Breathing Intolerance Index and Control of Ventilation, a Non-invasive Method for Evaluating Inspiratory Muscle Endurance at Rest and Exercise, in Patients with Cardiomyopathy: One Year Follow-up

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, since its introduction in 1985, has brought important innovations to the study of cortical excitability as it is a non-invasive method and, therefore, can be used both in healthy and sick subjects. Since the introduction of this cortical stimulation technique, it has been possible to deepen the neurophysiological aspects of motor activation and control. In this narrative review, we want to provide a brief overview regarding TMS as a tool to investigate changes in cortex excitability in athletes and highlight how this tool can be used to investigate the acute and chronic responses of the motor cortex in sport science. The parameters that could be used for the evaluation of cortical excitability and the relative relationship with motor coordination and muscle fatigue, will be also analyzed. Repetitive physical training is generally considered as a principal strategy for acquiring a motor skill, and this process can elicit cortical motor representational changes referred to as use-dependent plasticity. In training settings, physical practice combined with the observation of target movements can enhance cortical excitability and facilitate the process of learning. The data to date suggest that TMS is a valid technique to investigate the changes in motor cortex excitability in trained and untrained subjects. Recently, interest in the possible ergogenic effect of non-invasive brain stimulation in sport is growing and therefore in the future it could be useful to conduct new experiments to evaluate the impact on learning and motor performance of these techniques.

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Abstract 1787: Vertebral Artery Stent Placement for Symptomatic Patients: One-Year Follow-up

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.116.suppl_16.ii_379-b ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽

Author(s):

Samir N Patel ◽

J. Stephen Jenkins ◽

Christopher J White ◽

Paul McMullan ◽

J.P. Reilly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vertebral Artery ◽

Stent Placement ◽

Clinical Success ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Symptom Resolution ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Procedural Success ◽

Repeat Angiography ◽

One Year

Background : Symptomatic vertebral artery stenosis (VAS) has a five-year stroke risk of 30%–35%. Mortality associated with posterior circulation (PC) strokes is high, ranging from 20%–30%. Surgical revascularization is rarely performed due to high morbidity and mortality. Endovascular revascularization with stents offers a potential treatment option for these patients. Methods : One hundred nine patients (116 arteries, 70% male) underwent stent placement for extracranial (91%) and intracranial (9%) VAS from 1995–2006. Symptoms included vertigo (63%), visual changes (31%), syncope (11%), ataxia (7%), and drop attack (5%). Four patients had asymptomatic critical stenosis. Sixty-one patients (56%) had bilateral VAS, 74 patients (69%) had concomitant carotid disease, and 43 patients (39%) had a prior stroke. Procedural success was defined as residual stenosis of ≤ 20% without peri-procedural stroke or death. Clinical success was defined as procedural success with symptom resolution. Restenosis was defined as angiographic narrowing within the stent of ≥ 70% or > 50% with recurrent symptoms, or evidence of severe stenosis on non-invasive imaging (ultrasound, CT, or MR). Results : Procedural and clinical success was achieved in 108 (99.1%) and 95 (94.3%) patients, respectively. At one year, follow-up was obtained in 91 patients (83.5%), 6 patients (5.5%) had died, 5 patients (5.3%) experienced a PC stroke, and 47 patients (43.1%) underwent repeat angiography and/or non-invasive imaging. Eighty-seven of the 91 patients were initially symptomatic, 69 (79.3%) of which were symptom-free at one year. Three of those that had recurrent symptoms never achieved clinical success, 9 had developed restenosis, and 7 underwent successful re-intervention. At median follow-up of 31 months (lower and upper quartiles of 13.0 and 51.8 months), 72.5% were alive and 71.6% remained symptom-free. Conclusion : Our data demonstrates that stenting for VAS can be successfully performed in 99% of patients without peri-procedural stroke or death and is associated with durable symptom resolution in approximately 80% of patients at one year. In these high-risk patients, endovascular therapy for symptomatic VAS appears to be safe and effective at relieving symptoms.

