Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in electronic form as viewed 2/16/2009.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A distensÃo mecÃnica do Ãtrio direito (DA) aumenta a motilidade gÃstrica em ratos anestesiados (Palheta et al., 2010). Resolvemos avaliar o efeito da DA sobre o esvaziamento gÃstrico (EG) de lÃquido em ratos acordados e as eventuais vias neuro-humorais relacionadas ao fenÃmeno. Utilizamos ratos albinos machos (n=361, 250-280g) que receberam um balÃo de silicone posicionado no Ãtrio direito. Decorridos 24h, monitoramos a pressÃo venosa central (PVC), freqÃÃncia cardÃaca (FC) e a pressÃo arterial mÃdia (PAM) e apÃs os 20-min iniciais os animais foram aleatoriamente prÃ-tratados com: Salina (S, 0,1 ml/100g, i.v.), Atropina (A, 0,5 mg/kg, i.v.), Guanetidina (GT, 10 mg/kg, i.p.), HexametÃnio (H, 10mg/kg, i.v.), L-NAME (3mg/kg, i.v.), L-Arg (100mg/kg, i.v.) + L-NAME (3 mg/kg, i.v.), Azul de metileno (MB, 3 mg/kg, i.v.), Glibenclamida (GB, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) ou Glibenclamida + DiazÃxido (3mg/kg, i.v.) [GB + D], Dexametasona (DEX, 1mg/kg, i.p.), Anantin (ANT, 5 &#61549;g, i.v.) ou Atosibana (AT, 40 &#61549; g/kg/h, i.v.). AlÃm disto, em grupos separados realizamos 72h antes da DA Ã vagotomia (V), ou esplancnotomia+ gangliectomia celÃaca (SC) ou denervaÃÃo cardÃaca aferente com capsaicina (ACD). Em outro conjunto de animais realizamos aurilectomia direita uma semana antes da DA (AX). Em seguida ao tratamento farmacolÃgico realizamos protocolo de falsa DA (controle) ou DA com 50&#61549;L do balÃo intra-atrial durante 5min. Decorridos 20 min. da DA, os ratos foram alimentados por via oral com soluÃÃo teste e, apÃs 10-min sacrificados para estudo do EG. AlÃm disto, determinamos os nÃveis plasmÃticos de ocitocina (OT), PeptÃdeo NatriurÃtico Atrial (ANP) e corticosterona (CORT). Para verificaÃÃo da atividade neuronal avaliamos a expressÃo da proteÃna Fos e OT nas regiÃes hipotalÃmicas do nÃcleo paraventricular (PVN) ou supra-Ãptico (SON). Comparado ao controle, a DA diminuiu o EG (p <0,05). AlÃm disso, a DA aumentou a PVC e a FC. A DA diminuiu o EG (p<0,05) nos grupos S, A, GT, L-arginina + L-NAME, MB e GB+D. JÃ o prÃ-tratamento com H, L-NAME, GB, DEX, ANT ou AT, bem como a SV, SC, ACD ou AX preveniu o efeito do DA sobre o EG. AlÃm disso, a DA aumentou os nÃveis plasmÃticos de OT e CORT, mas nÃo alterou o de ANP. Apesar da DA aumentar o nÃmero de neurÃnios imunorreativos para c-fos nas regiÃes parvocellular medial e posterior do PVN, nÃo observamos tal achado nas regiÃes magnocellular do PVN ou do SON, tambÃm nÃo houve diferenÃa significativa para o nÃmero de neurÃnios imunorreativos para Fos-OT apÃs DA. Portanto a diminuiÃÃo do EG de lÃquidos apÃs a DA em ratos acordados depende de uma via aferente cardÃaca mediada por receptores de baixa pressÃo, sendo que tanto neurÃnios simpÃticos como parassimpÃticos participam da cascata mediada pela OT, ANP e NO atravÃs de canais para K+-ATP dependentes. / Right atrium mechanical stretch (AS) increases gastric motility in anesthetized rats. We aimed to study the effect of AS on gastric emptying (GE) in awake rats and the related neuro-humoral pathways ivolved. Male albino rats (N=361, 250-280g) had a silicone balloon inserted in the right atrium. After 24-h, the central venous pressure (CVP), heart rate (HR) and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) were monitored and after the initial 20-min, animals were randomly pre-treated with: saline (S, 0.1 ml/100g, i.v.), Atropine (A, 0.5mg/kg, i.v.), Guanethidine (GT, 10mg/kg, i.p.), hexamethonium (H, 10mg/kg, i.v.), L-NAME (3mg/kg, i.v.), L-Arginine (100mg/kg, i.v.)