Search

Abstract Background The patent foramen ovale (PFO) and interatrial block (IAB) are associated with cryptogenic stroke (CS). However, the role of the interaction between PFO and IAB in CS remains unclear. Methods This case–control study enrolled 256 patients with CS and 156 individuals without a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack. IAB was defined as P wave duration > 120 ms. PFO was evaluated by contrast transesophageal echocardiography, and classified as no-PFO, low-risk PFO and high-risk PFO. Multiplicative and additive interaction analysis were used to assess the interaction between PFO and IAB in CS. Results Multiplicative interaction analysis unveiled a significant interaction between IAB and low-risk PFO in CS (OR for interaction = 3.653, 95% CI, 1.115–12.506; P = 0.037). Additive interaction analysis indicated that 68.4% (95% CI, 0.333–1.050; P

BackgroundDetecting cardiac thrombus in patients with acute ischemic stroke is crucial in determine stroke etiology and predict prognosis. However, the prevalence of cardiac thrombus in patients with acute ischemic stroke is unclear.ObjectThis study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cardiac thrombus detected by cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in patients with acute ischemic stroke through a meta-analysis.MethodsEmbase, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and CENTRAL were searched from January 1, 2000, to May 1, 2024. We included observational studies enrolling patients who underwent CCTA within 1 month following acute ischemic stroke, and reporting the incidence of cardiac thrombi on CCTA. Meta-analysis was performed using random effects models.ResultsTwenty-six studies involving 4,516 patients were identified. The pooled prevalence of cardiac thrombus detected on CCTA in patients with acute ischemic stroke was 0.08 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06–0.11). Inter-study heterogeneity was high (I2 = 88%). Among stroke type, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation, timing of CCTA and CCTA technology, the prevalence of atrial fibrillation was the only factor associated with cardiac thrombi prevalence detected by CCTA. However, atrial fibrillation was not documented in 41.5% of the patients with cardiac thrombi.ConclusionCCTA is a useful non-invasive imaging approach for detecting cardiac thrombus in patients with acute ischemic stroke, which might be helpful to determine the stroke etiology.

Abstract In atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, complex electrograms during sinus rhythm (C-EGMs) could be pathological or not. We aimed to demonstrate whether local pacing was helpful to discern pathological C-EGMs. 126 persistent AF patients and 27 patients with left-side accessory pathway (LAP) underwent left atrial mapping during sinus rhythm. If C-EGMs were detected, local pacing was performed. If the electrograms turned normal, we defined them as non-fixed C-EGMs, otherwise as fixed C-EGMs. No difference was detected in the incidence and proportion of non-fixed C-EGMs between AF patients and LAP patients (101/126 vs. 19/27, P = 0.26; 9.1 ± 6.0% vs. 7.7 ± 5.7%, P = 0.28). However, the incidence and proportion of fixed C-EGMs were higher in persistent AF patients (87/126 vs. 1/27, P

Solar quiet variation (Sq) generated from ionospheric currents are among the most important type of geomagnetic variations. In this paper, the correlation between the geomagnetic Z component solar quiet variation (SqZ) component and the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) is discussed. For the analysis, 20 stations at middle and low latitudes are chosen, and the correlation between geomagnetic SqZ and ionospheric TEC at these stations from 2008 to 2015 is analyzed. The time delays are estimated by detecting peaks in the cross-correlation function, which shows that there is a stable correlation between SqZ and TEC. The time delay between them is largest in summer and smallest in winter, which is consistent with the Sq field intensity. With increasing latitude, the time delay decreases gradually from positive to negative, i.e., SqZ goes from being ahead of the TEC to behind it. The turning point of this change is at ca. 28°N, exactly where the Sq current vortex is located.

Background Left atrial appendage (LAA) morphology predicts stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation. However, it is not precisely understood how LAA morphology influences stroke risk. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between LAA morphology and local thrombogenesis‐related blood parameters in LAA. Methods and Results We enrolled 205 patients undergoing catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. The prevalence of chicken wing–, cactus‐, windsock‐, and cauliflower‐type LAAs were 23.9%, 32.7%, 29.3%, and 14.1%, respectively. Blood samples were collected from the femoral vein, left atrium, and LAA in each patient. The levels of blood parameters were tested for each blood sample. The cauliflower‐type LAA was associated with elevated platelet P‐selectin expression, and interleukin‐6 levels and with lower NO levels in LAA blood samples (P

Abstract Many medical professions require practitioners to perform visual categorizations in domains such as radiology, dermatology, and neurology. However, acquiring visual expertise is tedious and time-consuming and the perceptual strategies mediating visual categorization skills are poorly understood. In this paper, the Ease algorithm was developed to predict an item’s categorization difficulty (Ease value) based on the item’s perceptual similarity to all within-category items versus between-category items in the dataset. In this study, Ease values were used to construct an easy-to-hard and hard-to-easy training schedule for teaching melanoma diagnosis. Whereas previous visual training studies suggest that an easy-to-hard schedule benefits learning outcomes, no studies to date have demonstrated the easy-to-hard advantage with complex, real-world images. In our study, 237 melanoma and benign images were collected for training and testing purposes. The diagnostic accuracy of images was verified by an expert dermatologist. Based on their Ease values, the items were grouped into easy, medium, and hard categories, each containing an equal number of melanoma and benign lesions. During training, participants categorized images of skin lesions as either benign or melanoma and were given corrective feedback after each trial. In the easy-to-hard training condition, participants learned to categorize all the easy items first, followed by the medium items, and finally the hard items. Participants in the hard-to-easy training condition learned items in the reverse order. Post-training results showed that training in both conditions transferred to the classification of new melanoma and benign images. Participants in the easy-to-hard condition showed modest advantages both in the acquisition and retention of the melanoma diagnosis skills, but neither scheduling condition exhibited a gross advantage. The Ease values of the items predicted categorization accuracy after, but not before training, suggesting that the Ease algorithm is a promising tool for optimizing medical training in visual categorization.

