How do women living with HIV experience menopause? Menopausal symptoms, anxiety and depression according to reproductive age in a multicenter cohort.

BACKGROUND: To estimate the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression and to assess the differences according to menopausal status among women living with HIV aged 45-60 years from the cohort of Spanish HIV/AIDS Research Network (CoRIS). METHODS: Women were interviewed by phone between September 2017 and December 2018 to determine whether they had experienced menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression. The Menopause Rating Scale was used to evaluate the prevalence and severity of symptoms related to menopause in three subscales: somatic, psychologic and urogenital; and the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire was used for anxiety/depression. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of association between menopausal status, and other potential risk factors, the presence and severity of somatic, psychological and urogenital symptoms and of anxiety/depression. RESULTS: Of 251 women included, 137 (54.6%) were post-, 70 (27.9%) peri- and 44 (17.5%) pre-menopausal, respectively. Median age of onset menopause was 48 years (IQR 45-50). The proportions of pre-, peri- and post-menopausal women who had experienced any menopausal symptoms were 45.5%, 60.0% and 66.4%, respectively. Both peri- and post-menopause were associated with a higher likelihood of having somatic symptoms (aOR 3.01; 95% CI 1.38-6.55 and 2.63; 1.44-4.81, respectively), while post-menopause increased the likelihood of having psychological (2.16; 1.13-4.14) and urogenital symptoms (2.54; 1.42-4.85). By other hand, post-menopausal women had a statistically significant five-fold increase in the likelihood of presenting severe urogenital symptoms than pre-menopausal women (4.90; 1.74-13.84). No significant differences by menopausal status were found for anxiety/depression. Joint/muscle problems, exhaustion and sleeping disorders were the most commonly reported symptoms among all women. Differences in the prevalences of vaginal dryness (p = 0.002), joint/muscle complaints (p = 0.032), and sweating/flush (p = 0.032) were found among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Women living with HIV experienced a wide variety of menopausal symptoms, some of them initiated before women had any menstrual irregularity. We found a higher likelihood of somatic symptoms in peri- and post-menopausal women, while a higher likelihood of psychological and urogenital symptoms was found in post-menopausal women. Most somatic symptoms were of low or moderate severity, probably due to the good clinical and immunological situation of these women.

Behavior of AV synchrony pacing mode in a leadless pacemaker during variable AV conduction and arrhythmias.

INTRODUCTION: MARVEL 2 assessed the efficacy of mechanical atrial sensing by a ventricular leadless pacemaker, enabling a VDD pacing mode. The behavior of the enhanced MARVEL 2 algorithm during variable atrio-ventricular conduction (AVC) and/or arrhythmias has not been characterized and is the focus of this study. METHODS: Of the 75 patients enrolled in the MARVEL 2 study, 73 had a rhythm assessment and were included in the analysis. The enhanced MARVEL 2 algorithm included a mode-switching algorithm that automatically switches between VDD and ventricular only antibradycardia pacing (VVI)-40 depending upon AVC status. RESULTS: Forty-two patients (58%) had persistent third degree AV block (AVB), 18 (25%) had 1:1 AVC, 5 (7%) had variable AVC status, and 8 (11%) had atrial arrhythmias. Among the 42 patients with persistent third degree AVB, the median ventricular pacing (VP) percentage was 99.9% compared to 0.2% among those with 1:1 AVC. As AVC status changed, the algorithm switched to VDD when the ventricular rate dropped less than 40 bpm. During atrial fibrillation (AF) with ventricular response greater than 40 bpm, VVI-40 mode was maintained. No pauses longer than 1500 ms were observed. Frequent ventricular premature beats reduced the percentage of AV synchrony. During AF, the atrial signal was of low amplitude and there was infrequent sensing. CONCLUSION: The mode switching algorithm reduced VP in patients with 1:1 AVC and appropriately switched to VDD during AV block. No pacing safety issues were observed during arrhythmias.

Predictors of atrial mechanical sensing and atrioventricular synchrony with a leadless ventricular pacemaker: Results from the MARVEL 2 Study.

