Multivessel Disease in a Patient Presenting With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Patients with multivessel coronary artery disease are common among patients presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The way to treat the rest of the lesions after treating the culprit lesion is not well defined yet. In this article we present a patient with inferior STEMI, who had also an ostial left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery stenosis

Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).Stelios Katsanevakis, Michail Ragkousis, Maria Sini, Markos Digenis and Vasilis Gerovasileiou were supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) under the “First Call for HFRI Research Projects to support Faculty members and Researchers and the procurement of high-cost research equipment grant” (Project ALAS – “ALiens in the Aegean – a Sea under siege” (Katsanevakis et al. 2020b); Project Number: HFRI-FM17-1597). Konstantinos Tsirintanis was co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund-ESF) through the Operational Programme “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning”, 2014-2020, in the context of the Act “Enhancing Human Resources Research Potential by undertaking a Doctoral Research” Sub-action 2: IKY Scholarship Programme for PhD candidates in the Greek Universities. Maria Zotou was supported by the project “Coastal Environment Observatory and Risk Management in Island Regions AEGIS+” (MIS 5047038), implemented within the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014-2020), co financed by the Hellenic Government (Ministry of Development and Investments) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund). Razy Hoffman was supported by Yad-Hanadiv Foundation, through the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Israel Nature and Parks Authority, an integrated program for establishing biological baselines and monitoring protocols for marine reserves in the Israeli Mediterranean Sea (Grant #10669). Tatiana Begun, Adrian Teaca and Mihaela Muresan were supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 BRIDGE-BS project under grant agreement no. 101000240. Fiona Tomas was supported by the project “Invasion of the tropical alga Halimeda incrassata in the Balearic Islands: ecology and invasion dynamics (AAEE119/2017)”, funded by the Vicepresidencia y Consejería de Innovación, Investigación y Turismo del Govern de les Illes Balears, with support from the European Union and FEDER funds, and the project “Una nueva alga invasora en el Mediterráneo: invasibilidad, detección y erradicación del alga tropical Halimeda incrassata (INVHALI)”, funded by the Fundación Biodiversidad, del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico. Simonetta Fraschetti, Laura Tamburello, Antonia Chiarore were supported by the project PO FEAMP 2014-2020 - DRD n. 35/2019, “Innovazione, sviluppo e sostenibilità nel settore della pesca e dell'acquacoltura per la Regione Campania” (ISSPA 2.51) and the EU EASME - EMFF (Sustainable Blue Econ-omy) Project AFRIMED (http://afrimed-project.eu/, grant agreement N. 789059). Carlos Jimenez, Louis Hadjioannou, Vasilis Resaikos, Valentina Fossati, Magdalene Papatheodoulou, and Antonis Petrou were supported by MedPan Small Projects, Mava, and LIFE-IP. Louis Hadjioannou, Manos L. Moraitis and Neophytos Agrotis received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program within the framework of the CMMI/MaRITeC-X project under grant agreement No. 857586. Ernesto Azzurro was supported by the project USEIt - Utilizzo di Sinergie operative per la gestione integrata specie aliene Invasive in Italia, funded by the research programme @CNR. Antonietta Rosso and Francesco Sciuto were supported by the University of Catania through “PiaCeRi-Piano Incentivi per la Ricerca di Ateneo 2020–22 linea di intervento 2.” This is the Catania Paleoecological Research Group contribution n. 484. Diego K. Kersting was supported by the Beatriu de Pinós programme funded by the Secretary of Universities and Research (Government of Catalonia) and the Horizon 2020 programme of research and innovation of the European Union under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801370. Francesco Tiralongo was supported by the AlienFish project of Ente Fauna Marina Mediterranea (Scientific Organization for Research and Conservation of Marine Biodiversity, 96012 Avola, Italy), a citizen science project for monitoring and studying rare and non-indigenous fish in Italian waters. Adriana Vella, was supported by funds through the BioCon_Innovate Research Excellence Grant from the University of Malta awarded to her. Noel Vella was supported by REACH HIGH Scholars Programme-Post Doctoral Grant for the FINS project. Some of the records