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BackgroundHealth care service based on telemedicine can reduce both physical and time barriers in stroke treatments. Moreover, this service connects centers specializing in stroke treatment with other centers and practitioners, thereby increasing accessibility to neurological specialist care and fibrinolytic treatment. ObjectiveDevelopment, implementation, and evaluation of a care service for the treatment of acute stroke patients based on telemedicine (TeleStroke) at Virgen del Rocío University Hospital. MethodsThe evaluation phase, conducted from October 2008 to January 2011, involved patients who presented acute stroke symptoms confirmed by the emergency physician; they were examined using TeleStroke in two hospitals, at a distance of 16 and 110 kilometers from Virgen del Rocío University Hospital. We analyzed the number of interconsultation sheets, the percentage of patients treated with fibrinolysis, and the number of times they were treated. To evaluate medical professionals’ acceptance of the TeleStroke system, we developed a web-based questionnaire using a Technology Acceptance Model. ResultsA total of 28 patients were evaluated through the interconsultation sheet. Out of 28 patients, 19 (68%) received fibrinolytic treatment. The most common reasons for not treating with fibrinolysis included: clinical criteria in six out of nine patients (66%) and beyond the time window in three out of nine patients (33%). The mean “onset-to-hospital” time was 69 minutes, the mean time from admission to CT image was 33 minutes, the mean “door-to-needle” time was 82 minutes, and the mean “onset-to-needle” time was 150 minutes. Out of 61 medical professionals, 34 (56%) completed a questionnaire to evaluate the acceptability of the TeleStroke system. The mean values for each item were over 6.50, indicating that respondents positively evaluated each item. This survey was assessed using the Cronbach alpha test to determine the reliability of the questionnaire and the results obtained, giving a value of 0.97. ConclusionsThe implementation of TeleStroke has made it possible for patients in the acute phase of stroke to receive effective treatment, something that was previously impossible because of the time required to transfer them to referral hospitals.

This paper presents the power analysis to the mechanical model of the basilar membrane in the cochlea as a system of forced damped harmonic oscillators without lateral coupling proposed by Lesser and Berkeley. The Lagrange's equation for dissipative mechanical systems and the energy method are used to obtain the general equation of the system. Next a solution by complex exponential is proposed using the resonance analysis considering only excitations of pure tones to obtain the equation of displacement, and with its derived the equation of velocity. The power in the system is the multiplication between the equations of the velocity and the excitation force. Finally the equation of the average power in the system is obtained. This new solution has the advantage of determining the relationship between the excitation frequency of the system and the position along the basilar membrane where the average power is maximum. This implies that the distance where there is maximum transfer of energy between the wave propagating in the perilymph and the mechanical displacement of the basilar membrane on the hair cells in the organ of Corti is known. The power analysis is successfully compared with the two-dimensional model of the cochlea developed by Neely using finite differences and with the experimental results of Békésy. In both experiments are used the same mechanical parameters of the basilar membrane and the same set of frequencies of evaluation proposed in the original papers in order to compare the different methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the technological solution of a tele-assistance process for stroke patients in acute phase in the Seville metropolitan area. The main objective of this process is to reduce time from symptom onset to treatment of acute phase stroke patients by means of telemedicine, regarding mobility between an intensive care unit ambulance and an expert center and activating the pre-hospital care phase. The technological platform covering the process has been defined following an interoperability model based on standards and with a focus on service-oriented architecture focus. Messaging definition has been designed according to the reference model of the CEN/ISO 13606, messages content follows the structure of archetypes. An XDS-b (Cross-Enterprise Document Sharing-b) transaction messaging has been designed according to Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise profile for archetype notifications and update enquiries.This research has been performed by a multidisciplinary group. The Virgen del Rocío University Hospital acts as Reference Hospital and the Public Company for Healthcare as mobility surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study on the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and vertebral fractures (VF) and carotid atherosclerosis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It states that the presence of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with SLE is not linked with low BMD and VF. The study suggest more prospective studies to provide insights into possible relationship between osteoporosis and atherosclerosis in SLE patients.

Examines the involvement of bladder lymphoma in urine sediment. Analysis of urine by flow cytometry; Appearance of atypical lymphoid cells in the urine; Expression of antigens.