Myocardial damage after prolonged accidental hypothermia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>A case of cardiac toxicity due to prolonged hypothermia is reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 42-year-old woman of Caucasian origin presented with hypothermia after an accident. She developed atrial fibrillation and heart failure with minor electrocardiographic changes, which mimicked ischaemia. She recovered completely after one month of treatment for heart failure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Prolonged hypothermia, which mimicks ischaemia, may cause arrhythmias and heart failure.</p

Conscientização sobre o desmatamento: uma experiência da comunidade indígena Wayuú Kasuto da Maicao, Colômbia

Deforestation threatens the biodiversity of forests and generates ecological and socioeconomic impacts worldwide. To mitigate this problem, it is necessary to raise awareness about its impacts and promote forest conservation actions through environmental education. In Colombia, the incorporation of strategies that emphasize deforestation, climate change and sustainable forest management is promoted in educational processes and school environmental projects. Although information on deforestation has been disclosed at the national level, its reach to certain indigenous communities such as the Wayuú, in La Guajira, is limited by low access to technological tools, internet and language. Considering that the forest in the territory of the Wayuú is being affected by deforestation, this proposal was formulated with the purpose of designing and analyzing didactic strategies that influence the awareness of the Wayuú Kasuto indigenous community of the Maicao municipality. The participatory action-research design will be used considering a local diagnosis of deforestation, the design of didactic strategies and the implementation-community action. This research is expected to sensitize and increase the environmental awareness of the community so that they contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of the forest. Likewise, it is intended to institutionalize an intervention project to develop significant learning in the community around the pro-environmental culture.La deforestación amenaza la biodiversidad de los bosques y genera impactos ecológicos y socioeconómicos a nivel mundial. Para mitigar esta problemática se requiere concientizar sobre sus impactos y promover acciones de conservación de los bosques mediante la educación ambiental. En Colombia, se promueve la incorporación de estrategias que hagan énfasis en la deforestación, el cambio climático y gestión sostenible de los bosques, en los procesos educativos y proyectos ambientales escolares. Aunque a nivel nacional se ha divulgado información sobre la deforestación, su alcance a ciertas comunidades indígenas como los Wayuú, en La Guajira, es limitado por bajo acceso a herramientas tecnológicas, internet e idioma. Considerando que el bosque en el territorio de los Wayuú está siendo afectado por la deforestación, se formuló la presente propuesta con el propósito de diseñar y analizar estrategias didácticas que influyan en la sensibilización de la comunidad indígena Wayuú Kasuto del municipio de Maicao. Se usará el diseño de investigación-acción participativa considerando un diagnóstico local de la deforestación, el diseño de las estrategias didácticas y la implementación-acción comunitaria. Con esta investigación se espera sensibilizar e incrementar la conciencia ambiental de la comunidad para que contribuyan en la conservación y uso sostenible del bosque. Asimismo, se pretende institucionalizar un proyecto de intervención para desarrollar aprendizajes significativos en la comunidad en torno a la cultura proambiental.O desmatamento ameaça a biodiversidade das florestas e gera impactos ecológicos e socioeconômicos em todo o mundo. Para mitigar esse problema, é necessário conscientizar sobre seus impactos e promover ações de conservação florestal por meio da educação ambiental. Na Colômbia, promove-se a incorporação de estratégias que enfatizem o desmatamento, as mudanças climáticas e o manejo florestal sustentável em processos educacionais e projetos ambientais escolares. Embora as informações sobre o desmatamento tenham sido divulgadas em nível nacional, seu alcance a certas comunidades indígenas, como os Wayuú, em La Guajira, é limitado pelo baixo acesso a ferramentas tecnológicas, internet e linguagem. Considerando que a floresta no território dos Wayuú está sendo afetada pelo desmatamento, esta proposta foi formulada com o objetivo de desenhar e analisar estratégias didáticas que influenciem a conscientização da comunidade indígena Wayuú Kasuto do município de Maicao. O desenho de pesquisa-ação participativa será utilizado considerando um diagnóstico local de desmatamento, o desenho de estratégias didáticas e a ação-comunidade de implementação. Espera-se com esta pesquisa sensibilizar e aumentar a consciência ambiental da comunidade para que contribuam para a conservação e uso sustentável da floresta. Da mesma forma, pretende-se institucionalizar um projeto de intervenção para desenvolver aprendizagens significativas na comunidade em torno da cultura pró-ambiental

Σχεδίαση και υλοποίηση αρχιτεκτονικής για την αποστολή / λήψη κυματομορφών σε πραγματικό χρόνο σε επίπεδο υλικού / FPGA

