Cardio metabolic risk factors for atrial fibrillation in type 2 diabetes mellitus: Focus on hypertension, metabolic syndrome and obesity

Objective. Atrial fibrillation (AF) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been little explored so far. However, there are several cardio metabolic risk factors for AF in T2DM patients, such as arterial hypertension, obesity or the metabolic syndrome. Our objective was to evaluate cardio metabolic risk factors for AF in T2DM patients. Methods. We studied the medical records of T2DM patients hospitalized in the Internal Medicine department of an emergency referral hospital in Bucharest, Romania. The study was observational, retrospective and carried out between January-June 2018. Results. The study group included 221 T2DM patients (with a mean age of 68.65 ± 10.64, ranging between 37-93 years): 116 women (52.49%; with a mean age of 70.53 ± 10.69, ranging between 37-93 years) and 105 men (47.51%; with a mean age of 66.57 ± 10.23, ranging between 38-91 years). 92 patients had AF (41.63%): 40 women (34.48%) and 52 men (49.52%). 180 patients (81.45%) were hypertensive: 103 women (88.79%) and 77 men (73.33%). 113 patients (51.13%) had metabolic syndrome: 58 women (50.00%) and 55 men (52.38%). 77 patients (34.84%) were obese: 45 women (38.79%) and 32 men (30.48%). AF patients associated obesity in 26 cases (28.26%), hypertension in 73 cases (79.35%) and metabolic syndrome in 56 cases (60.87%). Conclusions. Out of the study group, 92 T2DM patients (41.63%) had AF, men being more likely to suffer from AF than women (p=0.0288). Hypertension affected 180 patients (81.45%) and in greater proportion women vs. men (p=0.0051). The metabolic syndrome and obesity were discovered in 113 patients (51.13%) and 77 patients (34.84%), respectively, with no significant differences in terms of gender. In our research, the highest cardio metabolic risk factors for AF in T2DM were hypertension (OR = 3.6675) and the metabolic syndrome (OR = 3.3388)

Romanian Question Answering Using Transformer Based Neural Networks

Question answering is the task of predicting answers for questions based on a context paragraph. It has become especially important, as the large amounts of textual data available online requires not only gathering information but also the task of findings specific answers to specific questions. In this work, we present experiments evaluated on the XQuAD-ro question answering dataset that has been recently published based on the translation of the SQuAD dataset into Romanian. Our bestperforming model, Romanian fine-tuned BERT, achieves an F1 score of 0.80 and an EM score of 0.73. We show that fine-tuning the model with the addition of the Romanian translation slightly increases the evaluation metrics. Received by the editors: 9 December 2021. 2020 Mathematics Subject Classification. 68T07, 68T50. 1998 CR Categories and Descriptors. I.2.7 [Artificial Intelligence]: Natural Language Processing – Language models; I.2.7 [Artificial Intelligence]: Natural Language Processing – Language parsing and understanding; I.2.7 [Artificial Intelligence]: Natural Language Processing – Text analysis

Color Image Scrambling Technique Based on Transposition of Pixels between RGB Channels Using Knight’s Moving Rules and Digital Chaotic Map

Nowadays, increasingly, it seems that the use of rule sets of the most popular games, particularly in new images’ encryption algorithms designing branch, leads to the crystallization of a new paradigm in the field of cryptography. Thus, motivated by this, the present paper aims to study a newly designed digital image scrambler (as part of the two fundamental techniques used to encrypt a block of pixels, i.e., the permutation stage) that uses knight’s moving rules (i.e., from the game of chess), in conjunction with a chaos-based pseudorandom bit generator, abbreviated PRBG, in order to transpose original image’s pixels between RGB channels. Theoretical and practical arguments, rounded by good numerical results on scrambler’s performances analysis (i.e., under various investigation methods, including visual inspection, adjacent pixels’ correlation coefficients’ computation, key’s space and sensitivity assessment, etc.) confirm viability of the proposed method (i.e., it ensures the coveted confusion factor) recommending its usage within cryptographic applications

The evolution of CT diagnosed papillae tip microcalcifications: can we predict the development of stones?

