HRV parameters and 6-minute walking test, functional capacity, right ventricular systolic function, BNP and hs-troponin-I levels. Most common cause of death in these patients is arrhythmia, and autonomic dysfunction may be triggering factor (2). HRV parameters are now being used for prognostic evaluation in PAH patients. There are also studies suggesting HRV reduction may be associated with mor...

Abstract Introduction Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) provide daily values of thoracic impedance (TI) that are inversely correlated with fluid accumulation in the lungs. Since sustained ventricular arrhythmias (SVA) known to have a short-term relationship heart failure exacerbations, our objective was assess TI trends temporally related SVA episodes. Methods This study analyzed d...

PURPOSE Patients show variable responses to chemoradiotherapy (CRT), which is generally administered before surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The aim of this study was to identify molecular markers predictive of CRT responses by analysis of low-mass ions (LMIs) in serum of LARC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS LMIs (< 1,000 m/z) in serum obtained before CRT from 73 LARC (cT3-4...

BACKGROUND Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) demands high energy utilization due to continuous biventricular pacing. Current technology allows 6 pacing configurations for a bipolar left ventricular (LV) lead. Understanding the energy requirements for each configuration will allow optimization of pacing output. METHODS AND RESULTS Pacing impedance, LV voltage threshold at 1.5 ms (rheobas...

We propose two new classes of Bayesian measure to investigate conflict among data sets from multiple studies. The first (“concentration ratio”) is used quantify the amount information provided by a single set through comparison prior and its posterior distribution, or according their corresponding distributions. second class (“dissonance”) quantifies extent contradiction between sets. Both are ...

Purpose: In the current study, using different radiobiological models, tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) of radiotherapy plans were calculated for three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of prostate cancer.Methods and Materials: 10 prostate plans were randomly selected among patients ...

t-wave oversensing occurs when the counter starts giving dual beeps for every cardiac cycle instead of one. this usually happens when the monitoring lead displays a tall t wave, which is also sharp. r wave sensing algorithms of the devices do not sense t wave because the slow rate of the t wave is much less than that of the r wave. but the slow rate of t waves may change with time and also beca...

BACKGROUND Although preoperative radiotherapy (RT) is widely used as the initial treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (RC) in the neoadjuvant setting, factors determining clinical response have not been adequately defined. Radiosensitivity has recently been shown to be greatly affected by immune function of the host. METHODS In 48 cases of advanced RC, we retrospectively examined the ...