Mobile Phone Apps for Quality of Life and Well-Being Assessment in Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients: Systematic Review

Background: Mobile phone health apps are increasingly gaining attention in oncological care as potential tools for supporting cancer patients. Although the number of publications and health apps focusing on cancer is increasing, there are still few specifically designed for the most prevalent cancers diagnosed: breast and prostate cancers. There is a need to review the effect of these apps on breast and prostate cancer patients’ quality of life (QoL) and well-being. Objective: The purposes of this study were to review the scientific literature on mobile phone apps targeting breast or prostate cancer patients and involving QoL and well-being (anxiety and depression symptoms) and analyze the clinical and technological characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of these apps, as well as patients’ user experience with them. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature from The Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica Database, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and MEDLINE to identify studies involving apps focused on breast and/or prostate cancer patients and QoL and/or well-being published between January 1, 2000, and July 12, 2017. Only trial studies which met the inclusion criteria were selected. The systematic review was completed with a critical analysis of the apps previously identified in the health literature research that were available from the official app stores. Results: The systematic review of the literature yielded 3862 articles. After removal of duplicates, 3229 remained and were evaluated on the basis of title and abstract. Of these, 3211 were discarded as not meeting the inclusion criteria, and 18 records were selected for full text screening. Finally, 5 citations were included in this review, with a total of 644 patients, mean age 52.16 years. Four studies targeted breast cancer patients and 1 focused on prostate cancer patients. Four studies referred to apps that assessed QoL. Only 1 among the 5 analyzed apps was available from the official app store. In 3 studies, an app-related intervention was carried out, and 2 of them reported an improvement on QoL. The lengths of the app-related interventions varied from 4 to 12 weeks. Because 2 of the studies only tracked use of the app, no effect on QoL or well-being was found. Conclusions: Despite the existence of hundreds of studies involving cancer-focused mobile phone apps, there is a lack of rigorous trials regarding the QoL and/or well-being assessment in breast and/or prostate cancer patients. A strong and collective effort should be made by all health care providers to determine those cancer-focused apps that effectively represent useful, accurate, and reliable tools for cancer patients’ disease management.European Union's Horizon 2020 No 72201

Estudo retrospectivo-sistemático da matriz extracelular de tumores mamários caninos

The aim of the present study was to perform a retrospective review, from 1932 to 1999, in order to establish the number of cases of mammary tumors in dogs in the records at the Pathology Department of Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária - USP, as well as the presence of desmoplasia and cartilaginous and bone metaplasia in 578 of these tumors. Among the 537 malignant tumors, 13.05% were simple tubular adenocarcinomas, 3.91% were complex tubular adenocarcinomas, 7.26% simple papillary adenocarcinomas, 4.28% complex papillary adenocarcinomas , 23.27% simple papillary cystadenocarcinomas ,8.37% complex papillary cystadenocarcinomas,16.38% simple solid adenocarcinomas ,6.70% complex solid adenocarcinomas, 2.04% simple spindle cell carcinomas, 1.11% simple spindle cell carcinomas ,2.79% mucinous carcinomas ,8.19% anaplastic carcinomas ,0.93% squamous carcinomas, 1.30% fibrosarcomas,.0.18% chondrosarcoma, 0.18% osteosarcoma and among the 41 benign tumors ,51.21% were adenoma, 12.19% papillary cystadenoma,7.31% papilloma, 4.87% cystic fibroadenoma and 24.39% were fibroadenoma. Both desmoplasia and metaplasia were frequent findings in benign and malignant neoplasms, but they were more frequent among complex tubular adenocarcinomas: 38% presented desmoplasia, 57% cartilaginous metaplasia and 28% bone metaplasia. Among the benign neoplasms, adenoma presented the more frequency: 14 % presented desmoplasia, 29% cartilaginous metaplasia and 24% bone metaplasia. Results of this study emphasize the complexity of the inter-relationship between the macromolecules in the extracellular matrix and tumoral cells.A finalidade do presente trabalho foi efetuar um estudo retrospectivo, de 1932 à 1999 , afim de se estabelecer a casuística desses tumores nos arquivos do Departamento de Patologia da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária - USP , bem como a freqüência de desmoplasia, metaplasia cartilaginosa e óssea em 578 desses tumores. Entre os 537 tumores malignos, 13.05% foram adenocarcinomas tubulares simples, 3.91% foram adenocarcinomas tubulares compostos, 7.26% adenocarcinomas papilíferos simples, 4.28% adenocarcinomas papilíferos compostos, 23.27% cistoadenocarcinomas papilíferos simples, 8.37% cistoadenocarcinomas papilíferos compostos, 16.38% adenocarcinomas sólidos simples, 6.70% adenocarcinomas sólidos compostos, 2.04% carcinomas de células espinhosas simples, 1.11% carcinomas de células espinhosas compostos, 2.79% carcinomas mucinosos ,8.19% carcinomas anaplásicos ,0.93% carcinomas escamosos, 1.30% fibrossarcomas,.0.18% condrossarcoma, 0.18% osteossarcoma e entre os 41 tumores benignos ,51.21% foram adenomas, 12.19% cistadenomas pailíferos,7.31% papilomas, 4.87% fibroadenomas e 24.39% foram fibroadenomas. Tanto a desmoplasia como a metaplasia foi um achado freqüente nas neoplasias benignas e malignas, mas foram mais freqüentes entre os adenocarcinomas tubulares compostos: 38% apresentaram desmoplasia, 57% metaplasia cartilaginosa e 28% metaplasia óssea. Entre as neoplasias benignas, adenoma apresentou a maior frequência: 14 % com desmoplasia, 29% com metaplasia cartilaginosa e 24% com metaplasia óssea. Os resultados deste estudo enfatizam a complexidade da inter-relação entre as macromoléculas da matriz extracelular e as células tumorais

