RESUMEN
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a connective-tissue disorder commonly affecting females of reproductive age group. Lupus Cerebritis is a serious neurological complication encountered in a good percentage of SLE cases. In this report, we discuss two Lupus Cerebritis patients, who were successfully diagnosed and treated. The first case, presented with generalized seizure, severe metabolic acidosis, and shock, with a history of fever of one-month duration. The second case manifested with an attack of generalized seizure after suffering from low-grade intermittent fever and joint pains for a duration of one-and-a-half months. Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement in SLE is caused by an inflammatory response of the autoimmune system, precipitated by an increased concentration of cytokines. Prompt identification of Lupus Cerebritis is extremely difficult, mainly because there is no single laboratory or radiological confirmatory test. Assessment of the clinical features and neurological signs, along with detection of antibodies in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid are necessary to arrive at a diagnosis. Lupus Cerebritis should be included in the provisional diagnosis of a female patient of reproductive age group, who presents with complicated neurological manifestations and with no clear-cut clinical, pathological, or image finding.
RESUMEN
Analysis of digital volume pulse (DVP) signal measured by photoplethysmograph (PPG) technique is a low cost non-invasive method of obtaining vital information related to arterial conditions. In this paper, we present a new two-pulse synthesis (TPS) model for deriving arterial parameters, useful for noninvasive assessment of human vascular health. The model is based on the use of Rayleigh function. Relevance of the proposed model is established by applying it on a sample set of 113 PPG signals, obtained form healthy and treated hypertensive subjects. The TPS model compares well with the conventional methods in determining parameters such as pulse transit time or foot-to-foot delay (D), reflection index (RI), stiffness index (SI) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). A new parameter, viz. differential pulse spread (DPS) has also been introduced for DVP signals using the model. The differential pulse spread provides a new dimension to estimate the process of arterial degeneration.