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of computed tomography (CT) identifiable Randall plaques in a CT explored population; to determine the clinical relevance of this radiological finding by a 7-year follow-up; to determine a cut point to identify a population with high risk of developing calcium stone disease (SD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of all patients explored by abdominal CT in our center between January and March 2005. INCLUSION CRITERIA: age 30-60 years and no SD. Papillae attenuation was measured on nonenhanced CT in Hounsfield units (HU) and the mean of all papillae was calculated. Patients were re-evaluated after 7 years to identify calcium stone formers. Anamnesis and already available CT, ultrasound, kidney, ureter, and bladder radiograph (KUB) or intravenous urography (IVU) images performed as part of their follow-up were used. In patients with no follow-up, ultrasound and KUB were to be performed. Pearson correlation, Student t-test, and the receiver operator curve were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 362 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were analyzed; 12 developed calcium SD after 7 years. A significant difference was encountered between the papillae attenuation of stone formers (SF) versus non-SF (47.2HU vs. 35.5HU, p=0.001). There was good correlation between papillae attenuation and the possibility of developing SD (R=0.87). An optimal cut point of 43HU with a sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 97%, area under the curve 0.91, separated SF and non-SF. CONCLUSION: Patients with high papillae density have a higher risk of developing SD. A cut point of 43HU could accurately be used to identify a high-risk population

A semi-automatic approach for longitudinal 3D upper airway analysis using voxel based registration

OBJECTIVES: To propose and validate a reliable semi-automatic approach for three-dimensional (3D) analysis of the upper airway (UA) based on voxel-based registration (VBR). METHODS: Post-operative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of 10 orthognathic surgery patients were superimposed to the pre-operative CBCT scans by VBR using the anterior cranial base as reference. Anatomic landmarks were used to automatically cut the UA and calculate volumes and cross-sectional areas (CSA). The 3D analysis was performed by two observers twice, at an interval of two weeks. Intraclass correlations and Bland-Altman plots were used to quantify the measurement error and reliability of the method. The relative Dahlberg error was calculated and compared with a similar method based on landmark re-identification and manual measurements. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) showed excellent intra- and inter-observer reliability (ICC ≥ 0.995). Bland-Altman plots showed good observer agreement, low bias and no systematic errors. The relative Dahlberg error ranged between 0.51 and 4.30% for volume and 0.24 and 2.90% for CSA. This was lower when compared with a similar, manual method. Voxel-based registration introduced 0.05-1.44% method error. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method was shown to have excellent reliability and high observer agreement. The method is feasible for longitudinal clinical trials on large cohorts due to being semi-automatic.</p

Intestinal microbiota – a possible contributor to cardiovascular diseases?

The intestinal microbiota represents an interesting and emergent field of research, with already known implications in metabolic and immunological functions. Recently, there is increasing evidence that specific gut microbial populations are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Numerous completed and ongoing studies aim to evaluate the potential of intestinal microbiota assessment to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and therapeutic arsenal of cardiovascular diseases, considering dysbiosis as a cardiovascular risk factor. There is strong evidence for a correlation between intestinal flora imbalance and metabolic changes secondary to bacterial metabolites. In this minireview, we discuss recent data about the connections between intestinal microbiota and cardiovascular disease

Virtual Surgical Analysis:Long-Term Cone Beam Computed Tomography Stability Assessment of Segmental Bimaxillary Surgery

Stability assessment of orthognathic surgery is often time consuming, relies on manual re-identification of anatomical landmarks and on short-term follow-up. The purpose of the present study was to propose and validate a semi-automatic approach for three-dimensional assessment of long-term stability of segmental bimaxillary surgery. The approach was developed and validated using postoperative two weeks and two years cone-beam computerized tomography scans. The stability of the surgical outcome was calculated as three-dimensional translational and rotational differences between the short- and long-term postoperative positions of the individual bone segments. For reliability evaluation, intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated at a 95% confidence interval on measurements of two observers. Ten subjects (six male; four female; mean age 24.4 years) class II and III, who underwent a combined three-piece Le Fort I osteotomy, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy and genioplasty, were included in the study. The intra- and inter-observer reliability was excellent, range [0.82 – 0.99]. The range of the mean absolute difference of the intra- and inter-observer translational and rotational measurements were [0.14 mm (0.13) – 0.44 mm (0.50)] and [0.20˚ (0.16) – 0.92˚ (0.78)]. The approach has excellent reliability for three-dimensional assessment of long-term stability of segmental bimaxillary surgery.The assessment of the stability of orthognathic surgery is often time-consuming, relies on manual re-identification of anatomical landmarks, and has been based on short-term follow-up. The purpose of this study was to propose and validate a semi-automated approach for three-dimensional (3D) assessment of the long-term stability of segmental bimaxillary surgery. The approach was developed and validated using cone beam computed tomography scans obtained at 2 weeks and 2 years postoperative. The stability of the surgical outcome was calculated as 3D translational and rotational differences between the short- and long-term postoperative positions of the individual bone segments. To evaluate reliability, intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated at a 95% confidence interval on measurements of two observers. Ten class II and III patients (six male, four female; mean age 24.4 years), who underwent a combined three-piece Le Fort I osteotomy, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, and genioplasty, were included in the study. Intra- and inter-observer reliability were excellent (range 0.82–0.99). The range of the mean absolute difference of the intra- and inter-observer translational and rotational measurements were 0.14 mm (0.13)–0.44 mm (0.50) and 0.20° (0.16)–0.92° (0.78). The approach has excellent reliability for 3D assessment of long-term stability of segmental bimaxillary surgery.</p

