Social network diversity and risks of ischemic heart disease and total mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barefoot, John C; Grønbaek, Morten; Jensen, Gorm

2005-01-01

Measures of various types of social contacts were used as predictors of ischemic heart disease events and total mortality in an age-stratified random sample of 9,573 adults enrolled in the Copenhagen City Heart Study (Copenhagen, Denmark). Baseline examinations were conducted in 1991-1994, and pa......Measures of various types of social contacts were used as predictors of ischemic heart disease events and total mortality in an age-stratified random sample of 9,573 adults enrolled in the Copenhagen City Heart Study (Copenhagen, Denmark). Baseline examinations were conducted in 1991...

The Performance of the Smart Cities in China—A Comparative Study by Means of Self-Organizing Maps and Social Networks Analysis

OpenAIRE

Dong Lu; Ye Tian; Vincent Y. Liu; Yi Zhang

2015-01-01

Smart cities link the city services, citizens, resource and infrastructures together and form the heart of the modern society. As a “smart” ecosystem, smart cities focus on sustainable growth, efficiency, productivity and environmentally friendly development. By comparing with the European Union, North America and other countries, smart cities in China are still in the preliminary stage. This study offers a comparative analysis of ten smart cities in China on the basis of an extensive databas...

Intake of beer, wine, and spirits and risk of stroke : the copenhagen city heart study.

Science.gov (United States)

Truelsen, T; Gronbaek, M; Schnohr, P; Boysen, G

1998-12-01

Alcohol consumption has been associated with a protective effect on risk of ischemic stroke. There may, however, be differences in the effect of beer, wine, and spirits due to properties other than ethanol, a topic that has gained only little attention in stroke research. Our analysis was a prospective cohort study of 13 329 eligible men and women, aged 45 to 84 years, participating in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Information on alcohol habits and a number of socioeconomic and health-related factors was obtained at baseline. During 16 years of follow-up, 833 first-ever strokes occurred. Data were analyzed by means of multiple Poisson regression. We found indications of a U-shaped relation between intake of alcohol and risk of stroke. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, and smoking, intake of wine on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis was associated with a lower risk of stroke compared with no wine intake (monthly: relative risk [RR], 0. 83; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.98; weekly: RR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.77; daily: RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.00). This effect of wine intake remained after complete adjustment for confounding variables (monthly: RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.02; weekly: RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.88; daily: RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.45 to 1.02). There was no association between intake of beer or spirits on risk of stroke. The differences in the effects of beer, wine, and spirits on the risk of stroke suggest that compounds in the wine in addition to ethanol are responsible for the protective effect on risk of stroke.

Tale of 2 cities: heart transplant progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iturralde, M.P.; Novitzky, D.

1986-01-01

Heart transplantation, today an accepted modality in managing selected terminal heart disease patients, still suffers from the major complications of acute rejection and infection. Joint research at Pretoria and Cape Town shows that the use of radionuclide techniques allows non-invasive, reliable and rapid quantification of ventricular function and myocardial perfusion for the diagnosis and management of heart transplant patients. Blood pool scintigraphy, using the in vivo labelling with sup(99m) Tc, was used to measure left ventricular volumes. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy using Tl 201 was also performed in some patients

Relation of Serum Adiponectin Levels to Number of Traditional Atherosclerotic Risk Factors and All-Cause Mortality and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (from the Copenhagen City Heart Study)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindberg, Soren; Mogelvang, Rasmus; Pedersen, Sune H

2013-01-01

adiponectin has been associated with increased mortality and an increasing number of major adverse CV events (MACE). Because of these conflicting results, the true role of adiponectin remains to be elucidated. In the Copenhagen City Heart Study, we prospectively followed up 5,624 randomly selected men...... and women from the community without CV disease. Plasma adiponectin was measured at the beginning of the study. The median follow-up time was 7.8 years (interquartile range 7.3 to 8.3). The end point was all-cause mortality (n = 801), and the combined end point was MACE, consisting of CV mortality...... or nonfatal myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke (n = 502). High adiponectin was inversely associated with an increasing number of traditional CV risk factors (p...

Long-term prognosis of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap in the Copenhagen City Heart study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lange, Peter; Çolak, Yunus; Ingebrigtsen, Truls Sylvan

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Long-term prognosis of patients with characteristics of both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, named asthma-COPD overlap, is poorly described. We investigated the long-term prognosis of individuals with different types of chronic airway disease, with a special...... were 39·48 (95% CI 25·93-60·11) in asthma-COPD overlap with early-onset asthma, 83·47 (61·67-112·98) in asthma-COPD overlap with late-onset asthma, 23·80 (17·43-33·50) in COPD, and 14·74 (10·06-21·59) in asthma compared with never-smokers without lung disease (all p... focus on individuals with asthma-COPD overlap. METHODS: We assigned participants from the Copenhagen City Heart Study into six subgroups: healthy never-smokers, ever-smokers without asthma and COPD, those with asthma with low cumulated smoking exposure and no airflow limitation, those with COPD, those...

Coronary heart disease clinical manifestation and risk factors in Japanese immigrants and their descendents in the city of São Paulo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amato Reynaldo Vicente

2003-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a difference exists in coronary heart disease clinical manifestations and the prevalence of risk factors between Japanese immigrants and their descendents in the city of São Paulo. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of coronary artery disease clinical manifestations and the prevalence of risk factors, comparing 128 Japanese immigrants (Japanese group with 304 Japanese descendents (Nisei group. RESULTS: The initial manifestation of the disease was earlier in the Nisei group (mean = 53 years, a difference of 12 years when compared with that in the Japanese group (mean = 65 years (P<0.001. Myocardial infarction was the first manifestation in both groups (P = 0.83. The following parameters were independently associated with early coronary events: smoking (OR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.35-3.77; P<0.002; Nisei group (OR = 10.22; 95% CI = 5.64-18.5; P<0.001; and female sex (OR = 5.04; 95% CI = 2.66-9.52; P<0.001. CONCLUSION: The clinical presentation of coronary heart disease in the Japanese and their descendents in the city of São Paulo was similar, but coronary heart disease onset occurred approximately 12 years earlier in the Nisei group than in the Japanese group.

City leadership: At the heart of the global challenge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliver, P.A.

2008-09-30

The world's attention is now focused on cities, and for good reasons. From a global perspective cities have become the engines of economic prosperity. In 2007, the collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the top 10 cities exceeded the total GDP of 162 countries combined, with Tokyo alone generating a larger GDP than Canada. Cities have become the centers of population. In 1900, only 10% of the world's population lived in cities, but by 2007 the urban population had reached 50%, and the estimate for 2050 is that 75% of the world's population, over 7 billion people, will be living in cities. In parallel, cities have become the centers of consumption. In 2006, cities accounted for approximately 67% of global primary energy demand, a concentration that is expected to rise to 75% by 2030. The corollary to this concentration of population and consumption is the concentration of activities that lead to climate change. Cities now acount for over 70% of global carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions. Asia's cities are at the forefront of the global challenges of urbanization. While they are the location of many challenges, cities also present opportunities, particularly in finding solutions to the crucial global challenges of our time -- climate change, energy demand and water. Many of the world's greatest challenges, from environmental degradation to widening income gaps, are increasingly coming to be defined as urban challenges, given the rapid growth of cities. The author, who leads the World Economic Forum's SlimCity initiative, take a look at the options being explored by the public and private sectors.

The Performance of the Smart Cities in China—A Comparative Study by Means of Self-Organizing Maps and Social Networks Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Lu

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Smart cities link the city services, citizens, resource and infrastructures together and form the heart of the modern society. As a “smart” ecosystem, smart cities focus on sustainable growth, efficiency, productivity and environmentally friendly development. By comparing with the European Union, North America and other countries, smart cities in China are still in the preliminary stage. This study offers a comparative analysis of ten smart cities in China on the basis of an extensive database covering two time periods: 2005–2007 and 2008–2010. The unsupervised computational neural network self-organizing map (SOM analysis is adopted to map out the various cities based on their performance. The demonstration effect and mutual influences between these ten smart cities are also discussed by using social network analysis. Based on the smart city performance and cluster network, current problems for smart city development in China were pointed out. Future research directions for smart city research are discussed at the end this paper.

Markers of inflammation and hemodynamic measurements in obesity: Copenhagen City Heart Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Asferg, Camilla; Jensen, Jan S; Marott, Jacob L

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Low-grade chronic inflammation has been proposed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Low-grade chronic inflammation is also closely associated with obesity, an established causative factor in the development of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to inves......BACKGROUND: Low-grade chronic inflammation has been proposed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Low-grade chronic inflammation is also closely associated with obesity, an established causative factor in the development of hypertension. The purpose of this study...... was to investigate the relationship between two markers of inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen, and blood pressure (BP) and other hemodynamic variables in obese subjects. METHODS: From a large cardiovascular study based in the general population, we selected subjects with a body mass index (BMI...... index (rho: -0.057 to 0.068; P > 0.13). However, fibrinogen and CRP were found to be significantly related to heart rate (rho: 0.127-0.169; P obese subjects from the general population, we found no significant relationships between markers...

Ambient air pollution and hospitalization for congestive heart failure among elderly people in seven large US cities; Pollution atmospherique ambiante et hospitalisations pour insuffisance cardiaque congestive chez les personnes agees dans sept grandes villes des Etats-Unis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morris, R.D.; Naumova, E.N.; Munasinghe, R.L.M.

2001-01-01

The aim of this study is the temporal associations between the urban atmospheric pollution, in particular the carbon monoxide, and the hospitalization for congestive heart failure in elderly people, in seven large US cities. (A.L.B.)

Linking evidence to action on social determinants of health using Urban HEART in the Americas.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, Amit; Groot, Ana Maria Mahecha; Monteiro, Teofilo; Murphy, Kelly; O'Campo, Patricia; Broide, Emilia Estivalet; Kano, Megumi

2013-12-01

To evaluate the experience of select cities in the Americas using the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART) launched by the World Health Organization in 2010 and to determine its utility in supporting government efforts to improve health equity using the social determinants of health (SDH) approach. The Urban HEART experience was evaluated in four cities from 2010-2013: Guarulhos (Brazil), Toronto (Canada), and Bogotá and Medellín (Colombia). Reports were submitted by Urban HEART teams in each city and supplemented by first-hand accounts of key informants. The analysis considered each city's networks and the resources it used to implement Urban HEART; the process by which each city identified equity gaps and prioritized interventions; and finally, the facilitators and barriers encountered, along with next steps. In three cities, local governments spearheaded the process, while in the fourth (Toronto), academia initiated and led the process. All cities used Urban HEART as a platform to engage multiple stakeholders. Urban HEART's Matrix and Monitor were used to identify equity gaps within cities. While Bogotá and Medellín prioritized among existing interventions, Guarulhos adopted new interventions focused on deprived districts. Actions were taken on intermediate determinants, e.g., health systems access, and structural SDH, e.g., unemployment and human rights. Urban HEART provides local governments with a simple and systematic method for assessing and responding to health inequity. Through the SDH approach, the tool has provided a platform for intersectoral action and community involvement. While some areas of guidance could be strengthened, Urban HEART is a useful tool for directing local action on health inequities, and should be scaled up within the Region of the Americas, building upon current experience.

Linking evidence to action on social determinants of health using Urban HEART in the Americas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amit Prasad

2013-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the experience of select cities in the Americas using the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART launched by the World Health Organization in 2010 and to determine its utility in supporting government efforts to improve health equity using the social determinants of health (SDH approach METHODS: The Urban HEART experience was evaluated in four cities from 2010-2013: Guarulhos (Brazil, Toronto (Canada, and Bogotá and Medellín (Colombia. Reports were submitted by Urban HEART teams in each city and supplemented by first-hand accounts of key informants. The analysis considered each city's networks and the resources it used to implement Urban HEART; the process by which each city identified equity gaps and prioritized interventions; and finally, the facilitators and barriers encountered, along with next steps RESULTS: In three cities, local governments spearheaded the process, while in the fourth (Toronto, academia initiated and led the process. All cities used Urban HEART as a platform to engage multiple stakeholders. Urban HEART's Matrix and Monitor were used to identify equity gaps within cities. While Bogotá and Medellín prioritized among existing interventions, Guarulhos adopted new interventions focused on deprived districts. Actions were taken on intermediate determinants, e.g., health systems access, and structural SDH, e.g., unemployment and human rights CONCLUSIONS: Urban HEART provides local governments with a simple and systematic method for assessing and responding to health inequity. Through the SDH approach, the tool has provided a platform for intersectoral action and community involvement. While some areas of guidance could be strengthened, Urban HEART is a useful tool for directing local action on health inequities, and should be scaled up within the Region of the Americas, building upon current experience.

The Experience of Implementing Urban HEART Barcelona: a Tool for Action.

Science.gov (United States)

Novoa, Ana M; Pérez, Glòria; Espelt, Albert; Echave, Cynthia; de Olalla, Patricia G; Calvo, M Jesús; Pasarín, Maribel; Diez, Èlia; Borrell, Carme; Calvo, M Jesús; Cormenzana, Berta; Cortés, Imma; Diez, Èlia; Echave, Cynthia; Espelt, Albert; de Olalla, Patrícia G; Gòmez, Josep; Novoa, Ana M; Pallarès, Montserrat; Pérez, Glòria; Rodríguez-Sanz, Maica

2017-10-16

Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (HEART) is a tool developed by the World Health Organization whose objective is to provide evidence on urban health inequalities so as to help to decide the best interventions aimed to promote urban health equity. The aim of this paper is to describe the experience of implementing Urban HEART in Barcelona city, both the adaptation of Urban HEART to the city of Barcelona, its use as a means of identifying and monitoring health inequalities among city neighbourhoods, and the difficulties and barriers encountered throughout the process. Although ASPB public health technicians participated in the Urban HEART Advisory Group, had large experience in health inequalities analysis and research and showed interest in implementing the tool, it was not until 2015, when the city council was governed by a new left-wing party for which reducing health inequalities was a priority that Urban HEART could be used. A provisional matrix was developed, including both health and health determinant indicators, which allowed to show how some neighbourhoods in the city systematically fare worse for most of the indicators while others systematically fare better. It also allowed to identify 18 neighbourhoods-those which fared worse in most indicators-which were considered a priority for intervention, which entered the Health in the Barcelona Neighbourhoods programme and the Neighbourhoods Plan. This provisional version was reviewed and improved by the Urban HEART Barcelona Working Group. Technicians with experience in public health and/or in indicator and database management were asked to indicate suitability and relevance from a list of potential indicators. The definitive Urban HEART Barcelona version included 15 indicators from the five Urban HEART domains and improved the previous version in several requirements. Several barriers were encountered, such as having to estimate indicators in scarcely populated areas or finding adequate

Nonfasting Triglycerides, Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, and Heart Failure Risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Varbo, Anette; Nordestgaard, Børge G

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of heart failure is increasing in the aging population, and heart failure is a disease with large morbidity and mortality. There is, therefore, a need for identifying modifiable risk factors for prevention. We tested the hypothesis that high concentrations of nonfasting...... triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are associated with higher risk of heart failure in the general population. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We included 103 860 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study and 9694 from the Copenhagen City Heart Study in 2 prospective observational...... association studies. Nonfasting triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured at baseline. Individuals were followed for ≤23 years, during which time 3593 were diagnosed with heart failure. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression models. In the Copenhagen...

Radiation-induced heart injury. Radiopathological study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, Y; Niibe, H [Gunma Univ., Maebashi (Japan). School of Medicine

1975-11-01

In order to identify radiation-induced heart injury and to differentiate it from heart disease, an attempt was made to clarify post-irradiation heart injury by investigating the histological changes which occur during the interval between the irradiation and the time of demonstrable histological changes. A study was made of 83 autopsies in which most of the primary neoplasms were breast cancers, lung cancers and mediastinal tumors. In 43 of these autopsies the heart had been irradiated. Sixty eight dd-strain mice were also used for microautoradiographic study. Histological changes in the heart were observed in 27 of the 43 cases receiving irradiation. The limit of the tolerance dose to the heart for indicating histological changes was 1220 ret in humans. The latent period without histological changes was 2.7 months after initiation of radiation therapy. Greater heart injury was observed after re-irradiation or after the combined therapy of radiation and chemotherapy especially mitomycin (MMC). The histological findings after treatment with MMC were similar to those of radiation-induced heart injury. Results of the study indicate that the damage is secondary to radiation-induced changes of the vascula connective tissue.

Smart Cities Will Need Chemistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru WOINAROSCHY

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A smart city is a sustainable and efficient urban centre that provides a high quality of life to its inhabitants through optimal management of its resources. Chemical industry has a key role to play in the sustainable evolution of the smart cities. Additionally, chemistry is at the heart of all modern industries, including electronics, information technology, biotechnology and nano-technology. Chemistry can make the smart cities project more sustainable, more energy efficient and more cost effective. There are six broad critical elements of any smart city: water management systems; infrastructure; transportation; energy; waste management and raw materials consumption. In all these elements chemistry and chemical engineering are deeply involved.

Intra-city Differences in Cardiac Expression of Inflammatory Genes and Inflammasomes in Young Urbanites: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Villarreal-Calderon, Rodolfo; Dale, Gary; Delgado-Chávez, Ricardo; Torres-Jardón, Ricardo; Zhu, Hongtu; Herritt, Lou; Gónzalez-Maciel, Angelica; Reynoso-Robles, Rafael; Yuan, Ying; Wang, Jiaping; Solorio-López, Edelmira; Medina-Cortina, Humberto; Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian

2012-06-01

Southwest Mexico City (SWMC) air pollution is characterized by high concentrations of ozone and particulate matter < 10 μm (PM(10)) containing lipopolysaccharides while in the North PM(2.5) is high. These intra-city differences are likely accounting for higher CD14 and IL-1β in SWMC v NMC mice myocardial expression. This pilot study was designed to investigate whether similar intra-city differences exist in the levels of myocardial inflammatory genes in young people. Inflammatory mediator genes and inflammasome arrays were measured in right and left autopsy ventricles of 6 southwest/15 north (18.5 ± 2.6 years) MC residents after fatal sudden accidental deaths. There was a significant S v N right ventricle up-regulation of IL-1β (p=0.008), TNF-α (p=0.001), IL-10 (p=0.001), and CD14 (p=0.002), and a left ventricle difference in TNF-α (p=0.007), and IL-10 (p=0.02). SW right ventricles had significant up-regulation of NLRC1, NLRP3 and of 29/84 inflammasome genes, including NOD factors and caspases. There was significant degranulation of mast cells both in myocardium and epicardial nerve fibers. Differential expression of key inflammatory myocardial genes and inflammasomes are influenced by the location of residence. Myocardial inflammation and inflammasome activation in young hearts is a plausible pathway of heart injury in urbanites and adverse effects on the cardiovascular system are expected.

201Tl heart studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, R.L.

1976-01-01

At the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine there was a preponderance of papers dealing with the heart. The most impressive papers detailed the use of monovalent cation 201 Tl in the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Thallium-201 behaves like potassium in that it enters heart muscle quickly and persists in that organ for several hours. It is unlike most radioactive potassium analogues used for heart studies in that: (1) its gamma energy peaks (69 keV and 80 keV) are more easily collimated with resultant image improvement, (2) its physical half life of 72 hours is sufficiently short to attain high counting rates without too much radiation and is sufficiently long so that storage is not prohibitive, (3) its short half life and lack of Beta radiation results in lower radiation to the patient, and (4) its uptake in heart is greater and uptake in liver and stomach less than other potassium analogues

High prevalence of rheumatic heart disease detected by echocardiography in school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhaya, Maneesha; Panwar, Sadik; Beniwal, Rajesh; Panwar, Raja Babu

2010-04-01

It is fairly easy to detect advanced valve lesions of established rheumatic heart disease by echocardiography in the clinically identified cases of rheumatic heart disease. However, to diagnose a subclinical case of rheumatic heart disease, no uniform set of echocardiographic criteria exist. Moderate thickening of valve leaflets is considered an indicator of established rheumatic heart disease. World Health Organization criteria for diagnosing probable rheumatic heart disease are more sensitive and are based on the detection of significant regurgitation of mitral and/or aortic valves by color Doppler. We attempted diagnosing RHD in school children in Bikaner city by cardiac ultrasound. The stratified cluster sampling technique was employed to identify 31 random clusters in the coeducational schools of Bikaner city. We selected 1059 school children aged 6-15 years from these schools. An experienced operator did careful cardiac auscultation and echocardiographic study. A second expert confirmed the echocardiographic findings. The prevalence of lesions suggestive of rheumatic heart disease by echocardiography was 51 per 1,000 (denominator = 1059; 95% CI: 38-64 per 1,000). We were able to clinically diagnose RHD in one child. None of these children or their parents having echocardiographic evidence of RHD could provide a positive history of acute rheumatic fever. By echocardiographic screening, we found a high prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in the surveyed population. Clinical auscultation had much lower diagnostic efficacy.

Perceived stress and risk of ischemic heart disease: causation or bias?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Naja Rod; Kristensen, Tage S; Prescott, Eva

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the commonly recognized link between stress and cardiovascular disease is causal or the result of reporting bias. The objective of this study was to address the association between perceived stress and first incidence of ischemic heart disease and to evaluate...... the suggested reporting bias by addressing subdiagnoses of ischemic heart disease separately. METHODS: The 11,839 men and women who participated in the Copenhagen City Heart Study were at baseline (1981-1983) asked about their stress level. The participants were followed in nationwide registries until the year...... 2000, and fewer than 0.1% were lost to follow-up. During follow-up, 2316 individuals were diagnosed with ischemic heart disease. RESULTS: High levels of stress were associated with slightly higher risk of incident ischemic heart disease in both women (hazard ratio = 1.23; 95% confidence interval = 1...

Impact of persistence and non-persistence in leisure time physical activity on coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schnohr, Peter; O'Keefe, James H.; Lange, Peter

2017-01-01

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of persistence and non-persistence in leisure time physical activity on coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality. Methods and results: In the Copenhagen City Heart Study, we prospectively followed 12,314 healthy subjects for 33 years...

Association of loss-of-function mutations in the ABCA1 gene with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and risk of ischemic heart disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frikke-Schmidt, R.; Nordestgaard, B.G.; Stene, M.C.A.

2008-01-01

increased risk of ischemic heart disease ( IHD). Design, Setting, and Participants Three studies of white individuals from Copenhagen, Denmark, were used: the Copenhagen City Heart Study ( CCHS), a 31-year prospective general population study ( n= 9022; 28 heterozygotes); the Copenhagen General Population...

Study Heart Rate by Tools from Complex Networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makowiec, D.; Wdowczyk-Szulc, J.; Zarczynska-Buchowiecka, M.; Gruchala, M.; Rynkiewicz, A.

2011-01-01

Heart rate measured as beat-to-beat time intervals varies in time. It is believed that time intervals between subsequent normal heart contractions carry information about the regulatory system of the heart. How to quantify such signals is not clear and because of that heart rate variability is still apart from the clinic routine. In the following, we propose a method for representing a heart rate signal as a directed network. Then we study the signal properties by complex network tools. The signals to study were collected from patients recovering after the heart transplantation. The aim is to classify the progress of adapting of the new heart - graft. Moreover, it is expected that the method allows for visual classification. Our investigations are preliminary, however the obtained results are promising. (authors)

Strategic Planning Approaches for Creating Resilient Cities: A Case Study on Hangzhou City

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Liu; Dan; Hua; Chen

2015-01-01

In the twenty-first century, the population in China will be increasingly urbanized – focusing the sustainability challenge on cities and raising new challenges to address the urban resilience capacity. During the past two decades, China’s urban policies are state institution-directed, growth-oriented, and land-based, imposing unprecedented challenges on sustainability. Strengthening the capacity of cities to manage resilience appears to be a key factor for cities to effectively pursue sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to explore strategic planning approaches for creating resilient cities in China through a study on Hangzhou City in an integrated framework. Firstly, the paper gives a systematic insight into the structure of Hangzhou City. Secondly, the development trajectory of the urban system is analyzed to understand how the past has shaped the present and to get a broader perspective on its evolution. Thirdly, scenario planning is conducted to explore the adaptive capacity of Hangzhou City under different future conditions. At last, having analyzed the past, present, and future of the urban system, the paper discusses the strategies for resilient planning, which helps to identify factors and trends that might enhance or inhabit the adaptability.

Image based 3D city modeling : Comparative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. P. Singh

2014-06-01

Full Text Available 3D city model is a digital representation of the Earth’s surface and it’s related objects such as building, tree, vegetation, and some manmade feature belonging to urban area. The demand of 3D city modeling is increasing rapidly for various engineering and non-engineering applications. Generally four main image based approaches were used for virtual 3D city models generation. In first approach, researchers were used Sketch based modeling, second method is Procedural grammar based modeling, third approach is Close range photogrammetry based modeling and fourth approach is mainly based on Computer Vision techniques. SketchUp, CityEngine, Photomodeler and Agisoft Photoscan are the main softwares to represent these approaches respectively. These softwares have different approaches & methods suitable for image based 3D city modeling. Literature study shows that till date, there is no complete such type of comparative study available to create complete 3D city model by using images. This paper gives a comparative assessment of these four image based 3D modeling approaches. This comparative study is mainly based on data acquisition methods, data processing techniques and output 3D model products. For this research work, study area is the campus of civil engineering department, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (India. This 3D campus acts as a prototype for city. This study also explains various governing parameters, factors and work experiences. This research work also gives a brief introduction, strengths and weakness of these four image based techniques. Some personal comment is also given as what can do or what can’t do from these softwares. At the last, this study shows; it concluded that, each and every software has some advantages and limitations. Choice of software depends on user requirements of 3D project. For normal visualization project, SketchUp software is a good option. For 3D documentation record, Photomodeler gives good

Xenopus: An Emerging Model for Studying Congenital Heart Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Kaltenbrun, Erin; Tandon, Panna; Amin, Nirav M.; Waldron, Lauren; Showell, Chris; Conlon, Frank L.

2011-01-01

Congenital heart defects affect nearly 1% of all newborns and are a significant cause of infant death. Clinical studies have identified a number of congenital heart syndromes associated with mutations in genes that are involved in the complex process of cardiogenesis. The African clawed frog, Xenopus, has been instrumental in studies of vertebrate heart development and provides a valuable tool to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying human congenital heart diseases. In this review, we discuss the methodologies that make Xenopus an ideal model system to investigate heart development and disease. We also outline congenital heart conditions linked to cardiac genes that have been well-studied in Xenopus and describe some emerging technologies that will further aid in the study of these complex syndromes. PMID:21538812

A study on eco-environmental vulnerability of mining cities: a case study of Panzhihua city of Sichuan province in China

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Huaiyong; Xian, Wei; Yang, Wunian

2009-07-01

The large-scale and super-strength development of mineral resources in mining cities in long term has made great contributions to China's economic construction and development, but it has caused serious damage to the ecological environment even ecological imbalance at the same time because the neglect of the environmental impact even to the expense of the environment to some extent. In this study, according to the characteristics of mining cities, the scientific and practical eco-environmental vulnerability evaluation index system of mining cities had been established. Taking Panzhihua city of Sichuan province as an example, using remote sensing and GIS technology, applying various types of remote sensing image (TM, SPOT5, IKONOS) and Statistical data, the ecological environment evaluation data of mining cities was extracted effectively. For the non-linear relationship between the evaluation indexes and the degree of eco-environmental vulnerability in mining cities, this study innovative took the evaluation of eco-environmental vulnerability of the study area by using artificial neural network whose training used SCE-UA algorithm that well overcome the slow learning and difficult convergence of traditional neural network algorithm. The results of ecoenvironmental vulnerability evaluation of the study area were objective, reasonable and the credibility was high. The results showed that the area distribution of five eco-environmental vulnerability grade types was basically normal, and the overall ecological environment situation of Panzhihua city was in the middle level, the degree of eco-environmental vulnerability in the south was higher than the north, and mining activities were dominant factors to cause ecoenvironmental damage and eco-environmental Vulnerability. In this study, a comprehensive theory and technology system of regional eco-environmental vulnerability evaluation which included the establishment of eco-environmental vulnerability evaluation index

The City on Screen: A Methodological Approach on Cinematic City Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sertaç Timur Demir

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The city has a strong memory and it never forgets its own experiences. The past, the present and the future of the city can be read in its streets, buildings, sounds, myths, rhythms and stories. More importantly, if the city is portrayed through a camera, it becomes as fictional and designable as films. At this stage, there is no difference between watching a film and seeing a city. Also, cinema itself turns into a paradigm that belongs to the city. This parallelism between the city and film is like an inevitable destiny so much so that they constitute and develop each other. Accordingly, those who attempt to understand the notion of the city should consult the films made about them and vice versa; hence, this paper deals with the question of how the city is cinematized, but this question involves another question: how does the cinematic imagination fictionalize itself in the city?

Prita Meier, Swahili Port Cities: The Architecture of Elsewhere

OpenAIRE

Longair, Sarah

2018-01-01

Prita Meier’s Swahili Port Cities: the Architecture of Elsewhere is a highly original and important contribution to scholarship on East Africa, and more widely for scholars interested in complicating how we understand the formation of global cities and border zone societies. It is not a conventional architectural history, yet it places buildings, in particular the coral and lime stone constructions found on the Swahili coast, at its heart. Meier uses the “materiality of city life” to offer “a...

Short-term effect of severe exposure to methylmercury on atherosclerotic heart disease and hypertension mortality in Minamata.

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Sachiko; Yorifuji, Takashi; Tsuda, Toshihide; Doi, Hiroyuki

2012-02-15

Recent studies suggest potential adverse effects of methylmercury exposure on myocardial infarction and hypertension, although the evidence is still limited. We thus evaluated this association using age-standardized mortality ratios (ASMRs) in Minamata, where severe methylmercury poisoning had occurred. We obtained mortality data from annual vital statistics and demographic statistics from census. We then compared mortality of atherosclerotic heart disease including degenerative heart disease and hypertension in Minamata-city with those in Kumamoto Prefecture, which includes Minamata city, as a control. We estimated ASMRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) during the period from 1953 to 1970. ASMRs of atherosclerotic heart disease were continuously decreased during the period from 1953 to 1967. In contrast, the ASMR of hypertension was significantly elevated during the period from 1963 to 1967 (SMR=1.38, CI; 1.06-1.80); but they decreased later. Although dilution is present in this ecological study, our study supports the notion that methylmercury exposure induces hypertension. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alcohol consumption and risk of atrial fibrillation in men and women: the Copenhagen City Heart Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mukamal, KJ; Tolstrup, JS; Friberg, J

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: The relationship of the full range of alcohol consumption with risk of incident atrial fibrillation has been inconsistent in previous, mainly case-control studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a prospective cohort study, we studied the association between self-reported alcohol use...... nationwide registry of all hospitalizations. A total of 1071 cases occurred during follow-up. Among both women and men, alcohol consumption throughout the moderate range was not associated with risk of atrial fibrillation. However, consumption of 35 or more drinks per week among men was associated...... not attenuate the association (hazard ratio 1.63; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.31). CONCLUSIONS: Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, at least among men. This relationship does not appear to be related to the adverse effects of heavy drinking on coronary heart disease or blood...

Attitude of the Saudi community towards heart donation, transplantation, and artificial hearts.

Science.gov (United States)

AlHabeeb, Waleed; AlAyoubi, Fakhr; Tash, Adel; AlAhmari, Leenah; AlHabib, Khalid F

2017-07-01

To understand the attitudes of the Saudi population towards heart donation and transplantation. Methods: A survey using a questionnaire addressing attitudes towards organ transplantation and donation was conducted across 18 cities in Saudi Arabia between September 2015 and March 2016.  Results: A total of 1250 respondents participated in the survey. Of these, approximately 91% agree with the concept of organ transplantation but approximately 17% do not agree with the concept of heart transplantation; 42.4% of whom reject heart transplants for religious reasons. Only 43.6% of respondents expressed a willingness to donate their heart and approximately 58% would consent to the donation of a relative's organ after death. A total of 59.7% of respondents believe that organ donation is regulated and 31.8% fear that the doctors will not try hard enough to save their lives if they consent to organ donation. Approximately 77% believe the heart is removed while the donor is alive; although, the same proportion of respondents thought they knew what brain death meant. Conclusion: In general, the Saudi population seem to accept the concept of transplantation and are willing to donate, but still hold some reservations towards heart donation.

Genome-wide association studies and resting heart rate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oskari Kilpeläinen, Tuomas

2016-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have revolutionized the search for genetic variants regulating resting heart rate. In the last 10 years, GWASs have led to the identification of at least 21 novel heart rate loci. These discoveries have provided valuable insights into the mechanisms...... and pathways that regulate heart rate and link heart rate to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. GWASs capture majority of genetic variation in a population sample by utilizing high-throughput genotyping chips measuring genotypes for up to several millions of SNPs across the genome in thousands...... of individuals. This allows the identification of the strongest heart rate associated signals at genome-wide level. While GWASs provide robust statistical evidence of the association of a given genetic locus with heart rate, they are only the starting point for detailed follow-up studies to locate the causal...

Patient Education Leads to Better Care for Heart Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, Stanley G.

The staff of a heart and circulatory disease program of a State department of health conducted a special project at a city hospital which showed that a well-organized treatment and education program for patients with congestive heart failure increased the patient's knowledge of his disease, medication, and diet as well as his adherence to a…

Urban greenspace for resilient city in the future: Case study of Yogyakarta City

Science.gov (United States)

Ni'mah, N. M.; Lenonb, S.

2017-06-01

The capacity of adaptation is essential elements towards urban resilience. One adaptation that can be done is to consider the provision of open space and public space in the city. Yogyakarta City development which focused on the built area and negates the open space has blurred the characteristics of the city. Efforts in increasing the availability of public space is one of the seven priorities of the programs included in the environmental and the utilization of space in Yogyakarta City. An understanding of the provision of public green open spaces in Yogyakarta is important because the products and processes that take place in a development will determine the successful implementation of the development plan. The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) to identify the provision green space in Yogyakarta City from the aspects of product and procedure; and (2) to identify the role of green space to build resilient city. This study is used descriptive qualitative approach with in-depth interview, literature review, and triangulation as the method for data collection. Yogyakarta has had instruments for public green open spaces provision called Masterplan Ruang Terbuka Hijau (RTH) Up-Scaling Yogyakarta 2013-2032 which govern the typologies and criteria for green open space development in the city.Public green open spaces development mechanism can be grouped into the planning phase, the utilization phase, and the control phase of each consisting of legal and regulatory aspects, institutional aspects, financial aspects, and technical aspects. The mechanism of green open space provision should regard the need of advocacy for “urban green commons” (UGCs) development as a systematic approach of collective-participatory for urban land management.

State of the Art Coronary Heart Disease Risk Estimation based on the Framingham Heart Study

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Reissigová, Jindra; Tomečková, Marie

2005-01-01

Roč. 13, č. 4 (2005), s. 180-186 ISSN 0022-1732 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : Framingham heart study * coronary heart disease * risk validation study * calibration * discrimination Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

Speed and duration of walking and other leisure time physical activity and the risk of heart failure: a prospective cohort study from the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans Askelund Saevereid

Full Text Available AIM: Physical activity (PA confers some protection against development of heart failure (HF but little is known of the role of intensity and duration of exercise. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a prospective cohort study of men and women free of previous MI, stroke or HF with one or more examinations in 1976-2003, we studied the association between updated self-assessed leisure-time PA, speed and duration of walking and subsequent hospitalization or death from HF. Light and moderate/high level of leisure-time PA and brisk walking were associated with reduced risk of HF in both genders whereas no consistent association with duration of walking was seen. In 18,209 subjects age 20-80 with 1580 cases of HF, using the lowest activity level as reference, the confounder-adjusted hazard ratios (HR for light and moderate/high leisure-time physical activity were 0.75 (0.66-0.86 and 0.80 (0.69-0.93, respectively. In 9,937 subjects with information on walking available and 542 cases of HF, moderate and high walking speed were associated with adjusted HRs of 0.53 (0.43-0.66 and 0.30 (0.21-0.44, respectively, and daily walking of ½-1 hrs, 1-2 and >2 hrs with HR of 0.80 (0.61-1.06, 0.82 (0.62-1.06, and 0.96 (0.73-1.27, respectively. Results were similar for both genders and remained robust after exclusion of HF related to coronary heart disease and after a series of sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Speed rather than duration of walking was associated with reduced risk of HF. Walking is the most wide-spread PA and public health measures to curb the increase in HF may benefit from this information.

Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Utility in Prediction of 30-Day Readmission Rate in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengchuan Dai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Heart failure (HF is one of the most common diagnoses associated with hospital readmission. We designed this prospective study to evaluate whether Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ score is associated with 30-day readmission in patients hospitalized with decompensated HF. Methods and Results. We enrolled 240 patients who met the study criteria. Forty-eight (20% patients were readmitted for decompensated HF within thirty days of hospital discharge, and 192 (80% patients were not readmitted. Compared to readmitted patients, nonreadmitted patients had a higher average KCCQ score (40.8 versus 32.6, P = 0.019 before discharge. Multivariate analyses showed that a high KCCQ score was associated with low HF readmission rate (adjusted OR = 0.566, P = 0.022. The c-statistic for the base model (age + gender was 0.617. The combination of home medication and lab tests on the base model resulted in an integrated discrimination improvement (IDI increase of 3.9%. On that basis, the KCQQ further increased IDI of 2.7%. Conclusions. The KCCQ score determined before hospital discharge was significantly associated with 30-day readmission rate in patients with HF, which may provide a clinically useful measure and could significantly improve readmission prediction reliability when combined with other clinical components.

Effect of Ambient Air Pollution on Hospitalization for Heart Failure in 26 of China's Largest Cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hui; Tian, Yaohua; Song, Jing; Cao, Yaying; Xiang, Xiao; Huang, Chao; Li, Man; Hu, Yonghua

2018-03-01

There is growing interest in the association between ambient air pollution and congestive heart failure (CHF), but research data from developing countries are very limited. The primary aim of this study was to examine the association between short-term exposure to air pollution and hospital admission for CHF in China. A time-stratified case-crossover study was conducted between 2014 and 2015 in 26 large Chinese cities among 105,501 CHF hospitalizations. Conditional logistic regression models were applied to estimate the percentage changes in CHF admissions in relation to per interquartile range increases in air pollutant concentrations. Air pollution was positively associated with CHF hospitalizations. An interquartile range increase in fine particulate, particulate matter less than 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone concentrations on the current day corresponded to 1.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5%, 1.8%), 1.3% (95% CI 0.5%, 2.0%), 1.0% (95% CI 0.2%, 1.7%), 1.6% (95% CI 0.6%, 2.5%), 1.2% (95% CI 0.5%, 1.9%), and 0.4% (95% CI -0.9%, 1.7%) increases in CHF admissions, respectively. In conclusion, our findings contribute to the limited scientific literature concerning the effects of air pollution on CHF risk for high-exposure settings typical in developing countries, which may have significant public health implications for prevention of CHF in China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experience of Sponge City Master Plan: A Case Study of Nanning City

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhang Wei; Wang Jiazhuo; Che Han; Wang Chen; Zhang Chunyang; Shi Lian; Fan Jin; Li Caige

2017-01-01

As a new urban development pattern, the construction of sponge cities has been deeply integrated into the new urbanization and water safety strategy. Nanning City, as one of the first batch of experimental sponge cities in China, has undertaken exploration and practice on sponge city planning, construction, and management. The sponge city master plan of Nanning City establishes an urban ecological spatial pattern in order to protect the security of the sponge base. The sponge city construction strategy has also proposed an overall construction strategy of a sponge city in line with urban development features. Through the systematic analysis and planning, a “23+10+202” pattern of sponge city construction has been formed. “23” represents 23 drainage basins, in which major sponge facilities such as storage facilities, waterfront buffer zones, wetland parks, ecological rainwater corridor and sponge parks are allocated. “10” represents 10 sponge functional zones, which provide important reference for the establishment of sponge city construction index system. “202” represents 202 management units, which decomposes the general objective and provides technical support not only for sponge city construction and management, but also for the implementation of general objectives in the regulatory plan as well.

The mini climatic city a dedicated space for technological innovations devoted to Sustainable City

Science.gov (United States)

Derkx, François; Lebental, Bérengère; Merliot, Erick; Dumoulin, Jean; Bourquin, Frédéric

2015-04-01

Our cities, from megalopolis to rural commune, are systems of an extraordinary technological and human complexity. Their balance is threatened by the growing population and rarefaction of resources. Massive urbanization endanges the environment, while global climate change, through natural hazards generated (climatic, hydrological and geological), threats people and goods. Connect the city, that is to say, design and spread systems able to route, between multiple actors, a very large amount of heterogeneous information natures and analyzed for various purposes, is at the heart of the hopes to make our cities more sustainable: climate-resilient, energy efficient and actresses of the energy transition, attractive to individuals and companies, health and environment friendly. If multiple players are already aware of this need, progress is slow because, beyond the only connectivity, it is the urban intelligence that will create the sustainable city, through coordinated capabilities of Perception, Decision and Action: to measure phenomena; to analyze their impact on urban sustainability in order to define strategies for improvement; to effectively act on the cause of the phenomenon. In this very active context with a strong societal impact, the Sense-City project aims to accelerate research and innovation in the field of sustainable city, particularly in the field of micro and nanosensors. The project is centered around a "mini climatic City", a unique mobile environmental chamber in Europe of 400m² that can accommodate realistic models of city main components, namely buildings, infrastructures, distribution networks or basements. This R&D test place, available in draft form from January 2015 and in finalized version in 2016, will allow to validate, in realistic conditions, innovative technologies performances for the sustainable city, especially micro- and nano-sensors, at the end of their development laboratory and upstream of industrialization. R & D platform

CIAM 8. The Heart of the City as the symbolical resilience of the city

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zuccaro Marchi, L.; Hein, Carola

2016-01-01

The “Heart of the City”, title of the 8th CIAM held in 1951, is a contradictory and pervasive figure of speech which has marked a thinking and urban transition after the Second World War. In 1951, two opposite urban conditions are considered by Sert, President of CIAM, as main issues which the

The Ballet of the Streets: Teaching about Cities at Street Level

Science.gov (United States)

McGuire, Patrick A.; Spates, James L.

2011-01-01

The urban scholar Jane Jacobs once described city life as "the ballet of the streets." In more than a quarter century of joint teaching, the authors have used Jacobs' metaphor to help their students understand that cities are living organisms created and maintained, for good or ill, by the people who live and work in them. At heart their…

From mobile phone data to the spatial structure of cities

Science.gov (United States)

Louail, Thomas; Lenormand, Maxime; Cantu Ros, Oliva G.; Picornell, Miguel; Herranz, Ricardo; Frias-Martinez, Enrique; Ramasco, José J.; Barthelemy, Marc

2014-01-01

Pervasive infrastructures, such as cell phone networks, enable to capture large amounts of human behavioral data but also provide information about the structure of cities and their dynamical properties. In this article, we focus on these last aspects by studying phone data recorded during 55 days in 31 Spanish cities. We first define an urban dilatation index which measures how the average distance between individuals evolves during the day, allowing us to highlight different types of city structure. We then focus on hotspots, the most crowded places in the city. We propose a parameter free method to detect them and to test the robustness of our results. The number of these hotspots scales sublinearly with the population size, a result in agreement with previous theoretical arguments and measures on employment datasets. We study the lifetime of these hotspots and show in particular that the hierarchy of permanent ones, which constitute the ‘heart' of the city, is very stable whatever the size of the city. The spatial structure of these hotspots is also of interest and allows us to distinguish different categories of cities, from monocentric and “segregated” where the spatial distribution is very dependent on land use, to polycentric where the spatial mixing between land uses is much more important. These results point towards the possibility of a new, quantitative classification of cities using high resolution spatio-temporal data. PMID:24923248

Multigated radionuclide study of the total artificial heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Datz, F.L.; Christian, P.E.; Taylor, A. Jr.; Hastings, W.L.; De Vries, W.C.

1987-01-01

A permanent total artificial heart, the Jarvik-7, was implanted into a 61-year-old male with a severe cardiomyopathy. Gated radionuclide studies were performed in the patient both prior to surgery and following implantation. Preoperative gated radionuclide cardiac studies revealed marked left ventricular enlargement, severe hypokinesis and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 10%. The right ventricle was moderately enlarged with a 27% ejection fraction. Following implantation of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart, gated cardiac studies were performed with a computer gated by a signal from the heart controller. The left ventricular ejection fraction was 69% and the right ventricular ejection fraction was 62%. This compared to a theoretical ejection fraction of 74% for each ventricle based on chamber anatomy. There was excellent ventricular emptying. Phase analysis showed uniform diaphragm motion. The use of gated cardiac studies in humans may prove helpful in evaluating mechanical problems with the artificial heart, such as manlfunction of the diaphragm, before they become clinically apparent. (orig.)

Multigated radionuclide study of the total artificial heart

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Datz, F L; Christian, P E; Taylor, A Jr; Hastings, W L; De Vries, W C

1987-07-01

A permanent total artificial heart, the Jarvik-7, was implanted into a 61-year-old male with a severe cardiomyopathy. Gated radionuclide studies were performed in the patient both prior to surgery and following implantation. Preoperative gated radionuclide cardiac studies revealed marked left ventricular enlargement, severe hypokinesis and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 10%. The right ventricle was moderately enlarged with a 27% ejection fraction. Following implantation of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart, gated cardiac studies were performed with a computer gated by a signal from the heart controller. The left ventricular ejection fraction was 69% and the right ventricular ejection fraction was 62%. This compared to a theoretical ejection fraction of 74% for each ventricle based on chamber anatomy. There was excellent ventricular emptying. Phase analysis showed uniform diaphragm motion. The use of gated cardiac studies in humans may prove helpful in evaluating mechanical problems with the artificial heart, such as manlfunction of the diaphragm, before they become clinically apparent.

City personification as problem solving to strengthen the wholeness of the city: study case in Serui city, Papua

Science.gov (United States)

Hardine, Y. R. I.; Herlily

2018-03-01

Serui City in Papua Province has many unique characters and must be maintained for the sake of the continuity of its identity. However, this city still lacks the facility and depend on other areas. Accordingly, it becomes vulnerable. The wholeness of the city is not just by having strong character but also having strength regarding vitality. The loss of it can affect the character and even eliminate it. Cities and people have many similarities regarding character and vitality. Therefore, there is a chance to solve the problems in the city using the similar approach to treat the human. We called city personification methods as problem-solving to the city. It means that we treat the city as a human being so that the problem can be solved as the human’s treatment. The personification of this city is conducted because of the many treatments that have proven effective in humans and may also be powerful to manifest in city. The personification makes the design will only focus on the particular networks and not on the whole “body,” remain in the hope for strengthening (maintain and improve) the quality of wholeness (character and vitality) city which in this case is Serui.

Ambient air pollution and hospitalization for congestive heart failure among elderly people in seven large US cities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morris, R.D.; Naumova, E.N.; Munasinghe, R.L.

1996-01-01

Several recent studies show that the air pollution noxious effects on the cardiovascular system are certainly as more and even more important than those on the respiratory system diseases. The aim of this work is to study the contribution of the air pollution to the aggravation of the pre-existing heart diseases by the elderly persons in USA. More particularly, the co-variations between the daily hospital admissions for heart diseases and the pollution levels series by carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone have been studied in several American towns. The statistical analysis used is a variant of the Poisson regression: a negative binomial distribution modeling. All the regressions are adjusted for the highest temperature, the yearly, seasonal and weekly trends. A time-lag of 0 to 7 days between the pollution and the hospital admissions have been studied. A risk calculation due to heart diseases is achieved for each town from relative risk estimations. The obtained results (mono-pollutant modeling) show that the carbon monoxide is the best correlated pollutant with the heart diseases incidence. The fact that the other pollutants are taken into account (multi-pollutants modeling) do not modify these results. (O.M.).

Jungle in the heart of the city

Science.gov (United States)

Kolodziejska, Magdalena; Czerniak-Czyzniak, Marta

2015-04-01

Lessons of nature can be an interesting adventure for students if we allow them to actively participate in such activities. Students must engage in educational activities but thanks to them they also better absorb more knowledge and abilities. These types of activities also require proper preparation of the teacher, who should first get to know the area and next prepare a plan for the trip and also define objectives, tasks and issues that confront students. By providing such training for teachers, you can show various methods and forms of work, which allow to use the resources of the local environment. The area of the Vistula River is such an amazing place in Warsaw (capital of Poland). The phenomenon of this place is its wildness in the heart of the city. Fortunately, urbanization has not destroyed its wildness. Teachers are encouraged to use these unique resources in working with students. During the training they receive information and tools that help them to carry out such activities. Outdoor activities give possibility for cross subjects integration that is essential in modern teaching because in this place the content of different subjects complement each other. During these classes students gain not only the theoretical knowledge but also a comprehensive knowledge and intelligently learn the world around us and experience the processes occurring in the natural environment and cultural heritage. Interesting outdoor activities affect the growth of motivation of young people and affect their interest in natural subjects. During outdoor activities they observe the processes and phenomena in the natural place of their occurrence. Such activities can be treated both as providing the general overview for certain topics as well as its deepening. Students during an outdoor activity acquire abilities and improve practical skills. Also important is the ability to pursue educational goals. Observing the environment, students learn the culture of communing with nature

How to study the city on instagram

OpenAIRE

Boy, J.D. (John D.); Uitermark, Justus

2016-01-01

textabstractWe introduce Instagram as a data source for use by scholars in urban studies and neighboring disciplines and propose ways to operationalize key concepts in the study of cities. These data can help shed light on segregation, the formation of subcultures, strategies of distinction, and status hierarchies in the city. Drawing on two datasets of geotagged Instagram posts from Amsterdam and Copenhagen collected over a twelve-week period, we present a proof of concept for how to explore...

Musculoskeletal Disorders study in damming construction workers by Fox equation and measurement heart rate at work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Gheibi

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Background and aims   Musculoskeletal Disorders are prevalent in construction workers in comparison to other working groups. These workers in damming construction worked at awkward  postures for long times, so ergonomic assessment of jobs was important.   Methods   This is a descriptive-analytical cross sectional study that conducted in 2008 on a random sample of workers of damming construction in Takab city (110 men who were assessed by Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire and digital indicator for heart measurement. To estimate  Vo2max consumption Fox equation was used and data were analyzed by SPSS software.   Results   The average of total time of worked was 36.6 86.8 months. Results showed that the  most prevalent (%55.5 MSDs was low back pain which was positively related with type of job,  the number of standing and sitting posotions at work, total time of work, age, smoking, level of   education, weight,Vo2max that estimated by Fox Equation, and heart rate at working (P<0.05.   Conclusion   The results of this study reveal that prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders are high among damming construction workers, and heart rate and Vo2max consumption increases with increase in work load. Therefore, optimal physiological conditions should be considered  and physical capacity be measured. Prior to employment of workers approperiate corrections are  warranted      

Isolated heart models: cardiovascular system studies and technological advances.

Science.gov (United States)

Olejnickova, Veronika; Novakova, Marie; Provaznik, Ivo

2015-07-01

Isolated heart model is a relevant tool for cardiovascular system studies. It represents a highly reproducible model for studying broad spectrum of biochemical, physiological, morphological, and pharmaceutical parameters, including analysis of intrinsic heart mechanics, metabolism, and coronary vascular response. Results obtained in this model are under no influence of other organ systems, plasma concentration of hormones or ions and influence of autonomic nervous system. The review describes various isolated heart models, the modes of heart perfusion, and advantages and limitations of various experimental setups. It reports the improvements of perfusion setup according to Langendorff introduced by the authors.

Health-related Quality of Life of Patients With Chronic Systolic Heart Failure in Spain: Results of the VIDA-IC Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Comín-Colet, Josep; Anguita, Manuel; Formiga, Francesc; Almenar, Luis; Crespo-Leiro, María G; Manzano, Luis; Muñiz, Javier; Chaves, José; de Frutos, Trinidad; Enjuanes, Cristina

2016-03-01

Although heart failure negatively affects the health-related quality of life of Spanish patients there is little information on the clinical factors associated with this issue. Cross-sectional multicenter study of health-related quality of life. A specific questionnaire (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire) and a generic questionnaire (EuroQoL-5D) were administered to 1037 consecutive outpatients with systolic heart failure. Most patients with poor quality of life had a worse prognosis and increased severity of heart failure. Mobility was more limited and rates of pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression were higher in the study patients than in the general population and patients with other chronic conditions. The scores on both questionnaires were very highly correlated (Pearson r =0.815; P < .001). Multivariable linear regression showed that being older (standardized β=-0.2; P=.03), female (standardized β=-10.3; P < .001), having worse functional class (standardized β=-20.4; P < .001), a higher Charlson comorbidity index (standardized β=-1.2; P=.005), and recent hospitalization for heart failure (standardized β=6.28; P=.006) were independent predictors of worse health-related quality of life. Patients with heart failure have worse quality of life than the general Spanish population and patients with other chronic diseases. Female sex, being older, comorbidity, advanced symptoms, and recent hospitalization are determinant factors in health-related quality of life in these patients. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Cancer Incidence in Parsabad-e-Moghan City (2007-2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehdi Elmi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Today according to the latest statistical and epidemiological studies in Iran, cancer is the third case of mortality after heart-vascular disease and accidents [1]. It is reported that 10 million new cancer cases have diagnosed and near 7 million annually. Cancer is one of the most health problems in Iran. This study aimed to register all cases of Parsabad city in a four years period, and survey has done about amount of cancer outbreak according to age, sex and topography distribution [2].

How to Study the City on Instagram.

Science.gov (United States)

Boy, John D; Uitermark, Justus

2016-01-01

We introduce Instagram as a data source for use by scholars in urban studies and neighboring disciplines and propose ways to operationalize key concepts in the study of cities. These data can help shed light on segregation, the formation of subcultures, strategies of distinction, and status hierarchies in the city. Drawing on two datasets of geotagged Instagram posts from Amsterdam and Copenhagen collected over a twelve-week period, we present a proof of concept for how to explore and visualize sociospatial patterns and divisions in these two cities. We take advantage of both the social and the geographic aspects of the data, using network analysis to identify distinct groups of users and metrics of unevenness and diversity to identify socio-spatial divisions. We also discuss some of the limitations of these data and methods and suggest ways in which they can complement established quantitative and qualitative approaches in urban scholarship.

Cigarette Smoking and Incident Heart Failure: Insights From the Jackson Heart Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamimura, Daisuke; Cain, Loretta R; Mentz, Robert J; White, Wendy B; Blaha, Michael J; DeFilippis, Andrew P; Fox, Ervin R; Rodriguez, Carlos J; Keith, Rachel J; Benjamin, Emelia J; Butler, Javed; Bhatnagar, Aruni; Robertson, Rose M; Winniford, Michael D; Correa, Adolfo; Hall, Michael E

2018-06-12

Cigarette smoking has been linked with several factors associated with cardiac dysfunction. We hypothesized that cigarette smoking is associated with left ventricular (LV) structure and function, and incident heart failure (HF) hospitalization. We investigated 4129 (never smoker n=2884, current smoker n=503, and former smoker n=742) black participants (mean age, 54 years; 63% women) without a history of HF or coronary heart disease at baseline in the Jackson Heart Study. We examined the relationships between cigarette smoking and LV structure and function by using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging among 1092 participants, cigarette smoking and brain natriuretic peptide levels among 3325 participants, and incident HF hospitalization among 3633 participants with complete data. After adjustment for confounding factors, current smoking was associated with higher mean LV mass index and lower mean LV circumferential strain ( P <0.05, for both) in comparison with never smoking. Smoking status, intensity, and burden were associated with higher mean brain natriuretic peptide levels (all P <0.05). Over 8.0 years (7.7-8.0) median follow-up, there were 147 incident HF hospitalizations. After adjustment for traditional risk factors and incident coronary heart disease, current smoking (hazard ratio, 2.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.71-4.64), smoking intensity among current smokers (≥20 cigarettes/d: hazard ratio, 3.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.65-7.32), and smoking burden among ever smokers (≥15 pack-years: hazard ratio, 2.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-3.3) were significantly associated with incident HF hospitalization in comparison with never smoking. In blacks, cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for LV hypertrophy, systolic dysfunction, and incident HF hospitalization even after adjusting for effects on coronary heart disease. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

Managing patients with heart failure: a qualitative study of multidisciplinary teams with specialist heart failure nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Glogowska, Margaret; Simmonds, Rosemary; McLachlan, Sarah; Cramer, Helen; Sanders, Tom; Johnson, Rachel; Kadam, Umesh T; Lasserson, Daniel S; Purdy, Sarah

2015-09-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of health care clinicians working in multidisciplinary teams that include specialist heart failure nurses when caring for the management of heart failure patients. We used a qualitative in-depth interview study nested in a broader ethnographic study of unplanned admissions in heart failure patients (HoldFAST). We interviewed 24 clinicians across primary, secondary, and community care in 3 locations in the Midlands, South Central, and South West of England. Within a framework of the role and contribution of the heart failure specialist nurse, our study identified 2 thematic areas that the clinicians agreed still represent particular challenges when working with heart failure patients. The first was communication with patients, in particular explaining the diagnosis and helping patients to understand the condition. The participants recognized that such communication was most effective when they had a long-term relationship with patients and families and that the specialist nurse played an important part in achieving this relationship. The second was communication within the team. Multidisciplinary input was especially needed because of the complexity of many patients and issues around medications, and the participants believed the specialist nurse may facilitate team communication. The study highlights the role of specialist heart failure nurses in delivering education tailored to patients and facilitating better liaison among all clinicians, particularly when dealing with the management of comorbidities and drug regimens. The way in which specialist nurses were able to be caseworkers for their patients was perceived as a method of ensuring coordination and continuity of care. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Dynamic Network Model for Smart City Data-Loss Resilience Case Study: City-to-City Network for Crime Analytics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotevska, Olivera; Kusne, A Gilad; Samarov, Daniel V; Lbath, Ahmed; Battou, Abdella

2017-01-01

Today's cities generate tremendous amounts of data, thanks to a boom in affordable smart devices and sensors. The resulting big data creates opportunities to develop diverse sets of context-aware services and systems, ensuring smart city services are optimized to the dynamic city environment. Critical resources in these smart cities will be more rapidly deployed to regions in need, and those regions predicted to have an imminent or prospective need. For example, crime data analytics may be used to optimize the distribution of police, medical, and emergency services. However, as smart city services become dependent on data, they also become susceptible to disruptions in data streams, such as data loss due to signal quality reduction or due to power loss during data collection. This paper presents a dynamic network model for improving service resilience to data loss. The network model identifies statistically significant shared temporal trends across multivariate spatiotemporal data streams and utilizes these trends to improve data prediction performance in the case of data loss. Dynamics also allow the system to respond to changes in the data streams such as the loss or addition of new information flows. The network model is demonstrated by city-based crime rates reported in Montgomery County, MD, USA. A resilient network is developed utilizing shared temporal trends between cities to provide improved crime rate prediction and robustness to data loss, compared with the use of single city-based auto-regression. A maximum improvement in performance of 7.8% for Silver Spring is found and an average improvement of 5.6% among cities with high crime rates. The model also correctly identifies all the optimal network connections, according to prediction error minimization. City-to-city distance is designated as a predictor of shared temporal trends in crime and weather is shown to be a strong predictor of crime in Montgomery County.

Dynamic Network Model for Smart City Data-Loss Resilience Case Study: City-to-City Network for Crime Analytics

Science.gov (United States)

Kotevska, Olivera; Kusne, A. Gilad; Samarov, Daniel V.; Lbath, Ahmed; Battou, Abdella

2017-01-01

Today’s cities generate tremendous amounts of data, thanks to a boom in affordable smart devices and sensors. The resulting big data creates opportunities to develop diverse sets of context-aware services and systems, ensuring smart city services are optimized to the dynamic city environment. Critical resources in these smart cities will be more rapidly deployed to regions in need, and those regions predicted to have an imminent or prospective need. For example, crime data analytics may be used to optimize the distribution of police, medical, and emergency services. However, as smart city services become dependent on data, they also become susceptible to disruptions in data streams, such as data loss due to signal quality reduction or due to power loss during data collection. This paper presents a dynamic network model for improving service resilience to data loss. The network model identifies statistically significant shared temporal trends across multivariate spatiotemporal data streams and utilizes these trends to improve data prediction performance in the case of data loss. Dynamics also allow the system to respond to changes in the data streams such as the loss or addition of new information flows. The network model is demonstrated by city-based crime rates reported in Montgomery County, MD, USA. A resilient network is developed utilizing shared temporal trends between cities to provide improved crime rate prediction and robustness to data loss, compared with the use of single city-based auto-regression. A maximum improvement in performance of 7.8% for Silver Spring is found and an average improvement of 5.6% among cities with high crime rates. The model also correctly identifies all the optimal network connections, according to prediction error minimization. City-to-city distance is designated as a predictor of shared temporal trends in crime and weather is shown to be a strong predictor of crime in Montgomery County. PMID:29250476

Evaluation of Carcass Production of PO Cattle Based on Heart Girth Measurement, Body Condition Score and Slaughter Weight

OpenAIRE

Haryoko, I; Suparman, P

2009-01-01

The objective of study was to evaluate of carcass production of PO beef cattle based on measurement of heart girth, body condition score (BCS), and slaughter weight. It was conducted in the slaughtering house at Mersi Purwokerto city. The materials for this study were 60 heads of male PO breed cattle. Simple random sampling was used for taking samples. Data was analyzed by using multiple regression equation to determine the effects of heart girth, BCS, and slaughter weight on carcass weig...

Study on smart city construction of Jiujiang based on IOT technology

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zeliang; Wang, Ying; Xu, Qin; Yan, Tao

2017-06-01

At present, with the technology of the Internet of things (IOT), building smart city is forming a powerful wave of city, which promotes economic and social development of city. This paper expounds the connotation of smart city, explores the social and economic significance of the construction of smart city, analyzes the present situation of smart city construction in Jiujiang, studies the basic principles development altar get and key construction projects, and puts forward relevant of Jiujiang smart city construction, and puts forward relevant proposals about smart construction in Jiujiang, Jiangxi.

The role of church youth in the transformation agenda of South African cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugene Baron

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The churches in City of Tshwane have incredible youth capital. There is so much energy and passion that fill the concrete walls of the mushrooming churches. This article emerges from a research that was conducted to explore religious innovation and competition amidst demographic and social change among churches in the City of Tshwane. The data of the study suggest that the impetus behind most of the innovation and development in the churches is borne from the hearts and minds of the young people. The striking involvement of the youth in the congregations, their participation and also the reflection in the data in terms of youth agency highlight the concern on their involvement in urban, social change, with specific reference to the City of Tshwane. The article assesses the participation of the church youth in the transformation of the city.

How to Study the City on Instagram

Science.gov (United States)

Uitermark, Justus

2016-01-01

We introduce Instagram as a data source for use by scholars in urban studies and neighboring disciplines and propose ways to operationalize key concepts in the study of cities. These data can help shed light on segregation, the formation of subcultures, strategies of distinction, and status hierarchies in the city. Drawing on two datasets of geotagged Instagram posts from Amsterdam and Copenhagen collected over a twelve-week period, we present a proof of concept for how to explore and visualize sociospatial patterns and divisions in these two cities. We take advantage of both the social and the geographic aspects of the data, using network analysis to identify distinct groups of users and metrics of unevenness and diversity to identify socio-spatial divisions. We also discuss some of the limitations of these data and methods and suggest ways in which they can complement established quantitative and qualitative approaches in urban scholarship. PMID:27336728

How to Study the City on Instagram.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John D Boy

Full Text Available We introduce Instagram as a data source for use by scholars in urban studies and neighboring disciplines and propose ways to operationalize key concepts in the study of cities. These data can help shed light on segregation, the formation of subcultures, strategies of distinction, and status hierarchies in the city. Drawing on two datasets of geotagged Instagram posts from Amsterdam and Copenhagen collected over a twelve-week period, we present a proof of concept for how to explore and visualize sociospatial patterns and divisions in these two cities. We take advantage of both the social and the geographic aspects of the data, using network analysis to identify distinct groups of users and metrics of unevenness and diversity to identify socio-spatial divisions. We also discuss some of the limitations of these data and methods and suggest ways in which they can complement established quantitative and qualitative approaches in urban scholarship.

STUDY OF PHARMACO THERAPEUTIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEART FAILURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Souris Kondaveti

2015-02-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Congestive heart failure (CHF continues to be a major clinical and public health problem. Conflicting data exists about its rate of occurrence in general population, relative frequencies of predisposing heart diseases and the prognosis of the patient. In the present study, gender aspects, age wise distribution, drug distribution pattern were assessed in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total number of 100 patients from the medical outpatient department of medicine, M.G.M. Hospital Warangal were en rolled into the study. All male and female patients between 30 to 85 years of age, diagnosed with heart failure falling into the category of functional New York Heart Association (NYHA class II or III with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≤35% we re included in the study. RESULTS: Of the 100 subjects studied 55 (40 - 75 yr were male and 45 (35 - 73 yr were female. 94 patients presented with ischemic heart failure compared to only 6 patients with non - ischemic heart failure. Out of total subjects enrol led, 61 were put on Digoxin, 71 on Diuretics, 47 on ACEI, 20 on Beta Blocker (Carvedilol, 30 on Nitrates, 64 on Anticoagulants, 19 on Statins. CONCLUSION: The incidence of heart failure was more in advanced age groups and slightly more common in males. Is chemic heart disease accounted for heart failure in majority of patients in our study we found that Digoxin, Diuretics, ACEI and Anticoagulants followed by Nitrates, Beta blockers and Statins were the most prescribed medications in the management of heart failure

The ethics of smart cities and urban science.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitchin, Rob

2016-12-28

Software-enabled technologies and urban big data have become essential to the functioning of cities. Consequently, urban operational governance and city services are becoming highly responsive to a form of data-driven urbanism that is the key mode of production for smart cities. At the heart of data-driven urbanism is a computational understanding of city systems that reduces urban life to logic and calculative rules and procedures, which is underpinned by an instrumental rationality and realist epistemology. This rationality and epistemology are informed by and sustains urban science and urban informatics, which seek to make cities more knowable and controllable. This paper examines the forms, practices and ethics of smart cities and urban science, paying particular attention to: instrumental rationality and realist epistemology; privacy, datafication, dataveillance and geosurveillance; and data uses, such as social sorting and anticipatory governance. It argues that smart city initiatives and urban science need to be re-cast in three ways: a re-orientation in how cities are conceived; a reconfiguring of the underlying epistemology to openly recognize the contingent and relational nature of urban systems, processes and science; and the adoption of ethical principles designed to realize benefits of smart cities and urban science while reducing pernicious effects.This article is part of the themed issue 'The ethical impact of data science'. © 2016 The Author(s).

The Mid America Heart Institute: part II.

Science.gov (United States)

McCallister, Ben D; Steinhaus, David M

2003-01-01

The Mid America Heart Institute (MAHI) is one of the first and largest hospitals developed and designed specifically for cardiovascular care. The MAHI hybrid model, which is a partnership between the not-for-profit Saint Luke's Health System, an independent academic medical center, and a private practice physician group, has been extremely successful in providing high-quality patient care as well as developing strong educational and research programs. The Heart Institute has been the leader in providing cardiovascular care in the Kansas City region since its inception in 1975. Although challenges in the future are substantial, it is felt that the MAHI is in an excellent position to deal with the serious issues in health care because of the Heart Institute, its facility, organization, administration, dedicated medical and support staff, and its unique business model of physician management. In part I, the authors described the background and infrastructure of the Heart Institute. In part II, cardiovascular research and benefits of physician management are addressed.

The Mid America Heart Institute: part 1.

Science.gov (United States)

McCallister, Ben D; Steinhaus, David M

2003-01-01

The Mid America Heart Institute (MAHI) is one of the first and largest hospitals developed and designed specifically for cardiovascular care. The MAHI hybrid model, which is a partnership between the not-for-profit Saint Luke's Health System, an independent academic medical center, and a private practice physician group, has been extremely successful in providing high-quality patient care as well as developing strong educational and research programs. The Heart Institute has been the leader in providing cardiovascular care in the Kansas City region since its inception in 1975. Although challenges in the future are substantial, it is felt that the MAHI is in an excellent position to deal with the serious issues in health care because of the Heart Institute, its facility, organization, administration, dedicated medical and support staff, and its unique business model of physician management. In part I, the authors describe the background and infrastructure of the Heart Institute. In part II, cardiovascular research and benefits of physician management will be addressed.

Study protocol for the Cities Changing Diabetes programme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Napier, A David; Nolan, John J; Bagger, Malene

2017-01-01

and management are improving, complications remain common, and diabetes is among the leading causes of vision loss, amputation, neuropathy and renal and cardiovascular disease worldwide. We present a research protocol for exploring the drivers of type 2 diabetes and its complications in urban settings through...... the Cities Changing Diabetes (CCD) partnership programme. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A global study protocol is implemented in eight collaborating CCD partner cities. In each city, academic institutions, municipal representatives and local stakeholders collaborate to set research priorities and plan...... Assessment explores the urban context in vulnerability to type 2 diabetes and identifies social factors and cultural determinants relevant to health, well-being and diabetes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol steers the collection of primary and secondary data across the study sites. Research ethics...

Isomyosin expression patterns during rat heart morphogenesis: an immunohistochemical study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, I. J.; Lamers, W. H.; Moorman, A. F.

1989-01-01

An immunohistochemical study of cardiac alpha and beta myosin heavy chain (MHC) expression during rat heart morphogenesis was performed. In tubular hearts (embryonic days, ED10-11) coexpression of both cardiac alpha and beta MHC was found throughout the heart, except for the left free wall of the

New cities between sustainability and real estate investment: A case study of New Cairo city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reham M. Hafez

2017-04-01

This research reviews the basis of development of the new cities. The influence of the real estate investment in some Arab countries, then it handles the case study – “New Cairo city”. Discussing all the investing factors made the city in its current status. Then comes the recommendations in a trial to get an alternative structure to achieve sustainability in light of the current determinants and growth stages.

Cost-of-illness studies in heart failure: a systematic review 2004-2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Lesyuk, Wladimir; Kriza, Christine; Kolominsky-Rabas, Peter

2018-05-02

Heart failure is a major and growing medical and economic problem worldwide as 1-2% of the healthcare budget are spent for heart failure. The prevalence of heart failure has increased over the past decades and it is expected that there will be further raise due to the higher proportion of elderly in the western societies. In this context cost-of-illness studies can significantly contribute to a better understanding of the drivers and problems which lead to the increasing costs in heart failure. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of published cost-of-illness studies related to heart failure to highlight the increasing cost impact of heart failure. A systematic review was conducted from 2004 to 2016 to identify cost-of-illness studies related to heart failure, searching PubMed (Medline), Cochrane, Science Direct (Embase), Scopus and CRD York Database. Of the total of 16 studies identified, 11 studies reported prevalence-based estimates, 2 studies focused on incidence-based data and 3 articles presented both types of cost data. A large variation concerning cost components and estimates can be noted. Only three studies estimated indirect costs. Most of the included studies have shown that the costs for hospital admission are the most expensive cost element. Estimates for annual prevalence-based costs for heart failure patients range from $868 for South Korea to $25,532 for Germany. The lifetime costs for heart failure patients have been estimated to $126.819 per patient. Our review highlights the considerable and growing economic burden of heart failure on the health care systems. The cost-of-illness studies included in this review show large variations in methodology used and the cost results vary consequently. High quality data from cost-of-illness studies with a robust methodology applied can inform policy makers about the major cost drivers of heart failure and can be used as the basis of further economic evaluations.

The American Heart Association Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among Blacks: The Jackson Heart Study

OpenAIRE

Effoe, Valery S.; Carnethon, Mercedes R.; Echouffo‐Tcheugui, Justin B.; Chen, Haiying; Joseph, Joshua J.; Norwood, Arnita F.; Bertoni, Alain G.

2017-01-01

Background: The concept of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), defined by the American Heart Association primarily for coronary heart disease and stroke prevention, may apply to diabetes mellitus prevention among blacks. Methods and Results: Our sample included 2668 adults in the Jackson Heart Study with complete baseline data on 6 of 7 American Heart Association CVH metrics (body mass index, healthy diet, smoking, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and physical activity). Incident diabetes me...

Application of HEART technique in health care system and accuracy of its results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Beiruti

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Human error is considered as a crucial challenge in occupational settings. Health care system is amongst occupational environments with high rate of human errors. Numerous preceding studies noted that more than 2/3 of medical errors are preventable. Accordingly, different methods are suggested to evaluate human errors, especially in nuclear industries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application and accuracy of HEART technique in medical health system. Material and Method:  This qualitative study was conducted in surgical intensive care units of a hospital in Shiraz city. All nurses recorded errors were categorized regarding the given tasks and then all tasks were ranked based on the number of errors. The probability of nurses’ tasks error was estimated through AHP-HEART method and the resultant ranking was compared with the recorded errors. Additionally, the prioritization of contributing factors to errors, determined by AHP and AHP-HEART methods, was compared employing Pearson statistical test. Results: Based on the results, there was a concordance in the rate of nurses’ error determined by HEART method and the recorded errors. However, no significant correlation was between errors contributing factors determined by AHP and AHP-HEART methods. Conclusion: This study suggested that although HEART technique was successful to rank the tasks considering the magnitude of error probability, but the coefficients of error producing conditions should be customized for nurses’ tasks in order to provide appropriate control measures.

Ambient carbon monoxide and cardiovascular mortality: a nationwide time-series analysis in 272 cities in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Cong; Yin, Peng; Chen, Renjie; Meng, Xia; Wang, Lijun; Niu, Yue; Lin, Zhijing; Liu, Yunning; Liu, Jiangmei; Qi, Jinlei; You, Jinling; Kan, Haidong; Zhou, Maigeng

2018-01-01

Evidence of the acute health effects of ambient carbon monoxide air pollution in developing countries is scarce and mixed. We aimed to evaluate short-term associations between carbon monoxide and daily cardiovascular disease mortality in China. We did a nationwide time-series analysis in 272 major cities in China from January, 2013, to December, 2015. We extracted daily cardiovascular disease mortality data from China's Disease Surveillance Points system. Data on daily carbon monoxide concentrations for each city were obtained from the National Urban Air Quality Real-time Publishing Platform. City-specific associations between carbon monoxide concentrations and daily mortality from cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke were estimated with over-dispersed generalised linear models. Bayesian hierarchical models were used to obtain national and regional average associations. Exposure-response association curves and potential effect modifiers were evaluated. Two-pollutant models were fit to evaluate the robustness of the effects of carbon monoxide on cardiovascular mortality. The average annual mean carbon monoxide concentration in these cities from 2013 to 2015 was 1·20 mg/m 3 , ranging from 0·43 mg/m 3 to 2·45 mg/m 3 . For a 1 mg/m 3 increase in average carbon monoxide concentrations on the present day and previous day (lag 0-1), we observed significant increments in mortality of 1·12% (95% posterior interval [PI] 0·42-1·83) from cardiovascular disease, 1·75% (0·85-2·66) from coronary heart disease, and 0·88% (0·07-1·69) from stroke. These associations did not vary substantially by city, region, and demographic characteristics (age, sex, and level of education), and the associations for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease were robust to the adjustment of criteria co-pollutants. We did not find a threshold below which carbon monoxide exposure had no effect on cardiovascular disease mortality. This analysis is, to our

[Immunological status of the pediatric patient who has undergone heart surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Valenzuela Flores, A; Wakida, G; Limón Rojas, A; Obregón, C; Orihuela, O; Romero, C

1995-01-01

Communication of results a study the effect of open and closed-heart surgery in the immune system of infants and children. Data collected 24 hrs before anesthesia and surgery and five days after surgery. Operating room and pediatric intensive care of Hospital Central de Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in the South, Mexico City. Children undergoing surgery for correction of congenital heart disease (age 16 months to 14 years). A total of 16 patients. increased neutrophil counts with luymphopenia in both groups (p < 0.05), serum levels of the complement components C3 and C4 were higher after surgery, serum immunoglobulin IgG, IgA and IgM were higher after surgery, serum immunoglobulin IgG, IgA and IgM were decreased form preoperative levels (p < 0.01). Two patients had infection in the surgical wound. The effect of open and closed-heart surgery produced transitory immunodeficiency with recuperation of his immune systems and 5th day after surgery.

Living with an unfixable heart: a qualitative study exploring the experience of living with advanced heart failure.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ryan, Marie

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: Nurses working with patients with advanced heart failure need knowledge that will help us to help patients cope with their situations of chronic illness. However, our knowledge bank is deficient due to the scarcity of inquiry that takes the affected person\\'s point of view as its central focus. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe patients\\' experiences of living with advanced heart failure. METHODS: The study sample (N=9) consisted of male (N=6) and female (N=3) patients with advanced (NYHA classes III-IV) heart failure. The design was qualitative and open unstructured interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim during 2006. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged: Living in the Shadow of Fear; Running on Empty; Living a Restricted life; and Battling the System. The experience of living with advanced heart failure was described as a fearful and tired sort of living characterised by escalating impotence and dependence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that there may be an illogical but enduring ethos of \\'cure\\' pervading health care worker\\'s attitudes to advanced heart failure care. This mindset might be working to hinder the application of additional or alternative therapies, which might better palliate the physical and psychosocial distress of patients.

The village and the city: a diagnostic study of the spatial embedding patterns in villages absorbed by cities in Bahrain

OpenAIRE

AL-Ghatam, W.

2009-01-01

During the growth of cities villages are frequently absorbed into the fabric of that conurbation. But what are the consequences of this? To what extent and how well do these villages become part of the overall fabric of the city? What is the effect on the village and the wider city? How do these villages interact with the configuration of the city to create a rich spatial urban structure? This study focuses on the spatial distribution of the internal and edge commercial activity w...

How to study the city on Instagram

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boy, J.D.; Uitermark, J.

2016-01-01

We introduce Instagram as a data source for use by scholars in urban studies and neighboring disciplines and propose ways to operationalize key concepts in the study of cities. These data can help shed light on segregation, the formation of subcultures, strategies of distinction, and status

How to study the city on instagram

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boy, J.D. (John D.); J.L. Uitermark (Justus)

2016-01-01

textabstractWe introduce Instagram as a data source for use by scholars in urban studies and neighboring disciplines and propose ways to operationalize key concepts in the study of cities. These data can help shed light on segregation, the formation of subcultures, strategies of distinction, and

Architectural Symbols of a City - Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Poplatek, Jacek

2017-10-01

The identity of a city is understood as a collection of individual features, which give the city its individual character and distinguish it from other places; it undoubtedly constitutes a cultural value, which should be cherished. A city is made special thanks to its geographical location, landscape values, urban layout and - architecture. In the case of Sopot - a spa located on the Bay of Gdansk, the mosaic of the above-mentioned features has created a unique image of a seaside resort. Sopot architecture is distinguished by a complex of buildings dating back to the turn of the 20th century, which is the largest one in the country. The architecture of the city is dominated by eclectic influences, mainly Neo-gothic and Art-Nouveau, as well as early modernism; it is also possible to find examples of holiday architecture, with characteristic wooden verandas. The identity of a city and its image is not always permanent and unchanging in time. In the case of Sopot, only 5% of the existing buildings were damaged during the Second World War. However, the most important ones, characteristic for the city and located in its representative part, were destroyed. The war was followed by a period of economic stagnation and isolation from the free world, which lasted for almost 45 years. At that time there were no comprehensive revitalisation projects for this prestigious area of the city. The buildings constructed in the 1960s did not create an architecturally and spatially coherent urban tissue. The situation changed in 1989, when Poland regained its sovereignty. Since that time numerous investment projects have been carried out in Sopot, including the prestigious ones, located in the representative part of the city. This paper has been devoted to Sopot architecture - both historic and modern, the dominating architectural trends and the issues connected with the coexistence of “the old and the new”. The buildings characteristic for the city, historic and modern ones, which

Poor tolerance of beta-blockers by elderly patients with heart failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Yanagisawa

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Satoshi Yanagisawa, Noriyuki Suzuki, Toshikazu TanakaDepartment of Cardiology, Okazaki City Hospital, Aichi, JapanAbstract: Despite the well-understood importance of beta-blocker therapy in heart failure, it is sometimes not possible to use beta-blockers in elderly patients due to poor tolerance. In this report, we describe the case of an 83-year-old patient with severe systolic heart failure complicated by aortic valve stenosis and atrial fibrillation. A simple therapeutic approach involving discontinuation of beta-blockers remarkably alleviated the symptoms such as left ventricular ejection fraction, and improved the chest radiography and laboratory findings; further, atrial fibrillation converted to sinus rhythm. It is important to carefully administer beta-blocker therapy to elderly patients with heart failure, especially after considering cardiac output.Keywords: elderly, octogenarians, beta-blockers, heart failure

Chocolate consumption is inversely associated with prevalent coronary heart disease: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Djoussé, Luc; Hopkins, Paul N; North, Kari E; Pankow, James S; Arnett, Donna K; Ellison, R Curtis

2011-04-01

Epidemiologic studies have suggested beneficial effects of flavonoids on cardiovascular disease. Cocoa and particularly dark chocolate are rich in flavonoids and recent studies have demonstrated blood pressure lowering effects of dark chocolate. However, limited data are available on the association of chocolate consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). We sought to examine the association between chocolate consumption and prevalent CHD. We studied in a cross-sectional design 4970 participants aged 25-93 years who participated in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Family Heart Study. Chocolate intake was assessed through a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. We used generalized estimating equations to estimate adjusted odds ratios. Compared to subjects who did not report any chocolate intake, odds ratios (95% CI) for CHD were 1.01 (0.76-1.37), 0.74 (0.56-0.98), and 0.43 (0.28-0.67) for subjects consuming 1-3 times/month, 1-4 times/week, and 5+ times/week, respectively (p for trend Consumption of non-chocolate candy was associated with a 49% higher prevalence of CHD comparing 5+/week vs. 0/week [OR = 1.49 (0.96-2.32)]. These data suggest that consumption of chocolate is inversely related with prevalent CHD in a general United States population. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Subgroups at high risk for ischaemic heart disease:identification and validation in 67 000 individuals from the general population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frikke-Schmidt, Ruth; Tybjærg-Hansen, Anne; Dyson, Greg

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: The aetiology of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is complex and is influenced by a spectrum of environmental factors and susceptibility genes. Traditional statistical modelling considers such factors to act independently in an additive manner. The Patient Rule-Induction Method (PRIM......) is a multi-model building strategy for evaluating risk attributable to context-dependent gene and environmental effects. METHODS: PRIM was applied to 9073 participants from the prospective Copenhagen City Heart Study (CCHS). Gender-specific cumulative incidences were estimated for subgroups defined...

María Zambrano in front of the Ruins of the City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Luquín Calvo

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This article purports to elucidate the meaning of the city, in the political literature of theSpanish philosopher María Zambrano in the context of modern political philosophy. The meanings about the different roles played by the city in the philosophy of Zambrano, shows a theory that points to its origin, as a place of revelation and human care, and its destruction by an instrumental reason that prepares people to be removed if history demands it. The city, in hands of a sovereign power that rules under the logic of domination and control, is uninhabitable. Zambrano proposes the idea of a new city whose heart is conformed by the person and democracy, so that it could allow for reappearance of the city as a creation, as a space of projection and care of the freedom of every of its habitants.

Improving Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children with Congenital Heart Disease: An Intervention Study

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-16-1-0741 TITLE: Improving Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children with Congenital Heart Disease: An Intervention Study...2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Improving Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children with Congenital Heart Disease: An Intervention Study 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER...the most prevalent, and arguably the most distressing, long-term morbidity in the burgeoning population with congenital heart disease (CHD). Deficits

EFFECT OF FUROSEMIDE AND TORASEMIDE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND VENTRICULAR RHYTHM DISORDERS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE COMPLICATING ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE: COMPARATIVE NONRANDOMIZED STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. H. Shugushev

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To study effect of diuretic therapy with furosemide and torasemide on heart rate variability (HRV and frequency of ventriclar rhythm disorders in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF complicating ischemic heart disease (IHD.Material and methods. Patients (n=107 with CHF III-IV functional class (NYHA complicating IHD were examined. The first group of patients received furosemide, 20-60 mg QD (n=52, the second group received torasemide, 5-20 mg QD (n=55. Analysis of heart rhythm disorders and the basic HRV indicators was performed by ECG 10-minute recordings initially and after 10 days of therapy.Results. Decrease in time and spectral HRV parameters and increase in daily number of ventricular extrasystoles was found in furosemide treated patients. Improvement of HRV parameters and reduction of daily number of ventricular rhythm disorders was found torasemide treated patients.Conclusion. Torasemide therapy improves an autonomic regulation of heart rhythm and leads to the reduction of ventricular heart rhythm disorders in patients with CHF complicating IHD.

A predominance of hypertensive heart disease among patients with cardiac disease in buea, a semi-urban setting, South west region of cameroon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nkoke, Clovis; Makoge, Christelle; Dzudie, Anastase; Mfeukeu, Liliane Kuate; Luchuo, Engelbert Bain; Menanga, Alain; Kingue, Samuel

2017-01-01

Objective: The pattern of heart disease is diverse within and among world regions. The little data on the spectrum of heart disease in Cameroon has been so far limited to major cities. We sought to describe the pattern of heart disease in Buea, the South West Region of Cameroon, a semi-urban

Incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease in the adult health study sample, 1958 - 78

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodama, Kazunori; Shimizu, Yukiko; Sawada, Hisao; Kato, Hiroo.

1986-04-01

Approximately 16,000 study subjects in the Adult Health Study sample who had received examination at least once during the 20 years (1958 - 78) in Hiroshima or Nagasaki and were found to have neither stroke nor coronary heart disease (CHD) at the initial examination were studied for the incidence of stroke and CHD and the relationship of these to atomic bomb radiation exposure. Their secular trends were also studied. Findings suggestive of a relationship between stroke and radiation exposure among Hiroshima females were first discovered for the years 1969 - 73, that is, 24 - 28 years after A-bomb exposure. In general, this association is supported by the present analysis. Stroke incidence continued to decrease during the present report's period of observation. Analysis by type showed that cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage both decreased, but the decrease of the latter is especially remarkable. The trend to decrease is observed in both sexes and in both cities. A relationship between CHD and radiation exposure was, as noted for stroke, first observed only in Hiroshima females for the years 1969 - 73, but from this analysis it appears that the trend began earlier and the association is getting stronger with the passage of time. Analysis by type showed myocardial infarction (MI), but not angina pectoris, to be related to radiation exposure. The incidence rate for CHD, especially for MI, was almost constant during the observation period, it being 1.2/1,000 person-years on the average. Comparing by sex, the incidence rate was constant in males. In females, the pattern varied with time. There appear to be no between-city differences in secular trends - essentially constant. (author)

[Broader indication for treatment with statins; the 'heart protection study'

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stalenhoef, A.F.H.; Stuyt, P.M.J.

2002-01-01

The introduction of statins has been a breakthrough in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia. Statins are safe and effective in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease in the general population. The 'Heart protection study' has provided evidence for the benefit of statin treatment in much

Preattentive processing of heart cues and the perception of heart symptoms in congenital heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Karsdorp, Petra A; Kindt, Merel; Everaerd, Walter; Mulder, Barbara J M

2007-08-01

The present study was aimed at clarifying whether preattentive processing of heart cues results in biased perception of heart sensations in patients with congenital heart disease (ConHD) who are also highly trait anxious. Twenty-six patients with ConHD and 22 healthy participants categorized heart-related (heart rate) or neutral sensations (constant vibration) as either heart or neutral. Both sensations were evoked using a bass speaker that was attached on the chest of the participant. Before each physical sensation, a subliminal heart-related or neutral prime was presented. Biased perception of heart-sensations would become evident by a delayed categorization of the heart-related sensations. In line with the prediction, a combination of high trait anxiety and ConHD resulted in slower responses after a heart-related sensation that was preceded by a subliminal heart cue. Preattentive processing of harmless heart cues may easily elicit overperception of heart symptoms in highly trait anxious patients with ConHD.

Spatial Planning and High-tech Development A comparative study of Eindhoven city-region, the Netherlands and Hsinchu City-region, Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Ju Huang

2013-08-01

Full Text Available High-tech development—which lies at the very heart of the processes of economic growth—has been recognised by many developed and developing countries as a strategic instrument to enhance and sustain their competitiveness in the global economic network. Although the concept of high-tech development differs between countries, many share the underlying assumption that the core of high-tech development is to create a sound environment where innovation thrives. This ideology implies a definite spatial dimension. As a result, various spatial strategies have been formulated and implemented to support high-tech development. This has had intentional and unintentional effects on the economy, society and space. Numerous studies have been devoted to exploring, analysing and theorising this global phenomenon. However, there has been less attention given to the role spatial planning may play in the process of high-tech development and to the factors that shape the spatial planning approaches to high-tech development in a particular place. The major objectives of this research are to advance the knowledge of the role of spatial planning in the process of high-tech development, and to establish an analytical framework that helps reveal the major institutional factors that shape spatial planning mechanisms for dealing with the spatial issues of high-tech development in different places. This contributes to the field of high-tech spatial policies transfer and lesson-drawing. In order to explore the major factors that shape the practices of spatial planning in hightech development, a comparative approach is applied in this research. The Eindhoven city-region in the Netherlands and the Hsinchu city-region in Taiwan are selected as case study areas. Both city-regions can be recognised as success stories of high-tech development not only on a national scale but also on a global scale, despite the fact that they apply different approaches. In the Eindhoven city

case study of ramat park benin city

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

SETTLEMENT: CASE STUDY OF RAMAT PARK BENIN CITY. E. S. Okonofua1, R. ... region on a daily basis. The movement of ... with major road networks [2]. In order to ease ... led to series of research and development of traffic noise models.

Measuring level of friendliness of smart city: a perceptual study

Science.gov (United States)

Sani Roychansyah, Muhammad; Felasari, Sushardjanti

2018-03-01

Currently the concept of smart city comes not only at the level of discussion, but some cities have stepped in the stage of implementation. Many of promised benefits will be met for the needs of urban residents if the city applies this concept. Conversely, many professionals and scholars are still in doubt about readiness of a city in the application of this concept. Dimension of friendliness of the real city certainly will have some limitations in a smart city that relies more on interactions with information and communication technology (ICT). This new paradigm becomes background of this paper in viewing the friendliness dimension of a smart city based on city residents’ perceptions. This paper uses case of 2 cities that have different level of readiness in the application of smart city. They are Yogyakarta City and Magelang City, both are located in Central Java. The method applied in this paper is quantitative method based on perceptual answer of respondents structured in a Likert Scale. Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) is then used to look at the attributes of smart city’s dimension which will show the relationship of the level of city friendliness and the level of city readiness in an application of smart city. The result briefly shows that the level of city sensitivity in the application of smart city is very influential in viewing the friendliness of the city. The city that is better equipped to meet the needs of its population according to the dimensions of the smart city based on its existing characteristics has higher friendliness. Time period of applying a smart city concept as the City of Yogyakarta has done longer before Magelang City, is not a guarantee that the city then has a better level of friendliness. The urban citizens have appropriate affective aspect to articulate between what they need and what the city has provided.

"Heart trouble" and religious involvement among older white men and women.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Edward H; Killgore, Leslie; Connors, Heather

2009-09-01

Objective Few studies examine how older adults' health status affects spiritual and religious involvement. This study examined the effects of gender and poor cardiac health on older adults' ends, means, and quest religious motivations and frequency of private devotion. Method Longitudinal data (12 months between the T1 and T2 interviews) with 182 older adults sampled from a Northeast city were used to examine in a multivariate analysis of covariance whether gender and the existence of cardiac health problems at T1 affected older adults' spiritual and religious involvement at T2. Findings A gender and cardiac health condition interaction showed older men with heart trouble had more changes in religious involvement-they engaged in more religious doubt, prayed less, and were not as intrinsically oriented at T2. Discussion The findings strongly suggest that older men with heart trouble may maintain a masculine style and shun seeking divine help.

Congenital Critical Heart Defect Screening in a Health Area of the Community of Valencia (Spain: A Prospective Observational Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Cubells

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the progress in the fetal echocardiographic detection of congenital critical heart defects and neonatal physical examination, a significant number of newborn infants are discharged and readmitted to the hospital in severe condition due to cardiac failure or collapse. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of undetected critical congenital heart disease (CCHD by a pulse oximetry-screening program in the maternity wards of hospitals with Perinatal Services in a specific geographic area. This is a prospective observational study performed in in the health area corresponding to the city of Valencia. Eligible infants were consecutively admitted newborn infants in the maternities of the participating hospitals with negative fetal echocardiography after normal physical examination in the delivery room. All patients were screened following a specific pulse oximetry protocol before discharge. A total of 8856 newborn infants were screened. A total of three babies presented with severe congenital cardiac malformation and two babies presented with early onset sepsis. Sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 99.97%, with a positive predictive value of 60% and negative predictive value of 100%. Pulse oximetry screening programs in the early neonatal period constitute a valuable tool to avoid inadvertent hospital discharge of severe cardiac malformations and the subsequent life-threatening complications derived.

Urban sustainable energy development: A case study of the city of Philadelphia

Science.gov (United States)

Argyriou, Iraklis

This study explores the role of cities in sustainable energy development through a governance-informed analysis. Despite the leading position of municipalities in energy sustainability, cities have been mostly conceptualized as sites where energy development is shaped by external policy scales, i.e. the national level. A growing body of research, however, critiques this analytical perspective, and seeks to better understand the type of factors and dynamics that influence energy sustainability within a multi-level policy context for urban energy. Given that particular circumstances are applicable across cities, a context-specific analysis can provide insight regarding how sustainable energy development takes place in urban areas. In applying such an analytical perspective on urban energy sustainability, this study undertakes a qualitative case study analysis for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by looking at four key local policy initiatives relevant to building energy efficiency and solar electricity development at the municipal government and city-wide level. The evaluation of the initiatives suggests that renewable electricity use has increased substantially in the city over the last years but the installed capacity of local renewable electricity systems, including solar photovoltaics, is low. On the other hand, although the city has made little progress in meeting its building energy efficiency targets, more comprehensive action is taken in this area. The study finds that the above outcomes have been shaped mainly by four factors. The first is the city government's incremental policy approach aiming to develop a facilitative context for local action. The second is the role that a diverse set of stakeholders have in local sustainable energy development. The third is the constraints that systemic policy barriers create for solar power development. The fourth is the ways through which the relevant multi-level policy environment structures the city

Eco2 Cities : Ecological Cities as Economic Cities

OpenAIRE

Suzuki, Hiroaki; Dastur, Arish; Moffatt, Sebastian; Yabuki, Nanae; Maruyama, Hinako

2010-01-01

This book provides an overview of the World Bank's Eco2 cities : ecological cities as economic cities initiative. The objective of the Eco2 cities initiative is to help cities in developing countries achieve a greater degree of ecological and economic sustainability. The book is divided into three parts. Part one describes the Eco2 cities initiative framework. It describes the approach, be...

Study of prevalence & risk factors of congenital heart defect (Review Article

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ali dehghani

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background: Congenital heart defects are known as the state that comes from birth and influences on structure and function of baby's heart, The different types of defects can range from mild (e.g., a small hole between the heart chambers to hard (like a flaw or weakness in a part of the heart. Method: This article is a review article in which the articles published in Farsi and English that the bases valid as Medline, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Springer, SID index has been used, as well as for the study of keywords associated with the use of MESH keywords in identifying and no time limit listed in the databases were searched. Result The prevalence of congenital heart defect, in general, less than one per cent in newborn. The ventricular wall abnormalities defect (VSD, atrial septal defect of (ASD, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF Top among the most types of congenital heart anomalies. Factors such as the age of the parents at conception, maternal risk of diabetes, influenza and febrile illness during pregnancy, drug use during pregnancy and taking a multivitamin before and during the Pregnancy were influenced of newborns with congenital heart defects. Conclusion: According to studies need to be conducted in the presence of multiple risk factors for these disorders, seem to have a detailed plan to Study of More about the factors that affect the risk of developing these disorders, as well as interventions to reduce risk factors identified particularly during pregnancy.

Emerging Trends in Heart Valve Engineering: Part IV. Computational Modeling and Experimental Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Kheradvar, Arash; Groves, Elliott M; Falahatpisheh, Ahmad; Mofrad, Mohammad K; Hamed Alavi, S; Tranquillo, Robert; Dasi, Lakshmi P; Simmons, Craig A; Jane Grande-Allen, K; Goergen, Craig J; Baaijens, Frank; Little, Stephen H; Canic, Suncica; Griffith, Boyce

2015-10-01

In this final portion of an extensive review of heart valve engineering, we focus on the computational methods and experimental studies related to heart valves. The discussion begins with a thorough review of computational modeling and the governing equations of fluid and structural interaction. We then move onto multiscale and disease specific modeling. Finally, advanced methods related to in vitro testing of the heart valves are reviewed. This section of the review series is intended to illustrate application of computational methods and experimental studies and their interrelation for studying heart valves.

