Electrocardiogram Baseline Wander Suppression Based on the Combination of Morphological and Wavelet Transformation Based Filtering

One of the major noise components in electrocardiogram (ECG) is the baseline wander (BW). Effective methods for suppressing BW include the wavelet-based (WT) and the mathematical morphological filtering-based (MMF)algorithms. However, the T waveform distortions introduced by the WTand the rectangular/trapezoidal distortions introduced by MMF degrade the quality of the output signal. Hence, in this study, we introduce a method by combining the MMF and WTto overcome the shortcomings of both existing methods. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, artificial ECG signals containing a clinicalBW are used for numerical simulation, and we also create a realistic model of baseline wander to compare the proposed method with other state-of-the-art methods commonly used in the literature. /e results show that the BW suppression effect of the proposed method is better than that of the others. Also, the new method is capable of preserving the outline of the BW and avoiding waveform distortions caused by the morphology filter, thereby obtaining an enhanced quality of ECG

Is interleukin-18 associated with polycystic ovary syndrome?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent research show that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may have an association with low-grade chronic inflammation, IL-18 is considered as a strong risk marker of inflammation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To investigate serum IL-18 concentrations in PCOS patients and focus on its relationship between obesity and insulin resistance (IR). Sixty consecutive women with PCOS and thirty controls were recruited. Serum level of IL-18 and fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) were measured.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Serum levels of IL-18 was significantly higher in the PCOS group than in the control group. Serum level of IL-18 was higher in the PCOS group with IR than in the PCOS group without IR. Serum level of IL-18 was higher in obese PCOS patients than in lean PCOS patients. Serum level of IL-18 was higher in lean PCOS patients than in the lean control group. Serum level of IL-18 in the PCOS group was positively related to BMI, IR index and T.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IL-18 level was increased in PCOS patients, and correlated with insulin resistance, obesity and hyperandrogenism.</p