Similarity-Dissimilarity Plot for Visualization of High Dimensional Data in Biomedical Pattern Classification

In pattern classification problems, feature extraction is an important step. Quality of features in discriminating different classes plays an important role in pattern classification problems. In real life, pattern classification may require high dimensional feature space and it is impossible to visualize the feature space if the dimension of feature space is greater than four. In this paper, we have proposed a Similarity-Dissimilarity plot which can project high dimensional space to a two dimensional space while retaining important characteristics required to assess the discrimination quality of the features. Similarity-dissimilarity plot can reveal information about the amount of overlap of features of different classes. Separable data points of different classes will also be visible on the plot which can be classified correctly using appropriate classifier. Hence, approximate classification accuracy can be predicted. Moreover, it is possible to know about whom class the misclassified data points will be confused by the classifier. Outlier data points can also be located on the similarity-dissimilarity plot. Various examples of synthetic data are used to highlight important characteristics of the proposed plot. Some real life examples from biomedical data are also used for the analysis. The proposed plot is independent of number of dimensions of the feature space.     

Technology Innovation Enabling Falls Risk Assessment in a Community Setting

Approximately one in three people over the age of 65 will fall each year, resulting in significant financial, physical, and emotional cost on the individual, their family, and society. Currently, falls are managed using on-body sensors and alarm pendants to notify others when a falls event occurs. However these technologies do not prevent a fall from occurring. There is now a growing focus on falls risk assessment and preventative interventions. Falls risk is currently assessed in a clinical setting by expert physiotherapists, geriatricians, or occupational therapists following the occurrence of an injurious fall. As the population ages, this reactive model of care will become increasingly unsatisfactory, and a proactive community-based prevention strategy will be required. Recent advances in technology can support this new model of care by enabling community-based practitioners to perform tests that previously required expensive technology or expert interpretation. Gait and balance impairment is one of the most common risk factors for falls. This paper reviews the current technical and non-technical gait and balance assessments, discusses how low-cost technology can be applied to objectively administer and interpret these tests in the community, and reports on recent research where body-worn sensors have been utilized. It also discusses the barriers to adoption in the community and proposes ethnographic research as a method to investigate solutions to these barriers.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trinibaculum rotundus</Emphasis> n.sp. (Monogenea,Ancyrocephalinae), a parasite of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizodon borellii</Emphasis> (Characiformes,Anostomidae) from the upper Paraná River floodplain,Brazil

A new species of dactylogyrid monogenean, Trinibaculum rotundus n.sp. is described and illustrated from the gills of freshwater fish Schizodon borellii (Boulenger, 1900) from the upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil. Trinibaculum rotundus n.sp. has vagina dextrolateral slightly sclerotised ending at level of seminal receptacle; copulatory organ coiled with 1.5 clockwise rings; accessory piece not articulated; body disk-shape with absence of haptor peduncle and three bars (one ventral bar and two dorsal bars).     

The use of epochs to stage sleep results in incorrect computer-generated AHI values

Objective  

The objective of this study was to determine what impact the omission of respiratory events scored during wake epochs has on the generation of the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) using computerised polysomnography (PSG).     

The eighth American college of chest physicians guidelines on venous thromboembolism prevention: implications for hospital prophylaxis strategies

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most common potentially preventable form of hospital-related mortality. It presents as a major healthcare burden, affecting both medical and surgical patients. The prevention of VTE has been identified as one of the most important in-hospital safety practices in the US. VTE guideline recommendations provide a framework for clinical practice and guide VTE prophylaxis policies. Guidelines produced by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) are considered to be the ‘gold standard’ in VTE prevention, diagnosis and management, and have been updated. A number of differences exist between the new 2008 ACCP guidelines on VTE prevention and the previous version published in 2004. There are variations regarding VTE prevention, including new and stronger evidence-based recommendations for several indications and agents. The updated guidelines give a strong recommendation that every hospital develop a VTE prevention policy, which is particularly important given the current international drive to reduce the incidence of VTE. A formal hospital policy should help improve compliance with appropriate VTE prophylaxis strategies. The ACCP guidelines form a basis for improving patient safety at a time of public reporting of quality of care, hospital accreditation, national standards of care, and pay for performance initiatives. In this review, changes in recommendations for VTE prevention in the 2008 ACCP guidelines compared with the previous edition in 2004 are outlined. In addition, outstanding areas of debate are discussed and the role of the 2008 ACCP guidelines in the context of the new VTE performance measures analyzed.     

Pulse wave analysis in a pilot randomised controlled trial of auto-adjusting and continuous positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnoea

Purpose  

Non-invasive measurements of arterial stiffness including the augmentation index (AIx) and central blood pressure (BP) have been used to assess the cardiovascular health of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a well-established independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can significantly reduce the AIx, but no studies have analysed the effect of auto-adjusting PAP (APAP) or studied morbidly obese patients with severe OSA at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. In this randomised, single-blinded crossover pilot trial, we aimed to compare the efficacy of CPAP with APAP (ResMed S8 Autoset II) in improving peripheral BP, central BP and the AIx, using SphygmoCor technology.     

Obstructive sleep apnea causes oxidative damage to plasma lipids and proteins and decreases adiponectin levels

Pupose  

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with various metabolic disorders, and oxidative stress was suggested to play an important role. In the present study, we aimed to investigate serum adiponectin and oxidative stress markers, especially protein carbonyls, and to evaluate the correlation between these parameters and lipid, insulin and fasting glucose concentrations in OSA patients and controls.