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- Gharehbaghi, Arash, et al.
(författare)
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A hybrid model for diagnosing sever aortic stenosis in asymptomatic patients using phonocardiogram
- 2015
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Ingår i: IFMBE Proceedings. - Cham : Springer. - 9783319193878 - 9783319193861 ; , s. 1006-1009
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study presents a screening algorithm for severe aortic stenosis (AS), based on a processing method for phonocardiographic (PCG) signal. The processing method employs a hybrid model, constituted of a hidden Markov model and support vector machine. The method benefits from a preprocessing phase for an enhanced learning. The performance of the method is statistically evaluated using PCG signals recorded from 50 individuals who were referred to the echocardiography lab at Linköping University hospital. All the individuals were diagnosed as having a degree of AS, from mild to severe, according to the echocardiographic measurements. The patient group consists of 26 individuals with severe AS, and the rest of the 24 patients comprise the control group. Performance of the method is statistically evaluated using repeated random sub sampling. Results showed a 95% confidence interval of (80.5%-82.8%) /(77.8%- 80.8%) for the accuracy/sensitivity, exhibiting an acceptable performance to be used as decision support system in the primary healthcare center.
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| 2. |
- Gonzalez, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Intravenous immunoglobulin for post-polio syndrome: a randomised controlled trial
- 2006
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Ingår i: Lancet Neurol. ; 5:6, s. 493-500
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Survivors of poliomyelitis often develop increased or new symptoms decades after the acute infection, known as post-polio syndrome. Production of proinflammatory cytokines within the CNS indicates an underlying inflammatory process, accessible for immunomodulatory treatment. We did a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of intravenous immunoglobulin in post-polio syndrome. METHODS: 142 patients at four university clinics were randomly assigned infusion of either 90 g in total of intravenous immunoglobulin (n=73) or placebo (n=69) during 3 consecutive days, repeated after 3 months. Seven patients were withdrawn from the study. Thus, 135 patients were assessed per protocol. Primary endpoints were muscle strength in a selected study muscle and quality of life as measured with the SF-36 questionnaire (SF-36 PCS). Secondary endpoints were 6-minute walk test (6MWT), timed up and go (TUG), muscle strength in muscles not chosen as the study muscle, physical activity scale of the elderly (PASE), visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20), balance, and sleep quality. Outcome tests were done immediately before the first infusion and 3 months after the second infusion. This study is registered with , number NCT00160082. FINDINGS: Compared with baseline, median muscle strength differed by 8.3% between patients receiving intravenous immunoglobulin and placebo, in favour of the treatment group (p=0.029). SF-36 PCS did not differ significantly between the groups after treatment (p=0.321). Differences in the subscale vitality score (p=0.042) and PASE (p=0.018) favoured the active treatment group. MFI-20, TUG, muscle strength in the muscles not chosen as the study muscle, 6MWT, balance, and sleep quality did not differ between groups. For the whole study population there was no significant change in pain, as determined by VAS. Nevertheless, patients who reported pain at the study start improved in the intervention group but not in the placebo group (p=0.037). Intravenous immunoglobulin was well tolerated. INTERPRETATION: Intravenous immunoglobulin could be a supportive treatment option for subgroups of patients with post-polio syndrome. Further studies on responding subgroups, long-term effects, and dosing schedules are needed.
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| 4. |
- Valeur, Inger, et al.
(författare)
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Net sulphur mineralization in forest soils as influenced by different lime application rates
- 2002
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Ingår i: Soil Biology & Biochemistry. - 0038-0717. ; 34:9, s. 1291-1298
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Long-term effects of liming on net sulphur mineralization in coniferous forest 0 horizons were studied in three laboratory experiments by an open incubation technique, in which net sulphur mineralization was estimated from the accumulated SO42- leaching during the incubation period. Soil from two Swedish field experiments was used; Hasslov (56degrees24'N, 13degrees00'E) and Nordiden (64degrees21'N, 19degrees46E), which were limed 6-10 and 24 years before soil sampling with dolomite (CaMg(CO3)(2)) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3), respectively. The lime application of calcium carbonate. The net sulphur mineralization at Hasslov rates were 0, 0.16, 0.35 and 0.88 kg m(-2) of dolomite, and 0 and 0.5 kg m(-2) 7 years after liming, decreased with increasing lime application rate (5.20, 4.93, 4.53 and 3.36 mug S column(-1) day(-1)) while the soil respiration (CO2 release) increased in the two highest lime treatments. The observed inverse relationship between net sulphur mineralization (mineralization - immobilization) and soil respiration, the 0.16 kg m(-2) treatment being an exception, indicated an increase in sulphur immobilization at increasing lime application rates. The control (0) and 0.88 kg m(-2) treatments at Hasslov were studied both 6, 7 and 10 years after liming. An inverse relationship between net sulphur mineralization and soil respiration could be shown on all three occasions. The results obtained in the Norrliden experiment 24 years after liming were more ambiguous than those of the Hasslov experiment, but similar trends with respect to net sulphur mineralization and soil respiration could be traced during the latter part of the Norrliden experiment.
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