Chemical Transmitters Carry the Signal Across Synapses & Neuromuscular Junctions
A contact between 2 nerves is called a synapse
At the synapse there is a break in electrical transmission (the action potential cannot cross)- instead chemicals are released that carry the signal to the next nerve
The release of chemical transmitters at nerve endings was first shown by Otto Loewi in the frog heart
A neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a contact between a nerve and a muscle- it is like a synapse, the action potential stops and the signal is carried by a chemical
Clinical informatics is a method of organizing information in the health care industry. It blends information technology, computer science and biomedical informatics. Clinical informatics is a field that is constantly striving to make information more accessible in the simplest way. It involves storing, managing and accessing important health records.
Clinical informatics uses technology and computers to store data at an institution such as a hospital, doctor’s office or other health care facility. Since there are so many papers and files to process at any medical setting, an efficient system for keeping track of it all is required. Medical informatics becomes a way to organize and process the information. Examples of information stored in health informatics include disease research, patient backgrounds, statistics and treatment plans.
This is a normal rhythm, and is not of diagnostic significance unless the rate, which ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute, is not appropriate for the clinical setting.
This rhythm differs from normal sinus rhythm only in that the rate is above 100 beats per minute. The differential diagnosis is extensive. Common causes are anxiety; physiological stress such as hemorrhage, dehydration, sepsis, and fever; and hyperthyroidism. Correction of the underlying cause, if necessary, is recommended.
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is one of the prominent causes of stroke, and its risk increases with age. We need to detect AFib correctly as early as possible to avoid medical disaster because it is likely to proceed into a more serious form in short time. If we can make a portable AFib monitoring system, it will be helpful to many old people because we cannot predict when a patient will have a spasm of AFib.
The fourth heart sound is a low-pitched sound coincident with late diastolic filling of the ventricle due to atrial contraction. It thus occurs shortly before the first heart sound. Although it is also called the atrial sound, and its production requires an effective atrial contraction, the fourth heart sound is the result of vibrations generated within the ventricle. Commonly, its presence indicates increased resistance to filling of the left or right ventricle because of a reduction in ventricular wall compliance, and it is accompanied by a disproportionate rise in ventricular end-diastolic pressure. In patients with a fourth heart sound, its palpable correlate is often present: a concomitant brief presystolic outward movement of the chest wall.