Heart rate awareness in patients with chronic stable heart failure. A multi-center observational study.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Moran, D

2014-08-23

We assessed adherence to European Society of Cardiology heart rate guidelines (i.e. heart rates less than 70bpm) in patients with chronic stable heart failure. We also investigated the percent of patients on target doses of rate controlling drugs.

An International Review of Eco-City Theory, Indicators, and Case Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Nan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Williams, Christopher [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2013-03-01

This report is intended to answer the question: “What international experiences with ‘eco-cities’ can help the central Chinese government evaluate the performance of Chinese cities that pursue ‘lowcarbon’ urban development?” To answer this question, we reviewed the literature on eco-cities and closely related concepts, surveyed performance indicators used to evaluate sustainable urban development around the world, and compiled case studies of exceptional eco- and sustainable cities.

Insomnia and the risk of incident heart failure: a population study.

Science.gov (United States)

Laugsand, Lars E; Strand, Linn B; Platou, Carl; Vatten, Lars J; Janszky, Imre

2014-06-01

Insomnia is highly prevalent among heart failure patients, but only a few small studies have investigated insomnia symptoms and risk of heart failure. We aimed to assess the prospective association between self-reported insomnia symptoms and the risk of incident heart failure in a large Norwegian cohort. Baseline data on insomnia symptoms, including difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep and having non-restorative sleep, socio-demographic variables, and health status, including established cardiovascular risk factors, were collected from 54 279 men and women 20-89 years of age who participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health study (HUNT) between 1995 and 1997 and were free from known heart failure at baseline. The cohort was followed for incident heart failure from baseline through 2008. We used Cox proportional hazard models to assess the association of baseline insomnia symptoms with the risk of heart failure. A total of 1412 cases of heart failure occurred during a mean follow-up of 11.3 years (SD = 2.9 years), either identified at hospitals or by the National Cause of Death Registry. There was a dose-dependent association between the number of insomnia symptoms and risk of heart failure. The multi-adjusted hazard ratios were 0.96 (0.57-1.61), 1.35 (0.72-2.50), and 4.53 (1.99-10.31) for people with one, two, and three insomnia symptoms, compared with people with none of the symptoms (P for trend 0.021). Insomnia is associated with an increased risk of incident heart failure. If our results are confirmed by others and causation is proved, evaluation of insomnia symptoms might have consequences for cardiovascular prevention. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2013. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Improving heart healthy lifestyles among participants in a Salud para su Corazón promotores model: the Mexican pilot study, 2009-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Balcázar, Héctor; Fernández-Gaxiola, Ana Cecilia; Pérez-Lizaur, Ana Bertha; Peyron, Rosa Adriana; Ayala, Carma

2015-03-12

In Mexico, cardiovascular disease and its risk factors are growing problems and major public health concerns. The objective of this study was to implement cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention activities of the Salud para su Corazón model in a high-risk, impoverished, urban community in Mexico City. We used a pretest-posttest (baseline to 12-week follow-up) design without a control group. Material from Salud para su Corazón was validated and delivered by promotores (community health workers) to community members from 6 geographic areas. Two validated, self-administered questionnaires that assessed participants' knowledge and behaviors relating to heart health were administered. We used t tests and χ(2) tests to evaluate pretest and posttest differences, by age group (≤60 and >60 years), for participants' 3 heart-healthy habits, 3 types of physical activity, performance skills, and anthropometric and clinical measurements. A total of 452 (82%) adult participants completed the program. Heart-healthy habits from pretest to posttest varied by age group. "Taking action" to modify lifestyle behaviors increased among adults aged 60 or younger from 31.5% to 63.0% (P < .001) and among adults older than 60 from 30.0% to 45.0% (P < .001). Positive responses for cholesterol and fat consumption reduction were seen among participants 60 or younger (P = .03). Among those older than 60, salt reduction and weight control increased (P = .008). Mean blood glucose concentration among adults older than 60 decreased postintervention (P = .03). Significant improvements in some heart-healthy habits were seen among adult participants. The model has potential to improve heart-healthy habits and facilitate behavioral change among high-risk adults.

2013 update on congenital heart disease, clinical cardiology, heart failure, and heart transplant.

Science.gov (United States)

Subirana, M Teresa; Barón-Esquivias, Gonzalo; Manito, Nicolás; Oliver, José M; Ripoll, Tomás; Lambert, Jose Luis; Zunzunegui, José L; Bover, Ramon; García-Pinilla, José Manuel

2014-03-01

This article presents the most relevant developments in 2013 in 3 key areas of cardiology: congenital heart disease, clinical cardiology, and heart failure and transplant. Within the area of congenital heart disease, we reviewed contributions related to sudden death in adult congenital heart disease, the importance of specific echocardiographic parameters in assessing the systemic right ventricle, problems in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and indication for pulmonary valve replacement, and confirmation of the role of specific factors in the selection of candidates for Fontan surgery. The most recent publications in clinical cardiology include a study by a European working group on correct diagnostic work-up in cardiomyopathies, studies on the cost-effectiveness of percutaneous aortic valve implantation, a consensus document on the management of type B aortic dissection, and guidelines on aortic valve and ascending aortic disease. The most noteworthy developments in heart failure and transplantation include new American guidelines on heart failure, therapeutic advances in acute heart failure (serelaxin), the management of comorbidities such as iron deficiency, risk assessment using new biomarkers, and advances in ventricular assist devices. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Carbon monoxide and coronary heart disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheidemandel, V

1974-01-01

Studies on the relationship between increased carboxyhemoglobin levels in the blood and coronary heart disease in smokers and city dwellers are reviewed. The evidence of myocardial infarction is significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers which is due, apart from nicotine which promotes coronary arteriosclerosis, to inhaled carbon monoxide which leads to increased carboxyhemoglobin levels and most likely plays a role in the risk of arteriosclerosis and the coronary heart disease. Apart from combining with hemoglobin, CO increases the circulation rate and the coronary blood flow, and reduces the coronary arteriovenous oxygen difference, which is indicative of a reduced rate of oxygen extraction by the myocardium against an increased myocardial oxygen demand. The reduction of the oxygen extraction correlates with the increased COHb level. Inhaled CO lowers the threshold of angina pectoris due to the reduced myocardial oxygen tension. Also, considerable reduction of the oxygen diffusion from the capillaries toward the mitochondria due to the combination of CO with myoglobin is observed. Chronically increased CO levels in the blood and tissues not only accelerate the development of arteriosclerosis, but also induce a process directly injurious to the myocardial metabolism. (Air Pollut. Abstr.)

Brain and heart disease studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budinger, T.F.; Sargent, T.W. III; Yen, C.K.; Friedland, R.F.; Moyer, B.R.

1981-01-01

Highlights of important studies completed during the past year using the Donner 280-crystal positron ring tomograph are summarized in this article. Using rubidium-82, images of a brain tumor and an arteriovenous malformation are described. An image demonstrating methionine uptake in a patient with schizophrenia and an image reflecting sugar metabolism in the brain of a man with Alzheimer's disease are also included. Uptake of rubidium-82 in subjects before and after exercise is being investigated. The synthesis of new radiopharmaceuticals and the development of a new synthesis for C-taurine for use in the study of metabolism in the human heart are also being studied

Music therapy, emotions and the heart: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Raglio, Alfredo; Oasi, Osmano; Gianotti, Marta; Bellandi, Daniele; Manzoni, Veronica; Goulene, Karine; Imbriani, Chiara; Badiale, Marco Stramba

2012-01-01

The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in the control of cardiac function. It has been suggested that sound and music may have effects on the autonomic control of the heart inducing emotions, concomitantly with the activation of specific brain areas, i.e. the limbic area, and they may exert potential beneficial effects. This study is a prerequisite and defines a methodology to assess the relation between changes in cardiac physiological parameters such as heart rate, QT interval and their variability and the psychological responses to music therapy sessions. We assessed the cardiac physiological parameters and psychological responses to a music therapy session. ECG Holter recordings were performed before, during and after a music therapy session in 8 healthy individuals. The different behaviors of the music therapist and of the subjects have been analyzed with a specific music therapy assessment (Music Therapy Checklist). After the session mean heart rate decreased (p = 0.05), high frequency of heart rate variability tended to be higher and QTc variability tended to be lower. During music therapy session "affect attunements" have been found in all subjects but one. A significant emotional activation was associated to a higher dynamicity and variations of sound-music interactions. Our results may represent the rational basis for larger studies in diferent clinical conditions.

Influence of exposure differences on city-to-city heterogeneity ...

Science.gov (United States)

Multi-city population-based epidemiological studies have observed heterogeneity between city-specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-mortality effect estimates. These studies typically use ambient monitoring data as a surrogate for exposure leading to potential exposure misclassification. The level of exposure misclassification can differ by city affecting the observed health effect estimate. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate whether previously developed residential infiltration-based city clusters can explain city-to-city heterogeneity in PM2.5 mortality risk estimates. In a prior paper 94 cities were clustered based on residential infiltration factors (e.g. home age/size, prevalence of air conditioning (AC)), resulting in 5 clusters. For this analysis, the association between PM2.5 and all-cause mortality was first determined in 77 cities across the United States for 2001–2005. Next, a second stage analysis was conducted evaluating the influence of cluster assignment on heterogeneity in the risk estimates. Associations between a 2-day (lag 0–1 days) moving average of PM2.5 concentrations and non-accidental mortality were determined for each city. Estimated effects ranged from −3.2 to 5.1% with a pooled estimate of 0.33% (95% CI: 0.13, 0.53) increase in mortality per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5. The second stage analysis determined that cluster assignment was marginally significant in explaining the city-to-city heterogeneity. The health effe

Mortality from heart attack in Belgrade population during the period 1990-2004

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ratkov Isidora

2008-01-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION In most countries, cardiovascular diseases are the leading disorders, with ischemic heart diseases being the leading cause of death. According to WHO data, every year about 17 million people die of cardiovascular diseases, which is 30% of all deaths. Ischemic heart diseases contribute from one-third to one-half of all deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. Three point eight million men and 3.4 million women in the world die every year from ischemic heart diseases, and in Europe about 2 million. The highest mortality rate from ischemic heart diseases occurs in India, China and Russia. OBJECTIVE The aim of this descriptive epidemiological study was to determine heart attack mortality in Belgrade population during the period 1990-2004. METHOD In the study, we conducted investigation of Belgrade population during the period 1990-2004. Mortality data were obtained from the city institution for statistics. The mortality rates were calculated based on the total Belgrade population obtained from the mean values for the last two register years (1991 and 2002. The mortality rates were standardized using the direct method of standardization according to the world (Segi standard population. RESULTS In the Belgrade population during the period 1990-2004, the participation of mortality rate due to heart attack among deaths from cardiovascular diseases was 17% in males and 10% in females. In Belgrade male population, mean standardized mortality rates (per 100,000 habitants were 50.5 for heart attack, 8.3 for chronic ischemic heart diseases and 4.6 for angina pectoris, while in females the rates were 30.8, 6.7 and 4.2, respectively. Mortality from ischemic heart diseases and from heart attack was higher in males than in females. During the studied 15-year period, on average 755 males and 483 females died due to heart attack every year. Mean standardized mortality rates per 100,000 habitants were 50.0 in male and 31.1 in female population. Males

Influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city

OpenAIRE

Manyiwa, Simon; Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios; Wang, Xuan Lorna

2018-01-01

Purpose - This study examines the influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city. The study also compares the effects of perceived brand image of the city on the emotional attachment to the city across two groups: residents and visitors. \\ud \\ud Design/methodology - A total of 207 usable questionnaires were collected from 107 residents of the city of Bratislava, Slovakia, and 100 visitors to the city. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) me...

Influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city

OpenAIRE

Manyiwa, Simon; Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios; Wang, Xuan Lorna

2018-01-01

Purpose - This study examines the influence of perceived city brand image on emotional attachment to the city. The study also compares the effects of perceived brand image of the city on the emotional attachment to the city across two groups: residents and visitors. Design/methodology - A total of 207 usable questionnaires were collected from 107 residents of the city of Bratislava, Slovakia, and 100 visitors to the city. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) met...

Leonardo da Vinci's studies of the heart.

Science.gov (United States)

Shoja, Mohammadali M; Agutter, Paul S; Loukas, Marios; Benninger, Brion; Shokouhi, Ghaffar; Namdar, Husain; Ghabili, Kamyar; Khalili, Majid; Tubbs, R Shane

2013-08-20

Leonardo da Vinci's detailed drawings are justly celebrated; however, less well known are his accounts of the structures and functions of the organs. In this paper, we focus on his illustrations of the heart, his conjectures about heart and blood vessel function, his experiments on model systems to test those conjectures, and his unprecedented conclusions about the way in which the cardiovascular system operates. In particular, da Vinci seems to have been the first to recognize that the heart is a muscle and that systole is the active phase of the pump. He also seems to have understood the functions of the auricles and pulmonary veins, identified the relationship between the cardiac cycle and the pulse, and explained the hemodynamic mechanism of valve opening and closure. He also described anatomical variations and changes in structure and function that occurred with age. We outline da Vinci's varied career and suggest ways in which his personality, experience, skills and intellectual heritage contributed to these advances in understanding. We also consider his influence on later studies in anatomy and physiology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of physical culture and sports on health status of pupils of industrial city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kapranov S.V.

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The aim was to study in the city with large enterprises of ferrous metallurgy and coke health of schoolchildren under the influence of physical education and sports. The research of blood pressure and heart rate (HR were 295 pupils aged 15-17 years, 390 - anthropometric study of body length, body weight, chest circumference and head, while the 584 teenagers - the prevalence of dental caries. HR assessment is made by comparing with the age norms, and indicators of physical development of pupils - centile method. It is shown that under the influence of employment morning gymnastics school students marked normalization of their heart rate. Waiver of physical exercise leads to a decrease in students in body length and circumference of the chest. Classes in morning exercises and sports are the factors antirisk caries among high school students. Proposed preventive recommendations.

Structural Model of psychological risk and protective factors affecting on quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease: A psychocardiology model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zohreh Khayyam Nekouei

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Conducted researches show that psychological factors may have a very important role in the etiology, continuity and consequences of coronary heart diseases. This study has drawn the psychological risk and protective factors and their effects in patients with coronary heart diseases (CHD in a structural model. It aims to determine the structural relations between psychological risk and protective factors with quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional and correlational studies were conducted using structural equation modeling. The study sample included 398 patients of coronary heart disease in the university referral Hospital, as well as other city health care centers in Isfahan city. They were selected based on random sampling method. Then, in case, they were executed the following questionnaires: Coping with stressful situations (CISS- 21, life orientation (LOT-10, general self-efficacy (GSE-10, depression, anxiety and stress (DASS-21, perceived stress (PSS-14, multidimensional social support (MSPSS-12, alexithymia (TAS-20, spiritual intelligence (SQ-23 and quality of life (WHOQOL-26. Results: The results showed that protective and risk factors could affect the quality of life in patients with CHD with factor loadings of 0.35 and −0.60, respectively. Moreover, based on the values of the framework of the model such as relative chi-square (CMIN/DF = 3.25, the Comparative Fit Index (CFI = 0.93, the Parsimony Comparative Fit Index (PCFI = 0.68, the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA = 0.07 and details of the model (significance of the relationships it has been confirmed that the psychocardiological structural model of the study is the good fitting model. Conclusion: This study was among the first to research the different psychological risk and protective factors of coronary heart diseases in the form of a structural model. The results of this study have

Image and Reputation of Yalova City: A Study on Yalova University Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cevdet Kızıl

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Recently, the image of a country and city has become a core competitive asset for the government and local authorities and this core competitive asset plays a critical role for domestic and foreign tourists, businessmen, residents of the city, neighbouring cities, investors, entrepreneurs and also the university students. Based on the competitive asset of city image and reputation, the perception needs an effort from a marketing perspective in order to improve the strategies for enhancing quality of life. The aim of this research is to evaluate the city image of Yalova from the eye of Yalova university students. For this purpose, image perception of students on the advantages of city, abstract image elements and residents of the city have been investiageted. The data of research have been collected through the questionnaire methodology. This study is run on 200 students as the research sample. In light of the results of the survey, the overall image perception of students about Yalova city and its residents are determined to be at medium level. Location of Yalova has a very positive perception, while intercity transportation, nature and weather conditions have a positive perception. The city is considered as peaceful, safe and clean, but expensive. Residents of Yalova are evaluated as peaceful. It is also found that, infrastructures and superstructures enhancing the Yalova city image should be improved.

Integration of Composite Structures in Modern Day Architecture: Case Study of City Business Centre, Timisoara, Romania

Science.gov (United States)

Vataman, Adina; Gaivoronschi, Vlad; Mosoarca, Marius

2017-10-01

In current day structural design the use of composite steel-concrete structures has become the norm; because of the advantages that each of these materials has to offer. Composite structures also have the benefit of a faster execution at a lower cost, compared to traditional structures. While the arguments in favour of designing composite structures are well-known and appreciated by civil engineers; there remains a question of integrating these structures in modern-day urban landscapes. Eastern European countries are welcoming a blossoming of culture, arts, economy and industry, which unavoidably and necessarily will lead to a change in urban landscapes. With an increasing amount of foreign companies opening offices in these areas, the need for modern office solutions has arisen. The current paper presents a case study of an office building complex situated in the western part of Romania, in the city of Timişoara. The complex consists of 5 office buildings; all designed in composite steel-concrete structure, an underground parking lot, multiple terraces and adjacent promenade areas. Within the context of rapid growth and development of the city, the City Business Centre has offered high quality office spaces in the heart of the city, while considering the needs of the community. A very important aspect in the successful completion of the project was the efficient and professional collaboration between the separate project teams, between the owner, represented by the project management team, the architect, the structural designer and the building company. The successful joining of seismic structural solutions with modern architectural aesthetics has led to a dynamic, vibrant environment, making the City Business Centre the core of the region’s business life, at the same time redefining Timisoara’s architectural landscape. A testimony to the success of the project was the Civil Engineering Structural Designers Associations’ (AICPS) 3rd Prize awarded for great

A bioprosthetic total artificial heart for end-stage heart failure: Results from a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Latrémouille, Christian; Carpentier, Alain; Leprince, Pascal; Roussel, Jean-Christian; Cholley, Bernard; Boissier, Elodie; Epailly, Eric; Capel, Antoine; Jansen, Piet; Smadja, David M

2018-01-01

The electro-hydraulically actuated Carmat total artificial heart (C-TAH) is designed to replace the heart in patients with end-stage heart failure, either as bridge to transplant or destination therapy. It provides pulsatile flow and contains bio-prosthetic blood contacting materials. A clinical feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the C-TAH safety and performance. Hospitalized patients, at imminent risk of death from irreversible biventricular failure despite optimal medical management, and not eligible for transplant or eligible but on extracorporeal life support, were enrolled. The primary endpoint was 30-days survival. Four patients were implanted with the C-TAH, three as destination therapy (ages 76, 68, 74) and one as bridge to transplant (age 58). They had implant times of 74, 270, 254 and 20 days respectively. All patients were free from hemolysis, clinical neurologic events, clinical evidence of thrombus and device-related infections. Hemodynamic and physical recovery allowed two patients to be discharged home for a cumulative duration of 7 months. The anticoagulation management strategy comprised initial unfractionated heparin, from postoperative day 2, followed by low molecular weight heparin and aspirin. An increased D-dimer level was observed in all patients during months 1 to 4. Temporary suspension of heparin anticoagulation resulted in thrombocytopenia and increased fibrin monomer, reversed by resuming anticoagulation with heparin. Causes of death were device-related (2 cases), respiratory failure and multi-organ failure. Preliminary clinical results with the C-TAH demonstrated good safety and performance profiles in patients suffering from biventricular failure, which need to be confirmed in a pivotal study. Copyright © 2018 International Society for the Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on radon geological potential of Beijing city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qingcheng; Wu Xinmin; Liu Yujuan; Yang Yaxin; Zhang Ye

2009-01-01

According to elemental geochemistry in Beijing, the uranium content in the area was measured, and distribution of radon concentration was predicted. Based on the uranium-radium equilibrium coefficient, porosity and diffusion coefficient, which were either measured or calculated, the radon geological potential of Beijing city was studied using γ-ray spectroscopy or mass spectroscopy and certain models were used to calculate the relation between radon geological potential and lithology and geological structure. The results showed that radon geological potential of Beijing city could be divided into four zones, tend of every zone coincides with the main structure, and the potential values nearly relate with geological factors. (authors)

The Congenital Heart Disease Genetic Network Study: Cohort description.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanh T Hoang

Full Text Available The Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC designed the Congenital Heart Disease Genetic Network Study to provide phenotype and genotype data for a large congenital heart defects (CHDs cohort. This article describes the PCGC cohort, overall and by major types of CHDs (e.g., conotruncal defects and subtypes of conotrucal heart defects (e.g., tetralogy of Fallot and left ventricular outflow tract obstructions (e.g., hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Cases with CHDs were recruited through ten sites, 2010-2014. Information on cases (N = 9,727 and their parents was collected through interviews and medical record abstraction. Four case characteristics, eleven parental characteristics, and thirteen parent-reported neurodevelopment outcomes were summarized using counts and frequencies and compared across CHD types and subtypes. Eleven percent of cases had a genetic diagnosis. Among cases without a genetic diagnosis, the majority had conotruncal heart defects (40% or left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (21%. Across CHD types, there were significant differences (p<0.05 in the distribution of all four case characteristics (e.g., sex, four parental characteristics (e.g., maternal pregestational diabetes, and five neurodevelopmental outcomes (e.g., learning disabilities. Several characteristics (e.g., sex were also significantly different across CHD subtypes. The PCGC cohort is one of the largest CHD cohorts available for the study of genetic determinants of risk and outcomes. The majority of cases do not have a genetic diagnosis. This description of the PCGC cohort, including differences across CHD types and subtypes, provides a reference work for investigators who are interested in collaborating with or using publically available resources from the PCGC.

Anatomy studies for an artificial heart. Final summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiraly, R.J.; Nose, Y.

1977-12-01

In the interval from February of 1972 through December of 1977, studies were conducted relating to the anatomical feasibility of implanting a total artificial heart system. These studies included both the calf as an experimental animal as well as the ultimate human recipient of the artificial heart system. Studies with the calf included definition of the thoracic anatomy relative to the size, shape, and vascular connections for implanting the blood pump. To test the animal's tolerance to an implanted engine system, mockups of the thermal converter were implanted chronically in various locations within the calf. No problems developed in retroperitoneal or intraperitoneal implants ranging from 8 to 15 months. A study to determine accelerations experienced by an abdominally implanted thermal converter was performed in calves. Under the most severe conditions, accelerations of a maximum of 34 Gs were experienced. The largest effort was devoted to defining the human anatomy relative to implanting an artificial heart in the thorax. From a number of data sources, including cadavers as well as living patients, a quantitative, statistical analysis of the size and shape of the male thorax was obtained. Finally, an in vivo study of a functional intrathoracic compliance bag in a calf demonstrated the feasibility of this method

Preattentive processing of heart cues and the perception of heart symptoms in congenital heart disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karsdorp, Petra A.; Kindt, Merel; Everaerd, Walter; Mulder, Barbara J. M.

2007-01-01

The present study was aimed at clarifying whether preattentive processing of heart cues results in biased perception of heart sensations in patients with congenital heart disease (ConHD) who are also highly trait anxious. Twenty-six patients with ConHD and 22 healthy participants categorized

Education and coronary heart disease: mendelian randomisation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, Taavi; Vaucher, Julien; Okbay, Aysu; Pikhart, Hynek; Peasey, Anne; Kubinova, Ruzena; Pajak, Andrzej; Tamosiunas, Abdonas; Malyutina, Sofia; Hartwig, Fernando Pires; Fischer, Krista; Veronesi, Giovanni; Palmer, Tom; Bowden, Jack; Davey Smith, George; Bobak, Martin; Holmes, Michael V

2017-08-30

Objective  To determine whether educational attainment is a causal risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease. Design  Mendelian randomisation study, using genetic data as proxies for education to minimise confounding. Setting  The main analysis used genetic data from two large consortia (CARDIoGRAMplusC4D and SSGAC), comprising 112 studies from predominantly high income countries. Findings from mendelian randomisation analyses were then compared against results from traditional observational studies (164 170 participants). Finally, genetic data from six additional consortia were analysed to investigate whether longer education can causally alter the common cardiovascular risk factors. Participants  The main analysis was of 543 733 men and women (from CARDIoGRAMplusC4D and SSGAC), predominantly of European origin. Exposure  A one standard deviation increase in the genetic predisposition towards higher education (3.6 years of additional schooling), measured by 162 genetic variants that have been previously associated with education. Main outcome measure  Combined fatal and non-fatal coronary heart disease (63 746 events in CARDIoGRAMplusC4D). Results  Genetic predisposition towards 3.6 years of additional education was associated with a one third lower risk of coronary heart disease (odds ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.59 to 0.77; P=3×10 -8 ). This was comparable to findings from traditional observational studies (prevalence odds ratio 0.73, 0.68 to 0.78; incidence odds ratio 0.80, 0.76 to 0.83). Sensitivity analyses were consistent with a causal interpretation in which major bias from genetic pleiotropy was unlikely, although this remains an untestable possibility. Genetic predisposition towards longer education was additionally associated with less smoking, lower body mass index, and a favourable blood lipid profile. Conclusions  This mendelian randomisation study found support for the hypothesis that low education is a causal risk

New York City Energy-Water Integrated Planning: A Pilot Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatt,V.; Crosson, K. M.; Horak, W.; Reisman, A.

2008-12-16

The New York City Energy-Water Integrated Planning Pilot Study is one of several projects funded by Sandia National Laboratories under the U.S. Department of Energy Energy-Water Nexus Program. These projects are intended to clarify some key issues and research needs identified during the Energy-Water Nexus Roadmapping activities. The objectives of the New York City Pilot Project are twofold: to identify energy-water nexus issues in an established urban area in conjunction with a group of key stakeholders and to define and apply an integrated energy and water decision support tool, as proof-of-concept, to one or more of these issues. During the course of this study, the Brookhaven National Laboratory project team worked very closely with members of a Pilot Project Steering Committee. The Steering Committee members brought a breadth of experience across the energy, water and climate disciplines, and all are well versed in the particular issues faced by an urban environment, and by New York City in particular. The first task was to identify energy-water issues of importance to New York City. This exercise was followed by discussion of the qualities and capabilities that an ideal decision support tool should display to address these issues. The decision was made to start with an existing energy model, the New York City version of the MARKAL model, developed originally at BNL and now used globally by many groups for energy analysis. MARKAL has the virtue of being well-vetted, transparent, and capable of calculating 'material' flows, such as water use by the energy system and energy requirements of water technology. The Steering Committee members defined five scenarios of interest, representing a broad spectrum of New York City energy-water issues. Brookhaven National Laboratory researchers developed a model framework (Water-MARKAL) at the desired level of detail to address the scenarios, and then attempted to gather the New York City-specific information

Study of institutional Collaboration in the management Structure of the City Regions Case Study: Process of determining the city of Qazvin Growth boundaries.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Sheikhi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article is about the institutional collaboration in the management structure of a city-region. To achieve this purpose, corporate limits of Qazvin are studied as the city is becoming a region. The possible institutional cooperative in the centralist governmental structure is planned based on the new regionalism theory and its governance pattern, new institutionalism theory and its emphasis on informal rules in institutions and rational dialogue as an indicator of institutional cooperative, in order to become closer to the governance structure. The methodology of this article is the instrumental case study. Also interviews, questionnaires and archival reports were used as applications of the data collection. An explanation building is the analysis method with the subsystem analysis such as survey and correlation test.There are three level of analysis in these studies, structural, organizational and individual level. The results show that the rational dialogue between urban institutional in both levels of analysis including organizational (formal rules and individual (informal rules analysis is not possible in the current situation and Because the governmental structure as a third level of analysis is not changeable, Therefore, the possible pattern of institutional cooperative in this city-region is about the organizational and individual level of analysis. The derived pattern to achieve the institutional cooperative is establishing the sphere for voluntary dialogue between city institutions in order to achieve agreement. Additionally, in the individual level, the experts and managers who are the main attendances in this sphere, have their own values and norms. Studies about the current values and norms show that values are appropriate to establish a rational dialogue but the norms are in the opposite direction. The value for these people should be internalized to achieve the rational dialogue in the organizational level.

Intrapartum electrocardiogram alteration in fetuses with congenital heart disease: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gay, Estelle; Bornallet, Géraldine; Gaucherand, Pascal; Doret, Muriel

2015-11-01

To assess if the fetal electrocardiogram especially ST segment is modified by congenital heart diseases: modifications in frequencies of the different ST events and modifications in signal quality. A retrospective case-control study, comparing frequencies of the different ST events and the quality of the signal between fetuses with congenital heart diseases and fetuses without congenital heart disease. From 2000 to 2011, fifty-eight fetuses with congenital heart disease had their heart rate recording using a STAN device during labor. Control group was fetuses who were born just before a case and had a STAN as a second line for intrapartum surveillance. Cases and controls were matched on parity, gestational age at birth, presence of growth restriction and umbilical artery pH. Frequencies of the different ST event and quality of the signal were first analyzed for the global labor recording, and then separately for the first and the second phase of labor. No statistically significant difference in ST event frequencies between fetuses with congenital heart disease and the control group was found. Regarding the quality of the signal, 11.49% (±18.82) of recording time is a signal loss for fetus with congenital heart disease whereas only 5.18% (±10.67) for the control group (p=0.028). This is the first study investigating for intrapartum electrocardiogram modification in fetus with congenital heart disease. Congenital heart diseases do not modify frequencies of ST events. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Study of the Historical Factors of the Foundation of Cities with the Approach to the Cities of Iran and Mesopotamia

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Hamiad Kavyani pooya

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In examining the time when communities began to dominate urbanization and civilization and the factors that led to this event, various historical and geographical schools have emphasized one of the major factors in the emergence and structure of ancient cities. In this context, the most common theories have stated the consequences of the "agricultural revolution" and "religiousism" and the religious contributions of the old people that have been the main source of the foundations of the cities. Therefore, following the verification of the veracity of these theories, by studying historical documents and archaeological findings with a library method and a descriptive approach, we found that, at least in the plateau of Iran and Mesopotamia, mankind created an agricultural revolution through a united geographical position. Then, following this revolution, the division of labor gradually took place, resulting in innovations, greater power and business relations and capital accumulation, and other factors such as religion, population, and political factors emerged in human culture and created cities. In fact, despite all these factors are not necessarily involved in the emergence and foundations of ancient cities, but considering the geographic area studied in this research geographical, economic, religious and political-military factors can be largely important and effective in the genesis and evolution of cities. And the ancient cities of Iran and Mesopotamia have had these characteristics. Of course, it should be in accordance with the above theories and emphasizing two factors of economic and religious.

Focus Cities : Urban Waste Management in the City of Cochabamba ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Focus Cities : Urban Waste Management in the City of Cochabamba (Bolivia). The city of ... Project status. Closed ... Studies. Inclusión social y económica de los recicladores en la gestión integrada de los residuos sólidos urbanos. 49088.

CEP action area studies : City of Yellowknife fleet review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The City of Yellowknife maintains a fleet of vehicles and equipment used for public service. Yellowknife's Community Energy Plan (CEP) has a goal to reduce Yellowknife's fleet fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 per cent within 10 years. This report examined current fuel consumption for the City of Yellowknife's fleet based on available data and examined options to reduce fleet fuel consumption. It also quantified the reduction in fuel consumption, GHG emissions, as well as the financial impacts of various options. An overview of the City of Yellowknife's fleet of vehicles and equipment was first provided, as well as calculated annual values for fuel consumption, GHG emissions, and energy consumption for the City of Yellowknife's fleet. Two fleet management case studies were presented. Fuel-efficient vehicles on the market that could provide an opportunity to replace some of the City of Yellowknife's fleet of light vehicles, and bylaw vehicles with fuel-efficient vehicles were discussed. These vehicles include hybrid vehicles, smart cars, compressed natural gas vehicles, and compressed-air vehicles. Equipment maintenance for tires, preventive, synthetic oils, and driver training programs were discussed. Anti-idling campaigns and technologies were also examined. The report concluded with a discussion of renewable fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol blended gasoline. Fleet fuel consumption, GHG and financial impacts were provided for each chapter heading. It was concluded that if all of the measures identified in the report were implemented, an overall decrease in GHG emissions of approximately 15 per cent would be achieved. 15 refs., 8 tabs., 8 figs

Women in Cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurst, Liz

1982-01-01

Suggesting that women are at a disadvantage in cities and towns, discusses experiences of women at home, working women, women traveling, shopping, and growing old in cities. Includes suggestions for studying women in cities. (JN)

Mexico City aerosol study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Falcon, Y.I.; Ramirez, C.R.

1987-01-01

A major task in the field of air pollution monitoring is the development of devices for determining the mass and composition of airborne particulate matter as a function of size - and time. The sample collection device must be designed giving consideration to the nature of the aerosol and to the effects of the aerosol on human health. It has been established that particles smaller than 3.5 μm in diameter can penetrate deeply into the human respiratory system, and that larger particles are trapped in the upper respiratory passages. For these reasons, it is desirable to use a dichotomous sampler to collect particles in two size ranges, rather than to collect total particulates on a single filter. The authors discuss a study in Mexico City using a dichotomous sampler

Computational models for the study of heart-lung interactions in mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Tal, Alona

2012-01-01

The operation and regulation of the lungs and the heart are closely related. This is evident when examining the anatomy within the thorax cavity, in the brainstem and in the aortic and carotid arteries where chemoreceptors and baroreceptors, which provide feedback affecting the regulation of both organs, are concentrated. This is also evident in phenomena such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia where the heart rate increases during inspiration and decreases during expiration, in other types of synchronization between the heart and the lungs known as cardioventilatory coupling and in the association between heart failure and sleep apnea where breathing is interrupted periodically by periods of no-breathing. The full implication and physiological significance of the cardiorespiratory coupling under normal, pathological, or extreme physiological conditions are still unknown and are subject to ongoing investigation both experimentally and theoretically using mathematical models. This article reviews mathematical models that take heart-lung interactions into account. The main ideas behind low dimensional, phenomenological models for the study of the heart-lung synchronization and sleep apnea are described first. Higher dimensions, physiology-based models are described next. These models can vary widely in detail and scope and are characterized by the way the heart-lung interaction is taken into account: via gas exchange, via the central nervous system, via the mechanical interactions, and via time delays. The article emphasizes the need for the integration of the different sources of heart-lung coupling as well as the different mathematical approaches. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A comparison of mortality rates in three prospective studies from Copenhagen with mortality rates in the central part of the city, and the entire country

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lars Bo; Vestbo, Jørgen; Juel, Knud

1998-01-01

Valid generalizations of results from population-based epidemiological surveys requires knowledge about how representative the sample is. The Copenhagen Center for Prospective Population Studies have assessed mortality on the basis of pooled data from three research programmes in the region...... of Copenhagen. In two of the studies, subjects were randomly selected, using the Danish Central Population Registry, within certain age groups and area-restricted sectors of the Greater Copenhagen. In the third study, men employed in 14 companies participated. Participation rates were between 78% and 87...... in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, whereas mortality rates in the Glostrup Population Studies were similar to rates for the whole country. The mortality rates among participants were lower than in the whole sample, and differences existed in relation to region and selection criteria of the cohorts. The Copenhagen...

Sensitivity analysis of the boundary layer height on idealised cities (model study)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schayes, G. [Univ. of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium); Grossi, P. [Joint Research Center, Ispra (Italy)

1997-10-01

The behaviour of the typical diurnal variation of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over cities is a complex function of very numerous environmental parameters. Two types of geographical situations have been retained: (i) inland city only surrounded by uniform fields, (ii) coastal city, thus influenced by the sea/land breeze effect. We have used the three-dimensional Thermal Vorticity-mode Mesoscale (TVM) model developed jointly by the UCL (Belgium) and JRC (Italy). In this study it has been used in 2-D mode allowing to perform many sensitivity runs. This implies that a kind of infinitely wide city has been effectively stimulated, but this does not affect the conclusions for the ABL height. The sensibility study has been performed for two turbulence closure schemes, for various assumptions for the ABL height definition in the model, and for a selected parameter, the soil water content. (LN)

Using City Branding as the Part of the Intersection Point of Modernization and Tradition. Case Study: Surakarta City (Solo, Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nursanty Eko

2018-01-01

Full Text Available To recognize a city is part of a city branding effort. By recognizing the dwelling, the city's inhabitants are able to create a spatial space in accordance with their easily recognizable cultural identity. In city branding, the memory of a city space is often the main ingredient in strengthening the identity. The efforts to use place making forces at this time are often used to solve the failures in multi-cultural spaces. Evolution in history is part of dynamic space planning as part of the identity of a city.The purpose of this research is to reveal the relationship between the formation of tradition spaces that are able to function in a modern way. The pattern of this relationship will produce spatial planning patterns with special characters as well. Humans as space users play a very big role as a space builder, where the decisions they make are often based on the tradition they have used for generations.The methods used in this study are qualitative, deductive using the theories that have been there before. Field research is used as empirical data in the form of interviews, photographs and field observations was conducted in various existing city spaces in Solo with the purpose to discover the existence of distinctive spatial patterns based on the typical behavior that has been passed down continuously as a result of the cultural process. The resulting discovery is a significant pattern of relationships between humans and their decision-making abilities in city space. This decision is based on self-awareness as part of the space they occupy. In a group, this awareness is part of the tradition's heritage that continues to develop in accordance with the human intellectual development.

Study on business resilience factors toward earthquake and tsunami - A case study of Padang city

Science.gov (United States)

Rahayu, Harkunti P.; Aini, Qurrata; Putri, Amalia Novianti

2017-07-01

As as the Capital of West Sumatera Province and as the largest city at the West Coast of Sumatera, the City of Padang has been assigned as one of the National Activity Center for Regional Economic Development. The city will be developed as a metropolitan city, which will be very much relied on the multi sectoral support such as business, services, industry, and tourism sectors. However, the city is located at a very high-risk zone for earthquake and tsunami. After 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the city has been stricken several times by large earthquake and tsunami threat, for example in 8.4 M September 2007 and 7.6 M September 2009 causing major casualties, severe damages, great economic loss as well as tsunami threat to the people. Without disaster risk reduction based development planning, the goal of Padang as metropolitan and National Activity Center is difficult to be achieved. Knowing the level of risk and its appropriate countermeasures from the perspective of business resilience becomes very important. Thus, this paper will present the detail study on business reliency for the Padang City, starting from (i) Earthquake and Tsunami Risk Assessment from the perspective of preparedness for Business in Padang Barat Subdistrict of Padang City, (ii) Assessment of resiliency level of Padang City Business after the 2009 event, and (iii) recommendation for considering the Business Resilience factors as part of DRR based CBD development Plan of Padang Barat sub district - Padang City. This study is not only able to identify physical and nonphusical aspect of business characteristic, but it has identified four major components of Bussiness Resiliency Indicators, i.e. Swift Recovery Factors (RR), Experience and Knowledge to Disaster (PP), Emergency Response Plan (RT) and Asset Protection (PA). Each major indicator consists of several indicators, with 19 total indicators. Further investigation on these indicators shown that total performance value of business resiliency is

[Heart transplant in Monterrey, Nuevo León].

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera-Garza, Eduardo Heberto; Molina-Gamboa, Julio David; Ortega-Durán, Oscar Alejandro; Chavarria-Martánez, Uriel; Martínez-Chapa, Héctor David; Elizondo-Sifuentes, Luis Angel; De-La-fuente-Magallanes, Felipe de Jesús; Muñiz-García, Arturo; Decanini-Arcaute, Horacio; Ibarra-Flores, Marcos; Nacoud-Askar, Alfredo; Herrera-Garza, José Luis; Torre-Amionet, Guillermo

2011-09-01

Heart failure constantly increases its incidence and prevalence in our society, it was imperative to start a heart transplant program to improve the survival rates of patients with end stages of the disease. Legal issues made impossible to transplant patients out of Mexico City until recent years. Even with an acute hemodynamic and clinic improvement after the transplant, these patients frequently develop complications such as graft rejection or opportunistic infections due to the immunosuppressive schemes increasing the morbidity and mortality of the procedure. In the present article we report the experience acquired with 65 heart transplant patients from 4 transplant programs in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, one of them from the socialized system and the other three from private hospitals. Our program not only has successfully transplanted patients with advanced age but, for the first time in Latin America we have transplanted patients assisted with the ambulatory Thoratec TLC II system. Even that we have faced obstacles like a newly started donation culture in our population and limited resources, our patient's survival rate push us to continue working with these very ill population.

Exploring adaptation pathways in terms of flood risk management at a city scale – a case study for Shanghai city

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke Qian

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Cities are vulnerable to flooding and historical events, for instance Hurricane Sandy in 2012, have showed that losses in the cities are costly. In the context of climate change and socio-economic development, future flood risk will inevitably rise; adaptive measures, for instance upgrading of sea dikes and floodwalls, improving drainage systems and implementing green infrastructures, are proposed under the changing environment in the cities. A question of when to implement what measures in the cities over time is then brought up. The approach of dynamic adaptive policy pathways is applied to formulate adaptation pathways for a case study of Shanghai to explore the optimal investment strategy in context of deep uncertainties. Adaptation concept is not only aiming to achieve optimal strategy but also to determine when to implement the measures. The adaptation pathways for three types of floods (coastal flood, river flood and pluvial flood in Shanghai were formulated through a preliminary qualitative analysis. This could provide an insight to the long-term feasibility of adaptive flood risk strategies. This research could provide a rational indication for policy/decision makers on future adaptation strategy at the city scale.

CityDelta: A model intercomparison study to explore the impact of emission reductions in European cities in 2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cuvelier, C.; Thunis, P.; Vignati, E.; Vautard, R.; Hodzic, A.; Vautard, R.; Hodzic, A.; Amann, M.; Bessagnet, B.; Honore, C.; Rouil, L.; Bedogni, M.; Berkowicz, R.; Brandt, J.; Brocheton, F.; Peuch, V.H.; Builtjes, P.; Schaap, M.; Carnavale, C.; Volta, M.; Coppalle, A.; Denby, B.; Douros, J.; Moussiopoulos, N.; Graf, A.; Hellmuth, O.; Jonson, J.; Tarrason, L.; Wind, P.; Kerschbaumer, A.; Stern, R.; De Leeuw, F.; Minguzzi, E.; Pertot, C.; Pirovano, G.; Sauter, F.; White, L.; Zuber, A.

2007-01-01

This paper gives an overview of the set up, methodology and the obtained results of the CityDelta (phase 1 and 2) project. In the context of the Clean Air For Europe programme of the European Commission, the CityDelta project was designed to evaluate the impact of emission-reduction strategies on air quality at the European continental scale and in European cities. Ozone and particulate matter (PM) are the main components that have been studied. To achieve this goal, a model intercomparison study was organized with the participation of more than 20 modelling groups with a large number of modelling configurations. Two following main topics can be identified in the project. First, in order to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, the participating models were evaluated against observations in a control year (1999). An accompanying paper will discuss in detail this evaluation aspect for four European cities. The second topic is the actual evaluation of the impact of emission reductions on levels of ozone and PM, with particular attention to the differences between large-scale and fine-scale models. An accompanying paper will discuss this point in detail. In this overview paper the main input to the intercomparison is described as well as the use of the ensemble approach. Finally, attention is given to the policy relevant issue on how to implement the urban air quality signal into large-scale air quality models through the use of functional relationships. (authors)

Simulation of Urban Rainfall-Runoff in Piedmont Cities: A Case Study in Jinan City, China

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, X.; Xu, Z.; Zhao, G.; Li, H.

2017-12-01

During the past decades, frequent flooding disasters in urban areas resulted in catastrophic impacts such as human life casualties and property damages especially in piedmont cities due to its specific topography. In this study, a piedmont urban flooding model was developed in the Huangtaiqiao catchment based on SWMM. The sub-catchments in this piedmont area were divided into mountainous area, plain area and main urban area according to the variations of underlying surface topography. The impact of different routing mode and channel roughness on simulation results was quantitatively analyzed under different types of scenarios, and genetic algorithm was used to optimize model parameters. Results show that the simulation is poor (with a mean Nash coefficient of 0.61) when using the traditional routing mode in SWMM model, which usually ignores terrain variance in piedmont area. However, when the difference of routing mode, percent routed and channel roughness are considered, the prediction precision of model were significantly increased (with a mean Nash coefficient of 0.86), indicating that the difference of surface topography significantly affects the simulation results in piedmont cities. The relevant results would provide the scientific basis and technical support for rainfall-runoff simulation, flood control and disaster alleviation in piedmont cities.

Urban air pollution, study of Mexico City

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bauer, M [PUE-UNAM (Mexico); Guzman, F [Inst. Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexico); Navarro, B [Univ. Autonoma Metropolitana (Mexico)

1996-12-01

The Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC) is an outstanding case of a fast urban development with lagging, and thus insufficient, massive transportation facilities. This has given rise to a distorted transportation system that accounts for most of the air pollution problem of the city and constitutes a drag on economic development. In this paper, we first describe the MAMC geographical conditions, its growth in physical and economic terms, its transportation system, the ensuring air pollution problems together with some of the mitigation actions undertaken. Afterwards the results of a survey of the displacements of individuals within the city and the time spent on these are presented, to then draw some considerations on the negative economic impact it represents. (EG)

Fontan-associated protein-losing enteropathy and heart transplant: A Pediatric Heart Transplant Study analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schumacher, Kurt R; Gossett, Jeffrey; Guleserian, Kristine; Naftel, David C; Pruitt, Elizabeth; Dodd, Debra; Carboni, Michael; Lamour, Jacqueline; Pophal, Stephen; Zamberlan, Mary; Gajarski, Robert J

2015-09-01

Post-Fontan protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although heart transplantation (HTx) can be curative, PLE may increase the risk of morbidity before and after HTx. This study analyzed the influence of PLE influence on waiting list and post-HTx outcomes in a pediatric cohort. Fontan patients listed for HTx and enrolled in the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study from 1999 to 2012 were stratified by a diagnosis of PLE, and the association of PLE with waiting list and post-HTx mortality, rejection, and infection was analyzed. Compared with non-PLE Fontan patients (n = 260), PLE patients listed for HTx (n = 96) were older (11.9 years vs 7.6 years; p = 0.003), had a larger body surface area (1.1 m(2) vs 0.9 m(2); p = 0.0001), had lower serum bilirubin (0.5 vs 0.9 mg/dl; p = 0.01), lower B-type natriuretic peptide (59 vs 227 pg/ml; p = 0.006), and were less likely to be on a ventilator (3% vs 13%; p = 0.006). PLE patients had lower waiting list mortality than non-PLE Fontan patients (p PLE was not independently associated with increased post-HTx mortality at any time point. In this multicenter cohort, the diagnosis of PLE alone was not associated with increased waiting list mortality or post-HTx morbidity or mortality. Given the limitations of our data, this analysis suggests that PLE patients in the pediatric age group have outcomes similar to their non-PLE counterparts. Additional multicenter studies of PLE patients with targeted collection of PLE-specific information will be necessary to fully delineate the risks conferred by PLE for HTx. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Prospective Trial of Ayurveda for Coronary Heart Disease: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

DuBroff, Robert; Lad, Vasant; Murray-Krezan, Cristina

2015-01-01

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and its incidence is rapidly accelerating in developing nations. Patients often search for therapies that are alternatives to traditional treatments, such as heart medicines, coronary bypass surgery, or coronary stenting. Ayurveda is an ancient, East Indian, holistic approach to health care, and its use has never been formally evaluated for patients with coronary heart disease. The study intended to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of comprehensive ayurvedic therapy-incorporating diet, meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, and herbs-for patients with established coronary heart disease. The study was a prospective, single-group, pilot study. The study took place at the University of New Mexico Cardiology Clinic and at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM, USA. The participants were adults with a history of a prior heart attack, coronary bypass surgery, or a coronary intervention (ie, a coronary angioplasty and/or stent). All enrolled patients were evaluated by a single ayurvedic physician with >40 y of experience, and each received therapy consisting of a calorically unrestricted ayurvedic diet; instruction in yoga, meditation, and breathing; and use of ayurvedic herbs. The primary endpoint was arterial pulse wave velocity, a marker of arterial function and vascular health. Secondary endpoints included the following measurements: (1) body mass index (BMI); (2) blood pressure (BP) and amount of reduction in BP medications; and (3) levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. All parameters were measured at baseline and after 90 d of therapy. Twenty-two patients were enrolled in the study, and 19 patients completed it. The research team observed significant improvements in arterial pulse wave velocity (P = .015), and favorable reductions in BMI (P ayurveda on arterial function and multiple risk

Person-city personality fit and entrepreneurial success: An explorative study in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Mingjie; Zhou, Yixin; Zhang, Jianxin; Obschonka, Martin; Silbereisen, Rainer K

2017-08-13

While the study of personality differences is a traditional psychological approach in entrepreneurship research, economic research directs attention towards the entrepreneurial ecosystems in which entrepreneurial activity are embedded. We combine both approaches and quantify the interplay between the individual personality make-up of entrepreneurs and the local personality composition of ecosystems, with a special focus on person-city personality fit. Specifically, we analyse personality data from N = 26,405 Chinese residents across 42 major Chinese cities, including N = 1091 Chinese entrepreneurs. Multi-level polynomial regression and response surface plots revealed that: (a) individual-level conscientiousness had a positive effect and individual-level agreeableness and neuroticism had a negative effect on entrepreneurial success, (b) city-level conscientiousness had a positive, and city-level neuroticism had a negative effect on entrepreneurial success, and (c) additional person-city personality fit effects existed for agreeableness, conscientiousness and neuroticism. For example, entrepreneurs who are high in agreeableness and conduct their business in a city with a low agreeableness level show the lowest entrepreneurial success. In contrast, entrepreneurs who are low in agreeableness and conduct their business in a city with a high agreeableness level show relatively high entrepreneurial success. Implications for research and practice are discussed. © 2017 International Union of Psychological Science.

