This paper presents a method to select behavior modes autonomously for a planetary rover. In the conventional methods, the behavior modes of a rover are selected by operators. Once the environment ...changes, however, it takes a long time to drive to the destination, because the intervention by operators is needed. Therefore, autonomous behavior mode selection is required to improve the exploration efficiency. The key idea of the proposed method is to understand the environmental map by deep learning so that a rover can select appropriate behavior mode according to the environment. The simulation study has been conducted to show the validity of the proposed method. The proposed method successfully demonstrates the capability to select behavior modes and to improve the traverse efficiency.
Abstract
Background
Primary cardiac myxofibrosarcoma is rare and commonly occurs in the left atrium. Myxofibrosarcoma is aggressive and has a high mortality rate due to its high rate of recurrence. ...Complete surgical resection is considered important; however, effective treatment options have not been established.
Case presentation
We report the case of a 75-year-old woman who developed a myxofibrosarcoma spreading to the left atrium and pericardium. We performed surgical resection of the tumor to prevent sudden death due to mitral valve obstruction or cerebral infarction due to embolism of the scattered mass. However, we were unable to complete the resection of the tumors. The patient developed brain metastasis 2 months after surgery and eventually died due to brain hemorrhage 3 months after surgery.
Conclusions
In this report, we described a rare case of primary cardiac myxofibrosarcoma located not only in the left atrium but also in the pericardium. Considering preoperative laboratory findings, surgical and adjuvant therapy, and the patient’s wishes are important for the best therapeutic course for an individual.
Continuous, objective monitoring of motor signs and symptoms may help improve tracking of disease progression and treatment response in Parkinson's disease (PD). This study assessed the analytical ...and clinical validity of multi-sensor smartwatch measurements in hospitalized and home-based settings (96 patients with PD; mean wear time 19 h/day) using a twice-daily virtual motor examination (VME) at times representing medication OFF/ON states. Digital measurement performance was better during inpatient clinical assessments for composite V-scores than single-sensor-derived features for bradykinesia (Spearman |r|= 0.63, reliability = 0.72), tremor (|r|= 0.41, reliability = 0.65), and overall motor features (|r|= 0.70, reliability = 0.67). Composite levodopa effect sizes during hospitalization were 0.51-1.44 for clinical assessments and 0.56-1.37 for VMEs. Reliability of digital measurements during home-based VMEs was 0.62-0.80 for scores derived from weekly averages and 0.24-0.66 for daily measurements. These results show that unsupervised digital measurements of motor features with wrist-worn sensors are sensitive to medication state and are reliable in naturalistic settings.Trial Registration: Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center Clinical Trials Information (JAPIC-CTI): JapicCTI-194825; Registered June 25, 2019.
Abstract Left main coronary artery atresia is an extremely rare disease. Differential diagnosis of left main coronary artery atresia from atherosclerotic occlusion of left main coronary artery is ...difficult even if performing invasive coronary angiography. We present a case of a 48-year-old male with left main coronary artery atresia. Echocardiography showed left ventricular dysfunction. Invasive coronary angiography showed absence of left main coronary artery. A multidetector computed tomography showed a string-like structure at the site of left main coronary artery. A diagnosis of left main coronary artery atresia was made, and he underwent coronary artery bypass grafting. At the operation, a thin and not-sclerotic left main coronary artery was observed. Echocardiography, performed after the surgery, showed normalization of the left ventricular systolic function. Multidetector computed tomography might be a useful method to diagnose left main coronary artery atresia.
To prevent pulmonary embolism due to deep venous thrombosis (DVT), we have treated 611 patients undergoing orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities with our protocol including pre- and ...postoperative ultrasonic venous screening and anticoagulant therapy if necessary. A total of 118 patients (19.3%) developed DVT. Among demographic and clinical factors, the site of operation (knee joint surgery: odds ratio 5.17), age (>60: odds ratio 3.91), and operation time (>120 minutes: odds ratio 4.52) were identified as significant risk factors of development of DVT. One patient received an infusion of urokinase for DVT of femoral vein, but no patients developed serious postoperative bleeding or pulmonary thromboembolisms. (*English Translation of J Jpn Coll Angiol, 2010, 50: 95-100.)
Mouse thioglycollate-induced peritoneal macrophages effectively, in the absence of serum, recognized mouse polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) mildly oxidized with diamide, superoxide ...(hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase) or t-butylhydroperoxide, or modified with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). The recognition reached a maximum when PMNs were treated with each of the reagents at relatively low concentrations, and the recognition was decreased on treatment with reagents at higher concentrations. Glutathione depletion in the diamide-oxidized PMNs may cause enhanced adhesion to macrophages. Sialylated sugar chains attached to a peptide chain in glycophorin A and sialylated poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl sugar chains in lactoferrin and band 3 glycoprotein effectively inhibited the increased adhesion of the diamide-oxidized PMNs. Enzymatic removal of sialyl residues and the degradation of poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl sugar chains by pretreatment of PMNs with neuraminidase or endo-β-galactosidase, respectively, lost their increasing ability for macrophage adhesion after oxidation with diamide, superoxide or t-butylhydroperoxide. Clustered sialylated poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl sugar chains on the cell surface may be involved in the increased adhesion of the oxidized PMNs to macrophages.
We report a surgical case of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and right internal iliac artery aneurysm (IIAA) causing sciatica-leg pain that starts in the lower back and travels down the sciatic ...nerve. A 74-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for aneurysmal repair. Her chief complaint was sciatica on the right leg. Preoperative computed tomography showed an AAA (maximal diameter of 50 mm) and right IIAA (maximal diameter of 54 mm). The AAA was replaced by an artificial graft and the IIAA was ligated and plicated. Her sciatica totally disappeared after surgery. When we see those with sciatica, we should rule out IIAA. The symptoms due to nerve compression by an aneurysm can be reversible after aneurysmal repair.
A 49-year-old male got his right thigh injured by the broken piece of a lawn mower. Radiographic examination showed a fragment of cutting saw in his right inguinal region. Surgeon opened up the wound ...to remove the metal fragment, but could not find it in the operative field. Angiography and computed tomography were subsequently performed to identify the location of metal fragment. The fragment was found to migrate into azygos vein, and successfully removed by thoracic surgery. To our knowledge, this is a first case report of metal fragment migration from great saphenous vein to azygos vein by blood stream.
A 70-year-old man was given emergency admission with severe back pain. Computer tomography revealed type-B acute aortic dissection with a distal aortic arch aneurysm which was 69mm in diameter. The ...dissection extended from the distal portion of the aneurysm to right external iliac artery, and the false lumen was patent. The right renal artery arose from the false lumen. He was treated conservatively according to the guidelines of AHA, and later we performed total arch replacement electively for the aortic arch aneurysm. Distal anastomosis was applied using the elephant trunk method for reconstruction of only the true lumen. Postoperative computer tomography showed the false lumen was closed in the descending thoracic aorta, but patent below the level of the celiac artery. He was discharged without any complications. Cases of acute aortic dissection coexisting with atherosclerotic thoracic aortic aneurysm are rare. However, with the increase of the elderly population, vascular diseases will become more complicated. Strategy for therapy and operation should be considered carefully especially in such cases with multiple vascular diseases.
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