Electrocardiographic Screening of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy in Genotype-Positive and Phenotype-Negative Relatives

Background: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a hereditary cause of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. Identifying the healthy genetic carriers who will develop the disease remains a challenge. A novel approach to the analysis of the digital electrocardiograms of mutation carriers through signal processing may identify early electrocardiographic abnormalities. Methods: A retrospective case–control study included a population of healthy genetics carriers and their wild-type relatives. Genotype-positive/phenotype-negative individuals bore mutations associated with the development of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. The relatives included had a non-pathological 12-lead electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and a cardiac magnetic resonance. Automatic digital electrocardiographic analyses comprised QRS and terminal activation delay duration, the number of QRS fragmentations, ST slope, and T-wave voltage. Results: Digital 12-lead electrocardiograms from 41 genotype-positive/ phenotype-negative (29 simple carriers and 12 double mutation carriers) and 73 wild-type relatives were analyzed. No differences in the QRS length, the number of QRS fragmentations, and the voltage of the T-wave were observed. After adjusting for potential confounders, double carriers showed an average ST-slope flatter than those of the simple carriers and wild type [5.18° (0.73–8.01), 7.15° (5.14–11.05), and 11.46° (3.94–17.49), respectively, p = 0.005]. There was a significant negative correlation between the ST slope and the age in genotype-positive/phenotype-negative relatives (r = 0.376, p = 0.021) not observed in their wild-type counterparts (r = 0.074, p = 0.570). Conclusions: A flattened ST segment may be an early sign of electrical remodeling that precedes T-wave inversion in healthy genetic carriers. A thorough analysis of the digital electrocardiographic signal may help identify and measure early electrical abnormalities

Valorización de la Iglesia San Francisco de Asís de Asunción a través de la interpretación de la Simbología e Iconografía

El propósito de este trabajo es ofrecer una visión sobre la presencia Franciscana en Paraguay hasta nuestros días, la incidencia en nuestra sociedad y su trascendencia. Relacionar la espiritualidad franciscana aplicada a las obras y la arquitectura en las que se resaltan los mismos valores franciscanos, en las cuales la sencillez se aprecia en la belleza a través de la proporción, en particular la aplicación de las características franciscanas en la Iglesia San Francisco de Asís de Asunción, desde un análisis de la simbología y la iconografía. En este sentido, se investigó sobre la existencia del módulo de proporción que genera el proyecto mismo de la iglesia y que permite definir la regla por la cual se organizan y distribuyen los espacios y sus relaciones. Se interpretan los símbolos y signos presentes en la planta, fachada y altar, hasta demostrar que a través de la expresión artística, se aprecian los símbolos y mensajes que marcan un impacto en la sociedad, identifican un estilo y que pueden ser leídos principalmente por los que los conocen. Con la identificación y preservación de estos símbolos es posible establecer criterios de valoración patrimonial

Health-related quality of life of primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia

Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed with structured questionnaires and interviews conducted with 60 primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia (T1 to S2) owing to traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).Objectives: the purpose of this study was the assessment of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia owing to traumatic SCI.Setting: Sa oSa Paulo, SP, Brazil.Methods: the HRQoL was assessed by the Short Form-36 (SF-36) health survey questionnaire and caregiver burden was evaluated by the Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS).Results: Among 60 caregivers evaluated, 49 (81.7%) were female, with mean age of 35.8 (SD = 12.91) years, 16 (26.6%) being wives and 14 (23.4%) sisters of pe rsons with paraplegia. It was found that the caregivers spend an average of 11.3 h/ day caring for individuals with paraplegia. Twenty-three caregivers (38.3%) had a chronic disease and 32 (53.3%) were sole caregivers taking upon themselves the full responsibility of caring for the persons with paraplegia. the subjects reported lower scores on bodily pain and vitality than the other dimensions of the SF-36. the mean global CBS score was 1.71 (SD = 0.50) and mean scores for each dimension ranged from 1.39 (SD = 0.64) for emotional involvement to 2.44 (SD = 0.79) for environment dimension.Conclusion: the primary caregivers of spinal cord-injured persons reported low scores on all of the SF-36 and CBS dimensions, bodily pain and vitality being the SF-36 dimensions that received the lowest scores.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Discipline Plast Surg, Div Plast Surg, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Nursing, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Discipline Plast Surg, Div Plast Surg, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Nursing, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Estudi de les gales de la col·lecció Vilarrúbia dipositada al Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona

La coŀlecció de gales d'Antoni Vilarrúbia i Garet, dipositada al Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, ha estat revisada, documentada i fotografiada. Està representada per 884 gales que pertanyen a 194 espècies diferents d'agents cecidògens incloent-hi insectes, àcars, fongs i proteobacteris. Els hostes dels agents cecidògens de la coŀlecció estudiada es troben representats per 114 espècies diferents, agrupades en 36 famílies, que inclouen formes arbòries, arbustives i herbàcies, on els òrgans vegetals més afectats són les fulles i els borrons. La coŀlecció Vilarrúbia és una mostra ben clara de la diversitat de cecidis que tenim a Catalunya.The gall collection of Antoni Vilarrúbia i Garet deposited in the Barcelona Natural History Museum was reviewed, documented and photographed. It contains 884 galls belonging to 194 different gall-producing species, including insects, mites, fungi and proteobacteria. The studied collection houses 114 plant species grouped into 36 families, as well as parts of the trees, shrubs and grasses, whose leaves and buds are the most commonly affected organs. This gall collection provides a clear picture of the great diversity of galls that exists in Catalonia

Polymorphisms in ACE, ACE2, AGTR1 genes and severity of COVID-19 disease.

