Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. ECG of patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM 1) shows tachycardia (block of parasympathetic innervation) and abnormal repolarization (increased QT interval and QT dispersion (QTd)) indicating a risk of ventricular tachycardia and sudden death in young people with DM 1. The aim of the present report was to measure 145 parameters of the heart electric field in 22 patients (14 men, 8 women) with DM 1 without complications (mean age 32.8±11.4 years) and in 22 controls (11 men, 11 women, mean age 30.1±3.4 years). The duration of diabetes was 13.9±7.8 years. The parameters were registered by the diagnostic system Cardiag 112.2 and statistically evaluated by the Student and Mann-Whitney test. Tachycardia (86.3±2.7 beats.min-1), shortening of both QRS (79.9±1.6 ms) and QT (349.0±5.9 ms) and increased QT dispersion (115±36 ms) were observed in DM 1 when compared with the controls (75.0±2.1 beats. min.-1, QRS 89.9±2.7 ms, QT 374.0±4.4 ms, QTd 34.0±12.0 ms, p<0.01). The QTc was 415.2±4.1 ms in DM 1 and 401.4±6.6 ms in controls (NS). Other significant findings in DM 1 were: higher maximum of depolarization isopotential maps (DIPMmax) in the initial phase of QRS and less positive in the terminal phase, more negative minimum (DIPMmin) during QRS similarly as the minimum in depolarization isointegral maps (DIIMmin) and the minimum in isointegral map of the Q wave (Q-IIMmin), lower maximum in repolarization isopotential maps (RIPMmax) and less negative minimum (RIPMmin), more negative amplitude of Q wave (Q-IPMAM) and more pronounced spread of depolarization (activation time). Our results confirmed a decreased parasympathetic to sympathetic tone ratio (tachycardia, shortening of the activation time) and revealed different depolarization and repolarization patterns in DM 1. The differences in heart electric field parameters measured by the BSPM method in DM 1 and in the controls indicate the importance of ECG examination of diabetic patients type 1 in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

• MeSH
• Diabetes Mellitus MeSH
• Electrocardiography methods   utilization   MeSH
• Financing, Organized utilization   MeSH
• Data Interpretation, Statistical MeSH
• Insulin therapeutic use   MeSH
• Cardiovascular Diseases diagnosis   complications   MeSH
• Body Surface Potential Mapping methods   utilization   MeSH
• Vectorcardiography methods   utilization   MeSH

Motion artifacts are one of the issues in cardiac optical mapping studies. This paper is focused on the description of the motion artifacts caused by planar movement. The theory of its origin and possibilities of its suppression is described. The suppression of the motion artifacts is based on image registration techniques. There are introduced the characteristics about influence of the weighted area averages on presence of these artifacts. In this study conventional pharmacological or mechanical ways of motion artifacts suppression were not involved.

• MeSH
• Algorithms MeSH
• Artifacts MeSH
• Diagnostic Imaging methods   MeSH
• Microscopy, Fluorescence methods   MeSH
• Data Compression MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Optics and Photonics MeSH
• Image Processing, Computer-Assisted methods   MeSH
• Motion MeSH
• Software MeSH
• Heart physiology   MeSH
• Cardiac Electrophysiology methods   MeSH
• Models, Statistical MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

BACKGROUND: No universal solution, based on an approved pedagogical approach, exists to parametrically describe, effectively manage, and clearly visualize a higher education institution's curriculum, including tools for unveiling relationships inside curricular datasets. OBJECTIVE: We aim to solve the issue of medical curriculum mapping to improve understanding of the complex structure and content of medical education programs. Our effort is based on the long-term development and implementation of an original web-based platform, which supports an outcomes-based approach to medical and healthcare education and is suitable for repeated updates and adoption to curriculum innovations. METHODS: We adopted data exploration and visualization approaches in the context of medical curriculum innovations in higher education institutions domain. We have developed a robust platform, covering detailed formal metadata specifications down to the level of learning units, interconnections, and learning outcomes, in accordance with Bloom's taxonomy and direct links to a particular biomedical nomenclature. Furthermore, we used selected modeling techniques and data mining methods to generate academic analytics reports from medical curriculum mapping datasets. RESULTS: We present a solution that allows users to effectively optimize a curriculum structure that is described with appropriate metadata, such as course attributes, learning units and outcomes, a standardized vocabulary nomenclature, and a tree structure of essential terms. We present a case study implementation that includes effective support for curriculum reengineering efforts of academics through a comprehensive overview of the General Medicine study program. Moreover, we introduce deep content analysis of a dataset that was captured with the use of the curriculum mapping platform; this may assist in detecting any potentially problematic areas, and hence it may help to construct a comprehensive overview for the subsequent global in-depth medical curriculum inspection. CONCLUSIONS: We have proposed, developed, and implemented an original framework for medical and healthcare curriculum innovations and harmonization, including: planning model, mapping model, and selected academic analytics extracted with the use of data mining.