BACKGROUND: The MARVEL (Micra Atrial TRacking Using a Ventricular AccELerometer) 2 study assessed the efficacy of atrioventricular (AV) synchronous pacing with a Micra leadless pacemaker. Average atrioventricular synchrony (AVS) was 89.2%. Previously, low amplitude of the Micra-sensed atrial signal (A4) was observed to be a factor of low AVS. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of A4 amplitude and high AVS. METHODS: We analyzed 64 patients enrolled in MARVEL 2 who had visible P waves on electrocardiogram for assessing A4 amplitude and 40 patients with third-degree AV block for assessing AVS at rest. High AVS was defined as >90% correct atrial-triggered ventricular pacing. The association between clinical factors and echocardiographic parameters with A4 amplitude was investigated using a multivariable model with lasso variable selection. Variables associated with A4 amplitude together with premature ventricular contraction burden, sinus rate, and sinus rate variability (standard deviation of successive differences of P-P intervals [SDSD]) were assessed for association with AVS. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, low A4 amplitude was inversely related to atrial function assessed by E/A ratio and e'/a' ratio, and was directly related to atrial contraction excursion (ACE) and atrial strain (Ɛa) on echocardiography (all P ≤.05). The multivariable lasso regression model found coronary artery bypass graft history, E/A ratio, ACE, and Ɛa were associated with low A4 amplitude. E/A ratio and SDSD were multivariable predictors of high AVS, with >90% probability if E/A <0.94 and SDSD <5 bpm. CONCLUSION: Clinical parameters and echocardiographic markers of atrial function are associated with A4 signal amplitude. High AVS can be predicted by E/A ratio <0.94 and low sinus rate variability at rest.

Atrioventricular Synchronous Pacing Using a Leadless Ventricular Pacemaker: Results From the MARVEL 2 Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study reports on the performance of a leadless ventricular pacemaker with automated, enhanced accelerometer-based algorithms that provide atrioventricular (AV) synchronous pacing. BACKGROUND: Despite many advantages, leadless pacemakers are currently only capable of single-chamber ventricular pacing. METHODS: The prospective MARVEL 2 (Micra Atrial tRacking using a Ventricular accELerometer 2) study assessed the performance of an automated, enhanced accelerometer-based algorithm downloaded to the Micra leadless pacemaker for up to 5 h in patients with AV block. The primary efficacy objective was to demonstrate the superiority of the algorithm to provide AV synchronous (VDD) pacing versus VVI-50 pacing in patients with sinus rhythm and complete AV block. The primary safety objective was to demonstrate that the algorithm did not result in pauses or heart rates of >100 beats/min. RESULTS: Overall, 75 patients from 12 centers were enrolled; an accelerometer-based algorithm was downloaded to their leadless pacemakers. Among the 40 patients with sinus rhythm and complete AV block included in the primary efficacy objective analysis, the proportion of patients with ≥70% AV synchrony at rest was significantly greater with VDD pacing than with VVI pacing (95% vs. 0%; p < 0.001). The mean percentage of AV synchrony increased from 26.8% (median: 26.9%) during VVI pacing to 89.2% (median: 94.3%) during VDD pacing. There were no pauses or episodes of oversensing-induced tachycardia reported during VDD pacing in all 75 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Accelerometer-based atrial sensing with an automated, enhanced algorithm significantly improved AV synchrony in patients with sinus rhythm and AV block who were implanted with a leadless ventricular pacemaker. (Micra Atrial Tracking Using a Ventricular Accelerometer 2 [MARVEL 2]; NCT03752151).

An Archetype Query Language interpreter into MongoDB: Managing NoSQL standardized Electronic Health Record extracts systems.

The fast development of today's healthcare and the need to extract new medical knowledge from exponentially-growing volumes of standardized Electronic Health Records data, as required by studies in Precision Medicine, brings up a challenge that may probably only be addressed using NoSQL DBMSs, due to the non-optimal performance of traditional relational DBMSs on standardized data; and these database systems operated by semantic archetype-based query languages, because of the expected generalized extension of standardized EHR systems. An AQL into MongoDB interpreter has been developed to its first version. It translates system-independent AQL queries posed on ISO/EN 13606 standardized EHR extracts into the NoSQL MongoDB query language. The new interpreter has the advantages of both the archetype-based system-independent AQL queries and the dual-model-based standardized EHR extracts stored on document-centric NoSQL DBMSs, such as MongoDB. AQL queries are independent of applications, programming languages and system environments due to the use of the dual model, but EHR extracts featuring this model are best persisted on document-based NoSQL databases. Consequently, the interpreter allows us to query standardized EHR extracts semantically, and also affording optimal performance.

