The effect of breakthrough pain on heart and lung function during the cancer pain treatment in palliative care

Introduction: The aim of the research was to determine the effect of breakthrough pain (BTP) on heart and lung function in patients whose cancer pain had been treated with strong opiates.Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 80 patients who were treated in recumbent patients’ hospice of Palliative Care Centre (hospice) University Clinical Centre Tuzla. The effect of pain breakthrough onheart function was monitored by blood pressure and pulse measuring outside. The effect on respiratory function was monitored by measuring the respiration number with SpO2 and pCO2 and pO2 capillary blood valuesoutside, during and after relieving pain breakthrough.Results: Mean value for Karnofsky score for patients upon admission was 47.13 ± 11.05 and on discharge 51.25 ± 11.73. The total number of pain breakthroughs for patients within the 10 days of the treatment was1396. During the pain breakthrough the mean of systolic pressure was 133.1 mmHg and it was statistically significantly higher than the mean of systolic pressure measured after BTP relief with oral morphine. Themean of diastolic pressure measured outside of pain breakthrough was 75.9 mmHg and after the BTP relief it was 72.9 mmHg. The mean pulse outside of pain breakthrough was 92.7 heartbeats per minute and afterthe BTP relief 8 9.1 heartbeats per minute.Conclusion: Pain breakthrough leads to pulse acceleration, increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure and it also affects respiratory function by accelerating the respiratio

Towards Full Automated Drive in Urban Environments: A Demonstration in GoMentum Station, California

Each year, millions of motor vehicle traffic accidents all over the world cause a large number of fatalities, injuries and significant material loss. Automated Driving (AD) has potential to drastically reduce such accidents. In this work, we focus on the technical challenges that arise from AD in urban environments. We present the overall architecture of an AD system and describe in detail the perception and planning modules. The AD system, built on a modified Acura RLX, was demonstrated in a course in GoMentum Station in California. We demonstrated autonomous handling of 4 scenarios: traffic lights, cross-traffic at intersections, construction zones and pedestrians. The AD vehicle displayed safe behavior and performed consistently in repeated demonstrations with slight variations in conditions. Overall, we completed 44 runs, encompassing 110km of automated driving with only 3 cases where the driver intervened the control of the vehicle, mostly due to error in GPS positioning. Our demonstration showed that robust and consistent behavior in urban scenarios is possible, yet more investigation is necessary for full scale roll-out on public roads.Comment: Accepted to Intelligent Vehicles Conference (IV 2017

Cycles in the chamber homology of GL(3)

Let F be a nonarchimedean local field and let GL(N) = GL(N,F). We prove the existence of parahoric types for GL(N). We construct representative cycles in all the homology classes of the chamber homology of GL(3).Comment: 45 pages. v3: minor correction

Evaluation of the Differences between Normal and Cancerous Prostate Tissue Response to Simple and Vibro-Neural Stimulation

Background: Early detection of prostate cancer has significant benefits for its treatment and can increase the survival chance in patients. In recent years, new methods such as shear wave elastography and vibro-elastography, as well as artificial tactile sensing, have been used to detect a mass in the prostate tissue in-vivo and ex-vivo. This paper aims to investigate the difference between normal and malignant prostate tissue reaction to simple and vibro-neural stimulation for prostate tissue mass detection in order to determine neural stimulation intensity, velocity, and frequency to obtain the best result in detecting the type and location of the tumor.Methods: This study has utilized neural stimulation devices in normal and cancerous tissues. The stimulation velocity, probe location, and the frequency of neural stimulation considered as the independent variables.Results: The results show that for superficial masses, although dependent on the probe, the accuracy of detection at the low speed of 5mm/s is 50% higher than other conditions. On the other hand, in deep masses, with increasing mass depth, the accuracy of detection at the medium speed of 8mm/s is 30% higher than the low speed. Finally, the results showed that with increased stimulation frequency, the possibility of tumor detection, and its accuracy increases by 35%.Conclusion: By improving the accuracy of the neural stimulation device, it can apply to detect hard materials such as tumors and malignant tissues

