The prognostic potential of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping was studied as complemented by high-resolution 3D T(1)-weighted MRI in the assessment of dentin-pulp complex response to caries. Results of the study indicate that the average ADC value of dental pulp could be used as a potential marker to assess tissue response to caries comparable to that of ICDAS scoring.
COBISS.SI-ID: 25540391
Background: Multiple advanced resting ECG (A-ECG) techniques have improved thediagnostic or prognostic value of ECG in detecting human cardiac diseases even before onset of clinical signs or changes in conventional ECG. Objective:To determine which A-ECG parameters, derived from 12-lead A-ECG recordings, change with severity of mitral regurgitation (MR) caused by myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCSs) in sinus rhythm. ANIMALS: Seventy-six privately owned CKCSs. Methods: Dogs were prospectively divided into 5 groups according to the degree of MR (estimated by color Doppler mapping as the percentage of the left atrial area affected by the MR jet) and presence of clinical signs. High fidelity approximately 5-minute 12-lead ECG recordings were evaluated using custom software to calculate multiple conventional and A-ECG parameters. Results: Nineteen of 76 ECG parameters were significantly different (P ( .05) across the 5 dog groups. A 4-parameter model that incorporated results from 1 parameter of heart rate variability, 2 parameters of QT variability, and 1 parameter of QRS amplitude was identified that explained 82.4% of the variancewith a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.60 (P ( .01). When age or murmur grade was included in the statistical model the prediction value further increased the R to 0.74 and 0.85 (P ( .01), respectively. Conclusion: In CKCSs with sinus rhythm, 4 selected A-ECG parameters further improve prediction of MR jet severity beyond age and murmur grade, although the predictive increment in this study probably is not sufficient to warrant utilization in clinical veterinary practice.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29374937
Increased beat-to-beat variability in the QT interval (QTV) of ECG has been associated with increased risk for sudden cardiac death, but its measurement is technically challenging and currently not standardized. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of commonly used beat-to-beat QT interval measurement algorithms. Three different methods (conventional, template stretching and template time shifting) were subjected to simulated data featuring typical ECG recording issues (broadband noise, baseline wander, amplitude modulation) and real short-term ECG of patients before and after infusion of sotalol, a QT interval prolonging drug. Among the three algorithms, the conventional algorithm was most susceptible to noise whereas the template time shifting algorithm showed superior overall performance on simulated and real ECG. None of the algorithms was able to detect increased beat-to-beat QT interval variability after sotalol infusion despite marked prolongation of the average QT interval. The QTV estimates of all three algorithms were inversely correlated with the amplitude of the T wave. In conclusion, template matching algorithms, in particular the time shifting algorithm, are recommended for beat-to-beat variability measurement of QT interval in body surface ECG. Recording noise, T wave amplitude and the beat-rejection strategy are important factors of QTV measurement and require further investigation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 30459353
We investigated the hypothesis that during tonic pain stimulus, neurovascular coupling (NVC) decreases, measuring visually evoked cerebral blood flow velocity response (VEFR) during cold pressor test (CPT) in healthy human subjects as a test. VEFR was calculated as a relative increase in blood flow velocity in the posterior cerebral artery from average values during the last 5 s of the stimulus-OFF period to average values during the last 10 s of the stimulus-ON period. Three consecutive experimental phases were compared: basal, CPT and recovery. During CPT, end-diastolic and mean VEFR increased from 20.2 to 23.6% (p ( 0.05) and from 17.5 to 20.0% (p ( 0.05), respectively.In recovery phase, end-diastolic and mean VEFR decreased to 17.7%and 15.5%, respectively. Both values were statistically significantly different from CPT phase (p ( 0.05). Compared with the basal phase, only end-diastolic VEFR was statistically significantly different in the recovery phase (p ( 0.05). Our results are consistent with the assumption that there isa change in the activity of NVC during CPT because of the modulatory influence of subcortical structures activated during tonic pain. Contrary to our expectations, the combined effect of such influences increases rather thandecreases NVC.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29112537