Prospective assessment of the occurrence of anemia in patients with heart failure: results from the Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population (STAMINA-HFP) Registry.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Kirkwood F; Patterson, James H; Patterson, John H; Oren, Ron M; Mehra, Mandeep R; O'Connor, Christopher M; Piña, Ileana L; Miller, Alan B; Chiong, Jun R; Dunlap, Stephanie H; Cotts, William G; Felker, Gary M; Schocken, Douglas D; Schwartz, Todd A; Ghali, Jalal K

2009-05-01

Although a potentially important pathophysiologic factor in heart failure, the prevalence and predictors of anemia have not been well studied in unselected patients with heart failure. The Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population (STAMINA-HFP) Registry prospectively studied the prevalence of anemia and the relationship of hemoglobin to health-related quality of life and outcomes among patients with heart failure. A random selection algorithm was used to reduce bias during enrollment of patients seen in specialty clinics or clinics of community cardiologists with experience in heart failure. In this initial report, data on prevalence and correlates of anemia were analyzed in 1,076 of the 1,082 registry patients who had clinical characteristics and hemoglobin determined by finger-stick at baseline. Overall (n = 1,082), the registry patients were 41% female and 73% white with a mean age (+/-SD) of 64 +/- 14 years (68 +/- 13 years in community and 57 +/- 14 years in specialty sites, P 70 years affected. Initial results from the STAMINA-HFP Registry suggest that anemia is a common comorbidity in unselected outpatients with heart failure. Given the strong association of anemia with adverse outcomes in heart failure, this study supports further investigation concerning the importance of anemia as a therapeutic target in this condition.

AN ANALYSIS OF VALVULAR HEART DISEASE BY ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY- A TERTIARY CARE INSTITUTE STUDY

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Perumal Jaisankar

2017-06-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Diseases of heart valves constitute a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. In developing countries, Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD continues to be the predominant form of valvular heart disease. The current study was undertaken at a Tertiary Care Institute with an objective of establishing distribution and different patterns of valvular heart diseases by echocardiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS 17,625 consecutive first time Echocardiograms performed between January 2016 and December 2016 were analysed. Echo was performed by consultant cardiologists using Philips HD11XE and Aloka SSD4000 machine following ASE guidelines. Applying exclusion criteria of trivial and functional regurgitant lesions yielded a total of 632 cases of organic valvular heart diseases. RESULTS In our study 632 patients were diagnosed with valvular heart disease, out of which 428 patients (67.7% were diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease. Mitral valve was the most commonly affected followed by aortic and tricuspid valves. The least commonly affected valve was pulmonary valve. In Rheumatic heart disease, most common isolated lesion reported was MS with MR, most commonly reported in females between 21 - 40 years’ age group. CONCLUSION In non-RHD group, mitral valve prolapse (21.3% was the commonest lesion reported followed by calcific degenerative aortic valve (6.17% and congenital bicuspid aortic valve (3.4%; 118 patients were reported with multivalvular lesion. MS + MR + AR was the commonest multivalvular lesion found in 65 patients (55.08%.

Coronary Calcification and the Risk of Heart Failure in the Elderly The Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leening, Maarten J. G.; Elias-Smale, Suzette E.; Kavousi, Maryam; Felix, Janine F.; Deckers, Jaap W.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Hofman, Albert; Steyerberg, Ewout W.; Stricker, Bruno H. Ch; Witteman, Jacqueline C. M.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the association of coronary artery calcification (CAC) with incident heart failure in the elderly and examine its independence of overt coronary heart disease (CHD). BACKGROUND Heart failure is often observed as a first manifestation of coronary

Clinical study of Whole Heart MRCA. Comparison with MDCT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Soji; Tateishi, Toshiki; Iwai, Mitsuhiro; Hayashi, Ryuji

2005-01-01

MR coronary angiography (MRCA) and CT coronary angiography (CTCA) are noninvasive imaging methods in the coronary arteries. We have been using Whole Heart MRCA since November 2003 and CTCA since April 2004, and Whole Heart MRCA and CTCA have been performed on patients in September 2004, 200 and 100, respectively. In 42 patients in whom Whole Heart MRCA and CTCA were performed with the aim of establishing a reliable examination for screening for ischemic heart disease (IHD) at the same period, the ability of both examinations to depict the coronary arteries was good. Whole Heart examination is the first selection of the screening examinations in terms of X-ray exposure and total volume of contrast medium used for other examinations. However, CTCA is suitable as the first examination in the early postoperative stage. We can expect that Whole Heart MRCA is established as noninvasive methods for screening for IHD. (author)

Place Marketing. Cluj-Napoca City Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Tudor LAZĂR

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, places have become like businesses. Forces such as globalization and the new 21st century technology lead to the mobility of the resources. In this newly created situation places found themselves in a position of competing with each other. In order to face this competition places incorporate new concepts such as “marketing” into their development strategies. Concepts such as ‘place competition’, ‘distinguish and competitive advantages of the place’, ‘the brand of the place’ and ‘co-branding’ are key aspects discussed in this paper regarding the case of Cluj-Napoca. In this study we focus on elaborating this key aspects of place marketing from the citizens’ perception. We asked the citizens about their perception concerning: the most representative city brands, the importance of these brands in promoting the city’s image, the differences between their city and others and their perception towards the existence of place competition.

[Study of biometric identification of heart sound base on Mel-Frequency cepstrum coefficient].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wei; Zhao, Yihua; Lei, Sheng; Zhao, Zikai; Pan, Min

2012-12-01

Heart sound is a physiological parameter with individual characteristics generated by heart beat. To do the individual classification and recognition, in this paper, we present our study of using wavelet transform in the signal denoising, with the Mel-Frequency cepstrum coefficients (MFCC) as the feature parameters, and propose a research of reducing the dimensionality through principal components analysis (PCA). We have done the preliminary study to test the feasibility of biometric identification method using heart sound. The results showed that under the selected experimental conditions, the system could reach a 90% recognition rate. This study can provide a reference for further research.

Experiences of Patients Living With Heart Failure: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Seah, Alvin Chuen Wei; Tan, Khoon Kiat; Huang Gan, Juvena Chew; Wang, Wenru

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences, needs, and coping strategies of patients living with heart failure in Singapore. A descriptive qualitative design was used. A purposive sample of 15 informants was recruited from two cardiology wards of a tertiary public hospital in Singapore. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with a semistructured interview guideline that was developed based on a review of the literature and a pilot study. Content analysis was adopted to analyze the data, and four main categories were identified: perceived causes, manifestations, and prognosis; enduring emotions; managing the condition; and needs from health care professionals. The informants were overwhelmed with the experience of living with heart failure due to the disruptive and uncertain nature of the condition. This study offers health care professionals practical and useful suggestions when providing holistic care for patients with heart failure. © The Author(s) 2015.

Epidemiological Study of Heart Failure in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Guo

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Heart failure (HF is a complex clinical syndrome that results from any structural or functional impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of blood. HF is one of the most important and severe end stages of many cardiovascular diseases. Epidemiological studies of HF have focused mainly on the prevalence, incidence, mortality, fatality, and distribution and temporal trends of these indicators among different populations. This review highlights important epidemiological studies of HF in China.

Self reported stress and risk of breast cancer: prospective cohort study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Naja Rod; Zhang, Zuo-Feng; Kristensen, Tage S

2005-01-01

cancer, and impairment of oestrogen synthesis induced by chronic stress may explain a lower incidence of breast cancer in women with high stress. Impairment of normal body function should not, however, be considered a healthy response, and the cumulative health consequences of stress may......OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between self reported intensity and frequency of stress and first time incidence of primary breast cancer. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with 18 years of follow-up. SETTING: Copenhagen City heart study, Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: The 6689 women participating...... in the Copenhagen City heart study were asked about their perceived level of stress at baseline in 1981-3. These women were followed until 1999 in the Danish nationwide cancer registry, with

Motivational Interviewing Tailored Interventions for Heart Failure (MITI-HF): study design and methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Masterson Creber, Ruth; Patey, Megan; Dickson, Victoria Vaughan; DeCesaris, Marissa; Riegel, Barbara

2015-03-01

Lack of engagement in self-care is common among patients needing to follow a complex treatment regimen, especially patients with heart failure who are affected by comorbidity, disability and side effects of poly-pharmacy. The purpose of Motivational Interviewing Tailored Interventions for Heart Failure (MITI-HF) is to test the feasibility and comparative efficacy of an MI intervention on self-care, acute heart failure physical symptoms and quality of life. We are conducting a brief, nurse-led motivational interviewing randomized controlled trial to address behavioral and motivational issues related to heart failure self-care. Participants in the intervention group receive home and phone-based motivational interviewing sessions over 90-days and those in the control group receive care as usual. Participants in both groups receive patient education materials. The primary study outcome is change in self-care maintenance from baseline to 90-days. This article presents the study design, methods, plans for statistical analysis and descriptive characteristics of the study sample for MITI-HF. Study findings will contribute to the literature on the efficacy of motivational interviewing to promote heart failure self-care. We anticipate that using an MI approach can help patients with heart failure focus on their internal motivation to change in a non-confrontational, patient-centered and collaborative way. It also affirms their ability to practice competent self-care relevant to their personal health goals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HEART OF MYTH – HEART OF SCIENCE Part I

Science.gov (United States)

Bound Alberti, Fay

2015-01-01

This article explores the history and meanings of the heart and its diseases as aspects of the histories of science and emotion. Analyzing the twofold meanings of the heart as both bodily object and cultural symbol, it explores the reasons for the apparent conflict in meanings of the heart of science and the heart of emotion in Western medical culture since the 19th century. In Part I, a case study of the writer, economist, and philosopher Harriet Martineau is used to demonstrate and trace that conflict, while Part II highlights the manifold meanings of the heart both in the past and in the present. PMID:26167117

Zero emission city. Preliminary study; Null-Emissions-Stadt. Sondierungsstudie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diefenbach, N; Enseling, A; Werner, P; Flade, A; Greiff, R; Hennings, D; Muehlich, E; Wullkopf, U; Sturm, P; Kieslich, W; Born, R; Grossklos, M; Hatteh, R; Mueller, K; Ratschow, A; Valouch-Fornoff, C

2002-10-01

The idea of a 'zero emission city' is investigated by the Institut Wohnen und Umwelt on behalf of the Federal Minister of Education and Research. After describing the current situation and defining the key parameters of a 'zero emission city', settlement structures, power supply, production processes and transportation are analyzed and linked with the communal action level to obtain a framework for research, activities and actions. The study ends with recommendations for a research programme 'zero emission city'. (orig.) [German] Die von den Staedten der Industrielaender ausgehenden Emissionen stellen im Hinblick auf die globalen Belastungen wie z.B. Treibhauseffekt, Ozonabbau und Versauerung das Hauptproblem dar. Aus diesem Grunde bietet es sich an, den Gedanken der 'Null-Emissions-Stadt', der Vision einer moeglichst emissionsfreien Stadt, aufzugreifen und auf seine Tragfaehigkeit fuer innovative Handlungsmodelle forschungsstrategisch zu ueberpruefen. Das Bundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung hat das Institut Wohnen und Umwelt beauftragt, in einer Sondierungsstudie dieser Fragestellung nachzugehen. Nach der Festlegung der Ausgangsbedingungen und Eckpunkte der Vision 'Null-Emissions-Stadt' und der Analyse der vier Handlungsfelder Siedlungsstrukturen, Energieversorgung, Produktionsprozesse (Kreislaufwirtschaft) und Verkehr werden diese aufgegriffen und mit der kommunalen Handlungsebene verknuepft und zu einem Forschungs-, Handlungs- und moeglichen Aktionsrahmen zusammengefuegt. Die Studie schliesst mit Hinweisen fuer die Gestaltung eines Forschungsprogramms 'Null-Emissions-Stadt'. (orig.)

Effect of biventricular pacing on heart function evaluated by gated blood pool study in patients with end-stage heart failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cholewinski, W.; Tarkowska, A.; Stefaniak, B.; Poniatowicz-Frasunek, E.; Kutarski, A.; Oleszczak, K.

2002-01-01

Biventricular cardiac pacing has been used as a complementary form of therapy in patients with severe heart failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the synchronous stimulation of both ventricles on the heart function measured by gated blood pool study (GBP). Ten patients (9 men and 1 woman aged 53-74 years) with end-stage heart failure (HF) were studied. In all patients long-term biventricular pacing (BV) was applied. The obtained results were compared with single-chamber stimulation in 5 patients and with sinus rhythm (SR) in 8 patients. All patients underwent repeated GBP with RBC labelled with 740 MBq of 99m Tc-pertechnetate. The LVEF was calculated according to the standard method based on the count rates. Phase analysis was performed with the standard method using first Fourier element. Clinically in almost all patients moderate to important symptomatic improvement has been observed. The analysis of LVEF values revealed that BV pacing resulted in significantly higher values only in comparison with SR (21.6% ±10.3 v. 20.1% ± 10.1; p o± 29.6 v. 13.4 o± 37.6 and 7.4 o± 26.5 v. 6.0 o± 17.1, respectively). However, in comparison with LV pacing, BV stimulation revealed a change of dominant conduction abnormalities with a delay of RV contraction in relation to LV (9.0 o± 17.5 v. -3.0 o± 11.4). Biventricular pacing results in slight improvement of LVEF in patients with heart failure and can be considered a promising approach in patients with end-stage heart failure. Synchronous stimulation of both ventricles not always results in decrease of interventricular shift, however that observation requires further studies on a larger population. (author)

Sustainability study of domestic communal wastewater treatment plant in Surabaya City

Science.gov (United States)

Bahar, E.; Sudarno; Zaman, B.

2017-06-01

Sanitation is one of the critical infrastructure sectors in order to improve community health status. The Ministry of Public Works of the Republic of Indonesia to define that word sanitation include: domestic waste water management, solid waste management, rain water management (drainage management) as well as the provision of clean water. Surabaya city as the capital of East Java province and Indonesia’s second largest city with a population of 2,853,661 inhabitants in 2014 (the second largest after Jakarta), but the people who have been served by the sanitation infrastructure systems were expected at 176,105 families or about 26.95 % of the population of the city is already using sanitation facilities. In the White Book Sanitation of Surabaya City in 2010, Surabaya City sanitation development mission is to realize the wastewater management of settlements in a sustainable and affordable by the community. This study aims to assess the sustainability of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) domestic communal in the city of Surabaya. The method in this research is quantitative method through observation, structured interviews and laboratory testing of the variables analyzed. Analyses were performed using a technique Multidisciplinary rapid appraisal (Rap-fish) to determine the level of sustainability of the management of communal WWTP based on a number of attributes that easy scored. Attributes of each dimension includes the technical, environmental quality, institutional, economic, and social. The results of this study are sustainability index of environmental quality dimension at 84.32 with highly sustainable status, technical dimension at 62.61 with fairly sustainable status, social dimension at 57.98 with fairly sustainable status, economic dimension at 43.24 with less sustainable status, and institutional dimension at 39.67 with less sustainable status.

Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS) Fact Sheet

Science.gov (United States)

In fall 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Kansas City Transportation Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS) to learn more about local community air quality in three neighborhoods in Kansas City, KS.

Verification of rubidium-82 for heart studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budinger, T.F.; Yano, Y.; Twitchell, J.A.; Brennan, K.M.

1985-01-01

Whereas 82 Rb has been shown to reflect heart blood-flow under normal circumstances and has the great benefit of being available from a noncyclotron source, there remains a question with regard to the physiology of rubidium transport into the heart muscle. The fraction of the amount of the rubidium tracer that goes into the heart varies with flow, and, unfortunately, the amount that accumulates in the muscle will not therefore be proportional to flow. Over the past three years, the authors have re-evaluated this question and determined that the uptake of rubidium in the myocardium follows a simple model of conservation of mass wherein the amount that is present is equal to the product of flow times extraction

Medical costs in patients with heart failure after acute heart failure events: one-year follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Eugene; Kwon, Hye-Young; Baek, Sang Hong; Lee, Haeyoung; Yoo, Byung-Su; Kang, Seok-Min; Ahn, Youngkeun; Yang, Bong-Min

2018-03-01

This study investigated annual medical costs using real-world data focusing on acute heart failure. The data were retrospectively collected from six tertiary hospitals in South Korea. Overall, 330 patients who were hospitalized for acute heart failure between January 2011 and July 2012 were selected. Data were collected on their follow-up medical visits for 1 year, including medical costs incurred toward treatment. Those who died within the observational period or who had no records of follow-up visits were excluded. Annual per patient medical costs were estimated according to the type of medical services, and factors contributing to the costs using Gamma Generalized Linear Models (GLM) with log link were analyzed. On average, total annual medical costs for each patient were USD 6,199 (±9,675), with hospitalization accounting for 95% of the total expenses. Hospitalization cost USD 5,904 (±9,666) per patient. Those who are re-admitted have 88.5% higher medical expenditure than those who have not been re-admitted in 1 year, and patients using intensive care units have 19.6% higher expenditure than those who do not. When the number of hospital days increased by 1 day, medical expenses increased by 6.7%. Outpatient drug costs were not included. There is a possibility that medical expenses for AHF may have been under-estimated. It was found that hospitalization resulted in substantial costs for treatment of heart failure in South Korea, especially in patients with an acute heart failure event. Prevention strategies and appropriate management programs that would reduce both frequency of hospitalization and length of stay for patients with the underlying risk of heart failure are needed.

Exploratory study into the awareness of heart diseases among Emirati women (UAE) and their health seeking behaviour- a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Sarah; Khoory, Ayesha; Al Zaffin, Dhabia; Al Suwaidi, Meera

2016-11-07

Cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death in women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2010. The UAE is expected to experience a tripling of heart diseases in the next two decades as risk factors for heart diseases increase. Research shows that first year survival rates of younger women suffering from a heart attack are lower than in men. Women present with a wider range of symptoms for heart diseases than men; non-recognition of atypical symptoms may explain the delay in seeking treatment and poor prognosis following heart diseases in women. No known study on awareness of heart diseases among women has been carried out in the Middle Eastern region. Social constructionist and interpretivist epistemological approaches have been considered in this qualitative study to explore the awareness of heart diseases and the health seeking behavior of Emirati women. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 41 Emirati women. Three focus groups and six in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain data. Thematic content analysis was applied to the data following transcription and translation of recordings. Emirati women had limited knowledge on heart diseases. Women were generally unaware of the atypical symptoms, commonly experienced by women however they identified most risk factors associated with heart diseases. Lack of awareness of disease severity and symptoms, sociocultural influences and distrust in the healthcare system were considered the main barriers to seeking prompt treatment. This study clearly identified gaps and inaccuracies in knowledge of heart diseases, which could contribute to delayed health seeking action and possibly poorer prognosis among Emirati women. Absence of initiatives to educate women on cardiovascular diseases in UAE has erroneously deemed it a less serious concern among Emirati women. The findings from this study provide clear indications of the need to increase accountability of the healthcare system and to

Valvular Heart Disease in Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe MC Rosano

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Structural valvular heart disease may be the cause of heart failure or may worsen the clinical status of patients with heart failure. Heart failure may also develop in patients treated with valve surgery. Patients with heart failure with valvular heart disease are at increased risk of events including sudden cardiac death. Before considering intervention (surgical or percutaneous all patients should receive appropriate medical and device therapy taking into account that vasodilators must be used with caution in patients with severe aortic stenosis. Numerous percutaneous and/or hybrid procedures have been introduced in the past few years and they are changing the management of valvular heart disease. In patients with heart failure and valvular heart disease, either primary or functional, the whole process of decision-making should be staged through a comprehensive evaluation of the risk– benefit ratio of different treatment strategies and should be made by a multidisciplinary ‘heart team’ with a particular expertise in valvular heart disease. The heart team should include heart failure cardiologists, cardiac surgeons/structural valve interventionists, imaging specialists, anaesthetists, geriatricians and intensive care specialists. This article will review recent developments and distill practical guidance in the management of this important heart failure co-morbidity.

Medan City: Informality and the Historical Global City

Science.gov (United States)

Sudarmadji, N.; Tyaghita, B.; Astuti, P. T.; Etleen, D.

2018-05-01

As projected by UN that two-thirds of Indonesia’s population will live in urban areas by 2050, rapid urbanization is happening in Indonesian cities. Initial research on eight Indonesian Cities (which includes Medan, Jatinegara, Bandung, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan, and Manado) by Tunas Nusa Foundation since 2012 shows that urbanization of each city has happened throughout history creating cultural, economic, and environmental networks that are distinct from one city to another. While the networks remain until today and continuously shapes the urban agglomeration pattern, not all parts of the city could undergo subsequent development that confirms the existing pattern, leading to the creation informality. Nor could it make future planning that comprehends the nature of its integrated urban dynamic beyond its current administrative authority. In this paper, we would like to share our study for Medan, North Sumatra as it shows a portrait of a city with a long relationship to a global network since the Maritime trade era. Medan has become home to many ethnic groups which have sailed and migrated as part of a global economic agenda creating a strong economic network between port cities along the Malacca Strait. The city has kept its role in the global economic network until today, to name a few, becoming the frontier for the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle. While we celebrate Medan’s potential to become a global city with major infrastructure development as well as cultural assets as its advantage in the future, we argue that microscale cohesion supported by government policy in agreed planning documents are fundamental for the city to thrive amidst the challenges it is facing. Yet, these cultural assets, as well as micro scale cohesion in Medan City today, are still undermined. Thus, informality in Medan exists as result of ignorance and marginalization of certain socio-cultural groups, abandoning places and identity, as well as the

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR POTASSIUM IODIDE (KI) DISTRIBUTION IN NEW YORK CITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MOSS, STEVEN

2005-01-01

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Bureau of Environmental Science and Engineering, Office of Radiological Health (ORH) [as the primary local technical consultant in the event of a radiological or nuclear incident within the boundaries of New York City] requested the assistance of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with the development of a Feasibility Study for Potassium Iodide (KI) distribution in the unlikely event of a significant release of radioactive iodine in or near New York City. Brookhaven National Laboratory had previously provided support for New York City with the development of the radiological/nuclear portions of its All Hazards Emergency Response Plans. The work is funded by Medical and Health Research Association (MHRA) of New York City, Inc., under a work grant by the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for Public Health Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism. This report is part of the result of that effort. The conclusions of this report are that: (1) There is no credible radiological scenario that would prompt the need for large segments of the general population of New York City to take KI as a result of a projected plume exposure to radioiodine reaching even the lowest threshold of 5 rem to the thyroid; and (2) KI should be stockpiled in amounts and locations sufficient for use by first responders/emergency responders in response to any localized release of radioiodine

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR POTASSIUM IODIDE (KI) DISTRIBUTION IN NEW YORK CITY.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MOSS, STEVEN

2005-04-29

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Bureau of Environmental Science and Engineering, Office of Radiological Health (ORH) [as the primary local technical consultant in the event of a radiological or nuclear incident within the boundaries of New York City] requested the assistance of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with the development of a Feasibility Study for Potassium Iodide (KI) distribution in the unlikely event of a significant release of radioactive iodine in or near New York City. Brookhaven National Laboratory had previously provided support for New York City with the development of the radiological/nuclear portions of its All Hazards Emergency Response Plans. The work is funded by Medical and Health Research Association (MHRA) of New York City, Inc., under a work grant by the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for Public Health Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism. This report is part of the result of that effort. The conclusions of this report are that: (1) There is no credible radiological scenario that would prompt the need for large segments of the general population of New York City to take KI as a result of a projected plume exposure to radioiodine reaching even the lowest threshold of 5 rem to the thyroid; and (2) KI should be stockpiled in amounts and locations sufficient for use by first responders/emergency responders in response to any localized release of radioiodine.

Influence of exposure differences on city-to-city heterogeneity in PM2.5-mortality associations in US cities

Science.gov (United States)

Multi-city population-based epidemiological studies have observed heterogeneity between city-specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-mortality effect estimates. These studies typically use ambient monitoring data as a surrogate for exposure leading to potential exposure misclass...

Urban ergonomics: an ongoing study of city signs and maps.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Patricia; Arezes, Pedro

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to assess whether the existing signals in three European cities were developed according usability principles and ergonomic aspects for the citizen. City maps and signals will be tested using efficiency, effectiveness and user's satisfaction criteria. Among the urban areas are the center of Paris-FR, assumed to be well signalized, the historical center of Guimarães-PT and Chorweiler, Cologne-DE, a residential neighborhood of modern urbanism characterized by the extensive use of vegetation, the landscape homogeneity, and, consequently, by the difficult navigation.

Prenatal chromosomal microarray analysis in fetuses with congenital heart disease: a prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Cao, Li; Liang, Dong; Meng, Lulu; Wu, Yun; Qiao, Fengchang; Ji, Xiuqing; Luo, Chunyu; Zhang, Jingjing; Xu, Tianhui; Yu, Bin; Wang, Leilei; Wang, Ting; Pan, Qiong; Ma, Dingyuan; Hu, Ping; Xu, Zhengfeng

2018-02-01

Currently, chromosomal microarray analysis is considered the first-tier test in pediatric care and prenatal diagnosis. However, the diagnostic yield of chromosomal microarray analysis for prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease has not been evaluated based on a large cohort. Our aim was to evaluate the clinical utility of chromosomal microarray as the first-tier test for chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with congenital heart disease. In this prospective study, 602 prenatal cases of congenital heart disease were investigated using single nucleotide polymorphism array over a 5-year period. Overall, pathogenic chromosomal abnormalities were identified in 125 (20.8%) of 602 prenatal cases of congenital heart disease, with 52.0% of them being numerical chromosomal abnormalities. The detection rates of likely pathogenic copy number variations and variants of uncertain significance were 1.3% and 6.0%, respectively. The detection rate of pathogenic chromosomal abnormalities in congenital heart disease plus additional structural anomalies (48.9% vs 14.3%, P congenital heart disease group. Additionally, the detection rate in congenital heart disease with additional structural anomalies group was significantly higher than that in congenital heart disease with soft markers group (48.9% vs 19.8%, P congenital heart disease with additional structural anomalies and congenital heart disease with intrauterine growth retardation groups (48.9% vs 50.0%), congenital heart disease with soft markers and congenital heart disease with intrauterine growth retardation groups (19.8% vs 50.0%), or congenital heart disease with soft markers and isolated congenital heart disease groups (19.8% vs 14.3%). The detection rate in fetuses with congenital heart disease plus mild ventriculomegaly was significantly higher than in those with other types of soft markers (50.0% vs 15.6%, P congenital heart disease in clinical practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Effect of Educating Self Care Behavior of Heart failure Patients on Economy of Health

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Maryam Seraji

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Heart disease is the most costly reason for hospitalization. The purpose of this research was evaluation of the influence of teaching self care behavior for heart failure patients on economy of health in hospitals in the city of Zahedan of Iran in the year 2012.This study was quasi-experimental with a control group in the CCU and Post CCU wards of the hospitals of the city of Zahedan in 2012. The patients were randomly and conveniently placed in two groups of intervention (70 individuals and control (70. The intervention group received an educational package and three months after discharge, both groups were evaluated using interview and phone follow-up as well as coding system (HIS, frequency of admissions and clinic visits and expenditures partaken. Next using descriptive and analytic statistical tests and the SPSS software version 18, the data was analyzed. the results showed that in the intervention group the percent of attendance to the clinic for health check up on an outpatient basis (visit and EKG was 25% in three months before intervention and reached 41/6% at three months after intervention. Percent hospitalization in the CCU three months before intervention was 33/3% and reached 13/3% at three months after intervention and the percent change was 20%. Self care teaching program for patients with Heart failureleads to decreased hospitalization and as a result decreased treatment expenditures

False Heart Rate Feedback and the Perception of Heart Symptoms in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease and Anxiety

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karsdorp, Petra A.; Kindt, Merel; Rietveld, Simon; Everaerd, Walter; Mulder, Barbara J. M.

2009-01-01

Background Little is known about the mechanisms explaining an increased perception of heart symptoms in congenital heart disease (ConHD). In the present study, it was suggested that a combination of high trait anxiety and disease history increases the perception of heart symptoms. Purpose It was

False heart rate feedback and the perception of heart symptoms in patients with congenital heart disease and anxiety

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Karsdorp, P.A.; Kindt, M.; Rietveld, S.; Everaerd, W.; Mulder, B.J.M.

2009-01-01

Background: Little is known about the mechanisms explaining an increased perception of heart symptoms in congenital heart disease (ConHD). In the present study, it was suggested that a combination of high trait anxiety and disease history increases the perception of heart symptoms. Purpose: It was

Heart Health - Brave Heart

Science.gov (United States)

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Cover Story Heart Health Brave Heart Past Issues / Winter 2009 Table of Contents For ... you can have a good life after a heart attack." Lifestyle Changes Surviving—and thriving—after such ...

Zero emission city. Preliminary study; Null-Emissions-Stadt. Sondierungsstudie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diefenbach, N.; Enseling, A.; Werner, P.; Flade, A.; Greiff, R.; Hennings, D.; Muehlich, E.; Wullkopf, U.; Sturm, P.; Kieslich, W.; Born, R.; Grossklos, M.; Hatteh, R.; Mueller, K.; Ratschow, A.; Valouch-Fornoff, C.

2002-10-01

The idea of a 'zero emission city' is investigated by the Institut Wohnen und Umwelt on behalf of the Federal Minister of Education and Research. After describing the current situation and defining the key parameters of a 'zero emission city', settlement structures, power supply, production processes and transportation are analyzed and linked with the communal action level to obtain a framework for research, activities and actions. The study ends with recommendations for a research programme 'zero emission city'. (orig.) [German] Die von den Staedten der Industrielaender ausgehenden Emissionen stellen im Hinblick auf die globalen Belastungen wie z.B. Treibhauseffekt, Ozonabbau und Versauerung das Hauptproblem dar. Aus diesem Grunde bietet es sich an, den Gedanken der 'Null-Emissions-Stadt', der Vision einer moeglichst emissionsfreien Stadt, aufzugreifen und auf seine Tragfaehigkeit fuer innovative Handlungsmodelle forschungsstrategisch zu ueberpruefen. Das Bundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung hat das Institut Wohnen und Umwelt beauftragt, in einer Sondierungsstudie dieser Fragestellung nachzugehen. Nach der Festlegung der Ausgangsbedingungen und Eckpunkte der Vision 'Null-Emissions-Stadt' und der Analyse der vier Handlungsfelder Siedlungsstrukturen, Energieversorgung, Produktionsprozesse (Kreislaufwirtschaft) und Verkehr werden diese aufgegriffen und mit der kommunalen Handlungsebene verknuepft und zu einem Forschungs-, Handlungs- und moeglichen Aktionsrahmen zusammengefuegt. Die Studie schliesst mit Hinweisen fuer die Gestaltung eines Forschungsprogramms 'Null-Emissions-Stadt'. (orig.)

Rethinking urban space in cities - A study of parks in Hyderabad, India

Science.gov (United States)

Shrinagesh, B.; Markandey, Kalpana

2016-06-01

Urban areas being economically diversified attract large streams of migrants making for a burgeoning population. This is more prevalent in the developing countries. The concomitants of this are high density, heavy traffic movement and increased pollution levels. To reduce the stressful life of city dwellers it is important to have open spaces, where one can pursue leisure time activities a few removes from clutter. A public space is a space that is generally open and accessible to people. Roads, public parks, libraries etc, are typically considered public space. The term ‘public space’ is also often misconstrued to mean other things such as ‘gathering place’, which is an element of the larger concept of social space. Hyderabad, the historical city is the capital of Telangana, India and extends from longitude 78o23’ to 78o33’E and latitude of 17o17’ to 17o31’N. It is the second largest city in terms of area and fifth largest in terms of population. It is one of the fastest growing cities in India. There is a huge influx of people from other states in search of better opportunities. The main objectives of the study are; to study the sprawl and changing demographic structure of the city of Hyderabad, to study the accessibility of parks, to study the need for the emergence of a local public sphere. The data base will be mainly on secondary data collected from various government sources. A primary survey will be conducted based on a structured questionnaire. GIS and other mapping techniques will be applied to analyse the data.

Reliability of heart rate mobile apps in young healthy adults: exploratory study and research directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Parpinel

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Recently, a number of smartphone apps appeared that allow for heart rate measurements basing on the photoplethysmography principle. In fact, almost every smartphone now has a camera with flash that could be used for that. Some studies appeared on the reliability of some of those apps, with heterogeneous results. Objectives: The present study aims at adding up evidence in particular during physical activity, by comparing 3 apps on two different platforms (IOs and Android, on a broad range of heart rates. As gold standard, heart rate has been measured with a traditional heart rate monitor. Results: The results suggest that heart rate apps might be used for measuring heart rate for fitness aims for many individuals, but further research is needed to i analyse influence of smartphone features; ii identify personal factors hindering measurements, and iii verify reliability on different measurement sites.

A STUDY ON THE INTRODUCTION OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IN ASIAN DEVELOPING CITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thaned SATIENNAM

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Bus Rapid Transit (BRT has increasingly become an attractive urban transit alternative in many Asian developing cities due to its cost-effective and flexible implementation. However, it still seems to be difficult to introduce BRT to these cities because almost all of their city structures have been developed under solely a road transport development city plan and weakness of land use control gives rise to many problems, such as urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and air pollution. The purpose of this study was to introduce several strategies to support BRT implementation in Asian developing cities, such as a strategy to appropriately integrate the paratransit system into BRT system as being a feeder along a BRT corridor to supply demand. These proposed strategies were evaluated by applying demand forecasting and emission models to the BRT project plan of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA in Thailand. It was demonstrated that the proposed strategies could effectively improve the BRT ridership, traffic conditions, and air pollution emission of the entire system in Bangkok. This study could be further extended to include strategy recommendation if a BRT system were to be introduced to other Asian developing cities.

Shifting corporate geographies in global cities of the South: Mexico City and Johannesburg as case studie

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Parnreiter, Christof

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Global city research links the expansion of advanced producer services in major cities to the internationalisation of real estate markets as well as to the spread of (mainly high-rise office complexes. This research, however, has based its findings mainly on cases of the Global North. This paper examines, based on Grant and Nijman’s (2002 suggestion that the “internal spatial organisation of gateway cities in the less-developed world” reflects “the city’s role in the global political economy”, which patterns occur in two metropoles of the Global South. In addition to this, the analysis focuses especially on the driving forces behind the changes in corporate geographies. The analysis is placed in Mexico City and Johannesburg and based on real estate market data (offices as well as background documents on urban development. The outcome shows that in these cities, local transformation processes of the real estate market and office space location are indeed considerably shaped by global market dynamics. However, the findings also indicate that there is no clear scale dependence of the territorial form. In order to comprehensively understand the changes in the corporate geographies therefore, it is necessary to direct more attention to local and national dynamics. The restructuring of the built environment in both cities can only be grasped fully by considering the particular role of local and national governments. This additional entry point to an understanding of shifting corporate geographies helps to put recent dynamics of global capitalism and politics of urban neoliberalism in perspective.

The Heart of the City : Continuity and Complexity of an urban design concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zuccaro Marchi, L.

2013-01-01

The “Heart of the City” theme is proposed by the MARS group as title of the 8th Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM), held in Hoddesdon, England, from the 7th to the 14th of July 1951. Two opposite urban conditions are considered by Sert, President of CIAM, as main issues which the

Participation in Heart-Healthy Behaviors: A Secondary Analysis of the American Heart Association Go Red Heart Match Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Arslanian-Engoren, Cynthia; Eastwood, Jo-Ann; De Jong, Marla J; Berra, Kathy

2015-01-01

The American Heart Association created Go Red Heart Match, a free and secure online program that enables women to connect with each other to fight heart disease either personally or as a caregiver for someone with heart disease. Through these connections, participants have an opportunity to develop a personal, private, and supportive relationship with other women; share common experiences; and motivate and encourage each other to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle. The aims of this study were to describe the demographic characteristics of the Go Red Heart Match responders and to determine whether participation in the program prompted participants to engage in heart-healthy behaviors. A secondary analysis of data collected as part of a needs assessment survey from the American Heart Association Go Red Heart Match was conducted. A total of 117 (35%) of the 334 invited women completed the survey. Most responders were female, married, and college educated. A total of 105 (90%) responders were diagnosed with a type of heart disease or stroke and 77 (73%) responders had undergone treatment. As a result of participating in the program, 75% of the responders reported the following improvements in heart-healthy behaviors: eating a more heart-healthy diet (54%), exercising more frequently (53%), losing weight (47%), and quitting smoking (10%). Responders who had a diagnosis of heart attack (n = 48) were more likely (P = .003) to quit smoking than were those with other diagnoses (n = 69). Notably, 48% of responders reported encouraging someone else in their life to speak to their doctor about their risk for heart disease. Most women who participated in Heart Match reported engaging in new heart-healthy behaviors. The findings support expanding the existing program in a more diverse population as a potentially important way to reach women and encourage cardiovascular disease risk reduction for those with heart disease and stroke.

Frequency and changes in trends of leading risk factors of coronary heart disease in women in the city of Novi Sad during a 20-year period

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Rakić Dušica

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Backround/Aim. From 1984 to 2004 the city of Novi Sad participated through its Health Center “Novi Sad” in the international Multinational MONItoring of Trends and Determinants in CArdiovascular Disease (MONICA project, as one of the 38 research centers in 21 countries around the world. The aim of this study was to determine frequency and changes of trends in leading risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD and to analyze the previous trend of movement of coronary event in women in Novi Sad during a 20- year period. Methods. In 2004, the fourth survey within MONICA project was conducted in the city of Novi Sad. The representative sample included 1,041 women between the age of 25 and 74. The prevalence of risk factors in CHD such as smoking, high blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol, elevated blood glucose and obesity was determined. Also, indicators of risk factors and rates of coronary events in women were compared with the results from MONICA project obtained in previous three screens, as well as with the results from other research centres. χ2-test, linear trend and correlartion coefficient were used in statistical analysis of results obtained. Results. It was observed that during a 20-year period covered by the study, the prevalence of the leading risk factors for the development of CHD in the surveyed women was significantly increasing and in positive correlation with the values of linear trend. Also, the increase of morbidity rates and mortality rates of coronary event were in positive correlation. The decrease was only recorded in the period from 1985-1989 (the implementation of the intervention programme. Conclusion. Upon analysing the increase in prevalence of leading risk factors of CHD and significant increase in the rates of coronary event, we can conclude that health status of women in Novi Sad during a 20-year period was deteriorating.

Wastewater Management in Third World Cities: Case Study of Cotonou, Benin

OpenAIRE

Hounkpe, Sena; Adjovi, Edmond; Crapper, Martin; Awuah, Esi

2014-01-01

Poor wastewater management coupled with lack of sanitation facilities has aggravated the sanitation challenges in developing countries. This study was aimed at providing information on the current state of sanitation in Cotonou City through surveys. The most common sanitation facilities in the city were septic tanks, latrines and soakaway pits. Mechanical desulging was mainly used (94%) for desludging latrines and septic tanks with a frequency of less than once a year for 73% of the houses; m...

Radiation-induced heart injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Yoshihiko; Niibe, Hideo

1975-01-01

In order to identify radiation-induced heart injury and to differentiate it from heart disease, an attempt was made to clarify post-irradiation heart injury by investigating the histological changes which occur during the internal between the irradiation and the time of demonstrable histological changes. A study was made of 83 autopsies in which most of the primary neoplasms were breast cancers, lung cancers and mediastinal tumors. In 43 of these autopsies the heart had been irradiated. Sixty eight dd-strain mice were also used for microautoradiographic study. Histological changes in the heart were observed in 27 of the 43 cases receiving irradiation. The limit of the tolerance dose to the heart for indicating histological changes was 1220 ret in humans. The latent period without histological changes was 2.7 months after initiation of radiation therapy. Greater heart injury was observed after re-irradiation or after the combined therapy of radiation and chemotherapy especially mitomycin (MMC). The histological findings after treatment with MMC were similar to those of radiation-induced heart injury. Results of the study indicate that the damage is secondary to radiation-induced changes of the vascula connective tissue. (Evans, G.)

Exploratory study into awareness of heart disease and health care seeking behavior among Emirati women (UAE) - Cross sectional descriptive study.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Sarah; Ali, Syed Adnan

2017-09-26

Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death among women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2010. Heart attacks usually happen in older women thus symptoms of heart disease may be masked by symptoms of chronic diseases, which could explain the delay in seeking health care and higher mortality following an ischaemic episode among women. This study seeks to a) highlight the awareness of heart diseases among Emirati women and b) to understand Emirati women's health care seeking behaviour in UAE. A cross sectional, descriptive study was conducted using a survey instrument adapted from the American Heart Association National survey. A convenience sample of 676 Emirati women between the ages of 18-55 years completed the questionnaire. The study showed low levels of awareness of heart disease and associated risk factors in Emirati women; only 19.4% participants were found to be aware of heart diseases. Awareness levels were highest in Dubai (OR 2.18, p < 0.05) among all the other emirates and in the 18-45 years age group (OR 2.74, p < 0.05). Despite low awareness levels, women paradoxically perceived themselves to be self-efficacious in seeking health care. Interestingly, just 49.1% Emirati women believed that good quality and affordable health care was available in the UAE. Only 28.8% of the participants believed there were sufficient female doctors to respond to health needs of women in UAE. Furthermore, only 36.7% Emirati women chose to be treated in the UAE over treatment in other countries. Emirati women clearly lack the knowledge on severity and vulnerability to heart disease in the region that is essential to improve cardiovascular related health outcomes. This study has identified the need for wider outreach that focuses on gender and age specific awareness on heart disease risks and symptoms. The study has also highlighted potential modifiable barriers in seeking health care that should be overcome to reduce morbidity and mortality due to heart

Survival analysis of heart failure patients: A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Tanvir; Munir, Assia; Bhatti, Sajjad Haider; Aftab, Muhammad; Raza, Muhammad Ali

2017-01-01

This study was focused on survival analysis of heart failure patients who were admitted to Institute of Cardiology and Allied hospital Faisalabad-Pakistan during April-December (2015). All the patients were aged 40 years or above, having left ventricular systolic dysfunction, belonging to NYHA class III and IV. Cox regression was used to model mortality considering age, ejection fraction, serum creatinine, serum sodium, anemia, platelets, creatinine phosphokinase, blood pressure, gender, diabetes and smoking status as potentially contributing for mortality. Kaplan Meier plot was used to study the general pattern of survival which showed high intensity of mortality in the initial days and then a gradual increase up to the end of study. Martingale residuals were used to assess functional form of variables. Results were validated computing calibration slope and discrimination ability of model via bootstrapping. For graphical prediction of survival probability, a nomogram was constructed. Age, renal dysfunction, blood pressure, ejection fraction and anemia were found as significant risk factors for mortality among heart failure patients.

Transnational city carbon footprint networks – Exploring carbon links between Australian and Chinese cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Guangwu; Wiedmann, Thomas; Wang, Yafei; Hadjikakou, Michalis

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A trans-national, multi-region input-output analysis for cities is presented. • We examine the carbon footprint network of ten cities. • The balance of emissions embodied in trade discloses a hierarchy of responsibility. • We model how emissions reductions spread through the city carbon networks. • Implications on the Chinese and Australian carbon trading schemes are discussed. - Abstract: Cities are leading actions against climate change through global networks. More than 360 global cities announced during the 2015 Paris Climate Conference that the collective impact of their commitments will deliver over half of the world’s urban greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2020. Previous studies on multi-city carbon footprint networks using sub-national, multi-region input-output (MRIO) modelling have identified additional opportunities for addressing the negative impacts of climate change through joint actions between cities within a country. However, similar links between city carbon footprints have not yet been studied across countries. In this study we focus on inter-city and inter-country carbon flows between two trading partners in a first attempt to address this gap. We construct a multi-scale, global MRIO model to describe a transnational city carbon footprint network among five Chinese megacities and the five largest Australian capital cities. First, we quantify city carbon footprints by sectors and regions. Based on the carbon map concept we show how local emissions reductions influence other regions’ carbon footprints. We then present a city emissions ’outsourcing hierarchy’ based on the balance of emissions embodied in intercity and international trade. The differences between cities and their position in the hierarchy emphasize the need for a bespoke treatment of their responsibilities towards climate change mitigation. Finally, we evaluate and discuss the potentially significant benefits of harmonising and aligning China�

Study on Regional Agro-ecological Risk and Pressure Supported by City Expansion Model and SERA Model - A Case Study of Selangor, Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Shi , Xiaoxia; Zhang , Yaoli; Peng , Cheng

2010-01-01

International audience; This study revealed the influence of city expansion on the agro-ecological risks through the analysis and prediction of city expansion in different periods and study on the change of risk and pressure on the regional agricultural eco-environment. The city expansion of Selangor, Malaysia (as a case) was predicted based on relevant spatial and attribute data as well as simulation prediction models of city expansion. Subsequently, the ecological risk and pressure in the s...

Evaluation of Urban Drainage Infrastructure: New York City Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hamidi, A.; Grossberg, M.; Khanbilvardi, R.

2017-12-01

Flood response in an urban area is the product of interactions of spatially and temporally varying rainfall and infrastructures. In urban areas, however, the complex sub-surface networks of tunnels, waste and storm water drainage systems are often inaccessible, pose challenges for modeling and prediction of the drainage infrastructure performance. The increased availability of open data in cities is an emerging information asset for a better understanding of the dynamics of urban water drainage infrastructure. This includes crowd sourced data and community reporting. A well-known source of this type of data is the non-emergency hotline "311" which is available in many US cities, and may contain information pertaining to the performance of physical facilities, condition of the environment, or residents' experience, comfort and well-being. In this study, seven years of New York City 311 (NYC311) call during 2010-2016 is employed, as an alternative approach for identifying the areas of the city most prone to sewer back up flooding. These zones are compared with the hydrologic analysis of runoff flooding zones to provide a predictive model for the City. The proposed methodology is an example of urban system phenomenology using crowd sourced, open data. A novel algorithm for calculating the spatial distribution of flooding complaints across NYC's five boroughs is presented in this study. In this approach, the features that represent reporting bias are separated from those that relate to actual infrastructure system performance. The sewer backup results are assessed with the spatial distribution of runoff in NYC during 2010-2016. With advances in radar technologies, a high spatial-temporal resolution data set for precipitation is available for most of the United States that can be implemented in hydrologic analysis of dense urban environments. High resolution gridded Stage IV radar rainfall data along with the high resolution spatially distributed land cover data are

Bridging the gap in heart failure prevention: rationale and design of the Nurse-led Intervention for Less Chronic Heart Failure (NIL-CHF) Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carrington, Melinda J; Stewart, Simon; de Courten, Barbora

2010-01-01

AIMS: The primary objective of the Nurse-led Intervention for Less Chronic Heart Failure (NIL-CHF) Study is to develop a programme of care that cost-effectively prevents the development of chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods NIL-CHF is a randomized controlled trial of a hybrid, home- and clinic-...

The Palm-Heart Diameter: A Prospective Simple Screening Tool for Identifying Heart Enlargement

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Adegbenro Omotuyi John Fakoya

2017-11-01

CONCLUSION: This study establishes the correlation between the palm and heart diameters. Since the heart tissue and the upper limb share a similar embryonic origin, being the mesoderm, this study prospects the fact that heart enlargement could be preliminarily identified by measuring the size of the hand.

