The aim of the present study was to assess the capability of conduction velocity amplitudes and directions of propagation of electrohysterogram (EHG) waves to better distinguish between preterm and ...term EHG surface records. Using short-time cross-correlation between pairs of bipolar EHG signals (upper and lower, left and right), the conduction velocities and their directions were estimated using preterm and term EHG records of the publicly available Term-Preterm EHG DataSet with Tocogram (TPEHGT DS) and for different frequency bands below and above 1.0 Hz, where contractions and the influence of the maternal heart rate on the uterus, respectively, are expected. No significant or preferred continuous direction of propagation was found in any of the non-contraction (dummy) or contraction intervals; however, on average, a significantly lower percentage of velocity vectors was found in the vertical direction, and significantly higher in the horizontal direction, for preterm dummy intervals above 1.0 Hz. The newly defined features-the percentages of velocities in the vertical and horizontal directions, in combination with the sample entropy of the EHG signal recorded in the vertical direction, obtained from dummy intervals above 1.0 Hz-showed the highest classification accuracy of 86.8% (AUC=90.3%) in distinguishing between preterm and term EHG records of the TPEHGT DS.
We monitored trends of severe COVID-19 morbidity in Slovenia during weeks 13 to 37 2021. National weekly rates of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at ...admission in all hospitals varied between 0.2 and 16.3 cases per 100,000 population. Of those without previous COVID-19 diagnosis, SARI COVID-19 admission rates ranged between 0.3 and 17.5 per 100,000 unvaccinated, and 0.0 and 7.3 per 100,000 fully vaccinated individuals. National SARI COVID-19 surveillance is essential in informing COVID-19 response.
Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most common unpredictable cause of in-hospital death. Despite the fact that VTE prophylaxis has been proven to be efficacious and safe it remains ...underused. The aim is to determine the use of VTE prophylaxis in patients admitted to medical wards of the Division of Internal Medicine of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana.Methods: On a pre-specified day, all patients hospitalized on the wards of the Division of Internal Medicine were assessed for VTE risk by Padua prediction score. According to the risk of VTE and contraindications for pharmacological prophylaxis the adequacy of VTE prophylaxis was determined by trained data abstractors. Doctors responsible for the patients’ treatment were not aware of the study.Results: 511 patients were enrolled (222 women and 289 men). VTE prophylaxis was not indicated in 245 patients; 17 (6.9 %) patients classified as being at low risk for VTE nevertheless received prophylaxis. A half of 266 (52.1 %) patients at high risk for VTE had a contraindication to pharmacological prophylaxis. In 133 at-risk patients without contraindications, VTE prophylaxis was prescribed correctly in 50 (37.6 %) patients, 11 (8.3 %) patients received wrong doses and 72 (52 %) at-risk patients did not receive any prophylaxis.Conclusion: On the chosen day, VTE prophylaxis was appropriately used in 81 % of hospitalized patients on medical wards of the Division of Internal Medicine of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. Since only 37 % of the patients at high risk for VTE received recommended VTE prophylaxis, our data reinforce the rationale to implement measures to improve these results.
Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most common unpredictable cause of in-hospital death. Despite the fact that VTE prophylaxis has been proven to be efficacious and safe it remains ...underused. The aim is to determine the use of VTE prophylaxis in patients admitted to medical wards of the Division of Internal Medicine of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. Methods: On a pre-specified day, all patients hospitalized on the wards of the Division of Internal Medicine were assessed for VTE risk by Padua prediction score. According to the risk of VTE and contraindications for pharmacological prophylaxis the adequacy of VTE prophylaxis was determined by trained data abstractors. Doctors responsible for the patients’ treatment were not aware of the study. Results: 511 patients were enrolled (222 women and 289 men). VTE prophylaxis was not indicated in 245 patients; 17 (6.9 %) patients classified as being at low risk for VTE nevertheless received prophylaxis. A half of 266 (52.1 %) patients at high risk for VTE had a contraindication to pharmacological prophylaxis. In 133 at-risk patients without contraindications, VTE prophylaxis was prescribed correctly in 50 (37.6 %) patients, 11 (8.3 %) patients received wrong doses and 72 (52 %) at-risk patients did not receive any prophylaxis. Conclusion: On the chosen day, VTE prophylaxis was appropriately used in 81 % of hospitalized patients on medical wards of the Division of Internal Medicine of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. Since only 37 % of the patients at high risk for VTE received recommended VTE prophylaxis, our data reinforce the rationale to implement measures to improve these results.
