Processing Large Amounts of Images on Hadoop with OpenCV

Modern image collections cannot be processed efficiently on one computer due to large collection sizes and high computational costs of modern image processing algorithms. Hence, image processing often requires distributed computing. However, distributed computing is a complicated subject that demands deep technical knowledge and often cannot be used by researches who develop image processing algorithms. The framework is needed that allows the researches to concentrate on image processing tasks and hides from them the complicated details of distributed computing. In addition, the framework should provide the researches with the familiar image processing tools. The paper describes the extension to the MapReduce Image Processing (MIPr) framework that provides the ability to use OpenCV in Hadoop cluster for distributed image processing. The modified MIPr framework allows the development of image processing programs in Java using the OpenCV Java binding. The performance testing of created system on the cloud cluster demonstrated near-linear scalability

Survey on software tools that implement deep learning algorithms on intel/x86 and IBM/Power8/Power9 platforms

Neural networks are becoming more and more popular in scientific field and in the industry. It is mostly because new solutions using neural networks show state-of-the-art results in the domains previously occupied by traditional methods, eg. computer vision, speech recognition etc. But to get these results neural networks become progressively more complex, thus needing a lot more training. The training of neural networks today can take weeks. This problems can be solved by parallelization of the neural networks training and using modern clusters and supercomputers, which can significantly reduce the learning time. Today, a faster training for data scientist is essential, because it allows to get the results faster to make the next decision. In this paper we provide an overview of distributed learning provided by the popular modern deep learning frameworks, both in terms of provided functionality and performance. We consider multiple hardware choices: training on multiple GPUs and multiple computing nodes. © The Authors 2019.Council on grants of the President of the Russian Federation: MK-2330.2019.9You can use a special version of Caffe, NVCaffe, which is supported by NVidia. This version was created specifically for the use of several GPUs. User instructions can be found in [35].For NVidia, MXNet is supported by Nvidia Cloud. MXNet also has support for CUDA and CuDNN.The results described in this paper were obtained with the financial support of the grant from the Russian Federation President Fund (MK-2330.2019.9)

Tenascin-C as a cardiovascular marker

Novel biological markers, such as fibrosis marker galectin-3, peptide hormone adrenomedullin, soluble ST2, chemokine CX3CL1, surrogate marker of vasopressin, and others, are every year one step closer to being introduced into health practice. Over the past decades, significant progress has been made in the study of cardiovascular biomarkers. A key moment was the introduction of deter mining the concentration of natriuretic peptides used as markers for the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of patients with heart failure. Currently, in order to search for novel markers for early diagnosis and risk stratification, studies have been conducted on the analysis of promising inflammatory marker tenascin-C (TNC) in cardiovascular patients. Data have been obtained that allow us to consider TNC as a tool for risk stratification and assessment of cardiovascular disease prognosis. The combination of TNC with other biological markers, in particular brain natriuretic peptide, may improve prognostic power. Nevertheless, serial testing to assess the prognosis and effectiveness of ongoing treatment, including in the conditions of a multimarker model, requires further research

Внутрисосудистая визуализация атеросклеротических бляшек у больных с кардиоренальным синдромом: возможности оптической когерентной томографии

Currently, kidney transplantation and hemodialysis are the primary therapies for end-stage renal disease. High mortality, mostly caused by cardiovascular disease, remains the main challenge in the treatment of this category of patients. It has been shown that in patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis, the risk of mortality due to cardiovascular disease is up to 20 times higher than in the sex- and age-matched general population. The indicated data determined the appropriateness of isolating cardiorenal relationships into a single cardiorenal syndrome (CRS). Due to the facts mentioned above, intravascular imaging methods, notably optical coherence tomography (OCT), are particularly important in diagnosing coronary artery lesions. This review analyses the data published to date on the features and capabilities of OCT in CRS patients.В настоящее время трансплантация почек и применение гемодиализа являются основными методами лечения терминальной почечной недостаточности. При этом главной проблемой при лечении указанной категории пациентов остается высокая смертность, в структуре которой первое место занимают сердечнососудистые заболевания. Показано, что у пациентов с терминальной стадией хронической болезни почек, находящихся на гемодиализе, риск смертности от сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний до 20 раз выше, чем в популяции соответствующего пола и возраста. Указанные данные обусловили целесообразность выделения кардиоренальных взаимоотношений в единый кардиоренальный синдром (КРС). В связи с вышеуказанным особую значимость приобретают методы внутрисосудистой визуализации поражений коронарного русла, в частности оптическая когерентная томография (ОКТ). В настоящем обзоре представлен анализ опубликованных к настоящему времени данных об особенностях и возможностях ОКТ у больных с КРС

Роль радионуклидной диагностики в комплексном обследовании ВИЧ-инфицированных пациентов с ишемической болезнью сердца