Estudo histoquímico de proteínas fibrilares da matriz extracelular em neoplasias mamárias benignas e malignas na espécie canina

The aim of the present study was to study some of the proteins that form the extracellular matrix of 54 benign and malignant mammary neoplasms in dogs, using histochemical methods: Picrosirius and polarization microscopy for collagenous fibers, Gordon -Sweats's method for reticular fibers and Weigert's fucsine-resorcine method for elastic fibers. A large variability in quantity, distribution and characteristics of the matrix components was observed in the different types of neoplasms. Collagen type I, III and elements of the elastic system had different distribution in benign and malignant neoplasms. The simple Picrossirius method and under polarization enabled visualization of collagen as thick fibers irregularly distributed in the stroma of carcinomas and in a more orderly and regular fashion in benign neoplasms. A smaller amount of thin fibers was observed in an irregular and random disposition in carcinomas and in a regular disposition in benign neoplasms . Under polarization, the fibers present different lengths, were yellowish or reddish and strongly birefringent, what suggested that they were collagen type I and in the middle of these fibers, other ones, pale, greenish and weakly birefringent, some of them thinner, possibly collagen type III were observed. In the stroma of carcinoma, fibers were mostly thick, strongly birefringent, yellowish or reddish, disposed in an irregular and random fashion, mainly in the central areas. In condrometaplasic areas, both in malignant and benign neoplasms, there was a collagen population composed by thin fibers in a parallel disposition, limiting narrow regions where condrocytes were aligned. Around this area, there was a collagen population formed by bundles of thick anastomosed fibers, irregularly disposed in carcinomas and orderly, in a parallel fashion in benign neoplasms. Under polarization demonstrated that this population, among condrocytes, was formed by weakly birefringent fibers, pale and yellowish, what suggested a collagen type II pattern. The use of reticular fibers staining by Gordon & Sweats, enabled a visualization of collagen as thin fibers disposed not only in the dense stromas but also in the loose ones. These fibers presented variable density, but were found mainly around acini and tubules. In relation to the presence elements of the elastic system in benign and malignant tumors, it may be observed that they predominate in the malignant ones, mainly in the pseudocapsule and around acini and tubules. Elements of the elastic system were not observed in the specimens when they were submitted to Weigert's staining without oxidation. When the same material was submitted to Weigert's staining with oxidation , oxytalan fibers were more evidently around acini and tubules, as well as in the pseudocapsule. Elements of the elastic system were in the ECM, both in samples submitted to staining with oxidation and without it and this was similar for benign and malignant tumors. Results of this study emphasize the profound structural changes in collagenous and fibrous components of the extracellular matrix elastic system of mammary neoplasms in dogs.A finalidade do presente trabalho foi estudar algumas das proteínas fibrilares da matriz extracelular de 54 neoplasias mamárias benignas e malignas na espécie canina, utilizando métodos histoquímicos: Picrosirius associado à polarização para fibras colágenas , método de Gordon - Sweats para fibras reticulares e método de Weigert com e sem oxidação para fibras elásticas. Evidenciou-se na matriz uma grande variabilidade na quantidade, distribuição e características dos componentes matriciais presentes nos diferentes tipos de neoplasias. Detectou-se, assim, colágeno I, III e elementos do sistema elástico, distribuídos diferentemente nas neoplasias benignas e malignas. O método Picrosirius simples e associado à polarização permitiu a visualização do colágeno sob a forma de fibras espessas distribuídas irregularmente no estroma dos carcinomas e de modo mais ordenado e regular nas neoplasias benignas e, fibras mais finas, em menor quantidade, irregularmente e aleatoriamente dispostas nos carcinomas e regularmente nas neoplasias benigna. Sob luz polarizada os feixes de fibras colágenas , apresentaram diferentes comprimentos, avermelhados ou amarelados e fortemente birrefringentes, sugerindo serem colágeno tipo I e, entremeando as fibras, algumas mais finas ,pálidas, esverdeadas e fracamente birrefringentes, presumivelmente colágeno tipo III. Em áreas condrometaplásicas, tanto nos carcinomas como nas neoplasias benignas notou-se que os feixes colágenos apresentavam-se com fibras finas, paralelas, limitando regiões estreitas onde os condrócitos se aninhavam, e, rodeando esta área, feixes de fibras espessas, anastomosadas, dispostas irregularmente nos carcinomas e ordenadamente e paralelas nas neoplasias benignas. Sob luz polarizada, essa população entre condrócitos era formada por fibras pálidas e amareladas, sugerindo padrão tipo II e na faixa circundante, feixes fortemente birrefringentes, sugerindo o padrão do colágeno tipo I.. O uso do método - Gordon & Sweats, permitiu a visualização do colágeno sob a forma de fibras finas, dispostas tanto nos estromas densos como nos frouxos, com densidade variada mas, principalmente , margeando os ácinos e túbulos. Quanto à presença do sistema elástico em tumores benignos e malignos, verificou-se que há predomínio dessas fibras nos malignos, principalmente na pseudocápsula e ao redor de ácinos e túbulos. Elementos do sistema elástico não foram observados em espécimes submetidos à coloração de Weigert sem oxidação. Neste mesmo material, com oxidação, as fibras oxitalâmicas foram mais evidentes principalmente ao redor de ácinos, túbulos e pseudocápsula. Elementos do sistema elástico na (MEC) foram raros, tanto em amostras com e sem oxidação. Isto pode ser observado de maneira semelhante tanto em tumores benignos e malignos. Os resultados deste estudo enfatizam as profundas alterações estruturais dos componentes colagenosos e fibras do sistema elástico na matriz extracelular de neoplasias mamárias da espécie canina