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Prevalência de úlcera por pressão em instituições de longa permanência para idosos em São Paulo

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of pressure ulcers varies according to geographic region and population group, such as the institutionalized elderly. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of pressure ulcers among elderly people living in long-stay institutions. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in six long-stay institutions for the elderly in São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Demographic and clinical data were collected in six long-stay institutions on two visits to each institution between May and August 2007, during which all elderly patients with pressure ulcers were evaluated. The Braden scale was used to identify the risk of developing pressure ulcers and the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) stages for classifying the pressure ulcers. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test, Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the results between visits. The population was 181 elderly people in May and 184 in August: 23 had pressure ulcers in May (prevalence of 12.7%) and 17 in August (prevalence of 9.2%). The mean age at the two times was 84 years, and the average length of stay was 32 months. Pressure ulcers were found mainly in the sacral region (mean, 71.5%), and most commonly in stage II (mean, 41%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pressure ulcers was 10.95%. These data provide background information that may aid in developing protocols for applying best practices for prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers, consequently reducing the prevalence.CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: A prevalência de úlcera por pressão (UP) varia de acordo com a região geográfica e grupo populacional, como idosos institucionalizados. O objetivo foi identificar a prevalência de UP em instituições de longa permanência para idosos (ILPI). TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo transversal em seis ILPI em São Paulo. MÉTODOS: A coleta de dados demográficos e clínicos foi realizada em seis ILPI durante duas visitas a cada instituição no período de maio a agosto de 2007, sendo avaliados todos os idosos com UP. Foi utilizada a Escala de Braden para identificar o risco de desenvolver UP e o National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) para a classificação das UP. Foram realizados os testes: Exato de Fisher, Q-Quadrado e t-Student para análise estatística. RESULTADOS: Não houve significância estatística nos resultados encontrados. A população era de 181 idosos em maio e 184 em agosto, sendo 23 idosos com UP (prevalência de 12,7%) e 17 idosos com UP (prevalência de 9,2%) respectivamente. A média de idade nos dois períodos foi de 84 anos, e 32 meses de permanência nas Instituições. A região sacral foi a mais frequente com média de 71,5% e as úlceras no estágio II com média de 41%. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de UP foi de 10,95%. Estes dados fornecem informações de base que podem auxiliar no desenvolvimento de protocolos para a aplicação de melhores práticas na prevenção e tratamento de úlceras de pressão, consequentemente reduzindo a prevalência.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Division of Plastic SurgeryUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Division of Plastic Surgery Program on Plastic SurgeryUNIFESP, Division of Plastic SurgeryUNIFESP, Division of Plastic Surgery Program on Plastic SurgerySciEL

La taula de mortalitat i l'esperança de vida de la Ciutat de Mallorca a 1970

Abstract not availabl

On the path to a new generation of cement-based composites through the use of lignocellulosic micro/nanofibers

Due to its high biocompatibility, bio-degradability, and low cost, cellulose finds application in disparate areas of research. Here we focus our attention on the potential applications of cellulose nanofiber in cement-basedmaterials for the building sector. We first describe the chemical/morphological composition of cellulose fibers, their process and treatment, the characterization of cement-based composites, and their flexural strengthPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Quick and Accurate Strategy for Calculating the Solutions of the Photovoltaic Single-Diode Model Equation

The photovoltaic (PV) single-diode model is the most widely used to characterize the behavior of a PV panel because it combines high precision with moderate difficulty. Lots of methods to obtain the model parameters use optimization techniques that require the resolution of the characteristic equation thousands of times; therefore, it is essential to calculate its solutions accurately but also in the shortest possible time. The objective of this article is to describe a new numerical strategy to solve the characteristic equation in a simple, fast and precise way. The main idea is based on a reparameterization of the Lambert equation which is closely related with the infinite power tower, and some well-known bounds of this tower will be used as seeds of numerical methods. This strategy is powerful for certain “small” values of the Lambert W function argument, but it is combined with another re-expression of the Lambert equation for the remaining “large” values. The proposed numerical strategy is so precise in very few iterations that it can be suitably transformed into an explicit formula. The results obtained have been compared with some of the best options in the literature and expexperimental results prove the power of the proposed methodolog