17 research outputs found
RESCON: Educational project scheduling software.
No full textIn this article we discuss a freely downloadable educational software tool for illustrating project scheduling and project management concepts. The tool features exact and heuristic scheduling procedures and visualizes project networks, project schedules, resource profiles, activity slacks, and project duration distributions.Project scheduling; Project management; Educational software; Visualization; Scheduling algorithms;
Could we rely on a new portable echocardiograph to assess beside haemodynamics in the critically ill?
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Effect of blood pressure management during aortic coarctation repair on tissue oxygen saturation measured by near-infrared spectroscopy
No full textPhysiological responses in female rescuers during 30 minutes sustained CPR with feedback : a comparison between medicine and physical education students
No full textObjectives: Since fatigue seems related to poorer physical fitness rather than to gender, we analyzed the physiological responses in female medicine and physical education students during a 30 minutes sustained cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) sequence.
Methods: Handgrip strength and maximal aerobic power (VO2 max) determined strength and endurance. Twentythree medicine (M) and 27 physical education (PE) female students performed 30 minutes CPR. Compression quality and ECG were continuously monitored, heart rate and non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) every 2 minutes. Capillary pH, PcCO2, lactate, potassium and sodium bicarbonate were analyzed every 10 minutes.
Results: Handgrip strength (PE 37 kg vs. M 35 kg; p 5 cm was comparable in both groups (PE 80%; M 79%; p=0.67). Mean heart rate during CPR was higher in the M group (148 bpm) compared to the PE group (132 bpm; p<0.05). No intergroup differences in NIBP, pH, PcCO2, potassium and sodium bicarbonate were observed. Mean lactate during CPR was higher in the M group: 3.5 mmol/l (SD 1.4) compared to the PE group: 2.5 mmol/l (SD 0.7) (p<0.05).
Conclusion : A high quality sustained CPR effort was well tolerated by all female rescuers. Poorer physical condition (M group) resulted in more drop out after 10 and 20 minutes and in a higher heart rate and blood lactate over time. Improving physical condition may result in less physiological strain and lower perceived exertion
The effect of blood pressure regulation during aortic coarctation repair on brain, kidney, and muscle oxygen saturation measured by near-infrared spectroscopy: a randomized, clinical trial
No full textBACKGROUND: In this study, we compared the effects of 3 frequently used. arterial blood pressure regulating agents on brain (rS(c)O(2)), renal (SrO2), and muscle (SmO2) oxygen saturation, during aortic coarctation repair in children. Based on the reported adverse effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on left-sided rS(c)O(2) during aortic coarctation repair, we tested the hypothesis that the alterations in left rS(c)O(2) occurring with SNP would not be present with sevoflurane and nitroglycerin (NTG). Additionally, we explored the effects of blood pressure regulation with SW NTG, or sevoflurane on right-sided rS(c)O(2), SrO2, and SmO2.
METHODS: Children with isolated aortic coarctation undergoing surgical repair through a left thoracotomy without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass were considered eligible for the study. During aortic cross-clamping, control of mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was conducted according to randomization by the use of SNP NTG, or sevoflurane to obtain a mean target right brachial blood pressure of 120% to 150% of the MAP value before cross-clamping. Bilateral rS(c)O(2), SrO2, and SmO2 were recorded continuously with near-infrared spectroscopy. As a primary end point, the maximal relative change in left-sided rS(c)O(2) in response to aortic cross-clamping was compared among treatment groups.
RESULTS: Ten patients per group were included. No significant difference among treatment groups was observed in maximal relative change in left-sided rS(c)O(2) (SNP versus sevoflurane: mean difference -0.7%, 99% confidence interval [CI] -31% to 29%, P = 1.0; SNP versus NTG: mean difference -1.8%, 99% CI -32% to 28%, P = 1.0; sevoflurane versus NTG: mean difference -1.1%, 99% CI -31% to 29%, P = 1.0). Additional analyses also detected no difference between groups in right rS(c)O(2) (P = 0.4). Compared with NTG, treatment with SNP resulted in a significantly larger (-64%+/- 17% vs -34%+/- 25%, P = 0.01) and faster (-9 +/- 4%.min(-1) vs -4 +/- 3%.min(-1), P = 0.004) decrease in SmO2. Right-sided rS(c)O(2) and MAP showed a poor correlation for NTG (r = -0.2, P = 0.93), whereas borderline for sevoflurane (r = 0.44, P = 0.09) and SNP (r = 0.56, P = 0.04).
CONCLUSIONS: The mean differences in left-sided rS(c)O(2) among the patients treated with SNP, NTG, or sevoflurane for proximal hypertension during aortic cross-clamping were no more than 32%. Additional analysis demonstrated a low MAP-rS(c)O(2) dependence with the use of NTG. Because NTG also resulted in a smaller and slower decrease of oxygen saturation in peripheral tissues, our data suggest that its use might be preferable for proximal blood pressure control during surgical procedures involving aortic cross-clamping
A meta-analytic review of multisensory imagery identifies the neural correlates of modality-specific and modality-general imagery
No full textThe relationship between imagery and mental representations induced through perception has been the subject of philosophical discussion since antiquity and of vigorous scientific debate in the last century. The relatively recent advent of functional neuroimaging has allowed neuroscientists to look for brain-based evidence for or against the argument that perceptual processes underlie mental imagery. Recent investigations of imagery in many new domains and the parallel development of new meta-analytic techniques now afford us a clearer picture of the relationship between the neural processes underlying imagery and perception, and indeed between imagery and other cognitive processes. This meta-analysis surveyed 65 studies investigating modality-specific imagery in auditory, tactile, motor, gustatory, olfactory, and three visual sub-domains: form, color and motion. Activation likelihood estimate (ALE) analyses of activation foci reported within- and across sensorimotor modalities were conducted. The results indicate that modality-specific imagery activations generally overlap with—but are not confined to—corresponding somatosensory processing and motor execution areas, and suggest that there is a core network of brain regions recruited during imagery, regardless of task. These findings have important implications for investigations of imagery and theories of cognitive processes, such as perceptually-based representational systems
An evaluation of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Virulence gene system as a potential diagnostic test for Neuroblastoma.
No full textNeuroblastoma is a common pediatric cancer, the prognosis for which is markedly dependent upon the progression of the disease at the time of diagnosis. It has been argued that a mass screening programme for all infants would aid early detection of neuroblastoma and reduce mortality. Neuroblastoma is unusual amongst childhood cancers since the basis for such a test exsists - otherwise asymptomatic patients excrete abnormal amounts of specific phenolic compounds in their urine. The presence of these metabolites at elevated levels is taken as diagnostic of the disease. A number of pilot screening programmes in different parts of the world have shown that a quick, inexpensive and reliable method of screening is needed. One candidate for this is a test based upon the responses of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to compounds with structures similar to those produced as a result of tumour metabolism. This bacterium responds to such phenolic ligands chemotactically and by induction of virulence gene expression. Data presented in this work shows that phenolics secreted by neuroblastoma tumours are incapable of inducing virulence gene expression but are capable of acting as chemoattractants. The role of phosphorylation in VirA/G mediated phenolic chemotaxis is investigated. Evidence is presented that phosphorylation of Vir and G is required for chemotaxis. A novel, highly reproducible and comparible measure bacterial chemotaxis, the chemotactic index is derived and applied
