A Narrative Review of the Classical and Modern Diagnostic Methods of the No-Reflow Phenomenon

Exploring the Intersection of Geophysics and Diagnostic Imaging in the Health Sciences

To develop diagnostic imaging approaches, this paper emphasizes the transformational potential of merging geophysics with health sciences. Diagnostic imaging technology improvements have transformed the health sciences by enabling earlier and more precise disease identification, individualized therapy, and improved patient care. This review article examines the connection between geophysics and diagnostic imaging in the field of health sciences. Geophysics, which is typically used to explore Earth's subsurface, has provided new uses of its methodology in the medical field, providing innovative solutions to pressing medical problems. The article examines the different geophysical techniques like electrical imaging, seismic imaging, and geophysics and their corresponding imaging techniques used in health sciences like tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound imaging, etc. The examination includes the description, similarities, differences, and challenges associated with these techniques and how modified geophysical techniques can be used in imaging methods in health sciences. Examining the progression of each method from geophysics to medical imaging and its contributions to illness diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring are highlighted. Also, the utilization of geophysical data analysis techniques like signal processing and inversion techniques in image processing in health sciences has been briefly explained, along with different mathematical and computational tools in geophysics and how they can be implemented for image processing in health sciences. The key findings include the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence in geophysics-driven medical imaging, demonstrating the revolutionary effects of data-driven methods on precision, speed, and predictive modeling.

Lipidomic Predictors of Coronary No-Reflow

The ‘no-reflow’ phenomenon (NRP) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a serious complication among acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Herein, a comprehensive lipidomics approach was used to quantify over 300 distinct molecular species in circulating plasma from 126 patients with STEMI before and after primary PCI. Our analysis showed that three lipid classes: phosphatidylcholine (PC), alkylphosphatidylcholine (PC(O)), and sphingomyelin (SM), were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in no-reflow patients before primary PCI. The levels of individual fatty acids and total fatty acid levels were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in no-reflow subjects after PCI. The grouping of patients based on ECG ST-segment resolution (STR) also demonstrated the same trend, confirming the possible role of these differential lipids in the setting of no-reflow. Sphingomyelin species, SM 41:1 and SM 41:2, was invariably positively correlated with corrected TIMI frame count (CTFC) at pre-PCI and post-PCI. The plasma levels of SM 42:1 exhibited an inverse association (p < 0.05) consistently with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) at pre-PCI and post-PCI. In conclusion, we identified plasma lipid profiles that distinguish individuals at risk of no-reflow and provided novel insights into how dyslipidemia may contribute to NRP after primary PCI.

Hemorheological and Microcirculatory Relations of Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis still means a serious challenge in clinical practice. Its pathomechanism is complex and has yet to be fully elucidated. Rheological properties of blood play an important role in tissue perfusion and show non-specific changes in acute pancreatitis. An increase in blood and plasma viscosity, impairment of red blood cell deformability, and enhanced red blood cell aggregation caused by metabolic, inflammatory, free radical-related changes and mechanical stress contribute to the deterioration of the blood flow in the large vessels and also in the microcirculation. Revealing the significance of these changes in acute pancreatitis may better explain the pathogenesis and optimize the therapy. In this review, we give an overview of the role of impaired microcirculation by changes in hemorheological properties in acute pancreatitis.