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The impact of direct-acting antivirals on liver fibrosis in Egyptian hepatitis C virus patients: a single center experience

QJM ◽

10.1093/qjmed/hcab107.007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 114 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Nadia Abdelaaty Abdelkader ◽

Amira Mahmoud AlBalakosy ◽

Ahmed Fouad Helmy Sherief ◽

Mohamed Soliman Gado

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C Virus ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Liver Fibrosis ◽

Transient Elastography ◽

Liver Stiffness ◽

Treatment Unit ◽

Non Invasive ◽

One Year ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects approximately 170 million people worldwide, causing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and leading to liver transplantation and ultimately death. Accurate evaluation of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases is crucial, as liver fibrosis is important in order to make therapeutic decisions, determine prognosis of liver disease and to follow-up disease progression. Multiple non-invasive methods have been used successfully in the prediction of fibrosis; however, early changes in noninvasive biomarkers of hepatic fibrosis under effective antiviral therapy are widely unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes of transient elastography values as well as FIB-4 and AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) in patients treated with DAAs. Objectives The aim beyond this study is to evaluate the changes in liver stiffness in hepatitis C Egyptian patients before and at least one year after treatment with DAAs using transient elastography and non-invasive liver fibrosis indices as FIB-4 and APRI scores. Patients and methods The present study was conducted on 100 patients with chronic hepatitis C patients attended to Ain Shams University Hospitals, Viral hepatitis treatment unit between October 2017 and December 2018, who were followed-up during treatment and after treatment for at least one year (retrospective and prospective study). Total number of cases during the study period was 117 patients. 17 patients were excluded from the study due to missed follow-up. Eventually, 100 patients were enrolled in the study fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Results The mean age of our patients is 47.9 years with Male predominance (52 males and 48 females). There was a significant improvement of, platelets counts, ALT and AST levels, which in turn cause significant improvement in FIB-4 and APRI scores. There was a significant improvement of liver stiffness after end of treatment, regardless of the DAA regimen used, as evidenced by Fibroscan. Conclusion Fibrosis regression –assessed by non-invasive markers of fibrosis is achievable upon removal of the causative agent.

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EEG microstate complexity for aiding early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

10.1101/833244 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Luke Tait ◽

Francesco Tamagnini ◽

George Stothart ◽

Edoardo Barvas ◽

Chiara Monaldini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Clinical Tool ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Frontoparietal Network ◽

And Control ◽

Electroencephalogram Eeg ◽

Independent Cohort

AbstractIntroductionElectroencephalogram (EEG) is a potentially useful clinical tool for aiding diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We hypothesized we can increase the accuracy of EEG for aiding diagnosis of AD using microstates, which are epochs of quasi-stability at the millisecond scale.MethodsEEG was collected from two independent cohorts of AD and control participants and a cohort of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients with four-year clinical follow-up. Microstates were analysed, including a novel measure of complexity.ResultsMicrostate complexity significantly decreased in AD, and when combined with a spectral EEG measure, could classify AD with sensitivity and specificity >80%. These results were validated on an independent cohort and were also found to be generalizable to predict progression from MCI to AD. Additionally, microstates associated with the frontoparietal network were altered in AD.DiscussionEEG has the potential to be a non-invasive functional biomarker that predicts progression from MCI to AD.

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Endoscopic ampullectomy

Journal of Digestive Endoscopy ◽

10.4103/0976-5042.95036 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 03 (S 05) ◽

pp. 065-067 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael Bourke

Keyword(s):

Treatment Decision ◽

Ampulla Of Vater ◽

En Bloc ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Relative Safety ◽

Invasive Method ◽

En Bloc Excision ◽

Bloc Excision ◽

Careful Assessment

AbstractEndoscopic ampullectomy offers a minimally invasive method of effectively treating non-invasive neoplasms of the ampulla of Vater and surrounding peri-ampullary region with high success and relative safety. These lesions would otherwise require surgical intervention, including pancreatico-duodenectomy. However, major complications may occur and a careful assessment of the patients comorbidities and their ability to tolerate adverse events needs to be factored into the treatment decision. Careful staging, often multi-modality is required, particularly for extensive lesions. Complete en-bloc excision of the entire neoplasm should be the goal with conventional papillary adenomas. Large lesions with extra-papillary extension currently require extended piecemeal excision, however with meticulous technique, recurrence is uncommon in longterm follow up.

