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Tomography (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Apr 2024Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a complication in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Accurate strategies to identify its presence in early phases are essential....
BACKGROUND
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a complication in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Accurate strategies to identify its presence in early phases are essential. We conducted the study aiming to determine the validity of ultrasound (US) in detecting subclinical ILD in SSc, and to ascertain its potential in determining the disease progression.
METHODS
133 patients without respiratory symptoms and 133 healthy controls were included. Borg scale, Rodnan skin score (RSS), auscultation, chest radiographs, and respiratory function tests (RFT) were performed. A rheumatologist performed the lung US. High-resolution CT (HRCT) was also performed. The patients were followed every 12 weeks for 48 weeks.
RESULTS
A total of 79 of 133 patients (59.4%) showed US signs of ILD in contrast to healthy controls (4.8%) ( = 0.0001). Anti-centromere antibodies ( = 0.005) and RSS ( = 0.004) showed an association with ILD. A positive correlation was demonstrated between the US and HRCT findings ( = 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of US in detecting ILD were 91.2% and 88.6%, respectively. In the follow-up, a total of 30 patients out of 79 (37.9%) who demonstrated US signs of ILD at baseline, showed changes in the ILD score by US.
CONCLUSIONS
US showed a high prevalence of subclinical ILD in SSc patients. It proved to be a valid, reliable, and feasible tool to detect ILD in SSc and to monitor disease progression.
Topics: Humans; Lung Diseases, Interstitial; Scleroderma, Systemic; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Ultrasonography; Adult; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Disease Progression; Sensitivity and Specificity; Lung; Aged; Reproducibility of Results; Respiratory Function Tests
PubMed: 38668398
DOI: 10.3390/tomography10040041 -
Respiratory Medicine Case Reports 2024A 59-year-old previously healthy woman presented with a six-month history of fever, nonproductive cough, and weight loss. The cause of these symptoms remained obscure...
A 59-year-old previously healthy woman presented with a six-month history of fever, nonproductive cough, and weight loss. The cause of these symptoms remained obscure despite a thorough, month-long hospitalization. On presentation, she was normotensive with a pulse of 98 beats/minute, respiratory rate of 20 breaths/minute, and a temperature of 39.4C. She was emaciated. Physical examination was notable for faint bibasilar crackles on lung auscultation. Initial laboratory testing revealed pancytopenia. Peripheral smear demonstrated normocytic, normochromic anemia without immature cells or schistocytes. Other notable laboratory findings included elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase, elevated ferritin, and elevated levels of fasting serum triglycerides. A comprehensive laboratory evaluation for connective tissue disease was negative. Plain chest radiography was normal while computed tomography (CT) of the chest demonstrated sub-centimeter nodules in a branching centrilobular pattern as well as in a peri-lymphatic distribution without associated lymphadenopathy or organomegaly. The above constellation of laboratory abnormalities raised concern for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Soluble IL-2 (CD25) receptor levels were markedly elevated. Bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsies of the right lower lobe was performed, revealing intravascular lymphoma associated with HLH. Our case emphasizes the need for clinicians to consider vascular causes of tree - in-bud nodules in addition to the conventional bronchiolar causes. The case also is a reminder of the need to conduct an exhaustive search for malignancy, in patients with HLH.
PubMed: 38659648
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2024.102020 -
Anatomical Sciences Education Apr 2024Fidelity between teaching activities and assessment methods is an important goal of knowledge and performance evaluations in medical education. Ideally, assessment...
Fidelity between teaching activities and assessment methods is an important goal of knowledge and performance evaluations in medical education. Ideally, assessment methods provide evidence of learning that reflects the types of knowledge described in the learning objectives of the course. The most reliable assessments involve the same or similar tasks as those used during the instructional components of the course. Our preclinical human anatomy course includes, in addition to traditional lecture and cadaver-based laboratory learning activities, a series of applied human anatomy learning activities intended to emphasize human anatomy as it is encountered in living human individuals. The learning activities involve psychomotor behaviors including inspection, palpation, and auscultation, techniques used in the physical examination, as well as other activities designed to emphasize anatomical structures and tissues as they may be found in patient populations. We describe here our method for measuring student success in learning human anatomy in this manner, highlighting the direct linkage between the learning activities and the assessment tasks. We describe our performance scoring method and how we include this data in the calculation of an anatomy examination grade. As an indicator of our success with this approach, we include performance scores for the applied anatomy questions included on the laboratory component of our unit examinations for two successive academic years. We conclude with summary comments from students regarding the applied anatomy learning activities and assessment approach and offer suggestions for addressing specific challenges associated with the use of these types of assessment methods.