Between rules and mysteries, of the sea and of the city

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Francesco Forte

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We  highlight the mysterious liquidity that oversees the interpretation of the nature of the relation sea and cities, using to hyperbole from James Conrad in " Heart of Darkness ", while the reference to Saskia Sassen highlights the need of strong policies in the governance of reciprocity relationships. The heart of darkness continues to envelop the sea-land relations , as witnessed by the suffering of migrants on the sea and also the new faces of the suffering city ( migrant's reception centers in Italy . It is believed that culture has a role in unraveling the mystery. And we employ codes in plans design, derived from culture in an attempt to delineate the nature of the mysterious liquidity; but the outcomes were so different to believe ineffective a recourse to theoretical generalizations, and always adventurous the understanding of the singularity of the specific condition. The mysteries of the sea and of cities ask open connections, contamination of knowledges, in the ' task of deciding. Within  globalization change the Europe, its nations, roles and positions of cities. The things "Shape" and their "Substance" still appear as the essence of the decision. From history we know that the nation trolls the city, but the effectiveness of the national policies on local development depends on the quality of local politics.  Searching coherences, has been tried to reinforce the urban government, connecting strategic visions - structure - form - rules; but  the dissociation between form and substance had little impact on the outcome of these paths. The urban crisis can not be minimized connecting its reasons to the scarcity of capital for investment, that still  there are (European Union. A more interconnected and complex world requires a more intense need of future. In the search of "hope settling", we should shape a future bleu networks, organizing systems which could constitute the complex relationships sea - land - inland waters,  and

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism (C677T), hyperhomocysteinemia, and risk of ischemic cardiovascular disease and venous thromboembolism: prospective and case-control studies from the Copenhagen City Heart Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frederiksen, Jeppe; Juul, Klaus; Grande, Peer

2004-01-01

from the general population were followed for 23 years. Second, 2125 whites with ischemic heart disease and 836 whites with ischemic cerebrovascular disease were compared with 7568 controls from the general population. Plasma homocysteine was elevated 25% in homozygotes versus noncarriers (P

Epidemiological Study of Ascariasis in Hamadan City , West of Iran, 2001

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Fallah

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Ascaris lumbricoides is the most common intestinal parasite in the world. Various studies has indicated the high prevalence of this parasite in Iran, specially in the west parts of Iran. The epidemiological study of intestinal parasitic infection is prerequisite for planning of control programs. The Hamadan province is one of the most tourist attraction regions of Iran and providing a safe environment for travelers is the main aim of regional authorities. A mass chemotherapy for Ascariasis performed in rural areas of Hamadan province for a five years period but, no any intervention was done for control of this parasite in the Hamadan city. Therefore, an epidemiological study of Ascariasis in this town was necessary. A cross sectional study carried out by cluster random sampling in Hamadan and 580 stool specimens collected from different parts of city. The stools were examined by formalin ether concentration technique for ova and parasites and intensity of infection was determined by quantitative modified Stoll method. Mean infection rate of Ascariasis was 19.5%. The Farhangian suburb (northern part had higher infection rate than other parts(28.5% and central parts of city showed lower infection rate(12.7%. The highest infection rate were found in the 31-40 years age group (33.8% and in the females(23.9%.In view of intensity, 59.3% of infections were moderate and 48.3% had low intensity. No any high intensity were found. Mean egg per gram(epg were 7129 and 48.7% of eggs were infertile. This study indicated that , prevalence of Ascaris in Hamadan city is considerable at present and a suitable intervention, like health education and selective chemotherapy is necessary to decrease the infection.

Thromboembolism and mechanical heart valves : A randomized study revisited

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuntze, CEE; Blackstone, EH; Ebels, T

Background. This study was designed to revise and substantiate previous inferences, based on short-term follow-up, about differences in the incidence of anticoagulant-related events after heart valve replacement among patients who had been randomly assigned to receive either a Bjork-Shiley,

A comparative study of myosin and its subunits in adult and neonatal-rat hearts and in rat heart cells from young and old cultures.

OpenAIRE

Ghanbari, H A; McCarl, R L

1980-01-01

A possible explanation for the decrease in myosin Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity as rat heart cells age in culture is presented. The subunit structure and enzyme kinetics of myosin from adult and neonatal rat hearts and from rat heart cells of young and old cultures are compared. These studies indicate that the loss in Ca-ATPase activity of myosin from older cultures was an intrinsic property of the myosin itself. Myofibrillar fractions from the indicated four sources showed no qualitative or...

Smart City: Adding to the Complexity of Cities

OpenAIRE

Thompson, Emine Mine

2016-01-01

This paper seeks to further the state-of-the-art knowledge on what a smart city is by analysing the smart cities across the world. It also seeks to find out how different approaches to smart city creation influence the city. This work is based on the ongoing review on Smart Cities that was started in 2014 and is structured as follows: first, definitions of "smart city" are reviewed, then typologies of smart cities are generated by analysing the different types of smart cities across the world...

Reappearance of beriberi heart disease in Japan. A study of 23 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawai, C; Wakabayashi, A; Matsumura, T; Yui, Y

1980-09-01

Twenty-three Japanese patients with beriberi heart disease, 17 of them teenagers, were studied. The recent tendency for teenagers to take excessive sweet carbonated soft drinks, instant noodles and powermill-polished rice readily induces relative thiamine deficiency. A sudden increase in thiamine requirements due to strenuous exercise can result in overt beriberi heart disease. Alcohol had nothing to do with the development of the disease. Characteristic features commonly seen in teenage patients include peripheral edema, low peripheral vascular resistance, increased venous pressure enlarged heart, T wave abnormalities, hyperkinetic circulatory state and increased circulating blood volume. Thiamine deficiency was confirmed by a decrease in blood thiamine concentration, a decrease in erythrocyte transketolase activity and an increase in thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) effect. Improvement was rapidly achieved with thiamine administration, balanced nutrition and rest, especially in the teenage patients. Increased circulating blood volume was useful in differentiating beriberi heart disease from hyperthyroidism.

Fiscal Decentralization – City of Belgrade Case Study

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Snežana Knežević

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The research in this paper is devoted to analysis of budget items for the city of Belgrade, to revenues and earnings, expenses and issuance for 2013, 2014 and 2015 in order to determine changes in the structure and in time, and, based on these, the appropriate conclusions were drawn, which can serve as recommendations for creating budgets in the future. One of the key problems in public procurement at the City of Belgrade level were significant differences in prices for the same items procured by different contracting authorities. In many cases the same bidder offered the very same items at prices which differed up to 50% to different contracting authorities at the city level. That was a signal for the city administration to centralize the procurement of certain items in 2015 achieving significant reduction in prices of bundled procurement compared to the ones undertaken by different contracting authorities previously. In this context, the subject of the second part of this paper will be devoted to the importance of centralization of public procurements in the segment where it is possible to achieve efficiency in the management of budget funds.

Simultaneous measurement of instantaneous heart rate and chest wall plethysmography in short-term, metronome guided heart rate variability studies: suitability for assessment of autonomic dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Perring, S; Jones, E

2003-08-01

Instantaneous heart rate and chest wall motion were measured using a 3-lead ECG and an air pressure chest wall plethysmography system. Chest wall plethysmography traces were found to accurately represent the breathing pattern as measured by spirometry (average correlation coefficient 0.944); though no attempt was made to calibrate plethysmography voltage output to tidal volume. Simultaneous measurements of heart rate and chest wall motion were made for short periods under metronome guided breathing at 6 breaths per minute. The average peak to trough heart rate change per breath cycle (AVEMAX) and maximum correlation between heart rate and breathing cycle (HRBRCORR) were measured. Studies of 44 normal volunteers indicated clear inverse correlation of heart rate variability parameters with age (AVEMAX R = -0.502, P < 0.001) but no significant change in HRBRCORR with age (R = -0.115). Comparison of normal volunteers with diabetics with no history of symptoms associated with autonomic failure indicated significant lower heart rate variability in diabetics (P = 0.005 for AVEMAX) and significantly worse correlation between heart rate and breathing (P < 0.001 for HRBRCORR). Simultaneous measurement of heart rate and breathing offers the possibility of more sensitive diagnosis of autonomic failure in a simple bedside test and gives further insight into the nature of cardio-ventilatory coupling.

Energy Upgrades at City-Owned Facilities: Understanding Accounting for Energy Efficiency Financing Options. City of Dubuque Case Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leventis, Greg [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Markets and Policy Group; Schiller, Steve [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Markets and Policy Group; Kramer, Chris [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Futures Group; Schwartz, Lisa [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Markets and Policy Group

2017-06-30

The city of Dubuque, Iowa, aimed for a twofer — lower energy costs for public facilities and reduced air emissions. To achieve that goal, the city partnered with the Iowa Economic Development Authority to establish a revolving loan fund to finance energy efficiency and other energy projects at city facilities. But the city needed to understand approaches for financing energy projects to achieve both of their goals in a manner that would not be considered debt — in this case, obligations booked as a liability on the city’s balance sheet. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Climate Action Champions Initiative, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) provided technical assistance to the city to identify strategies to achieve these goals. Revolving loans use a source of money to fund initial cost-saving projects, such as energy efficiency investments, then use the repayments and interest from these loans to support subsequent projects. Berkeley Lab and the city examined two approaches to explore whether revolving loans could potentially be treated as non-debt: 1) financing arrangements containing a non-appropriation clause and 2) shared savings agreements. This fact sheet discusses both, including considerations that may factor into their treatment as debt from an accounting perspective.

Suspended dust in Norwegian cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

According to calculations, at least 80 000 people in Oslo and 8 000 in Trondheim were annoyed by too much suspended dust in 2000. The dust concentration is greatest in the spring, presumably because dust is swirling up from melting snow and ice on the streets. Car traffic is the main source of the dust, except for some of the most highly exposed regions where wood-firing from old stoves contributes up to 70 percent of the dust. National targets for air quality include suspended dust, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and benzene. Calculations show that nitrogen dioxide emissions exceeding the limit affected 4 000 people in Oslo and 1 000 people in Trondheim. The sulphur dioxide emissions in the major cities did non exceed the national quality limit; they did exceed the limit in some of the smaller industrial centres. In Trondheim, measurements show that the national limit for benzene was exceeded. Most of the emission of nitrogen dioxide comes from the road traffic. Local air pollution at times causes considerable health- and well-being problems in the larger cities and industrial centres, where a great part of the population may be at risk of early death, infection of the respiratory passage, heart- and lung diseases and cancer

Automated selection of areas of interest in dynamic studies and camera-cinematograpy of the heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bitter, F.; Adam, W.E.; Kampmann, H.; Meyer, G.; Weller, R.

1975-01-01

Progress is reported in heart investigations using the first transit principle and the steady-state procedure for radionuclide scanning. Progress in the first transit principle relies on automated selection of areas of interest. A procedure has been developed which automatically performs the evaluation of the areas corresponding to the right heart, the lungs, and the left heart. A different procedure has been built up for dynamic lung studies with Xe-133 (Radiospirometry), which principally can be applied to any other organ investigation. R-wave time averaged procedures of the heart in steady state can be performed in direct or indirect manner. A direct procedure is described that leads eventually to a cinematographic presentation of the heart kinetics on the computer display. The analysis yields an exact outline of heart ventricles and auricles as prerequisite for determination of ejection fractions and clinically relevant data of the heart function

Diagnostic Accuracy of Chinese Medicine Diagnosis Scale of Phlegm and Blood Stasis Syndrome in Coronary Heart Disease: A Study Protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiao-Qi; Peng, Dan-Hong; Wang, Yan-Ping; Xie, Rong; Chen, Xin-Lin; Yu, Chun-Quan; Li, Xian-Tao

2018-05-03

Phlegm and blood stasis syndrome (PBSS) is one of the main syndromes in coronary heart disease (CHD). Syndromes of Chinese medicine (CM) are lack of quantitative and easyimplementation diagnosis standards. To quantify and standardize the diagnosis of PBSS, scales are usually applied. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CM diagnosis scale of PBSS in CHD. Six hundred patients with stable angina pectoris of CHD, 300 in case group and 300 in control group, will be recruited from 5 hospitals across China. Diagnosis from 2 experts will be considered as the "gold standard". The study design consists of 2 phases: pilot test is used to evaluate the reliability and validity, and diagnostic test is used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the scale, including sensitivity, specififi city, likelihood ratio and area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. This study will evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CM diagnosis scale of PBSS in CHD. The consensus of 2 experts may not be ideal as a "gold standard", and itself still requires further study. (No. ChiCTR-OOC-15006599).

Do neonatal mouse hearts regenerate following heart apex resection?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ditte Caroline; Ganesalingam, Suganya; Jensen, Charlotte Harken

2014-01-01

The mammalian heart has generally been considered nonregenerative, but recent progress suggests that neonatal mouse hearts have a genuine capacity to regenerate following apex resection (AR). However, in this study, we performed AR or sham surgery on 400 neonatal mice from inbred and outbred...

Renal Hemodynamic Effects of Serelaxin in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voors, Adriaan A.; Dahlke, Marion; Meyer, Sven; Stepinska, Janina; Gottlieb, Stephen S.; Jones, Andrew; Zhang, Yiming; Laurent, Didier; Slart, Riemer H. J. A.; Navis, Gerjan J.

2014-01-01

Background-Serelaxin is a promising therapy for acute heart failure. The renal hemodynamic effects of serelaxin in patients with chronic heart failure are unknown. Methods and Results-In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, patients with New York Heart Association

Impact of valvular heart disease on activities of daily living of nonagenarians: the Leiden 85-plus study a population based study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Bemmel, Thomas; Delgado, Victoria; Bax, Jeroen J; Gussekloo, Jacobijn; Blauw, Gerard J; Westendorp, Rudi G; Holman, Eduard R

2010-04-01

Data on the prevalence of valvular heart disease in very old individuals are scarce and based mostly on in-hospital series. In addition, the potential detrimental effect of valvular heart disease on the activities of daily living is unknown. The present study evaluated the prevalence of significant valvular heart disease and the impact of valvular heart disease on the activities of daily living in community dwelling nonagenarians. Nested within the Leiden 85-plus study, a population based follow-up study of the oldest old, a sample of 81 nonagenarians was recruited. The left ventricular (LV) dimensions, function and the presence and severity of heart valvular disease were evaluated by echocardiography. Significant valvular heart disease included any mitral or aortic stenosis severity, moderate or severe mitral regurgitation, moderate or severe aortic regurgitation and moderate or severe tricuspid regurgitation. Activities of daily living were assessed using the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS). LV cavity diameters (end-diastolic diameter 47 +/- 8 mm, end-systolic diameter 30 +/- 8 mm) and systolic LV function (LV ejection fraction 66 +/- 13%) were within normal for the majority of the participants. Significant valvular disease was present in 57 (70%) individuals, with mitral regurgitation and aortic regurgitation as the most frequent valve diseases (49% and 28% respectively). The GARS score between individuals with and without significant valvular heart disease was similar (36.2 +/- 9.2 vs. 34.4 +/- 13.2, p = 0.5). Nonagenarian, outpatient individuals have a high prevalence of significant valvular heart disease. However, no relation was observed between the presence of significant valvular heart disease and the ability to perform activities of daily living.

Impact of Manaus City on the Amazon Green Ocean atmosphere: Ozone production, precursor sensitivity and aerosol load

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuhn, U.; Ganzeveld, L.N.

2010-01-01

As a contribution to the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia – Cooperative LBA Airborne Regional Experiment (LBA-CLAIRE-2001) field campaign in the heart of the Amazon Basin, we analyzed the temporal and spatial dynamics of the urban plume of Manaus City during the wet-to-dry

Selection of reference genes for gene expression studies in heart failure for left and right ventricles.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mengmeng; Rao, Man; Chen, Kai; Zhou, Jianye; Song, Jiangping

2017-07-15

Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) is a feasible tool for determining gene expression profiles, but the accuracy and reliability of the results depends on the stable expression of selected housekeeping genes in different samples. By far, researches on stable housekeeping genes in human heart failure samples are rare. Moreover the effect of heart failure on the expression of housekeeping genes in right and left ventricles is yet to be studied. Therefore we aim to provide stable housekeeping genes for both ventricles in heart failure and normal heart samples. In this study, we selected seven commonly used housekeeping genes as candidates. By using the qRT-PCR, the expression levels of ACTB, RAB7A, GAPDH, REEP5, RPL5, PSMB4 and VCP in eight heart failure and four normal heart samples were assessed. The stability of candidate housekeeping genes was evaluated by geNorm and Normfinder softwares. GAPDH showed the least variation in all heart samples. Results also indicated the difference of gene expression existed in heart failure left and right ventricles. GAPDH had the highest expression stability in both heart failure and normal heart samples. We also propose using different sets of housekeeping genes for left and right ventricles respectively. The combination of RPL5, GAPDH and PSMB4 is suitable for the right ventricle and the combination of GAPDH, REEP5 and RAB7A is suitable for the left ventricle. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Positive affect and survival in patients with stable coronary heart disease: findings from the Heart and Soul Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoen, Petra W; Denollet, Johan; de Jonge, Peter; Whooley, Mary A

2013-07-01

Positive affect can improve survival, but the mechanisms responsible for this association are unknown. We sought to evaluate the association between positive affect and mortality in patients with stable coronary heart disease and to determine biological and behavioral factors that might explain this association. The Heart and Soul Study is a prospective cohort study of 1,018 outpatients with stable coronary heart disease. Participants were recruited between September 11, 2000, and December 20, 2002, and were followed up to June 2011. Baseline positive affect was assessed by using the 10-item positive affect subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the risk of mortality (primary outcome measure) and cardiovascular events (heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, transient ischemic attack) associated with positive affect, adjusting for baseline cardiac disease severity and depression. We also evaluated the extent to which these associations were explained by potential biological and behavioral mediators. A total of 369 patients (36%) died during a mean ± SD follow-up period of 7.1 ± 2.5 years. Positive affect was not significantly associated with cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.89; 95% CI, 0.79-1.00; P = .06). However, each standard deviation (8.8-point) increase in positive affect score was associated with a 16% decreased risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76-0.92; P = .001). After adjustment for cardiac disease severity and depressive symptoms, positive affect remained significantly associated with improved survival (HR: 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.97; P = .01). The association was no longer significant after adjustment for behavioral factors, and particularly physical activity (HR: 0.92; 95% CI, 0.82-1.03; P = .16). Further adjustment for C-reactive protein and omega-3 fatty acids did not result in any meaningful changes (HR: 0.94; 95% CI, 0.84-1.06; P = .31). In this

Margaret Atwood's The handmaid's tale and The heart goes last. A comparative study on two dystopian cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Miceli

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Il saggio è l’analisi di due romanzi di Margaret Atwood ambientati in due città/società con un funzionamento apparentemente perfetto che le rende sicure, pulite, prive di crimine e disciplinate. I romanzi, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985 e The Heart Goes Last (2015, sono ambientati nelle città fittizie di Gilead e Consilience, situate negli Stati Uniti. Tali società condividono alcune caratteristiche, e applicano i principi della prigione studiati da Foucault nel saggio Discipline and Punish, in particolare per ciò che riguarda il controllo sul corpo delle persone per renderle “docili” e utili, l’isolamento dal mondo esterno e le punizioni (torture ed esecuzioni che rendono le persone soggiogate al potere. L’apparente perfezione di Gilead e di Consilience nasconde elementi distopici che, secondo l’autrice, potrebbero rappresentare il futuro delle nostre città, e una misura estrema che suscita dibattiti e riflessioni su quanto una simile gestione della società possa essere peggiore di quella in cui viviamo.

Learning Cities as Healthy Green Cities: Building Sustainable Opportunity Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Kearns, Peter

2012-01-01

This paper discusses a new generation of learning cities we have called EcCoWell cities (Economy, Community, Well-being). The paper was prepared for the PASCAL International Exchanges (PIE) and is based on international experiences with PIE and developments in some cities. The paper argues for more holistic and integrated development so that…

Knowledge-Perception Bridge of Green-Smart Integration of Cities: An Empirical Study of Hong Kong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chung-Shing Chan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cities often thematize themselves as attractive and sustainable places by adopting some emerging concepts of urban development. Green city and smart city are two of these themes that contain distinctive but often overlapping attributes. These green and smart city attributes, as proposed in previous studies, are tested with a sample of Hong Kong residents (n = 243. This paper identifies the factors in a combined green–smart theme of Hong Kong based on local perception. The empirical results confirm that local residents believe Hong Kong is performing smarter than greener. The findings from factor analysis reveal a combined green–smart structure consisting of one mixed green–smart infrastructural elements and six other specific factors about greenness or smartness. Regression also builds up two models showing the locally-perceived determinants of a successful green city and smart city for Hong Kong, respectively. This study reflects a complexity–simplicity paradox of how decision makers should respond to a knowledge–perception gap. The result further confirms that human factor, including the engagement and the quality of societal actors, is the key to successful green and smart urban development.

Projection for new city future scenarios – A case study for Kuwait

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Nayef Alghais

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The creation of new cities is a planning approach adopted in several regions around the world, in order to accommodate urban growth. New cities are typically constructed according to well-thought out, centralised plans in areas without any prior development. However, whether the development of these new cities is able to address existing urban issues more effectively than traditional methods such as intensification, is currently an unanswered research question. Several Arabian Gulf countries, such as Kuwait are considering the construction of new cities to address urban issues, specifically the traffic congestion and housing shortages. In Kuwait, the master plan for these construction projects was developed solely by state authorities without any public participation or urban modelling that may have provided a more well-rounded view of the potential impacts and effectiveness.This paper aims to address these research opportunities of investigating the effectiveness of new cities in addressing traffic congestion and housing shortage, as well as the potential to integrate public opinions in urban development in the form of a model. Towards that end, the study proposes an Agent Based Model (ABM that will allow simulating the population distribution and urban growth impacts of new cities in Kuwait by 2050. The methodology involves collecting primary data via interviewing the key government stakeholders of urban development and surveying the residents in order to collect the model inputs. In Kuwait's society, citizens and non-citizens form two distinct resident groups with often very diverse needs and lifestyles; hence the survey responses will differentiate between them. The data from the interviews and surveys from both resident groups will be incorporated as agent behaviours in the ABM. The simulations examine a multitude of scenarios for the new cities, involving construction delays and infrastructure project delays. The results indicate that the

Survival analysis of heart failure patients: A case study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanvir Ahmad

Full Text Available This study was focused on survival analysis of heart failure patients who were admitted to Institute of Cardiology and Allied hospital Faisalabad-Pakistan during April-December (2015. All the patients were aged 40 years or above, having left ventricular systolic dysfunction, belonging to NYHA class III and IV. Cox regression was used to model mortality considering age, ejection fraction, serum creatinine, serum sodium, anemia, platelets, creatinine phosphokinase, blood pressure, gender, diabetes and smoking status as potentially contributing for mortality. Kaplan Meier plot was used to study the general pattern of survival which showed high intensity of mortality in the initial days and then a gradual increase up to the end of study. Martingale residuals were used to assess functional form of variables. Results were validated computing calibration slope and discrimination ability of model via bootstrapping. For graphical prediction of survival probability, a nomogram was constructed. Age, renal dysfunction, blood pressure, ejection fraction and anemia were found as significant risk factors for mortality among heart failure patients.

A comparative study of the mobile population in Wuhan and other major cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Y

1997-01-01

This study examined population mobility among residents of 5 cities in China: Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Data were obtained from the 1995 Sample Survey of 1% of Wuhan Population and provincial Statistical Yearbooks. The total mobile population in China has increased from 20-80 million during 1982-95. Shanghai is the largest Chinese city. Beijing has a large proportion of international and internal migrants. Guangzhou is a capital city that was the first to adopt economic reforms. Migration fueled development in Shenzhen. A larger mobile population was related to larger population density. The mobile population was 20% in all cities, 30% of central city population, and 140.5% of the central city of Shenzhen. Beijing and Shanghai had the highest growth rates. Construction accounts for the largest percentage of business-related mobile population in Wuhan, Beijing, and Shanghai. Manufacturing accounts for the largest percentage in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Most of the mobile population in capital cities such as Wuhan and Guangzhou, originates from within the provinces. The largest percentage of mobile population in Beijing and Shanghai come from adjacent provinces. Guangzhou receives many migrants from adjacent Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. 47.8-78.8% of mobile population were farmers. More migrants are men. Educational levels are low. The mobile population contributes to industry and informational/cultural exchange. The migrants detract from urban areas in population pressure on housing and services, shortages of employment, illegal activities and crime, and unplanned births.

THE STUDY OF HEART MUSCLE IN CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Girish M

2016-09-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Alcohol affects many organs, especially the liver, pancreas and brain. Although, the beneficial effects of mild or moderate ethanol consumption have been implied with respect to coronary artery disease, excessive ethanol consumption can result in Alcoholic Heart Muscle Disease (AHMD. AIMS Alcohol consumption, mainly arrack, is common social problem in Mangalore. This study has been undertaken to assess the effects of alcohol on cardiovascular system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty patient with history of consumption of about 6 units of alcohol per day for at least 5 days a week for at least 5 years who were admitted to Government Wenlock Hospital, Attavar K.M.C. and University Medical Centre, Mangalore, were selected as case and studied. RESULTS Alcohol intake is predominantly observed in males, majority of alcoholic had high blood pressure, serum levels of CPK-MB and LDH are elevated in chronic alcoholic patients, left ventricular hypertrophy, premature ventricular contraction and sinus tachycardia were common findings in the electrocardiograms of chronic alcoholic patients and development of alcoholic heart muscle disease is directly proportional to the quantity and duration of alcohol intake. CONCLUSION Overall, the present study has found high morbidity from chronic alcohol consumption highlighting the need for preventive measures to tackle this preventable hazard.

Smart City, Metropolitan Areas and Competitiveness: the Case Study of Florence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmela Gargiulo

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In several urban contexts, the definition of a new development process is arising and it is focused on the use and the application of new technologies in different areas of the urban system. Such new development process is aimed at increasing life quality and local communities wellness and at promoting the creation of a more efficient and more sustainable urban system, as well as at making it more competitive. The issue of the reorganization of metropolitan areas is combined with such process, following the recent approval of the Delrio Law that establishes the Metropolitan City in Italy, as government authority of the metropolitan areas. Smart City, Metropolitan Areas and Competitiveness are the three topics of this paper, which aim is the description of the most innovative politics and initiatives adopted in the Metropolitan City of Florence that is proposed as a case study where such topics are combined.

Water equivalent of snow survey of the Red River Basin and Heart/Cannonball River Basin, March 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feimster, E.L.

1979-10-01

The water equivalent of accumulated snow was estimated in the Red River and Heart/Cannonball River basins and surrounding areas in North Dakota during the period 8 to 17 March 1978. A total of 570 km were flown, covering a 274 km section of the Red River Basin watershed. These lines had been surveyed in March 1974. Twelve flight lines were flown over the North Dakota side of the Red River from a point 23 km south of the Canadian border southward to the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The eight flight lines flown over the Minnesota side of the Red River extended from 23 km south of the Canadian border southward to Breckenridge, Minnesota. Using six flight lines, a total of 120 km were flown in the Heart/Cannonball River Basin, an area southwest of the city of Bismark, North Dakota. This was the first such flight in the Heart/Cannonball River Basin area. Computed weighted average water equivalents on each flight line in the Red River Basin ranged from 4.8 cm to 12.7 cm of water, averaging 7.6 cm for all lines. In the Heart/Cannonball River Basin, the weighted water equivalent ranged from 8.9 cm to 19.1 cm of water, averaging 12.7 cm for all lines. The method used employs the measurement of the natural gamma rays both before and after snow covers the ground

Is ambient temperature associated with risk of infant mortality? A multi-city study in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Ji-Young; Lee, Jong-Tae; Bell, Michelle L

2017-10-01

Although numerous studies have shown increased risk of mortality from elevated temperatures for adults, limited studies have examined temperature's effect on mortality for infants. Our study investigated the city-specific and overall effects of ambient temperature on infant mortality in seven major cities in Korea, 2004-2007. Birth cohort using a linked birth and death records included 777,570 births with 557 all-cause deaths. We estimated city-specific hazard ratios for each city using an extended Cox proportional hazards model with time-dependent covariates. Then we combined city-specific hazard ratios to generate overall hazard ratio across the seven cities using a Bayesian hierarchical model. Stratified analyses were conducted by cause of death (total and SIDS), exposure period (whole gestation, each trimester, lifetime, 1 month before death, and 2 weeks before death), sex, and maternal characteristics. Overall across the cities, we found significantly positive associations between ambient temperature during 1 month before death or 2 weeks before death and infant mortality from total or SIDS. The overall hazard ratio of infant mortality from total deaths and SIDS for a 1°C increase during 1 month before death was 1.52 (95% CI, 1.46-1.57) and 1.50 (95% CI, 1.35-1.66), respectively. We also found suggestive evidence that some factors such as mother's age may modify the association. Our findings have implications for establishment of policy to reduce the risk of infant mortality from high ambient temperature under climate change. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermal Comfort at the Street Corridor Around Public Places, Case Study Alun-Alun Malang City

OpenAIRE

Winansih, Erna; Antariksa, Antariksa; Surjono, Surjono; Leksono, Amin Setyo

2015-01-01

Malang as the second largest city in East Java province become crowded recently. The congestion almost happens everyday. The scenery of the street corridor is full of iron stacks. It is said that Malang city is less comfortable and less walkable. The decrease of this environment encourages to conduct the study (Q.S. 16:90, Q.S. 96:1-5, Q.S. 30:41). The study aimed to analyze the thermal comfort at pedestrian ways around Malang city squares, the street corridor of Merdeka Alun-Alun (MAA) and t...

Developing Carbon Budgets for Cities: Phoenix as a Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

McHale, M. R.; Baker, L. A.; Koerner, B. A.; Grimm, N. B.

2008-12-01

Studies have shown that cities can alter regional carbon dynamics through changing ecosystem productivity, overall carbon cycling rate, and total carbon storage in vegetation and soils. Furthermore, people in urban regions import a large amount of carbon in food and fuel, as well as release an exceptional amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. Numerous studies have attempted to quantify some sources and sinks of carbon in urban areas, although a complete carbon budget for a city that accounts for total inputs, outputs, and storage within the ecosystem has yet to be fully accomplished. One challenge is associated with attaining the data necessary to accurately account for all carbon dynamics in these heterogeneous and complex ecosystems. Our goal was to estimate a budget for the Phoenix metropolitan area while developing methodology to calculate carbon dynamics in urban systems that can be applied to cities across the US. Only with comparable carbon budgets for multiple cities will we finally begin to understand the influence of urbanization on carbon dynamics. Our analysis shows when calculating certain variables like transportation emissions, results can vary radically (up to 250%) depending on the data source and methodology implemented (i.e. bottom-up vs. top-down). A common assumption is that productivity and carbon storage will increase with urbanization in arid systems due to water and nutrient inputs, as well as changes in vegetation structure; however, our results indicated that this may not actually be the case in Phoenix where a large number of residents design landscapes to conserve water. Even if all urban expansion was dedicated to landscapes designed for carbon sequestration and storage, vegetation and soils will unlikely have a large effect on the C budget without significant changes in transportation and lifestyle choices.

Potential effects of urbanization on urban thermal comfort, a case study of Nairobi city, Kenya: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ongoma Victor

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This study reviews the effect of urbanization on human thermal comfort over Nairobi city in Kenya. Urbanization alters urban center's land use and land cover, modifying the climate of the urban setting. The modification in climate affects human comfort and the environment at large. This study focuses on the recent studies conducted in Nairobi city and many other cities globally to examine modification of wind, temperature and humidity over Nairobi. There was observed reduction in wind speed and relative humidity over the city, posing threat to human and animal comfort and the environment at large. The city of Nairobi, just like other cities globally is observed to experience urban heat island (UHI. The observed increase in minimum temperature as compared to maximum temperature signifies overall warming. A combination of all these changes reduces human comfort. Borrowing lessons from developed cities, increasing the urban forest cover is thus suggested as one of the practical and effective measures that can help prevent further modification of weather and urban climates. The study recommends further research involving multi-sectoral urban stake holders, on forcing driving urban thermal comfort. In the short term, design and construction of appropriate structures can help minimize energy consumption and emissions, thus enhancing comfort.

Theme city or gated community - images of future cities

OpenAIRE

Helenius-Mäki, Leena

2002-01-01

The future of the cities has been under discussion since the first city. It has been typical in every civilisation and era to hope for a better city. Creek philosopher Platon created image of future city where all men were equal and the city was ruled by philosophers minds. Many philosopher or later social scientist have ended up to similar "hope to be city". The form and type of the better city has depended from creators of those future city images. The creators have had their future city im...

Original article What does it mean to live after heart transplantation? The lived experience of heart transplant recipients. A qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Cierpka

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Background Despite significant improvements in physical state after heart transplantation, the majority of adult patients struggle with continuous psychological distress. The aim of the study was to explore the lived experiences of adult heart transplant recipients in order to understand the inner background of these difficulties. Participants and procedure Unstructured, in-depth interviews, based on the Life Story Interview of D. P. McAdams, were performed with 8 adults, aged between 50 and 60 years, who had undergone heart transplantation a year before the research was conducted. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using narrative methods. Results The central themes of the patients’ lived experience were the illness itself and the feeling of being very different from others and from oneself remembered in the past – the times before the transplantation. The experienced discordance between their inner world and the expectations to get better presented by other people (the family, health care workers, etc. implies that these patients struggle with others’ lack of understanding and therefore suffer from a lack of effective psychological support. Conclusions This study shows that the life stories of patients after heart transplantation are in fact stories of their illness and the consequences it brought. It seems important to take this into consideration when constructing rehabilitation programmes for these patients in order to offer them the most effective support possible.

Dose-to-the-population exposure estimates for use of plutonium-238-powered artificial hearts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKee, R.W.; Clark, L.L.; Cole, B.M.

1976-09-01

Estimates of dose to the population from /sup 238/Pu-powered artificial hearts were developed using a calculational model called REPRIEVE. This model develops the projected user population by incorporating assumptions regarding future heart disease death rates, the fraction dying who would be eligible candidates for artificial hearts, population projections, beginning implant rates, death rates after implant due to natural causes, and deaths caused by device failure. The user population was characterized by age, sex, household description, employment status and occupation. Census data on household descriptions and special surveys in selected cities provided the information necessary to describe persons exposed during both household and public activities. These surveys further defined distance and time of contact factors for these persons. Calculations using a dosemetry computer code defined the relationships between distance and dose. The validity of these calculations has been substantiated by experimental measurements.

Dose-to-the-population exposure estimates for use of plutonium-238-powered artificial hearts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKee, R.W.; Clark, L.L.; Cole, B.M.

1976-09-01

Estimates of dose to the population from 238 Pu-powered artificial hearts were developed using a calculational model called REPRIEVE. This model develops the projected user population by incorporating assumptions regarding future heart disease death rates, the fraction dying who would be eligible candidates for artificial hearts, population projections, beginning implant rates, death rates after implant due to natural causes, and deaths caused by device failure. The user population was characterized by age, sex, household description, employment status and occupation. Census data on household descriptions and special surveys in selected cities provided the information necessary to describe persons exposed during both household and public activities. These surveys further defined distance and time of contact factors for these persons. Calculations using a dosemetry computer code defined the relationships between distance and dose. The validity of these calculations has been substantiated by experimental measurements

Iron deficiency in chronic systolic heart failure(indic study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunil Verma

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Chronic systolic heart failure (HF is characterized by the left ventricular dysfunction, exercise intolerance and is associated with neurohormonal activation that affects several organs such as kidney and skeletal muscle. Anemia is common in HF and may worsen symptoms. Iron deficiency (ID is also common in HF patients with or without anemia. Iron is the key cofactor in oxidative metabolism in skeletal muscle and the Krebs cycle. There is a paucity of data regarding iron metabolism in chronic systolic HF in India. Methods: IroN Deficiency In CHF study (INDIC is an observational study that investigated forty chronic heart failure patients for the presence of ID. Serum ferritin (micrograms per liter, serum iron (micrograms per liter, total iron binding capacity (micrograms per liter, transferring (milligrams per deciliter, and transferrin saturation were measured to assess iron status. Results: There were 67.5% (27/40 patients who had ID with a mean serum ferritin level of 76.4 μg/L. Of the 27 iron deficient patients, 22 (55% had an absolute ID, and 5 had a functional ID. Eight out of 27 of the iron deficient patients were anemic (20% of the total cohort, 30% of the iron deficient patients. Anemia was seen in 6 other patients, which was possibly anemia of chronic disease. There was a trend for more advanced New York Heart Association (NYHA class (NYHA III and NYHA IV patients with ID (37.4% vs. 30.77%, P = 0.697. Conclusion: In our study, ID was very common, affecting more than half of the patients with systolic HF. Absolute ID was the most common cause of ID and patients with ID had a tendency to have advanced NYHA class. Our study also demonstrated that ID can occur in the absence of anemia (iron depletion.

Study of lead pollution in air, soil and water samples of Quetta city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, M.; Khan, G.M.; Akbar, S.; Panezai, M.A.; Haq, Z.U.

2011-01-01

This study briefly presents the collected data of lead pollution in the environment of Quetta City in Balochistan, Pakistan. The samples were collected from different sites. The analysis of lead was carried out in underground water samples, the exhaust of different vehicles, roadside and sewage soils from selected points of Quetta City. The average discharge resulted in deposition by motorcycles (29.12 g/h), cars (44.47 g/h), wagons (176.54 g/h) and buses (141.52 g/h). The maximum deposition was 222.96 g/h from auto-rickshaws. The value for lead in smoke of different vehicles seems quite high when extrapolated to the large number of such vehicles for a longer time. The concentration of lead in roadside soil varied from 73.3 mg/kg (T and T closed colony) to 731.9 mg/kg (Sirki road bus-stop). The average content of lead in sewage soil of City Nala is 1250.6 mg/kg. The level of lead was more than WHO standards for such soils. The lead quantity in all 24 tube- well water samples, was slightly above the WHO standards (10 macro g/L).The results of this study were comparable to similar study in twin cities of Rawalpindi and islamabad. (author)

500 Cities: City Boundaries

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This city boundary shapefile was extracted from Esri Data and Maps for ArcGIS 2014 - U.S. Populated Place Areas. This shapefile can be joined to 500 Cities...

Evaluating Pillar Industry's Transformation Capability: A Case Study of Two Chinese Steel-Based Cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhidong; Marinova, Dora; Guo, Xiumei; Gao, Yuan

2015-01-01

Many steel-based cities in China were established between the 1950s and 1960s. After more than half a century of development and boom, these cities are starting to decline and industrial transformation is urgently needed. This paper focuses on evaluating the transformation capability of resource-based cities building an evaluation model. Using Text Mining and the Document Explorer technique as a way of extracting text features, the 200 most frequently used words are derived from 100 publications related to steel- and other resource-based cities. The Expert Evaluation Method (EEM) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques are then applied to select 53 indicators, determine their weights and establish an index system for evaluating the transformation capability of the pillar industry of China's steel-based cities. Using real data and expert reviews, the improved Fuzzy Relation Matrix (FRM) method is applied to two case studies in China, namely Panzhihua and Daye, and the evaluation model is developed using Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE). The cities' abilities to carry out industrial transformation are evaluated with concerns expressed for the case of Daye. The findings have policy implications for the potential and required industrial transformation in the two selected cities and other resource-based towns.

Armstrong City: A Permanent Settlement for Exo-Planetary Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Greenspon, J.

Development of a permanent placement lunar base is the next fundamental step in an international program to explore and settle other planets within our solar system. While technical, operational, managerial and long-term issues must be considered, the establishment of a lunar facility can serve the preliminary needs of manned civilization in space. Numerous issues become apparent in the consideration of the activation of a lunar base. Specific and realistic determinations must be made about various types of interests in addition to the general conjectures given above. These activities include: - Spacecraft landings and vehicle systems - Crew selection, supplies and habitability - Power production and distribution - Risk management - Science and lunar activities - Base planning and configurations - Integrated operations and maintenance - Management. The development and activation of a lunar colony will require careful consideration to the future of space activities and operations in near Earth space. A lunar city, which we call Armstrong city, is defined by its own unique natural environment, available technology, realistic objectives, and common sense. Armstrong City, a preliminary first lunar base, will most probably be serving as an extended "division" of Earth's space exploration offices. The reasons are very simple and practical. -First, the costs of maintaining a permanent space facility will be lower in the long run than the costs of a series of short duration, rotating manned bases, -Second, studies in long-term space habitation can effectively be carried out in relative safety, -Third, the initial tasks which need to be done will define and establish methodologies and issues for development of future extraterrestrial base concepts, and -Fourth, the complexities of the initial facilities necessary to sustain the citizens can be tempered through developing local resources and reproducible research. In order to bring about development of Armstrong City, four

Study of heart-brain interactions through EEG, ECG, and emotions

Science.gov (United States)

Ramasamy, Mouli; Varadan, Vijay K.

2017-04-01

Neurocardiology is the exploration of neurophysiological, neurological and neuroanatomical facets of neuroscience's influence in cardiology. The paraphernalia of emotions on the heart and brain are premeditated because of the interaction between the central and peripheral nervous system. This is an investigative attempt to study emotion based neurocardiology and the factors that influence this phenomenon. The factors include: interaction between sleep EEG (electroencephalogram) and ECG (electrocardiogram), relationship between emotion and music, psychophysiological coherence between the heart and brain, emotion recognition techniques, and biofeedback mechanisms. Emotions contribute vitally to the mundane life and are quintessential to a numerous biological and everyday-functional modality of a human being. Emotions are best represented through EEG signals, and to a certain extent, can be observed through ECG and body temperature. Confluence of medical and engineering science has enabled the monitoring and discrimination of emotions influenced by happiness, anxiety, distress, excitement and several other factors that influence the thinking patterns and the electrical activity of the brain. Similarly, HRV (Heart Rate Variability) widely investigated for its provision and discerning characteristics towards EEG and the perception in neurocardiology.

Site Effect and Expected Seismic Performance of Buildings in Palestine- Case Study: Nablus City

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Dabbeek, Jalal N.; El-Kelani, Radwan J.

2008-01-01

The effects of local geology on ground-motion amplification and building damage were studied in Palestine-West Bank. Nakamura's method of microtremor analysis was applied in this study. The measurements showed significantly higher amplification in the frequency range of building vulnerability in different parts of Nablus city. This finding is consistent with the distribution of the earthquake damage grades in the urban areas struck by the 11 February 2004 earthquake (ML = 5.2) with a focal depth of 17 km beneath the northeastern part of the Dead Sea Basin. Quite large differences in amplification between around 1 and 9 were computed between the eastern and western rims of the city. The downtown built in the central part of the city on soft clay, marl and valley deposits, whereas the northern and southern parts of urban areas in Nablus city lying on mountains consist of consolidated carbonates bedrock. In the central part of the city and at the rims, where the thickness of fluvial deposits and soft formations is about 15 m, amplifications between 6.74 and 8.67 for dominant natural period range of 0.8-1.1 sec were obtained. On the southern and northern mountains, which are located on limestone rocks covered with a thin layer of soil, the amplification in the same frequency range was low. Calculating the natural period of the existing common buildings (T b ) in the studied area (buildings with 10-12 stories), by using the dynamic analysis method. The values of T b obtained were much closed to the site dominant natural period (Ts). The findings of this study indicate that the expected differences in damage grades for urban areas in Nablus city could be attributed to variations in the thickness and physical properties of Tertiary-Quaternary sediments, which appear to be rather heterogeneous

The Danish Heart Registry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Özcan, Cengiz; Juel, Knud; Lassen, Jens Flensted

2016-01-01

AIM: The Danish Heart Registry (DHR) seeks to monitor nationwide activity and quality of invasive diagnostic and treatment strategies in patients with ischemic heart disease as well as valvular heart disease and to provide data for research. STUDY POPULATION: All adult (≥15 years) patients...... undergoing coronary angiography (CAG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass grafting, and heart valve surgery performed across all Danish hospitals were included. MAIN VARIABLES: The DHR contains a subset of the data stored in the Eastern and Western Denmark Heart Registries (EDHR...

Tourism and City. Reflections about Tourist Dimension of Smart City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa Anna La Rocca

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The city of the future seems to be necessarily “intelligent” both in its physical and in functional features.This paper starts from the consideration that the diffusion of new communication technologies (ICTs is significantly changing the urban supply system of tourist services giving rise to new ways of enjoying the city.As tourism can be assumed as an urban activity, by a town planning point of view, the study of tourism is meaningful to identify development trajectories of the present cities targeted to sustainable and smarter models.As a matter of fact, almost all the projects to get a “smart city” are based on the idea of joining the potentialities of ICTs and the needs of urban management through people living or using the city.In such a vision, “tourist dimension” of the city becomes fundamental in promoting urban image as well as in improving efficiency of the city. This efficiency also depends on the capability of each city to share historical and cultural heritage as “common good”.As tourist demand has deeply changed also driven by technological development, this paper tries to investigate how the urban supply will change in order to meet the rising demand of quality and efficiency. The transition to smart tourist destination currently seems to be strongly connected with the number and the variety of apps to improve the “experiential component”. A lack of interest there seems to be in finding strategies and policies oriented to plan the urban supply of services tourist or not.This consideration, if shared, opens up new perspectives for research and experimentation in which city planning could have a key-role also in proposing an holistic approach to city development towards smart city.

Factors Facilitating the Implementation of Church-Based Heart Health Promotion Programs for Older Adults: A Qualitative Study Guided by the Precede-Proceed Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Ananya Tina; Kin, R; Strachan, Patricia H; Boyle, Michael H; Anand, Sonia S; Oremus, Mark

2015-01-01

To describe the factors facilitating the implementation of heart health promotion programs for older adults in Anglican, United, and Catholic churches. The study used qualitative methods comprising semistructured interviews and focus groups. The interviews and focus groups were conducted in Anglican, Catholic, and United churches located in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. Twelve ordained pastors and 21 older parishioners who attended church regularly and who had no health conditions were recruited to best explain how churches could be suitable locations for health promotion activities targeting older adults. Twelve semistructured interviews with the pastors and three focus groups with the 21 parishioners were undertaken. A component of the Precede-Proceed model (a model for planning health education and health promotion programs and policies) was applied to the findings after direct content analysis of the data. Participants identified pastor leadership, funding for a parish nurse, community-focused interventions, secured infrastructure, and social support from congregation members as pertinent factors required for implementing health promotion programs in Anglican, United, and Catholic churches. The findings have particular relevance for health promotion and public health because they suggest factors that would be necessary to design church-based heart health promotion programs for older adults at risk of chronic diseases.

Semantic Framework of Internet of Things for Smart Cities: Case Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ningyu; Chen, Huajun; Chen, Xi; Chen, Jiaoyan

2016-01-01

In recent years, the advancement of sensor technology has led to the generation of heterogeneous Internet-of-Things (IoT) data by smart cities. Thus, the development and deployment of various aspects of IoT-based applications are necessary to mine the potential value of data to the benefit of people and their lives. However, the variety, volume, heterogeneity, and real-time nature of data obtained from smart cities pose considerable challenges. In this paper, we propose a semantic framework that integrates the IoT with machine learning for smart cities. The proposed framework retrieves and models urban data for certain kinds of IoT applications based on semantic and machine-learning technologies. Moreover, we propose two case studies: pollution detection from vehicles and traffic pattern detection. The experimental results show that our system is scalable and capable of accommodating a large number of urban regions with different types of IoT applications. PMID:27649185

Semantic Framework of Internet of Things for Smart Cities: Case Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ningyu; Chen, Huajun; Chen, Xi; Chen, Jiaoyan

2016-09-14

In recent years, the advancement of sensor technology has led to the generation of heterogeneous Internet-of-Things (IoT) data by smart cities. Thus, the development and deployment of various aspects of IoT-based applications are necessary to mine the potential value of data to the benefit of people and their lives. However, the variety, volume, heterogeneity, and real-time nature of data obtained from smart cities pose considerable challenges. In this paper, we propose a semantic framework that integrates the IoT with machine learning for smart cities. The proposed framework retrieves and models urban data for certain kinds of IoT applications based on semantic and machine-learning technologies. Moreover, we propose two case studies: pollution detection from vehicles and traffic pattern detection. The experimental results show that our system is scalable and capable of accommodating a large number of urban regions with different types of IoT applications.

Semantic Framework of Internet of Things for Smart Cities: Case Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ningyu Zhang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the advancement of sensor technology has led to the generation of heterogeneous Internet-of-Things (IoT data by smart cities. Thus, the development and deployment of various aspects of IoT-based applications are necessary to mine the potential value of data to the benefit of people and their lives. However, the variety, volume, heterogeneity, and real-time nature of data obtained from smart cities pose considerable challenges. In this paper, we propose a semantic framework that integrates the IoT with machine learning for smart cities. The proposed framework retrieves and models urban data for certain kinds of IoT applications based on semantic and machine-learning technologies. Moreover, we propose two case studies: pollution detection from vehicles and traffic pattern detection. The experimental results show that our system is scalable and capable of accommodating a large number of urban regions with different types of IoT applications.