provided by Victor Surugiu were obtained during surveys carried out within the framework of the project “Adequate management of invasive species in Romania, in accordance with EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species”, SMIS 2014+ 120008, coordinated by the Romanian Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests in partnership with the University of Bucharest (2018–2022). Alan Deidun and Alessio Marrone were supported by the “Spot The Alien” citizen science campaign for the monitoring of the Alien species in the Maltese archipelago and by the Interreg Italia-Malta Harmony project. The authors from the National Institute of Biology (Slovenia) acknowledge the financial support of the Slovenian Research Agency (Research Core Funding No. P1-0237) and of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (project “Survey of the species richness and abundance of alien species in the Slovenian Sea”). Emanuele Mancini and Fabio Collepardo Coccia were supported by the project PO-FEAMP 2014-2020 “BIOBLITZ: research, knowledge and participation for the sustainable management of marine resources (BioBlitz Blu 2020)” coordinated by CURSA for MIPAAF, the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, Measure 1.40 - Protection and restoration of biodiversity and marine ecosystems and compensation schemes in the context of sustainable fishing activities. Daniele Grech was supported by the PO-FEAMP 2014-2020 project ECOGESTOCK “Approccio ECOsistemico per la tutela e la GEStione delle risorse biologiche e STOCK ittici nelle acque interne”, the citizen science project Progetto Fucales: chi le ha viste? and the Paralenz Every dive counts sponsor. Jamila Rizgalla was supported by the project Snowball for the monitoring of alien species in Libyan waters له اهتفش له اهتدطصا ؟) have you seen it have you fished it?). Gerasimos Kondylatos and Dimitrios Mavrouleas were supported by the project “EXPLIAS” (MIS (ΟΠΣ): 5049912), design and piloting methods of commercial exploitation of invasive alien species with a view to contributing to their population control, coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens with the collaboration of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research and the University of the Aegean and co-founded by Greece and the European Union. G. Kondylatos and Savvas Nikolidakis were supported by the project “SAMOS” (ID CODE: 32.2072004/001), a study for a submarine productive park in Marathokampos of Samos. Paraskevi K. Karachle, Aikaterini Dogrammatzi, Giorgos A. Apostolopoulos, Kassiani Konida and Melina Nalmpanti were supported by the project “4ALIEN: Biology and the potential economic exploitation of four alien species in the Hellenic Seas”, funded by NRSF 2017-2020 (MIS (ΟΠΣ): 5049511). Fabio Crocetta and Riccardo Virgili were partially funded by the project PO FEAMP Campania 2014–2020, DRD n. 35 of 15th March 2018, Innovazione, sviluppo e sostenibilità nel settore della pesca e dell’acquacoltura per la regione Campania, Misura 2.51, WP5, Task 5.5 Presenza e distribuzione di specie non indigene del macrozoobenthos e del necton in Campania. Michel Bariche was partially funded by the University Research Board of the American University of Beirut (DDF 103951/2592). Constantinos G. Georgiadis, Dimitra Lida Rammou, Paschalis Papadamakis and Sotiris Orfanidis were supported by the MSFD monitoring program. Sonia Smeraldo was supported by the MPA-Engage project, led by the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council and funded by the Interreg MED program. Evgeniia Karpova acknowledge that the publication of this article was in part carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the FRC IBSS “Patterns of Formation and Anthropogenic Transformation of Biodiversity and Bioresources of the Azov– Black Sea Basin and Other Regions of the World Ocean” (No. 121030100028-0). Elena Slynko’s work was carried out within the framework of a State Assignment no. 121051100109-1 of IBIW RAS. Manuela Falautano and Luca Castriota were supported by ISPRA citizen science campaigns for the monitoring of alien species through the dedicated institutional project ([email protected]). María Altamirano was supported by the project RUGULOPTERYX funded by Fundación Biodiversidad-Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el reto Demográfico (Spain) and the project UMA20-FEDERJA-006 with support from the European Union and FEDER funds and Junta de Andalucía. Records provided by L. Mangialajo were collected in the framework of projects funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, by the European Commission (AFRIMED, http://afrimed-project.eu/, grant agreement N. 789059) and by the Académie 3 de l’Université Côte d’Azur (projet CONVOST).Peer reviewe

Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).peer-reviewe

Endothelin and post acute myocardial infarction ventricular arrythmias: the role of ETB receptors

The arrhythmogenic effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) are mediated via ΕΤΑ-receptors, but the role of ETB-receptors is unclear. We examined the pathophysiologic role of ΕΤΒ-receptors on ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT/VF) during myocardial infarction (MI). MI was induced by coronary ligation in two animal groups, namely in wild-type (n = 63) and in ΕΤΒ-receptor-deficient (n = 61) rats. Using a telemetry recorder, VT/VF episodes were evaluated during phase I (the 1st hour) and phase II (2–24 h) post-MI, with and without prior b-blockade. Action potential duration at 90% repolarization (APD90) was measured from monophasic epicardial recordings and indices of sympathetic activation were assessed using fast-Fourier analysis of heart rate variability. Serum epinephrine and norepinephrine were measured with radioimmunoassay. MI size was similar in the two groups. There was a marked temporal variation in VT/VF duration; during phase I, it was higher (p = 0.0087) in ΕΤΒ-deficient (1,519 ± 421 s) than in wild-type (190 ± 34 s) rats, but tended (p = 0.086) to be lower in ΕΤΒ-deficient (4.2 ± 2.0 s) than in wild-type (27.7 ± 8.0 s) rats during phase II. Overall, the severity of VT/VF was greater in ΕΤΒ-deficient rats, evidenced by higher (p = 0.0058) mortality (72.0% vs. 32.1%). There was a temporal variation in heart rate and in the ratio of low- to high-frequency spectra, being higher (<0.001) during phase I, but lower (p<0.05) during phase II in ΕΤΒ-deficient rats. Likewise, 1 h post-MI, serum epinephrine (p = 0.025) and norepinephrine (p<0.0001) were higher in ΕΤΒ-deficient (4.20 ± 0.54, 14.24 ± 1.39 ng/ml) than in wild-type (2.30 ± 0.59, 5.26 ± 0.67 ng/ml) rats, respectively. After b-blockade, VT/VF episodes and mortality were similar in the two groups. The ΕΤΒ-receptor decreases sympathetic activation and arrhythmogenesis during the early phase of MI, but these effects diminish during evolving MI.In addition, we investigated the role of ΕΤΒ-receptors on sympathetic activation originating from the adrenal gland or from the myocardium and its impact on arrhythmogenesis during acute myocardial infarction.We studied two groups of rats (n = 120, 284 ± 2 g), namely wild-type and ΕΤΒ-deficient. Myocardial infarction was induced by permanent ligation of the left coronary artery and ventricular tachyarrhythmias were evaluated from continuous electrocardiographic recordings. Sympathetic activation, measured by indices of heart rate variability, was evaluated after adrenalectomy or catecholamine depletion induced by reserpine. Acute left ventricular