Time Variability of Fibrillatory Waves Energy Predicts Long-Term Outcome of Atrial Fibrillation Concomitant Surgical Ablation

[EN] Surgical ablation (SA) is the most effective procedure to terminate atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients requiring concomitant open-heart surgery. However, considering the great stress provoked in the patient¿s heart, along with the benefits of anticipating antiarrhythmic therapeutical decisions, preoperative prediction of long-term failure of the procedure is an interesting clinical challenge. Hence, the present work introduces a novel algorithm to anticipate SA outcome after one year of follow-up by just analyzing the surface ECG. The method firstly extracts fibrillatory waves reflected on standard lead V1 using an adaptive QRST cancellation approach. The resulting signal is then segmented into 1 s-length intervals and wavelet energy is computed for all of them. Finally, the coefficient of variation of the time series obtained for the 7th scale is computed. Analyzing 20 second-length preoperative ECG excerpts from 53 persistent AF patients undergoing concomitant openheart surgery, only the proposed method reported statistically significant differences between the patients who relapsed to AF and those who maintained sinus rhythm during the follow-up. The algorithm also provided values of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy between 10 and 20% better than the well-established dominant atrial frequency and fibrillatory waves amplitude, thus suggesting to be a promising predictor of AF recurrence after SA.This research has been supported by grants DPI2017-83952-C3 from MINECO/AEI/FEDER EU, SBPLY/17/180501/000411 from Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-la Mancha and AICO/2019/036 from Generalitat Valenciana. Moreover, Pilar Escribano holds a graduate research scholarship from University of Castilla-La Mancha.Ródenas, J.; Escribano, P.; Martinez-Iniesta, M.; Garcia, M.; Hornero, F.; Rieta, JJ.; Alcaraz, R. (2020). Time Variability of Fibrillatory Waves Energy Predicts Long-Term Outcome of Atrial Fibrillation Concomitant Surgical Ablation. IEEE. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.22489/CinC.2020.393S1

Assessment of the implantation of day-2 human embryos by morphometric nonsubjective parameters

Discuss: You can discuss this article with its authors and with other ASRM members at http:// fertstertforum.com/molinai-implantation-morphometric-nonsubjective/Objective: To demonstrate the usefulness of image analysis in designing objective embryonic morphometric variables. Design: Retrospective study of 214 top-quality day-2 embryo photographs from 50 double-embryo transfers resulting in no pregnancy (group 0) and 57 resulting in twin pregnancy (group 1). Setting: Human reproduction unit. Patient(s): Study of 107 in vitro fertilization intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF ICSI) cycles in women age<36 years with doubleembryo transfer of top-quality embryos. Only the first cycle of IVF ICSI was included. Intervention(s): Standard IVF ICSI protocols. Main Outcome Measure(s): The embryo photographs were analyzed using the ImageJ program. The effects of the embryo variables and the clinical variables on embryo implantation were evaluated using a stepwise dichotomous logistic regression. Result(s): Significant differences were observed, owing to the women's ages, internal perimeter, roundness factor, and zona pellucida thickness. Embryos with smaller internal perimeter, circular shape, and thinner zona pellucida were more likely to implant. Conclusion(s): Morphometric variables lower the subjectivity of the current embryo grading systems. These variables are nonsubjective factors to consider when predicting implantation. Embryo image analysis is an accurate tool that can improve IVF ICSI outcomes and reduce the number of twin pregnancies. (Fertil Steril 2014;102:1022 8. 2014 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.) Key Words: Embryo selection, embryo score, morphological and morphometric embryo variables, images analysis, embryo implantation, embryo grading systemsMolina Botella, MI.; Martinez-Sanchez, JV.; Pertusa, J.; Balasch Parisi, S.; Iniesta, I.; Pellicer, A. (2014). Assessment of the implantation of day-2 human embryos by morphometric nonsubjective parameters. Fertility and Sterility. 102(4):1022-1027. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.06.026S10221027102

SUNRISE/IMaX observations of convectively driven vortex flows in the Sun

We characterize the observational properties of the convectively driven vortex flows recently discovered on the quiet Sun, using magnetograms, Dopplergrams and images obtained with the 1-m balloon-borne Sunrise telescope. By visual inspection of time series, we find some 3.1e-3 vortices/(Mm^2 min), which is a factor of 1.7 larger than previous estimates. The mean duration of the individual events turns out to be 7.9 min, with a standard deviation of 3.2 min. In addition, we find several events appearing at the same locations along the duration of the time series (31.6 min). Such recurrent vortices show up in the proper motion flow field map averaged over the time series. The typical vertical vorticities are <= 6e-3 1/sec, which corresponds to a period of rotation of some 35 min. The vortices show a preferred counterclockwise sense of rotation, which we conjecture may have to do with the preferred vorticity impinged by the solar differential rotation.Comment: To appear in ApJL. 5 Figs, 4 pages. The two animations associated with the work can be downloaded from http://www.iac.es/proyecto/solarhr/imaxvortex.html References updated in V