• MeSH
• Curriculum * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Models, Statistical * MeSH
• Education, Medical * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Quantitative maps of rotating frame relaxation (RFR) time constants are sensitive and useful magnetic resonance imaging tools with which to evaluate tissue integrity in vivo. However, to date, only moderate image resolutions of 1.6 x 1.6 x 3.6 mm3 have been used for whole-brain coverage RFR mapping in humans at 3 T. For more precise morphometrical examinations, higher spatial resolutions are desirable. Towards achieving the long-term goal of increasing the spatial resolution of RFR mapping without increasing scan times, we explore the use of the recently introduced Transform domain NOise Reduction with DIstribution Corrected principal component analysis (T-NORDIC) algorithm for thermal noise reduction. RFR acquisitions at 3 T were obtained from eight healthy participants (seven males and one female) aged 52 ± 20 years, including adiabatic T1ρ, T2ρ, and nonadiabatic Relaxation Along a Fictitious Field (RAFF) in the rotating frame of rank n = 4 (RAFF4) with both 1.6 x 1.6 x 3.6 mm3 and 1.25 x 1.25 x 2 mm3 image resolutions. We compared RFR values and their confidence intervals (CIs) obtained from fitting the denoised versus nondenoised images, at both voxel and regional levels separately for each resolution and RFR metric. The comparison of metrics obtained from denoised versus nondenoised images was performed with a two-sample paired t-test and statistical significance was set at p less than 0.05 after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. The use of T-NORDIC on the RFR images prior to the fitting procedure decreases the uncertainty of parameter estimation (lower CIs) at both spatial resolutions. The effect was particularly prominent at high-spatial resolution for RAFF4. Moreover, T-NORDIC did not degrade map quality, and it had minimal impact on the RFR values. Denoising RFR images with T-NORDIC improves parameter estimation while preserving the image quality and accuracy of all RFR maps, ultimately enabling high-resolution RFR mapping in scan times that are suitable for clinical settings.

• MeSH
• Algorithms MeSH
• Principal Component Analysis MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging * methods   MeSH
• Brain Mapping MeSH
• Brain * diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Signal-To-Noise Ratio * MeSH
• Rotation MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The aim of our work was to study the opposite polarity of the PQ segment to the P wave body surface potential maps in different groups of patients. We constructed isointegral maps (IIM) in 26 healthy controls (C), 16 hypertensives (HT), 26 patients with arterial hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and 15 patients with myocardial infarction (MI). We analyzed values and positions of map extrema and compared the polarity of maps using the correlation coefficient. The IIM P maxima appeared mainly over the precordium, the minima mainly in the right subclavicular area. The highest maxima were in the MI group, being significantly higher than in the HT and LVH groups. No differences concerning any values of other extrema were significant. The IIM PQ maxima were distributed over the upper half of the chest; the minima mainly over the middle sternum. A statistically significant opposite polarity between the IIM P and IIM PQ was found in 80 % of cases. The opposite polarity of the P wave and the PQ segment was proved in isointegral body surface maps. The extrema occurred in areas not examined by the standard chest leads. This has to be considered for diagnostic purposes.

• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Body Surface Potential Mapping methods   MeSH
• Models, Cardiovascular MeSH
• Heart Diseases physiopathology   MeSH
• Computer Simulation MeSH
• Heart Conduction System physiopathology   MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Models, Statistical MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

The aim of the present study was to investigate the reflection of psychoemotional stress in the body surface potential distribution as documented by isointegral maps of cardiac activation and recovery. In 72 young men (18.3+/- 7.3 y.) with no cardiovascular history body surface potential maps (BSPMs) at rest and during the test of mental arithmetic were recorded. The digitalized data for each point of the QRS, STT and QRST integral maps, for each subject in both situations, were processed and evaluated by methods of univariate as well as spatial mathematical and statistical modeling. The results showed during MA a significant decrease of repolarization integral values over the sternum and right precordium, which contributed to analogically localized decrements also in the QRST BSM. The decrease occurred in more than 2/3 of lead points. The most pronounced changes were observed in the right precordial area, where potentials decreased in more than in 70 % of subjects. In conclusion, the discriminative power of the difference STT and QRST integral maps was strong enough to distinguish the mental arithmetic induced changes in the superficial cardiac electric field. These adrenergic transient alterations in ventricular recovery may be of importance in subjects at risk for ventricular arrhythmias.