Barriers and facilitators to palliative care of patients with chronic heart failure in Germany: a study protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Köberich

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background. Despite its high prevalence, similar symptoms and symptom burden, people suffering from chronic heart failure receive less palliative care than patients with malignant diseases. Internationally, numerous barriers to palliative care of patients with chronic heart failure are known, however, there are no credible data regarding barriers and facilitators to palliative care of people suffering from chronic heart failure available for Germany. Design and Methods. Tripartite study. First part of this study evaluates health care providers’ (physicians and nurses perceived barriers and facilitators to palliative care of patients with chronic heart failure using a qualitative approach. At least 18 persons will be interviewed. In the second part, based on the results of part one, a questionnaire about barriers and facilitators to palliative care of patients with chronic heart failure will be designed and applied to at least 150 physicians and nurses. In the last part a classic Delphi method will be used to develop specific measures to improve the palliative care for chronic heart failure patients. Expected Impact for Public Health. The results of this study will help to understand why patients with heart failure are seldom referred to palliative care and will provide solutions to overcome these barriers. Developed solutions will be the first step to improve palliative care in patients with heart failure in Germany. In addition, the results will help health care providers in other countries to take action to improve palliative care situations for heart failure patients.

Expanding cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller-Jensen, Lasse

A number of cities in Africa experience very rapid spatial growth without the benefit of a systematic process of planning and implementation of planning decisions. This process has challenged the road and transport system, created high levels of congestion, and hampered mobility and accessibility...... to both central and new peripheral areas. This paper reports on studies carried out in Accra and Dar es Salaam to address and link 1) mobility practices of residents, 2) local strategies for ‘post-settlement’ network extension, and 3) the city-wide performance of the transport system. The studies draw...... in advance. However, such solutions are often impeded by costly and cumbersome land-acquisition processes, and because of the reactive and often piecemeal approach to infrastructure extensions, the development will often be more costly. Moreover, the lack of compliance to a city-wide development plan...

Future lighting and the appearance of cities at night: A case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Rankel

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Future lighting solutions based on solid state lighting will transform the appearance of cities at night. They can be positioned and used in an urban environment in numerous ways. This article studies whether their future use in general outdoor lighting will positively affect people’s acceptance of urban space illuminated in this way. Two different lighting concepts were formed based on the innovative use of solid state lighting solutions. The first concept is based on plane lighting, and the second is based on a detailed depiction of architectural and urban elements. Lighting proposals were designed for five different city locations. They consider not only functional needs, but also urban planning and the architectural aspects of illumination. I present my study of the underlying core effects on the respondents through their assessment of the affective quality of graphic representations. My findings indicate that the respondents strongly agree with the assessment of the “pleasantness” and “arousal” variables of most proposals. However, the statistics show characteristic differences between the answers of both variables for both concepts. Direct comparison of the two concepts shows that the respondents’ attitudes towards a certain lighting concept also depend on their location in the city. This article emphasises the importance of the appearance of a city at night in developing future lighting strategies based on solid state light sources.

Zebrafish heart as a model to study the integrative autonomic control of pacemaker function

Science.gov (United States)

Stoyek, Matthew R.; Quinn, T. Alexander; Croll, Roger P.

2016-01-01

The cardiac pacemaker sets the heart's primary rate, with pacemaker discharge controlled by the autonomic nervous system through intracardiac ganglia. A fundamental issue in understanding the relationship between neural activity and cardiac chronotropy is the identification of neuronal populations that control pacemaker cells. To date, most studies of neurocardiac control have been done in mammalian species, where neurons are embedded in and distributed throughout the heart, so they are largely inaccessible for whole-organ, integrative studies. Here, we establish the isolated, innervated zebrafish heart as a novel alternative model for studies of autonomic control of heart rate. Stimulation of individual cardiac vagosympathetic nerve trunks evoked bradycardia (parasympathetic activation) and tachycardia (sympathetic activation). Simultaneous stimulation of both vagosympathetic nerve trunks evoked a summative effect. Effects of nerve stimulation were mimicked by direct application of cholinergic and adrenergic agents. Optical mapping of electrical activity confirmed the sinoatrial region as the site of origin of normal pacemaker activity and identified a secondary pacemaker in the atrioventricular region. Strong vagosympathetic nerve stimulation resulted in a shift in the origin of initial excitation from the sinoatrial pacemaker to the atrioventricular pacemaker. Putative pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial and atrioventricular regions expressed adrenergic β2 and cholinergic muscarinic type 2 receptors. Collectively, we have demonstrated that the zebrafish heart contains the accepted hallmarks of vertebrate cardiac control, establishing this preparation as a viable model for studies of integrative physiological control of cardiac function by intracardiac neurons. PMID:27342878

Heart transplantation in adults with congenital heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Houyel, Lucile; To-Dumortier, Ngoc-Tram; Lepers, Yannick; Petit, Jérôme; Roussin, Régine; Ly, Mohamed; Lebret, Emmanuel; Fadel, Elie; Hörer, Jürgen; Hascoët, Sébastien

2017-05-01

With the advances in congenital cardiac surgery and postoperative care, an increasing number of children with complex congenital heart disease now reach adulthood. There are already more adults than children living with a congenital heart defect, including patients with complex congenital heart defects. Among these adults with congenital heart disease, a significant number will develop ventricular dysfunction over time. Heart failure accounts for 26-42% of deaths in adults with congenital heart defects. Heart transplantation, or heart-lung transplantation in Eisenmenger syndrome, then becomes the ultimate therapeutic possibility for these patients. This population is deemed to be at high risk of mortality after heart transplantation, although their long-term survival is similar to that of patients transplanted for other reasons. Indeed, heart transplantation in adults with congenital heart disease is often challenging, because of several potential problems: complex cardiac and vascular anatomy, multiple previous palliative and corrective surgeries, and effects on other organs (kidney, liver, lungs) of long-standing cardiac dysfunction or cyanosis, with frequent elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance. In this review, we focus on the specific problems relating to heart and heart-lung transplantation in this population, revisit the indications/contraindications, and update the long-term outcomes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Atrial fibrillation, ischaemic heart disease, and the risk of death in patients with heart failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Ole Dyg; Søndergaard, Peter; Nielsen, Tonny

2006-01-01

AIMS: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a risk factor for death in patients with a myocardial infarction, but highly variable results are reported in patients with heart failure. We studied the prognostic impact of AF in heart failure patients with and without ischaemic heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS......), 1.02-1.23, P=0.018]. There was a significant interaction between the importance of AF and the presence of ischaemic heart disease (P=0.034). In patients with AF at the time of discharge and ischaemic heart disease, HR was 1.25 (95% CI: 1.09-1.42) and P... and without ischaemic heart disease, HR was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.88-1.16) and P=0.88. CONCLUSION: AF is associated with increased risk of death only in patients with ischaemic heart disease. This finding may explain the variable results of studies of the prognosis associated with AF in heart failure....

Attitudes and Motivation to Use Public or Individual Transport: A Case Study of Two Middle-Sized Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslav Burian

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of a quantitative study in the Czech Republic to understand travellers’ attitudes towards and motivation to use different means of transport. Two Czech cities, Olomouc and Ostrava, are compared from the point of view of factors influencing spatial and temporal patterns and citizen’s selection of transport mode and transport behaviour (range and daily movements of the population, perception of the quality of public transport etc.. The data for the analysis were obtained from the survey with more than 500 respondents in each city. Spatial and temporal behaviour represented by the pattern of the movement in Olomouc and Ostrava city was identified by statistical and visual analytics methods. Based on a case study of two cities of a different size, we conclude that the size and shape of the city centre (spatial structure influence not only the distances travelled but also the average speed of public transportation (slower for a smaller city. Distances and choice of transport mode also vary with the density of urban areas but can also be influenced by the spatial structure of the city. The walking distance to a public transport stop does not influence the most frequently used mode of transport. Temporal patterns in both cities are very similar and are not dependent on city size or city spatial structure. The spatial patterns of the car and public transport flows are similar in both cities. Different patterns can be observed for walking and shopping routes.

Quality of Life for Saudi Patients With Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Correlational Study.

Science.gov (United States)

AbuRuz, Mohannad Eid; Alaloul, Fawwaz; Saifan, Ahmed; Masa'deh, Rami; Abusalem, Said

2015-06-25

Heart failure is a major public health issue and a growing concern in developing countries, including Saudi Arabia. Most related research was conducted in Western cultures and may have limited applicability for individuals in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this study assesses the quality of life of Saudi patients with heart failure. A cross-sectional correlational design was used on a convenient sample of 103 patients with heart failure. Data were collected using the Short Form-36 and the Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. Overall, the patients' scores were low for all domains of Quality of Life. The Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary mean scores and SDs were (36.7±12.4, 48.8±6.5) respectively, indicating poor Quality of Life. Left ventricular ejection fraction was the strongest predictor of both physical and mental summaries. Identifying factors that impact quality of life for Saudi heart failure patients is important in identifying and meeting their physical and psychosocial needs.

Prospective study of alcohol drinking patterns and coronary heart disease in women and men

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tolstrup, Janne; Jensen, Majken K; Tjønneland, Anne

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between alcohol drinking patterns and risk of coronary heart disease in women and men. DESIGN: Population based cohort study. SETTING: Denmark, 1993-2002. PARTICIPANTS: 28 448 women and 25 052 men aged 50-65 years, who were free of cardiovascular disease...... at entry to the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of coronary heart disease occurring during a median follow-up period of 5.7 years. RESULTS: 749 and 1283 coronary heart disease events occurred among women and men. Women who drank alcohol on at least one day a week had a lower risk of coronary heart...... disease than women who drank alcohol on less than one day a week. Little difference was found, however, between drinking frequency: one day a week (hazard ratio 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 0.81), 2-4 days a week (0.63, 0.52 to 0.77), five or six days a week (0.79, 0.61 to 1.03), and seven days...

Women's Heart Disease: Heart Attack Symptoms

Science.gov (United States)

... of this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Women's Heart Disease Heart Attack Symptoms Past Issues / Winter ... most common heart attack symptom in men and women is chest pain or discomfort. However, women also ...

Discover Patterns and Mobility of Twitter Users—A Study of Four US College Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yue Li

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Geo-tagged tweets provide useful implications for studies in human geography, urban science, location-based services, targeted advertising, and social network. This research aims to discover the patterns and mobility of Twitter users by analyzing the spatial and temporal dynamics in their tweets. Geo-tagged tweets are collected over a period of six months for four US Midwestern college cities: (1 West Lafayette, IN; (2 Bloomington, IN; (3 Ann Arbor, MI; (4 Columbus, OH. Various analytical and statistical methods are used to reveal the spatial and temporal patterns of tweets, and the tweeting behaviors of Twitter users. It is discovered that Twitter users are most active between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm. In smaller cities, tweets aggregate at campuses and apartment complexes, while tweets in residential areas of bigger cities make up the majority of tweets. We also found that most Twitter users have two to four places of frequent visits. The mean mobility range of frequent Twitter users is linearly correlated to the size of the city, specifically, about 40% of the city radius. The research therefore confirms the feasibility and promising future for using geo-tagged microblogging services such as Twitter to understand human behavior patterns and carry out other geo-social related studies.

The American Heart Association Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among Blacks: The Jackson Heart Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Effoe, Valery S; Carnethon, Mercedes R; Echouffo-Tcheugui, Justin B; Chen, Haiying; Joseph, Joshua J; Norwood, Arnita F; Bertoni, Alain G

2017-06-21

The concept of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), defined by the American Heart Association primarily for coronary heart disease and stroke prevention, may apply to diabetes mellitus prevention among blacks. Our sample included 2668 adults in the Jackson Heart Study with complete baseline data on 6 of 7 American Heart Association CVH metrics (body mass index, healthy diet, smoking, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and physical activity). Incident diabetes mellitus was defined as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, physician diagnosis, use of diabetes mellitus drugs, or glycosylated hemoglobin ≥6.5%. A summary CVH score from 0 to 6, based on presence/absence of ideal CVH metrics, was derived for each participant. Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios. Mean age was 55 years (65% women) with 492 incident diabetes mellitus events over 7.6 years (24.6 cases/1000 person-years). Three quarters of participants had only 1 or 2 ideal CVH metrics; no participant had all 6. After adjustment for demographic factors (age, sex, education, and income) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, each additional ideal CVH metric was associated with a 17% diabetes mellitus risk reduction (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74-0.93). The association was attenuated with further adjustment for homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.79-1.00). Compared with participants with 1 or no ideal CVH metric, diabetes mellitus risk was 15% and 37% lower in those with 2 and ≥3 ideal CVH metrics, respectively. The AHA concept of ideal CVH is applicable to diabetes mellitus prevention among blacks. These associations were largely explained by insulin resistance. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

From City-States to Global Cities: the role of Cities in Global Governance

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Domingos Martins Vaz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Global governance has altered institutional architecture and the systemic and institutional conditions under which power is exercised, as well as the characteristics of the political system, the form of government, and the system of intermediation of interests. However, although it has surpassed the State’s dimension of power, it created new interstate dimensions and new relations between powers, particularly at the level of cities. Cities have helped to solve common problems in a more efficient and effective way by facilitating the exchange of knowledge, sharing of solutions and resources, and building capacity to implement and monitor progress in order to achieve collectively agreed goals, in a bottom-up approach. Cities have the virtue of securing the most direct social and political contract between societies and the notion of authority. This study, therefore, aims to reflect on this emerging, less hierarchical and rigid governance and address complex global challenges such as climate and demographic change; increasing crime rates; disruptive technology; and pressures on resources, infrastructure and energy. As a global/local interface, cities can ensure effective solutions to current challenges and act together in areas where the global agenda has stalled.

3PL Services in City Logistics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aastrup, Jesper; Gammelgaard, Britta; Prockl, Günter

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is 1) to develop an overview of activities and services that can add value for users and consignees in city logistics schemes based on Urban Consolidation Centre, and 2) to understand and analyze the perceived value for users and consignees from using such services....... The paper will be based on studies of the city logistics literature and existing city logistics schemes, as well as survey and interview findings from studies of potential users (retailers) in Copenhagen inner city and interviews with existing users (retailers) of existing city logistics services...... in the cities of Maastricht, Netherlands, and Hasselt, Belgium. The paper provides an overview and classification of possible third party logistics services in city logistics schemes. Also, findings about value perceived by current users as well as potential users are presented. Literature on city logistics has...

Strategies to Reduce the Harmful Effects of Extreme Heat Events: A Four-City Study

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Jalonne L. White-Newsome

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Extreme heat events (EHEs are becoming more intense, more frequent and longer lasting in the 21st century. These events can disproportionately impact the health of low-income, minority, and urban populations. To better understand heat-related intervention strategies used by four U.S. cities, we conducted 73 semi-structured interviews with government and non-governmental organization leaders representing public health, general social services, emergency management, meteorology, and the environmental planning sectors in Detroit, MI; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA and Phoenix, AZ—cities selected for their diverse demographics, climates, and climate adaptation strategies. We identified activities these leaders used to reduce the harmful effects of heat for residents in their city, as well as the obstacles they faced and the approaches they used to evaluate these efforts. Local leaders provided a description of how local context (e.g., climate, governance and city structure impacted heat preparedness. Despite the differences among study cities, political will and resource access were critical to driving heat-health related programming. Upon completion of our interviews, we convened leaders in each city to discuss these findings and their ongoing efforts through day-long workshops. Our findings and the recommendations that emerged from these workshops could inform other local or national efforts towards preventing heat-related morbidity and mortality.

Research of land reclamation and ecological restoration in the resource-exhausting city : a case study of Huaibei in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, W.; Hu, Z.; Li, J.; Zhang, H.; Hu, J.; Zhang, P.

2010-01-01

Eco-city construction is a strong tool which could move a city from traditional industrial civilization to ecological civilization. The city of Huaibet, located in China, has 50 years of coal mining history, and has been listed as a national resource-exhausting city. The city's sustainable development and ecological restoration is encountering extreme challenges. This study used time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in order to study the situation of evolution and distribution of subsidence in the area in Huaibet. The purpose of the study was to provide strategic recommendations to assist Huaibei city transform from a resource-exhausting city to an eco-city. Specifically, the paper discussed the direction of eco-reconstruction in Huaibei such as rural eco-agriculture; wetland park or suburban park; and mine park. It also presented a time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in Huaibet including the subsidence status of the main city of Huaibet and intensive use of land evaluation and land use measures of the main city of Huaibei. Land reclamation and eco-reconstruction of Huaibet was also examined in the paper. It was concluded that based on land use of all aspects of the evaluation area and city's development plan, an integrated tourism with full use of subsidence land could be developed. 10 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

Research of land reclamation and ecological restoration in the resource-exhausting city : a case study of Huaibei in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, W.; Hu, Z.; Li, J.; Zhang, H.; Hu, J.; Zhang, P. [China Univ. Of Mining and Technology, Beijing (China). Inst. of Land Reclamation and Ecological Reconstruction

2010-07-01

Eco-city construction is a strong tool which could move a city from traditional industrial civilization to ecological civilization. The city of Huaibet, located in China, has 50 years of coal mining history, and has been listed as a national resource-exhausting city. The city's sustainable development and ecological restoration is encountering extreme challenges. This study used time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in order to study the situation of evolution and distribution of subsidence in the area in Huaibet. The purpose of the study was to provide strategic recommendations to assist Huaibei city transform from a resource-exhausting city to an eco-city. Specifically, the paper discussed the direction of eco-reconstruction in Huaibei such as rural eco-agriculture; wetland park or suburban park; and mine park. It also presented a time-space evolution analysis of mining subsidence in Huaibet including the subsidence status of the main city of Huaibet and intensive use of land evaluation and land use measures of the main city of Huaibei. Land reclamation and eco-reconstruction of Huaibet was also examined in the paper. It was concluded that based on land use of all aspects of the evaluation area and city's development plan, an integrated tourism with full use of subsidence land could be developed. 10 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

Heart health risk factors in Punjabi early teens

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Elizabeth Mary John

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Context: India is experiencing an epidemiological health transition characterized by rapid decline in nutritional and parasitic diseases (pre-transitional diseases with an alarming rise in cardiovascular diseases, mainly coronary heart disease and stroke (post-transitional diseases. Many of these risk factors manifesting themselves as diseases in adults can be found during adolescence. Aims: To determine the prevalence of risk factors of heart disease among urban high-school students aged 13-15 yrs in Ludhiana city. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 330 high school-going early teens aged 13-15 years using a pretested questionnaire. Details regarding food habits, physical activity, and family history were collected along with anthropometric measures and blood pressure recordings. Statistical Analysis Used: Data was analysed using frequencies and proportion. Chi-square was the test of significance. Results: The prevalence of at least one risk factor in the population was 48.5%. Family history with prevalence of at least one coronary artery disease risk factor was of 27.4%, diabetic parents 12.2%, hypertension 17.6%, and heart disease was 1.8%. Physical inactivity as a risk factor showed an overall prevalence of 73%. Nearly 50% of the students consumed some junk food every day. Only 18.2% consume 3-5 servings of fruits per day, 11.2% do not take any fruits at all. Prevalence of overweight was 11.2% and 4.6% of them were obese. Hypertension was seen in 20.1% of subjects. Conclusions: The present generation of early teens are at high risk of future cardiovascular disease and schools and society need to address these issues urgently.

Pavlodar city children's some hereditary diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shajmardanova, B. Kh.; Gorbach, S.V.

1997-01-01

Territory of the Pavlodar region directly adjoining to the Semipalatinsk test site is unique object for study of many year tests consequences on population health. Health worsening caused by small doses of radiation on artificial pollution background is defined. Purpose of the work is Pavlodar city children's some hereditary diseases (Downs syndrome, crack of upper lip and/or palate, hemophilia) under study of frequency dynamic of statistical data within period from 1980 by 1995. It is defined: a) tendency to growth Downs syndrome frequency has been distinctly observed beginning of the 1982; b) it is noted Downs syndrome frequency growth stabilization within period from 1988 by 1991; c) among children with Downs syndrome is distinguished low viability; d) there is rather higher correlation rate of Downs syndrome and congenial heart threshold against average statistical index; e) character of frequencies changes of crack of upper lip and/or palate has tendency to growth; f) it is defined that boys predominate among children with this disease; g) congenial crack of soft palate have being revealed as solitary thresholds of development; h) genealogy analysis of hemophilia sick reveals, that it has only hereditary character. 8 refs

Long-Term Nationwide Follow-Up Study of Simple Congenital Heart Disease Diagnosed in Otherwise Healthy Children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Videbæk, Jørgen; Laursen, Henning Bækgaard; Olsen, Morten

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Systematic follow-up is currently not recommended for patients with simple congenital heart disease; however, only a few data exist on the long-term prognosis of simple congenital heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We undertook a nationwide follow-up study of a cohort of 1241 simple...... congenital heart disease patients, diagnosed from 1963 through 1973, in otherwise healthy children and alive at 15 years of age. We identified 10 age- and sex-matched general population controls per patient. We followed the study population through Danish public registries from the age of 15 years up...... with simple congenital heart disease in the 1960s have substantially increased long-term mortality and cardiac morbidity compared with the general population. Further studies on the effectiveness of systematic medical follow-up programs appear warranted....

Effects of Liraglutide on Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kumarathurai, Preman; Anholm, Christian; Larsen, Bjørn Strøier

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) and increased heart rate (HR) have been associated with cardiovascular mortality. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) increase HR, and studies have suggested that they may reduce HRV. We examined the effect of the GLP-1 RA...

Heart failure etiology impacts survival of patients with heart failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pecini, Redi; Møller, Daniel Vega; Torp-Pedersen, Christian

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: The impact of heart failure (HF) etiology on prognosis of HF is not well known. METHODS: 3078 patients (median age 75years, 61% male) hospitalized with HF were studied. Patients were classified into six etiology groups: hypertension (HTN, 13.9%), ischemic heart disease (IHD, 42...

CityGML - Interoperable semantic 3D city models

Science.gov (United States)

Gröger, Gerhard; Plümer, Lutz

2012-07-01

CityGML is the international standard of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) for the representation and exchange of 3D city models. It defines the three-dimensional geometry, topology, semantics and appearance of the most relevant topographic objects in urban or regional contexts. These definitions are provided in different, well-defined Levels-of-Detail (multiresolution model). The focus of CityGML is on the semantical aspects of 3D city models, its structures, taxonomies and aggregations, allowing users to employ virtual 3D city models for advanced analysis and visualization tasks in a variety of application domains such as urban planning, indoor/outdoor pedestrian navigation, environmental simulations, cultural heritage, or facility management. This is in contrast to purely geometrical/graphical models such as KML, VRML, or X3D, which do not provide sufficient semantics. CityGML is based on the Geography Markup Language (GML), which provides a standardized geometry model. Due to this model and its well-defined semantics and structures, CityGML facilitates interoperable data exchange in the context of geo web services and spatial data infrastructures. Since its standardization in 2008, CityGML has become used on a worldwide scale: tools from notable companies in the geospatial field provide CityGML interfaces. Many applications and projects use this standard. CityGML is also having a strong impact on science: numerous approaches use CityGML, particularly its semantics, for disaster management, emergency responses, or energy-related applications as well as for visualizations, or they contribute to CityGML, improving its consistency and validity, or use CityGML, particularly its different Levels-of-Detail, as a source or target for generalizations. This paper gives an overview of CityGML, its underlying concepts, its Levels-of-Detail, how to extend it, its applications, its likely future development, and the role it plays in scientific research. Furthermore, its

Patient-centered disease management (PCDM) for heart failure: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekelman, David B; Plomondon, Mary E; Sullivan, Mark D; Nelson, Karin; Hattler, Brack; McBryde, Connor; Lehmann, Kenneth G; Potfay, Jonathan; Heidenreich, Paul; Rumsfeld, John S

2013-07-09

Chronic heart failure (HF) disease management programs have reported inconsistent results and have not included comorbid depression management or specifically focused on improving patient-reported outcomes. The Patient Centered Disease Management (PCDM) trial was designed to test the effectiveness of collaborative care disease management in improving health status (symptoms, functioning, and quality of life) in patients with HF who reported poor HF-specific health status. Patients with a HF diagnosis at four VA Medical Centers were identified through population-based sampling. Patients with a Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ, a measure of HF-specific health status) score of patients were randomized to receive usual care or the PCDM intervention, which included: (1) collaborative care management by VA clinicians including a nurse, cardiologist, internist, and psychiatrist, who worked with patients and their primary care providers to provide guideline-concordant care management, (2) home telemonitoring and guided patient self-management support, and (3) screening and treatment for comorbid depression. The primary study outcome is change in overall KCCQ score. Secondary outcomes include depression, medication adherence, guideline-based care, hospitalizations, and mortality. The PCDM trial builds on previous studies of HF disease management by prioritizing patient health status, implementing a collaborative care model of health care delivery, and addressing depression, a key barrier to optimal disease management. The study has been designed as an 'effectiveness trial' to support broader implementation in the healthcare system if it is successful. Unique identifier: NCT00461513.

The first multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of home telemonitoring for Japanese patients with heart failure: home telemonitoring study for patients with heart failure (HOMES-HF).

Science.gov (United States)

Kotooka, Norihiko; Kitakaze, Masafumi; Nagashima, Kengo; Asaka, Machiko; Kinugasa, Yoshiharu; Nochioka, Kotaro; Mizuno, Atsushi; Nagatomo, Daisuke; Mine, Daigo; Yamada, Yoko; Kuratomi, Akiko; Okada, Norihiro; Fujimatsu, Daisuke; Kuwahata, So; Toyoda, Shigeru; Hirotani, Shin-Ichi; Komori, Takahiro; Eguchi, Kazuo; Kario, Kazuomi; Inomata, Takayuki; Sugi, Kaoru; Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Tsutsui, Hiroyuki; Masuyama, Tohru; Shimokawa, Hiroaki; Momomura, Shin-Ichi; Seino, Yoshihiko; Sato, Yasunori; Inoue, Teruo; Node, Koichi

2018-02-15

Home telemonitoring is becoming more important to home medical care for patients with heart failure. Since there are no data on home telemonitoring for Japanese patients with heart failure, we investigated its effect on cardiovascular outcomes. The HOMES-HF study was the first multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) to elucidate the effectiveness of home telemonitoring of physiological data, such as body weight, blood pressure, and pulse rate, for Japanese patients with heart failure (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry 000006839). The primary end-point was a composite of all-cause death or rehospitalization due to worsening heart failure. We analyzed 181 recently hospitalized patients with heart failure who were randomly assigned to a telemonitoring group (n = 90) or a usual care group (n = 91). The mean follow-up period was 15 (range 0-31) months. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary end-point between groups [hazard ratio (HR), 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.548-1.648; p = 0.572]. Home telemonitoring for Japanese patients with heart failure was feasible; however, beneficial effects in addition to those of usual care were not demonstrated. Further investigation of more patients with severe heart failure, participation of home medical care providers, and use of a more integrated home telemonitoring system emphasizing communication as well as monitoring of symptoms and physiological data are required.

A randomised, simulated study assessing auscultation of heart rate at birth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voogdt, Kevin G. J. A.; Morrison, Allison C.; Wood, Fiona E.; van Elburg, Ruurd M.; Wyllie, Jonathan P.

2010-01-01

Heart rate is a primary clinical indicator directing newborn resuscitation. The time taken to assess the heart rate by auscultation in relation to accuracy during newborn resuscitation is not known. To assess both the accuracy and time taken to assess heart rate by stethoscope in simulated

Study on Strategic Planning of Road and Bridge Infrastructure Development in City Planning: Taking Porto-novo City of Benin Republic as Example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boko-haya Dossa Didier

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Concern about the townlet infrastructure construction in developing country is one of the crucial part of county town planning and development. By taking the overall planning and design in a case study of Porto-novo city at Republic of Benin, this paper analyzes the characteristics and opportunities of Porto-novo city and puts forward corresponding infrastructure construction strategy. In the end, the paper comes up with specific plan of planning and design under the background of Porto-novo's planning of development strategy.

Sustainable Cities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Georg, Susse; Garza de Linde, Gabriela Lucía

Judging from the number of communities and cities striving or claiming to be sustainable and how often eco-development is invoked as the means for urban regeneration, it appears that sustainable and eco-development have become “the leading paradigm within urban development” (Whitehead 2003....../assessment tool. The context for our study is urban regeneration in one Danish city, which had been suffering from industrial decline and which is currently investing in establishing a “sustainable city”. Based on this case study we explore how the insights and inspiration evoked in working with the tool...

Heart Transplant in Patients with Predominantly Rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Vitor E E; Lopes, Antonio S S A; Accorsi, Tarso A D; Fernandes, Joao Ricardo C; Spina, Guilherme S; Sampaio, Roney O; Bacal, Fernando; Tarasoutchi, Flavio

2015-09-01

International records indicate that only 2.6% of patients with heart transplants have valvular heart disease. The study aim was to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical profile of patients with valvular heart disease undergoing heart transplantation. Between 1985 and 2013, a total of 569 heart transplants was performed at the authors' institution. Twenty patients (13 men, seven women; mean age 39.5 +/- 15.2 years) underwent heart transplant due to structural (primary) valvular disease. Analyses were made of the patients' clinical profile, laboratory data, echocardiographic and histopathological data, and mortality and rejection. Of the patients, 18 (90%) had a rheumatic etiology, with 85% having undergone previous valve surgery (45% had one or more operations), and 95% with a normal functioning valve prosthesis at the time of transplantation. Atrial fibrillation was present in seven patients (35%), while nine (45%) were in NYHA functional class IV and eight (40%) in class III. The indication for cardiac transplantation was refractory heart failure in seven patients (35%) and persistent NYHA class III/IV in ten (50%). The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 26.6 +/- 7.9%. The one-year mortality was 20%. Histological examination of the recipients' hearts showed five (27.7%) to have reactivated rheumatic myocarditis without prior diagnosis at the time of transplantation. Univariate analysis showed that age, gender, LVEF, rheumatic activity and rejection were not associated with mortality at one year. Among the present patient cohort, rheumatic heart disease was the leading cause of heart transplantation, and a significant proportion of these patients had reactivated myocarditis diagnosed in the histological analyses. Thus, it appears valid to investigate the existence of rheumatic activity, especially in valvular cardiomyopathy with severe systolic dysfunction before transplantation.

[Medical and surgical health care for congenital heart disease: a panoramic vision of the reality in Mexico. Inquiry 2009].

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón-Colmenero, Juan; De-la-Llata, Manuel; Vizcaíno, Alfredo; Ramírez, Samuel; Bolio, Alejandro

2011-01-01

The only way to characterize the Mexican problem related to congenital heart disease care is promoting the creation of a national database for registering the organization, resources, and related activities. The Health Secretary of Mexico adopted a Spanish registration model to design a survey for obtaining a national Mexican reference in congenital heart disease. This survey was distributed to all directors of medical and/or surgical health care centers for congenital heart disease in Mexico. This communication presents the results obtained in relation to organization, resources and activities performed during the last year 2009. From the 22 health care centers which answered the survey 10 were reference centers (45%) and 12 were assistant centers (55%). All of them are provided with cardiologic auxiliary diagnostic methods. Except one, all centers have at least one bidimentional echocardiography apparatus. There is a general deficit between material and human resources detected in our study. Therapeutic actions for congenital heart disease (70% surgical and 30% therapeutical interventionism) show a clear centralization tendency for this kind of health care in Mexico City, Monterrey and finally Guadalajara. Due to the participation of almost all cardiac health centers in Mexico, our study provides an important information related to organization, resources, and medical and/or surgical activities for congenital heart disease. The data presented not only show Mexican reality, but allows us to identify better the national problematic for establishing priorities and propose solution alternatives.

Reduced dietary sodium intake increases heart rate. A meta-analysis of 63 randomized controlled trials including 72 study populations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels eGraudal

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Reduced dietary sodium intake (sodium reduction increases heart rate in some studies of animals and humans. As heart rate is independently associated with the development of heart failure and increased risk of premature death a potential increase in heart rate could be a harmful side-effect of sodium reduction. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of sodium reduction on heart rate. Relevant studies were retrieved from an updated pool of 176 randomized controlled trials (RCTs published in the period 1973–2014. 63 of the RCTs including 72 study populations reported data on heart rate. In a meta-analysis of these data sodium reduction increased heart rate with 1.65 beats per minute [95% CI: 1.19, 2.11], p < 0.00001, corresponding to 2.4% of the baseline heart rate. This effect was independent of baseline blood pressure. In conclusion sodium reduction increases heart rate by as much (2.4% as it decreases blood pressure (2.5%. This side-effect, which may cause harmful health effects, contributes to the need for a revision of the present dietary guidelines.

The burden of ischemic heart disease related to ambient air pollution exposure in a coastal city in South China.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jing; Li, Guoxing; Qian, Xujun; Xu, Guozhang; Zhao, Yan; Huang, Jian; Liu, Qichen; He, Tianfeng; Guo, Xinbiao

2018-07-01

Air pollution is considered one of the most important risk factors for ischemic heart disease (IHD), which is a major public health concern. The disease burden of IHD has continued to rise in China in the past two decades. However, epidemiological studies examining the associations between air pollution and IHD have been scarce in China, and the only studies were conducted in severe air pollution areas, where air pollution levels seriously exceed the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines. Whether the influence of air pollution on IHD in areas with relatively low levels of air pollution differs from the influence of high pollution levels in heavily studied areas was unknown until now. Furthermore, the estimation of the disease burden of IHD related to air pollution has been very limited. We conducted a time-series study to estimate the short-term burden of ambient air pollution on IHD using the indicator of years of life lost (YLL), based on 10 322 IHD deaths from 2011 to 2015 in Ningbo, a coastal city in South China. The mean concentrations of fine particle (PM 2.5 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) were 49.58 μg/m 3 , 21.34 μg/m 3 and 43.41 μg/m 3 , respectively. A 10 μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 , SO 2 and NO 2 was associated with changes in YLL of 0.71 (95%CI: - 0.21,1.64), 3.31 (95%CI: 0.78, 5.84), and 2.27 (95%CI: 0.26, 4.28) years, respectively. Relatively stronger impacts were found for gaseous pollutants than PM 2.5 . A larger increase in YLL was found in the younger population than in the older population for NO 2 exposure. In addition, estimations of the effects of SO 2 and NO 2 on YLL were higher for males than females. SO 2 exposure was positively associated with YLL in widowed group. The findings highlighted the importance of stringent air pollution control, especially for gaseous pollutants. Furthermore, using the indicator of YLL, considering the occurrence of death at different ages, provided more

Study protocol for the Cities Changing Diabetes programme: a global mixed-methods approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Napier, A David; Nolan, John J; Bagger, Malene; Hesseldal, Louise; Volkmann, Anna-Maria

2017-11-08

Urban living has been shown to affect health in various ways. As the world is becoming more urbanised and almost two-thirds of people with diabetes now live in cities, research into the relationship between urban living, health and diabetes is key to improving the lives of many. The majority of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, a subset linked to overweight and obesity, decreased physical activity and unhealthy diets. Diabetes has significant consequences for those living with the condition as well as their families, relationships and wider society. Although care and management are improving, complications remain common, and diabetes is among the leading causes of vision loss, amputation, neuropathy and renal and cardiovascular disease worldwide. We present a research protocol for exploring the drivers of type 2 diabetes and its complications in urban settings through the Cities Changing Diabetes (CCD) partnership programme. A global study protocol is implemented in eight collaborating CCD partner cities. In each city, academic institutions, municipal representatives and local stakeholders collaborate to set research priorities and plan implementation of findings. Local academic teams execute the study following the global study protocol presented here. A quantitative Rule of Halves analysis obtains measures of the magnitude of the diabetes burden, the diagnosis rates in each city and the outcomes of care. A qualitative Diabetes Vulnerability Assessment explores the urban context in vulnerability to type 2 diabetes and identifies social factors and cultural determinants relevant to health, well-being and diabetes. The protocol steers the collection of primary and secondary data across the study sites. Research ethics board approval has been sought and obtained in each site. Findings from each of the local studies as well as the result from combined multisite (global) analyses will be reported in a series of core scientific journal papers. © Article author

Study on Extension of Standard Meteorological Data for Cities in South Korea Using ISO 15927-4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeweon Kim

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Accurate standard meteorological data sets for each city are essential elements to assess and analyze high-performance buildings quantitatively in order to ensure that they comply with energy saving policies of the nation. ECO2, which is an assessment program of building energy in Korea, has employed meteorological data of the closest city to the target location from 13 urban meteorological data references; the employment of this program has demonstrated the ability to reflect climatic differences between cities. The present study expanded urban meteorological data to ISO TRY (International Organization for Standard Test Reference Year, an international standard methodology that can calculate the data in a relatively simple manner using observed data in Korea, as much as possible in order to reflect meteorological data, including the air temperature relevant for heating and cooling energy as well as solar radiation (cooling/heating energy for each city, that affected the assessment of building energy the most. In the present study, existing data is expanded to a show the standard meteorological data of 66 cities that can be put into the Korean assessment program (ECO2. This data considered valid meteorological data (minimum statistical period, air temperature, relative humidity, wind, and solar radiation, etc. among manned and unmanned observational data obtained from 479 locations from 2001 to 2010. For cities other than the 66 aforementioned cities, zoning was conducted to separate cities that had and did not have the standard meteorological data using a cumulative temperature density graph. In this way, meteorological data can be available in all cities, which will enable more accurate simulation assessments on building energy.

Heart murmurs

Science.gov (United States)

Chest sounds - murmurs; Heart sounds - abnormal; Murmur - innocent; Innocent murmur; Systolic heart murmur; Diastolic heart murmur ... The heart has 4 chambers: Two upper chambers (atria) Two lower chambers (ventricles) The heart has valves that close ...

White matter injury in newborns with congenital heart disease: a diffusion tensor imaging study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulkey, Sarah B; Ou, Xiawei; Ramakrishnaiah, Raghu H; Glasier, Charles M; Swearingen, Christopher J; Melguizo, Maria S; Yap, Vivien L; Schmitz, Michael L; Bhutta, Adnan T

2014-09-01

Brain injury is observed on cranial magnetic resonance imaging preoperatively in up to 50% of newborns with congenital heart disease. Newer imaging techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging provide sensitive measures of the white matter integrity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diffusion tensor imaging analysis technique of tract-based spatial statistics in newborns with congenital heart disease. Term newborns with congenital heart disease who would require surgery at less than 1 month of age were prospectively enrolled (n = 19). Infants underwent preoperative and postoperative brain magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion tensor imaging. Tract-based spatial statistics, an objective whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging analysis technique, was used to determine differences in white matter fractional anisotropy between infant groups. Term control infants were also compared with congenital heart disease infants. Postmenstrual age was equivalent between congenital heart disease infant groups and between congenital heart disease and control infants. Ten infants had preoperative brain injury, either infarct or white matter injury, by conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging. The technique of tract-based spatial statistics showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy (P tensor imaging analysis technique that may have better sensitivity in detecting white matter injury compared with conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging in term newborns with congenital heart disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experimental and clinical studies of fast three-dimensional MR imaging of the heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Shuhei

1999-01-01

MRI has been utilized since its inception to study the anatomy and physiology of the heart. However, the sensitivity of MRI to motion has always posed a major challenge in imaging this organ. The purpose of this study was to develop a 3D MP-RAGE technique for the heart, and to apply it clinically. In the experimental study, data acquisition timing was discussed by normal volunteers. Changes in magnetization recovery time affected imaging contrast very little in the phantom study. Fourteen adults and 21 children were examined. In the adults, MP-RAGE images were rated as high in quality in the visual estimation. In the quantitative estimation, the images provided almost the same anatomical information as those of cine MRI. In the children, MP-RAGE was useful for cases of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, particularly in the evaluation of abnormal pulmonary veins. The 3D MP-RAGE technique was useful in imaging the heart because it was possible to obtain continuous views in the same cardiac cycle and to reconstruct views from any direction after the examination. (author)

Experimental and clinical studies of fast three-dimensional MR imaging of the heart

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, Shuhei [Okayama Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine

1999-07-01

MRI has been utilized since its inception to study the anatomy and physiology of the heart. However, the sensitivity of MRI to motion has always posed a major challenge in imaging this organ. The purpose of this study was to develop a 3D MP-RAGE technique for the heart, and to apply it clinically. In the experimental study, data acquisition timing was discussed by normal volunteers. Changes in magnetization recovery time affected imaging contrast very little in the phantom study. Fourteen adults and 21 children were examined. In the adults, MP-RAGE images were rated as high in quality in the visual estimation. In the quantitative estimation, the images provided almost the same anatomical information as those of cine MRI. In the children, MP-RAGE was useful for cases of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, particularly in the evaluation of abnormal pulmonary veins. The 3D MP-RAGE technique was useful in imaging the heart because it was possible to obtain continuous views in the same cardiac cycle and to reconstruct views from any direction after the examination. (author)

Dopamine receptors in the guinea-pig heart. A binding study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sandrini, M.; Benelli, A.; Baraldi, M.

1984-01-01

The binding of dopaminergic agonists and antagonists to guinea-pig myocardial membrane preparations was studied using 3 H-dopamine and 3 H-spiperone as radioligand. 3 H-Dopamine bound specifically to heart membranes while 3 H-spiperone did not. A Scatchard analysis of 3 H-dopamine binding showed a curvilinear plot indicating the presence of two dopamine receptor populations that we have termed high- (K/sub d/ = 1.2 nM, B/sub mx/ = 52.9 fmol/mg prot.) and low- (K/sub d/ = 11.8 nM, B/sub mx/ = 267.3 fmol/gm prot.) affinity binding sites, respectively. The charactization of the high-affinity component of 3 H-dopamine binding indicated that the binding is rapid, saturable, stereospecific, pH- and temperature-dependent, and displaced by dopaminergic agonists and antagonists known to act similarly in vivo. The finding that pretreatment with dibenamine (which has been described as an α-adrenoceptor irreversible blocker) did not affect the binding of dopamine to cardiac membrane preparations suggests that α-adrenoceptors and dopamine receptors have separate recognition sites in the heart. It is concluded that 3 H-dopamine binds to specific dopamine receptors in the heart of guinea-pigs

Screening and managing obstructive sleep apnoea in nocturnal heart block patients: an observational study.

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Wu, Xu; Liu, Zilong; Chang, Su Chi; Fu, Cuiping; Li, Wenjing; Jiang, Hong; Jiang, Liyan; Li, Shanqun

2016-02-16

Nocturnal heart block often occurs in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). It is more likely to be undiagnosed in heart block patients who are ignorant of the symptoms of sleep disorder. Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) is a highly reliable way to discover the risk factors of OSA, whereas the validity in sleep-related heart block patients is uncertain. We performed an observational study to address these issues and confirmed the potential protective effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Patients who were previously diagnosed with nocturnal heart block with R-R pauses exceeding 2 seconds were retrospective screened from the ECG centre of Zhongshan hospital. These recruited participants completed Berlin Questionnaire and underwent polysomnography synchronously with 24-hour Holter monitoring. A cross-sectional analysis was performed to confirm the association between nocturnal arrhythmia and OSA, as well as to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the BQ. Subsequently, subjects diagnosed with OSA (apnoea-hypopnoea index > 5) underwent 3 consecutive days of CPAP therapy. On the third day, patients repeated 24-hour Holter monitoring within the institution of CPAP. The symptoms of disruptive snoring and hypersomnolence in 72 enrolled patients were more related to the occurrence of nocturnal heart block (r = 0.306, 0.226, respectively, p = 0.015, 0.019) than syncope (r = 0.134, p = 0.282) and palpitations (r = 0.106, p = 0.119), which were prominent trait of our study population. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the BQ at a cut-off point of 5 of AHI for detecting OSA in heart block patients was 81.0 %, 44.4 %, 91.07 % and 25 %. Nocturnal heart block does not appear to occur exclusively in severe sleep apnoea. The frequent occurrence of arrhythmias in prominent oxygen desaturation supports the correlation between them. CPAP therapy resulted in significant decrease in the average number of

Early illness experiences related to unexpected heart surgery: A qualitative descriptive study.

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Chang, Yu-Ling; Tsai, Yun-Fang

2017-09-01

Most studies on patients' experiences following emergency cardiac surgery focus on evaluation of patients after their discharge. Few studies have evaluated patients' experiences after being transferred from intensive care and before being discharged. This study aimed to describe patients' experiences in the early stages of recovery following emergency heart surgery. For this exploratory qualitative descriptive study, 13 patients were recruited from a medical centre in northern Taiwan. Participants had undergone emergency heart surgery and had resided in the cardiothoracic surgical ward for ≥6 days following transfer from the ICU; all expected to be discharged from the hospital within 3 days. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted in private after the patients had been transferred to the cardiothoracic surgical wards. Audiotaped interviews were transcribed and analysed using content analysis. Data analysis identified four themes, which represented different recovery stages: sudden and serious symptoms, nightmares and vivid dreams, physical and emotional disturbances, and establishing a new life after emergency surgery. A fifth theme, support for a new lifestyle, occurred between the four stages. Participants experienced symptoms of physical and psychological stress during the early recovery stages following emergency heart surgery. A lack of understanding of the process of recovery increased these difficulties; participants wanted and needed multidisciplinary care and education. Emergency heart surgery does not allow healthcare professionals to inform patients of what to expect post-surgery. Our findings suggest that rather than waiting until discharge to offer disease information and treatment plans, multidisciplinary care should be initiated as soon as possible to facilitate recovery. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relief and Recurrence of Congestion During and After Hospitalization for Acute Heart Failure: Insights From Diuretic Optimization Strategy Evaluation in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (DOSE-AHF) and Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARESS-HF).

Science.gov (United States)

Lala, Anuradha; McNulty, Steven E; Mentz, Robert J; Dunlay, Shannon M; Vader, Justin M; AbouEzzeddine, Omar F; DeVore, Adam D; Khazanie, Prateeti; Redfield, Margaret M; Goldsmith, Steven R; Bart, Bradley A; Anstrom, Kevin J; Felker, G Michael; Hernandez, Adrian F; Stevenson, Lynne W

2015-07-01

Congestion is the most frequent cause for hospitalization in acute decompensated heart failure. Although decongestion is a major goal of acute therapy, it is unclear how the clinical components of congestion (eg, peripheral edema, orthopnea) contribute to outcomes after discharge or how well decongestion is maintained. A post hoc analysis was performed of 496 patients enrolled in the Diuretic Optimization Strategy Evaluation in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (DOSE-AHF) and Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARRESS-HF) trials during hospitalization with acute decompensated heart failure and clinical congestion. A simple orthodema congestion score was generated based on symptoms of orthopnea (≥2 pillows=2 points, fails to relieve orthodema during hospitalization or to prevent recurrence after discharge. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT00608491, NCT00577135. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

A morphometric study of measurements of heart in adults and its relation with age and height of the individual: A post-mortem study

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Chandni Gupta

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Reconstructive and replacement operations of diseased cardiac valves are commonly practiced these days. It may be noted that the choice of proper reconstructive intervention and prosthetic replacement might require the normal morphometric measurements of heart in relation with general body parameters, like age and height. So, this study was undertaken to measure various measurements of heart and its relation with age and height of the individual. Materials and Methods: Sixty five normal post-mortem hearts of adults were taken from the mortuary of Department of Forensic Medicine. Age of the individual was noted. Length of the deceased was measured with a measuring tape from the level of vertex to the outer border of heel. Length (from apex to base, breadth (at broadest diameter and thickness of the heart were measured with slide callipers. Weight was measured with weighing machine. Results: The mean length, breadth, thickness of heart in males and females are 11.25, 8.78, 3.97 cm and 10.60, 8.31, 3.63 cm. The mean weight of heart in males and females was 323 and 276 gms. There was significant correlation with weight of individual and weight of heart in males. There was significant correlation with age of individual and length of heart in females. Conclusion: This study will be helpful for cardiothoracic surgeons while doing surgery on hearts.

