EVALUATION OF THE VESSEL AGE BY APPLYING THE ACCELERATION PLETHYSMOGRAM ANALYSIS

В работе приведены понятия жесткости, эластичности и тонуса сосудов, а также же их взаимосвязь с общим состоянием сосудистой стенки. Описан индекс, объединяющий влияние вышеперечисленных факторов на состояние сосудистой системы и дающий представление о возрасте сосудов пациента, а также показана связь этого индекса с возрастом человека. Представлен обзор способов определения возраста сосудов с помощью контурного анализа пульсовой волны. Среди предложенных способов был выделен подход на основе контурного анализа сигнала пульсовой волны, а также ее второй производной. В данном исследовании проводилась разработка алгоритма расчета показателя возраста сосудов (VA), базирующаяся на анализе сигнала и его второй производной. При этом особое внимание уделялось физической интерпретации параметров, входящих в состав расчетной формулы. С помощью представленного алгоритма в группе из трех испытуемых был определен сосудистый возраст. Из анализа полученных результатов было выявлено влияние физиологических факторов на значение возраста сосудов. Предложены методики, позволяющие исключить влияние этих факторов на значения показателя VA и тем самым получить более точные результаты. Также представлены стратегии дальнейшего развития исследований в этом направлении In The paper presents the concepts of rigidity, elasticity and tone of blood vessels, as well as their relationship with the general state of the vascular wall. An index is described that combines the influence of the above factors on the state of the vascular system and gives an idea of the age of the patient's vessels, and also shows the relationship of this index with the age of a person. An overview of the methods for determining the age of blood vessels using the contour analysis of the pulse wave is presented. Among the proposed methods, an approach based on the contour analysis of the pulse wave signal, as well as its second derivative, was singled out. In this study, an algorithm was developed for calculating the indicator of vascular age (VA), based on the analysis of the signal and its second derivative. In this case, special attention was paid to the physical interpretation of the parameters included in the calculation formula. Using the presented algorithm, vascular age was determined in a group of three subjects. From the analysis of the results obtained, the influence of physiological factors on the value of the age of the vessels was revealed. Methods are proposed that allow to exclude the influence of these factors on the values of the VA indicator and thereby obtain more accurate results. Also presented are strategies for the further development of research in this direction

Case Report: Anesthetic Management and Electrical Cardiometry as Intensive Hemodynamic Monitoring During Cheiloplasty in an Infant With Enzyme-Replaced Pompe Disease and Preserved Preoperative Cardiac Function

Introduction: Pompe disease is caused by deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid α-glucosidase, which results in cardiac and muscular complications that can jeopardize perioperative outcomes. We report a 4-month-old infant with Pompe disease receiving cheiloplasty under general anesthesia with the aid of peripheral nerve blocks and intensive hemodynamic monitoring.Case Description: This case report describes a 4-month-old full-term Taiwanese female infant who presented with left unilateral cleft lip and palate in the prenatal examination. She was diagnosed with infantile-onset Pompe disease after acidic α-glucosidase (GAA) gene sequencing. She also received enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) 15 days after birth and regular ERT every other week. Cheiloplasty was performed under general anesthesia uneventfully, and peripheral nerve blocks were adopted for analgesia. Intensive hemodynamic monitoring using electrical cardiometry technology (ICON®) and pulse contour analysis (FloTrac system) were applied during the operation. No adverse effects were observed, and the wound healed well. Therefore, the patient was discharged 4 days after surgery.Conclusion: With the availability of ERT, severe organ dysfunction in infantile-onset Pompe disease patients is no longer common. However, moderate cardiac depression can still occur while increasing inspiratory pressure and deepening the anesthesia level despite a normal preoperative echocardiogram report. Therefore, careful, gradual titration is desirable. Furthermore, electrical cardiometry can detect hemodynamic changes more instantaneously and reliably than pulse contour analysis. In addition, we suggest taking advantage of the peripheral nerve block as a part of balanced anesthesia to alleviate the cardiac suppression caused by general anesthesia.