+L-NAME (3mg/kg, i.v.), Methylene Blue (MB, 3mg/kg, i.v.), Glibenclamide (GB, 1mg/kg, i.p) or Glibenclamide+Diazoxide (3mg/kg, i.v.) [GB+D], Dexamethazone (DEX, 1mg/kg, i.p.), Anantin (ANT, 5&#61549;g, i.v.) or Atosiban (AT, 40&#61549;g/kg/h, i.v.). Besides, in a separate group, we realized vagotomy (V), or splanchnotomy + celiac gangliectomy (SC) or afferent cardiac denervation with capsaicin (ACD) 72h before AS. In another set of animals, we realized right appendectomy (AX) one week before AS. Next, AS with saline zero (sham) or 50&#61549;L was performed during 5min. In this group, rats were gavage fed with a test meal 20-min after AS and euthanized 10-min afterwards to study GE. Moreover we determined plasmatic levels of Ocytocin (OT), Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) and Corticosterone (CORT), and determined the neuronal activity in the paraventricular (PVN) or supraoptic (SON) hypothalamic regions by measuring expressed double-labeled c-fos-OT. Comparing to Sham, AS decreased GE (p<0.05). Besides, AS increased CVP and HR. AS decreased GE (p <0.05) in S, A, GT, L-Arginine+L-NAME, MB and GB+D groups. However pre-treatment with, H, L-NAME, GB, DEX, ANT or AT, as well as SV, SC, ACD or AX prevented the effect of AS on GE. AS increased OT and CORT plasmatic levels, but did not alter ANP. In spite of AS increasing the number of c-fos expressing neurons in the parvocellular region, we did not observe this finding in the magnocellular regions of PVN or SON. Besides, AS did not alter the number of fos-OT double-labeled neurons. Therefore the decrease of GE of fluids after AS in awake rats depends on an afferent pathway mediated by cardiac low pressure receptors, and both sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons participate in the cascade mediated by OT, ANP and NO through K +-ATP dependent channels.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis has been garnering attention from researchers due to its wide range of applications. Medical researchers have always been interested in Heart Rate (HR) and HRV analysis, but nowadays, investigators from variety of other fields are also probing the subject. For instance, variation in HR and HRV is connected to emotional arousal. Therefore, knowledge from the fields of affective computing and psychology, can be employed to devise machines that understand the emotional states of humans. Recent advancements in non-contact HR and HRV measurement techniques will likely further boost interest in emotional estimation through . Such measurement methods involve the extraction of the photoplethysmography (PPG) signal from the human's face through a camera. The latest approaches apply Independent Component Analysis (ICA) on the color channels of video recordings to extract a PPG signal. Other investigated methods rely on Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM) to detect subtle changes in skin color associated with PPG. The effectiveness of the EVM in HR estimation has well been established. However, to the best of our knowledge, EVM has not been successfully employed to extract HRV feature from a video of a human face. In contrast, ICA based methods have been successfully used for HRV analysis. As we demonstrate in this thesis, these two approaches for HRV feature extraction are highly sensitive to noise. Hence, when we evaluated them in indoor settings, we obtained mean absolute error in the range of 0.012 and 28.4. Therefore, in this thesis, we present two approaches to minimize the error rate when estimating physiological measurements from recorded facial videos using a standard camera. In our first approach which is based on the EVM method, we succeeded in extracting HRV measurements but we could not get rid of high frequency noise, which resulted in a high error percentage for the result of the High frequency (HF) component. Our second proposed approach solved this issue by applying ICA on the red, green and blue (RGB) colors channels and we were able to achieve lower error rates and less noisy signal as compared to previous related works. This was done by using a Buterworth filter with the subject's specific HR range as its Cut-Off. The methods were tested with 12 subjects from the DISCOVER lab at the University of Ottawa, using artificial lights as the only source of illumination. This made it a challenge for us because artificial light produces HF signals which can interfere with the PPG signal. The final results show that our proposed ICA based method has a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.006, 0.005, 0.34, 0.57 and 0.419 for the mean HR, mean RR, LF, HF and LF/HF respectively. This approach also shows that these physiological parameters are highly correlated with the results taken from the electrocardiography (ECG).

