A review of current approaches to pacing in children with atrioventricular blocks

Pacing is currently the main method of treatment in children with life-threatening bradyarrhythmias. The high-grade atrioventricular block remains the main indication for permanent pacing in children. The factors that determine the specificity of device implantation in the pediatric population are as follows: anthropometric data of a child and their compliance with the size of a pacemaker and the electrodes, the need for long-term (lifelong) cardiac stimulation and multiple replacements of a pacemaker, high level of child’s activity, changes in the physical parameters of the body over time (the need for implantation of the leads “with reserve” and their replacement), and, in some cases, the presence of concomitant congenital heart defects, especially, with intracardiac shunts. One of the controversial issues in pediatric cardiac stimulation is choosing a method of implantation (epicardial or endocardial). According to recent reports, the epicardial lead implantation techniques are increasingly being used because the transvenous pacemakers are associated with more serious complications and due to the capability to choose hemodynamically optimal stimulation zone in epicardial technique to prevent pacemaker-induced dyssynchrony. This approach allows to ultimately postpone the implantation of the endocardial stimulation system, administration of which is associated with the problem of endovascular lead extraction in children, the problem, which has not been resolved not only in Russia but also worldwide. This review article discusses recent literature on the use of permanent pacing in children, including the advantages and disadvantages of using the endocardial and epicardial pacemaker systems as well as various methods of implantation and pacemaker modes most often used in pediatric practice.

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A Worthwhile Collaboration: Integrating Optometry and Occupational Therapy in the Treatment of Children

Vision Development & Rehabilitation ◽

10.31707/vdr2020.6.3.p221 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 221-236

Keyword(s):

Occupational Therapy ◽

Professional Growth ◽

Interprofessional Collaboration ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Occupational Therapists ◽

The Body ◽

Collaborative Practice ◽

Primary Data ◽

Visual Deficits ◽

Vision Deficits

Background: Vision deficits are highly prevalent in children with neurodevelopmental disorders including those with motor delays, learning and reading difficulties, and maladaptive behaviors. These deficits can interfere with their participation and performance in everyday life activities and therefore, require a comprehensive approach to therapy. As such, optometrists and occupational therapists are an optimal team to provide interprofessional collaborative care, reported in research as best practice, in the treatment of these children. However, little is known about the long-called-for collaboration between these professions. The purpose of this study was to explore factors and implications associated with a collaborative practice between optometrists and occupational therapists in the co-management of vision deficits in the pediatric population. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive design was employed to explore perceptions of collaborative practice among teams of optometrists and occupational therapists in the remedial care of children with visual deficits. Following IRB approval, co-located optometrists and occupational therapists were recruited for this study. Semistructured interviews served as the primary data collection tool to investigate the factors and implications of collaborative practice. Results: Eleven professionals provided informed consent and took part in this study, including five occupational therapists and six optometrists. Following thematic analysis, four overarching themes emerged including 1) professional boundaries, 2) co-located, integrated practice, 3) professional growth, and 4) improved patient care. Participants indicated that although barriers exist, exercising humility, upholding patient-centered focus, maintaining mutual respect, communicating frequently, and co-location were factors that enable collaboration. Positive outcomes related to both the provider and the patient were further highlighted supporting the interprofessional collaboration between these professionals. Conclusions: The findings of this qualitative study add to the body of evidence underpinning interprofessional collaborative practice. Furthermore, this study supports the coordination of care, through optometry and occupational therapy collaboration, in the treatment of visual deficits in children with special needs.

