Abnormal ECG Findings in Athletes: Clinical Evaluation and Considerations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pre-participation cardiovascular evaluation with electrocardiography is normal practice for most sporting bodies. Awareness about sudden cardiac death in athletes and recognizing how screening can help identify vulnerable athletes have empowered different sporting disciplines to invest in the wellbeing of their athletes. RECENT FINDINGS: Discerning physiological electrical alterations due to athletic training from those representing cardiac pathology may be challenging. The mode of investigation of affected athletes is dependent on the electrical anomaly and the disease(s) in question. This review will highlight specific pathological ECG patterns that warrant assessment and surveillance, together with an in-depth review of the recommended algorithm for evaluation

Anterior T-Wave Inversion in Young White Athletes and Nonathletes: Prevalance and Significance

BACKGROUND: Anterior T-wave inversion (ATWI) on electrocardiography (ECG) in young white adults raises the possibility of cardiomyopathy, specifically arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Whereas the 2010 European consensus recommendations for ECG interpretation in young athletes state that ATWI beyond lead V1 warrants further investigation, the prevalence and significance of ATWI have never been reported in a large population of asymptomatic whites. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the prevalence and significance of ATWI in a large cohort of young, white adults including athletes. METHODS: Individuals 16 to 35 years of age (n = 14,646), including 4,720 females (32%) and 2,958 athletes (20%), were evaluated by using a health questionnaire, physical examination, and 12-lead ECG. ATWI was defined as T-wave inversion in ≥2 contiguous anterior leads (V1 to V4). RESULTS: ATWI was detected in 338 individuals (2.3%) and was more common in women than in men (4.3% vs. 1.4%, respectively; p < 0.0001) and more common among athletes than in nonathletes (3.5% vs. 2.0%, respectively; p < 0.0001). T-wave inversion was predominantly confined to leads V1 to V2 (77%). Only 1.2% of women and 0.2% of men exhibited ATWI beyond V2. No one with ATWI fulfilled diagnostic criteria for ARVC after further evaluation. During a mean follow-up of 23.1 ± 12.2 months none of the individuals with ATWI experienced an adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: ATWI confined to leads V1 to V2 is a normal variant or physiological phenomenon in asymptomatic white individuals without a relevant family history. ATWI beyond V2 is rare, particularly in men, and may warrant investigation

The Female Athlete's Heart: Facts and Fallacies.

Purpose of the review For many years, competitive sport has been dominated by men. Recent times have witnessed a significant increase in women participating in elite sports. As most studies investigated male athletes, with few reports on female counterparts, it is crucial to have a better understanding on physiological cardiac adaptation to exercise in female athletes, to distinguish normal phenotypes from potentially fatal cardiac diseases. This review reports on cardiac adaptation to exercise in females. Recent findings Recent studies show that electrical, structural, and functional cardiac changes due to physiological adaptation to exercise differ in male and female athletes. Women tend to exhibit eccentric hypertrophy, and while concentric hypertrophy or concentric remodeling may be a normal finding in male athletes, it should be evaluated carefully in female athletes as it may be a sign of pathology. Although few studies on veteran female athletes are available, women seem to be affected by atrial fibrillation, coronary atherosclerosis, and myocardial fibrosis less than male counterparts. Summary Males and females exhibit many biological, anatomical, and hormonal differences, and cardiac adaptation to exercise is no exception. The increasing participation of women in sports should stimulate the scientific community to develop large, longitudinal studies aimed at a better understanding of cardiac adaptation to exercise in female athletes

HARD HANDOVER OPTIMIZATION USING TIME WINDOW BASED HANDOVER ALGORITHM

ABSTRACT This paper shows and solves a handover problem occurring with current power control mechanisms in cochannel Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) heterogeneous networks. The problem is the mismatch between the required uplink transmits power when a user is communicating to a small cell and an underlying microcellular base-station. This paper introduces Time Window Handover (TWHO) algorithm to adapt the transmit power of the small cell users during the handover regime to prevent such Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) drops

Situation Analysis of Gum Arabic Production and Practices in North Kordofan, Sudan

There is a great quantity of gum arabic trees in the Gum Arabic belt and plenty of gum Arabic researches were conducted, still there are information gaps in gum production, quality aspects, marketing and adoption of innovations tools.&nbsp; The broad objective of this research was to assess the impact of gum Arabic researches results applied in improving and developing the gum Arabic sector in term of applied of tapping by sunki, tapping direction east and west, bags packaging gum in it, time between picking and second one and tapping operation provided by different institutions in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities - North Kordofan State, Sudan. Primary data was collected through face- to face interview with local farmers. A random sample of 265 respondents was selected from nine gum Arabic producers associations representing the two localities. Secondary data was obtained from thesis, journals, books, reports, web, and other relevant sources. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi- square and likert scale analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The main findings of the research are; there were significance relationship at (p= 0.05) between gum Arabic production techniques applied and production and quality gum with regards to applied tapping by sunki, tapping direction east and west and bags packaging gum in it, time between first picking and second one in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities. The result of binary logistic regression showed that extension and training services are the main determinants factor for adoption of gum production techniques. Drawing from the present empirical findings the taps with sunki, tapping east and west direction, jute bags packaging gum in it and the time between first picking and second one were preferred gum production techniques in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities. Modern and adapted tapping tools should be invented