failure was assessed by total animal activity.Adrenalectomy decreased the total duration of tachyarrhythmias in ΕΤΒ-deficient rats, but their incidence remained higher, compared to wild-type rats. After reserpine, heart rate variability indices and tachyarrhythmias were similar in the two groups during the initial, ischaemic phase. During evolving infarction, tachyarrhythmia duration was longer in ΕΤΒ-deficient rats, despite lower sympathetic activation. Heart rate was lower in ΕΤΒ-deficient rats throughout the 24-hour observation period, whereas activity was comparable in the two groups.Endothelin-B (ΕΤΒ) receptors modulate sympathetic activation during acute myocardial infarction not only in the ventricular myocardium, but also in the adrenal gland. Sympathetic activation markedly increases early-phase ventricular tachyarrhythmias, but other mechanisms involving the endothelin system underlie delayed arrhythmogenesis.Το έμφραγμα του μυοκαρδίου επιπλέκεται συχνά από κοιλιακές αρρυθμίες που μπορούν να οδηγήσουν σε αιφνίδιο καρδιακό θάνατο. Το έμφραγμα του μυοκαρδίου αυξάνει την παραγωγή ενδοθηλίνης, ένα πεπτίδιο με έντονη αρρυθμιογόνο δράση. Η ενδοθηλίνη-1, η οποία αναγνωρίστηκε από τον Yanagisawa το 1988, είναι ένα αμινοπεπτίδιο που αποτελείται από 21 αμινοξέα και έχει ισχυρή αγγειοσυσπαστική δράση. Η δράση της αυτή ασκείται μέσω δύο τύπων υποδοχέων, των Α (ΕΤΑ) και Β (ΕΤΒ). Η αρρυθμιογόνος δράση της ΕΤ-1 μεσολαβείται κυρίως από τους ΕΤΑ-υποδοχείς, ενώ ο ρόλος των ΕΤΒ-υποδοχέων παραμένει αδιευκρίνιστος.Στην διατριβή μελετήθηκε ο παθοφυσιολογικός ρόλος των ΕΤΒ-υποδοχέων στην κοιλιακή αρρυθμιογένεση κατά τη διάρκεια του οξέως εμφράγματος του μυοκαρδίου στο πειραματικό πρότυπο του επίμυος. Η επαγωγή του εμφράγματος έγινε μέσω απολίνωσης της στεφανιαίας αρτηρίας σε δύο ομάδες πειραματοζώων, σε επίμυες άγριου-τύπου (n=63) και σε επίμυες με ομόζυγωτική συγγενή έλλειψη των ΕΤΒ-υποδοχέων (ομάδα sl/sl, n=61). Χρησιμοποιώντας ένα σύστημα τηλεμετρίας, τα επεισόδια κοιλιακής ταχυκαρδίας (ΚΤ) και κοιλιακής μαρμαρυγής (ΚΜ) εκτιμήθηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια της φάσης Ι (πρώτη ώρα) και κατά τη διάρκεια της φάσης ΙΙ (2η-24η ώρα) μετά το οξύ έμφραγμα, με και χωρίς χορήγηση αποκλειστή β-αδρενεργικών υποδοχέων. Μετρήθηκαν μονοφασικά επικαρδιακά δυναμικά, ενώ οι δείκτες δραστηριότητας του συμπαθητικού εκτιμήθηκαν μέσω ανάλυσης της καρδιακής μεταβλητότητας με ανάλυση κατά Fourier, καθώς και με μέτρηση κατεχολαμινών μέσω ανοσοιστοχημείας. Βρέθηκε έντονη χρονική διακύμανση στη διάρκεια των επεισοδίων ΚΤ/ΚΜ. Συγκεκριμένα, κατά τη διάρκεια της φάσης Ι, η διάρκεια των επεισοδίων ΚΤ/ΚΜ ήταν μεγαλύτερη στην ομάδα sl/sl από ότι στην ομάδα άγριου-τύπου, αλλά έτεινε να είναι χαμηλότερη στην ομάδα sl/sl από την ομάδα άγριου-τύπου κατά τη