Artificial Neural Networks are biologically inspired computational methodologies that can perfom multifactorial analyses. In recent years, they have been evaluated for medical decision support, with varying degrees of success. The preliminary part of my thesis deals with evaluating whether an Artificial Neural Network can be trained to approximate a cardiovascular risk stratification algorithm by Rifai et al. My subsequent work involves training the network on a population-based cross-sectional dataset with the objective of categorizing Ankle-Brachial Index and Maximal Oxygen Consumption. These are indicators of the severity of lower extremity atherosclerosis and the level of cardiovascular fitness respectively. NeuralSIM®, a commercially available Artificial Neural Network, was trained using C-reactive protein and Total Cholesterol/HDL Cholesterol ratio as input parameters, and the relative risk stratum for future myocardial infarctions or stroke as output. For the Ankle-Brachial Index and the cardiovascular fitness networks, data was obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The network for cardiovascular fitness was compared with an algorithm published by Jackson et al. The network was able to approximate the cardiovascular risk stratification algorithm by Rifai et al closely with correlation coefficients of0.95 in men and 0.93 in women respectively. The network to screen for low cardiovascular fitness had a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 78%, with an overall accuracy of 81%. The Ankle-Brachial Index network demonstrated a high level of specificity (86.3%) for estimating abnonnal values but a very low sensitivity (30%). Artificial neural networks showed encouraging results for potential use as decision-support tools. One significant limitation is that the importance of individual parameters or the exact function cannot be ascertained easily. There is a need to address this issue in future software development.

The dissertation investigates the promises and challenges for application of cardiac signals in biometrics and affective computing, and noninvasive measurement of cardiac signals. We have mainly discussed two major cardiac signals: electrocardiogram (ECG), and photoplethysmogram (PPG). ECG and PPG signals hold strong potential for biometric authentications and identifications. We have shown that by mapping each cardiac beat from time domain to an angular domain using a limit cycle, intra-class variability can be significantly minimized. This is in contrary to conventional time domain analysis. Our experiments with both ECG and PPG signal shows that the proposed method eliminates the effect of instantaneous heart rate on the shape morphology and improves authentication accuracy. For noninvasive measurement of PPG beats, we have developed a systematic algorithm to extract pulse rate from face video in diverse situations using video magnification. We have extracted signals from skin patches and then used frequency domain correlation to filter out non-cardiac signals. We have developed a novel entropy based method to automatically select skin patches from face. We report beat-to-beat accuracy of remote PPG (rPPG) in comparison to conventional average heart rate. The beat-to-beat accuracy is required for applications related to heart rate variability (HRV) and affective computing. The algorithm has been tested on two datasets, one with static illumination condition and the other with unrestricted ambient illumination condition. Automatic skin detection is an intermediate step for rPPG. Existing methods always depend on color information to detect human skin. We have developed a novel standalone skin detection method to show that it is not necessary to have color cues for skin detection. We have used LBP lacunarity based micro-textures features and a region growing algorithm to find skin pixels in an image. Our experiment shows that the proposed method is applicable universally to any image including near infra-red images. This finding helps to extend the domain of many application including rPPG. To the best of our knowledge, this is first such method that is independent of color cues. / Ph. D.

Le couplage neuro-vasculaire est un domaine grandissant. Ce dernier étudie les effets de l’activité cérébrale sur le comportement du flux sanguin cérébral (cerebral blood flow, CBF) et sur le flux des vaisseaux sanguins. Avec l’aide de l’imagerie par résonance magnétique (IRM), il est possible d’obtenir des images comme les images pondérées par susceptibilité (susceptibility weighted imaging, SWI) pour voir les veines ou bien avec des images de temps de vol par angiographie (time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, TOF MRA) pour imager les artères. Ces images permettent d’avoir une représentation structurelle des vaisseaux dans le cerveau. Ce mémoire présente une méthode permettant la segmentation des vaisseaux sanguins à partir d’images structurelles afin d’en extraire les caractéristiques. En utilisant le masque de segmentation, il est possible de calculer le diamètre des vaisseaux ainsi que leur longueur. Avec l’aide de tels outils de segmentation automatique, nous avons conduit une étude permettant d’analyser le comportement des vaisseaux sanguins lors d’activités neuronales. Grâce à une stimulation visuelle, nous avons fait l’acquisition de deux images; la première dite au repos et la seconde avec stimulation. Nous avons pu comparer le diamètre dans chacune des images et ainsi obtenir la vasodilatation en millimètre, mais également en pourcentage, et cela pour chaque voxel. Nous avons également calculé la distance entre le site d’activation et un voxel pour observer l’amplitude de la vasodilatation en fonction de la distance. Tout ceci permet d’avoir une meilleure compréhension du système vasculaire du cerveau humain. / Abstract : The neurovascular coupling is a growing field; it studies the effects of cerebral activity on the behaviour of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the blood vessels themselves. With the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is possible to obtain images such as susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) to see the veins or time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF MRA) to visualize the arteries. These images allow having a structural representation of vessels in the brain. This thesis presents a method to segment blood vessels from structural images and extract their features. Using the segmentation mask, it is possible to calculate the diameter of the vessels as well as their length. With the help of such automatic segmentation tools, we conducted a study to analyze the behaviour of blood vessels during neuronal activities. Due to visual stimulation, we have acquired two images; one at rest and the other with stimulation. We compare the diameter in each of the images and obtain vasodilation in millimeters, but also as a percentage in each voxel. We also calculated the distance between the activation site and each voxel to see the magnitude of the vasodilation function of the distance. All this provides a better understanding of the vascular system of the human brain.

La détection et l’évaluation des émotions sont des domaines qui suscitent un grand intérêt par de nombreuses communautés tant au niveau des sciences humaines que des sciences exactes. Dans cette thèse nous nous intéressons à la reconnaissance de l’anxiété sociale qui est une peur irrationnelle ressentie par une personne lors de toute forme de relation sociale. L’anxiété peut être révélée par un ensemble de traits physiques et physiologiques tels que l’intonation de la voix, les mimiques faciales, l’augmentation du rythme cardiaque, le rougissement… etc. L’avantage de l’utilisation des mesures physiologiques est que les individus ne peuvent pas les manipuler, c’est une source continue de données et chaque émotion est caractérisée par une variation physiologique particulière. Dans ce travail, nous proposons un système de mesure d’anxiété basé sur l’utilisation d’un seul signal physiologique « signal de pression sanguine volumique (Blood volume pulse BVP)». Le choix d’un seul capteur limite la gêne des sujets due au nombre de capteurs. De ce signal nous avons sélectionné des paramètres pertinents représentant au mieux les relations étroites du signal BVP avec le processus émotionnel de l’anxiété. Cet ensemble de paramètres est classé en utilisant les séparateurs à vastes marges SVM. Les travaux engagés dans le domaine de la reconnaissance des émotions utilisent fréquemment, pour support d’information, des données peu fiables ne correspondant pas toujours aux situations envisagées. Ce manque de fiabilité peut être dû à plusieurs paramètres parmi eux la subjectivité de la méthode d’évaluation utilisée (questionnaire, auto-évaluation des sujets, …etc.). Nous avons développé une approche d’évaluation objective des données basée sur les dynamiques des paramètres sélectionnés. La base de données utilisée a été enregistrée dans notre laboratoire dans des conditions réelles acquises sur des sujets présentant un niveau d’anxiété face aux situations sociales et qui ne sont pas sous traitement psychologique. L’inducteur utilisé est l’exposition à des environnements virtuels représentant quelques situations sociales redoutées. L’étape d’évaluation, nous a permis d’obtenir un modèle de données fiable pour la reconnaissance de deux niveaux d’anxiété. Ce modèle a été testé dans une clinique spécialisée dans les thérapies cognitives comportementales (TCC) sur des sujets phobiques. Les résultats obtenus mettent en lumière la fiabilité du modèle construit notamment pour la reconnaissance des niveaux d’anxiété sur des sujets sains ou sur des sujets phobiques ce qui constitue une solution au manque de données dont souffrent les différents domaines de reconnaissances / Detection and evaluation of emotions are areas of great interest in many communities both in terms of human and exact sciences. In this thesis we focus on social anxiety recognition, which is an irrational fear felt by a person during any form of social relationship. Anxiety can be revealed by a set of physical and physiological traits such as tone of voice, facial expressions, increased heart rate, flushing ... etc. The interest to the physiological measures is motivated by them robustness to avoid the artifacts created by human social masking, they are a continuous source of data and each emotion is characterized by a particular physiological variation. In this work, we propose a measurement system based on the use of a single physiological signal "Blood volume pulse BVP". The use of a single sensor limits the subjects’ discomfort. From the BVP signal we selected three relevant features which best represents the close relationship between this signal and anxiety status. This features set is classified using support vector machine SVM. The work undertaken in the field of emotion recognition frequently use, for information support, unreliable data do not always correspond to the situations envisaged. This lack of reliability may be due to several parameters among them the subjectivity of the evaluation method used (self-evaluation questionnaire, subjects…etc.). We have developed an approach to objective assessment of data based on the dynamics of selected features. The used database was recorded in our laboratory under real conditions acquired in subjects with a level of anxiety during social situations and who are not under psychological treatment. The used stimulus is the exposition to virtual environments representing some feared social situations. After the evaluation stage, we obtained a reliable model for the recognition of two levels of anxiety. The latter was tested in a clinic specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on phobic subjects. The results highlight the reliability of the built model specifically for the recognition of anxiety levels in healthy subjects or of phobic subjects, what constitutes a solution to the lack of data affecting different areas of recognition

Trata-se de estudo descritivo quantitativo, cujo objetivo foi analisar a aplicabilidade de intervenções da NIC, para situações de Volume de líquidos deficiente no Atendimento Préhospitalar Móvel Avançado à vítima de trauma. Os sujeitos do estudo foram 11 enfermeiros que atuam em Unidades Avançadas Pré-hospitalares da região de Ribeirão Preto. O estudo foi realizado em três etapas, na primeira, foram descritas pelos enfermeiros quais atividades eram realizadas para vítimas de trauma com diagnósticos de Volume de líquidos deficiente e Risco de volume de líquidos deficiente e aplicado um instrumento para apontar a aplicabilidade das intervenções e atividades contidas na NIC para os dois diagnósticos. Na segunda etapa, foram realizados o mapeamento cruzado das atividades e das intervenções da NIC para cada diagnóstico. Na terceira etapa, foram realizados o refinamento do mapeamento comparativo por enfermeiros expertos e a análise da opinião dos enfermeiros quanto à aplicabilidade das atividades à vítima de trauma. A seguir, foi realizada a proposta de reestruturação da NIC para situação de Volume de líquidos deficiente, no APH Avançado Móvel. Nos resultados identificamos 10 enfermeiros do sexo feminino, um do sexo masculino; um com doutorado, cinco com mestrado, quatro especialistas e um somente com graduação; quatro enfermeiros possuem entre 20 e 30 anos, dois entre 31 a 40 anos e cinco entre 41 e 50 anos; com relação ao tempo de atividade no APH Avançado Móvel, identificamos três enfermeiros com três anos, quatro entre quatro e cinco anos e quatro com seis anos ou mais nesse campo de assistência. Na primeira etapa identificaram-se 55 atividades descritas pelos enfermeiros para Volume de líquidos deficiente e 54 para Risco de volume de líquidos deficiente. No mapeamento cruzado, foram listadas 12 intervenções e 59 atividades das 30 intervenções e 750 atividades contidas na NIC, para o diagnóstico Volume de líquidos deficiente e, para Risco de volume de líquidos, 8 intervenções e 34 atividades das 28 intervenções e 691 atividades da NIC. Após refinamento do mapeamento cruzado pelos expertos, foi sugerido agregar as intervenções Encaminhamento, Gerenciamento de protocolo de emergência e Cuidados de emergência para ambos os diagnósticos e Controle de suprimentos para o diagnóstico Volume de líquidos deficiente. Foram refinadas, para Volume de líquidos deficiente, as seguintes intervenções: Controle da hipovolemia, Controle do choque: hipovolêmico, Monitoração hídrica, Terapia endovenosa, Controle do choque, Monitoração dos sinais vitais, Precauções contrassangramento, Punção venosa, Prevenção do choque, Redução do sangramento, Monitoração neurológica, Supervisão, Cuidados de emergência, Gerenciamento do protocolo de emergência, Controle de suprimentos e Encaminhamento e, para Risco de volume de líquidos deficiente, Controle da hipovolemia, Monitoração hídrica, Controle hídrico, Precauções contrassangramento, Prevenção do choque, Redução do sangramento, Supervisão, Sondagem gastrintestinal, Cuidados de emergência, Gerenciamento do protocolo de emergência e Encaminhamento. Na análise da aplicabilidade, foi considerado que as intervenções prioritárias, para Volume de líquidos deficiente, são Punção venosa (0,88) e Terapia endovenosa (0,81) e, para Risco de volume de líquidos, a intervenção Prevenção do choque (0,84). Na proposta de reorganização dos níveis de intervenções da NIC, sugerimos como prioritárias, para Volume de líquidos deficiente, Controle do choque, Monitoração de sinais vitais, Controle da hipovolemia e Supervisão e, para Risco de volume de líquidos deficiente, as intervenções Prevenção do choque e Supervisão. Concluímos que as intervenções contidas na NIC possuem aplicabilidade no cotidiano do APH Avançado Móvel e que algumas alterações devem ser realizadas para melhor utilização neste contexto. / It is a quantitative descriptive study, which aim was to examine the applicability of NIC interventions in situations of inadequate volume of fluid in the pre-hospital Advanced Mobile on the victim of trauma. The group responsible for this study was composed by 11 nurses who work in Advanced Pre-hospital units in the region of Ribeirão Preto. The study was conducted in three stages. The first one was a description given by the nurses, explaining which activities were performed on victims of trauma with diagnoses of fluid volume deficit and risk of fluid volume deficit and then was applied an instrument to indicate the applicability of interventions and activities contained the NIC for both diagnoses. In the second step, was performed a cross-mapping of the interventions and activities of the NIC for each diagnosis. In the third step, were performed by expert nurses the refinement of the cross-mapping and the analysis of the applicability of the activities to victims of trauma. Next, the proposal was to restructure the NIC to the fluid volume deficit victims in APH Advanced Mobile. Results identified that 10 nurses were female, one male. One with a doctorate, five with master, four specialists and only one with graduation. Four nurses have between 20 and 30 years, two between 31 to 40 years and five between 41 and 50 years. About the time of activity in APH Advanced Mobile, we identified three nurses with 3 years, four between 4 and 5 years and four with 6 or more years in this field for assistance. The first stage identified, through the nurses description, 55 activities for the fluid volume deficit treatment and 54 risk fluid volume deficit treatments. In the mapping cross were listed 12 interventions and 59 activities from 30 interventions and 750 activities contained in the NCI for this diagnosis. The results obtained for Risk of fluid volume deficit were 8 interventions and 34 activities of the 28 interventions and 691 activities contained in the NIC. After the refinement of the mapping cross by experts, it was suggested adding interventions Routing, Emergency management protocol and Emergency care for both diagnosis and Control of supplies for the diagnosis of fluid volume deficit. Were refined for fluid volume deficit the following interventions: Hypovolemia management, Shock management: volume , Fluid monitoring, intravenous therapy, Shock management, Vital signs monitoring, Bleeding precautions, Intravenous (IV) insertion, Shock prevention, Bleeding reduction, Neurological monitoring, Surveillance, Emergency care, Emergency Management, Protocol and Routing Control Supplies, and Risk of fluid volume deficit, Hypovolemia management, Fluid Monitoring, Bleeding precautions, Shock prevention, Bleeding reduction, Supervision, Gastrointestinal tube care, Emergency Care, Emergency Management and Routing Protocol. Analyzing the applicability, it was considered that the priority interventions for the fluid volume deficit are Intravenous (IV) insertion (0.88) and Intravenous therapy (0.81), and risk of fluid volume deficit, the impact Shock prevention (0,84). In the proposed reorganization of the levels of the NIC interventions, was suggested as a priority intervention for volume of fluid volume deficit, control of shock, vital signs Monitoring, supervision, hypovolermia management, and Risk of inadequate volume of fluid, the impact of prevention interventions and Supervision. We conclude that the interventions in the NIC have applicability in the daily lives of APH Advanced Mobile and that some changes should be made to a better use in this context.

The retina is a thin layer of tissue lining the back of the eye and is primarily responsible for sight in vertebrates. The neural retina has a distinct layered structure with three dense nuclear layers, separated by plexiform layers comprising of axons and dendrites, and a layer of photoreceptor segments. The retinal and choroidal vasculatures nourish the retina from either side, with an avascular layer comprised largely of photoreceptor cells. Diseases that directly affect the neural retina like retinal degeneration as well as those of vascular origin like diabetic retinopathy can lead to partial or total blindness. Early detection of these diseases can potentially pave the way for a timely intervention and improve patient prognosis. Current techniques of retinal imaging rely mainly on optical techniques, which have limited depth resolution and depend mainly on the clarity of visual pathway. Magnetic resonance imaging is a versatile tool that has long been used for anatomical and functional imaging in humans and animals, and can potentially be used for retinal imaging without the limitations of optical methods. The work reported in this thesis involves the development of high resolution magnetic resonance imaging techniques for anatomical and functional imaging of the retina in rats. The rats were anesthetized using isoflurane, mechanically ventilated and paralyzed using pancuronium bromide to reduce eye motion during retinal MRI. The retina was imaged using a small, single-turn surface coil placed directly over the eye. The several physiological parameters, like rectal temperature, fraction of inspired oxygen, end-tidal CO2, were continuously monitored in all rats. MRI parameters like T1, T2, and the apparent diffusion coefficient of water molecules were determined from the rat retina at high spatial resolution and found to be similar to those obtained from the brain at the same field strength. High-resolution MRI of the retina detected the three layers in wild-type rats, which were identified as the retinal vasculature, the avascular layer and the choroidal vasculature. Anatomical MRI performed 24 hours post intravitreal injection of MnCl2, an MRI contrast agent, revealed seven distinct layers within the retina. These layers were identified as the various nuclear and plexiform layers, the photoreceptor segment layer and the choroidal vasculature using Mn54Cl2 emulsion autoradiography. Blood-oxygenlevel dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) revealed layer-specific vascular responses to hyperoxic and hypercapnic challenges. Relative blood volume of the retina calculated by using microcrystalline iron oxide nano-colloid, an intravascular contrast agent, revealed high blood-volume in the choroidal vasculature. Fractional changes to blood volume during systemic challenges revealed a higher degree of autoregulation in the retinal vasculature compared to the choroidal vasculature, corroborating the BOLD fMRI data. Finally, the retinal MRI techniques developed were applied to detect structural and vascular changes in a rat model of retinal dystrophy. We conclude that retinal MRI is a powerful investigative tool to resolve layer-specific structure and function in the retina and to probe for changes in retinal diseases. We expect the anatomical and functional retinal MRI techniques developed herein to contribute towards the early detection of diseases and longitudinal evaluation of treatment options without interference from overlying tissue or opacity of the visual pathway.

Introdução: A Variação da Pressão Sistólica (VPS) e da Pressão de Pulso (VPP) têm sido propostas como métodos efetivos para monitoração hemodinâmica, em predizer a resposta à reposição da volemia durante a ventilação mecânica. A primeira é calculada pela diferença entre a pressão sistólica máxima e mínima em um ciclo respiratório, e composta pela somatória dos componentes delta up e delta down; e a VPP obtida pela diferença entre a pressão sistólica e diastólica também em um ciclo respiratório. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a VPS e seus componentes, e a VPP durante a ventilação com volume (VCV) e pressão (PCV) controlados, em coelhos normovolêmicos ou submetidos à hemorragia controlada. Método: Trinta e dois coelhos foram distribuídos de forma aleatória em quatro grupos: G1-ConPCV, G2-HemPCV, G3-ConVCV e G4-HemVCV. Foram ventilados em PCV ou VCV, com volume corrente entre 10 e 12 ml.kg-1 e freqüência respiratória para manter normocapnia. Nos grupos controle (G1-ConPCV e G3-ConVCV), sangue não foi retirado, e cada momento foi avaliado por 30 minutos (M0, M1 e M2); nos grupos com hemorragia (G2-HemPCV e G4-HemVCV), não houve perda sangüínea em M0, em M1 retirou-se 15% da volemia estimada, assim como em M2, de forma gradual. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância para medidas repetidas (ANOVA), sendo considerados significativos para um valor de p<0,05, e apresentados na forma de média e desvio-padrão. Resultados: Não houve diferença em M0 entre os grupos estudados. Em M1, os grupos com perda sanguínea apresentaram maiores variações na VPS, em seu componente delta down e na VPP, diferindo significativamente apenas dos grupos controle. Quando a volemia foi reduzida em 30% (M2), G4-HemVCV apresentou maior variação na pressão sistólica, no componente delta down e na pressão de pulso; bem como ambos grupos submetidos à hemorragia apresentaram valores significativamente maiores do que os grupos controle. O débito cardíaco não apresentou variação significativa (p>0,05) entre os momentos e grupos estudados. Conclusões: Em coelhos normovolêmicos ou com hipovolemia leve, ambos modos de ventilação se comportam de forma semelhante sobre as variáveis estudadas, ao passo que na hipovolemia moderada pôde-se observar menor comprometimento hemodinâmico durante a PCV / Rationale: Systolic pressure variation (SPV) and pulse pressure variation (PPV) indices have been proposed as effective methods of hemodynamic monitoring to predict fluid responsiveness during mechanical ventilation. SPV is calculated by the difference between the maximum and minimum values of systolic blood pressure following a single positive pressure breath, and it is made up of the sum of their components delta up and delta down; PPV is obtained by the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure also in a single positive pressure breath. The purpose of this study was to evaluate SPV and its components, and PPV during volume (VCV) and pressure (PCV) controlled ventilation in normovolemic rabbits or ones submitted to graded hemorrhage. Method: Thirty two rabbits were randomly allocated in four groups: G1- ConPCV, G2-HemPCV, G3-ConVCV and G4-HemVCV. They were ventilated in PCV or VCV; tidal volume was fixed between 10 to 12 mL.kg-1 and respiratory rate was monitored in order to maintain normocapnia. In control groups (G1- ConPCV and G3-ConVCV) blood was not withdrawn and each moment was evaluated for 30 minutes (M0, M1 and M2); in hemorrhage groups (G2-HemPCV and G4-HemVCV) there was no blood loss in M0; in M1 and M2 15% of estimated volemia was graded withdrawn. Data were submitted to analysis of variance for repeated measures (ANOVA); significance level was p<0,05 and results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Results: In M0, no significant differences were observed among all groups. Hemorrhagic groups (G2-HemPCV and G4-HemVCV) presented higher SPV, delta down and PPV in M1, differing significantly (p<0,05) only from control groups. When 30% of estimated blood volume was removed, higher SPV, delta down and PPV were observed mainly in G4-HemVCV. Cardiac output did not vary significantly (p>0,05) among groups and moments. Conclusions: In rabbits with normovolemia or slight hemorrhage, both modes of ventilation had similar behavior over studied parameters, while in the ones undergoing moderate hemorrhage PCV determined less hemodynamic compromising