No abstract

The term "systemic vasculitis" encompasses a diverse set of diseases linked by the presence of blood-vessel inflammation that are often associated with critical complications. These diseases are uncommon in childhood and are frequently subjected to a delayed diagnosis. Although the diagnosis and treatment may be similar for adult and childhood systemic vasculitides, the prevalence and classification vary according to the age group under investigation. For example, Kawasaki disease affects children while it is rarely encountered in adults. In 2006, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the Pediatric Rheumatology European Society (PReS) proposed a classification system for childhood vasculitis adopting the system devised in the Chapel Hill Consensus Conference in 1993, which categorizes vasculitides according to the predominant size of the involved blood vessels into small, medium and large vessel diseases. Currently, medical imaging has a pivotal role in the diagnosis of vasculitis given recent developments in the imaging of blood vessels. For example, early diagnosis of coronary artery aneurysms, a serious complication of Kawasaki disease, is now possible by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT); positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) helps to assess active vascular inflammation in Takayasu arteritis. Our review offers a unique approach using the integration of the proposed classification criteria for common systemic childhood vasculitides with their most frequent imaging findings, along with differential diagnoses and an algorithm for diagnosis based on common findings. It should help radiologists and clinicians reach an early diagnosis, therefore facilitating the ultimate goal of proper management of affected children.

This study presents a novel application of a hybrid adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS)-genetic algorithm (GA)-based control scheme to enhance the performance of a variable-speed wind energy conversion system. The variablespeed wind turbine drives a permanent-magnet synchronous generator, which is connected to the power grid through a frequency converter. A cascaded ANFIS-GA controller is introduced to control both of the generator-side converter and the gridside inverter. ANFIS is a non-linear, adaptive, and robustness controller, which integrates the merits of the artificial neural network and the FIS. A GA-based learning design procedure is proposed to identify the ANFIS parameters. Detailed modelling of the system under investigation and its control strategies are demonstrated. For achieving realistic responses, real wind speed data extracted from Zaafarana wind farm, Egypt, are considered in the analyses. The effectiveness of the ANFIS-GA controller is compared with that obtained using optimised proportional-integral controllers by the novel grey wolf optimiser algorithm taking into consideration severe grid disturbances. The validity of the ANFIS-GA control scheme is verified by the extensive simulation analyses, which are performed using MATLAB/Simulink environment. With the ANFIS-GA controller, the dynamic and transient stability of grid-connected wind generator systems can be further enhanced.

The purpose of this review was to summarize the current knowledge on the utilization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) for assessing arthropathy in children and adolescents with haemophilia and to recognize the limitations of each imaging modality and pitfalls in the diagnosis of soft tissue and osteochondral abnormalities. Awareness of MRI and US limitations and pitfalls in the assessment of joints in persons with haemophilia is essential for accurate diagnosis and optimal management of haemophilic arthropathy.

The precise electrical modeling of photovoltaic (PV) module is crucial due to the large-scale permeation of PV power plants into electric power networks. Therefore, a triple-diode photovoltaic (TDPV) model is presented to address all PV losses. However, the TDPV is mathematically modelled by a nonlinear I-V behavior, including nine-parameters that cannot be directly determined from the PVs datasheet due to the lack data offered by the PV manufacturers. This article presents a new application of the marine predators algorithm (MPA) to properly extract the electrical parameters of the TDPV model of a PV panel. The validity of the MPA-based TDPV model is widely appraised by the numerical analyses, which are carried out under various temperatures and solar irradiations. The optimal nine-parameters achieved using the MPA are compared with that realized by different optimization approaches-based PV model. For a realistic study, the numerical results and the measured data are compared for the marketable Kyocera KC200GT and Solarex MSX-60 PV panels. The efficacy of the MPA-based TDPV model is properly executed by checking its current error with that obtained from various models. With the MPA technology, a highly accurate model of any marketable PV module can be attained, which represents a new contribution to the sector of PV power systems. INDEX TERMS Marine predators algorithm, photovoltaic modeling, photovoltaic power systems, solar energy, triple-diode model.

To assess right- and left-ventricular function in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) as well as correlate cardiac function with diabetes duration and state of metabolic control. The present study included 30 patients with type 1 DM (group 1) and 20 apparently normal children with comparable age and sex as controls (group 2). All children were subjected to detailed history, clinical examination, and routine laboratory investigations, including glycated hemoglobin, as well as conventional echocardiographic and tissue Doppler examination. Children with type 1 DM have impaired diastolic function in both left and right ventricles before the development of systolic dysfunction when assessed with either conventional or tissue Doppler echocardiography. Resting heart rate in diabetic patients showed a significant positive correlation with mitral A flow velocity and a significant negative correlation with mitral and tricuspid E/A ratio. Regarding morphological parameters of the left ventricle, all dimensions and volumes were comparable between diabetic patients and controls; however, a significant positive correlation was found between interventricular septal thickness at diastole (IVSd), interventricular septal thickness at systole (IVSs), and left ventricular posterior wall at systole (LVPWs) and the duration of diabetes. Children with type 1 DM have impaired diastolic function in both left and right ventricles with normal systolic function when assessed with either conventional or tissue Doppler echocardiography.

Background: Egypt is the most populous country in the Middle East and North Africa and has more than 15% of the cardiovascular deaths in the region, but little is known about the prevalence of traditional risk factors and treatment strategies in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients across Egypt. Methods: From November 2015 to August 2017, data were collected from 1 681 patients with ACS in 30 coronary care centres, covering 11 governorates across Egypt, spanning the Mediterranean coast, Nile Delta and Upper Egypt, with a focus on risk factors and management strategies. Results: Women constituted 25% of the patients. Premature ACS was common, with 43% of men aged less than 55 years, and 67% of women under 65 years. Most men had ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (49%), while a larger percentage of women had unstable angina and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) (32% each; p < 0.001).

No abstract