PubMed: 38659288
DOI: 10.1002/ase.2429 -
Respiratory Research Apr 2024Computer Aided Lung Sound Analysis (CALSA) aims to overcome limitations associated with standard lung auscultation by removing the subjective component and allowing...
BACKGROUND
Computer Aided Lung Sound Analysis (CALSA) aims to overcome limitations associated with standard lung auscultation by removing the subjective component and allowing quantification of sound characteristics. In this proof-of-concept study, a novel automated approach was evaluated in real patient data by comparing lung sound characteristics to structural and functional imaging biomarkers.
METHODS
Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) aged > 5y were recruited in a prospective cross-sectional study. CT scans were analyzed by the CF-CT scoring method and Functional Respiratory Imaging (FRI). A digital stethoscope was used to record lung sounds at six chest locations. Following sound characteristics were determined: expiration-to-inspiration (E/I) signal power ratios within different frequency ranges, number of crackles per respiratory phase and wheeze parameters. Linear mixed-effects models were computed to relate CALSA parameters to imaging biomarkers on a lobar level.
RESULTS
222 recordings from 25 CF patients were included. Significant associations were found between E/I ratios and structural abnormalities, of which the ratio between 200 and 400 Hz appeared to be most clinically relevant due to its relation with bronchiectasis, mucus plugging, bronchial wall thickening and air trapping on CT. The number of crackles was also associated with multiple structural abnormalities as well as regional airway resistance determined by FRI. Wheeze parameters were not considered in the statistical analysis, since wheezing was detected in only one recording.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study is the first to investigate associations between auscultatory findings and imaging biomarkers, which are considered the gold standard to evaluate the respiratory system. Despite the exploratory nature of this study, the results showed various meaningful associations that highlight the potential value of automated CALSA as a novel non-invasive outcome measure in future research and clinical practice.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Male; Female; Respiratory Sounds; Prospective Studies; Adult; Cystic Fibrosis; Young Adult; Biomarkers; Adolescent; Auscultation; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Lung; Child; Proof of Concept Study; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Middle Aged
PubMed: 38658980
DOI: 10.1186/s12931-024-02810-5 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2024Gastrointestinal (GI) function is critical for patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Whether and how much critically ill patients without GI primary diseases benefit...
BACKGROUND
Gastrointestinal (GI) function is critical for patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Whether and how much critically ill patients without GI primary diseases benefit from abdominal physical examinations remains unknown. No evidence from big data supports its possible additive value in outcome prediction.
METHODS
We performed a big data analysis to confirm the value of abdominal physical examinations in ICU patients without GI primary diseases. Patients were selected from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database and classified into two groups depending on whether they received abdominal palpation and auscultation. The primary outcome was the 28-day mortality. Statistical approaches included Cox regression, propensity score matching, and inverse probability of treatment weighting. Then, the abdominal physical examination group was randomly divided into the training and testing cohorts in an 8:2 ratio. And patients with GI primary diseases were selected as the validation group. Several machine learning algorithms, including Random Forest, Gradient Boosting Decision Tree, Adaboost, Extra Trees, Bagging, and Multi-Layer Perceptron, were used to develop in-hospital mortality predictive models.
RESULTS
Abdominal physical examinations were performed in 868 (2.63%) of 33,007 patients without primary GI diseases. A significant benefit in terms of 28-day mortality was observed among the abdominal physical examination group (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.56-0.99; = 0.043), and a higher examination frequency was associated with improved outcomes (HR 0.62, 95%CI 0.40-0.98; = 0.042). Machine learning studies further revealed that abdominal physical examinations were valuable in predicting in-hospital mortality. Considering both model performance and storage space, the Multi-Layer Perceptron model performed the best in predicting mortality (AUC = 0.9548 in the testing set and AUC = 0.9833 in the validation set).
CONCLUSION
Conducting abdominal physical examinations improves outcomes in critically ill patients without GI primary diseases. The results can be used to predict in-hospital mortality using machine learning algorithms.
PubMed: 38654840
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1338061 -
BMC Cardiovascular Disorders Apr 2024The most common mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction include free-wall rupture, ventricular septal rupture (VSR), papillary muscle rupture and...
