Usefulness of atropine in patients with chronotropic incompetence and poor exercise capacity during treadmill stress testing

AbstractBackgroundAtropine, an anticholinergic agent, has been shown to increase heart rate and enhance the sensitivity of dobutamine stress echocardiography in the detection of CAD in patients with chronotropic incompetence; however, the addition of atropine to exercise stress testing EST, in these types of patients has not been well studied previously.ObjectiveInvestigating the usefulness and accuracy of atropine in decreasing the number of inconclusive results of EST in patients with chronotropic incompetence and poor exercise capacity.MethodsThirty patients (16 males and 14 females with the age range of 40:73years with mean of 55±8) out of 180 patients who preformed EST were chosen as having chronotropic incompetence or poor exercise capacity by Borg scale. Atropine was administered during the exercise phase in doses of 0.5mg per minute until test conclusion or the maximum dose of 2mg was reached. All patients were subjected to stress myocardial perfusion imaging SMPI to confirm accuracy.ResultsConclusive test results were achieved in 29 patients (97%). Heart rate and blood pressure were markedly increased with statically highly significant difference (P value <0.001), patients on b-blocker treatment had lower maximum heart rate compared to other patients with significant difference. Twenty-three (79%) patients had negative test results and six (21%) patients had positive test results, and if compared to SMPT results, EST was considered better positive than negative test, with higher specificity than sensitivity and accuracy.ConclusionsAtropine injection during EST significantly reduced the inconclusive test results in patients with chronotropic incompetence and poor exercise capacity

Effectiveness of daily fluid balance charting versus body weight measurement as a guide for fluid administration therapy after cardiac surgery

Background: Several studies have established a link between fluid overload and an increased risk of death. After cardiac surgery, patients' fluid status should be assessed at close intervals. A daily fluid balance (FB) has several limitations. This study aims to determine the agreement and correlation between fluid status changes calculated by the daily fluid balance through the conventional charting approach and body weight (BW) change using beds equipped with weighing scales. Methods: This is a prospective observational study that included 50 patients who underwent cardiac surgeries. It evaluates the precision and usefulness of determining body fluid status and requirements using daily fluid balance and body weight measurements. Results: The mean age of the study group was 52.9 ±10.44 years. The mean weight, height, and BMI were 87.1 ± 16.68 Kg, 170.4 ± 4.59 cm, and 30.12 ± 6.21 kg/m2. The mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 9.5 ±3.73 h. Mean ICU and hospitalization times were 2.4 ± 0.67 and 6.3 ± 1.36 days, respectively. The mean cumulative fluid balance was 0.52 ± 3.21 L, and the overall change in body weight (discharge weight − admission weight) was 0.55 ± 2.89 kg. There was a highly significant positive correlation between overall bodyweight and cumulative fluid balance (r- coefficeient= 0.947, p-value &lt;0.001). Conclusion: Bodyweight measured by weight-enabled beds could seem sufficiently robust or accurate to replace daily FB in ICU post open heart. Such measurement might be used to monitor overall changes in BW in patients with a prolonged ICU stay

System Identification of Neural Systems: Going Beyond Images to Modelling Dynamics

Vast literature has compared the recordings of biological neurons in the brain to deep neural networks. The ultimate goal is to interpret deep networks or to better understand and encode biological neural systems. Recently, there has been a debate on whether system identification is possible and how much it can tell us about the brain computation. System identification recognizes whether one model is more valid to represent the brain computation over another. Nonetheless, previous work did not consider the time aspect and how video and dynamics (e.g., motion) modelling in deep networks relate to these biological neural systems within a large-scale comparison. Towards this end, we propose a system identification study focused on comparing single image vs. video understanding models with respect to the visual cortex recordings. Our study encompasses two sets of experiments; a real environment setup and a simulated environment setup. The study also encompasses more than 30 models and, unlike prior works, we focus on convolutional vs. transformer-based, single vs. two-stream, and fully vs. self-supervised video understanding models. The goal is to capture a greater variety of architectures that model dynamics. As such, this signifies the first large-scale study of video understanding models from a neuroscience perspective. Our results in the simulated experiments, show that system identification can be attained to a certain level in differentiating image vs. video understanding models. Moreover, we provide key insights on how video understanding models predict visual cortex responses; showing video understanding better than image understanding models, convolutional models are better in the early-mid regions than transformer based except for multiscale transformers that are still good in predicting these regions, and that two-stream models are better than single stream