Copyright of Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Plantas Medicinales y Aromáticas is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The optimal treatments for atrial fibrillation in heart failure patients are controversial. The present study compared the efficacy of catheter ablation and medical therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Methods: Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched until January 15, 2022. Randomized controlled trials comparing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with medical therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure were enrolled. Primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included the heart failure hospitalization and the change in left ventricular ejection fraction, 6-minute walk test distance, peak oxygen consumption, and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire score. Results: Totally 8 randomized controlled trials involving 1693 patients were included. Compared with medical therapy, catheter ablation significantly reduced all-cause mortality (risk ratios = 0.60, 95% Cl: 0.45 to 0.80, P < .001) and hospitalization due to heart failure (risk ratios = 0.58, 95% Cl: 0.46 to 0.73, P < .001), improved left ventricular ejection fraction (mean difference = 5.25%, 95% CI: 2.78% to 7.71%, P < .001), improved the performance of 6-minute walk test (mean difference = 28.83 m, 95% CI: 8.61 to 49.05 m, P = .005), increased peak oxygen consumption (mean difference = 3.11 mL/kg/min, 95% CI: 1.04 to 5.18 mL/kg/min, P = .003), and reduced Minnesota Living with Heart Failure score (mean difference = -8.45, 95% CI: -16.28 to -0.62, P = .03). Conclusion: In heart failure patients with atrial fibrillation, catheter ablation provides more benefits over medical therapy in the important clinical outcomes, exercise capacity, and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-latitude longitudinally periodic density structure with three or four peaks at a fixed local time is well known. Both harmonic analysis of observations and numerical simulations have been extensively performed to ascribe the periodic structures to different atmospheric tides. But to date, no research has been done to explain how the two structures transform between seasons. Besides, other different wave structures have also been reported. To clarify these uncertainties, the COSMIC electron density data during 2006-2019 are used to further examine the spatiotemporal variations of the longitudinal structure. The results show that a wavenumber-4 structure is clearly distinguishable during equinoxes and the four peaks are basically the same size, but in two solstices, a wavenumber-3 structure is finally observed and the three peaks vary greatly in size. The wavenumber-4 is well established before noon while the stable wavenumber-3 form cannot be reached until after noon. Due to the blurred boundary caused by plasma transportation, the density distribution can be characterized by other wave structures before reaching its stable form during solstices. Subdividing the data, we find that from vernal (autumn) equinox to June (December) solstice, the peak in American sector gradually merges with its west (east) side peak into a super-large one, its east (west) side peak weakens into a small one, and the peak in Southeast Asian sector gradually shrinks (expands). We speculate that the transition from wavenumber-4 to wavenumber-3 is due to the modulation of transequatorial winds and magnetic declination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a probabilistic clustering approach based on self-organizing learning algorithm and recursive Bayesian estimation. The model is built upon the principle that the market data space is multimodal and can be described by a mixture of Gaussian distributions. The model parameters are approximated by a stochastic recursive Bayesian learning: searches for the maximum a posterior solution at each step, stochastically updates model parameters using a “dualneighbourhood” function with adaptive simulated annealing, and applies profile likelihood confidence interval to avoid prolonged learning. The proposed model is based on a number of pioneer works, such as Mixture Gaussian Autoregressive Model, Self-Organizing Mixture Map, and have some favoured attributes on its robust convergence and good generalization. The experimental results on both artificial and real market data show that the algorithm is a good alternative in measuring multimodal distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of literature suggests that human individuals differ in their ability to process face identity. These findings mainly stem from explicit behavioral tasks, such as the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT). However, it remains an open question whether such individual differences can be found in the absence of an explicit face identity task and when faces have to be individualized at a single glance. In the current study, we tested 49 participants with a recently developed fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm [Liu-Shuang, J., Norcia, A. M., & Rossion, B. An objective index of individual face discrimination in the right occipitotemporal cortex by means of fast periodic oddball stimulation. Neuropsychologia, 52, 57-72, 2014] in EEG to rapidly, objectively, and implicitly quantify face identity processing. In the FPVS paradigm, one face identity (A) was presented at the frequency of 6 Hz, allowing only one gaze fixation, with different face identities (B, C, D) presented every fifth face (1.2 Hz; i.e., AAAABAAAAACAAAAAD… ). Results showed a face individuation response at 1.2 Hz and its harmonics, peaking over occipitotemporal locations. The magnitude of this response showed high reliability across different recording sequences and was significant in all but two participants, with the magnitude and lateralization differing widely across participants. There was a modest but significant correlation between the individuation response amplitude and the performance of the behavioral CFMT task, despite the fact that CFMT and FPVS measured different aspects of face identity processing. Taken together, the current study highlights the FPVS approach as a promising means for studying individual differences in face identity processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]