Search Results (10)

Exercise metrics are critical for assessing health, but real-time heart rate and respiration measurements remain challenging. We propose a physiological monitoring system that uses an in-ear microphone to extract heart rate and respiration from faint ear canal signals. An improved non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm combines with a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) to separate physiological components, while an inverse Fourier transform (IFT) reconstructs the signal. The earplug effect enhances the low-frequency components, thereby improving the signal quality and noise immunity. Heart rate is derived from short-term energy and zero-crossing rate, while a BiLSTM-based model can refine the breathing phases and calculate indicators such as respiratory rate. Experiments have shown that the average accuracy can reach 91% under various conditions, exceeding 90% in different environments and under different weights, thus ensuring the system’s robustness. Full article

Observed and recorded in various forms since ancient times, ‘syncope’ is often popularly called ‘fainting’, such that the two terms are used synonymously. Syncope/fainting can be caused by a variety of conditions, including but not limited to head injuries, vertigo, and oxygen deficiency. Here, we draw on a large body of literature on syncope, including the role of a recently discovered set of specialized mammalian neurons. Although the etiology of syncope still remains a mystery, we have attempted to provide a comprehensive account of what is known and what still needs to be performed. Much of our understanding of syncope is owing to studies in the laboratory mouse, whereas evidence from human patients remains scarce. Interestingly, the cardioinhibitory Bezold–Jarisch reflex, recognized in the early 1900s, has an intriguing similarity to—and forms the basis of—syncope. In this review, we have integrated this minimal model into the modern view of the brain–neuron–heart signaling loop of syncope, to which several signaling events contribute. Molecular signaling is our major focus here, presented in terms of a normal heart, and thus, syncope due to abnormal or weak heart activity is not discussed in detail. In addition, we have offered possible directions for clinical intervention based on this model. Overall, this article is expected to generate interest in chronic vertigo and syncope/fainting, an enigmatic condition that affects most humans at some point in life; it is also hoped that this may lead to a mechanism-based clinical intervention in the future. Full article

Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a multisystem chronic illness characterized by severe muscle fatigue, pain, dizziness, and brain fog. Many patients with ME/CFS experience orthostatic intolerance (OI), which is characterized by frequent dizziness, light-headedness, and feeling faint while maintaining an upright posture. Despite intense investigation, the molecular mechanism of this debilitating condition is still unknown. OI is often manifested by cardiovascular alterations, such as reduced cerebral blood flow, reduced blood pressure, and diminished heart rate. The bioavailability of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), an essential cofactor of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzyme, is tightly coupled with cardiovascular health and circulation. To explore the role of BH4 in ME/CFS, serum samples of CFS patients (n = 32), CFS patients with OI only (n = 10; CFS + OI), and CFS patients with both OI and small fiber polyneuropathy (n = 12; CFS + OI + SFN) were subjected to BH4 ELISA. Interestingly, our results revealed that the BH4 expression is significantly high in CFS, CFS + OI, and CFS + OI + SFN patients compared to age-/gender-matched controls. Finally, a ROS production assay in cultured microglial cells followed by Pearson correlation statistics indicated that the elevated BH4 in serum samples of CFS + OI patients might be associated with the oxidative stress response. These findings suggest that the regulation of BH4 metabolism could be a promising target for understanding the molecular mechanism of CFS and CFS with OI. Full article

The distinctive long neck of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) entails functional difficulties brought about by the extended distance between the heart and the head. Blood must be circulated over 2 m from the heart to the brain against gravitational force. The natural movement of the head to ground level would result in a large volume of blood moving toward the brain with the force of gravity. Large blood volumes also rush to the brain during bulls’ fighting (necking), rendering the giraffe susceptible to possible brain damage. The natural movement of the head from ground level to fully erect would result in blood moving away from the brain with gravitational force. The lack of blood perfusing the brain can cause fainting. The giraffe, however, suffers neither brain damage nor fainting. What adaptations do giraffes have to counteract these challenges? The aim of this study was to investigate the functionality of the rostral epidural rete mirabile situated just beneath the brain and its possible contribution to successful circulation in long-necked giraffes. The unique rostral epidural rete mirabile structure significantly contributes to counteract physiological challenges. Turns and bends characterize this structural arterial meshwork and subsequently an increased artery length through which blood flow must proceed before entrance into the brain, exerting resistance to blood racing to the brain when the head is lowered to the ground. The brain is supplied mainly by the maxillary artery through the carotid rete, with a rudimentary basilar artery not contributing to the brain’s blood supply. The resistance to blood flow due to the structure and position of the rostral epidural rete mirabile when the head is in the upright position is counteracted by the unique carotid-vertebral anastomosis allowing immediate cerebral blood supply. The rostral epidural rete mirabile structure in giraffes is an essential feature balancing physiological difficulties arising due to the extensive heart-to-head distance and might fulfill the same function in other long-necked artiodactyls. Full article

I focus on the ethical non-naturalism of Russ Shafer-Landau. First, I spend a good bit of time specifying the nature of two versions of naturalism and arguing that one is embraced ubiquitously—more importantly, should be embraced—by contemporary naturalists. I do so because if I am right about this, before we investigate the details of Shafer-Landau’s ethical non-naturalism, there will be a significant burden of proof for him to meet. In my view, that burden is strong enough to justify the claim that a critic’s epistemic task is merely to provide undercutting defeaters for Shafer-Landau’s position, and not to proffer rebutting defeaters, though I will attempt to supply both. After presenting a crucial characterization of contemporary naturalism followed by a critique of naturalist emergent properties, I state and critique Shafer-Landau’s ontology followed by the same for his epistemology. Both will be evaluated with a particular focus on their plausibility to support his ethical non-naturalism. Full article

The biomedical acoustic signal plays an important role in clinical non-invasive diagnosis. In view of the deficiencies in early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, acoustic properties of S₁ and S₂ heart sounds are utilized. In this paper, we propose an integrated concave cilium MEMS heart sound sensor. The concave structure enlarges the area for receiving sound waves to improve the low-frequency sensitivity, and realizes the low-frequency and high-sensitivity characteristics of an MEMS heart sound sensor by adopting a reasonable acoustic package design, reducing the loss of heart sound distortion and faint heart murmurs, and improving the auscultation effect. Finally, experimental results show that the integrated concave ciliated MEMS heart sound sensor’s sensitivity reaches −180.6 dB@500 Hz, as compared with the traditional bionic ciliated MEMS heart sound sensor; the sensitivity is 8.9 dB higher. The sensor has a signal-to-noise ratio of 27.05 dB, and has good heart sound detection ability, improving the accuracy of clinical detection methods. Full article

Managing hypertension (HPT) remains a significant challenge for humanity. Despite advancements in blood pressure (BP)-measuring systems and the accessibility of effective and safe anti-hypertensive medicines, HPT is a major public health concern. Headaches, dizziness and fainting are common symptoms of HPT. In HPT patients, normalcy may be observed at one instant and abnormality may prevail during a long duration of 24 h ambulatory BP. This may cause difficulty in identifying patients with HPT, and hence there is a possibility that individuals may be untreated or administered insufficiently. Most importantly, uncontrolled HPT can lead to severe complications (stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and heart failure), mainly ignoring the signs in nascent stages. HPT in the beginning stages may not present distinct symptoms and may be difficult to diagnose from standard physiological signals. Hence, ballistocardiography (BCG) signal was used in this study to detect HPT automatically. The processed signals from BCG were converted into scalogram images using a continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and were then fed into a 2-D convolutional neural network model (2D-CNN). The model was trained to learn and recognize BCG patterns of healthy controls (HC) and HPT classes. Our proposed model obtained a high classification accuracy of 86.14% with a ten-fold cross-validation (CV) strategy. Hence, this is the first use of a 2D-CNN model (deep-learning algorithm) to detect HPT employing BCG signals. Full article

Background and objectives: Orthostatic intolerance (OI) is a clinical condition in which symptoms worsen upon assuming and maintaining upright posture and are ameliorated by recumbency. OI has a high prevalence in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Exact numbers on syncopal spells especially if they are on a weekly or even daily basis are not described. Although not a frequent phenomenon, this symptomatology is of very high burden to the patient if present. To explore whether patients with very frequent (pre)syncope spells diagnosed elsewhere with conversion or psychogenic pseudosyncope (PPS) might have another explanation of their fainting spells than behavioral psychiatric disorders, we performed a case–control study comparing ME/CFS patients with and without PPS spells. Methods and results: We performed a case–control study in 30 ME/CFS patients diagnosed elsewhere with PPS and compared them with 30 control ME/CFS patients without syncopal spells. Cases were gender, age and ME/CFS disease duration matched. Each underwent a tilt test with extracranial Doppler measurements for cerebral blood flow (CBF). ME/CFS cases with PPS had a significant larger CBF reduction at end tilt than controls: 39 (6)% vs. 25 (4)%; (p < 0.0001). Cases had more severe disease compared with controls (chi-square p < 0.01 and had a p = 0.01) for more postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in cases compared with controls. P_ETCO₂ end-tilt differed also, but the magnitude of difference was smaller than compared with the CBF reduction: there were no differences in heart rate and blood pressure at either end-tilt testing period. Compared with the test with the stockings off, the mean percentage reduction in cardiac output during the test with compression stockings on was lower, 25 (5) mmHg versus 29 (4) mmHg (p < 0.005). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that in ME/CFS patients suspected of having PPS, or conversion, CBF measurements end-tilt show a large decline compared with a control group of ME/CFS patients. Therefore, hypoperfusion offers an explanation of the orthostatic intolerance and syncopal spells in these patients, where it is clear that origin might not be behavioral or psychogenic, but have a clear somatic pathophysiologic background. Full article

Sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus) is known for its unique flavor and high nutritional value. In this study, the influence of slaughter methods on the volatile compounds (VOCs) in sea bass was investigated using electronic nose (E-nose) technology and gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). VOCs in raw and cooked sea bass resulting from different slaughter methods were effectively distinguished using both techniques. Aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols were associated with the basic flavor of sea bass, whereas esters, organic acids, and furans enriched the aroma. In raw sea bass, the fishy odor was the strongest in the HSD group (head shot control death), followed by that in the IFD (ice faint to death) and BDS (bloodletting to death) groups. The VOC content increased and stabilized after steaming, enhancing pleasant odors such as fatty and fruity aromas. In cooked sea bass, the content of diacetyl and ethanol was the highest in the EAD group (eugenol anesthesia to death), which may be a residue of eugenol, imparting a distinct irritating chemical odor. Furthermore, abundant (E)-2-octenal, 2-heptanone, benzaldehyde, and esters in the BDS group imparted a strong, pleasant aroma. The findings indicate that heart puncture and bloodletting is the preferred slaughter method to maintain sea bass quality, providing new insights into the volatile changes in sea bass induced by different slaughter methods. Full article

Sample entropy (SampEn) was reported to be useful in the assessment of the complexity of heart rate dynamics. Permutation entropy (PermEn) is a new measure based on the concept of order and was previously shown to be accurate for short, non-stationary datasets. The aim of the present study is to assess if SampEn and PermEn obtained from baseline recordings might differentiate patients with various outcomes of the head-up tilt test (HUTT). Time-domain heart rate variability (HRV) indices and several nonlinear parameters were calculated using 500 RR interval-long ECG recordings done before tilting in patients with a history suggesting vasovagal syncope. Groups of patients with so-called cardiodepressive vasovagal syncope (VVS_2) during HUTT and patients who did not faint during the test were compared. Two types of HUT tests were analyzed: with spontaneous (SB) or controlled breathing (CB). In our study, SampEn was higher in VVS_2 patients during SB, and PermEn was higher in VVS_2 patients during CB. Irrespective of the type of breathing during the test, SampEn and PermEn were similar in patients with the same type of reaction during HUTT. The use of several entropy-based parameters seems to be useful in HRV assessment in patients with vasovagal fainting. Full article