Prospective Heart Tracking for Whole-heart Magnetic Resonance Angiography

Science.gov (United States)

Moghari, Mehdi H.; Geva, Tal; Powell, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

Purpose To develop a prospective respiratory-gating technique (Heart-NAV) for use with contrast-enhanced 3D inversion recovery (IR) whole-heart magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) acquisitions that directly tracks heart motion without creating image inflow artifact. Methods With Heart-NAV, 1 of the startup pulses for the whole-heart steady-state free precession MRA sequence is used to collect the centerline of k-space, and its 1-dimensional reconstruction is fed into the standard diaphragm-navigator (NAV) signal analysis process to prospectively gate and track respiratory-induced heart displacement. Ten healthy volunteers underwent non-contrast whole-heart MRA acquisitions using the conventional diaphragm-NAV and Heart-NAV with 5 and 10 mm acceptance windows in a 1.5T scanner. Five patients underwent contrast-enhanced IR whole-heart MRA using a diaphragm-NAV and Heart-NAV with a 5 mm acceptance window. Results For non-contrast whole-heart MRA with both the 5 and 10 mm acceptance windows, Heart-NAV yielded coronary artery vessel sharpness and subjective visual scores that were not significantly different than those using a conventional diaphragm-NAV. Scan time for Heart-NAV was 10% shorter (p<0.05). In patients undergoing contrast-enhanced IR whole-heart MRA, inflow artifact was seen with the diaphragm-NAV but not with Heart-NAV. Conclusion Compared to a conventional diaphragm-NAV, Heart-NAV achieves similar image quality in a slightly shorter scan time and eliminates inflow artifact. PMID:26843458

Taking radionuclides to heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleynhans, P.H.T.; Lotter, M.G.; Van Aswegen, A.; Minnaar, P.C.; Iturralde, M.; Herbst, C.P.; Marx, D.

1980-01-01

Ischaemic heart disease is a main cause of death in South Africa. Non-invasive ECG gated radionuclide bloodpool imaging plays an increasingly useful role in the evalution of the function of the heart as a pump, and the extent of heart muscle perfusion defects is further pinpointed by invasive krypton-81m studies to improve patient management

Heart rate variability analysis in healthy subjects, patients suffering from congestive heart failure and heart transplanted patients

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Argentina Leite

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to find parameters to characterize heart rate variability (HRV and discriminate healthy subjects and patients with heart diseases. The parameters used for discrimination characterize the different components of HRV memory (short and long and are extracted from HRV recordings using parametric as well as non parametric methods. Thus, the parameters are: spectral components at low frequencies (LH and high frequencies (HF which are associated with the short memory of HRV and the long memory parameter (d obtained from autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average (ARFIMA models. In the non parametric context, short memory (α1 and long memory (α2 parameters are obtained from detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA. The sample used in this study contains 24-hour Holter HRV recordings of 30 subjects: 10 healthy individuals, 10 patients suffering from congestive heart failure and 10 heart transplanted patients from the Noltisalis database. It was found that short memory parameters present higher values for the healthy individuals whereas long memory parameters present higher values for the diseased individuals. Moreover, there is evidence that ARFIMA modeling allows the discrimination between the 3 groups under study, being advantageous over DFA.

The Ubiquitous-Eco-City of Songdo: An Urban Systems Perspective on South Korea's Green City Approach

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Paul D. Mullins

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Since the 1980s, within the broader context of studies on smart cities, there has been a growing body of academic research on networked cities and “computable cities” by authors including Manuel Castells (Castells, 1989; Castells & Cardoso, 2005, William Mitchell (1995, Michael Batty (2005, 2013, and Rob Kitchin (2011. Over the last decade, governments in Asia have displayed an appetite and commitment to construct large scale city developments from scratch—one of the most infamous being the smart entrepreneurial city of Songdo, South Korea. Using Songdo as a case study, this paper will examine, from an urban systems perspective, some of the challenges of using a green-city model led by networked technology. More specifically, this study intends to add to the growing body of smart city literature by using an external global event—the global financial crisis in 2008—to reveal what is missing from the smart city narrative in Songdo. The paper will use the definition of an urban system and internal subsystems by Bertuglia et al. (1987 and Bertuglia, Clarke and Wilson (1994 to reveal the sensitivity and resilience of a predetermined smart city narrative. For instance, what happens if the vision moves from the originally intended international-orientated population towards remarketing the city to attract a domestic middle-class population. The lens of the financial crisis in 2008 revealed that the inherent inflexibility of a closed-system approach in Songdo was not sufficiently resilient to external shocks. The shift towards a domestic middle-class population revealed the inequality in accessing the city services in a system designed with formalized and rigid inputs and outputs. By focusing predominantly on technology, the social dimensions of the city were not part of Songdo’s smart city vocabulary. Therefore, in adopting a technologically deterministic approach (Mullins & Shwayri, 2016 to achieving efficiency and combating environmental

NMR study of damage on isolated perfused rat heart exposed to ischemia and hypoxia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Xuechun; Yan Yongbin; Zhang Riqing; Fan Lili

2001-01-01

Myocardial ischemia is the most common and primary cause of myocardium damage. Numerous conventional techniques and methods have been developed for ischemia and reperfusion studies. However, because of damage to the heart sample, most of these techniques can not be used to continuously monitor the full dynamic course of the myocardial metabolic pathway. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) surface coil technique, which overcomes the limitations of conventional instrumentation, can be used to quantitatively study every stage of the perfused heart (especially after perfusion stoppage) continuously, dynamically, and without damage under normal or designed physiological conditions at the molecular level. In this paper, 31 P-NMR was used to study the effects of ischemia and hypoxia on isolated perfused hearts. The results show that complete hypoxia caused more severe functional damage to the myocardial cells than complete ischemia

Heart Failure in Women

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Bozkurt, Biykem; Khalaf, Shaden

2017-01-01

Heart failure is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in women, and they tend to develop it at an older age compared to men. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is more common in women than in men and accounts for at least half the cases of heart failure in women. When comparing men and women who have heart failure and a low left ventricular ejection fraction, the women are more symptomatic and have a similarly poor outcome. Overall recommendations for guideline-directed medical therapies show no differences in treatment approaches between men and women. Overall, women are generally underrepresented in clinical trials for heart failure. Further studies are needed to shed light into different mechanisms, causes, and targeted therapies of heart failure in women. PMID:29744014

A Comparative Study of Anomaly Detection Techniques for Smart City Wireless Sensor Networks.

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Garcia-Font, Victor; Garrigues, Carles; Rifà-Pous, Helena

2016-06-13

In many countries around the world, smart cities are becoming a reality. These cities contribute to improving citizens' quality of life by providing services that are normally based on data extracted from wireless sensor networks (WSN) and other elements of the Internet of Things. Additionally, public administration uses these smart city data to increase its efficiency, to reduce costs and to provide additional services. However, the information received at smart city data centers is not always accurate, because WSNs are sometimes prone to error and are exposed to physical and computer attacks. In this article, we use real data from the smart city of Barcelona to simulate WSNs and implement typical attacks. Then, we compare frequently used anomaly detection techniques to disclose these attacks. We evaluate the algorithms under different requirements on the available network status information. As a result of this study, we conclude that one-class Support Vector Machines is the most appropriate technique. We achieve a true positive rate at least 56% higher than the rates achieved with the other compared techniques in a scenario with a maximum false positive rate of 5% and a 26% higher in a scenario with a false positive rate of 15%.

A Comparative Study of Anomaly Detection Techniques for Smart City Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Garcia-Font

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In many countries around the world, smart cities are becoming a reality. These cities contribute to improving citizens’ quality of life by providing services that are normally based on data extracted from wireless sensor networks (WSN and other elements of the Internet of Things. Additionally, public administration uses these smart city data to increase its efficiency, to reduce costs and to provide additional services. However, the information received at smart city data centers is not always accurate, because WSNs are sometimes prone to error and are exposed to physical and computer attacks. In this article, we use real data from the smart city of Barcelona to simulate WSNs and implement typical attacks. Then, we compare frequently used anomaly detection techniques to disclose these attacks. We evaluate the algorithms under different requirements on the available network status information. As a result of this study, we conclude that one-class Support Vector Machines is the most appropriate technique. We achieve a true positive rate at least 56% higher than the rates achieved with the other compared techniques in a scenario with a maximum false positive rate of 5% and a 26% higher in a scenario with a false positive rate of 15%.

Study of electromagnetic radiation pollution in an Indian city.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhami, A K

2012-11-01

Electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phone towers is a form of environmental pollution and is a new health hazard, especially to children and patients. The present studies were taken to estimate the microwave/RF pollution by measuring radiation power densities near schools and hospitals of Chandigarh city in India. The cell phone radiations were measured using a handheld portable power density meter TES 593 and specific absorption rates were estimated from the measured values. These values of electromagnetic radiation in the environment were compared with the levels at which biological system of humans and animals starts getting affected. The values were also compared with the international exposure limits set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The highest measured power density was 11.48 mW/m(2) which is 1,148% of the biological limit. The results indicated that the exposure levels in the city were below the ICNIRP limit, but much above the biological limit.

Studies on external gamma dose rates in air around Hassan city, Karnataka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shashikumar, T.S.; Gowda, Shivalinge; Chandrashekar; Shivakumar, B.C.

2017-01-01

Gamma-ray dose rates in air have been measured in the environment of Hassan City. The measurements were done from 15 locations in and around Hassan city at 1m above from the ground surface using a light weight portable radiation survey meter (Scintillometer) which is suited for radiometric, and environmental surveys. The meter reading fluctuates around a mean value and is proportional to the count rate detected by the unit. This is because of the random nature of radioactivity. The detailed results of the study will be presented. (author)

A Study of Eimeria Species in Sheep in Mosul City

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M. H. Hasan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The study was conducted to diagnose and study species of Eimeria in sheep in Mosul city from beginning of September2009 to end May 2010, as well as to determine the percentage and intensity of infection of Eimeria species. Five hundredfecal samples of sheep with different ages were collected from different areas of the Mosul city. The results showed that totalpercentage of Emeria infection was 63.6%. The variations in percentage of infection were recorded according to month ofstudy. Highest percentage was recorded in March being 89.2% and the lowest in September 25.9%. The species E. ovinarecorded the highest infection rate 86.7%, while the species E. granulosa represented lowest infection rate 10%. Moreover theintensity of infection was higher in young ages and lower in adult. The results were detected that indoor sheep infection withhigh parasitic infection 69.9% whereas outdoor animals have an infection rate 25.3%. The morphological characters of oocystswere varied according to species of Eimeria has been studied. Fifty of intestinal and abomasal samples from both slaughteredin shops butchery in Mosul city and dead animals were examined to detect Eimeria infection, and results show that infectionpercentage was 56.4% in intestine of slaughtered animals and 36.3% in dead animal. Moreover no infection of Eimeria weredetected in abomasums in both slaughtered and dead animals. The oocysts of (E. parva, E.pallida and E. ovinoidalis detectedat more than 5000 oocysts per gram of intestinal contents. The intestinal secraping stained with Giemsa stain reveals thepresence of different developmental stages of parasites in wall of intestine. The histopathological sections of intestine revealedthe different pathological changes concerning of Eimeria infection.

Heart failure as an endpoint in heart failure and non-heart failure cardiovascular clinical trials: the need for a consensus definition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zannad, F.; Stough, W.G.; Pitt, B.

2008-01-01

Specific criteria have been established to define the occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in cardiovascular clinical trials, but there is not a consistent definition for heart failure. Heart failure events appear to occur at a rate that is similar to stroke and MI in trials...... of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, yet a consistent approach to defining heart failure events has not yet been realized. The wide range of definitions used in clinical trials makes it difficult to interpret new data in the context of existing literature. This inconsistency has...... led to challenges in determining the incidence of heart failure in cardiovascular studies and the effects of interventions on these endpoints. This paper examines issues related to defining heart failure events in cardiovascular clinical trials and presents a definition to formally address this issue...

Depressive Symptoms, Health Behaviors, and Subsequent Inflammation in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease : Prospective Findings From the Heart and Soul Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duivis, Hester E.; de Jonge, Peter; Penninx, Brenda W.; Na, Bee Ya; Cohen, Beth E.; Whooley, Mary A.

Objective: Depression has been associated with inflammation in patients with coronary heart disease. However, it is uncertain whether depressive symptoms lead to inflammation or vice versa. Method: The authors evaluated 667 outpatients with established coronary heart disease from the Heart and Soul

Congenital Heart Diseases in the Newborns of Diabetic Mothers: an Echocardiographic Study

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S Rahimpour

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Despite the discovery of insulin and current improvement in diabetics care, congenital malformations in diabetics are still more frequent than in the general population. The aim of this study was to identify congenital heart dieases (CHD in the newborns of diabetic mothers (IDMS. Methods: In our prospective study, color doppler echocardiography was performed in 75 consecutive full- term newborns of diabetic mothers by GE Vivid3 echocardiographic device. Newborns were classified into two subgroups according to the type of the mothers’ diabetes: pre-gestational and gestational. They were also those were classified into three subgroups according to their birth weight: appropriate, large and small for gestational age. Data analysis was made by Fisher exact test and Chi-Square test. Results: Forty nine (65% and thirty six (35% of subjects were infants of gestational (IGDM and pre-gestational diabetic mothers (IPDM, respectively. Fifty five Newborns (73% were apropriate, fourteen (19% were large and six (8% were small for gestational age. The most common echocardiographic findings included: patent ductus arteriosus (PDA: 54.7%, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCMP: 24%, ventricular septal defect (VSD: 4%, atrial septal defect (ASD: 2.7%, transposition of great arteries (TGA: 1.3% and coarctation of the Aorta (COA: 1.3%. Overall incidence of congenital heart diseases was 9.3 after exclusion of PDA and HCMP cases. The incidence of congenital heart diseases was higher in macrosomic than nonmacrosomic infants of diabetic mothers (P<0.001. Congenital heart diseases were more common in infants of pre-gestational than gestational diabetic mothers (P=0.004. Conclusion: Our results showed that diabetic mothers are at increased risk of giving birth to a newborn with congenital heart disease, and transthoracic echocardiography is recommended for all infants of diabetic mothers.

Parental overprotection and heart-focused anxiety in adults with congenital heart disease.

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Ong, Lephuong; Nolan, Robert P; Irvine, Jane; Kovacs, Adrienne H

2011-09-01

The care of adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is challenging from a mental health perspective, as these patients continue to face a variety of biopsychosocial issues that may impact emotional functioning. Despite these issues, there are limited data on the psychosocial functioning of adults with CHD, and there are no data on the impact of parental overprotection on heart-focused anxiety in this patient population. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between patient recollections of parental overprotection and current heart-focused anxiety in adults with CHD. A cross-sectional sample of 190 adult patients with CHD (51% male; mean age = 32.28, SD = 11.86 years) completed validated measures of perceived parental overprotection (Parental Bonding Instrument) and heart-focused anxiety (Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire). The results indicated that perceived parental overprotection (β = 0.19, p = 0.02) and heart defect complexity (β = 0.17, p = 0.03) were significantly related to heart-focused anxiety. Contrary to hypotheses, perceived parental overprotection did not vary as a function of heart defect complexity (F (2, 169) = 0.02, p = 0.98). Perceived parental overprotection and heart defect complexity are associated with heart-focused anxiety in adults with congenital heart disease. These results can inform the development of clinical interventions aimed at improving the psychosocial adjustment of this patient population.

Heart Failure

Science.gov (United States)

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped ... and shortness of breath Common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and ...

Heart Failure Therapeutics on the Basis of a Biased Ligand of the Angiotensin-2 Type 1 Receptor Rationale and Design of the BLAST-AHF Study (Biased Ligand of the Angiotensin Receptor Study in Acute Heart Failure)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Felker, G. Michael; Butler, Javed; Collins, Sean P.; Cotter, Gad; Davison, Beth A.; Ezekowitz, Justin A.; Filippatos, Gerasimos; Levy, Phillip D.; Metra, Marco; Ponikowski, Piotr; Soergel, David G.; Teerlink, John R.; Violin, Jonathan D.; Voors, Adriaan A.; Pang, Peter S.

The BLAST-AHF (Biased Ligand of the Angiotensin Receptor Study in Acute Heart Failure) study is designed to test the efficacy and safety of TRV027, a novel biased ligand of the angiotensin-2 type 1 receptor, in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). AHF remains a major public health problem, and

Nuclear magnetic resonance zeugmatographic imaging of the heart: application to the study of ventricular septal defect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heneghan, M.A.; Biancaniello, T.M.; Heidel, E.; Peterson, S.B.; Marsh, M.J.; Lauterbur, P.C.

1982-01-01

The present work was undertaken to determine the applicability of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging to the study of congenital heart disease. Three-dimensional proton density images of preserved lamb hearts with and without an artificially created ventricular septal defect were reconstructed and displayed in multiple planes. Sections obtained in the sagittal plane through the ventricular septum clearly showed the size, shape, and location of the defect. Results of these experiments suggest that NMR zeugmatography will become a valuable addition to existing imaging techniques for the study of congenital heart disease

Pengembangan E-Government di Pemerintahan Daerah dalam Rangka Mewujudkan Smart City (Studi di Pemerintah Daerah Kota Malang)

OpenAIRE

Widodo, Nurjati

2016-01-01

This study aims to analyze the development of electronic government which is increasingly prevalent in local governance in order to realize smart city. Smart city is a manifestation of a city that provide excellent public services for the community, and create openness to the public by relying on the power of ICT. The concept of smart city has six indicators, namely smart governance, smart economy, smart live, smart living, smart people, and smart mobility. The object of this research is the ...

Heart MRI

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Magnetic resonance imaging - cardiac; Magnetic resonance imaging - heart; Nuclear magnetic resonance - cardiac; NMR - cardiac; MRI of the heart; Cardiomyopathy - MRI; Heart failure - MRI; Congenital heart disease - MRI

LOCAL IDENTITY MEETING WITH CITY: CITTASLOW-SLOW CITIES

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Tugba Ustun Topal

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Cities are characterised by local identities, which have been shaped by natural and cultural values. Constituting elements of local identity are settlement pattern bearing the traces of past, local music, traditional taste, handicrafts and life story. Besides, there has been a fast pace of life owing to globalization, and globally standardized cities, where local identities are ignored, have been emerged in planning-design-implementation process. From this viewpoint, Cittaslow movement has become a major turning point for liveable and sustainable cities that emphasize the local character. In this context, in the study, it is aimed to raise awareness about Cittaslow which is an example of an urban model for sustainability. In line with this purpose, the importance of Cittaslow approach and the criteria that are needed to be met for being a member of the Association of Cittaslow have been revealed. In line with these criteria Cittaslow cities in Turkey were discussed comparatively in terms of their features were considered. Examples from our country have been evaluated together with the international Cittaslow examples. In addition, proposals have been made by developing strategies in planning- designing and implementation process for the Cittaslow approach.

THE SOCIAL ORIGINS OF THE NEW BOURGEOISE IN THE ALGERIAN CITIES - AN EXPLORATORY STUDY IN THE CITY OF MAGHNIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalila LALAOUNA

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Algerian society has experienced economic, polical and social changes, which have affected its structure and its Castes in general . Therefore , the question of the new bourgeoisie in the Algerian cities is about a specificity which accentuates the problematic character that raises the question; in addition to the difficulty on the theoretical plan within the sociological legacy and the definition of the procedure . It is difficult for us to define the nature of the social structure that we are looking for , because it is an attempt to present a map of social caste. it seems to be an attempt full of risks, and in the light of these data ,our research focuses on the issue of the origins and social contexts of the New bourgeoisie in the city of Maghnia , and on the degrees of the conscience of those who belong to them. However our approach will focus first on the study of practice that we have performed (on the ground, then on certain works of the audit. Our research will also focus on this social category in the Algerian cities, since the phenomenon of bourgeoisie is governed by by vague and unclear norms which contain a lot of uncertainty.

Reduced Dietary Sodium Intake Increases Heart Rate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Graudal, Niels A; Hubeck-Graudal, Thorbjørn; Jürgens, Gesche

2016-01-01

Reduced dietary sodium intake (sodium reduction) increases heart rate in some studies of animals and humans. As heart rate is independently associated with the development of heart failure and increased risk of premature death a potential increase in heart rate could be a harmful side......-effect of sodium reduction. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of sodium reduction on heart rate. Relevant studies were retrieved from an updated pool of 176 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the period 1973-2014. Sixty-three of the RCTs including 72 study...... populations reported data on heart rate. In a meta-analysis of these data sodium reduction increased heart rate with 1.65 beats per minute [95% CI: 1.19, 2.11], p heart rate. This effect was independent of baseline blood pressure. In conclusion sodium reduction...

Example from Ilorin City, Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

First Lady

2013-01-28

Jan 28, 2013 ... Abstract. Ilorin is one of the major cities in Nigeria today and its growing strength in ... any city growth and development. ... The study area ... road network resulting in the city enveloping many of the smaller settlements .... Emerging Communities: A case of a Local Government Area of ... Regional Planning.

Lost Cities, Recovered Cities: Technology in the Service of the Past

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Antonio Fernández Ruiz

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Cities are living entities that change almost daily but its people are aware of it. They forget the state before the great changes and people become accustomed to the new urban image. In a hundred years a city can completely change its appearance and even its essence. This is the case of Granada, where its historic center was heavily modified during the nineteenth century. These changes have been studied by a project analyzing and virtually rebuilding the historic city. The work ranges from the Rey Chico, below the Alhambra palace, to Puerta Real, restoring the image of the city around 1831, based on the engravings and descriptions of romantic travelers, on the previous alignments and transformations in old pictures.

Forkhead box transcription factors in embryonic heart development and congenital heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Hong

2016-01-01

Embryonic heart development is a very complicated process regulated precisely by a network composed of many genes and signaling pathways in time and space. Forkhead box (Fox, FOX) proteins are a family of transcription factors characterized by the presence of an evolutionary conserved "forkhead"or "winged-helix" DNA-binding domain and able to organize temporal and spatial gene expression during development. They are involved in a wide variety of cellular processes, such as cell cycle progression, proliferation, differentiation, migration, metabolism and DNA damage response. An abundance of studies in model organisms and systems has established that Foxa2, Foxc1/c2, Foxh1 and Foxm1, Foxos and Foxps are important components of the signaling pathways that instruct cardiogenesis and embryonic heart development, playing paramount roles in heart development. The previous studies also have demonstrated that mutations in some of the forkhead box genes and the aberrant expression of forkhead box gene are heavily implicated in the congenital heart disease (CHD) of humans. This review primarily focuses on the current understanding of heart development regulated by forkhead box transcription factors and molecular genetic mechanisms by which forkhead box factors modulate heart development during embryogenesis and organogenesis. This review also summarizes human CHD related mutations in forkhead box genes as well as the abnormal expression of forkhead box gene, and discusses additional possible regulatory mechanisms of the forkhead box genes during embryonic heart development that warrant further investigation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring Brand Experience Dimensions for Cities and Investigating Their Effects on Loyalty to a City

OpenAIRE

Ipek Kazançoğlu; Taşkın Dirsehan

2014-01-01

The competitive environment in terms of tourists and investment attraction requires the strategic management of cities. The marketing literature in this topic relates to different dimensions, most importantly, the image, identity, and branding of a city, satisfaction, and the degree of loyalty that the city inspires. This study, as the major contribution to literature, aims to introduce a new competitive tool, ‘brand experience’ dimension to the city marketing literature based on Schmitt’s (1...

Heart Health - Heart Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Cover Story Heart Health Heart Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment Past Issues / Winter 2009 ... of this page please turn Javascript on. Most heart attacks happen when a clot in the coronary ...

Therapeutic patient education in heart failure: do studies provide sufficient information about the educational programme?

Science.gov (United States)

Albano, Maria Grazia; Jourdain, Patrick; De Andrade, Vincent; Domenke, Aukse; Desnos, Michel; d'Ivernois, Jean-François

2014-05-01

Therapeutic patient education programmes on heart failure have been widely proposed for many years for heart failure patients, but their efficiency remains questionable, partly because most articles lack a precise programme description, which makes comparative analysis of the studies difficult. To analyse the degree of precision in describing therapeutic patient education programmes in recent randomized controlled trials. Three major recent recommendations on therapeutic patient education in heart failure inspired us to compile a list of 23 relevant items that an 'ideal' description of a therapeutic patient education programme should contain. To discover the extent to which recent studies into therapeutic patient education in heart failure included these items, we analysed 19 randomized controlled trials among 448 articles published in this field from 2005 to 2012. The major elements required to describe a therapeutic patient education programme were present, but some other very important pieces of information were missing in most of the studies we analysed: the patient's educational needs, health literacy, projects, expectations regarding therapeutic patient education and psychosocial status; the educational methodology used; outcomes evaluation; and follow-up strategies. Research into how therapeutic patient education can help heart failure patients will be improved if more precise descriptions of patients, educational methodology and evaluation protocols are given by authors, ideally in a standardized format. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Cities within Cities: An Urbanization Approach in the Gulf Countries

OpenAIRE

Bamakhrama, Salim Salah

2015-01-01

Within Dubai, nineteen out of the original 112 mega-projects carried the word city in their names, a phenomenon that is common in Gulf cities such as Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. To further explore this phenomenon, this thesis focuses on three aspects that affect the dynamic relationship between the primary city and the cities within cities (sub-cities) in the Gulf region with special emphasis on Dubai. First, the naming problem of the sub-city illustrates why the tension between competing id...

HEART TRANSPLANTATION IN PATIENTS WITH PREVIOUS OPEN HEART SURGERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Sh. Saitgareev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Heart Transplantation (HTx to date remains the most effective and radical method of treatment of patients with end-stage heart failure. The defi cit of donor hearts is forcing to resort increasingly to the use of different longterm mechanical circulatory support systems, including as a «bridge» to the follow-up HTx. According to the ISHLT Registry the number of recipients underwent cardiopulmonary bypass surgery increased from 40% in the period from 2004 to 2008 to 49.6% for the period from 2009 to 2015. HTx performed in repeated patients, on the one hand, involves considerable technical diffi culties and high risks; on the other hand, there is often no alternative medical intervention to HTx, and if not dictated by absolute contradictions the denial of the surgery is equivalent to 100% mortality. This review summarizes the results of a number of published studies aimed at understanding the immediate and late results of HTx in patients, previously underwent open heart surgery. The effect of resternotomy during HTx and that of the specifi c features associated with its implementation in recipients previously operated on open heart, and its effects on the immediate and long-term survival were considered in this review. Results of studies analyzing the risk factors for perioperative complications in repeated recipients were also demonstrated. Separately, HTx risks after implantation of prolonged mechanical circulatory support systems were examined. The literature does not allow to clearly defi ning the impact factor of earlier performed open heart surgery on the course of perioperative period and on the prognosis of survival in recipients who underwent HTx. On the other hand, subject to the regular fl ow of HTx and the perioperative period the risks in this clinical situation are justifi ed as a long-term prognosis of recipients previously conducted open heart surgery and are comparable to those of patients who underwent primary HTx. Studies

Heart Health: The Heart Truth Campaign 2009

Science.gov (United States)

... Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Cover Story Heart Health The Heart Truth Campaign 2009 Past Issues / Winter 2009 Table ... one of the celebrities supporting this year's The Heart Truth campaign. Both R&B singer Ashanti (center) ...

Women's Heart Disease: Heart Disease Risk Factors

Science.gov (United States)

... this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Women's Heart Disease Heart Disease Risk Factors Past Issues / Winter 2014 Table ... or habits may raise your risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). These conditions are known as risk ...

Violence in Advertisements in New York City Subway Stations: A Pilot Study

Science.gov (United States)

Basch, Corey H.; Fullwood, M. D.; LeBlanc, Michael

2017-01-01

Violence has become a public health concern in the United States. Violent visually stimulating content encompasses various techniques such as fear, humor, shock, or violence, to stimulate a response or appeal toward awareness of human emotion. Exposing impressionable youth to violent advertisements can be particularly problematic. This is especially true in places like New York City where violent crime is a prevalent problem. With annual ridership reaching over 1.7 billion in 2014, the New York City subway system is abundant with advertisements. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the frequency and type of violent advertising on the Lexington Avenue/East Side Line in New York City, running through the Bronx and Manhattan to represent the lower and higher median income earning boroughs. There were no statistically different findings in median household income at site of station by number of ads or source of violent. Destruction was the most common form of violence (n = 32, 42.7 %) followed by intent to strike (n = 18, 24 %), showing a weapon (n = 15, 20 %) and horror (n = 10, 13.3 %). Most ads (n = 46, 61.3 %) were found in stations heading uptown toward and through the Bronx, the borough where median household income is lowest, whereas 29 (38.7 %) were found in stations heading downtown. Future studies could focus on additional boroughs and subways lines, and could be collected at multiple points in time to determine of how prevalent violent advertising is throughout New York City and at different time frames. PMID:26518776

Violence in Advertisements in New York City Subway Stations: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Basch, Corey H; Fullwood, M D; LeBlanc, Michael

2016-04-01

Violence has become a public health concern in the United States. Violent visually stimulating content encompasses various techniques such as fear, humor, shock, or violence, to stimulate a response or appeal toward awareness of human emotion. Exposing impressionable youth to violent advertisements can be particularly problematic. This is especially true in places like New York City where violent crime is a prevalent problem. With annual ridership reaching over 1.7 billion in 2014, the New York City subway system is abundant with advertisements. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the frequency and type of violent advertising on the Lexington Avenue/East Side Line in New York City, running through the Bronx and Manhattan to represent the lower and higher median income earning boroughs. There were no statistically different findings in median household income at site of station by number of ads or source of violent. Destruction was the most common form of violence (n = 32, 42.7 %) followed by intent to strike (n = 18, 24 %), showing a weapon (n = 15, 20 %) and horror (n = 10, 13.3 %). Most ads (n = 46, 61.3 %) were found in stations heading uptown toward and through the Bronx, the borough where median household income is lowest, whereas 29 (38.7 %) were found in stations heading downtown. Future studies could focus on additional boroughs and subways lines, and could be collected at multiple points in time to determine of how prevalent violent advertising is throughout New York City and at different time frames.

Energy performance certificates and 3-dimensional city models as a means to reach national targets – A case study of the city of Kiruna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansson, Tim; Vesterlund, Mattias; Olofsson, Thomas; Dahl, Jan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Visualization of energy use is a useful tool for energy advisors. • Feature Manipulation Engine can be used for visualization of data from energy certificates. • Multi data visualization from the energy certificates can be preformed. • Future scenarios can be calculated and analyzed. • The case study shows that the national levels for energy reduction will be hard to fulfill. - Abstract: Enhanced dissemination of information regarding energy saving and climate change targeted toward property owners is considered to be an important strategy in order to reach the Swedish national target of energy efficiency in the building sector by 2050. Here the municipality energy advisors and the national register for energy performance certificates can facilitate the mitigation of energy use in the building stock. So far few studies have focused on the practical road map to the national target of energy use on the city/district level and to the communication aspects with stakeholders in the creation of energy city models. In this paper a city energy model is developed based on the requests and need for visualization from a group of energy advisors. Six different scenarios are studied in order to analyze the possibility of reaching the energy targets specified by the government in the town of Kiruna. The results show that: (1) it is possible to automatically create city energy models using extract, transform and load tools based on spatial and non-spatial data from national registers and databases; (2) city energy models improve the understanding of energy use in buildings and can therefore be a valuable tool for energy advisors, real estate companies and urban planners. The case study of Kiruna showed that the proposed energy saving measures in the energy performance certificates need to be implemented and new buildings in the urban transformation must be of high energy standard in order to reach the national target in Kiruna.

Flood Risk Zoning by Using 2D Hydrodynamic Modeling: A Case Study in Jinan City

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Tao Cheng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Climate change and rapid urbanization have aggravated the rainstorm flood in Jinan City during the past decades. Jinan City is higher in the south and lower in the north with a steep slope inclined from the south to the north. This results in high-velocity overland flow and deep waterlogging, which poses a tremendous threat to pedestrians and vehicles. Therefore, it is vital to investigate the rainstorm flood and further perform flood risk zoning. This study is carried out in the “Sponge City Construction” pilot area of Jinan City, where the InfoWorks ICM 2D hydrodynamic model is utilized for simulating historical and designed rainfall events. The model is validated with observations, and the causes for errors are analyzed. The simulated water depth and flow velocity are recorded for flood risk zoning. The result shows that the InfoWorks ICM 2D model performed well. The flood risk zoning result shows that rainfalls with larger recurrence intervals generate larger areas of moderate to extreme risk. Meanwhile, the zoning results for the two historical rainfalls show that flood with a higher maximum hourly rainfall intensity is more serious. This study will provide scientific support for the flood control and disaster reduction in Jinan City.

Use of partial order in environmental pollution studies demonstrated by urban BTEX air pollution in 20 major cities worldwide.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlsen, Lars; Bruggemann, Rainer; Kenessov, Bulat

2018-01-01

Urban air pollution with benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes (BTEX) is a common phenomenon in major cities where the pollution mainly originates from traffic as well as from residential heating. An attempt to rank cities according to their BTEX air pollution is not necessarily straight forward as we are faced with several individual pollutants simultaneously. A typical procedure is based on aggregation of data for the single compounds, a process that not only hides important information but is also subject to compensation effects. The present study applies a series of partial ordering tools to circumvent the aggregation. Based on partial ordering, most important indicators are disclosed, and an average ranking of the cities included in the study is derived. Since air pollution measurements are often subject to significant uncertainties, special attention has been given to the possible effect of uncertainty and/or data noise. Finally, the effect of introducing weight regimes is studied. In a concluding section the gross national income per person (GNI) is brought into play, demonstrating a positive correlation between BTEX air pollution and GNI. The results are discussed in terms of the ability/willingness to combat air pollution in the cities studied. The present study focuses on Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan and compares the data from Almaty to another 19 major cities around the world. It is found that the benzene for Almaty appears peculiar high. Overall Almaty appears ranked as the 8th most BTEX polluted city among the 20 cities included in the study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pilot study of an Internet patient-physician communication tool for heart failure disease management.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Robert C; Delgado, Diego; Costigan, Jeannine; Ross, Heather; MacIver, Jane

2006-01-01

Internet disease management has the promise of improving care in patients with heart failure but evidence supporting its use is limited. We have designed a Heart Failure Internet Communication Tool (HFICT), allowing patients to enter messages for clinicians, as well as their daily symptoms, weight, blood pressure and heart rate. Clinicians review the information on the same day and provide feedback. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and patients' acceptability of using the Internet to communicate with patients with symptomatic heart failure. Patients with symptomatic heart failure were instructed how to use the Internet communication tool. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients who used the system regularly by entering information on average at least once per week for at least 3 months. Secondary outcomes measures included safety and maintainability of the tool. We also conducted a content analysis of a subset of the patient and clinician messages entered into the comments field. Between 3 May 1999 and 1 November 2002, 62 patients (mean age 48.7 years) were enrolled. At 3 months 58 patients were alive and without a heart transplant. Of those, 26 patients (45%; 95% Confidence Interval, 0.33-0.58) continued using the system at 3 months. In 97% of all entries by participants weight was included; 68% of entries included blood pressure; and 71% of entries included heart rate. In 3,386 entries out of all 5,098 patient entries (66%), comments were entered. Functions that were not used included the tracking of diuretics, medications and treatment goals. The tool appeared to be safe and maintainable. Workload estimates for clinicians for entering a response to each patient's entry ranged from less than a minute to 5 minutes or longer for a detailed response. Patients sent 3,386 comments to the Heart Function Clinic. Based on the content analysis of 100 patient entries, the following major categories of communication were identified: patient

Quantitative Study on the Dynamic Mechanism of Smart Low-Carbon City Development in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Pang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available With the development of new generation technology and the low-carbon economy, the smart low-carbon city has become one of the academic hotspots. Many studies on it have begun; however, the dynamic mechanism is rarely involved. Therefore, this paper uses the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS method to creatively take a quantitative study on a Chinese smart low-carbon city’s dynamic mechanism. The results show that: (1 the three main dynamics of smart low-carbon city development in China are institutional and cultural conditions, facilities and functions conditions and economy and industry conditions, but the overall utility is relatively low; (2 the level of the dynamic operation mechanism of the Chinese smart low-carbon city is distinct between regions, indicating a diminishing spatial law from east to west and differences within regions; (3 the imbalance of the comprehensive dynamic mechanism and the operation status between smart low-carbon cities is prominent, showing a decreasing urban scale law of from big to small and differences within each scale, and a descending administration hierarchy law from high to low and differences within each class; (4 seven basic development patterns can be obtained, and most of the cities belong to the external strong/internal weak mode, which basically matches with its development realities. Finally, general policy recommendations and countermeasures of optimization and improvement are proposed.

Infection after open heart surgery in Golestan teaching hospital of Ahvaz, Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Nashibi, Roohangiz; Mohammadi, Mohammad Javad; Alavi, Seyed Mohammad; Yousefi, Farid; Salmanzadeh, Shokrolah; Ahmadi, Fatemeh; Varnaseri, Mehran; Ramazani, Asghar; Moogahi, Sasan

2018-02-01

The present study surveyed demographic and infection data which were obtained after open heart surgery (OHS) through patient's admission in Golestan teaching hospital, Ahvaz metropolitan city of Iran, taking into account the confirmed location of the infection, microorganism and antibiotic susceptibility. The occurrence of infection among patients during 48 to 72 h after surgery and hospital admission is the definition of Nosocomial infections (NIs) (Salmanzadeh et al., 2015) [1]. All of them after OHS were chosen for this study. In this paper, type of catheter, fever, type of microorganism, antibiotic susceptibility, location of the infection and outcome (live or death) were studied (Juhl et al., 2017; Salsano et al., 2017) [2], [3]. After the completion of the observations and recording patients' medical records, the coded data were fed into EXCELL. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16.

STUDY OF SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE CITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. A. Vorobyova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Intensive urban and economic development leads to changes in functional planning of the territory. Comprehensive study of the existing use and ecology of the urban environment is necessary for making decisions on urban space optimization. This study can detect the negative effects of human impact and solve social and economic problems within the city. The socio-ecological assessment of the urban area within the developing zone carried out on the ground of the GIS, developed and compiled by the authors. The database of GIS consists of six blocks, including cartographic and attribute information with characteristics of the environment, functional planning and socio-demographic features of the territory.

Plasma microvesicle analysis identifies microRNA 129-5p as a biomarker of heart failure in univentricular heart disease.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sweta Ramachandran

Full Text Available Biomarkers of heart failure in adults have been extensively studied. However, biomarkers to monitor the progression of heart failure in children with univentricular physiology are less well understood. We proposed that as mediators of diverse pathophysiology, miRNAs contained within circulating microvesicles could serve as biomarkers for the presence and progression of heart failure in univentricular patients. To test this, we studied the association of heart failure with elevations in specific miRNAs isolated from circulating microvesicles in a cohort of children with univentricular heart disease and heart failure. We conducted a single site cross-sectional observational study of 71 children aged 1 month-7 years with univentricular heart disease and heart failure. We demonstrated that levels of miR129-5p isolated from plasma microvesicles were inversely related to the degree of clinical heart failure as assessed by Ross score. We then showed that miR129-5p levels are downregulated in HL1 cells and human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes exposed to oxidative stress. We demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2, which has been implicated in the development of pulmonary vascular disease, is a target of miR129-5p, and conversely regulated in response to oxidative stress in cell culture. Levels of miR129-5p were inversely related to the degree of clinical heart failure in patients with univentricular heart disease. This study demonstrates that miR129-5p is a sensitive and specific biomarker for heart failure in univentricular heart disease independent of ventricular morphology or stage of palliation. Further study is warranted to understand the targets affected by miR129-5p with the development of heart failure in patients with univentricular physiology.

Using Global Trends as Catalysts for City Transition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gebalska, Bogna Anna

2017-01-01

and acting in response to the events or it can miss the chance, losing in the global competition. There is a considerable interest in finding, what influences city's prosperity. Global trends and the socio-demographic evolution are recognized as main overall powers. This study examines how these forces...... stimulate cities and how to employ them in a development process, in order to achieve a successful city transition. Searching for essential elements directing towards inclusive and successful city transition, the urbanization is studied. Global processes influence cities significantly with individual......, different outcomes, what is examined in case study part. Case study provides cross sector analyses of three European cities, basing on national statistics, international and local databases. The study indicates that global forces and local conditions are of similar significance for city development. Case...

Cool city as a sustainable example of heat island management case study of the coolest city in the world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reeman Mohammed Rehan

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Urbanization negatively impacts the urban environment mainly by the production of waste heat from refrigeration systems, although industrial processes and motorized vehicular traffic have also been recognized as additional causes of the urban heat island (UHI effect. The UHI negatively impacts the residents, with spillover effects for environmental aspects. In urbanized areas, it is a critical factor for air quality management and public health. The UHI and strategies to implement its mitigation are becoming increasingly important for governmental agencies and researchers. The problem is how to deal with UHI effects? Accordingly, the main aim of this paper is to determine the UHI mitigation strategies and their effectiveness in terms of cooling and temperature reduction in cities at the level of urban design. This goal is achieved through exploring the concept of the cool city, as it is the key factor, from the theoretical, analytical, and practical viewpoints, to diminishing the urban heat release. Then, the paper analyzes how the concept of the coolest city in the world (Stuttgart, Germany is developed and explores a practical approach toward cool cities. Finally, it suggests a set of recommendations to develop the urban environment in Greater Cairo by applying the cool city concept.

Playable cities the city as a digital playground

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book addresses the topic of playable cities, which use the ‘smartness’ of digital cities to offer their citizens playful events and activities. The contributions presented here examine various aspects of playable cities, including developments in pervasive and urban games, the use of urban data to design games and playful applications, architecture design and playability, and mischief and humor in playable cities. The smartness of digital cities can be found in the sensors and actuators that are embedded in their environment. This smartness allows them to monitor, anticipate and support our activities and increases the efficiency of the cities and our activities. These urban smart technologies can offer citizens playful interactions with streets, buildings, street furniture, traffic, public art and entertainment, large public displays and public events.

A Propensity-Matched Study of Hypertension and Increased Stroke-Related Hospitalization in Chronic Heart Failure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G.S. Filippatos (Gerasimos); C. Adamopoulos (Chris); X. Sui (Xuemei); T.E. Love (Thomas); P.M. Pullicino (Patrick); J. Lubsen (Jacob); G. Bakris (George); S.D. Anker (Stefan); G. Howard (George); D.T. Kremastinos (Dimitrios); A. Ahmed (Ali)

2008-01-01

textabstractHypertension is a risk factor for heart failure and stroke. However, the effect of hypertension on stroke in patients with heart failure has not been well studied. In the Digitalis Investigation Group trial, 3,674 (47%) of the 7,788 patients had a history of hypertension. Probability or

Study of imaging time shortening in Whole Heart MRCA. Evaluation of slice thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwai, Mitsuhiro; Tateishi, Toshiki; Takeda, Soji; Hayashi, Ryuji

2005-01-01

A series of examinations in cardiac MR imaging, such as cine, perfusion, MR coronary angiography (MRCA) and viability, is generally known as One Stop Cardiac Examination. It takes about 40 to 60 minutes to perform One Stop Cardiac Examination, and Whole Heart MRCA accounts for most of the examination time. Therefore, we aimed to shorten imaging time of Whole Heart MRCA, especially in a large imaging area such as that in the case of the postoperative evaluation of a bypass graft, by investigating the depiction of a diameter of mimic blood vessels as changing the slice thickness of Whole Heart MRCA. The results showed that the maximum slice thickness of about 1 mm was excellent considering the diameters of actual coronary arteries are about 3 mm. In this study, we could grasp the relationships among slice thickness of Whole Heart MRCA, the diameter of a blood vessel, and shortened examination time. We suggested that it was useful for selecting the suitable sequence depending on a patient's conditions. (author)

Job stress, absenteeism and coronary heart disease European cooperative study (the JACE study): Design of a multicentre prospective study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houtman, I.; Kornitzer, M.; Smet, P. de; Koyuncu, R.; Backer, G. de; Pelfrene, E.; Romon, M.; Boulenguez, C.; Ferrario, M.; Origgi, G.; Sans, S.; Perez, I.; Wilhelmsen, L.; Rosengren, A.; Isacsson, S.-O.; Östergren, P.-O.

1999-01-01

Background: The motives, objectives and design of a multicentre prospective study on job stress, absenteeism and coronary heart disease in Europe (the JACE study) is presented in this paper. Some specific gaps in the reviewed literature are explicitly tapped into by the JACE study. Its objectives

Future of Allotment Gardens in the Context of City Spatial Policy – A Case Study of Poznań

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poniży Lidia

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Multifunctional allotment gardens are an important part of the green infrastructure of cities. In spite of this, they are given little attention in the plans and policies of cities. One of the major threats to the existence of allotment gardens within the spatial structure of cities is the pressure of investment, which results from an underestimation of the role of gardens. The task of preserving allotment gardens in the ecosystems of cities rests with the local spatial planning. Urban spatial policy towards allotment gardening is exemplified by the case study of Poznan. The bases for the analysis include the study of the conditions and directions of spatial planning, as the spatial policy document that sets forth the city and local spatial development plans, which are Acts of local laws.

Heart and brain interaction in patients with heart failure: overview and proposal for a taxonomy. A position paper from the Study Group on Heart and Brain Interaction of the Heart Failure Association.

Science.gov (United States)

Doehner, Wolfram; Ural, Dilek; Haeusler, Karl Georg; Čelutkienė, Jelena; Bestetti, Reinaldo; Cavusoglu, Yuksel; Peña-Duque, Marco A; Glavas, Duska; Iacoviello, Massimo; Laufs, Ulrich; Alvear, Ricardo Marmol; Mbakwem, Amam; Piepoli, Massimo F; Rosen, Stuart D; Tsivgoulis, Georgios; Vitale, Cristiana; Yilmaz, M Birhan; Anker, Stefan D; Filippatos, Gerasimos; Seferovic, Petar; Coats, Andrew J S; Ruschitzka, Frank

2018-02-01

Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome with multiple interactions between the failing myocardium and cerebral (dys-)functions. Bi-directional feedback interactions between the heart and the brain are inherent in the pathophysiology of HF: (i) the impaired cardiac function affects cerebral structure and functional capacity, and (ii) neuronal signals impact on the cardiovascular continuum. These interactions contribute to the symptomatic presentation of HF patients and affect many co-morbidities of HF. Moreover, neuro-cardiac feedback signals significantly promote aggravation and further progression of HF and are causal in the poor prognosis of HF. The diversity and complexity of heart and brain interactions make it difficult to develop a comprehensive overview. In this paper a systematic approach is proposed to develop a comprehensive atlas of related conditions, signals and disease mechanisms of the interactions between the heart and the brain in HF. The proposed taxonomy is based on pathophysiological principles. Impaired perfusion of the brain may represent one major category, with acute (cardio-embolic) or chronic (haemodynamic failure) low perfusion being sub-categories with mostly different consequences (i.e. ischaemic stroke or cognitive impairment, respectively). Further categories include impairment of higher cortical function (mood, cognition), of brain stem function (sympathetic over-activation, neuro-cardiac reflexes). Treatment-related interactions could be categorized as medical, interventional and device-related interactions. Also interactions due to specific diseases are categorized. A methodical approach to categorize the interdependency of heart and brain may help to integrate individual research areas into an overall picture. © 2017 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2017 European Society of Cardiology.

The stem-cell application in ischemic heart disease: Basic principles, specifics and practical experience from clinical studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Banović Marko

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Longer life duration, different clinical presentations of coronary disease, as well as high incidence of comorbidity in patients with ischemic heart disease have led to an increase in the incidence of ischemic heart failure. Despite numerous and new treatment methods that act on different pathophysiological mechanisms that cause heart failure, and whose aim is to slowdown or stop the progression of this devastating disease, morbidity and mortality in these patients remain high. These facts have firstly led to the introduction of the experimental, and then clinical studies with the application of stem cells in patients with ischemic heart disease. Previous studies have shown that the application of stem cells is a feasible and safe method in patients with acute coronary syndrome, as well as in patients with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy, but the efficacy of these methods in both of the abovementioned clinical syndromes has yet to be established. This review paper outlines the basic principles of treatment of ischemic heart disease with stem cells, as well as the experience and knowledge gained in previous clinical studies.

A PRACTICAL STUDY ON APPLICABILITY OF THE INCENTIVE SUBSIDY TO BUS NETWORK IN KUMAMOTO CITY

Science.gov (United States)

Mizokami, Shoshi; Fujimi, Toshio; Hirano, Toshihiko

Recently, the number of passenger of public bus services in Japan tends to decrease due to the motorization. This condition leads to a severe management situation, including in Kumamoto City. Since 1984, the deficit of bus companies operation in provision of bus services in Kumamoto has been covered by Kumamoto City Government on the basis of lines subsidy, and the city allocated a number of subsidy of about 200 million yen in 2007. Currently, The Kumamoto city government plans to reduce the amount of subsidy to bus companies by introducing the giving of incentive to bus companies in order to trim bus company deficit. This study aims to construct the mathematical model of the incentive reward and apply the model to realignment of buses lines networks in Kumamoto Metropolitan Area.