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DEVELOPMENT OF A DEVICE FOR CONTROL OF THE STATE OF THE ORGANISM BASED ON PHOTOPLETISMOGRAPHY USING TECHNOLOGIES OF DIGITAL ADAPTIVE FILTRATION

СИСТЕМНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ И УПРАВЛЕНИЕ В БИОМЕДИЦИНСКИХ СИСТЕМАХ ◽

10.36622/vstu.2020.19.4.012 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 100-107

Author(s):

Алексей Дмитриевич Акишин ◽

Иван Павлович Семчук ◽

Александр Петрович Николаев

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Cardiovascular System ◽

Adaptive Filtering ◽

Least Squares Method ◽

Optimal Algorithm ◽

Heart Diseases ◽

Cardiac Activity ◽

Motion Artifacts ◽

The Body ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages

Постоянно растущий интерес к разработке новых неинвазивных и безманжетных методов измерения параметров сердечной деятельности, использование которых давало бы возможность непрерывного и удаленного контроля сердечно-сосудистой системы, обуславливает актуальность данной работы. В многочисленных публикациях продолжаются обсуждения преимуществ и недостатков различных методов ранней диагностики сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний. Однако артефакты движения являются сильной помехой, мешающей точной оценке показателей функционирования сердечно-сосудистой системы. Одним из перспективных методов контроля является метод оценки физиологических параметров с использованием фотоплетизмографии. Данная статья посвящена разработке устройства для фотоплетизмографических исследований и алгоритмических методов обработки регистрируемых сигналов для обеспечения мониторинга сердечного ритма с заданной точностью. В работе используются технологии цифровой адаптивной фильтрации полученных сигналов для мониторинга сердечного ритма в условиях внешних механических и электрических помеховых воздействий, ухудшающих точностные характеристики системы, а также разработана архитектура системы и изготовлен макет устройства, который позволил провести измерения для определения оптимального алгоритма цифровой обработки сигналов. При использовании устройства применялись методы адаптивной фильтрации на основе фильтров Винера, фильтров на основе метода наименьших квадратов и Калмановской фильтрации. Разработанное устройство для фотоплетизмографических исследований обеспечило возможность мониторинга сердечного ритма с заданной точностью, контроля текущего состояния организма и может быть использовано в качестве средства диагностики заболеваний сердца The constantly growing interest in the development of new non-invasive and cuff-free methods for measuring the parameters of cardiac activity, the use of which would give the possibility of continuous and remote monitoring of the cardiovascular system, determines the relevance of this work. Numerous publications continue to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. However, motion artifacts are a strong hindrance to the accurate assessment of the performance of the cardiovascular system. One of the promising control methods is the method for assessing physiological parameters using photoplethysmography. This article is devoted to the development of a device for photoplethysmographic studies and algorithmic methods for processing recorded signals to ensure monitoring of the heart rate with a given accuracy. The work uses technologies of digital adaptive filtering of the received signals to monitor the heart rate in conditions of external mechanical and electrical interference, which worsen the accuracy characteristics of the system, as well as the architecture of the system and a prototype of the device, which made it possible to carry out measurements to determine the optimal algorithm for digital signal processing. When using the device, the methods of adaptive filtering based on Wiener filters, filters based on the least squares method and Kalman filtering were used. The developed device for photoplethysmographic studies provided the ability to monitor the heart rate with a given accuracy, control the current state of the body and can be used as a means of diagnosing heart diseases

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Nutrients Mediate Bioavailability and Turnover of Proteins in Mammals

Current Protein and Peptide Science ◽

10.2174/1389203720666190125111235 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 661-665

Author(s):

Cunxi Nie ◽

Fei Xie ◽

Ning Ma ◽

Yueyu Bai ◽

Wenju Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

The Body ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Nitrogen Excretion ◽

Dietary Proteins ◽

Restricted Diet ◽

Nutritional Interventions ◽

Body Tissues ◽

Utilization Of Protein ◽

High Level ◽

Protein Restricted Diet

As a major component of biologically active compounds in the body, proteins contribute to the synthesis of body tissues for the renewal and growth of the body. The high level of dietary protein and the imbalance of amino acid (AA) composition in mammals result in metabolic disorders, inefficient utilization of protein resources and increased nitrogen excretion. Fortunately, nutritional interventions can be an effective way of attenuating the nitrogen excretion and increasing protein utilization, which include, but are not limited to, formulating the AA balance and protein-restricted diet supplementing with essential AAs, and adding probiotics in the diet. This review highlights recent advances in the turnover of dietary proteins and mammal’s metabolism for health, in order to improve protein bioavailability through nutritional approach.

