204 research outputs found

    Text-based Semantic Annotation Service for Multimedia Content in the Esperonto project

    Get PDF
    Within the Esperonto project, an integration of NLP, ontologies and other knowledge bases, is being performed with the goal to implement a semantic annotation service that upgrades the actual Web towards the emerging Semantic Web. Research is being currently conducted on how to apply the Esperonto semantic annotation service to text material associated with still images in web pages. In doing so, the project will allow for semantic querying of still images in the web, but also (automatically) create a large set of text-based semantic annotations of still images, which can be used by the Multimedia community in order to support the task of content indexing of image material, possibly combining the Esperonto type of annotations with the annotations resulting from image analysis

    Comparison of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon yields and fluxes in the watersheds of tropical volcanic islands, examples from Guadeloupe (French West Indies)

    Get PDF
    International audienceOrganic matter is an important factor that cannot be neglected when considering global carbon cycle. New data including organic matter geochemistry at the small watershed scale are needed to elaborate more constrained carbon cycle and climatic models. The objectives are to estimate the DOC and DIC fluxes exported from small tropical watersheds and to give strong constraints on the carbon hydrodynamic of these systems. To answer these questions, we have studied the geochemistry of eleven small watersheds around Basse-Terre volcanic Island in the French West Indies during different hydrological regimes from 2006 to 2008 (i.e. low water level versus floods). We propose a complete set of carbon measurements, including DOC and DIC concentrations, δ13C data, and less commonly, some spectroscopic indicators of the nature of the organic matter. The DOC/DIC ratio varies between 0.07 and 0.30 in low water level and between 0.25 and 1.97 during floods, indicating that organic matter is mainly exported during flood events. On the light of the isotopic composition of DOC, ranging from -32.8 to -26.2 ‰ during low water level and from -30.1 to -27.2 ‰ during floods, we demonstrate that export of organic carbon is mainly controlled by perennial saprolite groundwaters, except for flood events during which rivers are also strongly influenced by soil erosion. The mean annual yields ranged from 2.5 to 5.7 t km-2 yr-1 for the DOC and from 4.8 to 19.6 t km-2 yr-1 for the DIC and exhibit a non-linear relationship with slopes of watersheds. The flash floods explain around 60% of the annual DOC flux and between 25 and 45% of the DIC flux, highlighting the important role of these extreme meteorological events on global carbon export in small tropical volcanic islands. From a carbon mass balance point of view the exports of dissolved carbon from small volcanic islands are important and should be included in global organic carbon budgets

    Exosomal microRNAs in liquid biopsies: future biomarkers for prostate cancer

    Get PDF
    Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in males in the world. Plasma quantification of prostate-specific antigen substantially improved the early detection of prostate cancer, but still lacks the required specificity. Clinical management of prostate cancer needs advances in the development of new non-invasive biomarkers, ameliorating current diagnosis and prognosis and guiding therapeutic decisions. microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. These miRNAs are expressed in the cells and are also present in cell-derived extracellular vesicles such as exosomes. Exosomes have been shown to act as mediators for cell to cell communication because of the regulatory functions of their content. High levels of exosomes are found in several body fluids from cancer patients and could be a potential source of non-invasive biomarkers. In this review, we summarize the diagnostic and prognostic utility of exosomal miRNAs in prostate cancer

    Human resources in dentistry and treatment needs of caries in 12-year-old teenagers in Chile