διάρκεια της φάσης II. Συνολικά, η σοβαρότητα των επεισοδίων ΚΤ/ΚΜ ήταν μεγαλύτερη στην ομάδα sl/sl, όπως στοιχειοθετείται από την υψηλότερη θνητότητα. Φάνηκε επίσης χρονική διακύμανση στην καρδιακή συχνότητα και στο λόγο συχνοτήτων χαμηλού προς υψηλού φάσματος στην ομάδα sl/sl, μετρήσεις που είχαν υψηλότερες τιμές κατά τη φάση Ι και χαμηλότερες κατά τη φάση ΙΙ. Παρόμοια διακύμανση παρατηρήθηκε στα επίπεδα των κατεχολαμινών στον ορό. Μετά τη χορήγηση αποκλειστή β-αδρενεργικών υποδοχέων, τα επεισόδια ΚΤ/ΚΜ όσο και η θνητότητα ήταν παρόμοια στις δύο ομάδες. Φαίνεται λοιπόν ότι οι ΕΤΒ-υποδοχείς μειώνουν την δραστηριότητα του συμπαθητικού και την αρρυθμιογένεση κατά την πρώιμη φάση του εμφράγματος, αλλά αυτή η επίδραση εξαφανίζεται στην όψιμη φάση. Στην διατριβή διερευνήθηκε επίσης ο ρόλος των ΕΤΒ-υποδοχέων στην δραστηριότητα του συμπαθητικού που προέρχεται από τα επινεφρίδια ή από το μυοκάρδιο και την επίδραση τους στην αρρυθμιογένεση κατά τη διάρκεια οξέος εμφράγματος του μυοκαρδίου.Μελετήσαμε δύο ομάδες επίμυων (n = 120, 284 ± 2 g), δηλαδή άγριου-τύπου και sl/sl. To έμφραγμα του μυοκαρδίου προκλήθηκε μετά από μόνιμη απολίνωση της αριστερής στεφανιαίας αρτηρίας. Οι κοιλιακές ταχυαρρυθμίες αξιολογήθηκαν από τη συνεχή ηλεκτροκαρδιογραφική καταγραφή. Η δραστηριότητα του συμπαθητικού εκτιμήθηκε από τους δείκτες της μεταβλητότητας του καρδιακού ρυθμού και αξιολογήθηκε μετά από επινεφριδιεκτομή ή την εξάντληση των αποθηκών κατεχολαμινών που προκλήθηκε μετά από χορήγηση ρεσερπίνης. Η οξεία ανεπάρκεια της αριστερής κοιλίας εκτιμήθηκε από τη συνολική δραστηριότητα των πειραματοζώων. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι η επινεφριδιεκτομή μείωσε τη συνολική διάρκεια των ταχυαρρυθμιών (ΚΤ/ΚΜ) στην ομάδα sl/sl, αλλά η συχνότητα τους παρέμεινε υψηλότερη, σε σύγκριση με τους επίμυες άγριου-τύπου. Μετά τη χορήγηση ρεσερπίνης, οι δείκτες καρδιακής μεταβλητότητας και οι ταχυαρρυθμίες ήταν παρόμοιες στις δύο ομάδες κατά τη διάρκεια της πρώιμης φάσης. Κατά τη διάρκεια της εξέλιξης του εμφράγματος, η διάρκεια των ταχυαρρυθμιών ήταν μεγαλύτερη στην ομάδα sl/sl, παρά τη χαμηλότερη δραστηριότητα του συμπαθητικού. Η καρδιακή συχνότητα ήταν χαμηλότερη στην ομάδα sl/sl καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της περιόδου παρατήρησης των 24 ωρών, ενώ η δραστηριότητα ήταν συγκρίσιμη στις δύο ομάδες.Συμπεραίνεται ότι οι ΕΤΒ-υποδοχείς ρυθμίζουν την ενεργοποίηση του συμπαθητικού κατά τη διάρκεια του οξέος εμφράγματος του μυοκαρδίου όχι μόνο στο κοιλιακό μυοκάρδιο, αλλά επίσης και στα επινεφρίδια. Η ενεργοποίηση του συμπαθητικού αυξάνει σημαντικά τις κοιλιακές ταχυαρρυθμίες κατά την πρώιμη φάση, αλλά επιπρόσθετοι μηχανισμοί που αφορούν το σύστημα ενδοθηλίνης αποτελούν τους υποκείμενους μηχανισμούς όσο αφορά την αρρυθμιογένεση των όψιμων φάσεων

