A recently implemented advanced seismic monitoring system for a 24-story building facilitates recording of accelerations and computing displacements and drift ratios in near-real time to measure the earthquake performance of the building. The drift ratio is related to the damage condition of the specific building. This system meets the owner's needs for rapid quantitative input to assessments and decisions on post-earthquake occupancy. The system is now successfully working and, in absence of strong shaking to date, is producing low-amplitude data in real time for routine analyses and assessment. Studies of such data to date indicate that the configured monitoring system with its building specific software can be a useful tool in rapid assessment of buildings and other structures following an earthquake. Such systems can be used for health monitoring of a building, for assessing performance-based design and analyses procedures, for long-term assessment of structural characteristics, and for long-term damage detection.

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Liver involvement in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been widely documented. However, data regarding liver-related prognosis are scarce and heterogeneous. The current study aims to evaluate the role of abnormal liver tests and incidental elevations of non-invasive fibrosis estimators on the prognosis of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the impact of elevated liver tests, non-invasive fibrosis estimators (the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), Forns, APRI scores, and aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio), and the presence of computed tomography (CT)-documented liver steatosis on mortality in patients with moderate and severe COVID-19, with no prior liver disease history. A total of 370 consecutive patients were included, of which 289 patients (72.9%) had abnormal liver biochemistry on admission. Non-survivors had significantly higher FIB-4, Forns, APRI scores, and a higher AST/ALT ratio. On multivariate analysis, severe FIB-4 (exceeding 3.25) and elevated AST were independently associated with mortality. Severe FIB-4 had an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) of 0.73 for predicting survival. The presence of steatosis was not associated with a worse outcome. Patients with abnormal liver biochemistry on arrival might be susceptible to a worse disease outcome. An FIB-4 score above the threshold of 3.25, suggestive of the presence of fibrosis, is associated with higher mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Brown tumors result from excess osteoclast activity and consist of collections of osteoclasts intermixed with fibrous tissue and poorly mineralized woven bone. They are secondary to hyperparathyroidism (HPT

Cardiology and oncology are two fields dedicated to the study of various types of oncological and cardiac diseases, but when they collide, a new specialty is born, i.e., cardio-oncology. Continuous research on cancer therapy has brought into the clinic novel therapeutics that have significantly improved patient survival. However, these therapies have also been associated with adverse effects that can impede the proper management of oncological patients through the necessity of drug discontinuation due to life-threatening or long-term morbidity risks. Cardiovascular toxicity from oncological therapies is the main issue that needs to be solved. Proper knowledge, interpretation, and management of new drugs are key elements for developing the best therapeutic strategies for oncological patients. Upon continuous investigations, the profile of cardiotoxicity events has been enlarged with the inclusion of myocarditis upon administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors and cardiac dysfunction in the context of cytokine release syndrome with chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy. Affinity enhanced and chimeric antigen receptor T cells have both been associated with hypotension, arrhythmia, and left ventricular dysfunction, typically in the setting of cytokine release syndrome. Therefore, the cardiologist must adhere to the progressing field of cancer therapy and become familiar with the adverse effects of novel drugs, and not only the ones of standard care, such as anthracycline, trastuzumab, and radiation therapy. The present review provides essential information summarized from the latest studies from cardiology, oncology, and hematology to bring together the three specialties and offers proper management options for oncological patients.

(Rev Med Chile 2013; 141: 1520-1527.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart rhythm disorder with a prevalence of up to 2.9% in the general population. Its mechanism involves a particular electrophysiological profile as well as structural and biohumoral changes that are often irreversible. With the recent advances in pharmacology, amiodarone remains the cornerstone for the treatment of AF. Although it is one of the most controversial anti-arrhythmic agents due to the multitude of side effects, it is further recognised as the most effective drug available for the conversion and maintenance of sinus rhythm in the case of significant left ventricular dysfunction or severe aortic stenosis. This quality is provided by its multivalent profile, with a complex electrophysiological activity overlapped with an anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory effect. This review aims to outline the main structural and functional changes in AF and the multisite impact of amiodarone on its treatment.

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