Ventricular apical wall rupture and ventricular aneurysm formation concurrent with ventricular septal dissection and rupture due to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a case report.
The most common mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction include free-wall rupture, ventricular septal rupture (VSR), papillary muscle rupture and pseudoaneurysm. It is rare for a patient to experience more than one mechanical complication simultaneously. Here, we present a case of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicated with three mechanical complications, including ventricular apical wall rupture, ventricular aneurysm formation and ventricular septal dissection (VSD) with VSR. Cardiac auscultation revealed rhythmic S1 and S2 with a grade 3 holosystolic murmur at the left sternal border. Electrocardiogram indicated anterior ventricular STEMI. Serological tests showed a significant elevated troponin I. Bedside echocardiography revealed ventricular apical wall rupture, apical left ventricle aneurysm and VSD with VSR near the apex. This case demonstrates that several rare mechanical complications can occur simultaneously secondary to STEMI and highlights the importance of bedside echocardiography in the early diagnosis of mechanical complications.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Electrocardiography; Heart Aneurysm; Heart Rupture, Post-Infarction; Point-of-Care Testing; Predictive Value of Tests; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular Septal Rupture; Female
PubMed: 38654152
DOI: 10.1186/s12872-024-03879-y -
Medicine International 2024The safe care of both mothers and fetuses during labor is a primary goal of all health professionals. The assessment of fetal oxygenation and well-being is a key aspect... (Review)
Review
The safe care of both mothers and fetuses during labor is a primary goal of all health professionals. The assessment of fetal oxygenation and well-being is a key aspect of perinatal care provided. Fetal heart rate (FHR) auscultation became part of daily obstetric practice in a number of countries during the 20th century and remains a key method of fetal monitoring, particularly in low-risk pregnancies. Cardiotocography (CTG) is the continuous monitoring and recording of the FHR and uterine myometrial activity, making it possible to assess the fetal condition. It therefore plays a critical role in the detection of fetal hypoxia during labor, a condition directly related to short- and long-term complications in the newborn. Herein, particular reference is made to the management of CTG category II and III standards, as well as to the handling of childbirth. In addition, specific FHR patterns are associated with immediate neonatal outcomes based on updated studies conducted worldwide. Finally, the prognostic significance of CTG and its potential as a prospective avenue for further investigation are also highlighted herein. Given that the misinterpretation of CTG findings is the most common cause of medical-legal responsibility, this knowledge field requires more emphasis and attention. The aim of the present review was to further deepen the knowledge on issues that mainly concern the safety and monitoring of pregnant women and fetuses during childbirth.
PubMed: 38628383
DOI: 10.3892/mi.2024.151 -
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2024Auscultatory features of heart sounds (HS) in patients with heart failure (HF) have been studied intensively. Recent developments in digital and electrical devices for...
BACKGROUND
Auscultatory features of heart sounds (HS) in patients with heart failure (HF) have been studied intensively. Recent developments in digital and electrical devices for auscultation provided easy listening chances to recognize peculiar sounds related to diastolic HS such as S or S. This study aimed to quantitatively assess HS by acoustic measures of intensity (dB) and audio frequency (Hz).
METHODS
Forty consecutive patients aged between 46 and 87 years (mean age, 74 years) with chronic cardiovascular disease (CVD) were enrolled in the present study after providing written informed consent during their visits to the Kitasato University Outpatient Clinic. HS were recorded at the fourth intercostal space along the left sternal border using a highly sensitive digital device. Two consecutive heartbeats were quantified on sound intensity (dB) and audio frequency (Hz) at the peak power of each spectrogram of S-S using audio editing and recording application software. The participants were classified into three groups, namely, the absence of HF ( = 27), HF ( = 8), and high-risk HF ( = 5), based on the levels of NT-proBNP < 300, ≥300, and ≥900 pg/ml, respectively, and also the levels of ejection fraction (EF), such as preserved EF ( = 22), mildly reduced EF ( = 12), and reduced EF ( = 6).
RESULTS
The intensities of four components of HS (S-S) decreased linearly ( < 0.02-0.001) with levels of body mass index (BMI) (range, 16.2-33.0 kg/m). Differences in S intensity (ΔS) and its frequency (Δ) between two consecutive beats were non-audible level and were larger in patients with HF than those in patients without HF (ΔS, = 0.356, = 0.024; Δ, = 0.356, = 0.024). The cutoff values of ΔS and Δ for discriminating the presence of high-risk HF were 4.0 dB and 5.0 Hz, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite significant attenuations of all four components of HS by BMI, beat-to-beat alterations of both intensity and frequency of S were associated with the severity of HF. Acoustic quantification of HS enabled analyses of sounds below the audible level, suggesting that sound analysis might provide an early sign of HF.