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most frequent cause of death globally. The greatest part is occupied by ischemic heart disease. HIV patients are composed to a higher risk of coronary heart disease.The purpose of this work is to evaluate the possibility of using molecular imaging methods in a comprehensive examination of patients with HIV infection and ischemic heart disease.Materials and methods. The survey group includes 32 patients with HIV infection. The comparison group consists of 25 age-matched patients with coronary heart disease and without HIV Infection. All patients were underwent myocardial perfusion scintigraphy using single photon emission computed tomography. Positron emission tomography with FDG were performed if necessary to assess the viability of the myocardium. The patients of the main group undergo diagnostic coronary angiography and standard set of laboratory and institutional diagnostic methods.Results. The results of which confirm the high efficiency of radionuclide diagnostic methods for detecting perfusion disorders, contractility and myocardial viability in patients with HIV infection even at an early stage. They can be recommended for using in a comprehensive examination of patients with HIV infection.Наиболее частой причиной смертности во всем мире являются сердечно-сосудистые заболевания, среди которых ведущее место занимает ишемическая болезнь сердца (ИБС). В группу с наиболее высоким риском развития ИБС входят пациенты с ВИЧ-инфекцией.Цель исследования: оценка возможности применения методов молекулярной визуализации в комплексном обследовании пациентов с ВИЧ-инфекцией и ИБС.Материал и методы. В группу обследования включено 32 пациента с ВИЧ-инфекцией, группу сравнения составили 25 сопоставимых по возрасту пациентов без ВИЧ-инфекции с ИБС. Всем пациентам проведена перфузионная сцинтиграфия миокарда (с помощью ОФЭКТ), ПЭТ/КТ сердца с ФДГ проводилась при необходимости оценки жизнеспособности миокарда в комплексе с диагностической коронароангиографией и стандартным набором лабораторно-инструментальных методов диагностики.Результаты. Полученные результаты подтверждают высокую эффективностью методов радионуклидной диагностики для выявления нарушений перфузии, сократимости и жизнеспособности миокарда у пациентов с ВИЧ-инфекцией даже на ранней стадии и могут быть рекомендованы к использованию в комплексном обследовании пациентов с ВИЧ-инфекцией

Parallel Simulation of Scroll Wave Dynamics in the Human Heart Using the FEniCS Framework

In the heart, scroll waves are three-dimensional self-sustaining spiral waves of electrical excitation. They arise only in pathology and underlie dangerous arrhythmias. Computer simulation of human cardiac arrhythmias is time-consuming and requires parallel computing. In addition, heart simulation is a complicated multilevel task (cell, tissue, organ); parallel multilevel simulation codes are difficult to create and maintain. Here we present an approach to parallel simulation of scroll waves in the left ventricle of the human heart utilizing the FEniCS framework, which allows developing software using near-mathematical notation and provides automatic parallelization. We used the Aliev-Panfilov cell model of heart electrical activity and studied the scalability of FEniCS implementation on parallel computing systems. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.The work is supported by the RAS Presidium grant I.33P Fundamental problems of mathematical modeling, project no. 0401-2015-0025 and by the Research Program of Ural Branch of RAS, project no. 15-7-1-26

The place of ramipril in modern guidelines for the management of patients with cardiovascular diseases

Updates of clinical guidelines and publication of new research results entail changes in our approaches to diagnosing diseases and treating patients, as well as revising the criteria for choosing a particular drug to a specific patient. We are based on the fact that when managing patients with hypertension it is immediately necessary to use those classes of drugs and individual molecules that have proven to be highly effective, safe and adherent throughout the entire cardiovascular continuum. It is understood that the drugs should be shown in IHD and CHF. Among the ACE inhibitors, ramipril meets this requirement. Often, the choice falls precisely on ramipril because a convenient intake once a day at any time of the day and regardless of the meal increases the patient’s adherence to therapy. A wide range of indications, such as hypertension, chronic heart failure, post-infarction patients, diabetic and non-diabetic nephropathy, as well as a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular accidents, including in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, are a serious additional argument in favor of a wide range of ramipril. Moreover, ramipril can reduce the risk of developing new cases of diabetes mellitus and end-stage renal failure

Alirocumab Administration Experience to Achieve Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Target Levels in Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Aim. To study the effects of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor, alirocumab, on lipid levels in patients who receive secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and require enhanced lipid-lowering therapy.Material and methods. The study included 49 patients (aged of 61.53±1.14 years; 31 [63.3%] men) receiving alirocumab who did not reach the target low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations despite the ongoing optimal lipid-lowering therapy. In all patients, the initial level of lipids was evaluated, as well as their parameters after subsequent alirocumab injections.Results. LDL-C serum level significantly decreased after the first injection compared to the initial level from 2.92±0.22 to 1.65±0.19 mmol/L (p<0.001; Δ45.31±3.61%) and down to 1.74±0.17 mmol/L for the entire study period (p<0.001; Δ41.52±2.69%). The change in LDL-C level between injections did not show statistically significant differences (p=0.141). A direct strong statistically significant correlation between the LDL-C level after the first injection and its average values for the entire observation period was found (r=0.958, p<0.001).Conclusion. The results of the study indicate that the PCSK9 inhibitor, alirocumab, in patients who need secondary prevention of CVD shows a significant additional decrease in the concentration of LDL-C after the first injection. At the same time, approximately half of the patients were able to achieve the recommended levels of LDL-C. The persistence of the achieved low LDL-C levels over time demonstrated that the average concentration of LDL-C during the observation corresponded to the values after the first injection. This finding shows that there is no need for constant monitoring of lipid metabolism parameters when prescribing such therapy

Intravascular imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in patients with cardiorenal syndrome: potential use of optical coherence tomography

Currently, kidney transplantation and hemodialysis are the primary therapies for end-stage renal disease. High mortality, mostly caused by cardiovascular disease, remains the main challenge in the treatment of this category of patients. It has been shown that in patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis, the risk of mortality due to cardiovascular disease is up to 20 times higher than in the sex- and age-matched general population. The indicated data determined the appropriateness of isolating cardiorenal relationships into a single cardiorenal syndrome (CRS). Due to the facts mentioned above, intravascular imaging methods, notably optical coherence tomography (OCT), are particularly important in diagnosing coronary artery lesions. This review analyses the data published to date on the features and capabilities of OCT in CRS patients