the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and abnormal heart rhythm during sleep in a population sample. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 1,101 volunteers, who form a representative sample of the city of São Paulo. The overnight polysomnography was performed using an EMBLA® S7000 digital system during the regular sleep schedule of the individual. The electrocardiogram channel was extracted, duplicated, and then analyzed using a Holter (Cardio Smart®) system. Results: A total of 767 participants (461 men) with a mean age of 42.00 ± 0.53 years, were included in the analysis. At least one type of nocturnal cardiac rhythm disturbance (atrial/ventricular arrhythmia or beat) was observed in 62.7% of the sample. The occurrence of nocturnal cardiac arrhythmias was more frequent with increased disease severity. Rhythm disturbance was observed in 53.3% of the sample without breathing sleep disorders, whereas 92.3% of patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea showed cardiac arrhythmia. Isolated atrial and ventricular ectopy was more frequent in patients with moderate/severe obstructive sleep apnea when compared to controls (p < 0.001). After controlling for potential confounding factors, age, sex and apnea-hypopnea index were associated with nocturnal cardiac arrhythmia. Conclusion: Nocturnal cardiac arrhythmia occurs more frequently in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and the prevalence increases with disease severity. Age, sex, and the Apnea-hypopnea index were predictors of arrhythmia in this sample.

Age, Creatinine and Ejection Fraction Score in Brazil: Comparison with InsCor and the EuroSCORE

AbstractBackground:Risk scores for cardiac surgery cannot continue to be neglected.Objective:To assess the performance of “Age, Creatinine and Ejection Fraction Score” (ACEF Score) to predict mortality in patients submitted to elective coronary artery bypass graft and/or heart valve surgery, and to compare it to other scores.Methods:A prospective cohort study was carried out with the database of a Brazilian tertiary care center. A total of 2,565 patients submitted to elective surgeries between May 2007 and July 2009 were assessed. For a more detailed analysis, the ACEF Score performance was compared to the InsCor’s and EuroSCORE’s performance through correlation, calibration and discrimination tests.Results:Patients were stratified into mild, moderate and severe for all models. Calibration was inadequate for ACEF Score (p = 0.046) and adequate for InsCor (p = 0.460) and EuroSCORE (p = 0.750). As for discrimination, the area under the ROC curve was questionable for the ACEF Score (0.625) and adequate for InsCor (0.744) and EuroSCORE (0.763).Conclusion:Although simple to use and practical, the ACEF Score, unlike InsCor and EuroSCORE, was not accurate for predicting mortality in patients submitted to elective coronary artery bypass graft and/or heart valve surgery in a Brazilian tertiary care center. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2015; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0)

Entwicklung kardiovaskulärer Risikofaktoren bei Small for gestational age-Geborenen im jungen Erwachsenenalter und der Vergleich der metabolischen Situation dieser Patienten mit der von normotroph Geborenen

Magdeburg, Univ., Medizin. Fakultät, Diss., 2008

Determination of inorganic arsenic in rice using the Wagtech Digital Arsenator

[s.c.]

Assessment of the VoIP Transmission Quality over Digital Power Line Carrier Channels

This article is devoted to the research of VoIP transmission quality over Digital Power Line Carrier channels. Assessment of quality transmission is performed using E-model. Paper considers the possibility of joint using of Digital Power Line carrier equipment with different architecture in one network. As a result of the research, the rule for constructing of multi-segment Digital Power Line Carrier channels was formulated. This rule allows minimizing the transmission delay and saving frequency resources of high voltage Power Line Carrier range.

The Research of Increase of Channel Efficiency for IP Traffic Transmission over Digital Power Line Carrier Channels

This article is devoted to the research of channel efficiency for IP-traffic transmission over Digital Power Line Carrier channels. The application of serial WAN connections and header compression as methods to increase channel efficiency is considered. According to the results of the research an effective solution for network traffic transmission in DPLC networks was proposed.