Optical imaging of finger for blood pressure monitoring of the driver

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are number one reason for human mortality around the world (Fig. 1) [1]. Pulse pressure (PP) and pulse rate (PR) are considered as the two most vital physiological markers for CVDs like myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmia, and heart failure. Currently, long-term PP and PR analysis is not possible due to the lack of systems that can frequently measure the data over a period of time. Motor vehicle drivers with known CVDs are at higher risk due to traffic air pollution. This paper presents our work on an inexpensive and readily deployable approach that keeps track of PP and PR with simple cameras. The computation of PP and PR makes the real-time monitoring possible. The approach makes it highly customizable and ready for on-the-go use in field by drivers, construction zone workers, healthcare workers, law enforcement agencies, etc. The video recordings of fingertips were made using a cellphone camera. The analysis extracted the pulse pressure, which was the difference between systolic and diastolic pressures, and pulse rate. The PP measured with this system was compared with a standard off-the-shelf tool. The comparison showed high accuracy. The measurement of PRs also showed a high level of reliability in comparison to the standard tool. The fundamental concept of the technology depended on the measurement of blood quantity in the fingertip arteries. The amount of blood on fingertips was different during systolic and diastolic phases. This created light intensity variations, which were extracted by analyzing the video frames. A simple embodiment of this approach can be in the dashboard of cars with a camera to create short high-resolution videos of fingertips. The doctors can remotely monitor their patients through a standard computer interface. The patients can also be trained to interpret the results of the measurement

Epidemiology and risk factors for pneumonia severity and mortality in Bangladeshi children <5 years of age before 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction

Abstract Background Pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of morbidity and mortality in young children in Bangladesh. We present the epidemiology of pneumonia in Bangladeshi children <5 years before 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction and investigate factors associated with disease severity and mortality. Methods Children aged 2–59 months admitted to three Bangladeshi hospitals with pneumonia (i.e., cough or difficulty breathing and age-specific tachypnea without danger signs) or severe pneumonia (i.e., cough or difficulty breathing and ≥1 danger signs) were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and vaccine history data were collected. We assessed associations between characteristics and pneumonia severity and mortality using multivariable logistic regression. Results Among 3639 Bangladeshi children with pneumonia, 61% had severe disease, and 2% died. Factors independently associated with severe pneumonia included ages 2–5 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.60 [95% CI: 1.26–2.01]) and 6–11 months (aOR 1.31 [1.10–1.56]) relative to 12–59 months, low weight for age (aOR 1.22 [1.04–1.42]), unsafe drinking water source (aOR 2.00 [1.50–2.69]), higher paternal education (aOR 1.34 [1.15–1.57]), higher maternal education (aOR 0.74 [0.64–0.87]), and being fully vaccinated for age with pentavalent vaccination (aOR 0.64 [0.51–0.82]). Increased risk of pneumonia mortality was associated with age <12 months, low weight for age, unsafe drinking water source, lower paternal education, disease severity, and having ≥1 co-morbid condition. Conclusions Modifiable factors for severe pneumonia and mortality included low weight for age and access to safe drinking water. Improving vaccination status could decrease disease severity

Design and simulation of digital controllers using pipelined architecture

Some complex control algorithms require large volume of computations in a short time. Large and expensive computers are required to execute such tasks. Another alternative is to combine several low cost processors to replace the expensive computer. This thesis covers the design and simulation of digital controllers based on pipelined architecture. Two pipeline controller schemes are proposed. Their properties are investigated. Control algorithms suitable for each scheme are considered. The performance of those controllers is compared to both conventional serial controllers and parallel controllers. The linear quadratic regulator design are used as a basis for comparison

An intelligent mitigation of disturbances in electrical power system using distribution static synchronous compensator

The power quality of an electrical system is critical for industrial, commercial, and housing applications, and with the increasing use of sensitive loads, customers and utilities are beginning to pay more attention to it. A distribution static synchronous compensator (D-STATCOM) represents one of the best custom power devices (CPDs) for improving the power quality of a distribution system. The performance of this device relies upon the algorithm and strategy used for its control. Artificial intelligence was utilized to overcome these shortcomings, while a response optimizer tool was used for the tuning process. An adaptive controller design was also proposed, based on the integration of fuzzy logic with traditional proportional-integral (PI) controller. The fuzzy logic controller system was designed using the adaptive neuro fuzzy interference system (ANFIS) editor. In this work, a D-STATCOM controller was used to mitigate sag and swell problems, while the ANFIS together with the optimization method was used to improve the system response. This study was carried out using MATLAB/Simulink, and the results showed a superior and adaptive performance in mitigating voltage sag and swell problems at different loading conditions compared to the traditional PI

Rupture of the Distal Biceps Tendon Combined with a Supinator Muscle Tear in a 51-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report

Distal biceps tendon rupture is a relatively uncommon occurrence in the general female population, and to our knowledge, has not been reported in association with a supinator muscle tear. We report a case of 51-year-old woman who experienced sharp pain in her forearm and elbow after lifting a heavy object. History and physical examination raised suspicion for a distal biceps tendon rupture. MRI imaging determined a combined distal biceps tendon tear with a supinator muscle tear with subsequent confirmation at surgery. Surgical repair was performed for the distal biceps tendon only through a single incision approach using the Endobutton technique