The Effects of Ethanol on the Heart: Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

Alcoholic-dilated Cardiomyopathy (ACM) is the most prevalent form of ethanol-induced heart damage. Ethanol induces ACM in a dose-dependent manner, independently of nutrition, vitamin, or electrolyte disturbances. It has synergistic effects with other heart risk factors. ACM produces a progressive reduction in myocardial contractility and heart chamber dilatation, leading to heart failure episodes and arrhythmias. Pathologically, ethanol induces myocytolysis, apoptosis, and necrosis of myocytes, with repair mechanisms causing hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis. Myocyte ethanol targets include changes in membrane composition, receptors, ion channels, intracellular [Ca2+] transients, and structural proteins, and disrupt sarcomere contractility. Cardiac remodeling tries to compensate for this damage, establishing a balance between aggression and defense mechanisms. The final process of ACM is the result of dosage and individual predisposition. The ACM prognosis depends on the degree of persistent ethanol intake. Abstinence is the preferred goal, although controlled drinking may still improve cardiac function. New strategies are addressed to decrease myocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis and try to improve myocyte regeneration, minimizing ethanol-related cardiac damage. Growth factors and cardiomyokines are relevant molecules that may modify this process. Cardiac transplantation is the final measure in end-stage ACM but is limited to those subjects able to achieve abstinence

Central sensitization: a pathogenic mechanism in complex undefined diseases

There is a common perception that complex undefined diseases manifested with diverse combination of symptoms and a difficult clinical diagnosis have a possible common physiological mechanism of disease production. Physical or cognitive fatigue, widespread pain without arthritis, sleep, mood and autonomic disturbances as well as multiple intolerance involving drug, food, chemical agents, electromagnetic fields or other environmental factors may be included in this category. Along last three decades, the existence of central sensitivity as a well established common pathogenic mechanism involved in abnormal symptom development emerged in diverse areas as pain, fatigue, food and environmental intolerance, as well as in the global chronic disease epidemic. The common fact of all of these disorders is a deregulation of the central control mechanisms at the limbic brain system. This may relate to amplification of pain and fatigue perception and disturbance of environmental tolerance and control of circadian rhythms and mood. This deregulation causes amplification of central somatosensory perception, but also a decrease of nociceptive inhibitory outputs. The final result is a chronic condition with central hyperexcitability and systemic disabling symptoms highly difficult to manage. This article comments on the current significance to evaluate central sensitization symptoms and to consider these mechanisms in the development of complex diseases, as well as in the global chronic disease epidemic. We propose to include central sensitization to structuring a multidisciplinary concept addressed to improve scientific comprehension and clinical management of these diseases, as wee as future research directions on this field

New Treatment Strategies for Alcohol-Induced Heart Damage.

High-dose alcohol misuse induces multiple noxious cardiac effects, including myocyte hypertrophy and necrosis, interstitial fibrosis, decreased ventricular contraction and ventricle enlargement. These effects produce diastolic and systolic ventricular dysfunction leading to congestive heart failure, arrhythmias and an increased death rate. There are multiple, dose-dependent, synchronic and synergistic mechanisms of alcohol-induced cardiac damage. Ethanol alters membrane permeability and composition, interferes with receptors and intracellular transients, induces oxidative, metabolic and energy damage, decreases protein synthesis, excitation-contraction coupling and increases cell apoptosis. In addition, ethanol decreases myocyte protective and repair mechanisms and their regeneration. Although there are diverse different strategies to directly target alcohol-induced heart damage, they are partially effective, and can only be used as support medication in a multidisciplinary approach. Alcohol abstinence is the preferred goal, but control drinking is useful in alcohol-addicted subjects not able to abstain. Correction of nutrition, ionic and vitamin deficiencies and control of alcohol-related systemic organ damage are compulsory. Recently, several growth factors (myostatin, IGF-1, leptin, ghrelin, miRNA, and ROCK inhibitors) and new cardiomyokines such as FGF21 have been described to regulate cardiac plasticity and decrease cardiac damage, improving cardiac repair mechanisms, and they are promising agents in this field. New potential therapeutic targets aim to control oxidative damage, myocyte hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis and persistent apoptosis In addition, stem-cell therapy may improve myocyte regeneration. However, these strategies are not yet approved for clinical use

RFID system evaluation against radiated transient noise

In this paper a radiofrequency identification system according to standard ISO/IEC 14443 type-B is evaluated in presence of transient noise. This real time communication system working at 13.56 MHz is interfered in a controlled environment by different transient bursts varying their level, frequency and duration. The transient burst interference is applied in an AC main wire close to the system and the effect over the digital communication system is evaluated using two different methods. The first one is observing directly an RFID equipment in presence of transient signals, and the second one is capturing the interference in time domain an evaluating its effect by means of simulation. The RFID system is affected by these transient noises causing different types of errors. It is shown that it is essential to measure and evaluate in time domain the transient phenomena to ensure that the RFID system do not have susceptibility problems.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Síndromes de sensibilización central: hacia la estructuración de un concepto multidisciplinar.

