Late QRS Activity in Signal‐Averaged Magnetocardiography,Body Surface Potential Mapping,and Orthogonal ECG in Postinfarction Ventricular Tachycardia Patients

Background: Delayed electrical activity necessary for re‐entrant ventricular tachycardia (VT) is detectable noninvasively with high resolution techniques. We compared high resolution signalaveraged analysis of magnetocardiography (MCG), body surface potential mapping (BSPM), and orthogonal three‐lead ECG (SA‐ECG) in the identification of patients prone to VT after myocardial infarction (Ml). Methods: Patients with remote myocardial infarction and cardiac dysfunction were studied, 22 with (VT group) and 22 without VT (control group). MCG with seven channels and BSPM with 63 and SA‐ECG with three orthogonal leads were registered. After signal‐averaging and highpass filtering, three time domain analysis (TDA) parameters describing late electrical activity were computed: QRS duration (QRSd), root mean square amplitude (RMS) of the last 40 ms of QRS, and the duration of the low‐amplitude QRS end (LAS). Results: All parameters by each method were significantly different between the patients’groups. For example, LAS parameter in MCG was 59 (SD 22) ms in the VT group vs. 37 (SD 13) ms in controls (P < 0.001), 77 (SD 22) ms vs. 56 (SD 19) ms in BSPM (P = 0.002), and 60 (SD 24) ms vs. 39 (SD 22) ms in SA‐ECG (P = 0.005). The combination of LAS parameter in MCG and SA‐ECG resulted in improved performance in comparison to any single parameter with 95% sensitivity and 68% specificity. Conclusions: All three high resolution methods identified VT propensity among post‐Mi patients with cardiac dysfunction and between‐method differences were small. Information in MCG and SA‐ECG may be complementary and their combination could be of value in postinfarction arrhythmia risk assessment. A.N.E. 2002;7(4):389–398     

Complex evolution and epidemiology of Dobrava-Belgrade hantavirus: definition of genotypes and their characteristics

Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) is a human pathogen that has evolved in, and is hosted by, mice of several species of the genus Apodemus. We propose a subdivision of the species Dobrava-Belgrade virus into four related genotypes – Dobrava, Kurkino, Saaremaa, and Sochi – that show characteristic differences in their phylogeny, specific host reservoirs, geographical distribution, and pathogenicity for humans.     

Visual rightward spatial bias varies as a function of age

Age-related changes in visual spatial biases in children, young adults, and older adults were studied with unilateral and bilateral stimulus conditions in fast-paced linguistic and non-linguistic attention tasks. Only rightward spatial biases were observed. The incidence of the biases changed as a function of age: in childhood and in old age the rightward spatial biases were more common than in young adulthood. The present rightward spatial biases were similar to those observed in the corresponding auditory spatial linguistic and non-linguistic attention tests (Takio, Koivisto, Laukka, & Hämäläinen, 2011) and in the dichotic listening forced-attention task (Takio et al., 2009). We suggest that the multimodal rightward spatial bias observed under intensive attentional load is related to a right hemispace preference and modulated by age-dependent changes in executive functions.     

Quality evaluation of oral health record-keeping for Finnish young adults

The objective of this study was to assess the quality of oral health record-keeping in public oral health care in relation to dentists' characteristics. A random computerized selection of 239 subjects, born in 1966-71 and clinically examined during 1994 in an administrative unit of the public oral health service in southern Finland, included 4-5 cases per dentist, the number of dentists being 50. Data concerning actual clinical examinations and treatment courses carried out in public dental clinics came from original oral health records. Criteria for assessment of oral health record entries were based on Finnish health legislation and detailed instructions of health authorities. The results showed that each patient's identity was available in 90% of documents. Recordings concerning continuity of comprehensive care were infrequent; a questionnaire concerning each patient's up-to-date health history was in only 26% of the oral health records. Notes concerning each patient's bite and function of the temporomandibular joint were in 37% of the records, notes about oral soft tissues were in 11%, and the check-up interval was recorded in 21%. Recording of indices on periodontal and dental status varied greatly; the community periodontal index of treatment need was found in 93% and the index of incipient lesions in 16% of the records. Female dentists and dentists younger than 37 years tended to record more information. Dentists should be encouraged to better utilize the options offered by oral health records for individual treatment schemes.