Izhodišče: Venski trombembolizmi so najpogostejši nepredvideni vzrok smrti v bolnišnicah. Kljub temu, da je preprečevalno zdravljenje (PZ) varno in učinkovito, se po do sedaj objavljenih podatkih ...premalokrat uporablja. Namem študije je proučiti, kako se PZ uporablja na internističnih oddelkih v Univerzitetnem kliničnem centru (UKC) v Ljubljani. Metode: Na izbrani dan smo pri vseh bolnikih, zdravljenih na Interni kliniki UKC Ljubljana, s točkovnikom Padua ocenili tveganje za nastanek VTE in potrebo po PZ. Ob upoštevanju indikacij in zadržkov za PZ smo bolnike razvrstili na tiste s pravilno in nepravilno predpisanim PZ. Podatke so zbirali neodvisni preiskovalci. Zdravniki, odgovorni za zdravljenje bolnikov, o času izvajanja raziskave niso bili obveščeni. Rezultati: Vključili smo 511 bolnikov (222 žensk in 289 moških). 245 bolnikov PZ ni potrebovalo. Pri bolnikih, ki PZ niso potrebovali, jih je imelo PZ kljub temu predpisano 17 (6,9 %). PZ bi potrebovalo 266 (52,1 %) bolnikov, vendar jih je polovica med njimi imela zadržek za PZ. Pri 133 bolnikih, ki niso imeli zadržkov, je imelo pravilno predpisano PZ 50 (37,6 %) bolnikov, 11 (8,3 %) bolnikov je imelo predpisano PZ v neustreznem odmerku. Brez PZ, od tistih, ki bi ga morali prejemati, jih je bilo 72 (52 %). Zaključek: Na izbrani dan so na internističnih oddelkih UKC Ljubljana ob upoštevanju indikacij in zadržkov za PZ pravilno obravnavali 81 % bolnikov, kar je v primerjavi z drugimi raziskavami dober rezultat. Dejstvo, da je bilo PZ pravilno predpisano pri tistih bolnikih, ki bi ga potrebovali, le pri 37 %, pa odpira možnosti za izboljšave.
The ability to deduce exhumation mechanisms from thermochronological data is hampered by the fact that assumptions on the thermal state of the lithosphere have to be made. Additional argumentation is ...generally required to discriminate between erosion‐controlled and tectonically induced exhumation. This problem can be overcome by studying the spatial distribution of zircon and apatite (U‐Th)/He and fission track data. In this work the variation of four different low temperature isotopic systems generating age trends along a sampling line is used to infer mechanisms of Quaternary exhumation in the Central High Himalayan Metamorphic Belt. Observed zircon age trends with southwards increasing cooling ages (from 0.5 to 1.7 Ma) are attributed to tectonically induced exhumation. The uniform apatite cooling ages clustered c. 0.5 Ma are attributed to erosion.
Increasing evidence suggests that endothelin and nitric oxide synthase genes and their products exert biological effects on the vasculature via the nitric oxide or endothelin pathway. The aim of the ...study was to evaluate the association of rs10507875 and rs869109213 (alone or in interaction) with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We genotyped the single nucleotide polymorphism rs10507875 of the endothelin receptor B gene (EDNRB) and variable number tandem repeats rs869109213 of the nitric oxide synthase 3 gene (NOS3) in 270 Slovenian patients with DR and T2DM and 256 controls with T2DM without clinical signs of DR. The genotyping was performed using either real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or standard PCR. We found a significant association between the genotypes of NOS3 rs869109213 polymorphism and the risk of DR in the co-dominant model (4a4b genotype; 1.99-fold increased risk 1.09-3.65; 95% confidence interval CI; p = 0.02), co-dominant model (4a4a genotype; 4.16-fold increased risk 1.03-16.74; 95% CI; p = 0.04), and dominant model (4a4a and 4a4b genotypes; 2.22-fold increased risk 1.26-3.92; 95% CI; p = 0.01) compared to the 4b4b genotype. Moreover, the joint effect of the two polymorphisms on DR risk was greater than the individual effect of each polymorphism in the analyzed genetic models. Additionally, adjusted odds ratio showed an increased risk in dominant x dominant (4.15-fold 1.40-12.26; 95% CI; p = 0.01) and recessive x dominant (2.24-fold 1.25-4.01; 95% CI; p = 0.02) genotype combinations of the two polymorphisms. In conclusion, our results indicate that NOS3 rs869109213 polymorphism alone or in a combination with EDNRB rs10507875 polymorphism may be associated with DR in Slovenian patients with T2DM. KEY WORDS: Nitric oxide synthase 3; NOS3; endothelin receptor B; EDNRB; diabetic retinopathy; DR; type 2 diabetes mellitus; T2DM; polymorphism; genetic model of inheritance
Increasing evidence suggests that endothelin and nitric oxide synthase genes and their products exert biological effects on the vasculature via the nitric oxide or endothelin pathway. The aim of the ...study was to evaluate the association of rs10507875 and rs869109213 (alone or in interaction) with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We genotyped the single nucleotide polymorphism rs10507875 of the endothelin receptor B gene (EDNRB) and variable number tandem repeats rs869109213 of the nitric oxide synthase 3 gene (NOS3) in 270 Slovenian patients with DR and T2DM and 256 controls with T2DM without clinical signs of DR. The genotyping was performed using either real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or standard PCR. We found a significant association between the genotypes of NOS3 rs869109213 polymorphism and the risk of DR in the co-dominant model (4a4b genotype; 1.99-fold increased risk 1.09-3.65; 95% confidence interval CI; p = 0.02), co-dominant model (4a4a genotype; 4.16-fold increased risk 1.03-16.74; 95% CI; p = 0.04), and dominant model (4a4a and 4a4b genotypes; 2.22-fold increased risk 1.26-3.92; 95% CI; p = 0.01) compared to the 4b4b genotype. Moreover, the joint effect of the two polymorphisms on DR risk was greater than the individual effect of each polymorphism in the analyzed genetic models. Additionally, adjusted odds ratio showed an increased risk in dominant × dominant (4.15-fold 1.40-12.26; 95% CI; p = 0.01) and recessive × dominant (2.24-fold 1.25-4.01; 95% CI; p = 0.02) genotype combinations of the two polymorphisms. In conclusion, our results indicate that NOS3 rs869109213 polymorphism alone or in a combination with EDNRB rs10507875 polymorphism may be associated with DR in Slovenian patients with T2DM.
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