Myocardial stiffness assessed by natural shear wave elastography is related to pressure-volume loop derived parameters

Background Several cardiovascular disorders are accompanied by a stiffening of the myocardium and may result in diastolic heart failure. The non-invasive assessment of myocardial stiffness could therefore improve the understanding of the pathophysiology and guide treatment. Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a recent technique with tremendous potential for evaluating myocardial stiffness in a non-invasive way. Using high frame rate echocardiography, the propagation speed of shear waves is evaluated, which is directly related to the stiffness of the myocardium. These waves are induced by for instance mitral valve closure (MVC) and propagate throughout the cardiac muscle. However, validation of SWE against an invasive gold standard method is lacking. Purpose The aim of this study was to compare echocardiographic shear wave elastography against invasive pressure-volume loops, a gold standard reference method for assessing chamber stiffness. Methods In 15 pigs (31.2±4.1 kg) stiffness of the myocardium was acutely changed by inducing ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. For this, the proximal LAD was balloon occluded for 90 minutes with subsequent reperfusion for 40 minutes. Conventional and high frame rate echocardiographic images were acquired simultaneously with pressure-volume loops during baseline conditions and after the induction of the I/R injury. Preload was reduced in order to acquire a set of pressure-volume loops to derive the end-diastolic pressure volume relation (EDPVR). From the EDPVR, the stiffness coefficient β and the operating chamber stiffness dP/dV were obtained. High frame rate echocardiographic datasets of the parasternal long axis view were acquired with an experimental ultrasound scanner (HD-PULSE) at an average frame rate of 1304±115 Hz. Tissue acceleration maps were obtained by drawing an M-mode line along the interventricular septum in order to visualize shear waves after MVC (at end-diastole). The propagation speed was assessed by semi-automatically measuring the slope (Figure A). Results I/R injury led to an elevated chamber stiffness constant β (0.09±0.03 1/ml vs. 0.05±0.01 1/ml; p<0.001) and operating chamber stiffness dP/dV (1.09±0.38 mmHg/ml vs. 0.50±0.18 mmHg/ml; p<0.01). Likewise, shear wave speed after MVC increased after the induction of the I/R injury in comparison to baseline (6.1±1.2 m/s vs. 3.2±0.8 m/s; p<0.001). Shear wave speed had a moderate positive correlation with β (r=0.63; p<0.001) (Figure B) and a strong positive correlation with dP/dV (r=0.81; p<0.001) (Figure C). Conclusion End-diastolic shear wave speed is strongly related to chamber stiffness, assessed invasively by pressure-volume loops. These results indicate that shear wave propagation speed could be used as a novel non-invasive measurement of the mechanical properties of the ventricle. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): FWO - Research Foundation Flanders

The Influence of the RF PACVD MS Process Parameters on the Physicochemical Properties of Hydroxyapatite Coatings

Hydroksyapatite (HAp) as the coating, is produced using different methods of deposition, among others: laser ablation method, sol-gel, electrophoresis, thermal sputtering or magnetron spraying with the usage of high frequency. Attempts to benefit from such a wide spectrum of existing methods are related to the fact that this material possesses many advantages. We have to distinguish, among others, proper biological properties, i.e. both - high bio-tolerance and high osteo-inductivity [1,2]. However, it is worth mentioning that the material also presents disadvantages, i.e. it indicates too quick resorption within the biological environment, depending on its obtained form. In case when HAp is in the amorphous form, it undergoes a very rapid process of dissolving in the tissue environment. [3] In order to prevent the above, it is important to produce the coatings with a regulative level of cristallinity. In the presented research the hydroxyapatite coating produced using RF PACVD MS plasma method (Radio Frequency Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Magnetron Sputtering) possesses the above mentioned amorphous form. Nevertheless, due to the usage of ‘bubbler’, allowing for delivery of hydroxyl groups into the operating chamber, it was possible to receive the Hap coatings in a crystalline form. Changing the operating pressure (the amount of bonds - OH), during sputtering, it was checked what is the influence of that parameter on the physicochemical properties of obtained coatings. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for the founding research as well as the Roentgen Apparatus Analyser (EDS). The Phase composition of a created coating was researched using the Roentgen diffract-meter (XRD). The measures of thickness were conducted using contact-profilometry. Nano-indentation technique was used to assess the mechanical properties. Obtained results of research encourage for further researches related to the influence of hydroxyl groups on the physicochemical properties of hydroxyapatat coatings.

Optimization of Surface Roughness by Taguchi Design Method

Maintaining good surface quality usually involves additional manufacturing cost or loss of productivity. The Taguchi design is an efficient and effective experimental method in which a response variable can be optimized, given various control and noise factors, using fewer resources than a factorial design. This study included feed rate, spindle speed and depth of cut as control factors, and the noise factors were the operating chamber temperature and the usage of different tool inserts in the same specification. An orthogonal array of L9 (34) was used and the optimal cutting combination was determined by seeking the best surface roughness (response) and signal-to-noise ratio.

Development of a Virtual Simulation System for Crane-Operating Training

The purpose of this work is to develop a virtual simulation system for crane-operating training. It includes an operating chamber to simulate the driving chamber of a truck crane and a motion chair to offer additional vibrating effect. The virtual scenes, generated by a VR software, is displayed on a screen in front of the operating chamber through a 3D projector. A data communication structure is proposed to deliver the information among three personal computers. The hardware configuration of the simulator is discussed and the VR techniques used to generate the virtual scenes are addressed. A performance evaluation in terms of the frame rate is provided also.