Kue-Hong Chen^{1, *}, Cheng-Tsung Chen^{2, 3}

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.64, No.1, pp. 145-160, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2020.08864

Abstract In this study, we applied a defined auxiliary problem in a novel error estimation technique to estimate the numerical error in the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) for solving the Helmholtz equation. The defined auxiliary problem is substituted for the real problem, and its analytical solution is generated using the complementary solution set of the governing equation. By solving the auxiliary problem and comparing the solution with the quasianalytical solution, an error curve of the MFS versus the source location parameters can be obtained. Thus, the optimal location parameter can be identified. The convergent numerical solution can be obtained and… More >

Shahid Rahman¹, Fahad Masood², Wajid Ullah Khan², Niamat Ullah¹, Fazal Qudus Khan³, Georgios Tsaramirsis³, Sadeeq Jan^{4, *}, Majid Ashraf⁵

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.64, No.1, pp. 31-61, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2020.09186

Abstract Steganography aims to hide the messages from unauthorized persons for various purposes, e.g., military correspondence, financial transaction data. Securing the data during transmission is of utmost importance these days. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data are at risk because of the emerging technologies and complexity in software applications, and therefore, there is a need to secure such systems and data. There are various methodologies to deal with security issues when utilizing an open system like the Internet. This research proposes a new technique in steganography within RGB shading space to achieve enhanced security compared with existing systems. We… More >

Marco Astengo^1,2*, Caroline Berntsson^3*, Åse A. Johnsson^3,4, Peter Eriksson^1,2, Mikael Dellborg^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.2, pp. 174-180, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12424

Abstract Objective: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a common condition. Adult patients with newly diagnosed CoA and patients with recurring or residual CoA require evaluation of the severity of aortic obstruction. Cardiac catheterization is considered the gold standard for the evaluation of hemodynamically significant CoA. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the management of grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH) include noninvasive criteria for identifying significant CoA. Our aim was to investigate the ability of the Class I and Class IIa ESC recommendations to identify significant CoA at cardiac catheterization.
Design: Sixty-six adult patients with native or recurrent CoA… More >

Shyam Sathanandam¹, Pooja Kashyap¹, David Zurakowski², Lindsey Bird¹, Vera McGhee³, Jeffrey Towbin¹, Benjamin Rush Waller III¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.2, pp. 181-187, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12423

Abstract Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to compare thermodilution (TD) cardiac index (TDCi) measured by injecting cold saline (C-TDCi) to saline at room temperature (R-TDCi). The secondary aim was to assess the change in body temperature with cold saline injections in children.
Design: This is a prospective, case control study.
Setting: Cardiac catheterization lab at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
Patients: Eighty-six children ≤18 years of age that underwent cardiac catheterization between April 2013 and April 2015, excluding patients with admixing lesions, on inotropic support and with ejection fraction < 30%.
Interventions: A TD catheter in the… More >

Matthew J. Lewis¹, Elizabeth Hecht², Jonathan Ginns¹, Joshua Benton², Martin Prince², Marlon S. Rosenbaum¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.2, pp. 153-158, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12422

Abstract Background: The progression of hepatic disease in adult Fontan patients is not well understood. They reviewed the experience with serial cardiac MRIs (CMR) in adult Fontan patients to determine if hepatic anatomic markers of prolonged Fontan exposure were present and if clinical predictors of progressive hepatic congestion could be identified.
Methods and Results: A retrospective cohort study of all adult Fontan patients who had undergone at least two CMRs was performed. Hepatic dimensions, inferior vena cava (IVC) size, right hepatic vein (RHV) size and spleen diameter were determined from images acquired at the time of clinically guided CMR. Two radiologists… More >

Fabricio González‐Andrade, Daniel Echeverría, Valeria López, Michaela Arellano

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.6, pp. 911-918, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12654

Abstract Objective: To assess the pulse oximetry as a method for screening critical congenital heart disease (CHD) in newborns.
Study design: This is an observational, transversal, descriptive simple study. The pre‐ ductal and postductal saturation were taken in term newborns thatfulfilled the criteria of inclusion and exclusion in the Hospital Gineco‐Obstetrico Isidro Ayora (HGOIA) in Quito. These measurements were performed between the 24 and 48 h after birth. Those new‐ borns that saturated less than 90% on initial pulse oxìmetry underwent 3 successive measurements at 1‐h intervals. Those who saturate less than 90% after 3 measurements or have a difference higher… More >

Heather Y. Sun¹, James A. Proudfoot², Rachel T. McCandless¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.5, pp. 748-756, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12648

Abstract Background: Fetal echocardiography can accurately diagnose critical congenital heart disease prenatally, but relies on referrals from abnormalities identified on routine obstetrical ultrasounds. Critical congenital heart disease that is frequently missed due to inadequate outflow tract imaging includes anomalies such as truncus arteriosus, double outlet right ventricle, transposition of the great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary stenosis, and aortic stenosis.
Objective: This study evaluated the prenatal detection rate of critical outflow tract anomalies in a single urban pediatric hospital before and after “AIUM Practice Guideline for the Performance of Obstetric Ultrasound Examinations,” which incorporated outflow tract imaging.
Design: Infants with outflow… More >

William N. Evans^1,2, Ruben J. Acherman^1,2, Dean Berthoty³, Gary A. Mayman^1,2, Michael L. Ciccolo^1,4, Sergio A. Carrillo^1,4, Humberto Restrepo^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.4, pp. 624-627, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12623

Abstract Patients: We reviewed all patients evaluated at our center with situs solitus, levocardia, and a right aortic arch that were born between January 2000 and January 2018. Results: From our databases, we identified 204 patients. We excluded patients with a double aortic arch from analysis. Of the 204 patients, 103 (50%) were male. Of the 204 patients, 95 (47%) had an isolated right aortic arch. Of the 95 with an isolated right aortic arch, 4 (4%) had chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, and 89 (94%) had a vascular ring. Of the 204 patients, 109 (53%) had a surgical intracardiac malformation. Of… More >

Gareth J. Morgan¹, Matteo Ciuffreda², Isabella Spadoni³, Joseph DeGiovanni⁴

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.3, pp. 458-462, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12596

Abstract Aim: To assess the acute results of the first human use of the Optimus covered stent in complex coarctation of the aorta.
Methods and Results: We successfully implanted the Optimus covered stent in eight cases in patients whose preprocedural anatomy looked challenging for currently available covered stents. Six of the patients had native coarctation with one recoarctation following surgical repair. There were no significant complications with reduction in the mean invasive gradient from 22 to 1 mm Hg. The length of stents used ranged from 33 to 57 mm with a median shortening after expansion of 13%. Postprocedural follow-up with… More >

Amanda L. Phillips¹, Muhammad Yasir Qureshi^1,2, Benjamin W. Eidem^1,2,3, Frank Cetta^1,2,3

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 251-253, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12560

Abstract Background: Lambl’s excrescences (LE) are fibrous extensions that can be found along the lines of closure of the aortic valve. Due to improvements in ultrasound technology, LE are frequently imaged during transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in adults.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of LE among children from two eras (2004–2006 and 2011–2012) and the effect of technological advancements on LE detection.
Methods: TTE from 700 subjects (age 18 years old or younger) were reviewed. All parasternal long and short axis images of the aortic valve were reviewed by a board certified echocardiographer, and the positive… More >