Preparation, characterization and antibacterial effects of eco-friendly gold nanorods

Purpose: To synthesize and characterize eco-friendly gold nanorods (Au-NRs) and to assess their effects against two bacterial strains.Methods: Synthesis of eco-friendly gold nanorods was done from an aqueous solution of chloroauric acid and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide by mixing Olea europaea fruit and Acacia nilotica husk extracts with the latter as a reducing agent. The synthesis was monitored by ultraviolet–visible (UV) spectrophotmetry and a zetasizer, while the morphology of the resulting nanorods was assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with an energy-dispersive spectrophotometer (EDS). The effect of the prepared eco-nanorods on growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were investigated by agar diffusion method.Results: The synthesized Au-NRs were mostly rod-shaped, with mean size of 96 nm. They exhibited a potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and  Gram-negative microorganisms (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus).Conclusion: The findings suggest that the nanoformulation of the biomaterial mix of Olea europaea fruit and Acacia nilotica husk extracts is a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and non-toxic synthesis of Au- NRs which has therpeautic potential.Keywords: Olea europaea, Acacia nilotica, Gold nanorods, Eco-friendly synthesis, Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganism

Diagnostic Impact of Repeated Expert Review & Long‐Term Follow‐Up in Determining Etiology of Idiopathic Cardiac Arrest

Background: Recognizing the etiology of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has an enormous impact on the management of victims and their immediate families. A significant proportion of SCA survivors with a structurally normal heart are not offered a diagnosis and there is no clear consensus on the type and duration of follow‐up. We aimed to assess the utility of a multidisciplinary approach in optimizing diagnosis of cardiac arrest etiology during follow‐up. Methods and Results: We retrospectively assessed 327 consecutive SCA survivors (mean age 61.9±16.2 years, 80% men) who underwent secondary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillators between May 2015 and November 2018. The initial diagnosis was recorded at the time of admission and follow‐up diagnosis was deduced from subsequent clinic records, investigations, and outcomes of multidisciplinary team meetings. Structural heart disease accounted for 282 (86%) of SCAs. Forty‐five (14%) patients had a structurally normal heart and underwent comprehensive testing and follow‐up (mean duration 93±52 weeks). On initial evaluation, 14/45 (31%) of these received a diagnosis, rising to 29/45 (64%) with serial reviews during follow‐up. Discussion in multidisciplinary team meetings and imaging reassessment accounted for 47% of new diagnoses. No additional diagnoses were made beyond 96 weeks. Nineteen (5.8%) fatalities occurred in the entire cohort, exclusively in patients with structural heart disease. Conclusions: Systematic comprehensive testing combined with multidisciplinary expert team review of SCA survivors without structural heart disease improves the yield and time to diagnosis compared with previously published studies. This approach has positive implications in the management of SCA survivors and their families

Situation Analysis of Gum Arabic Production and Practices in North Kordofan, Sudan

There is a great quantity of gum arabic trees in the Gum Arabic belt and plenty of gum Arabic researches were conducted, still there are information gaps in gum production, quality aspects, marketing and adoption of innovations tools.&nbsp; The broad objective of this research was to assess the impact of gum Arabic researches results applied in improving and developing the gum Arabic sector in term of applied of tapping by sunki, tapping direction east and west, bags packaging gum in it, time between picking and second one and tapping operation provided by different institutions in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities - North Kordofan State, Sudan. Primary data was collected through face- to face interview with local farmers. A random sample of 265 respondents was selected from nine gum Arabic producers associations representing the two localities. Secondary data was obtained from thesis, journals, books, reports, web, and other relevant sources. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi- square and likert scale analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The main findings of the research are; there were significance relationship at (p= 0.05) between gum Arabic production techniques applied and production and quality gum with regards to applied tapping by sunki, tapping direction east and west and bags packaging gum in it, time between first picking and second one in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities. The result of binary logistic regression showed that extension and training services are the main determinants factor for adoption of gum production techniques. Drawing from the present empirical findings the taps with sunki, tapping east and west direction, jute bags packaging gum in it and the time between first picking and second one were preferred gum production techniques in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities. Modern and adapted tapping tools should be invented

Cooperative Sensing Approach in Cognitive Radio Network-A Review Paper

ABSTRACT: Radio Spectrum is considered as a base line in Wireless communication network, due to its important role as a transmission medium; and according to the rapid improvement in the technologies which deal with radio spectrum; cognitive radio raised as a promising solution for solving the problem of radio spectrum scarcity. Cognitive radio is based on spectrum sensing as appropriate tool to study surrounding environment in order to illustrate the suitable scenario for sharing spectrum between users. Cooperative sensing is the most sophisticated approach in spectrum sensing depends on base of sharing information to eliminate error in spectrum sensing mechanism. This paper is a review paper. It discusses Cooperative sensing approach features in cognitive radio