TCT-378 Not Every TEE Is a “Standard of Care” TEE

Background: Intraprocedural structural heart imaging is more challenging and has unique differences from standard of care (SOC) imaging. However, the variations in time and complexity of different types of SOC transesophageal echocardiographs (TEEs) versus interventional TEEs is not well studied. In this study, we aim to compare the complexity of SOC nonvalvular indication TEE with SOC valvular TEE studies and interventional TEEs performed in the guidance of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) MitraClip (Abbott Vascular) procedures. Methods: A retrospective case-control analysis was performed on 200 patients who underwent TEE in the Henry Ford Health System. One hundred cases of interventional TEE-guided TEER were compared with 73 nonvalvular (endocarditis and stroke evaluation) SOC TEEs and 27 valvular (preprocedural mitral, aortic, and tricuspid valve evaluations) SOC TEEs. Complexity was quantified by the total procedure duration, the total number of images, and the number of 3-dimensional (3D) clips captured. The mean, median, and SD were compared between these groups. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate statistical significance. Results: The mean duration of TEE procedures, the number of images, and the number of 3D clips were all significantly higher in the interventional imaging TEER group compared with the noninterventional groups (P \u3c 0.0001) (Table 1). The duration and number of images were also significantly higher among valvular compared with nonvalvular SOC TEE groups (P \u3c 0.0002) as well as number of 3D clips (P \u3c 0.0012). Conclusion: Interventional TEE was more complicated and time-consuming compared with SOC TEE performed for both nonvalvular and valvular indications. The latter was also more complex than SOC nonvalvular TEE. This is the first study of its kind demonstrating objective differences between interventional and 2 SOC TEE groups. These results emphasize the need of dedicated training for intraprocedural imaging as well as restructuring of reimbursement codes. Categories: STRUCTURAL: Valvular Disease: Mitra

TCT-374 Structural Heart Intraprocedural Versus Nonprocedural Transesophageal Echocardiography: A Quantitative Analysis of Complexity

Background: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an essential tool in many structural heart procedures, such as transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (TEER). Interventional procedural TEE requires a unique skill set. This study aims to evaluate the complexity of interventional structural heart TEE used to guide TEER compared with standard of care (SOC) TEE studies performed at a single center. Methods: A retrospective case-control analysis was performed of 200 patients who underwent TEE in the Henry Ford Health System. One hundred cases of interventional TEE-guided TEER were compared with 100 controls of SOC TEE. Complexity was quantified by the total duration of the procedure, the total number of images, and the number of 3-dimensional clips captured. The mean, median, and SD were compared between these 2 groups. Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used to evaluate statistical significance. Results: One hundred intraprocedural TEE studies to guide TEER and 100 SOC TEE studies were analyzed. The mean duration of TEE procedures, the number of images, and the number of 3-dimensional clips were all significantly higher in the TEER group (P \u3c 0.0001) (Table 1). Conclusion: Interventional TEE guidance for TEER is significantly more complex and more time-consuming than SOC TEE. This is the first large-scale study demonstrating objective differences between interventional and SOC TEE. This conclusion implicates the necessity of dedicated training programs for interventional imaging, in addition to the necessity of reviewing the current reimbursement codes to account for such a difference. Categories: STRUCTURAL: Valvular Disease: Mitra

The effect of seasoning with herbs on the nutritional, safety and sensory properties of reduced-sodium fermented Cobrançosa cv. table olives

This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of seasoning Cobrancosa table olives in a brine with aromatic ingredients, in order to mask the bitter taste given by KCl when added to reduced-sodium fermentation brines. Olives were fermented in two different salt combinations: Brine A, containing 8% NaCl and, Brine B, a reduced-sodium brine, containing 4% NaCl + 4% KCl. After the fermentation the olives were immersed in seasoning brines with NaCl (2%) and the aromatic herbs (thyme, oregano and calamintha), garlic and lemon. At the end of the fermentation and two weeks after seasoning, the physicochemical, nutritional, organoleptic, and microbiological parameters, were determined. The olives fermented in the reduced-sodium brines had half the sodium concentration, higher potassium and calcium content, a lower caloric level, but were considered, by a sensorial panel, more bitter than olives fermented in NaCl brine. Seasoned table olives, previously fermented in Brine A and Brine B, had no significant differences in the amounts of protein (1.23% or 1.11%), carbohydrates (1.0% or 0.66%), fat (20.0% or 20.5%) and dietary fiber (3.4% or 3.6%). Regarding mineral contents, the sodium-reduced fermented olives, presented one third of sodium, seven times more potassium and three times more calcium than the traditional olives fermented in 8% NaCl. Additionally, according to the panelists' evaluation, seasoning the olives fermented in 4% NaCl + 4% KCl, resulted in a decrease in bitterness and an improvement in the overall evaluation and flavor. Escherichia coli and Salmonella were not found in the olives produced.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In vivo fluorescence imaging of the transport of charged chlorine6 conjugates in a rat orthotopic prostate tumour

Polymeric drug conjugates are used in cancer therapy and, varying their molecular size and charge, will affect their in vivo transport and extravasation in tumours. Partitioning between tumour vasculature and tumour tissue will be of particular significance in the case of photosensitizer conjugates used in photodynamic therapy, where this partitioning can lead to different therapeutic effects. Poly-l-lysine chlorine6 conjugates (derived from polymers of averageMr 5000 and 25 000) were prepared both in a cationic state and by poly-succinylation in an anionic state. A fluorescence scanning laser microscope was used to follow the pharmacokinetics of these conjugates in vivo in an orthotopic rat prostate cancer model obtained with MatLyLu cells. Fluorescence was excited with the 454–528 nm group of lines of an argon laser and a 570 nm long pass filter used to isolate the emission. Results showed that the conjugates initially bound to the walls of the vasculature, before extravasating into the tissue, and eventually increasing in fluorescence. The anionic conjugates produced tissue fluorescence faster than the cationic ones, and surprisingly, the largerMr conjugates produced tissue fluorescence faster than the smaller ones with the same charge. These results are consistent with differences in aggregation state between conjugates. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Upper limb rehabilitation using robotic exoskeleton systems: a systematic review

Exoskeleton assisted therapy has been reported as a significant reduction in impairment and gain in functional abilities of stroke patients. In this paper, we conduct a systematic review on the upper limb rehabilitation using robotic exoskeleton systems. This review is based on typical mechanical structures and control strategies for exoskeletons in clinical rehabilitation conditions. A variety of upper limb exoskeletons are classified and reviewed according to their rehabilitation joints. Special attentions are paid to the performance control strategies and mechanism designs in clinical trials and to promote the adaptability to different patients and conditions. Finally, we analyze and highlight the current research gaps and the future directions in this field. We intend to offer informative resources and reliable guidance for relevant researcher’s further studies, and exert a far-reaching influence on the development of advanced upper limb exoskeleton robotic systems

Measures of frailty in population-based studies: An overview

Although research productivity in the field of frailty has risen exponentially in recent years, there remains a lack of consensus regarding the measurement of this syndrome. This overview offers three services: first, we provide a comprehensive catalogue of current frailty measures; second, we evaluate their reliability and validity; third, we report on their popularity of use