Analysis of the ST-segment in terms of principal components: application on multichannel magnetocardiographic recordings

Parameterization of the ST-segment is used as a tool for risk stratification for patients to suffer from ventricular tachycardia. This parameterization is performed in terms of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) applied on multichannel magnetocardiographic (MCG) recordings. 55-channel MCG was recorded from 14 normal persons, 10 patients with CHD, 14 patients with MI, and six patients with VT. We found a significantly (p < 0.05) lower PCA-score in patients with MI compared to normals. The lowest PCA-score was found in VT patients. Significant differences can be found between VT patients and normals and also between VT patients and CHD patients.     

Can in Vivo Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle–Tendon Unit Lengths be Reliably Estimated by Two Ultrasonography Methods? A Within-Session Analysis

A clinically feasible method to reliably estimate muscle–tendon unit (MTU) lengths could provide essential diagnostic and treatment planning information. A 3-D freehand ultrasound (3-DfUS) method was previously validated for extracting in vivo medial gastrocnemius (MG) lengths, although the processing time can be considered substantial for the clinical environment. This investigation analyzed a quicker and simpler method using the US transducer as a spatial pointer (US-PaP), where the within-session reliability of extracting the muscle–tendon unit (MTU) and tendon lengths are estimated. MG MTU lengths were extracted in a group of 14 healthy adults using both 3-DfUS and US-PaP. Two consecutive acquisitions were performed per participant, and the data processed by two researchers independently. The intra-class correlation coefficients were above 0.97, and the standard error of measurements below 3.6?mm (1.5%). This investigation proposes that the simplified US-PaP method is a viable alternative for estimating MG MTU lengths.     

Analysis of the ST-segment in terms of principal components: application on multichannel magnetocardiographic recordings

Parameterization of the ST-segment is used as a tool for risk stratification for patients to suffer from ventricular tachycardia. This parameterization is performed in terms of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) applied on multichannel magnetocardiographic (MCG) recordings. 55-channel MCG was recorded from 14 normal persons, 10 patients with CHD, 14 patients with MI, and six patients with VT. We found a significantly (p?<?0.05) lower PCA-score in patients with MI compared to normals. The lowest PCA-score was found in VT patients. Significant differences can be found between VT patients and normals and also between VT patients and CHD patients.     

Comparative efficacy of alprazolam, imipramine, and placebo administered once a day in treating depressed patients

Ninety-eight outpatients with major depressive disorder were treated with alprazolam, imipramine, or placebo in a 6-week, double-blind study. Average doses were 3.67 mg of alprazolam and 167 mg of imipramine, given at bedtime. Fifty percent of patients taking alprazolam, 38.2% taking imipramine, and 17.7% receiving placebo improved their HAM-D scores by more than 50%. Eight patients on imipramine, 6 on alprazolam, and 1 on placebo dropped out because of side effects. The most common side effects for imipramine were tachycardia, constipation, light-headedness, and sedation; common side effects of alprazolam were light-headedness, sedation, and unsteadiness.     

Halazepam and diazepam in neurotic anxiety: A double-blind study

Halazepam (160 mg/day) was compared to diazepam (20 mg/day) and to a placebo in a double-blind study with anxious neurotic outpatients from general family practice and a symptomatic volunteer clinic. One hundred twenty-five patients completed at least 4 weeks of treatment. Halazepam produced the most amount of side effects followed by diazepam, while placebo produced the least amount of side effects. Sedation was the most frequently reported side effect.No significant drug x population interaction effects were found and only very few population effects occurred indicating SVC patients to improve more than GP patients. Treatment differences indicate diazepam to be slightly more effective than halazepam, and both drugs to be superior to placebo according to several outcome criteria. At the 6-week period, diazepam, in fact, was significantly more effective than halazepam according to physician and patient questionnaire ratings. Global ratings of improvement, however, indicated both drugs to be equally effective and to produce significantly more improvement than placebo.Initial levels of anxiety and depression were found to have a differential effect on treatment outcome. Anxious patients with little secondary depression improved more than patients with more marked secondary depression regardless of treatment agent prescribed. High anxious halazepam-treated patients were found to improve significantly more than low anxious halazepam-treated patients, while initial level of anxiety showed little effect on the diazepam response. It would thus seem that in the present study diazepam (20 mg/day) was slightly more efficacious in reducing anxious symptomatology than halazepam (160 mg/day) and particularly in the only mildly anxious patient. Perhaps a daily dosage of 120 mg/day of halazepam might have been more appropriate for most anxious patients.