Protoptychus hatcheri Scott, 1895 : the mammalian faunas of the Washakie Formation, Eocene age, of southern Wyoming. William D. Turnbull --.

n.s. no.21(1991)

The mammalian faunas of the Washakie Formation, Eocene age, of southern Wyoming. Steven M. McCarroll, John J. Flynn, William D. Turnbull --.

n.s. no.33(1996)

Oviposition preference hierarchy in Ceratitis capitata (Diptera, Tephritidae): influence of female age and experience

The influence of two factors, age and previous experience, on the oviposition hierarchy preference of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) females was studied. Two populations were analyzed: one reared in laboratory during 17 years and the other captured in nature. In the first experiment the oviposition preference for four fruits, papaya, orange, banana and apple was tested at the beginning of oviposition period and 20 days past. The results showed that the wild females as much the laboratory ones had an oviposition preference hierarchy at the beginning of peak period of oviposition. However this hierarchic preference disappeared in a later phase of life. In the second experiment the females were previously exposed to fruits of different hierarchic positions and afterwards their choice was tested in respect to the oviposition preference for those fruits. The results showed that there was an influence of the previous experience on the posterior choice of fruits to oviposition when the females were exposed to fruits of lower hierarchic position.

The contribution of archaeology to the zoogeography of Borneo : with the first record of a wild canid of Early Holocene Age ; a contribution in celebration of the distinguished scholarship of Robert F. Inger on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday / Earl of Cranbrook.

n.s. no.42(1988)

Measurements of the age of the solar system / by Robley D. Evans --

v.7:no.6(1943)

Seasonality, age structure and reproduction of Leptodactylus (Lithodytes) lineatus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) in Rondônia state, southwestern Amazon, Brazil

Leptodactylus(Lithodytes) lineatus (Schneider, 1799) is an Amazonian leaf litter frog considered rare or uncommon in several studies on anuran communities. Despite being a widely distributed frog in Amazonian forests, knowledge of the biology and ecology of this species is relatively scarce. This species has been reported to live in association with leaf-cutter ant nests (Atta spp.) during the breeding period. In this paper we present data on the seasonality of this species and some reproductive information gathered at a locality of Rondônia state, northwestern Brazil. Field work was carried out between April 2001 and March 2002, with the use of pitfall traps with drift fences as a survey method. Leptodactylus (L.) lineatus had a higher capture frequency in this locality compared to that of other studies carried out in other Amazonian localities, possibly because this species has secretive habits, such as calling and breeding from nests of leaf-cutting ants, and are difficult to find during visual encounter surveys. The breeding period occurs between October and March. Calling males and egg-bearing females were found between September and February and juvenile recruitment occurred mainly from the end of the rainy season to the beginning of the dry season (February to June). Males and females show sexual dimorphism in SVL, females being significantly larger than males. The number of ovarian eggs per female varies from 110 to 328 and analyses indicate that there is a significant correlation with SVL.

Helminths of introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Brazil: does population age affect parasite richness?

Species introductions have altered host and parasite diversity throughout the world. In the case of introduced hosts, population age appears to be a good predictor of parasite richness. Habitat alteration is another variable that may impact host-parasite interactions by affecting the availability of intermediate hosts. The house sparrow (Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)) is a good model to test these predictions. It was introduced in several parts of the world and can be found across rural-urban gradients. A total of 160 house sparrows from Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were necropsied. Thirty house sparrows (19 %) were parasitized with at least one out of five helminth species (Digenea: Tamerlania inopina Freitas, 1951 and Eumegacetes sp.; Eucestoda: Choanotaenia passerina (Fuhrmann, 1907) Fuhrmann, 1932; Nematoda: Dispharynx nasuta (Rudolphi, 1819) Stiles & Hassall, 1920 and Cardiofilaria pavlovskyi Strom, 1937). Overall, there was no difference in prevalence and intensity of infection of any parasite species, parasite richness and community diversity between adult males and females and adults and juveniles. The number of infected sparrows among seasons, the richness of helminths and the abundance of species were also similar between rural and urban landscapes. Only the prevalence of C. passerina varied seasonally (p=0.0007). A decrease in the number of parasite species from the original range of P. domesticus (13) to its port of entrance in Brazil, the city of Rio de Janeiro (nine), to Porto Alegre (five) is compatible with the hypothesis that host population age is a good predictor of parasite richness.

The mammalian faunas of the Washakie Formation, Eocene age, of southern Wyoming. William D. Turnbull --.

n.s. no.47(2002)