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Complications and seeding risk after percutaneous liver biopsy in an oncological setting.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2018.36.4_suppl.246 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 246-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katja De Paepe ◽

Lawrence Bonne ◽

Nicos Fotiadis ◽

Naureen Starling ◽

Ian Chau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liver Biopsy ◽

Percutaneous Biopsy ◽

Minimal Risk ◽

Percutaneous Liver Biopsy ◽

Ct Guided ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Needle Tract ◽

Invasive Method ◽

Tumor Types

246 Background: Percutaneous biopsy of suspected liver metastases is a common practice for diagnostic purposes. Particularly, in the setting of oncological clinical trials, it is a relatively non-invasive method to obtain sufficient tissue for molecular analyses at regular set time points. However, various complications may occur, including seeding of the tumour along the biopsy tract. Only few reports exist on the actual incidence of seeding, on a limited number of tumor types. The aim of this study was to evaluate the technique’s safety and risk of seeding. Methods: All patients with an ultrasound or CT-guided liver biopsy between 2012-2016 were included. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for post-biopsy complications and all follow-up imaging was re-assessed for the presence of seeding, defined as tumoral deposits in the biopsy needle tract. Results: In total 782 biopsies were performed in 550 patients (282 women, 268 men; mean age of 61 years), 43.9% (343/782) for trials and 56.1% (439/782) for diagnostic/molecular purposes, 93.7% (733/782) were diagnostic, revealing malignancy in 96.9% (710/733). Number of biopsies per patient ranged between 1 (n=387) to 7 (n=1), a co-axial system was used in 70.6% (552/782) and multiple passes in 29.4% (230/782). Complications were reported in 8.8% (69/782), more often pain (4.7%) and hypotension/vasovagal (2.3%). Admission and/or re-intervention were needed for more severe complications as bleeding (1.0%), sepsis/fever (1.1%), pulmonary embolism (0.3%) and pneumothorax (0.4%). Seeding was seen in 1.1% (8/782) of cases (2/44 melanoma, 1/11 GIST, 1/39 cholangiocarcinoma, 1/247 colorectal, 1/14 oesophagus, 1/97 breast, 1/31 prostate). Mean time for seeding was 208 days (range 43-469 d); mean post-biopsy survival time was 495 days in the seeding and 349 days in the non-seeding group. Conclusions: Percutaneous liver biopsy is a highly effective and safe method for tissue collection, with only a minimal risk of seeding.

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Young systemic lupus erythematosus patients with no hearing involvement: 10-year follow up

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215112002769 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 127 (1) ◽

pp. 38-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J R García-Berrocal ◽

B De Diego ◽

A Roldán-Fidalgo ◽

M Yebra-Bango ◽

I Millán ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Progressive Hearing Loss ◽

The Mean ◽

One Year ◽

And Control

AbstractObjective:To evaluate patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and normal hearing over 10 years, compared with healthy controls.Methods:Thirty patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus were evaluated in a prospective, descriptive study. Eight patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, i.e. normal otoscopy, normal hearing, normal imaging and disease duration of less than one year. Eleven healthy companions of ENT patients were recruited as controls.Results:At study commencement, the mean patient age was 32.75 years (range, 15–49 years) and there were no statistically significant audiometric differences between patients and controls. No statistically significant audiometric changes were found either within or between the patient and control groups at 10-year follow up.Conclusion:These results supply no evidence for progressive hearing loss in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with no hearing involvement at study commencement. Therefore, we recommend audiometric tests only for systemic lupus erythematosus patients complaining of hearing loss, or for other clinical purposes. It is conceivable that asymptomatic hearing loss could be observed over a more extended follow-up period (i.e. more than 10 years).

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Thermal Signature Based Sleep Analysis Sensor

10.20944/preprints201704.0169.v1 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Ali Seba ◽

Dan Istrate ◽

Toufik Guettari ◽

Adrien Ugon ◽

Andrea Pinna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Muscle Tone ◽

Physiological State ◽

Complete Analysis ◽

Sleep Stages ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Ocular Movements ◽

Sleep Analysis ◽

Invasive Method ◽

Thermal Signature

This paper address the development of a new technic in the sleep analysis domain. Sleep is defined as a periodic physiological state during which vigilance is suspended and reactivity to external stimulations diminished. We sleep on average between six and nine hours per night and our sleep is composed of four to six cycles of about 90-minutes each. Each of these cycles is composed of a succession of several stages of sleep, more or less deep. The analysis of sleep is usually done using a polysomnography. This examination consists of recording, among other things, electrical cerebral activity by electroencephalography (EEG), ocular movements by electrooculography (EOG) and chin muscle tone by electromyography (EMG). The recording is done mostly in a hospital, more specifically in a service for monitoring the pathologies related to sleep. The readings are then interpreted manually by an expert to generate a hypnogram, a curve showing the succession of sleep stages during the night in 30-second epochs. The proposed method is based on the follow-up of the thermal signature that makes it possible to classify the activity into three classes: "awakening", "calm sleep" and "agitated sleep". The contribution of this non-invasive method is part of the screening of sleep disorders, to be validated by a more complete analysis of the sleep. The measure provided by this new system, based on temperature monitoring (patient and ambient), aims to be integrated into the tele-medicine platform developed within the framework of the Smart-EEG project by the SYEL - SYstèmes ELectroniques team. Analysis of the data collected during the first surveys carried out with this method showed a correlation between thermal signature and activity during sleep. The advantage of this method lies in its simplicity and the possibility of carrying out measurements of activity during sleep and without direct contact with the patient at home or hospitals.