Detection of vortex tubes in solar granulation from observations with Sunrise

We have investigated a time series of continuum intensity maps and corresponding Dopplergrams of granulation in a very quiet solar region at the disk center, recorded with the Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment (IMaX) on board the balloon-borne solar observatory Sunrise. We find that granules frequently show substructure in the form of lanes composed of a leading bright rim and a trailing dark edge, which move together from the boundary of a granule into the granule itself. We find strikingly similar events in synthesized intensity maps from an ab initio numerical simulation of solar surface convection. From cross sections through the computational domain of the simulation, we conclude that these `granular lanes' are the visible signature of (horizontally oriented) vortex tubes. The characteristic optical appearance of vortex tubes at the solar surface is explained. We propose that the observed vortex tubes may represent only the large-scale end of a hierarchy of vortex tubes existing near the solar surface.Comment: Astrophysical Journal Letters: Sunrise Special Issue, reveived 2010 June 16; accepted 2010 August

Relationship between prolonged sweetener consumption and chronic stress in the production of carbonylated proteins in blood lymphocytes

Artículo derivado de un proyecto de investigación para la identificación del efecto del consumo de edulcorantes sobre el sistema inmunitario.Introduction: Modern lifestyles have changed eating habits, encouraged physical inactivity, and increased stress in daily life. These living conditions cause elevated concentrations of carbonylated proteins like biomarker of oxidative stress. The expression of this proteins represent irreversible damage to structural intracellular proteins in cells and extracellular matrix. It is not clear whether a rise in the concentration of these proteins is the origin or consequence of diseases. Objective: To determine in a healthy young mice model the possible correlation between prolonged sweetener consumption and the presence of chronic physiological stress, evidenced by the production of carbonylated proteins in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Methods: Sixty-four 21-day-old CD1 male mice were divided into two groups, stressed (with immobilization) and unstressed. Each group was divided into four subgroups: Control or experimental with a 6-week administration of sucrose, sucralose or stevia. Body mass index, food intake, number and concentration of carbonylated proteins, levels of glucose and peripheral lymphocytes in blood were evaluated. Data were analyzed with ANOVA. Results: Compared to the unstressed control, the glucose concentration was elevated in all stressed subgroups (F = 13.41, p < 0.01), with greater weight found in the stressed sucralose supplemented subgroup (F = 77.58, p < 0.001). The blood level of peripheral lymphocytes was above the control in all subgroups (F = 19.97, p < 0.01), except the decrease observed in unstressed sucrose supplemented subgroup. Carbonylated protein concentration in peripheral blood lymphocytes was high in all subgroups (versus the control) except in unstressed animals suppelemented with stevia (F = 51.16, p <0.01). Conclusions: Stress plus sucralose increased number of lymphocytes and carbonylated proteins concentration. The physiological stress with or without sweetener consumption generated increase in carbonylated proteins concentration. Stevia did not modify lymphocytes and carbonylated proteins

Transverse component of the magnetic field in the solar photosphere observed by Sunrise

We present the first observations of the transverse component of photospheric magnetic field acquired by the imaging magnetograph Sunrise/IMaX. Using an automated detection method, we obtain statistical properties of 4536 features with significant linear polarization signal. Their rate of occurrence is 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than values reported by previous studies. We show that these features have no characteristic size or lifetime. They appear preferentially at granule boundaries with most of them being caught in downflow lanes at some point in their evolution. Only a small percentage are entirely and constantly embedded in upflows (16%) or downflows (8%).Comment: Accepted for the Sunrise Special Issue of ApJ

Kinematics of Magnetic Bright Features in the Solar Photosphere

Convective flows are known as the prime means of transporting magnetic fields on the solar surface. Thus, small magnetic structures are good tracers of the turbulent flows. We study the migration and dispersal of magnetic bright features (MBFs) in intergranular areas observed at high spatial resolution with Sunrise/IMaX. We describe the flux dispersal of individual MBFs as a diffusion process whose parameters are computed for various areas in the quiet Sun and the vicinity of active regions from seeing-free data. We find that magnetic concentrations are best described as random walkers close to network areas (diffusion index, gamma=1.0), travelers with constant speeds over a supergranule (gamma=1.9-2.0), and decelerating movers in the vicinity of flux emergence and/or within active regions (gamma=1.4-1.5). The three types of regions host MBFs with mean diffusion coefficients of 130 km^2/s, 80-90 km^2/s, and 25-70 km^2/s, respectively. The MBFs in these three types of regions are found to display a distinct kinematic behavior at a confidence level in excess of 95%.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure