A hybrid on-line ECG segmenting system for long-term monitoring

This paper introduces a new hybrid ECG beat segmenting system, which can be applied in the processing unit of single-channel, long-term ECG monitors for the on-line segmentation of the ECG signal. Numerous ECG segmentation techniques are already existing and applied, however sufficiently robust and reliable methods currently require more than one ECG signal channel and quite complex computations, which are practically not feasible in stand-alone, low-cost monitors. Our new system approach presents a time domain segmentation technique based on a priori physiological and morphological information of the ECG beat. The segmentation is carried out after classifying the ECG beat, using the linear approximation of the filtered ECG signal and considering the pathophysiological properties as well. The proposed algorithms require moderate computational power, allowing the practical realization in battery powered stand-alone long-term cardiac monitors or small-sized cardiac defibrillators. The prototype version of the system was implemented in Matlab. The test and evaluation of the system was carried out with the help of reference signal databases

Functional characterization of the ABCG2 5' non-coding exon variants: Stem cell specificity, translation efficiency and the influence of drug selection.

ABCG2 is a multidrug transporter with wide substrate specificity, and is believed to protect several cell types from various xenobiotics and endobiotics. This "guardian" function is important in numerous cell types and tissue barriers but becomes disadvantageous by being responsible for the multidrug resistance phenotype in certain tumor cells. ABCG2 regulation at the protein level has already been extensively studied, however, regulation at the mRNA level, especially the functional role of the various 5' untranslated exon variants (5' UTRs) has been elusive. In the present work, we describe a comprehensive characterization of four ABCG2 mRNA variants with different exon 1 sequences, investigate drug inducibility, stem cell specificity, mRNA stability, and translation efficiency. Although certain variants (E1B and E1C) are considered as "constitutive" mRNA isoforms, we show that chemotoxic drugs significantly alter the expression pattern of distinct ABCG2 mRNA isoforms. When examining human embryonic stem cell lines, we provide evidence that variant E1A has an expression pattern coupled to undifferentiated stem cell stage, as its transcript level is regulated parallel to mRNAs of Oct4 and Nanog pluripotency marker genes. When characterizing the four exon 1 variants we found no significant differences in terms of mRNA stabilities and half-lives of the isoforms. In contrast, variant E1U showed markedly lower translation efficiency both at the total protein level or regarding the functional presence in the plasma membrane. Taken together, these results indicate that the different 5' UTR variants play an important role in cell type specific regulation and fine tuning of ABCG2 expression

Clinically relevant mutations in the ABCG2 transporter uncovered by genetic analysis linked to erythrocyte membrane protein expression

The ABCG2 membrane protein is a key xeno- and endobiotic transporter, modulating the absorption and metabolism of pharmacological agents and causing multidrug resistance in cancer. ABCG2 is also involved in uric acid elimination and its impaired function is causative in gout. Analysis of ABCG2 expression in the erythrocyte membranes of healthy volunteers and gout patients showed an enrichment of lower expression levels in the patients. By genetic screening based on protein expression, we found a relatively frequent, novel ABCG2 mutation (ABCG2-M71V), which, according to cellular expression studies, causes reduced protein expression, although with preserved transporter capability. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated a stumbled dynamics of the mutant protein, while ABCG2-M71V expression in vitro could be corrected by therapeutically relevant small molecules. These results suggest that personalized medicine should consider this newly discovered ABCG2 mutation, and genetic analysis linked to protein expression provides a new tool to uncover clinically important mutations in membrane proteins. © 2018 The Author(s)

Assessment of the anthelmintic activity of medicinal plant extracts and purified condensed tannins against free-living and parasitic stages of Oesophagostomum dentatum

Background: Plant-derived condensed tannins (CT) show promise as a complementary option to treat gastrointestinal helminth infections, thus reducing reliance on synthetic anthelmintic drugs. Most studies on the anthelmintic effects of CT have been conducted on parasites of ruminant livestock. Oesophagostomum dentatum is an economically important parasite of pigs, as well as serving as a useful laboratory model of helminth parasites due to the ability to culture it in vitro for long periods through several life-cycle stages. Here, we investigated the anthelmintic effects of CT on multiple life-cycles stages of O. dentatum. Methods: Extracts and purified fractions were prepared from five plants containing CT and analysed by HPLC-MS. Anthelmintic activity was assessed at five different stages of the O. dentatum life cycle; the development of eggs to infective third-stage larvae (L3), the parasitic L3 stage, the moult from L3 to fourth-stage larvae (L4), the L4 stage and the adult stage. Results: Free-living larvae of O. dentatum were highly susceptible to all five plant extracts. In contrast, only two of the five extracts had activity against L3, as evidenced by migration inhibition assays, whilst three of the five extracts inhibited the moulting of L3 to L4. All five extracts reduced the motility of L4, and the motility of adult worms exposed to a CT-rich extract derived from hazelnut skins was strongly inhibited, with electron microscopy demonstrating direct damage to the worm cuticle and hypodermis. Purified CT fractions retained anthelmintic activity, and depletion of CT from extracts by pre-incubation in polyvinylpolypyrrolidone removed anthelmintic effects, strongly suggesting CT as the active molecules. Conclusions: These results suggest that CT may have promise as an alternative parasite control option for O. dentatum in pigs, particularly against adult stages. Moreover, our results demonstrate a varied susceptibility of different life-cycle stages of the same parasite to CT, which may offer an insight into the anthelmintic mechanisms of these commonly found plant compounds

Spatial Segregation of Roma Settlements Within Serbian Cities. Examples from Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Kruševac

This chapter focuses on the spatial segregation of Roma settlements within Serbian cities, shaped by the long-standing ethnic distance and social exclusion. In order to understand the broader context, the historical background against which Roma settlements emerged in Serbia, as well as their current demographic, legislative, and urban characteristics, are briefly presented. Several forms of segregation of Roma settlements are analysed, including segregation as a consequence of racist hostility, institutional discrimination by city administration, and development-based conflicts. Examples of setting up a wall enclosing a Roma settlement in Kruševac, racist pressures that prevent the construction of housing for Roma in Belgrade and the reluctance to improve and legalise Roma settlements in Novi Sad, illustrate the various manifestations of segregation and division of urban space in Serbia.The Urban Book Serie

Quantitative Performance Analysis of Hybrid Mesh Segmentation

This paper presents a comprehensive quantitative performance analysis of hybrid mesh segmentation algorithm. An important contribution of this proposed hybrid mesh segmentation algorithm is that it clusters facets using “facet area” as a novel mesh attribute. The method does not require to set any critical parameters for segmentation. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by comparing the proposed algorithm with the recently developed state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of coverage, time complexity, and accuracy. The experimentation results on various benchmark test cases demonstrate that Hybrid Mesh Segmentation approach does not depend on complex attributes, and outperforms the existing state-of-the-art algorithms. The simulation reveals that Hybrid Mesh Segmentation achieves a promising performance with coverage of more than 95%

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection