mands may serve to answer different relevant questions or decision problems.

As Alzheimer’s disease (AD) might provoke certain nerve disorders, patients with AD can acquire sensorimotor adaptation problems, and thus the acoustic characteristics of the speech they produce may differ from those of healthy subjects. This study aimed to (1) extract acoustic characteristics (relating to articulatory gestures) potentially useful for detecting AD and (2) examine whether these characteristics could help identify AD patients.

A total of 50 individuals participated in the study, including the AD group (17 cases), the Neurologically Healthy (NH) group (13 cases), the Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) group (11 cases), and the Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) group (9 cases). Voice samples involving three vowels (/i/, /a/, and /u/) and six consonants (/p/, /pʰ/, /t/, /tʰ/, /k/, and /kʰ/) were collected using a digital recorder (TASCAM DR40X). Microphone-to-mouth distance was maintained at 30 cm. Acoustic measures included F0, jitter, shimmer, HNR, F1, F2, F3, and VOT.

One-way ANOVA tests were carried out to compare the acoustic measures among the four groups. F3 of vowel /u/, F2 bandwidth of vowel /a/, VOT of consonant /t/, and male participants’ F0 of three vowels (/a/, /i/, and /u/) were found significantly different, while no significant differences were found in the other measures.

Some acoustic characteristics can indeed help detect AD patients.

Some acoustic characteristics can indeed help detect AD patients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vocal training on singing voice in Chinese folk song major students. A longitudinal study over a two years’ period (four consecutive semesters) was conducted to observe the effects.

Ten college students majoring in Chinese folk music (seven females and three males; age range 19-21 years) were recorded three times while singing, at the beginning of the first, third, and fifth semesters. Acoustical parameters including maximum phonational frequency range (MPFR), sound pressure level (SPL), intonation accuracy and long-term average spectrum (LTAS) were measured to evaluate the effects.

Results indicated that vocal training had a significant effect on MPFR, and SPL increased as vocal training progressed. A slight improvement in intonation accuracy was observed during training period, and LTAS changes as a function of training were detected in some subjects. This longitudinal study indicates that the effect of vocal training on vocal quality improvement can be observed in Chinese singing students and evaluated by measuring certain acoustic parameters.

Results indicated that vocal training had a significant effect on MPFR, and SPL increased as vocal training progressed. A slight improvement in intonation accuracy was observed during training period, and LTAS changes as a function of training were detected in some subjects. This longitudinal study indicates that the effect of vocal training on vocal quality improvement can be observed in Chinese singing students and evaluated by measuring certain acoustic parameters.

Routine long-term anticoagulation in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is controversial. To date, anticoagulation has been found to be beneficial or neutral in idiopathic disease (IPAH) and neutral-to-harmful in connective tissue disease (CTD-PAH). We sought to examine the association between anticoagulation and mortality, healthcare utilization, and quality of life (QoL) in PAH.

The PHAR is a prospective registry of PAH patients referred to 58 pulmonary hypertension care centers in the United States. We compared patients who received anticoagulation during enrollment (questionnaire documented) to those who did not. Cox proportional hazard models were used for mortality, Poisson multivariate regression models for healthcare utilization, and generalized estimating equations for QOL RESULTS Of 1175 patients included, 316 patients were treated with anticoagulation. IPAH/hereditary PAH (HPAH) comprised 46% of the cohort and CTD-PAH comprised 33%. After adjustment for demographics, clinical characteristicsits surrounding routine prescription of anticoagulation for PAH should be carefully considered.

This study aimed to screen for the eligibility of correction in cases of adult congenital heart disease (CHD). Pulmonary to systemic flow ratios (Qp/Qs) > 1.5 and pulmonary to systemic vascular resistance ratios (Rp/Rs) < 1/3, acquired by right heart catheterization (RHC), are two essential parameters. Nonetheless, performing RHC at every follow-up is impractical and even harmful. Thus, it is important to establish a model to predict Qp/Qs and Rp/Rs status before a RHC confirmation, using echocardiography parameters.

A total of 1,785 patients with adult CHD were enrolled and randomly assigned to the derivation or validation groups. Echocardiogram parameters of the 974 patients in the derivation group were considered candidate predictors for surgery eligibility (Qp/Qs > 1.5 and Rp/Rs < 1/3). Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the independent predictors and establish a scoring system. The scoring system was further examined in the validation group using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure, velocity through the pulmonary valve, and diameters of the left and right atria were identified as independent predictors. The area under the ROC curve of the predictive value in the validation group and its pre- and post-tricuspid valve malformation subgroups were 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84-0.90, p < 0.01), 0.86 (95% CI 0.82-0.91, p < 0.01), and 0.85 (95% CI 0.79-0.90, p < 0.01), respectively.

This scoring system could augment flexibility and convenience for pre-screening CHD patients’ eligibility for surgery, before RHC.

This scoring system could augment flexibility and convenience for pre-screening CHD patients’ eligibility for surgery, before RHC.

