Atrial Shunting for Heart Failure.

Despite a plethora of pharmacological therapies for heart failure (HF), reducing the symptomatic burden in patients with advanced HF remains an unmet clinical need. Over the past decade, atrial shunting has emerged as a novel therapy for those with symptomatic HF despite optimal guideline-directed medical therapy. Initially thought of as a therapy reserved for those with diastolic HF, the field now spans the entire HF spectrum.

Exercise Performance in Transplant Recipients of Hearts From Donation After Circulatory Death and Donation After Brain Death.

Background: Heart transplantation (HT) following donation after circulatory death (DCD) has grown substantially in recent years. However, the effects of functional ischemic injury during procurement on exercise capacity remain unknown. We compared exercise performance parameters between DCD and donation after brain death (DBD) recipients.

Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis: advances and ambiguities.

Cardiac amyloidosis is a fatal disorder caused by deposition of abnormally folded protein in the interstitial space. One of the proteins most associated with the disease is transthyretin (TTR), which leads to a progressive infiltrative cardiomyopathy (CM). Previously thought to be a rare disorder, there is growing recognition of it as a common cause of heart failure in the elderly and African Americans.

Re-evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive.

This opinion addresses the re-evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as food additive and an application for its exemption from the laxative warning label requirement as established under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Erythritol is a polyol obtained by fermentation with BC or KW3-6, followed by purifications and drying. Erythritol is readily and dose-dependently absorbed in humans and can be metabolised to erythronate to a small extent.

Endovascular approach to a complex thrombus in-transit through a patent foramen ovale.

Unlabelled: Large atrial thrombi can be managed percutaneously. We present a case of a 76-year-old female patient who presented to our emergency room with an acute stroke and was managed with mechanical thrombectomy. Further work-up revealed a large complex thrombus in-transit trapped in a patent foramen ovale with a large mobile portion in the left atrium.

Acute Presentation of a High-Grade Myxofibrosarcoma Originating in the Thoracic Wall: A Case Report.

We report the first case of a patient with myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) who presented acutely with a rib fracture and developed a rapidly expanding loculated hemothorax after chest trauma. The patient was taken to the operating room for evacuation of hemothorax, and samples and biopsy specimens were taken for cytologic and pathologic examination. Final report with immunohistochemical staining showed a high-grade MFS.

Location of Superior Vena Cava Tears in Transvenous Lead Extraction.

Background: Superior vena cava (SVC) tears are rare but potentially lethal complications associated with transvenous lead extraction. When lacerations occur, surgeons need to be prepared for an emergent response. Nonetheless, little is known about the precise whereabouts of these lesions.

Severity of climacteric symptoms among Peruvian women from an urban coastal community and a rural Andean community.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of climacteric symptoms among two Peruvian communities, adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical variables in climacteric women.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 90 subjects from two different communities (an urban coastal and a rural Andean district from Peru). The Menopause Rating Scale was used to assess climacteric symptoms.

Carbon nanotube modification of microbial fuel cell electrodes.

The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for energy harvesting devices is preferable due to their unique mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. On the other hand, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising devices to recover carbon-neutral energy from the organic matters, and have been hindered with major setbacks towards commercialization. Nanoengineered CNT-based materials show remarkable electrochemical properties, and therefore have provided routes towards highly effective modification of MFC compartments to ultimately reach the theoretical limits of biomass energy recovery, low-cost power production, and thus the commercialization of MFCs.

A novel wearable laser device to regulate stride length in Parkinson's disease.

Decreased stride length is a highly relevant characteristic of the gait in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this paper, a novel wearable laser device for stride length regulation is presented. The device is mounted to one foot and can project a red laser light strip to the floor as a visual cue for the other foot.

Collecting and distributing wearable sensor data: an embedded personal area network to local area network gateway server.

The goal of the concept and of the device presented in this contribution is to be able to collect sensor data from wearable sensors directly, automatically and wirelessly and to make them available over a wired local area network. Several concepts in e-health and telemedicine make use of portable and wearable sensors to collect movement or activity data. Usually these data are either collected via a wireless personal area network or using a connection to the user's smartphone.

A sensor network to iPhone interface separating continuous and sporadic processes in mobile telemedicine.

In this contribution, a new concept for interfacing sensor network nodes (motes) and smartphones is presented for the first time. In the last years, a variety of telemedicine applications on smartphones for data reception, display and transmission have been developed. However, it is not always practical or possible to have a smartphone application running continuously to accomplish these tasks.

A new washable low-cost garment for everyday fall detection.

In this paper, a new garment for automatic fall detection and alert is presented for the first time. It includes a washable pullover with integrated acceleration sensors, evaluation and control electronics. The system measures the accelerations at the torso and on the arms in three directions in space.

ART - a new concept for an activity recorder and transceiver.

In this contribution, a new concept for an activity recorder and transceiver (ART) is presented. Among the many purposes ART can be used for, this contribution focuses on the development of personal assistant devices for an aging society. Instead of probing a patient's health only when illness occurs, ART offers the possibility to monitor a person ubiquitous in every day life in order e.

A system for intelligent home care ECG upload and priorisation.

In this contribution, a system for internet based, automated home care ECG upload and priorisation is presented for the first time. It unifies the advantages of existing telemonitoring ECG systems adding functionalities such as automated priorisation and usability for home care. Chronic cardiac diseases are a big group in the geriatric field.