Article en el que es discuteix el concepte de sensibilització central, les malaties que hi són incloses i la seva utilitat pràctica per al maneig del conjunt d'aquesta simptomatologia. Es fa més émfasi en la Fibromiàlgia,Síndrome de Fatiga Crónica i la Sensibiltiat Química Múltiple. S'aborda el tema des d'un vessant multidisciplinar

Characterization of time domain EM field double-loaded curved loop probe

© 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksIn this paper, we present and analyze the performance of a double-loaded curved loop probe to measure simultaneously electric and magnetic fields (EMF). The aim is to construct a probe that can be fitted to non-planar structures and have a proper response to EMF. The curved probe is studied in comparison with well-known planar probes, which have been verified and used previously. The time-domain data obtained through EM simulation allow us to identify if the probe's response is suitable although its geometry. Finally, the probe has been constructed and evaluated with experimental test, measuring and validating the conclusions find out by the EM simulation.This work was supported in part by the EURAMET 15RPT01 research project (the EMPIR is jointly funded by the EMPIR participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union), by the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad,” under project TEC2016-79214-C3-2-R (AEI/FEDER, UE), by the “Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya” and the European Social Fund and The author(s) would like to acknowledge the contribution of the COST Action IC1407 ‘ACCREDIT’.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Transient perturbation analysis in digital radio

This paper presents a new simulation methodology to study the effect of radiated transient disturbances on digital communication systems. The procedure is divided in two stages. In the first one, FDTD numerical simulation is used to determine the transient levels coupled to the antennas. In the second stage, these levels are analyzed by means of a signal processing simulation software to determine the degradation caused in the system. The procedure is applied to a DAB system in car when a radiated interference is generated by a transient in a vehicle cable. The results show that the amplitude of the radiated transient coupled signal is a key parameter, but it is also essential to take into account other parameters such as burst duration and frequency.Postprint (published version

EMC filter based on complementary split-ring resonators for audio applications

Filters based on complementary split-ring resonators present a large notch attenuation at the resonant frequency. An application of these very low cost filters to an audio system interfered by a mobile phone is presented in this paper.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Evaluación de la vía aérea superior en sujetos con SAHS mediante análisis del sonido respiratorio durante vigilia

El Síndrome de Apnea-Hipopnea del Sueño (SAHS) actualmente se diagnostica mediante la Polisomnografía (PSG), una prueba cara y costosa. Se han propuesto diversas alternativas para ayudar al cribado previo de SAHS. En estudios previos demostramos que los sujetos con SAHS se pueden identificar a partir de las frecuencias de resonancia (formantes) de la respiración nocturna. En este trabajo se extiende el estudio al sonido respiratorio registrado en vigilia. Se seleccionaron diversos ciclos de inspiración y expiración consecutivas en 23 sujetos con diversos grados de SAHS durante el estado de vigilia previo a la PSG. Mediante un modelo autoregresivo (AR) se estimaron los formantes y el área transversal (CSA) de la vía. Se observa que los formantes en determinadas bandas tienen una frecuencia mayor (p<0.04) en sujetos con SAHS leve-moderado, con un Índice de Apnea-Hipopnea (AHI) menor que 30, respecto a los sujetos con SAHS severo (AHI=30). En paralelo, el área promedio de la vía aérea en las zonas con obstrucción muestra una tendencia decreciente (r=-0.498) con la severidad de la patología. Las características de los formantes, combinadas con medidas antropométricas, permiten clasificar a los sujetos con SAHS severo con una sensibilidad (especificidad) de hasta un 84.6% (88.9%). En conclusión, el sonido respiratorio registrado durante vigilia proporciona información valiosa sobre el estado de la vía aérea superior que puede ayudar a identificar un SAHS severo.Postprint (published version