Monitoring implementation of city development strategy: The case study of Pančevo

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Mikavica Mihailo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper is the result of the research project carried out as part of the Master program Integral Urbanism at Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade. The main focus of master's thesis was 'Instruments for Governing Integral Urban Development'. In year 2016, polygon used to create a master projects was the territory of the City of Pančevo, a development framework was: 'City Development Strategy of Pančevo for the Period 2014-2020'. Considering issues and potential improvement opportunities of the city, after research and analysis, we have chosen the research theme 'Implementation Monitoring of City Development Strategy - The Case Study of Pančevo'. The paper outlines the broader framework of urban development management to understand the implementation of new instruments of urban governance in local context of the City of Pančevo. The focus is on instruments that improve process of the monitoring of implementation of local development strategies - human resources, financing, institutionalization and participation. The results of this master project relate to the proposals for improving monitoring of the implementation strategy, including the manner and structure of reporting, establishing a team to implement the strategy as a permanent body, linking funding strategy with the program budget of the city and improving public participation and transparency in decision-making in the process of implementing the strategy. Results are derived from the research presented in this paper, and listed for better overview and operationalization issues in a local context. The focus of this work is on understanding the capacity of institutionalization of changes in the domain of urban governance in the local context in Serbia.

Towards Post-carbon Cities: Six Contrasting Scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theys, Jacques; Vidalenc, Eric

2013-01-01

international gatherings at the highest level have raised awareness among the general public of the serious risks posed, on the one hand, by global warming and, on the other, by the possible exhaustion of fossil fuel resources. In this context, the idea of a transition towards a so-called 'post-carbon' society has gradually been gaining ground. This has a number of central objectives: the reduction of greenhouse gases by 2050 to one quarter of their 1990 levels (in the countries of the North), near autonomy with regard to carbon- based energies (oil, gas and coal), an adequate capacity for adaptation to climate change and, lastly, greater attention to situations of energy precariousness. This is why in 2009 a programme was launched, steered jointly by the Foresight Mission of the French Ecology Ministry and by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), called 'Rethinking Cities in a Post-carbon Society'. This programme's work is still on-going to wards a final report planned for - 2013. This month, Futuribles is devoting a special dossier to it, coordinated by Jacques Theys, who launched this programme, and Eric Vidalenc who now coordinates it with Nathalie Etahiri. Their article, which opens this dossier, outlines the approach and thinking at the heart of this study, which provides a deep analysis of the role cities play -or might play- in the promotion of major developments and changes to encourage a post-carbon society. In it, most importantly, the authors present the six transition scenarios that have been developed with the aim of proposing various possible routes to post-carbon cities in 2050 through highly concrete initiatives and measures in the fields of transport and housing policy, on decisions around energy, housing conditions, lifestyles etc. Lastly, they stress a major issue underlying such an ambition -namely, the way that short-, medium- and long-term goals hang together. (authors)

Heart Failure and Frailty in the Community-Living Elderly Population: What the UFO Study Will Tell Us.

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, Erik; Hui, Elsie; Yang, Xiaobo; Lui, Leong T; Cheng, King F; Li, Qi; Fan, Yiting; Sahota, Daljit S; Ma, Bosco H M; Lee, Jenny S W; Lee, Alex P W; Woo, Jean

2018-01-01

Heart failure and frailty are clinical syndromes that present with overlapping phenotypic characteristics. Importantly, their co-presence is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. While mechanical and electrical device therapies for heart failure are vital for select patients with advanced stage disease, the majority of patients and especially those with undiagnosed heart failure would benefit from early disease detection and prompt initiation of guideline-directed medical therapies. In this article, we review the problematic interactions between heart failure and frailty, introduce a focused cardiac screening program for community-living elderly initiated by a mobile communication device app leading to the Undiagnosed heart Failure in frail Older individuals (UFO) study, and discuss how the knowledge of pre-frailty and frailty status could be exploited for the detection of previously undiagnosed heart failure or advanced cardiac disease. The widespread use of mobile devices coupled with increasing availability of novel, effective medical and minimally invasive therapies have incentivized new approaches to heart failure case finding and disease management.

Heart Failure and Frailty in the Community-Living Elderly Population: What the UFO Study Will Tell Us

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, Erik; Hui, Elsie; Yang, Xiaobo; Lui, Leong T.; Cheng, King F.; Li, Qi; Fan, Yiting; Sahota, Daljit S.; Ma, Bosco H. M.; Lee, Jenny S. W.; Lee, Alex P. W.; Woo, Jean

2018-01-01

Heart failure and frailty are clinical syndromes that present with overlapping phenotypic characteristics. Importantly, their co-presence is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. While mechanical and electrical device therapies for heart failure are vital for select patients with advanced stage disease, the majority of patients and especially those with undiagnosed heart failure would benefit from early disease detection and prompt initiation of guideline-directed medical therapies. In this article, we review the problematic interactions between heart failure and frailty, introduce a focused cardiac screening program for community-living elderly initiated by a mobile communication device app leading to the Undiagnosed heart Failure in frail Older individuals (UFO) study, and discuss how the knowledge of pre-frailty and frailty status could be exploited for the detection of previously undiagnosed heart failure or advanced cardiac disease. The widespread use of mobile devices coupled with increasing availability of novel, effective medical and minimally invasive therapies have incentivized new approaches to heart failure case finding and disease management. PMID:29740330

Prognostic utility of novel biomarkers of cardiovascular stress: the Framingham Heart Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Thomas J; Wollert, Kai C; Larson, Martin G; Coglianese, Erin; McCabe, Elizabeth L; Cheng, Susan; Ho, Jennifer E; Fradley, Michael G; Ghorbani, Anahita; Xanthakis, Vanessa; Kempf, Tibor; Benjamin, Emelia J; Levy, Daniel; Vasan, Ramachandran S; Januzzi, James L

2012-09-25

Biomarkers for predicting cardiovascular events in community-based populations have not consistently added information to standard risk factors. A limitation of many previously studied biomarkers is their lack of cardiovascular specificity. To determine the prognostic value of 3 novel biomarkers induced by cardiovascular stress, we measured soluble ST2, growth differentiation factor-15, and high-sensitivity troponin I in 3428 participants (mean age, 59 years; 53% women) in the Framingham Heart Study. We performed multivariable-adjusted proportional hazards models to assess the individual and combined ability of the biomarkers to predict adverse outcomes. We also constructed a "multimarker" score composed of the 3 biomarkers in addition to B-type natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. During a mean follow-up of 11.3 years, there were 488 deaths, 336 major cardiovascular events, 162 heart failure events, and 142 coronary events. In multivariable-adjusted models, the 3 new biomarkers were associated with each end point (Pstatistic (P=0.005 or lower) and net reclassification improvement (P=0.001 or lower). Multiple biomarkers of cardiovascular stress are detectable in ambulatory individuals and add prognostic value to standard risk factors for predicting death, overall cardiovascular events, and heart failure.

Smart city – future city? smart city 20 as a livable city and future market

CERN Document Server

Etezadzadeh, Chirine

2016-01-01

The concept of a livable smart city presented in this book highlights the relevance of the functionality and integrated resilience of viable cities of the future. It critically examines the progressive digitalization that is taking place and identifies the revolutionized energy sector as the basis of urban life. The concept is based on people and their natural environment, resulting in a broader definition of sustainability and an expanded product theory. Smart City 2.0 offers its residents many opportunities and is an attractive future market for innovative products and services. However, it presents numerous challenges for stakeholders and product developers.

Reduced intrinsic heart rate is associated with reduced arrhythmic susceptibility in guinea-pig heart.

Science.gov (United States)

Osadchii, Oleg E

2014-12-01

In the clinical setting, patients with slower resting heart rate are less prone to cardiovascular death compared with those with elevated heart rate. However, electrophysiological adaptations associated with reduced cardiac rhythm have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, relationships between intrinsic heart rate and arrhythmic susceptibility were examined by assessments of action potential duration (APD) rate adaptation and inducibility of repolarization alternans in sinoatrial node (SAN)-driven and atrioventricular (AV)-blocked guinea-pig hearts perfused with Langendorff apparatus. Electrocardiograms, epicardial monophasic action potentials, and effective refractory periods (ERP) were assessed in normokalemic and hypokalemic conditions. Slower basal heart rate in AV-blocked hearts was associated with prolonged ventricular repolarization during spontaneous beating, and with attenuated APD shortening at increased cardiac activation rates during dynamic pacing, when compared with SAN-driven hearts. During hypokalemic perfusion, the inducibility of repolarization alternans and tachyarrhythmia by rapid pacing was found to be lower in AV-blocked hearts. This difference was ascribed to prolonged ERP in the setting of reduced basal heart rate, which prevented ventricular capture at critically short pacing intervals required to induce arrhythmia. Reduced basal heart rate is associated with electrophysiological changes that prevent electrical instability upon an abrupt cardiac acceleration.

Image city

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2003-01-01

Image city exhibition explores a condition of mediation, through a focus on image and sound narratives with a point of departure on a number of Asian cities.......Image city exhibition explores a condition of mediation, through a focus on image and sound narratives with a point of departure on a number of Asian cities....

Nurses' decision making in heart failure management based on heart failure certification status.

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, Nancy M; Bena, James F; Buxbaum, Denise; Martensen, Linda; Morrison, Shannon L; Prasun, Marilyn A; Stamp, Kelly D

Research findings on the value of nurse certification were based on subjective perceptions or biased by correlations of certification status and global clinical factors. In heart failure, the value of certification is unknown. Examine the value of certification based nurses' decision-making. Cross-sectional study of nurses who completed heart failure clinical vignettes that reflected decision-making in clinical heart failure scenarios. Statistical tests included multivariable linear, logistic and proportional odds logistic regression models. Of nurses (N = 605), 29.1% were heart failure certified, 35.0% were certified in another specialty/job role and 35.9% were not certified. In multivariable modeling, nurses certified in heart failure (versus not heart failure certified) had higher clinical vignette scores (p = 0.002), reflecting higher evidence-based decision making; nurses with another specialty/role certification (versus no certification) did not (p = 0.62). Heart failure certification, but not in other specialty/job roles was associated with decisions that reflected delivery of high-quality care. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CO2 emission inventories for Chinese cities in highly urbanized areas compared with European cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Wei; Pagani, Roberto; Huang Lei

2012-01-01

The international literature has paid significant attention to presenting China as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the world, despite having much lower per-capita emissions than the global average. In fact, the imbalance of economic development leads to diversity in GHG emissions profiles in different areas of China. This paper employs a common methodology, consistent with the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) approved by the Covenant of Mayors (CoM), to estimate CO 2 emissions of four Chinese cities in highly urbanized areas from 2004 to 2010. The results show that the CO 2 emissions of all four cities are still rising and that secondary industries emit the most CO 2 in these cities. By comparing these data with the inventory results of two European cities, this paper further reveals that Chinese cities in highly urbanized areas contribute much higher per-capita emissions than their European competitors. Furthermore, the per-capita CO 2 emissions of the residential sector and private transport in these Chinese cities are growing rapidly, some of them approaching the levels of European cities. According to these findings, several policy suggestions considering regional disparities are provided that aim to reduce the CO 2 emissions of highly urbanized areas in China. - Highlights: ► An exemplary study of GHG emission inventory for Chinese cities. ► Estimate CO 2 emissions of Chinese city in highly urbanized areas from 2004 to 2010. ► The studied Chinese cities contribute higher per-capita emissions than European’s. ► Emissions of residential sector and private transport in China are growing rapidly. ► Several policy suggestions considering regional disparities are provided.

Simulation of Farmers’ Response to Irrigation Water Pricing and Rationing Policies (Case Study: Zabol City

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abouzar parhizkari

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Considering that agricultural sector is the largest consumer of water, presenting integrated management for water resources and formulating effective policies to increase water productivity in this sector is essential. Therefore, using economic modeling , this study simulated the farmers’ responses to irrigation water pricing and rationing policies in Zabol city. To achieve the study purpose, the State Wide Agricultural Production Model and Positive Mathematical Programming were applied. The required data for the years 2010-2011 was collected by completing questionnaires and collecting data sets from the relevant agencies of Zabol city in personal attendance. The results showed that imposing irrigation water pricing and rationing policies in Zabol city leads to a reduction in the total cultivated area by 9/54 and 5/14 percent and a reduction in the water consumption by 6/23 and 7/01 percent, compared to the base year. Ultimately, irrigation water rationing policy, considering frugality of 18/9 million m3 of water, as the appropriate solution for the sustainability of water resources of Zabol city was proposed.

Thigh circumference and risk of heart disease and premature death: prospective cohort study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heitmann, Berit; Frederiksen, Peder

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between thigh circumference and incident cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease and total mortality. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study with Cox proportional hazards model and restricted cubic splines. SETTING: Random subset of adults...... in Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: 1436 men and 1380 women participating in the Danish MONICA project, examined in 1987-8 for height, weight, and thigh, hip, and waist circumference, and body composition by impedance. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 10 year incidence of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease and 12.5 years...... of follow-up for total death. RESULTS: A small thigh circumference was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases and total mortality in both men and women. A threshold effect for thigh circumference was evident, with greatly increased risk of premature death below...

Improving pedestrian facilities in congested urban areas: a case study of Chennai city

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanyam, B.; Prasanna Kumar, R.

2017-07-01

Traffic congestion and lack of public pedestrian space are some problems faced by most urban metropolises. Conventionally walking has been a mode of transportation in Indian cities. The percentage of pedestrians may vary from 16 to 57 depending upon the city. Encounters between vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic are at its rise currently. Rapid industrialization and urbanization in India has resulted in neglecting of pedestrian facilities. Consequently pedestrian are at greater risk for their safety more especially in the commercial zones of large cities. A change in perspective spotlight will create a sense of awareness that the pedestrian traffic is also vital as the vehicular traffic. Soothing the traffic would moderately cut the driving expediency but the pedestrians will get a much safer and peaceful route to their terminuses. Safety and comfort are the two pans of a balance while considering the pedestrian traffic. Considering these aspects, this study deals a study in improving pedestrian facilities by analysing the existing skeleton of the selected locations. The adequacy of facility is checked based on IRC latest guidelines and counteractive measures are postulated.

Characterizing potential heart agents with an isolated perfused heart system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pendleton, D.B.; Sands, H.; Gallagher, B.M.; Camin, L.L.

1984-01-01

The authors have used an isolated perfused heart system for characterizing potential myocardial perfusion radiopharamaceuticals. Rabbit or guinea pig (GP) hearts are removed and perfused through the aorta with a blood-free buffer. Heart rate and ventricular pressure are monitored as indices of viability. Tc-99m-MAA is 96-100% retained in these hearts, and Tc-99m human serum albumin shows less than 5% extraction. Tl-201 is 30-40% extracted. It is known that in-vivo, Tc-99m(dmpe)/sub 2/Cl/sub 2//sup +/ is taken up by rabbit heart but not by GP or human heart. Analogous results are obtained with the isolated perfused heart model, where the complex is extracted well by the isolated rabbit heart (24%) but not by the GP heart (<5%). Values are unchanged if human, rabbit or GP blood is mixed and co-injected with the complex. Tc-99m)dmpe)/sub 3//sup +/ is also taken up by rabbit but not by GP hearts in-vivo. However, isolated perfused hearts of both species extract this complex well (45-52%). Heart uptake is diminished to <7% if the complex is pre-equilibrated with human blood. GP blood produces a moderate inhibition (in GP hearts only) and rabbit blood has no effect. This suggests that a human or GP blood factor may have a significant effect on heart uptake of this complex. Tc-99m(CN-t-butyl)/sub 6//sup +/ is taken up well by both rabbit and GP hearts in-vivo, and is extracted 100% by both isolated perfused hearts. Heart retention remains high (73-75%) in the presence of human blood

City Marketing: Towards an Integrated Approach

OpenAIRE

Braun, Erik

2008-01-01

textabstractThis PhD thesis deals with city marketing: cities making use of marketing ideas, concepts and tools. Marketing has proved its value in the business environment, but what about applying marketing in the context of cities? How can cities make effective use of the potential of marketing? The first contribution of this study is the development of a clear concept of city marketing that is based on a customer-oriented perspective, acknowledges the important of perceptions of places in t...

Receptor binding studies of the living heart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syrota, A.

1988-01-01

Receptors form a class of intrinsic membrane proteins (or glycoproteins) defined by the high affinity and specificity with which they bind ligands. Many receptors are associated directly or indirectly with membrane ion channels that open or close after a conformational change of the receptor induced by the binding of the neurotransmitter. Changes in number and/or affinity of cardiac neurotransmitter receptors have been associated with myocardial ischemia and infarction, congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy as well as diabetes or thyroid-induced heart muscle disease. These alterations of cardiac receptors have been demonstrated in vitro on membrane homogenates from samples collected mainly during surgery or postmortem. The disadvantage of these in vitro binding techniques is that receptors lose their natural environment and their relationships with the other components of the tissue

Urban Planning Aspects of Museum Quarters as an Architectural Medium for Creative Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Kochergina, Ekaterina

2017-10-01

Since the second half of the 20th century, urban environment has experienced significant transformation. Splash of interactivity, bottom-up initiations with development of creative sector of city economy and participatory planning, irretrievably changed the attitude to the urban medium. One of the most intensively growing field - creative industry - provided cities with numerous cultural clusters, which boosted urban economic development and social cohesion. Supported in many cases by gentrification and revitalization, these processes brought renovation of brownfield and more comprehensive approaches to urban design. Understanding of the economic benefits made city managers start an active promotion of creative clusters and their intensive integration into urban life, involving the main museums and cultural institutions. Thus, a new type of cultural clusters - Museum Quarter - appeared. Holding the position of cultural flagman in the historical heart of the city, Museum Quarters (MQs) pretend to take on an important role both in urban planning structure and in social life. Furthermore, such role usually has strong influence on the surrounding districts, in a positive or negative way. Although basic principles are still applied for all types of cultural districts, the phenomena of “Museum Quarters” due to the complexity of planning, operating and maintenance issues, stepped far above basic cultural clusters, requiring substantially new attitude to the planning of such urban entities. Five clusters were chosen for this study: MQs in Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and the currently developing project in Budapest. The main purpose of this paper is to elaborate the principles for the practical implementation of Museum Quarters by the definition and classification of their specific urban planning aspects. The complexity of target object - Museum Quarter - and its multi-level relationships with the whole city, require from the research interdisciplinary

Efficacy of trimetazidine combining with metoprolol on plasma BNP in coronary heart disease patients with heart failure

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Ping Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To explore the effect of combined application of trimetazidine and metoprolol on plasma BNP in coronary heart disease patients with heart failure and the clinical efficacy. Methods: A total of 140 cases of coronary heart disease patients with heart failure treated in Cardiology Department of our hospital from May 2012 to January 2015 were selected and divided into study group and control group by random number table method. The control group received digitalis, diuretics, ACEI (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and other conventional drugs for treatment, the study group received combined use of trimetazidine and metoprolol on the basis of routine treatment of the control group, and treatment duration was 12 weeks. Then plasma BNP, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD, left ventricular end systolic end (LVESD and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF of two groups before and after treatment were statistically analyzed, and the overall effect was evaluated. Results: Before treatment, there were no significant differences in plasma BNP, blood pressure, heart rate, LVEDD, LVESD and LVEF between the two groups; after treatment, plasma BNP, blood pressure, heart rate, LVEDD and LVESD of both groups decreased and LVEF increased, but the changes in study group were better than those in control group. Conclusion: Trimetazidine combined with metoprolol has better application effect in plasma BNP decrease and heart function improvement in coronary heart disease patients with heart failure.

Congenital heart defects and extracardiac malformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Rosana Cardoso M; Rosa, Rafael Fabiano M; Zen, Paulo Ricardo G; Paskulin, Giorgio Adriano

2013-06-01

To review the association between congenital heart defects and extracardiac malformations. Scientific articles were searched in the Medline, Lilacs, and SciELO databases, using the descriptors "congenital heart disease," "congenital heart defects," "congenital cardiac malformations," "extracardiac defects," and "extracardiac malformations." All case series that specifically explored the association between congenital heart defects and extracardiac malformations were included. Congenital heart diseases are responsible for about 40% of birth defects, being one of the most common and severe malformations. Extracardiac malformations are observed in 7 to 50% of the patients with congenital heart disease, bringing a greater risk of comorbidity and mortality and increasing the risks related to heart surgery. Different studies have attempted to assess the presence of extracardiac abnormalities in patients with congenital heart disease. Among the changes described, those of the urinary tract are more often reported. However, no study has evaluated all patients in the same way. Extracardiac abnormalities are frequent among patients with congenital heart disease, and patients with these alterations may present an increased risk of morbimortality. Therefore, some authors have been discussing the importance and cost-effectiveness of screening these children for other malformations by complementary exams.

Heart Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

... you're like most people, you think that heart disease is a problem for others. But heart disease is the number one killer in the ... of disability. There are many different forms of heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease ...

Heart Transplantation

Science.gov (United States)

A heart transplant removes a damaged or diseased heart and replaces it with a healthy one. The healthy heart comes from a donor who has died. It is the last resort for people with heart failure when all other treatments have failed. The ...

Evaluating Pillar Industry’s Transformation Capability: A Case Study of Two Chinese Steel-Based Cities

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhidong; Marinova, Dora; Guo, Xiumei; Gao, Yuan

2015-01-01

Many steel-based cities in China were established between the 1950s and 1960s. After more than half a century of development and boom, these cities are starting to decline and industrial transformation is urgently needed. This paper focuses on evaluating the transformation capability of resource-based cities building an evaluation model. Using Text Mining and the Document Explorer technique as a way of extracting text features, the 200 most frequently used words are derived from 100 publications related to steel- and other resource-based cities. The Expert Evaluation Method (EEM) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques are then applied to select 53 indicators, determine their weights and establish an index system for evaluating the transformation capability of the pillar industry of China’s steel-based cities. Using real data and expert reviews, the improved Fuzzy Relation Matrix (FRM) method is applied to two case studies in China, namely Panzhihua and Daye, and the evaluation model is developed using Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE). The cities’ abilities to carry out industrial transformation are evaluated with concerns expressed for the case of Daye. The findings have policy implications for the potential and required industrial transformation in the two selected cities and other resource-based towns. PMID:26422266

Diabetes, Glycemic Control, and New-Onset Heart Failure in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease Data from the Heart and Soul Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Melle, Joost P.; Bot, Marisica; De Jonge, Peter; De Boer, Rudolf A.; van Veldhuisen, Dirk J.; Whooley, Mary A.

OBJECTIVE- Diabetes is a predictor of both coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure. It is unknown to what extent the association between diabetes and heart failure is influenced by other risk factors for heart failure. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS- We evaluated the association of diabetes and

Pediatric heart surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Heart surgery - pediatric; Heart surgery for children; Acquired heart disease; Heart valve surgery - children ... There are many kinds of heart defects. Some are minor, and others are more serious. Defects can occur inside the heart or in the large blood vessels ...

Change in trans fatty acid content of fast-food purchases associated with New York City's restaurant regulation: a pre-post study.

Science.gov (United States)

Angell, Sonia Y; Cobb, Laura K; Curtis, Christine J; Konty, Kevin J; Silver, Lynn D

2012-07-17

Dietary trans fat increases risk for coronary heart disease. In 2006, New York City (NYC) passed the first regulation in the United States restricting trans fat use in restaurants. To assess the effect of the NYC regulation on the trans and saturated fat content of fast-food purchases. Cross-sectional study that included purchase receipts matched to available nutritional information and brief surveys of adult lunchtime restaurant customers conducted in 2007 and 2009, before and after implementation of the regulation. 168 randomly selected NYC restaurant locations of 11 fast-food chains. Adult restaurant customers interviewed in 2007 and 2009. Change in mean grams of trans fat, saturated fat, trans plus saturated fat, and trans fat per 1000 kcal per purchase, overall and by chain type. The final sample included 6969 purchases in 2007 and 7885 purchases in 2009. Overall, mean trans fat per purchase decreased by 2.4 g (95% CI, -2.8 to -2.0 g; P restaurant was located was not associated with changes. Fast-food restaurants that were included may not be representative of all NYC restaurants. The introduction of a local restaurant regulation was associated with a substantial and statistically significant decrease in the trans fat content of purchases at fast-food chains, without a commensurate increase in saturated fat. Restaurant patrons from high- and low-poverty neighborhoods benefited equally. However, federal regulation will be necessary to fully eliminate population exposure to industrial trans fat sources. City of New York and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research program.

Rasch Analyses of Very Low Food Security among Households and Children in the Three City Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Moffitt, Robert A; Ribar, David C

2016-04-01

The longitudinal Three City Study of low-income families with children measures food hardships using fewer questions and some different questions from the standard U.S. instrument for measuring food security, the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) in the Current Population Survey (CPS). We utilize a Rasch measurement model to identify thresholds of very low food security among households and very low food security among children in the Three City Study that are comparable to thresholds from the HFSSM. We also use the Three City Study to empirically investigate the determinants of food insecurity and of these specific food insecurity outcomes, estimating a multivariate behavioral Rasch model that is adapted to address longitudinal data. The estimation results indicate that participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program reduce food insecurity, while poverty and disability among caregivers increase it. Besides its longitudinal structure, the Three City Study measures many more characteristics about households than the CPS. Our estimates reveal that financial assistance through social networks and a household's own financial assets reduce food insecurity, while its outstanding loans increase insecurity.

Rasch Analyses of Very Low Food Security among Households and Children in the Three City Study*

Science.gov (United States)

Moffitt, Robert A.; Ribar, David C.

2017-01-01

The longitudinal Three City Study of low-income families with children measures food hardships using fewer questions and some different questions from the standard U.S. instrument for measuring food security, the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) in the Current Population Survey (CPS). We utilize a Rasch measurement model to identify thresholds of very low food security among households and very low food security among children in the Three City Study that are comparable to thresholds from the HFSSM. We also use the Three City Study to empirically investigate the determinants of food insecurity and of these specific food insecurity outcomes, estimating a multivariate behavioral Rasch model that is adapted to address longitudinal data. The estimation results indicate that participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program reduce food insecurity, while poverty and disability among caregivers increase it. Besides its longitudinal structure, the Three City Study measures many more characteristics about households than the CPS. Our estimates reveal that financial assistance through social networks and a household's own financial assets reduce food insecurity, while its outstanding loans increase insecurity. PMID:29187764

City 2020+

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Schneider, C.; Buttstädt, M.; Merbitz, H.; Sachsen, T.; Ketzler, G.; Michael, S.; Klemme, M.; Dott, W.; Selle, K.; Hofmeister, H.

2010-09-01

This research initiative CITY 2020+ assesses the risks and opportunities for residents in urban built environments under projected demographic and climate change for the year 2020 and beyond, using the City of Aachen as a case study. CITY 2020+ develops scenarios, options and tools for planning and developing sustainable future city structures. We investigate how urban environment, political structure and residential behavior can best be adapted, with attention to the interactions among structural, political, and sociological configurations and with their consequences on human health. Demographers project that in the EU-25-States by 2050, approximately 30% of the population will be over age 65. Also by 2050, average tem¬peratures are projected to rise by 1 to 2 K. Combined, Europe can expect enhanced thermal stress and higher levels of particulate matter. CITY 2020+ amongst other sub-projects includes research project dealing with (1) a micro-scale assessment of blockages to low-level cold-air drainage flow into the city centre by vegetation and building structures, (2) a detailed analysis of the change of probability density functions related to the occurrence of heat waves during summer and the spatial and temporal structure of the urban heat island (UHI) (3) a meso-scale analysis of particulate matter (PM) concentrations depending on topography, local meteorological conditions and synoptic-scale weather patterns. First results will be presented specifically from sub-projects related to vegetation barriers within cold air drainage, the assessment of the UHI and the temporal and spatial pattern of PM loadings in the city centre. The analysis of the cold air drainage flow is investigated in two consecutive years with a clearing of vegetation stands in the beginning of the second year early in 2010. The spatial pattern of the UHI and its possible enhancement by climate change is addressed employing a unique setup using GPS devices and temperature probes fixed to

Construct validity of the Heart Failure Screening Tool (Heart-FaST) to identify heart failure patients at risk of poor self-care: Rasch analysis.

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Reynolds, Nicholas A; Ski, Chantal F; McEvedy, Samantha M; Thompson, David R; Cameron, Jan

2018-02-14

The aim of this study was to psychometrically evaluate the Heart Failure Screening Tool (Heart-FaST) via: (1) examination of internal construct validity; (2) testing of scale function in accordance with design; and (3) recommendation for change/s, if items are not well adjusted, to improve psychometric credential. Self-care is vital to the management of heart failure. The Heart-FaST may provide a prospective assessment of risk, regarding the likelihood that patients with heart failure will engage in self-care. Psychometric validation of the Heart-FaST using Rasch analysis. The Heart-FaST was administered to 135 patients (median age = 68, IQR = 59-78 years; 105 males) enrolled in a multidisciplinary heart failure management program. The Heart-FaST is a nurse-administered tool for screening patients with HF at risk of poor self-care. A Rasch analysis of responses was conducted which tested data against Rasch model expectations, including whether items serve as unbiased, non-redundant indicators of risk and measure a single construct and that rating scales operate as intended. The results showed that data met Rasch model expectations after rescoring or deleting items due to poor discrimination, disordered thresholds, differential item functioning, or response dependence. There was no evidence of multidimensionality which supports the use of total scores from Heart-FaST as indicators of risk. Aggregate scores from this modified screening tool rank heart failure patients according to their "risk of poor self-care" demonstrating that the Heart-FaST items constitute a meaningful scale to identify heart failure patients at risk of poor engagement in heart failure self-care. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Integrated genetic and epigenetic prediction of coronary heart disease in the Framingham Heart Study.

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Meeshanthini V Dogan

Full Text Available An improved method for detecting coronary heart disease (CHD could have substantial clinical impact. Building on the idea that systemic effects of CHD risk factors are a conglomeration of genetic and environmental factors, we use machine learning techniques and integrate genetic, epigenetic and phenotype data from the Framingham Heart Study to build and test a Random Forest classification model for symptomatic CHD. Our classifier was trained on n = 1,545 individuals and consisted of four DNA methylation sites, two SNPs, age and gender. The methylation sites and SNPs were selected during the training phase. The final trained model was then tested on n = 142 individuals. The test data comprised of individuals removed based on relatedness to those in the training dataset. This integrated classifier was capable of classifying symptomatic CHD status of those in the test set with an accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 78%, 0.75 and 0.80, respectively. In contrast, a model using only conventional CHD risk factors as predictors had an accuracy and sensitivity of only 65% and 0.42, respectively, but with a specificity of 0.89 in the test set. Regression analyses of the methylation signatures illustrate our ability to map these signatures to known risk factors in CHD pathogenesis. These results demonstrate the capability of an integrated approach to effectively model symptomatic CHD status. These results also suggest that future studies of biomaterial collected from longitudinally informative cohorts that are specifically characterized for cardiac disease at follow-up could lead to the introduction of sensitive, readily employable integrated genetic-epigenetic algorithms for predicting onset of future symptomatic CHD.

The heart field effect: Synchronization of healer-subject heart rates in energy therapy.

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Bair, Christine Caldwell

2008-01-01

Recent health research has focused on subtle energy and vibrational frequency as key components of health and healing. In particular, intentional direction of bioenergy is receiving increasing scientific attention. This study investigates the effect of the healer's electromagnetic (EM) heart field upon subjects during energy healing as measured by synchronization of heart rates and scores on a Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale and a Profile of Mood States (POMS) inventory. A nonequivalent pretest-posttest design was used based on heart rate comparisons between healer and subject and correlated with pre-and posttest SUD and POMS scores. Subjects included those who sat within the 3- to 4-foot "strong" range of the independent variable, the healer's heart field, while performing self-application of WHEE (the wholistic hybrid derived from EMDR [eye movement desensitization and reprocessing], and EFT [emotional freedom technique]), a meridian-based tapping technique (n=50); and those who performed the same process beyond the 15- to 18-foot range of the healer's EM heart field (n=41). The dependent variables were heart rate, SUD, and POMS inventory. All subjects completed these measures within 1 hour. Study results showed statistically significant heart-rate synchronization with the intervention population. In addition, SUD and POMS scores demonstrated considerably more improvement than in the control population, indicating additional benefit beyond the meridian-based therapies, such as WHEE, alone. Additional findings and future research recommendations are presented in this article.

Congenital Heart Disease in Children's hospital medical center A Cross-Sectional study 2000 - 2001

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Zeinaloo. A. A Tadbir. M

2002-07-01

Full Text Available The most common congenital diseases in children is congenital heart disease. Factors such as environment, genetic, old maternal age during pregnancy, maternal disease and using medicine in pregnancy, prematuritiy, and specific seasons are significant in the prevalence of disease."nMaterials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted to investigate the status of children with congenital heart diseases, among 665 child that refereed to Children's hospital medical center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, during 1 year (2000 tO 2001. The researchers due to the lack of existing appropriate tools developed the instrument for the study. The questionnaire was 15 items, nominal, ordinal and interval scale. All items were verified using major authoritative pediatric cardiologists references and were subjected to face and content validation by three experts. Convenient sampling was utilized for collecting data. All subjects were examined in cardiology department and echocardiography was done for them."nResults: From a total of 665 children with congenital heart defects, 56.2 percent were male and 43.8 percent were female. 32.6 percent were born in autumn. Septal defects were predominant lesions, which account for 36.1 percent of lesions. 89.8 percent of children have never extracardiac defects. Children of mothers age 20-35 years had a percentage of 86.2 percent of developing congenital heart disease, Percentage of children who their birth weight less than 2500 gram was quite small, at 24.1 per cent overall. There was no significant relationship between selected variables and congenital heart diseases."nConclusion: With regard to the prevalence of disease and preventing therapeutic costs, parents and teachers education have an important role in preventing congenital heart disease. Therefore, the formation of a learning curriculum model for a life free of congenital heart disease and congenital heart diseases

COMPEREHENSIVE TECHNICAL STUDIES OF FLOOD CONTROL OVER SOLO CITY AREA (CASE STUDY IN DEMANGAN BARRAGE

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Ali Trusharyanto

2013-05-01

Full Text Available City of Surakarta, known as Solo City is one of cities in Central Java Province traversed by Bengawan Solo River. Heavy rainfall in upstream area of Bengawan Solo River causes increase in high water level at downstream. Bengawan Solo River will be higher than water level in drainage system which may induce a backwater flow. Since Colonization era, the government has built dikes and barrages against backwater flow and inundation problem. One of the barrages was Demangan Barrage dividing river flow into Bengawan Solo River and Pepe River. It was equipped with total capacity pump of 12,3 m3/s. The inundation is not only caused by the backwater flow coming from Bengawan Solo River, but also surface runoff as the result of the excess rainfall which cannot be drained gravitationally to the main river if the gate was closed. Therefore, comprehensive study combining hydrology and hydraulics analysis is highly needed in order to achieve more effective flood control management. Hydrology analysis was done to estimate the direct runoff hydrograph from catchment area in Solo City to downstream of Pepe River. While in hydraulics case, hydraulic parameter in downstream of Pepe River influenced by Bengawan Solo River stream was analyzed. Both studies were simulated using software HEC-RAS 4.1.0 version. The simulation considered drainage channel, gate, pump system and dike in Pepe River downstream. Simulation using 10 years of return period in Solo City and average annual water level in Bengawan Solo River showed that Pepe River can flow through the gate, while the highest water level is still below the dike. Simulation considering 10 years of return period, water level hydrograph of Bengawan Solo River, existing pump, and gate operation inferred that Pepe River surpassed top of dike. Capacity of required pump should be more than 168,3 m3/s in order to pass 10 years of return period. By combining operational of existing pump and dike elevated up to +87,63 m

Combined heart-kidney transplantation after total artificial heart insertion.

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Ruzza, A; Czer, L S C; Ihnken, K A; Sasevich, M; Trento, A; Ramzy, D; Esmailian, F; Moriguchi, J; Kobashigawa, J; Arabia, F

2015-01-01

We present the first single-center report of 2 consecutive cases of combined heart and kidney transplantation after insertion of a total artificial heart (TAH). Both patients had advanced heart failure and developed dialysis-dependent renal failure after implantation of the TAH. The 2 patients underwent successful heart and kidney transplantation, with restoration of normal heart and kidney function. On the basis of this limited experience, we consider TAH a safe and feasible option for bridging carefully selected patients with heart and kidney failure to combined heart and kidney transplantation. Recent FDA approval of the Freedom driver may allow outpatient management at substantial cost savings. The TAH, by virtue of its capability of providing pulsatile flow at 6 to 10 L/min, may be the mechanical circulatory support device most likely to recover patients with marginal renal function and advanced heart failure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Utility of brain natriuretic peptide in diagnosis of congestive heart failure and comparison with trans-thoracic echocardiography: a multicenter analysis in south asian and arabian population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ejaz, N.

2015-01-01

Objective: To evaluate serum Brain Natriuretic Peptide levels (BNP) as a screening test in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Prince Salman Heart Center, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between December 2010 to January 2012 and Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan, from February to August 2006. Methodology: A total of 80 patients with clinical diagnosis of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) underwent measurement of serum BNP and had a trans-thoracic echocardiography to measure Ejection Fraction (EF). The normal limit for serum BNP levels, provided by the manufacturer of the kit was applied as a cut-off value for BNP. EF of > 45% was considered normal. Results: Forty seven patients (94%) had an EF < 45%. BNP levels were elevated in 36 patients (72%). Sensitivity and specificity of BNP was found to be 80% and 66% respectively and accuracy was 80%. Conclusion: BNP measurements as a screening tool for CHF has good sensitivity and accuracy when compared to echocardiography. (author)

'Hearts and minds': association, causation and implication of cognitive impairment in heart failure.

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Cannon, Jane A; McMurray, John Jv; Quinn, Terry J

2015-01-01

The clinical syndrome of heart failure is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation and mortality in older adults. An association between cognitive impairment and heart failure is well described but our understanding of the relationship between the two conditions remains limited. In this review we provide a synthesis of available evidence, focussing on epidemiology, the potential pathogenesis, and treatment implications of cognitive decline in heart failure. Most evidence available relates to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and the syndromes of chronic cognitive decline or dementia. These conditions are only part of a complex heart failure-cognition paradigm. Associations between cognition and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and between acute delirium and heart failure also seem evident and where data are available we will discuss these syndromes. Many questions remain unanswered regarding heart failure and cognition. Much of the observational evidence on the association is confounded by study design, comorbidity and insensitive cognitive assessment tools. If a causal link exists, there are several potential pathophysiological explanations. Plausible underlying mechanisms relating to cerebral hypoperfusion or occult cerebrovascular disease have been described and it seems likely that these may coexist and exert synergistic effects. Despite the prevalence of the two conditions, when cognitive impairment coexists with heart failure there is no specific guidance on treatment. Institution of evidence-based heart failure therapies that reduce mortality and hospitalisations seems intuitive and there is no signal that these interventions have an adverse effect on cognition. However, cognitive impairment will present a further barrier to the often complex medication self-management that is required in contemporary heart failure treatment.

An Appraisal of Asia-Pacific Cities as Control and Command Centres Embedded in World City Network

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Z. Li

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Since the globalization trend is proliferating at a staggering rate, world cities have emerged as the most dominant vanguard incorporated into global economy. Control and command function is one of the robust integral parts of world city formation, which is closely associated with the corporate headquarter status of some dominant multinational companies. Previous research works on this topic tend to concentrate on the Western Europe and North American arenas neglecting the Asia-Pacific region. Hence, the objective of this paper is to explore control and command functions of Asia-Pacific cities with reference to headquarters’ locations of multinational companies. The methodology will utilize the Forbes global 2000 dataset from the seminal study of GaWC research group, and apply the control and command center model and the interlocking city network model to discover the control and command index, as well as network connectivity of Asia-Pacific cities. Based upon the empirical study of this research, we could identify the hierarchical structure and spatial structure of Asia-Pacific world cities to emerge as some control and command centers embedded in world city network.

Validation of the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) in Heart Failure Population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, S.; Kayani, A.M.; Munir, R.

2014-01-01

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) in a Pakistani systolic heart failure cohort in predicting mortality in this population. Study Design: Cohort study. Place and Duration of Study: The Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology - National Institute of Heart Diseases, Rawalpindi, from March 2011 to March 2012. Methodology: One hundred and eighteen patients with heart failure (HF) from the registry were followed for one year. Their 1-year mortality was calculated using the SHFM software on their enrollment into the registry. After 1-year predicted 1-year mortality was compared with the actual 1-year mortality of these patients. Results: The mean age was 41.6 +- 14.9 years (16 - 78 years). There were 73.7% males and 26.3% females. One hundred and fifteen patients were in NYHA class III or IV. Mean ejection fraction in these patients was 23 +- 9.3%. Mean brain natriuretic peptide levels were 1230 A+- 1214 pg/mL. Sensitivity of the model was 89.3% with 71.1% specificity, 49% positive predictive value and 95.5% negative predictive value. The accuracy of the model was 75.4%. In Roc analysis, AUC for the SHFM was 0.802 (p<0.001). conclusion: SHFM was found to be reliable in predicting one year mortality among patients with heart failure in the pakistan patients. (author)

Pedestrian Planning in City Centers: a Study of Guimarães and Braga

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Khan Rubayet Rahaman

2010-04-01

Full Text Available People are walking in cities for different reasons. Some walkers walk for going to work, some are walking for shopping and some are for leisure during day and night hours. Medium sized cities like Braga and Guimarães in Portugal are depending on car for even shorter trips up to 2 kilometers. However, the walkways are allowing people to walk in convenient and safe way including late night environment. The pedestrians feel troublesome to walk on the footpaths because of illegal parking and discontinuation of walkways. Municipality transport plans and master plans do not incorporate pedestrians as a major component. But this egress mode of transportation is very important in medium sized city centers like Guimarães and Braga for the people to enjoy city centers’ activities. This paper focuses on the types of walkers who use the walkways on a regular basis. Usually, people are feeling comfortable to walk when they go to clubs and bars in a group in these small cities especially after work. This paper again tries to focus the varieties of problems on walkways and to present policies that can improve the situation. Municipal master plan and transportation plan have been studied carefully to see the provisions of pedestrian planning options. Field surveys have been conducted both in form of questionnaire and observation during the end of 2009 and results show different patterns of pedestrian behavior as well as evidence that people get different experiences with problems while walking on the walkways in both surveyed towns. Considering the issues of sustainable mobility, this paper also tries to suggest policies to motivate more people to walk especially in the medium-sized cities of Portugal.

Anaemia and long term mortality in heart failure patients: a retrospective study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Charlot, Mette; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Valeur, Nana

2010-01-01

Anaemia has been demonstrated as a risk factor in patients with heart failure over periods of a few years, but long term data are not available. We examined the long-term risk of anaemia in heart failure patients during 15 years of follow-up.......Anaemia has been demonstrated as a risk factor in patients with heart failure over periods of a few years, but long term data are not available. We examined the long-term risk of anaemia in heart failure patients during 15 years of follow-up....

Methodologies Developed for EcoCity Related Projects: New Borg El Arab, an Egyptian Case Study

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Carmen Antuña-Rozado

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of the methodologies described here is to propose measures and procedures for developing concepts and technological solutions, which are adapted to the local conditions, to build sustainable communities in developing countries and emerging economies. These methodologies are linked to the EcoCity framework outlined by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. for sustainable community and neighbourhood regeneration and development. The framework is the result of a long experience in numerous EcoCity related projects, mainly Nordic and European in scope, which has been reformulated in recent years to respond to the local needs in the previously mentioned countries. There is also a particular emphasis on close collaboration with local partners and major stakeholders. In order to illustrate how these methodologies can support EcoCity concept development and implementation, results from a case study in Egypt will be discussed. The referred case study relates to the transformation of New Borg El Arab (NBC, near Alexandria, into an EcoCity. The viability of the idea was explored making use of different methodologies (Roadmap, Feasibility Study, and Residents Energy Survey and Building Consumption Assessment and considering the Residential, Commercial/Public Facilities, Industrial, Services/Utilities, and Transport sectors.

Soil contamination by heavy metals in the city: a case study of Petach-Tikva, Israel

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Sarah, Pariente; Zhevelev, Helena; Ido-Lichtman, Orna

2017-04-01

Heavy metals are among the most important pollutants which are affected by human activities. These pollutants impact both the natural and urban ecosystems. In the latter they are associated with the human health of the residents. The general aim of the study is to investigate the spatial variability of soil heavy metals in the city of Petach-Tikva. We asked if and to what extent the urban structure determines the spatial pattern of soil contamination. Urban structure in this study refers to the morphology of neighborhoods (density and height of buildings), the industrial area location and the roads system. It includes three main and industrial areas in the margins of the city. The city is also subjected to heavy traffic and contains different types of neighborhood morphology. To promote the above aim a preliminary study was conducted in 2016. Soil sampling was carried out along a strip, running from the Northwest industrial region of the city to the residential region in the center. Soil samples were randomly taken, from 0-5 cm, from industrial, near high traffic roads and between buildings areas. Each was analyzed for three heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu) commonly associated with industry and traffic emissions. Primary results show that for all the city studied areas the range values of Cu Zn and Pb concentrations were 1800, 1270 and 150 ppm, respectively, meaning high spatial variability of the heavy metals. In the soil of the industrial area the averages and the maximum values of Pb, Zn, and Cu concentrations were 76, 353 and 500 ppm and 153, 1286 and 1847 ppm, respectively. In the soil between buildings the averages were 20, 78 and 13 ppm and the maximum values reached 38, 165 and 37 ppm for Pb, Zn, and Cu, respectively. In the soil near roads the averages were 39, 120 and 214 ppm, and the maximum values were 153, 477 and 74 ppm for Pb, Zn, and Cu, respectively. These results indicate that the city industry has the greatest effect on soil pollution. Within the city

Dietary linolenic acid and fasting glucose and insulin: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study.

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Djoussé, Luc; Hunt, Steven C; Tang, Weihong; Eckfeldt, John H; Province, Michael A; Ellison, R Curtis

2006-02-01

To assess whether dietary linolenic acid is associated with fasting insulin and glucose. In a cross-sectional design, we studied 3993 non-diabetic participants of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study 25 to 93 years of age. Linolenic acid was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire, and laboratory data were obtained after at least a 12-hour fast. We used generalized linear models to calculate adjusted means of insulin and glucose across quartiles of dietary linolenic acid. From the lowest to the highest sex-specific quartile of dietary linolenic acid, means +/- standard error for logarithmic transformed fasting insulin were 4.06 +/- 0.02 (reference), 4.09 +/- 0.02, 4.13 +/- 0.02, and 4.17 +/- 0.02 pM, respectively (trend, p continuous variable, the multivariable adjusted regression coefficient was 0.42 +/- 0.08. There was no association between dietary linolenic acid and fasting glucose (trend p = 0.82). Our data suggest that higher consumption of dietary linolenic acid is associated with higher plasma insulin, but not glucose levels, in non-diabetic subjects. Additional studies are needed to assess whether higher intake of linolenic acid results in an increased insulin secretion and improved glucose use in vivo.

Analysis of Renal Artery Stenosis in Patients with Heart Failure: A RASHEF Study.

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Zheng, Bin; Ma, Qin; Zheng, Li-Hong; Yong, Qiang; He, Yi-Hua; Liu, Jing-Hua

2015-10-20

Previous data are controversial about the association of renal artery stenosis (RAS) with clinical outcome in patients with heart failure. Definition of RAS in previous studies might not be appropriate. By definition of RAS with renal duplex sonography, we investigated the association of RAS with clinical outcome in patients with heart failure. In this retrospective study, we identified 164 patients with heart failure (New York Heart Association classification ≥II; left ventricular ejection fraction renal duplex sonography during hospital stay. RAS was defined as renal-aortic ratio ≥3.5 or a peak systolic velocity ≥200 cm/s (or both), or occlusion of the renal artery. Categorical data of patients were compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling technique was used to investigate the prognostic significance of possible predictors. Finally, 143 patients were enrolled. Median follow-up time was 32 months (1-53 months). Twenty-two patients were diagnosed as RAS by renal duplex sonography, including 13 unilateral RAS (3 left RAS, 10 right RAS) and 9 bilateral RAS. There were more all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death in patients with RAS than patients without RAS. By multivariate analysis, RAS was a significant predictor for all-cause death and cardiovascular death (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.155, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.546-11.164, P = 0.005; and HR = 3.483, 95% CI: 1.200-10.104, P = 0.022, respectively). As for composite endpoint events, including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or intracranial hemorrhage, rehospitalization for cardiac failure, and renal replacement therapy, only angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker was significant predictor. RAS was not a significant predictor for composite endpoint events. Our data suggested that RAS is associated with a poorer clinical outcome in patients with heart failure.