Impact of Diabetes on Postinfarction Heart Failure and Left Ventricular Remodeling

Diabetes mellitus, the metabolic syndrome, and the underlying insulin resistance are increasingly associated with diastolic dysfunction and reduced stress tolerance. The poor prognosis associated with heart failure in patients with diabetes after myocardial infarction is likely attributable to many factors, important among which is the metabolic impact from insulin resistance and hyperglycemia on the regulation of microvascular perfusion and energy generation in the cardiac myocyte. This review summarizes epidemiologic, pathophysiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic data related to diabetes and heart failure in acute myocardial infarction and discusses novel perceptions and strategies that hold promise for the future and deserve further investigation

Machine learning for estimation of building energy consumption and performance:a review

Ever growing population and progressive municipal business demands for constructing new buildings are known as the foremost contributor to greenhouse gasses. Therefore, improvement of energy eciency of the building sector has become an essential target to reduce the amount of gas emission as well as fossil fuel consumption. One most eective approach to reducing CO2 emission and energy consumption with regards to new buildings is to consider energy eciency at a very early design stage. On the other hand, ecient energy management and smart refurbishments can enhance energy performance of the existing stock. All these solutions entail accurate energy prediction for optimal decision making. In recent years, articial intelligence (AI) in general and machine learning (ML) techniques in specic terms have been proposed for forecasting of building energy consumption and performance. This paperprovides a substantial review on the four main ML approaches including articial neural network, support vector machine, Gaussian-based regressions and clustering, which have commonly been applied in forecasting and improving building energy performance

Design of a fuzzy system for living space thermal-comfort regulation

The present paper describes the design of a living space comfort regulator using fuzzy logic. Comfort is a fuzzy concept, different for different people and depending on the work done in the space. The paper describes the structure of the system, the available measurements and the available actuators, the measurement fuzzification process and the defuzzification method. Particular attention is paid to the proper selection of the rules in the knowledge base and the design of the inference engine. Finally the system is tested, and shows satisfactory performance. General design guidelines are given, including the case of spaces having different actuators.Fuzzy logic control Fuzzy thermal comfort Expert system Thermal comfort regulation Fuzzy system

Chronic osteomyelitis caused by multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: evaluation of treatment with newer quinolones after prolonged follow-up

We evaluated ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and pefloxacin regimens for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis due to Gram-negative multiresistant organisms. The study was open, nonrandomized and included 28, 21 and 16 patients, respectively. The 4-fluoroquinolone regimens were 1000 mg, 400 mg and 400-800 mg bd, for a mean duration of 137, 163 and 134 days, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common pathogen, isolated in 33 individuals. Patients were followed clinically, bacteriologically and radiologically during treatment and for 2-5 years after discontinuation of therapy. Clinical outcome at the end of therapy was successful in 79%, 81% and 75%, improvement occurred in 11%, 10% and 19%, and the failure rate was 11%, 10% and 6%, while 11%, 5% and 6% relapsed, respectively. At the end of follow-up the bacterial eradication rate was 68%, 76% and 69%, respectively. Fluoroquinolone resistance emerged in 18%, 19% and 13% of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and pefloxacin recipients, respectively. The newer quinolones were safe and well tolerated and should be considered as the contemporary treatment of choice for chronic Gram-negative osteomyelitis, particularly whenever P. aeruginosa is implicated

Bone marrow infection caused by Actinobacillus ureae in a rheumatoid arthritis patient

A patient with rheumatoid arthritis is described who presented with low-grade fever for 3 months, in whom Actinobacillus ureae was cultured from bone marrow aspirate. Fever responded favourably to penicillin therapy. It is the first reported isolation of A. ureae from bone marrow