• MeSH
• Electrocardiography MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Body Surface Potential Mapping * MeSH
• Heart Conduction System physiopathology   MeSH
• Stress, Psychological physiopathology   MeSH
• Heart Ventricles physiopathology   MeSH
• Models, Statistical MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

OBJECTIVE: T2 maps are more vendor independent than other MRI protocols. Multi-echo spin-echo signal decays to a non-zero offset due to imperfect refocusing pulses and Rician noise, causing T2 overestimation by the vendor's 2-parameter algorithm. The accuracy of the T2 estimate is improved, if the non-zero offset is estimated as a third parameter. Three-parameter Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) T2 estimation takes several minutes to calculate, and it is sensitive to initial values. We aimed for a 3-parameter fitting algorithm that was comparably accurate, yet substantially faster. METHODS: Our approach gains speed by converting the 3-parameter minimisation problem into an empirically unimodal univariate problem, which is quickly minimised using the golden section line search (GS). RESULTS: To enable comparison, we propose a novel noise-masking algorithm. For clinical data, the agreement between the GS and the LM fit is excellent, yet the GS algorithm is two orders of magnitude faster. For synthetic data, the accuracy of the GS algorithm is on par with that of the LM fit, and the GS algorithm is significantly faster. The GS algorithm requires no parametrisation or initialisation by the user. DISCUSSION: The new GS T2 mapping algorithm offers a fast and much more accurate off-the-shelf replacement for the inaccurate 2-parameter fit in the vendor's software.

• MeSH
• Algorithms MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Phantoms, Imaging MeSH
• Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted methods   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging * MeSH
• Least-Squares Analysis MeSH
• Prostatic Neoplasms diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Image Processing, Computer-Assisted methods   MeSH
• Signal-To-Noise Ratio MeSH
• Probability MeSH
• Regression Analysis MeSH
• Reproducibility of Results MeSH
• Software MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Cíl: Porovnání analýzy T1 mapování myokardu u osob s progresivní systémovou sklerózou (SSc) a kontrolním souborem zdravých dobrovolníků v rámci předběžných výsledků prospektivní studie zaměřené na detekci difuzní myokardiální fibrózy. Metodika: Třicet tři osob sledovaných pro SSc a 20 zdravých dobrovolníků bylo zařazeno do prospektivní studie a podstoupily MR vyšetření, echokardiografické vyšetření a stanovení laboratorních parametrů. Studie byla schválenou lokální etickou komisí a účastníci podepsali informovaný souhlas. V rámci komplexního MR vyšetření byly provedeny sekvence pro analýzu T1 relaxačního času (T1 mapování) před a po intravenózním podání Gd kontrastní látky s následnou kalkulací extracelulárního objemu (ECV). V první fázi bylo provedeno porovnání výsledků mezi SSc a kontrolním souborem. Výsledky: Při hodnocení nativních T1 map byla prokázána statisticky významně (p < 0,0001) vyšší hodnota u SSc souboru (průměr 1259,3 ? 51,2) v porovnání s kontrolním souborem (1203,6 ? 29,9). Obdobně statisticky významný (p < 0,0001) rozdíl byl prokázán při porovnání vypočtených hodnot ECV, kdy u souboru SSc byla prokázána vyšší průměrná hodnota (28,6 ? 4,9) než u kontrolního souboru (23,3 ? 2,1). V případě T1 hodnot po intravenózním podání Gd kontrastní látky byl také prokázán rozdíl průměrných hodnot, nicméně s pouze malou statistickou významností (p = 0,026), kdy průměrná T1 hodnota u SSc souboru klesla na 586,6 ? 64 a u kontrolního souboru na 639,4 ? 38. Závěr: Předběžné výsledky prospektivní studie prokázaly statisticky významně vyšší hodnoty T1 mapování a ECV u osob s diagnostikovanou systémovou sklerózou v porovnání s kontrolním souborem zdravých dobrovolníků. Tyto výsledky potvrzují přínos použité metodiky v posouzení difuzní fibrózy myokardu, což bude hlavní oblastí zájmu v další fázi studie. Klíčová slova: T1 mapping, magnetická rezonance, progresivní systémová skleróza, extracelulární objem

Aim: Comparison of myocardial T1 mapping analysis in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and a control group of healthy volunteers as part of the preliminary results of a prospective study focusing on detection of diffuse myocardial fibrosis. Methods: 33 SSc patients and 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled in a prospective study and underwent MR examination, echocardiographic examination and determination of laboratory parameters. The study was approved by the local ethics committee and the participants signed an informed consent. Within the complex MR examinations were performed sequences for analysis of T1 relaxation time (T1 mapping) in myocardium prior and after intravenous administration of Gd contrast agents with subsequent calculation of extracellular volume (ECV). Comparison of results between SSc and control group was performed in first phase of assessment. Results: Statistically significant (p < 0.0001) higher native T1 values was proved in SSc group (mean 1259.3 ? 51.2) compared with the control group (1203.6 ? 29.9). Similarly, statistically significant (p < 0.0001) difference was detected in calculated ECV (%) when in a group of SSc was demonstrated higher mean value (28.6 ? 4.9) than in the control group (23.3 ? 2.1) . In the case of T1 values after intravenous administration of Gd contrast agents has been also demonstrated a difference of average values, however, with only a small statistical significance (p = 0.026), when the average value of T1 in SSc group decreased to 586.6 ? 64 and control file to 639.4 ? 38th. Conclusions: Preliminary results of a prospective study showed significantly higher native T1 values and ECV in patients with systemic sclerosis compared with a control group. These results confirm the contribution of the methodology used in the assessment of diffuse fibrosis of the myocardium, which will is the main focus of the study. Key words: T1 mapping, cardiac magnetic resonance, systemic sclerosis, extracellular volum