First in human: the effects of biventricular pacing on cardiac output in severe pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) carries high morbidity and mortality despite available treatment options. In severe PAH, right ventricular (RV) diastolic pressure overload leads to interventricular septal bowing, hindering of left ventricular diastolic filling and reduced cardiac output (CO). Some animal studies suggest that pacing may mitigate this effect. We hypothesized that eliminating late diastole via ventricular pacing could improve CO in human subjects with severe PAH. Using minimal to no sedation, we performed transvenous acute biventricular (BiV) pacing and right heart catheterization in six patients with symptomatic PAH. Hemodynamic measurements were taken at baseline and during BiV pacing at various 20-ms intervals of V-V timing. We compared baseline CO to (1) CO while pacing the RV first by 80 ms (mimicking RV-only pacing), and then to (2) CO during pacing at the V-V timing that resulted in the highest CO. All participants were female, PASP 74 ± 14 mmHg, QRS duration 104 ± 20 ms. Compared with baseline, the CO decreased when the RV was paced first by 80 ms (7.2 ± 1.0 vs. 6.2 ± 1.1 L/min, p = 0.028). Pacing with optimal V-V timing produced CO similar to baseline (7.2 ± 1.0 vs. 7.4 ± 1.4, p = 0.92). Two patients (33%) met the predefined endpoint of a 15% increase in CO during pacing at the optimal V-V timing. In symptomatic PAH, V-V optimized acute BiV pacing does not consistently improve CO. However, acute BiV pacing did improve CO in a subset of this cohort. Further research is needed to identify predictors of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy in this population.

Executing Complexity-Increasing Queries in Relational (MySQL) and NoSQL (MongoDB and EXist) Size-Growing ISO/EN 13606 Standardized EHR Databases.

This research shows a protocol to assess the computational complexity of querying relational and non-relational (NoSQL (not only Structured Query Language)) standardized electronic health record (EHR) medical information database systems (DBMS). It uses a set of three doubling-sized databases, i.e. databases storing 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 realistic standardized EHR extracts, in three different database management systems (DBMS): relational MySQL object-relational mapping (ORM), document-based NoSQL MongoDB, and native extensible markup language (XML) NoSQL eXist. The average response times to six complexity-increasing queries were computed, and the results showed a linear behavior in the NoSQL cases. In the NoSQL field, MongoDB presents a much flatter linear slope than eXist. NoSQL systems may also be more appropriate to maintain standardized medical information systems due to the special nature of the updating policies of medical information, which should not affect the consistency and efficiency of the data stored in NoSQL databases. One limitation of this protocol is the lack of direct results of improved relational systems such as archetype relational mapping (ARM) with the same data. However, the interpolation of doubling-size database results to those presented in the literature and other published results suggests that NoSQL systems might be more appropriate in many specific scenarios and problems to be solved. For example, NoSQL may be appropriate for document-based tasks such as EHR extracts used in clinical practice, or edition and visualization, or situations where the aim is not only to query medical information, but also to restore the EHR in exactly its original form.

Examining database persistence of ISO/EN 13606 standardized electronic health record extracts: relational vs. NoSQL approaches.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this research is to compare the relational and non-relational (NoSQL) database systems approaches in order to store, recover, query and persist standardized medical information in the form of ISO/EN 13606 normalized Electronic Health Record XML extracts, both in isolation and concurrently. NoSQL database systems have recently attracted much attention, but few studies in the literature address their direct comparison with relational databases when applied to build the persistence layer of a standardized medical information system. METHODS: One relational and two NoSQL databases (one document-based and one native XML database) of three different sizes have been created in order to evaluate and compare the response times (algorithmic complexity) of six different complexity growing queries, which have been performed on them. Similar appropriate results available in the literature have also been considered. RESULTS: Relational and non-relational NoSQL database systems show almost linear algorithmic complexity query execution. However, they show very different linear slopes, the former being much steeper than the two latter. Document-based NoSQL databases perform better in concurrency than in isolation, and also better than relational databases in concurrency. CONCLUSION: Non-relational NoSQL databases seem to be more appropriate than standard relational SQL databases when database size is extremely high (secondary use, research applications). Document-based NoSQL databases perform in general better than native XML NoSQL databases. EHR extracts visualization and edition are also document-based tasks more appropriate to NoSQL database systems. However, the appropriate database solution much depends on each particular situation and specific problem.

Normalized medical information visualization.

A new mark-up programming language is introduced in order to facilitate and improve the visualization of ISO/EN 13606 dual model-based normalized medical information. This is the first time that visualization of normalized medical information is addressed and the programming language is intended to be used by medical non-IT professionals.