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A survey: which features are required for dynamic visual simultaneous localization and mapping?

Visual Computing for Industry Biomedicine and Art ◽

10.1186/s42492-021-00086-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zewen Xu ◽

Zheng Rong ◽

Yihong Wu

Keyword(s):

Simultaneous Localization And Mapping ◽

Dynamic Environments ◽

Visual Features ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Intelligent Robots ◽

Localization And Mapping ◽

High Level ◽

Static World ◽

Robotic Applications ◽

Significant Attention

AbstractIn recent years, simultaneous localization and mapping in dynamic environments (dynamic SLAM) has attracted significant attention from both academia and industry. Some pioneering work on this technique has expanded the potential of robotic applications. Compared to standard SLAM under the static world assumption, dynamic SLAM divides features into static and dynamic categories and leverages each type of feature properly. Therefore, dynamic SLAM can provide more robust localization for intelligent robots that operate in complex dynamic environments. Additionally, to meet the demands of some high-level tasks, dynamic SLAM can be integrated with multiple object tracking. This article presents a survey on dynamic SLAM from the perspective of feature choices. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of different visual features is provided in this article.

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Growth and development of children under 5 years of age with tetralogy of Fallot in a Chinese population

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93726-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xin Li ◽

Jin Zhu ◽

Jun An ◽

Yuqing Wang ◽

Yili Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Tetralogy Of Fallot ◽

Growth Retardation ◽

Growth And Development ◽

Heart Defects ◽

Body Height ◽

Child Growth ◽

The Body ◽

Early Age ◽

Local Conditions

AbstractCongenital Heart Defects (CHDs) are associated with different patterns of malnutrition and growth retardation, which may vary worldwide and need to be evaluated according to local conditions. Although tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is one of the first described CHDs, the etiology outcomes in growth and development of TOF in early age child is still unclear in most cases. This study was designed to investigate the growth retardation status of Chinese pediatric TOF patients under 5 years old. The body height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) of 262 pediatric patients (138 boys and 124 girls) who underwent corrective surgery for TOF between 2014 and 2018 were measured using conventional methods. The average body height, body weight and BMI of the patients were significantly lower than WHO Child Growth Standards, while the most affected was body height. Meanwhile, higher stunting frequency and greater deterioration of both the body height and weight happened in elder age (aged 13–60 months) rather than in infant stage (aged 0–12 months) among these patients. Our results confirmed that intervention should be given at early age to prevent the growth retardation of TOF patients getting severer.

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Involvement of Probiotics and Postbiotics in the Immune System Modulation

Biologics ◽

10.3390/biologics1020006 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 89-110

Author(s):

Neslihan Yeşilyurt ◽

Birsen Yılmaz ◽

Duygu Ağagündüz ◽

Raffaele Capasso

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Pharmaceutical Industry ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Health Benefits ◽

The Body ◽

Future Research ◽

Immune Systems ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Immune System Modulation ◽

Molecular Patterns

Intestinal microbiota interacts with other systems, especially the immune system, which is responsible for protecting the body by recognizing “stranger” (pathogen associated molecular patterns-PAMPs) and “danger” (damage-associated molecular patterns-DAMPs) molecular motifs. In this manner, it plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases and health. Despite the use of probiotics that modulate the intestinal microbiota in providing health benefits and in the treatment of diseases, there are some possible concerns about the possibility of developing adverse effects, especially in people with suppressed immune systems. Since probiotics provide health benefits with bioactive compounds, studies are carried out on the use of products containing non-living probiotic microorganisms (paraprobiotics) and/or their metabolites (postbiotics) instead of probiotic products. It is even reported that these microbial compounds have more immunomodulatory activities than living microorganisms via some possible mechanism and eliminates some disadvantages of probiotics. Considering the increasing use of functional foods in health and disease, further studies are needed with respect to the benefits and advantages of parabiotic and/or postbiotic use in the food and pharmaceutical industry as well as immune system modulation. Although probiotics have been extensive studied for a long time, it seems that postbiotics are promising tools for future research and applications according to the recent literature. This review aimed to evaluate the interaction of probiotics and postbiotics with the immune systems and also their advantages and disadvantages in the area of food-pharmaceutical industry and immune system modulation.