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Effects of the cryolipolysis using the advanced redux method in the treatment of localized adiposity

Manual Therapy Posturology & Rehabilitation Journal ◽

10.17784/mtprehabjournal.2018.16.621 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Roseane Débora Barbosa Soares ◽

Rodrigo Marcel Valentim da Silva ◽

Júlio Costa e Silva ◽

Bruna Figueiredo Pinto ◽

Stephan Queiroga Farias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adipose Tissue ◽

Lymphatic Drainage ◽

Controlled Clinical Trial ◽

Suction Pressure ◽

Application Time ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Abdominal Region ◽

Invasive Method ◽

Localized Adiposity

Background: Among the techniques used in clinical practice to reduce localized adiposity, cryolipolysis has been highlighted, which is a non-invasive method capable of reducing the thickness of the adipose tissue without damage to the surrounding tissues. However, several associations of techniques suggest an intensification of the results, associating cryolipolysis with other treatments, and the most common is ultracavitation (UCV) or radiofrequency (RF) and massage. Objective: To investigate the effects of cryolipolysis associated with UCV and RF on localized adiposity. Methods: This is a blinded and controlled clinical trial. The sample was composed of 30 females divided into 2 groups of 15: one group received cryolipolysis application in the abdominal region, and performed 1 session of drainage weekly; while another group performed the cryolipolysis and then 8 applications of UCV associated with RF and modeling massage (protocol named Advanced Redux Method – ARM), once a week. The parameters used in cryolipolysis were: temperature: -7ºC; suction pressure: 30 kpa; and application time: 50 min. For the UCV, the parameters were time of 8 minutes, 30w of potency and intensity of 10 w/cm2 . After cryolipolysis, a follow-up of 2 months was performed to verify the changes related to weight, perimeter and thickness of the adipose tissue, measured by ultrasonography. The reassessments were performed 30 and 60 days after the cryolipolysis. Results: It was observed that the ARM promoted a greater reduction of adiposity located in the abdominal region, in the plicometry, perimetry and ultrasonography variables (p<0.05). In the analysis of the questionnaires the ARM group showed lower edema, pain, ecchymosis after application when compared to the group associated only with the drainage. The percentage of satisfaction was also higher in the ARM group. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be observed that the association of UCV, RF and modeling massage through the ARM promoted a higher reduction in adiposity than the group that exclusively performed the cryolipolysis treatment with lymphatic drainage.

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Non-invasive method for determining the level of stable intrathyroid iodine in the diagnosis and control of treatment of thyroid diseases (lecture)

Problems of Endocrinology ◽

10.14341/probl12041 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 29-32

Author(s):

I. O. Tomashevsky

Keyword(s):

Diagnostic Method ◽

Fluorescence Analysis ◽

Thyroid Diseases ◽

Medical Sciences ◽

Scientific Center ◽

X Ray ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Invasive Method ◽

Diagnostic Capabilities ◽

And Control

The technology of non-invasive determination of the level of intrathyroid stable iodine (ISI), called X-ray fluorescence analysis or X-ray fluorescence scanning, began to be used since 1968 and is currently used in approximately 10 radiological laboratories around the world as a unique research methodology. Only in recent years have the technical difficulties of this diagnostic method been overcome, and it is gradually becoming more accessible. Since 1974, the efforts of the staff of the Radiological Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Obninsk) and the clinical hospital of the Central Health Unit No. 119 of the Federal Administration for Biomedical and Extreme Problems at the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Khimki) carried out the necessary scientific research and created an analyzer, a method for determining the level ISI and interpretations of the results obtained, allowed for use in Russia as serial laboratory technologies. The specified diagnostic method over the past few years has been successfully used in these institutions when examining more than 3,000 patients with various thyroid diseases (thyroid gland) and continues to be used in the comprehensive diagnosis of thyroid pathology. The purpose of this lecture is to familiarize endocrinologists with the diagnostic capabilities of this method.

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