Συνοπτική παρουσίαση απλών μεθόδων οι οποίες εφαρμόστηκαν σε πραγματικό περιβάλλον (όχι προσομοίωση) για τη σχεδίαση και υλοποίηση αρχιτεκτονικής σε σύστημα πραγματικού χρόνου, υπεύθυνο για την ταυτόχρονη αποστολή και λήψη κυματομορφών με πολλά κανάλια μετατροπής ψηφιακού σήματος σε αναλογικό και αντίστροφα. Ενδεικτικά αναφέρουμε ότι ο αριθμός των δειγμάτων ανά δευτερόλεπτο ανά κανάλι ήταν της τάξεως των αρκετών Gsps και ότι το σύστημα τελικά λειτουργούσε με χρονική αβεβαιότητα 4ns μόνο κατά την εκκίνηση. Στόχος της εργασίας είναι να περιγραφούν οι απλές μέθοδοι και όχι λεπτομέρειες του συστήματος που εφαρμόστηκαν αυτές. Κατά την σχεδίαση της αρχιτεκτονικής διαιρέθηκε το πρόβλημα σε μικρότερα απλούστερα μέρη καθώς και ο καθορισμός των διεργασιών που μπορούσαν και ήταν προτιμότερο να εκτελούνται σε ενσωματωμένο μικροεπεξεργαστή και εκείνων που ήταν απαραίτητο να υλοποιηθούν σε επίπεδο FPGA. Κριτήρια για την ανάθεση διεργασιών σε μικροεπεξεργαστή ήταν το μέγεθος του προβλήματος, η συχνότητα εκτέλεσής τους καθώς και η ρευστότητα των προδιαγραφών, οι οποίες εξελίσσονταν μαζί με την ανάπτυξη του συστήματος. Αντίστοιχες, επιλογές πραγματοποιήθηκαν και στον τρόπο ανάπτυξης κώδικα για την αποφυγή ιδιαιτεροτήτων του εκάστοτε προγράμματος ανάπτυξης από τον εκάστοτε κατασκευαστή. Οι επιλογές αυτές αποδείχτηκαν επιτυχημένες, αφού οδήγησαν στην αδιάκοπη και ομαλή ανάπτυξη κώδικα εντός των χρονικών ορίων για την ανάπτυξη και αποσφαλμάτωση κάθε υποσυστήματος. Αποτέλεσμα των παραπάνω ήταν η σχεδίαση, υλοποίηση και αποσφαλμάτωση του έργου να πραγματοποιηθεί σε 9 μήνες συμπεριλαμβανομένου και του χρόνου για την επιλογή υλικού και τον καθορισμό των προδιαγραφών. Συμπέρασμα των παραπάνω είναι “το απλούστερο συνεπάγεται το ταχύτερο”.A summary of simple methods applied in a real-world environment (not in simulation) to design and implement a real-time system architecture responsible for simultaneous sending and receiving waveforms with multiple digital-to-analog conversion channels and vice versa. As an example, we mention that the number of samples per second per channel was of the order of several Gsps and that the system finally worked with a time uncertainty of 4ns only at startup. The aim of the paper is to describe simple methods and not the details of the system in which they were implemented. Designing the architecture involved dividing the problem into smaller, simpler parts as well as determining which processes could and were preferable to be performed on an embedded microprocessor and which needed to be implemented at the FPGA level. Criteria for assigning processes to a microprocessor were the size of the problem, the frequency of their execution as well as the fluidity of the specifications, which evolved along with the development of the system. Choices were also made in the way of code development to avoid specificities of each development tool by each manufacturer. These choices proved to be successful, as they led to uninterrupted and smooth code development within the time limits for developing and debugging each subsystem. As a result of the above, the design, implementation and debugging of the project took 9 months, including the time for selection of hardware, software cores and the definition of the specifications. The conclusion of the above is &quot;the simplest implies the fastest&quot;

Hepatocyte Turnover in Chronic HCV-Induced Liver Injury and Cirrhosis

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may eventually lead to progressive liver fibrosis and cirrhosis through a complex, multistep process involving hepatocyte death and regeneration. Despite common pathogenetic pathways present in all forms of liver cirrhosis irrespective of etiology, hepatocyte turnover and related molecular events in HCV-induced cirrhosis are increasingly being distinguished from even “similar” causes, such as hepatitis B virus- (HBV-) related cirrhosis. New insights in HCV-induced hepatocellular injury, differential gene expression, and regenerative pathways have recently revealed a different pattern of progression to irreversible parenchymal liver damage. A shift to the significant role of the host immune response rather than the direct effect of HCV on hepatocytes and the imbalance between antiapoptotic and proapoptotic signals have been investigated in several studies but need to be further elucidated. The present review aims to comprehensively summarize the current evidence on HCV-induced hepatocellular turnover with a view to outline the significant trends of ongoing research