In pediatric heart transplantation, donor recipient weight ratio (DRWR) has long been the sole metric for size matching. Total cardiac volume (TCV)-based size matching has emerged as a novel method to precisely identify an upper limit of donor organ size of a heart transplant recipient while minimizing the risk of complications from oversizing. The clinical adoption of donor recipient volume ratio (DRVR) to prevent short-term adverse outcomes of oversizing is unknown. The purpose of this single-center study is to determine the relationship of DRWR and DRVR to the risk of post-operative complications from allograft oversizing.

Recipient TCV was measured from imaging studies and donor TCV was calculated from published TCV prediction models. DRVR was defined as donor TCV divided by recipient TCV. The primary outcome was short-term post-transplant complications (SPTC), a composite outcome of delayed chest closure and prolonged intubation > 7 days. A multivariable logistic regression model of DRWR (cubic spline), DRVR (linear) and linear interaction between DRWR and DRVR was used to examine the probability of experiencing a SPTC over follow-up as a function of DRWR and DRVR.

A total of 106 transplant patients’ records were reviewed. Risk of the SPTC increased as DRVR increased. Both low and high DRWR was associated with the SPTC. A logistic regression model including DRWR and DRVR predicted SPTC with an AUROC curve of 0.74. [95% CI 0.62 0.85]. The predictive model identified a “low-risk zone” of donor-recipient size match between a weight ratio of 0.8 and 2.0 and a TCV ratio less than 1.0.

DRVR in combination with DRWR predicts short-term post-transplant adverse events. Accepting donors with high DRWR may be safely performed when DRVR is considered.

DRVR in combination with DRWR predicts short-term post-transplant adverse events. Accepting donors with high DRWR may be safely performed when DRVR is considered.

To evaluate the efficacy of infliximab (IFX) therapy in patients with Behçet’s uveitis (BU) refractory to conventional immunomodulatory treatment (IMT).

This study, trial registration number TCTR20200806007, included cases of BU with a minimum of 18 months follow-up on IFX treatment. Demographic characteristics, ophthalmological examination findings, control of ocular inflammation with IFX, response to treatment and the rate of clinical remission were analyzed in this study.

Sixty-two eyes of 35 patients on IFX therapy were included in the study. The mean follow-up was 49.5±25.9months. The mean frequency of recurrences during the IMT was 1.47±0.78 (attacks/year), decreasing to 0.31±0.40 (attacks/year) with IFX (P<0.001). Visual acuity improved significantly in the 1st month of IFX treatment (P=0.026). Partial response to treatment was achieved in 91.4% of cases.

IFX is a safe and effective treatment in cases of BU refractory to conventional IMT.

IFX is a safe and effective treatment in cases of BU refractory to conventional IMT.

Although several studies have tried to identify the causes of failure of dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery, the ethmoid sinus remains an underestimated and little described source of failure.

To study anatomical relationship between the ethmoidal sinus, particularly the “Agger nasi” cell, with the lacrimal fossa in the North African population, little described in the literature. This study is based on the results of preoperative analysis of dacryo-computed tomography.

Analysis of preoperative computed tomography images of patients undergoing dacryocystorhinostomy over a 7-year period from January 2011 to December 2017. AG-221 ic50 Anatomical relationships were studied according to the following classification type I No ethmoid cells located anteriorly to the posterior lacrimal crest on transverse images; type II ethmoidal cells extending anteriorly to the posterior lacrimal crest, but not reaching the anterior edge of the lacrimal bone; Type III ethmoidal cells located anterior to the lacrimal bone suture.

Two hundred and fifteen preoperative computed tomography images were analyzed. The morphology of the ethmoid sinus was classified as type 1 in 33.5%, type 2 in 42.32% and type 3 in 24.18%. Computed tomography analysis was symmetrical in 87.5% and asymmetrical in 12.5%.

During dacryocystorhinostomy, the surgeon must take into consideration type III, which can be present in 25% of cases. In the case of surgical failure, a dacryo-CT must be performed to rule out such anterior positioning of the ethmoid cells.

During dacryocystorhinostomy, the surgeon must take into consideration type III, which can be present in 25% of cases. In the case of surgical failure, a dacryo-CT must be performed to rule out such anterior positioning of the ethmoid cells.

It is believed that acute pancreatitis (AP), recurrent AP (RAP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) represent stages of the same disease spectrum. We aimed to identify risk factors, clinical presentation and outcomes in patients with prior RAP who develop CP.

We retrospectively reviewed patients with CP who were seen at our Pancreas Center during 2016-2021. We divided them into two groups with and without RAP (≥2 episodes of AP). We compared demographics, clinical presentation and resource utilization between the two groups.

We identified 440 patients with CP, of which 283 (64%) patients had preceding RAP. These patients were younger (55.6 vs 63.1 years), active smokers (36% vs 20%) and had alcohol-related CP (49% vs 25%) compared to those without RAP and CP (p<0.05). More patients with RAP had chronic abdominal pain (89% vs 67.9%), nausea (43.3% vs 27.1%) and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (65.8% vs 46.5%) (p<0.05). More patients with RAP used opioids (58.4% vs 32.3%) and gabapentinoids (56.6% vs 34.