Service for the Pseudonymization of Electronic Healthcare Records Based on ISO/EN 13606 for the Secondary Use of Information.

The availability of electronic health data favors scientific advance through the creation of repositories for secondary use. Data anonymization is a mandatory step to comply with current legislation. A service for the pseudonymization of electronic healthcare record (EHR) extracts aimed at facilitating the exchange of clinical information for secondary use in compliance with legislation on data protection is presented. According to ISO/TS 25237, pseudonymization is a particular type of anonymization. This tool performs the anonymizations by maintaining three quasi-identifiers (gender, date of birth, and place of residence) with a degree of specification selected by the user. The developed system is based on the ISO/EN 13606 norm using its characteristics specifically favorable for anonymization. The service is made up of two independent modules: the demographic server and the pseudonymizing module. The demographic server supports the permanent storage of the demographic entities and the management of the identifiers. The pseudonymizing module anonymizes the ISO/EN 13606 extracts. The pseudonymizing process consists of four phases: the storage of the demographic information included in the extract, the substitution of the identifiers, the elimination of the demographic information of the extract, and the elimination of key data in free-text fields. The described pseudonymizing system was used in three telemedicine research projects with satisfactory results. A problem was detected with the type of data in a demographic data field and a proposal for modification was prepared for the group in charge of the drawing up and revision of the ISO/EN 13606 norm.

Heart failure in primary care: co-morbidity and utilization of health care resources.

BACKGROUND: In order to ensure proper management of primary care (PC) services, the efficiency of the health professionals tasked with such services must be known. Patients with heart failure (HF) are characterized by advanced age, high co-morbidity and high resource utilization. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain PC resource utilization by HF patients and variability in the management of such patients by GPs. METHODS: Descriptive, cross-sectional study targeting a population attended by 129 GPs over the course of 1 year. All patients with diagnosis of HF in their clinical histories were included, classified using the Adjusted Clinical Group system and then grouped into six resource utilization bands (RUBs). Resource utilization and Efficiency Index were both calculated. RESULTS: One hundred per cent of patients with HF were ranked in RUBs 3, 4 and 5. The highest GP visit rate was 20 and the lowest in excess of 10 visits per year. Prescription drug costs for these patients ranged from €885 to €1422 per patient per year. Health professional efficiency varied notably, even after adjustment for co-morbidity (Efficiency Index Variation Ratio of 28.27 for visits and 404.29 for prescription drug cost). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HF register a high utilization of resources, and there is great variability in the management of such patients by health professionals, which cannot be accounted for by the degree of case complexity.

Comorbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in family practice: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is frequent and often coexists with other diseases. The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence of COPD and related chronic comorbidity among patients aged over 40 years visiting family practices in an area of Madrid. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in a health area of the Madrid Autonomous Region (Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid). The practice population totalled 198,670 persons attended by 129 Family Physicians (FPs), and the study population was made up of persons over the age of 40 years drawn from this practice population. Patients were deemed to have COPD if this diagnosis appeared on their clinical histories. Prevalence of COPD; prevalence of a further 25 chronic diseases in patients with COPD; and standardised prevalence ratios, were calculated. RESULTS: Prevalence of COPD in family medicine was 3.2% (95% CI 3.0-3.3) overall, 5.3% among men and 1.4% among women; 90% of patients presented with comorbidity, with a mean of 4 ± 2.04 chronic diseases per patient, with the most prevalent related diseases being arterial hypertension (52%), disorders of lipid metabolism (34%), obesity (25%), diabetes (20%) and arrhythmia (15%). After controlling for age and sex, the observed prevalence of the following ten chronic diseases was higher than expected: heart failure; chronic liver disease; asthma; generalised artherosclerosis; osteoporosis; ischaemic heart disease; thyroid disease; anxiety/depression; arrhythmia; and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with COPD, who are frequent in family practice, have a complex profile and pose a clinical and organisational challenge to FPs.