Pulmonary Embolism following Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: An Uncommon and Life-Threatening Complication

High risk pulmonary embolism is a rare and life-threatening complication following percutaneous nephrolithotomy. We report the case of a previously healthy, 44-year-old male, who developed acute pulmonary embolism following right percutaneous nephrolithotomy. On the 1st postoperative day, the patient presented with hemodynamic instability, acute respiratory distress, hypoxia, and loss of consciousness. He was urgently intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation. Clinical findings set the suspicion of pulmonary embolism with shock. Chest computed tomography scan confirmed the diagnosis. The patient underwent urgent thrombolysis in the cardiac care unit. On the 2nd postoperative day, the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit due to hemodynamic instability and fever. The postoperative course was complicated by right renal bleeding on the 3rd postoperative day, which was managed through angiography and angioembolization of the lower segmental right renal artery, followed by recurrent respiratory and urinary tract infections. The patient was transferred back to the urology department on the 66th postoperative day and was discharged seven days later

Searching for ancient gold mines in Filippoi area, Macedonia, Greece, using Worldview-2 satellite imagery

The study area is located near the town of Filippoi, north of the city of Kavala in northern Greece, known from ancient times for its rich gold mines, situated inside hydrothermal alteration zones (Fe–Mn oxide minerals). A Very High-Resolution (0.5 m pixel size) image of Worldview-2 satellite was digitally enhanced, yielding target areas of potential ore existence and lineaments. Ground-truth that followed digital image processing, revealed abandoned ancient mines, slags and ore occurrences. Also, a number of lineaments delineated on the satellite image were verified as faults

Echocardiography and cardiac arrhythmias

Cardiac arrhythmias refer to any abnormality or disturbance in the normal activation sequence of the myocardium and may be indicative of structural heart disease and the cause of significant cardiovascular complications and sudden cardiac death. The following review summarizes the current state-of-the-art knowledge on the role of echocardiography in the management of cardiac arrhythmias and focuses on atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias where echocardiography presents a particular diagnostic and prognostic interest. Moreover, a brief reference is made to the effect of cardiac arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities on echocardiographic examination. Keywords: Atrial fibrillation, Ventricular arrhythmias, Echocardiograph

Integration of Photogrammetric and Spectral Techniques for Advanced Drone-Based Bathymetry Retrieval Using a Deep Learning Approach

Shallow bathymetry mapping using proximal sensing techniques is an active field of research that offers a new perspective in studying the seafloor. Drone-based imagery with centimeter resolution allows for bathymetry retrieval in unprecedented detail in areas with adequate water transparency. The majority of studies apply either spectral or photogrammetric techniques for deriving bathymetry from remotely sensed imagery. However, spectral methods require a certain amount of ground-truth depth data for model calibration, while photogrammetric methods cannot perform on texture-less seafloor types. The presented approach takes advantage of the interrelation of the two methods, in order to predict bathymetry in a more efficient way. Thus, we combine structure-from-motion (SfM) outputs along with band-ratios of radiometrically corrected drone images within a specially designed deep convolutional neural network (CNN) that outputs a reliable and robust bathymetry estimation. To achieve effective training of our deep learning system, we utilize interpolated uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) sonar measurements. We perform several predictions at three locations in the southern Mediterranean Sea, with varying seafloor types. Our results show low root-mean-square errors over all study areas (average RMSE &cong; 0.3 m), when the method was trained and tested on the same area each time. In addition, we obtain promising cross-validation performance across different study areas (average RMSE &cong; 0.9 m), which demonstrates the potential of our proposed approach in terms of generalization capabilities on unseen data. Furthermore, areas with mixed seafloor types are suitable for building a model that can be applied in similar locations where only drone data is available