Control of a transport robot in extreme weather based on computer vision systems

This article presents a new way to use special computer vision techniques to aim with assisting in controlling a transport robot in a dynamic environment under exceptional and difficult environmental conditions. An analysis and development of algorithm for obstacle detection in the robot’s environment proposed based on data from an RGB-D video camera using computer vision methods. Contour analysis was the base method to detecting objects featured fragment taking into account difficult vision conditions. Based on open-source library (Open CV), we adopted methods program implementation which confirmed its applicability to detect objects in mobile robot environment.

Sex- and Age-Related Features of Interrelations Between Structural and Functional Parameters of the Heart in Junior Speed Skaters

Success of adaptive changes in young athletes in response to training and competition loads is predicted on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of quantitative and qualitative parameters of the state of critical body systems, primarily, the cardiovascular system. The aim of this paper was to determine sex- and age-related features of the morphofunctional parameters of the heart in young skaters and to identify the relationships that determine their adaptation to speed skating. Materials and methods. The research (with informed consent) included 49 athletes of both sexes with the rank of the First-Class Sportsman. The subjects were divided by age and sex into four subgroups: boys aged 13–15 and 16–18 years; girls aged 13–15 and 16–18 years. We performed electrocardiogram (ECG) recording and echocardiographic examination at rest in line with the existing protocols. Results. According to the screening of intra-system correlations between ECG and echocardiography contour analysis parameters, the following proved to be of prognostic significance: QT interval duration, heart rate and alpha angle for girls aged 13–15 years; duration of atrial excitation and pulmonary artery diameter for boys aged 13–15 years; ejection fraction and cardiac cycle duration for girls aged 16–18 years; duration of atrial excitation, which has four correlations with echocardiographic parameters, for boys aged 16–18 years. The revealed features of the structure of intra-system relationships between 21 morphofunctional parameters of the cardiovascular system are determined in the first age group (13–15 years) by athlete’s sex, while in the second age group (16–18 years) by sex and type of sport. For citation: Yarysheva V.B., Shibkova D.Z., Bayguzhin P.A., Erlikh V.V. Sex- and Age-Related Features of Interrelations Between Structural and Functional Parameters of the Heart in Junior Speed Skaters. Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 2021, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 405–416. DOI: 10.37482/2687-1491-Z078

Comparison of Bioimpedance Versus Pulse Contour Analysis for Intraoperative Cardiac Index Monitoring in Patients Undergoing Kidney Transplantation

Background: Cardiac index (CI; cardiac output indexed to body surface area) is routinely measured during kidney transplant surgery. Bioimpedance cardiometry is a transthoracic impedance as the non-invasive alternative for hemodynamic monitoring, using semi-invasive uncalibrated pulse wave or contour (UPC) analysis. Objectives: We performed a cross-sectional observational study on 50 kidney transplant patients to compare the CI measurement agreement, concordance rate, and trending ability between bioimpedance and UPC analysis. Methods: For each patient, CI was measured by bioimpedance analysis (ICONTM) and UPC analysis (EV1000TM) devices at three time points: after induction, during incision, and at reperfusion. The device measurement accuracy was assessed by the bias value, limit of agreement (LoA), and percentage error (PE) using Bland-Altman analyses. Trending ability was assessed by angular bias and polar concordance through four-quadrant and polar plot analyses. Results: From each time point and pooled measurement, the correlation coefficients were 0.267, 0.327, 0.321, and 0.348. Bland-Altman analyses showed mean bias values of 1.18, 1.06, 1.48, and 1.30, LoA of -1.35 to 3.72, -1.39 to 3.51, -1.07 to 4.04, and -1.17 to 3.78, and PE of 82.21, 78.50, 68.74, and 74.58%, respectively. Polar plot analyses revealed angular bias values of -10.37º, -15.01º, -18.68º, and -12.62º, with radial LoA of 89.79º, 85.86º, 83.38º, and 87.82º, respectively. The four-quadrant plot concordance rates were 70.77, 67.35, 65.90, and 69.79%. These analyses showed poor agreement, weak concordance, and low trending ability of bioimpedance cardiometry to UPC analysis. Conclusions: Bioimpedance and UPC analysis for CI measurements were not interchangeable in patients undergoing kidney transplant surgery. Cardiac index monitoring using bioimpedance cardiometry during kidney transplantation should be interpreted cautiously because it showed poor reliability due to low accuracy, precision, and trending ability for CI measurement.