ccML, a new mark-up language to improve ISO/EN 13606-based electronic health record extracts practical edition.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to introduce a new language called ccML, designed to provide convenient pragmatic information to applications using the ISO/EN13606 reference model (RM), such as electronic health record (EHR) extracts editors. EHR extracts are presently built using the syntactic and semantic information provided in the RM and constrained by archetypes. The ccML extra information enables the automation of the medico-legal context information edition, which is over 70% of the total in an extract, without modifying the RM information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ccML is defined using a W3C XML schema file. Valid ccML files complement the RM with additional pragmatics information. The ccML language grammar is defined using formal language theory as a single-type tree grammar. The new language is tested using an EHR extracts editor application as proof-of-concept system. RESULTS: Seven ccML PVCodes (predefined value codes) are introduced in this grammar to cope with different realistic EHR edition situations. These seven PVCodes have different interpretation strategies, from direct look up in the ccML file itself, to more complex searches in archetypes or system precomputation. DISCUSSION: The possibility to declare generic types in ccML gives rise to ambiguity during interpretation. The criterion used to overcome ambiguity is that specificity should prevail over generality. The opposite would make the individual specific element declarations useless. CONCLUSION: A new mark-up language ccML is introduced that opens up the possibility of providing applications using the ISO/EN13606 RM with the necessary pragmatics information to be practical and realistic.

Comorbidity patterns in patients with chronic diseases in general practice.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare management is oriented toward single diseases, yet multimorbidity is nevertheless the rule and there is a tendency for certain diseases to occur in clusters. This study sought to identify comorbidity patterns in patients with chronic diseases, by reference to number of comorbidities, age and sex, in a population receiving medical care from 129 general practitioners in Spain, in 2007. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a health-area setting of the Madrid Autonomous Region (Comunidad Autónoma), covering a population of 198,670 individuals aged over 14 years. Multiple correspondences were analyzed to identify the clustering patterns of the conditions targeted. RESULTS: Forty-two percent (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41.8-42.2) of the registered population had at least one chronic condition. In all, 24.5% (95% CI: 24.3-24.6) of the population presented with multimorbidity. In the correspondence analysis, 98.3% of the total information was accounted for by three dimensions. The following four, age- and sex-related comorbidity patterns were identified: pattern B, showing a high comorbidity rate; pattern C, showing a low comorbidity rate; and two patterns, A and D, showing intermediate comorbidity rates. CONCLUSIONS: Four comorbidity patterns could be identified which grouped diseases as follows: one showing diseases with a high comorbidity burden; one showing diseases with a low comorbidity burden; and two showing diseases with an intermediate comorbidity burden.

Evaluation of a telemedicine service for the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE: Efficient ways are needed to implement the secondary prevention (SP) of coronary heart disease. Because few studies have investigated Web-based SP programs, our aim was to determine the usefulness of a new Web-based telemonitoring system, connecting patients provided with self-measurement devices and care managers via mobile phone text messages, as a tool for SP. METHODS: A single-blind, randomized controlled, clinical trial of 203 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) survivors, was conducted at a hospital in Madrid, Spain. All patients received lifestyle counseling and usual-care treatment. Patients in the telemonitoring group (TMG) sent, through mobile phones, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure (BP) weekly, and capillary plasma lipid profile and glucose monthly. A cardiologist accessed these data through a Web interface and sent recommendations via short message service. Main outcome measures were BP, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). RESULTS: At 12-month followup, TMG patients were more likely (RR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1-1.7) to experience improvement in cardiovascular risk factors profile than control patients (69.6% vs 50.5%, P = .010). More TMG patients achieved treatment goals for BP (62.1% vs 42.9%, P = .012) and HbA1c (86.4% vs 54.2%, P = .018), with no differences in smoking cessation or LDL-c. Body mass index was significantly lower in TMG (-0.77 kg/m² vs +0.29 kg/m², P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: A telemonitoring program, via mobile phone messages, appears to be useful for improving the risk profile in ACS survivors and can be an effective tool for secondary prevention, especially for overweight patients.

Therapeutic goals in patients with refractory chronic angina.

Refractory angina presents a major clinical challenge for everyday medical practice. Despite the widespread use of statins and improvements in revascularization techniques, a substantial proportion of patients with preserved left ventricular function and no life-threatening arrhythmias remain symptomatic, with severe debilitating angina. Because the rate of major cardiac events in this population is relatively low, the major aim of therapy should be not only to prolong survival but also to improve quality of life. The cornerstone of therapy for all these patients should be the aggressive modification of risk factors using evidence-based treatment, with the aim of stabilizing the disease process and improving overall survival. No opportunity for revascularization should be overlooked. Complementary approaches should be implemented to raise the angina threshold by either reducing oxygen demand or improving hemodynamics to increase myocardial oxygen supply. This review provides an update on therapeutic techniques and goals, and reinforces the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with refractory angina.

