Coronary Flow Capacity and Survival Prediction after Revascularization: Physiological Basis and Clinical Implications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Coronary flow capacity (CFC) is associated with an observed 10-year survival probability for individual patients before and after actual revascularization for comparison to virtual hypothetical ideal complete revascularization. METHODS: Stress myocardial perfusion (mL/min/g) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) per pixel were quantified in 6979 coronary artery disease (CAD) subjects using Rb-82 positron emission tomography (PET) for CFC maps of artery-specific size-severity abnormalities expressed as percent left ventricle with prospective follow-up to define survival probability per-decade as fraction of 1.0. RESULTS: Severely reduced CFC in 6979 subjects predicted low survival probability that improved by 42% after revascularization compared with no revascularization for comparable severity (P = .0015). For 283 pre-and-post-procedure PET pairs, severely reduced regional CFC-associated survival probability improved heterogeneously after revascularization (P \u3c .001), more so after bypass surgery than percutaneous coronary interventions (P \u3c .001) but normalized in only 5.7%; non-severe baseline CFC or survival probability did not improve compared with severe CFC (P = .00001). Observed CFC-associated survival probability after actual revascularization was lower than virtual ideal hypothetical complete post-revascularization survival probability due to residual CAD or failed revascularization (P \u3c .001) unrelated to gender or microvascular dysfunction. Severely reduced CFC in 2552 post-revascularization subjects associated with low survival probability also improved after repeat revascularization compared with no repeat procedures (P = .025). CONCLUSIONS: Severely reduced CFC and associated observed survival probability improved after first and repeat revascularization compared with no revascularization for comparable CFC severity. Non-severe CFC showed no benefit. Discordance between observed actual and virtual hypothetical post-revascularization survival probability revealed residual CAD or failed revascularization

Alpha kinase 3 signaling at the M-band maintains sarcomere integrity and proteostasis in striated muscle

Muscle contraction is driven by the molecular machinery of the sarcomere. As phosphorylation is a critical regulator of muscle function, the identification of regulatory kinases is important for understanding sarcomere biology. Pathogenic variants in alpha kinase 3 (ALPK3) cause cardiomyopathy and musculoskeletal disease, but little is known about this atypical kinase. Here we show that ALPK3 is an essential component of the M-band of the sarcomere and define the ALPK3-dependent phosphoproteome. ALPK3 deficiency impaired contractility both in human cardiac organoids and in the hearts of mice harboring a pathogenic truncating Alpk3 variant. ALPK3-dependent phosphopeptides were enriched for sarcomeric components of the M-band and the ubiquitin-binding protein sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1) (also known as p62). Analysis of the ALPK3 interactome confirmed binding to M-band proteins including SQSTM1. In human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes modeling cardiomyopathic ALPK3 mutations, sarcomeric organization and M-band localization of SQSTM1 were abnormal suggesting that this mechanism may underly disease pathogenesis

Environmental information for inclusion in orientation and mobility maps, identified by travelers with blindness: The cases of city centers and neighborhoods/residential areas

The aim of this study is to investigate the user requirements of individuals with blindness regarding the information to be mapped on audio-tactile maps of city centers and neighborhoods/residential areas. Beyond that specific scope, this study aims at covering a wider research gap. That is, the investigation of the usefulness that individuals with blindness attribute to different spatial information (items) of differentiated environments: city centers and neighborhoods/residential areas. A total of 115 adults with blindness took part in the research. Participants came from four countries: Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and Germany. The researchers listed 222 pieces of information concerning city centers and 226 pieces concerning neighborhoods/residential areas and address them in survey by conducting two respective questionnaires. Participants were asked to evaluate the information regarding the usefulness of the information with regard to safety, location of services, and orientation/wayfinding during movement. The result of the study is the definition of the most useful information that should be included in orientation and mobility (O&M) aids. Thus, the findings of this study will be particularly important for designers of O&M aids, O&M specialists, rehabilitation specialists, and teachers who design and construct O&M aids for their students with blindness. © The Author(s) 2020

Anagnostakis. Code generation for packet header intrusion analysis on the IXP1200 network processor

Abstract. We present a software architecture that enables the use of the IXP1200 network processor in packet header analysis for network intrusion detection. The proposed work consists of a simple and efficient run-time infrastructure for managing network processor resources, along with the S2I compiler, a tool that generates efficient C code from highlevel, human readable, intrusion signatures. This approach facilitates the employment of the IXP1200 in network intrusion detection systems while our experimental results demonstrate that provides performance comparable to hand-crafted code.

Environmental Information Required by Individuals with Visual Impairments Who Use Orientation and Mobility Aids to Navigate Campuses

Introduction: This study investigated the user requirements of individuals with visual impairments regarding the information to be included in orientation and mobility (O&M) aids in order for optimally useful audio-tactile maps of campuses to be developed. In addition, this study aimed at investigating the importance (usefulness) that individuals with visual impairments attribute to environmental information of campuses. Methods: The researchers listed 213 pieces of environmental information concerning campuses and address them in survey by conducting a respective questionnaire. Participants were asked to evaluate the information, regarding the importance or usefulness of the information in regard to safety, location of services, and orientation and wayfinding during movement. Through convenience sampling 115 adults (aged from 18 to 64 years) with visual impairments from four countries (Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and Germany) took part in the research. Results: Pieces of environmental information, sorted in descending order starting with the most useful ones, have been listed. A repeated measures analysis of variance yielded a significant main effect for the type of information (safety, location of services, and wayfinding and orientation): F(2, 228) = 70.868, p <.001. Discussion: This study resulted in the specification of the most significant or useful information that should be included in O&M aids of campuses for individuals with visual impairments. Implications for practitioners: The results of this study will hold the interest of developers of O&M aids, O&M practitioners, rehabilitation teachers, and instructors who design and construct O&M aids. Moreover, the context for appropriately designed tactile or audio-tactile maps for campuses is provided, and campuses around the world could rely on this study for the creation of a valuable accessibility aid. © American Foundation for the Blind 2020

Specification of symbols used in audio-tactile maps for individuals with blindness

The implementation of multisensory environments in the field of map construction for individuals with visual impairments can be a challenging area for both users and designers of orientation and mobility aids. Audio-tactile maps can utilize a large amount of spatial information represented by audio symbols, tactile symbols, audio-tactile symbols (combined) and Braille labels. In regard to audio-tactile maps an important clarification needs to be elaborated and in particular what needs to be carefully examined is the basic query of which information should be presented in haptic mode and which information should be presented in audio or audio-haptic mode. In practice this means that a reasoned process of defining the appropriate symbols for audio-tactile maps should be implemented. The fundamental aim of project “ATMAPS” - Specification of symbols used on Audio-Tactile Maps for individuals with blindness” presented in this paper is the specification of symbols to be used in audio-tactile maps for individuals with blindness. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016