Devising an image processing method for transport infrastructure monitoring systems

Identifying and categorizing contours in images is important in many areas of computer vision. Examples include such operational tasks solved by using unmanned aerial vehicles as dynamic monitoring of the condition of transport infrastructure, in particular road markings. This study has established that current methods of image contour analysis do not produce clear and reliable results when solving the task of monitoring the state of road markings. Therefore, it is a relevant scientific and applied task to improve the methods and models of filtration, processing of binary images, and qualitative and meaningful separation of the boundaries of objects of interest. To solve the task of highlighting road marking contours on images acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle, a method has been devised that includes an operational tool for image preprocessing – a combined filter. The method has several advantages and eliminates the limitations of known methods in determining the boundaries of the location of the object of interest, by highlighting the contours of a cluster of points using histograms. The method and procedures reported here make it possible to successfully solve problems that are largely similar to those that an expert person can face when solving intelligent tasks of processing and filtering information. The proposed method was verified at an enterprise producing the Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle "Spectator" during tests of information technology of dynamic monitoring of the state of transport infrastructure. The results could be implemented in promising intelligent control systems in the field of modeling human conscious behavior when sorting data required for the perception of environmental features

Bioreactance reliably detects preload responsiveness by the end-expiratory occlusion test when averaging and refresh times are shortened

Background The end-expiratory occlusion (EEXPO) test detects preload responsiveness, but it is 15 s long and induces small changes in cardiac index (CI). It is doubtful whether the Starling bioreactance device, which averages CI over 24 s and refreshes the displayed value every 4 s (Starling-24.4), can detect the EEXPO-induced changes in CI (ΔCI). Our primary goal was to test whether this Starling device version detects preload responsiveness through EEXPO. We also tested whether shortening the averaging and refresh times to 8 s and one second, respectively, (Starling-8.1) improves the accuracy of the device in detecting preload responsiveness using EEXPO. Methods In 42 mechanically ventilated patients, during a 15-s EEXPO, we measured ∆CI through calibrated pulse contour analysis (CIpulse, PiCCO2 device) and using the Starling device. For the latter, we considered both CIStarling-24.4 from the commercial version and CIStarling-8.1 derived from the raw data. For relative ∆CIStarling-24.4 and ∆CIStarling-8.1 during EEXPO, we calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) to detect preload responsiveness, defined as an increase in CIpulse ≥ 10% during passive leg raising (PLR). For both methods, the correlation coefficient vs. ∆CIpulse was calculated. Results Twenty-six patients were preload responders and sixteen non preload-responders. The AUROC for ∆CIStarling-24.4 was significantly lower compared to ∆CIStarling-8.1 (0.680 ± 0.086 vs. 0.899 ± 0.049, respectively; p = 0.027). A significant correlation was observed between ∆CIStarling-8.1 and ∆CIpulse (r = 0.42; p = 0.009), but not between ∆CIStarling-24.4 and ∆CIpulse. During PLR, both ∆CIStarling-24.4 and ∆CIStarling-8.1 reliably detected preload responsiveness. Conclusions Shortening the averaging and refresh times of the bioreactance signal to 8 s and one second, respectively, increases the reliability of the Starling device in detection of EEXPO-induced ∆CI. Trial registration: No. IDRCB:2018-A02825-50. Registered 13 December 2018.