Compilation and Binary Editing for Performance and Security

Traditionally, execution of a program follows a straight and inflexible path starting from source code, extending through a compiled executable file on disk, and culminating in an executable image in memory. This dissertation enables more flexible programs through new compilation mechanisms and binary editing techniques. To assist analysis of functions in binaries, a new compilation mechanism generates data representing control flow graphs of each function. These data allow binary analysis tools to identify the boundaries of basic blocks and the types of edges between them without examining individual instructions. A similar compilation mechanism is used to create individually relocatable basic blocks that can be relocated anywhere in memory at runtime to simplify runtime instrumentation. The concept of generating relocatable program components is also applied at function-level granularity. Through link-time function relocation, unused functions in shared libraries are moved to a section that is not loaded into the memory at runtime, reducing the memory footprint of these shared libraries. Moreover, function relocation is extended to the runtime where functions are continuously moved to random addresses to thwart system intrusion attacks. The techniques presented above result in a 74% reduction in binary parsing times as well as an 85% reduction in memory footprint of the code segment of shared libraries, while simplifying instrumentation of binary code. The techniques also provide a way to make return-oriented programming attacks virtually impossible to succeed

Acupuncture in Preterm Babies during Minor Painful Procedures

ObjectiveTo evaluate analgesic effects of acupuncture in preterm neonates during minor painful procedures.MethodsTen preterm neonates requiring heel prick for blood gas analysis were enrolled in the study, which had a crossover design. Oxygen saturation, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, and crying duration were recorded before and after heel prick. Babies were given expressed breast milk before each procedure. Patients were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture or not, and the groups were crossed over on the following day, so that patients who had received acupuncture received only breast milk, and the previous breast milk only group received both acupuncture and breast milk. The neonatal infant pain scale (NIPS) was used for pain evaluation.ResultsCrying duration and NIPS pain scores during heel prick were lower in the neonates who had received acupuncture.ConclusionAcupuncture is an effective method for the treatment of pain in neonates

Asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in a newborn with congenital factor VII deficiency and successful treatment with recombinant activated factor VII.

Intracranial hemorrhage is considered the most common cause of death in newborns with congenital factor VII (FVII) deficiency. Recombinant activated FVII (rFVIIa) provides specific replacement therapy, however there is limited experience with its neonatal use. We describe our experience about the treatment of intracranial hemorrhage in a newborn with congenital FVII deficiency and emphasize the importance of imaging in asymptomatic patients. She presented with ecchymoses on her skin, no other pathological clinical signs, prolonged PT, normal PTT and FVII activity of 2%. Intracranial hemorrhage was diagnosed while screening for internal bleedings. Treatment with rFVIIa resulted in stabilization and regression of the hematoma

Evaluation of peripheral perfusion in term newborns before and after Yintang (EX-HN 3) massage

OBJECTIVE: To identify how acupressure on the acupoint Yintang (EX-HN 3) impacts oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and peripheral perfusion in term-born infants without underlying disease. METHODS: Infants born between weeks 37 and 42 of gestation were included in this study. The polyclinic's neonatology room was noise-controlled and made half-dark to prevent the perfusion index from being confounded. A pulse oximeter was linked to the baby's left lower extremity. Acupressure was applied on Yintang (EX-HN 3) for 30 s clockwise, held for 30 s, and then acupressure was applied for another 30 s counterclockwise. The baby's SaO(2), pulse rate, and perfusion index were recorded for each minute before and after acupressure. RESULTS: When pre- and post-acupressure pulse rate values were compared, a significant decrease in pulse rate values after acupressure application was observed. When pre- and post-acupressure oxygen saturation values were compared, a significant increase in post-acupressure oxygen saturation was observed. In addition, peripheral perfusion increased significantly after acupressure. CONCLUSION: Acupressure application has been used in traditional medicine for many years. However, it is not yet widely used in modern medicine. This study shows the impact of acupressure on neonatal skin perfusion, oxygen saturation, and pulse rate. (C) 2015 JTCM. All rights reserved

Effects of sustained inflation and postinflation positive end-expiratory pressure in acute respiratory distress syndrome: Focusing on pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms

Objective. To investigate whether the response to sustained inflation and postinflation positive end-expiratory pressure varies between acute respiratory distress syndrome with pulmonary (ARDS(P)) and extrapulmonary origin (ARDS(exp))

Correlation between the serum lumican level and the severity of coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have previously shown that some small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) are associated with atherosclerotic plaque. We aim to investigate the relationship between circulating lumican levels and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 255 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography for stable angina pectoris. All demographic and clinical data were collected prospectively. The severity of CAD was assessed based on the Gensini score and a value >40 was defined as advanced CAD. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients were in the advanced CAD group; these are older and the frequency of diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular accidents, reduced ejection fraction (EF), left atrium diameter was higher. Serum lumican levels were found as higher in advanced CAD group (0.4 ng/ml vs. 0.6 ng/ml, respectively, p<0.001). When the Gensini score increased, a statistically significant increase was observed in lumican levels with a good correlation (r=0.556 and p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus, EF and lumican were predictive for advanced CAD. Lumican level predicts CAD seriousness with a sensitivity rate of 64%, specificity rate of 65%. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we reveal a relationship between serum lumican levels and CAD severity. More research is warranted to determine the mechanism and prognostic values of lumican in the atherosclerosis