Virtual Analysis of Segmental Bimaxillary Surgery:A Validation Study

Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D) assessment of orthognathic surgery is often time consuming, relies on manual re-identification of anatomical landmarks or is limited to non-segmental osteotomies. The purpose of the present study was to propose and validate an automated approach for 3D assessment of the accuracy and postoperative outcome of segmental bimaxillary surgery. Methods: A semi-automatic approach was developed and validated for virtual surgical analysis (VSA) of segmental bimaxillary surgery using a pair of pre- and postoperative (2 weeks) cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) scans. The output of the VSA, the accuracy of the surgical outcome, was calculated as 3D translational and rotational differences between the planned and postoperative movements of the individual bone segments. To evaluate the reliability of the proposed VSA, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated at a 95% confidence interval on measurements of 2 observers. The VSA was deemed reliable if the ICC was excellent (&gt; 0.80) and the absolute difference of the repeated intra- and inter-observer translational and rotational measurements were significantly lower (p &lt; 0.05) than a hypothesized clinical relevant threshold of 1 voxel (0.45 mm) and 1 degree, respectively. Results: A total of 10 subjects (6 male; 4 women; mean age 24.4 years) with skeletal class 2 and 3, who underwent segmental bimaxillary surgery, 3-piece Le Fort I, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy and genioplasty, were recruited. The intra- and inter-observer reliability was excellent, ICC range [0.96 - 1.00]. The range of the mean absolute difference of the repeated intra- and inter-observer translational and rotational measurements were [0.07 mm (0.05) – 0.20 mm (0.19)] and [0.11˚ (0.08) - 0.63˚ (0.42)], respectively. This was significantly lower than the hypothesized clinical relevant thresholds (P &lt;.001). Conclusion: The validation showed that the VSA has excellent reliability for quantitative assessment of the postoperative outcome and accuracy of segmental bimaxillary surgery.</p

Adaptive Planning Search Algorithm for Analog Circuit Verification

Integrated circuit verification has gathered considerable interest in recent times. Since these circuits keep growing in complexity year by year, pre-Silicon (pre-SI) verification becomes ever more important, in order to ensure proper functionality. Thus, in order to reduce the time needed for manually verifying ICs, we propose a machine learning (ML) approach, which uses less simulations. This method relies on an initial evaluation set of operating condition configurations (OCCs), in order to train Gaussian process (GP) surrogate models. By using surrogate models, we can propose further, more difficult OCCs. Repeating this procedure for several iterations has shown better GP estimation of the circuit's responses, on both synthetic and real circuits, resulting in a better chance of finding the worst case, or even failures, for certain circuit responses. Thus, we show that the proposed approach is able to provide OCCs closer to the specifications for all circuits and identify a failure (specification violation) for one of the responses of a real circuit

The evaluation of oxidative stress in patients with essential thrombocythemia treated with risk-adapted therapy

Introduction. Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a clonal disorder of the hematopoietic stem cells characterized by persistent thrombocytosis in the peripheral blood, excessive proliferation of megakaryocytes and minor reticulin fibrosis in the bone marrow. It seems that oxidative stress is involved in the development and progression of ET. Objective. To evaluate oxidative stress levels in ET patients treated with risk-adapted therapy. Material and methods. 62 ET patients and 20 controls (informed consent obtained) were enrolled. ET diagnosis was based on WHO criteria (2016 revised). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were evaluated at time of diagnosis and after 6 months of risk-adapted therapy. ET patients were divided into 3 groups and treated with risk–adapted therapy: a low risk group, treated with low doses of aspirin 75 mg/day or watch-and-wait; an intermediate risk group treated with low doses of aspirin 100 mg/day or low-dose aspirin + cytoreductive treatment; a high-risk group, treated with low doses of aspirin and cytoreductive treatment (hydroxyurea) or platelet-lowering agents (anagrelide). Results. ET patients had at diagnosis higher ROS levels and a lower TAC vs. controls. After 6 months of risk-adapted therapy, ROS levels decreased and TAC increased. No significant differences were seen between the effect of hydroxyurea and the effect of anagrelide on oxidative stress levels. Conclusions. ROS levels are increased and TAC is decreased in ET patients vs. controls. These values depend on the risk group assigned to the patient. Risk-adapted therapy was useful to reduce ROS levels and increase TAC