PubMed: 38628311
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1372543 -
Medical & Biological Engineering &... Apr 2024Obtaining accurate cardiac auscultation signals, including basic heart sounds (S1 and S2) and subtle signs of disease, is crucial for improving cardiac diagnoses and...
Obtaining accurate cardiac auscultation signals, including basic heart sounds (S1 and S2) and subtle signs of disease, is crucial for improving cardiac diagnoses and making the most of telehealth. This research paper introduces an innovative approach that utilizes a modified cosine transform (MCT) and a masking strategy based on long short-term memory (LSTM) to effectively distinguish heart sounds and murmurs from background noise and interfering sounds. The MCT is used to capture the repeated pattern of the heart sounds, while the LSTMs are trained to construct masking based on the repeated MCT spectrum. The proposed strategy's performance in maintaining the clinical relevance of heart sounds continues to demonstrate effectiveness, even in environments marked by increased noise and complex disruptions. The present work highlights the clinical significance and reliability of the suggested methodology through in-depth signal visualization and rigorous statistical performance evaluations. In comparative assessments, the proposed approach has demonstrated superior performance compared to recent algorithms, such as LU-Net and PC-DAE. Furthermore, the system's adaptability to various datasets enhances its reliability and practicality. The suggested method is a potential way to improve the accuracy of cardiovascular diagnostics in an era of rapid advancement in medical signal processing. The proposed approach showed an enhancement in the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by 9.6 dB at an input SNR of - 6 dB and by 3.3 dB at an input SNR of 10 dB. The average signal distortion ratio (SDR) achieved across a variety of input SNR values was 8.56 dB.
PubMed: 38627355
DOI: 10.1007/s11517-024-03088-x -
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica Apr 2024Torsion of the spiral colon (TSC) describes twisting of the spiral colon around its mesentery. The present study reviewed the medical records of 58 cows and heifers with...
BACKGROUND
Torsion of the spiral colon (TSC) describes twisting of the spiral colon around its mesentery. The present study reviewed the medical records of 58 cows and heifers with TSC and described the findings, treatment and outcome.
RESULTS
All cases had an abnormal general condition, and the main vital sign abnormalities were tachycardia (72.4%), tachypnoea (67.2%) and decreased rectal temperature (51.8%). Signs of colic were seen in 62.1% of the cows. The most common intestinal abnormalities were an empty or almost empty rectum (96.6%), reduced or absent rumen motility (93.2%), positive ballottement and/or percussion and simultaneous auscultation on the right side of the abdomen (87.9%), reduced or absent intestinal motility (84.5%) and dilatation of the large intestines (spiral colon and/or caecum, 70.7%) diagnosed by transrectal palpation. The main biochemical changes were hypermagnesaemia (70.8%), hypocalcaemia (70.8%), and acidosis (66.7%). Haemoconcentration was found in 63.8%. The main ultrasonographic findings were reduced to absent small intestinal motility (83.3%), dilated small intestines (69.6%) and ascites (66.7%). The spiral colon was dilated in 44.0% of the cows and the caecum in 24.0%. The actual site of torsion could not be visualised. Based on the clinical findings, TSC was diagnosed in 22.4% and caecal dilatation in 50.0% of the cows. A tentative diagnosis of small intestinal ileus was made in another 10.3% of the cows, and a definitive diagnosis of small intestinal ileus in 17.3%. Fifty-three cows underwent right flank laparotomy, and the TSC could be reduced in 26. Twenty-six of the 58 (44.8%) cows were discharged and 32 (55.2%) were euthanased before, during or after surgery.
CONCLUSIONS
Acute illness, a sparse amount of faeces in the rectum and dilated spiral colon and caecum are characteristic findings of TSC. The final diagnosis often relies on the surgical or postmortem findings. Cattle with TSC should be treated surgically without delay. The prognosis is guarded with a survival rate of 44.8%.
Topics: Cattle; Animals; Female; Pregnancy; Retrospective Studies; Cattle Diseases; Colon; Ileus
PubMed: 38622685
DOI: 10.1186/s13028-024-00738-w