Synthesis and efficiency of new pyridine, chromene and thiazole containing compounds as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents

ABSTRACT. The versatile scaffold, N'-(2-cyanoacetyl)-2-hydroxybenzohydrazide (3) was utilized in the production of new pyridine, chromene and thiazole derivatives as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. The synthetic strategy involves the treatment of precursor 3 with various arylidene-malononitrile and 3-aryl-2-cyanoacrylate compounds to furnish substituted pyridines 5 and 7. The interaction of 3 with salicylaldehyde and/or phenyl isothiocyanate followed by cyclization with chloroacetone produced the corresponding 2-imino-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide and (thiazol-2-ylidene-acetyl)-salicylic acid hydrazide compounds 8 and 9, respectively. The structural features of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by using spectroscopic methods such as (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS). The new pyridine, chromene and thiazole products showed potent antioxidants and antimicrobial activities. The thiazole derivative 9 exhibited the highest anti-bacterial and antifungal activities against S. aureus (75.0%) and B. subtilis (73.9%) and C. albicans (66.6%). The combination between salicylic acid hydrazide and thiazole moieties in the hybrid 9 indicated the best antioxidant activity (87.9%). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; KEY WORDS: Salicylic hydrazide, Arylidene-malononitrile, Pyridine, Thiazole, Antioxidant &nbsp; Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2022, 36(1), 137-148.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v36i1.12&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp

Surgical treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fracture using a single small lateral approach

The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of semi-open reduction and minimal internal fixation through a single small lateral approach as a minimally invasive technique for treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures. This prospective study was conducted on eighteen patients (16 men and 2 women). The average age was 37.7 (22–55). The most common cause of injury was a fall from height in fourteen patients. Patients were operated on within a mean time of 4.8 days of admission (1–11 days) and were followed up for an average period of 24.1 months (6–39 months). Patients were evaluated clinically using the Creighton-Nebraska Heath Foundation Assessment score of Crosby and Fitzgibbons (J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 72-A:852–859, 1990). The scoring system proposed by Knirk and Jupiter was used for radiological assessment of the posterior subtalar joint (Knirk and Jupiter in J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 68-A: 647–659, 1986). The skin incision healed in all cases without necrosis, infection, or sural nerve injury. All fractures healed after an average of 8 weeks (7–10 weeks), and patients returned to the routine daily activities after an average time of 4.3 months (3–7 months). In conclusion, semi-open reduction and minimal internal fixation through a small lateral approach is an effective treatment for carefully selected cases of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures

Improve Quality of Smart Universities through Information Technology Infrastructure Library Methodology

This paper focuses on educational institutions are increasingly seeking innovative ways to enhance the quality of their services. Smart universities, a product of this technological evolution, aim to provide students with cutting-edge educational experiences. One of the pivotal factors in achieving this goal is the effective management of Information Technology (IT) services. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) methodology is recognized worldwide as a robust framework for IT service management. Its principles and best practices have been successfully applied in various sectors to optimize processes, enhance service quality, and ensure efficient resource utilization. Given the ever-growing reliance on IT within educational institutions, implementing ITIL in smart universities has the potential to significantly elevate the quality of education. This paper explores the vital role that the ITIL methodology plays in improving the quality of smart universities. It delves into how the principles and practices of ITIL can be strategically integrated into the operational fabric of higher education institutions. By leveraging ITIL, universities can not only bolster their IT service management but also enrich the overall educational experience for students, ultimately contributing to the realization of truly smart and technologically advanced learning environments

Effect of Different Storage Temperatures on the Efficacy of the Bivalent Foot and Mouth Disease Oil Vaccine