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Making Up 3D Bodies

Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques ◽

10.1145/3468779 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Kiona Hagen Niehaus ◽

Rebecca Fiebrink

Keyword(s):

Software Tool ◽

The Body ◽

Design Parameters ◽

Artistic Practice ◽

Human Form ◽

Modeling Systems ◽

Exploratory Approach ◽

Disability Status ◽

High Level ◽

The Impact

This paper describes the process of developing a software tool for digital artistic exploration of 3D human figures. Previously available software for modeling mesh-based 3D human figures restricts user output based on normative assumptions about the form that a body might take, particularly in terms of gender, race, and disability status, which are reinforced by ubiquitous use of range-limited sliders mapped to singular high-level design parameters. CreatorCustom, the software prototype created during this research, is designed to foreground an exploratory approach to modeling 3D human bodies, treating the digital body as a sculptural landscape rather than a presupposed form for rote technical representation. Building on prior research into serendipity in Human-Computer Interaction and 3D modeling systems for users at various levels of proficiency, among other areas, this research comprises two qualitative studies and investigation of the impact on the first author's artistic practice. Study 1 uses interviews and practice sessions to explore the practices of six queer artists working with the body and the language, materials, and actions they use in their practice; these then informed the design of the software tool. Study 2 investigates the usability, creativity support, and bodily implications of the software when used by thirteen artists in a workshop. These studies reveal the importance of exploration and unexpectedness in artistic practice, and a desire for experimental digital approaches to the human form.

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A Computational Study on the Role of Parameters for Identification of Thyroid Nodules by Infrared Images (and Comparison with Real Data)

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21134459 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (13) ◽

pp. 4459

Author(s):

José R. González ◽

Charbel Damião ◽

Maira Moran ◽

Cristina A. Pantaleão ◽

Rubens A. Cruz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Transfer ◽

Thyroid Nodules ◽

Numerical Study ◽

Computational Study ◽

Internal Heat ◽

Heat Transfer Process ◽

The Body ◽

Physical Parameters ◽

Infrared Sensors ◽

Wide Range

According to experts and medical literature, healthy thyroids and thyroids containing benign nodules tend to be less inflamed and less active than those with malignant nodules. It seems to be a consensus that malignant nodules have more blood veins and more blood circulation. This may be related to the maintenance of the nodule’s heat at a higher level compared with neighboring tissues. If the internal heat modifies the skin radiation, then it could be detected by infrared sensors. The goal of this work is the investigation of the factors that allow this detection, and the possible relation with any pattern referent to nodule malignancy. We aim to consider a wide range of factors, so a great number of numerical simulations of the heat transfer in the region under analysis, based on the Finite Element method, are performed to study the influence of each nodule and patient characteristics on the infrared sensor acquisition. To do so, the protocol for infrared thyroid examination used in our university’s hospital is simulated in the numerical study. This protocol presents two phases. In the first one, the body under observation is in steady state. In the second one, it is submitted to thermal stress (transient state). Both are simulated in order to verify if it is possible (by infrared sensors) to identify different behavior referent to malignant nodules. Moreover, when the simulation indicates possible important aspects, patients with and without similar characteristics are examined to confirm such influences. The results show that the tissues between skin and thyroid, as well as the nodule size, have an influence on superficial temperatures. Other thermal parameters of thyroid nodules show little influence on surface infrared emissions, for instance, those related to the vascularization of the nodule. All details of the physical parameters used in the simulations, characteristics of the real nodules and thermal examinations are publicly available, allowing these simulations to be compared with other types of heat transfer solutions and infrared examination protocols. Among the main contributions of this work, we highlight the simulation of the possible range of parameters, and definition of the simulation approach for mapping the used infrared protocol, promoting the investigation of a possible relation between the heat transfer process and the data obtained by infrared acquisitions.