Metas terapéuticas en pacientes con angina refractaria crónica / Therapeutic goals in patients with refractory chronic angina

La angina refractaria constituye un importante reto clínico para la medicina actual. A pesar del amplio uso de las estatinas y del perfeccionamiento de las técnicas de revascularización, una parte importante de los pacientes con una función ventricular izquierda preservada y sin arritmias con peligro para la vida continúan presentando síntomas, con una angina grave debilitante. Dado que las tasas de eventos cardiacos mayores en esa población son relativamente bajas, las metas principales del tratamiento deben ser no sólo la prolongación de la supervivencia, sino también la mejora de la calidad de vida. La modificación enérgica de los factores de riesgo mediante tratamientos basados en la evidencia, con objeto de estabilizar el proceso de la enfermedad y mejorar la supervivencia, debe constituir el tratamiento de base en todos estos pacientes. No deben pasarse por alto las posibilidades de revascularización. Deben aplicarse estrategias complementarias para elevar el umbral anginoso, ya sea mediante la reducción de la demanda de oxígeno, ya mediante la mejora de la hemodinámica para aumentar el aporte de oxígeno miocárdico. En esta revisión se presenta una actualización sobre las estrategias y las metas terapéuticas y se resalta la necesidad de un enfoque multidisciplinario del tratamiento de los pacientes con angina refractaria (AU)

Refractory angina presents a major clinical challenge for everyday medical practice. Despite the widespread use of statins and improvements in revascularization techniques, a substantial proportion of patients with preserved left ventricular function and no life-threatening arrhythmias remain symptomatic, with severe debilitating angina. Because the rate of major cardiac events in this population is relatively low, the major aim of therapy should be not only to prolong survival but also to improve quality of life. The cornerstone of therapy for all these patients should be the aggressive modification of risk factors using evidence-based treatment, with the aim of stabilizing the disease process and improving overall survival. No opportunity for revascularization should be overlooked. Complementary approaches should be implemented to raise the angina threshold by either reducing oxygen demand or improving hemodynamics to increase myocardial oxygen supply. This review provides an update on therapeutic techniques and goals, and reinforces the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with refractory angina (AU)

Cardiac biomarkers - the old and the new: a review.

Biomarkers are biological parameters that can be objectively measured and quantified as indicators of normal biologic processes, pathogenic processes, or responses to a therapeutic intervention. Typically thought of as disease process screening, diagnosing, or monitoring tools, biomarkers may also be used to determine disease susceptibility and eligibility for specific therapies. Cardiac biomarkers are protein components of cell structures that are released into circulation when myocardial injury occurs. They play a pivotal role in the diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment of patients with chest pain and suspected acute coronary syndrome and those with acute exacerbations of heart failure. Cardiac markers are central to the new definition of acute myocardial infarction put forward by the American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology. Active investigation has brought forward an increasingly large number of novel candidate markers but few have withstood the test of time and become integrated into contemporary clinical care because of their readily apparent diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic utility.

Definition of information technology architectures for continuous data management and medical device integration in diabetes.

The growing availability of continuous data from medical devices in diabetes management makes it crucial to define novel information technology architectures for efficient data storage, data transmission, and data visualization. The new paradigm of care demands the sharing of information in interoperable systems as the only way to support patient care in a continuum of care scenario. The technological platforms should support all the services required by the actors involved in the care process, located in different scenarios and managing diverse information for different purposes. This article presents basic criteria for defining flexible and adaptive architectures that are capable of interoperating with external systems, and integrating medical devices and decision support tools to extract all the relevant knowledge to support diabetes care.

Proof-of-concept design and development of an EN13606-based electronic health care record service.

OBJECTIVE: The authors present an Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) server, designed and developed as a proof of concept of the revised prEN13606:2005 European standard concerning EHR communications. METHODS: The development of the server includes five modules: the libraries for the management of the standard reference model, for the demographic package and for the data types; the permanent storage module, built on a relational database; two communication interfaces through which the clients can send information or make queries; the XML (eXtensible Markup Language) process module; and the tools for the validation of the extracts managed, implemented on a defined XML-Schema. RESULTS: The server was subjected to four phases of trials, the first three with ad hoc test data and processes to ensure that each of the modules complied with its specifications and that the interaction between them provided the expected functionalities. The fourth used real extracts generated by other research groups for the additional purpose of testing the validity of the standard in real-world scenarios. CONCLUSION: The acceptable performance of the server has made it possible to include it as a middleware service in a platform for the out-of-hospital follow-up and monitoring of patients with chronic heart disease which, at the present time, supports pilot projects and clinical trials for the evaluation of eHealth services.