The storage stability of locally produced double oil emulsion adjuvant bivalent Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine prepared from type O1/Aga/ EGY/93 strain and A/EGY/1/2006 had been determined depending on its shelf life in different storage temperatures during the registration of this vaccine by the Central Laboratory for Evaluation of Veterinary Biologics, Abbasia, Cairo. Samples of this vaccine were kept at 4°C for period of 27 months; at 25°C for 5 weeks and at 37°C for 3 weeks. The potency of these vaccine samples was evaluated in guinea pigs as laboratory animal's model. The obtained results confirmed that the vaccine keep its potency beyond the normal conservation period at 4°C for two years with 100% protection against challenge with FMDV O1/Aga/EGY/93 and at 25°C for 3 weeks and at 37°C for 1 week, showing 80% protection when storage of the vaccine at 25°C for 4 weeks; at 37°C for 2 weeks. On challenge with A/EGY/1/2006 the vaccine gave 100% protection when storage at 4°C for 21 months; at 25°C for 2 weeks and at 37°C for 1 week. Otherwise it gave 80% protection when storage at 4°C for 24 months; at 25°C for 3 weeks and at 37°C for 2 weeks then became invalid after 27 months at 4°C; after 4 weeks at 25°C and for 3 weeks at 37°C. So it could be concluded that 4°C is the best temperature of choice for storage of the oil inactivated bivalent FMD vaccine

Seminavis aegyptiaca sp. nov., a new amphoroid diatom species from estuary epilithon of the River-Nile Damietta Branch, Egypt

[EN] During a recent floristic–taxonomic study on the algal flora, including diatoms, from the estuary of the Damietta Branch of the Nile in Egypt, an interesting epilithic diatom species belonging to the genus Seminavis (Naviculaceae) was collected and investigated using both light and scanning electron microscopy. This new diatom species shares morphologically some taxonomic diagnostic features with other related taxa such as S. insignis, S. robusta, and S. ventricosa. However, it still differs by having ventral central striae that are shorter and more or less straight in the middle of the smaller frustules to be clearly radiate in the larger ones and then become geniculate and only radiate near the poles, the central raphe endings are externally more distantly spaced than in the similar species, the elongate central nodule is internally less prominent, and the areola density is much denser. Therefore, we here describe it as Seminavis aegyptiaca sp. nov. Hydrochemical analyses revealed that S. aegyptiaca commonly inhabits typical marine, with a weak tendency towards brackish water, habitats. It was found to be tolerant to meso–eutrophic, nutrient–enriched conditions, based on the data available on seasonal concentrations of N and P compounds. These findings not only contribute to the inventory of Egyptian diatoms, but also increase our understanding of the autecology and distribution of this relatively poorly–known diatom genusSIThis work was a part of the PhyBiO project funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) to the MUSE Post–Doc Abdullah A. Saber for the academic year 2018/201

A Survey on African Computer Vision Datasets, Topics and Researchers

Computer vision encompasses a range of tasks such as object detection, semantic segmentation, and 3D reconstruction. Despite its relevance to African communities, research in this field within Africa represents only 0.06% of top-tier publications over the past decade. This study undertakes a thorough analysis of 63,000 Scopus-indexed computer vision publications from Africa, spanning from 2012 to 2022. The aim is to provide a survey of African computer vision topics, datasets and researchers. A key aspect of our study is the identification and categorization of African Computer Vision datasets using large language models that automatically parse abstracts of these publications. We also provide a compilation of unofficial African Computer Vision datasets distributed through challenges or data hosting platforms, and provide a full taxonomy of dataset categories. Our survey also pinpoints computer vision topics trends specific to different African regions, indicating their unique focus areas. Additionally, we carried out an extensive survey to capture the views of African researchers on the current state of computer vision research in the continent and the structural barriers they believe need urgent attention. In conclusion, this study catalogs and categorizes Computer Vision datasets and topics contributed or initiated by African institutions and identifies barriers to publishing in top-tier Computer Vision venues. This survey underscores the importance of encouraging African researchers and institutions in advancing computer vision research in the continent. It also stresses on the need for research topics to be more aligned with the needs of African communities.Comment: Under Review, Community Work of Ro'ya Grassroots, https://ro-ya-cv4africa.github.io/homepage/.Journal extension of our conference paper, arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2305.0677