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Distributed Simulation Platforms and Data Passing Tools for Natural Hazards Engineering: Reviews, Limitations, and Recommendations

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science ◽

10.1007/s13753-021-00361-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lichao Xu ◽

Szu-Yun Lin ◽

Andrew W. Hlynka ◽

Hao Lu ◽

Vineet R. Kamat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Hazards ◽

Data Exchange ◽

Distributed Simulation ◽

Distributed Data ◽

Interactive Simulation ◽

Integrated Simulation ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

High Level ◽

Data Passing

AbstractThere has been a strong need for simulation environments that are capable of modeling deep interdependencies between complex systems encountered during natural hazards, such as the interactions and coupled effects between civil infrastructure systems response, human behavior, and social policies, for improved community resilience. Coupling such complex components with an integrated simulation requires continuous data exchange between different simulators simulating separate models during the entire simulation process. This can be implemented by means of distributed simulation platforms or data passing tools. In order to provide a systematic reference for simulation tool choice and facilitating the development of compatible distributed simulators for deep interdependent study in the context of natural hazards, this article focuses on generic tools suitable for integration of simulators from different fields but not the platforms that are mainly used in some specific fields. With this aim, the article provides a comprehensive review of the most commonly used generic distributed simulation platforms (Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS), High Level Architecture (HLA), Test and Training Enabling Architecture (TENA), and Distributed Data Services (DDS)) and data passing tools (Robot Operation System (ROS) and Lightweight Communication and Marshalling (LCM)) and compares their advantages and disadvantages. Three specific limitations in existing platforms are identified from the perspective of natural hazard simulation. For mitigating the identified limitations, two platform design recommendations are provided, namely message exchange wrappers and hybrid communication, to help improve data passing capabilities in existing solutions and provide some guidance for the design of a new domain-specific distributed simulation framework.

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Patient’s point of view on the use of telemedicine in multiple sclerosis: a web-based survey

Neurological Sciences ◽

10.1007/s10072-021-05398-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Doriana Landi ◽

Marta Ponzano ◽

Carolina Gabri Nicoletti ◽

Gaia Cola ◽

Gianluca Cecchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Point Of View ◽

Physical Parameters ◽

Chronic Medical Conditions ◽

Socioeconomic Conditions ◽

Web Based ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Disease Characteristics ◽

Degree Of Disability

AbstractRestrictions in the access to healthcare facilities during COVID-19 pandemic have raised the need for remote monitoring of chronic medical conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In order to enable the continuity of care in these circumstances, many telemedicine applications are currently tested. While physicians’ preferences are commonly investigated, data regarding the patients’ point of view are still lacking. We built a 37 items web-based survey exploring patients’ propensity, awareness, and opinions on telemedicine with the aim to evaluate the sustainability of this approach in MS. Analysing 613 questionnaires out of 1093 that were sent to persons with MS followed at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Tor Vergata University, Rome, we found that more than half of respondents (54%) were open to having a televisit. Propensity toward telemedicine significantly depended on having a higher income (p = 0.037), living farther from the center (p = 0.038), using computer and tablet (p = 0.010) and using the Internet for other remote activities (p < 0.001), conversely it was not influenced by any specific disease characteristics (i.e. degree of disability). The main advantages and disadvantages of televisit reported by participants were respectively saving time (70%) and impossibility to measure physical parameters (71%). Although the majority of respondents are in favour of televisit, so far this approach is restricted to those displaying better socioeconomic conditions and higher familiarity with technology. Implications of the study are that telemedicine platforms should be better tailored to patients’ demands in order to spread the use of telemedicine, to enhance usability and to increase patients’ adherence.

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