    Get PDF
    Indexación: Web of Science; ScieloEl objetivo del estudio es estimar los recursos odontológicos para resolver las necesidades de tratamiento de los adolescentes de 12 años de Chile, pertenecientes a los niveles socio económicos alto, medio y bajo. El estudio se realizó a partir de los resultados del "Estudio Diagnóstico Nacional de Salud Bucal del Adolescente de 12 Años y Evaluación del Grado de Cumplimiento de los Objetivos Sanitarios de Salud Bucal 2000-2010", proyecto FONIS el que fue realizado en una muestra de 2.232 adolescentes de 12 años, con representación regional proporcional a la población nacional. Para estratificar por nivel socioeconómico este estudio se usó la clasificación y ranking de pobreza por comuna de MIDEPLAN y la caracterización por NSE de los establecimientos del Ministerio de Educación Se calculó el recurso humano necesario mediante la aplicación de estándares de rendimiento del ministerio de salud, comparando estos parámetros en el eje de nivel socioeconómico. Se observan diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las necesidades de tratamiento entre los NSE, concentrándose la mayor necesidad en los grupos de NSE bajo y medio.Abstract: The aim of this study is to determine oral health care delivery team workforce necessary to tackle oral health treatment needs of 12-year-old adolescents from different socioeconomic status. The sample consisted of 2.232 individuals. There was a proportional representation of the Nations regions. The Socioeconomic status (SES) was stratified through the MIDEPLAN)s poverty municipality ranking and by means of description of SES of the selected school by the Ministry of Education. To determine oral health treatments needs we carried out dental examination and WHO diagnosis criteria were used. We calculated the oral health care delivery team workforce based on Ministry of Health recommendations and compare among SES. Differences upon health care delivery team workforce necessary to tackle oral health treatment needs of 12-year-old adolescents from different socioeconomic status were evident.http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0719-01072011000200001&nrm=is

    Structural coronary artery remodelling in the rabbit fetus as a result of intrauterine growth restriction

    Get PDF
    Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a fetal condition that affects up to 10% of all pregnancies and is associated with cardiovascular structural and functional remodelling that persists postnatally. Some studies have reported an increase in myocardial coronary blood flow in severe IUGR fetuses which has been directly associated to the dilatation of the coronary arteries. However, a direct measurement of the coronaries’ lumen diameter in IUGR has not been reported before. The aim of this paper is to perform, for the first time, a quantitative analysis of the effects of IUGR in cardiac geometry and coronary vessel size in a wellknown rabbit model of IUGR using synchrotron-based X-ray Phase Contrast Tomography Imaging (X-PCI). Eight rabbit fetal hearts were imaged non-destructively with X-PCI. 3D reconstructions of the coronary arterial tree were obtained after semi-automatic image segmentation. Different morphometric features including vessel lumen diameter of the three main coronaries were automatically quantified. IUGR fetuses had more globular hearts and dilated coronary arteries as compared to controls. We have quantitatively shown that IUGR leads to structural coronary vascular tree remodelling and enlargement as an adaptation mechanism in response to an adverse environment of restricted oxygen and nutrients and increased perfusion pressure

    Prediction of adverse neonatal outcome at admission for early-onset preeclampsia with severe features

    Full text link
    Preeclampsia remains the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Consequently, research has focused on validating tools to predict maternal outcomes regarding clinical and biochemical features from the maternal compartment. However, preeclampsia also leads to neonatal complications due to placental insufficiency and prematurity, being the early-onset type associated with the poorest outcome. Hence, it is imperative to study whether these existing tools can predict adverse neonatal outcome.To assess the predictive value for adverse neonatal outcome of Doppler ultrasound, angiogenic factors and multi-parametric risk-score models in women with early-onset severe preeclampsia.This is a prospective cohort study of consecutive singleton pregnancies complicated by early-onset (developed before 34 week's gestation) severe preeclampsia.63 women with early-onset severe preeclampsia, 18 (28.6%) presented an adverse neonatal outcome. Placental growth factor (PlGF) showed the best discrimination between neonatal outcomes among angiogenic factors. PREP-L score is a multi-parametric risk-score for the prediction of complications in early-onset preeclampsia which includes maternal characteristics and clinical and analytical data obtained at admission. Good predictive values for the prediction of neonatal complications were found with the combination of PREP-L score with advanced Doppler (AUC ROC 0.9 95% CI 0.82-0.98]) and with PlGF levels (AUC ROC 0.91 [95% CI 0.84-0.98]).The combination of maternal risk scoring (PREP-L score) with angiogenic factors or fetal Doppler ultrasound at the time of diagnosis of early-onset preeclampsia with severe features performs well in predicting adverse neonatal outcome.Copyright © 2023 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

    SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibody detection in breast milk from a prospective multicentre study in Spain