• Keywords
• T1 mapování,
• MeSH
• Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular * MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Echocardiography MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging * methods   MeSH
• Myocardium pathology   MeSH
• Prospective Studies MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Scleroderma, Systemic diagnosis   MeSH
• Imaging, Three-Dimensional methods   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Aged MeSH

f-statistics have emerged as a first line of analysis for making inferences about demographic history from genome-wide data. Not only are they guaranteed to allow robust tests of the fits of proposed models of population history to data when analyzing full genome sequencing data-that is, all single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the individuals being analyzed-but they are also guaranteed to allow robust tests of models for SNPs ascertained as polymorphic in a population that is an outgroup in a phylogenetic sense to all groups being analyzed. True "outgroup ascertainment" is in practice impossible in humans because our species has arisen from a substructured ancestral population that does not descend from a homogeneous ancestral population going back many hundreds of thousands of years into the past. However, initial studies suggested that non-outgroup-ascertainment schemes might produce robust enough results using f-statistics, and that motivated widespread fitting of models to data using non-outgroup-ascertained SNP panels such as the "Affymetrix Human Origins array" which has been genotyped on thousands of modern individuals from hundreds of populations, or the "1240k" in-solution enrichment reagent which has been the source of about 70% of published genome-wide data for ancient humans. In this study, we show that while analyses of population history using such panels work well for studies of relationships among non-African populations and one African outgroup, when co-modeling more than one sub-Saharan African and/or archaic human groups (Neanderthals and Denisovans), fitting of f-statistics to such SNP sets is expected to frequently lead to false rejection of true demographic histories, and failure to reject incorrect models. Analyzing panels of SNPs polymorphic in archaic humans, which has been suggested as a solution for the ascertainment problem, has limited statistical power and retains important biases. However, by carrying out simulations of diverse demographic histories, we show that bias in inferences based on f-statistics can be minimized by ascertaining on variants common in a union of diverse African groups; such ascertainment retains high statistical power while allowing co-analysis of archaic and modern groups.

• MeSH
• African People * genetics   MeSH
• Biological Variation, Population genetics   MeSH
• Black People genetics   MeSH
• Demography * history   MeSH
• Phylogeny * MeSH
• Genotype MeSH
• Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide * genetics   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Chromosome Mapping MeSH
• Neanderthals genetics   MeSH
• Models, Statistical MeSH
• Bias MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH

The cross-sectional geometry (CSG) of long bone diaphyses is used in bioanthropology to evaluate their resistance to biomechanical constraints and to infer life-history-related patterns such as mobility, activity specialization or intensity, sexual dimorphism, body mass and proportions. First limited by technical analytical constraints to the analysis of one or two cross sections per bone, it has evolved into the analysis of cross sections of the full length of the diaphyseal part of long bones. More recently, researchers have developed analytical tools to map the cortical thickness of entire diaphyses to evaluate locomotor signatures. However, none of these analytical tools are easy to use for scientists who are not familiar with computer programming, and some statistical procedures-such as mapping the correlation coefficients of the diaphyseal thickness with various parameters have yet to be made available. Therefore, we developed an automated and open-source application that renders those analyses (both CSG and cortical thickness) in a semiautomated and user friendly manner. This application, called "Diaphysator", is associated with another free software ("Extractor", presented in Dupej et al. (2017). American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 164, 868-876). Diaphysator can be used as an online application (https://diaphysator.shinyapps.io/maps) or as a package for R statistical software. Along with the mean maps of cortical thickness and mean CSG parameter graphs, the users can evaluate the correlations and partial correlations of both CSG parameters at every cross section along the diaphyseal length, and cortical thickness data points of the entire diaphysis, with any factor such as age, sex, stature, and body mass.

• MeSH
• Anatomy, Cross-Sectional MeSH
• Anthropology, Physical methods   MeSH
• Diaphyses anatomy & histology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Femur anatomy & histology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Internet MeSH
• Data Interpretation, Statistical MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed MeSH
• Software * MeSH
• Tibia anatomy & histology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH