ABSTRACT
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an intricate medical issue resulting from increased pressure in the pulmonary artery (PA). The current gold standard for diagnosis involves an invasive procedure known as right heart catheterization. Nevertheless, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) offers a non-invasive and valuable alternative for evaluating the function, structure, and blood flow through the pulmonary artery (PA) in both the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV). Additionally, cMRI can be a good tool for predicting mortality by assessing various hemodynamic parameters. We perceive that cMRI may be an underutilized tool in the evaluation of PH. More discussions might be needed to highlight its utility in patients with PH. This article aims to discuss the potential role of cMRI in evaluating PH based on the review of recent literature.
ABSTRACT
Over the years, efforts in bioinspired soft robotics have led to mobile systems that emulate features of natural animal locomotion. This includes combining mechanisms from multiple organisms to further improve movement. In this work, we seek to improve locomotion in soft, amphibious robots by combining two independent mechanisms: sea star locomotion gait and gecko adhesion. Specifically, we present a sea star-inspired robot with a gecko-inspired adhesive surface that is able to crawl on a variety of surfaces. It is composed of soft and stretchable elastomer and has five limbs that are powered with pneumatic actuation. The gecko-inspired adhesion provides additional grip on wet and dry surfaces, thus enabling the robot to climb on 25° slopes and hold on statically to 51° slopes.
ABSTRACT
IgA vasculitis, also known as Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP), is an inflammatory disorder of small blood vessels that can present with palpable purpura, arthralgias, abdominal pain, and kidney disease. It is most commonly found in pediatric patients after an inciting infection but has been seen across all ages and associated with certain drugs and vaccines. COVID-19 has been associated with various cutaneous manifestations, but HSP is a rarely reported one. We present a case of a 21-year-old female presenting with a petechial rash found to be seronegative IgA vasculitis presenting concurrently with dyspnea secondary to COVID-19. She was initially seen by an outside practitioner, tested negative for COVID, and was prescribed a course of oral prednisone. Shortly thereafter, she visited the ED for worsening shortness of breath and tested positive for COVID-19, for which she received Paxlovid. Biopsy after a visit to a dermatologist confirmed intramural IgA deposition on immunofluorescence, and she was tapered off prednisone and started on azathioprine.