    Get PDF
    Objectives To develop and validate a specific protocol for SARS-CoV-2 detection in breast milk matrix and to determine the impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on the presence, concentration and persistence of specific SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Design and patients This is a prospective, multicentre longitudinal study (April-December 2020) in 60 mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or who have recovered from COVID-19. A control group of 13 women before the pandemic were also included. Setting Seven health centres from different provinces in Spain. Main outcome measures Presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in breast milk, targeting the N1 region of the nucleocapsid gene and the envelope (E) gene; presence and levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoglobulins (Igs)-IgA, IgG and IgM-in breast milk samples from patients with COVID-19. Results All breast milk samples showed negative results for presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. We observed high intraindividual and interindividual variability in the antibody response to the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for each of the three isotypes IgA, IgM and IgG. Main Protease (MPro) domain antibodies were also detected in milk. 82.9% (58 of 70) of milk samples were positive for at least one of the three antibody isotypes, with 52.9% of these positive for all three Igs. Positivity rate for IgA was relatively stable over time (65.2%-87.5%), whereas it raised continuously for IgG (from 47.8% for the first 10 days to 87.5% from day 41 up to day 206 post-PCR confirmation). Conclusions Our study confirms the safety of breast feeding and highlights the relevance of virus-specific SARS-CoV-2 antibody transfer. This study provides crucial data to support official breastfeeding recommendations based on scientific evidence. ARS-CoV-2 antibodies but not RNA are found in breast milk from COVID-19 infected mothers

    Early cardiac remodeling in aortic coarctation: insights from fetal and neonatal functional and structural assessment

    Get PDF
    Objectives: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is associated with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in neonates and adults. Cardiac structure and function in fetal CoA and cardiac adaptation to early neonatal life have not been described. We aimed to investigate the presence of cardiovascular structural remodeling and dysfunction in fetuses with CoA and their early postnatal cardiac adaptation. Methods: This was a prospective observational case–control study, conducted between 2011 and 2018 in a single tertiary referral center, of fetuses with CoA and gestational age‐matched normal controls. All fetuses/neonates underwent comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation in the third trimester of pregnancy and after birth. Additionally, myocardial microstructure was assessed in one fetal and one neonatal CoA‐affected heart specimen, using synchrotron radiation‐based X‐ray phase‐contrast microcomputed tomography and histology, respectively. Results: We included 30 fetuses with CoA and 60 gestational age‐matched controls. Of these, 20 CoA neonates and 44 controls were also evaluated postnatally. Fetuses with CoA showed significant left‐to‐right volume redistribution, with right ventricular (RV) size and output dominance and significant geometry alterations with an abnormally elongated LV, compared with controls (LV midventricular sphericity index (median (interquartile range; IQR), 2.4 (2.0–2.7) vs 1.8 (1.7–2.0); P < 0.001). Biventricular function was preserved and no ventricular hypertrophy was observed. Synchrotron tomography and histological assessment revealed normal myocyte organization in the fetal and neonatal specimens, respectively. Postnatally, the LV in CoA cases showed prompt remodeling, becoming more globular (LV midventricular sphericity index (mean ± SD), 1.5 ± 0.3 in CoA vs 1.8 ± 0.2 in controls; P < 0.001) with preserved systolic and normalized output, but altered diastolic, parameters compared with controls (LV inflow peak velocity in early diastole (mean ± SD), 97.8 ± 14.5 vs 56.5 ± 12.9 cm/s; LV inflow peak velocity in atrial contraction (median (IQR), 70.5 (60.1–84.9) vs 47.0 (43.0–55.0) cm/s; LV peak myocardial velocity in atrial contraction (mean ± SD), 5.1 ± 2.6 vs 6.3 ± 2.2 cm/s; P < 0.05). The neonatal RV showed increased longitudinal function in the presence of a patent arterial duct. Conclusions: Our results suggest unique fetal cardiac remodeling in CoA, in which the LV stays smaller from the decreased growth stimulus of reduced volume load. Postnatally, the LV is acutely volume‐loaded, resulting in an overall geometry change with higher filling velocities and preserved systolic function. These findings improve our understanding of the evolution of CoA from fetal to neonatal life
    corecore