Regulación neuroendocrina del sistema inmune

El sistema inmune recibe señales del sistema nervioso central (cerebro) vía el sistema nervioso autónomo y el sistema endocrino. El sistema inmune, a su vez, envía información al cerebro vía citocinas. Este sistema de retroalimentación es vital para el funcionamiento adecuado del organismo en situaciones normales, y en aquellas en las que la homeostasis se ve perturbada, como en casos de estrés, consumo de drogas (terapéuticas o de abuso), enfermedades infecciosas y cáncer

SiO Outflows in the Most Luminous and Massive Protostellar Sources of the Southern Sky

(Abridged) High-mass star formation is far less understood than low-mass star formation. It entails molecular outflows, which disturb the protostellar clump. Studying these outflows and the shocked gas they cause is key for a better understanding of this process. This study aims to characterise the behaviour of molecular outflows in the most massive protostellar sources in the Southern Galaxy by looking for evolutionary trends and associating shocked gas with outflow activity. We present APEX SEPIA180 observations (beamwidth $\sim$36") of SiO outflow candidates of a sample of 32 luminous and dense clumps, candidates to harbouring Hot Molecular Cores. We study the SiO(4-3) line emission, an unambiguous tracer of shocked gas and recent outflow activity, the HCO$^+$(2-1) and H$^{13}$CO$^+$(2-1) lines. 78% of our sample present SiO emission. Nine of these also have wings in the HCO$^+$ line, indicating outflow activity. The SiO emission of these 9 sources is more intense and wider than the rest, suggesting that the outflows in this group are faster and more energetic. Three positive correlations between the outflow properties were found, which suggest that more energetic outflows bear to mobilise more material. No correlation was found between the evolutionary stage indicator $L/M$ and SiO outflow properties, supporting that outflows happen throughout the whole high-mass star formation process. We conclude that sources with both SiO emission and HCO$^+$ wings and sources with only SiO emission are in virtually the same advanced stage of evolution in the high-mass star formation process. The former present more massive and more powerful SiO outflows than the latter. Thus, looking for more outflow signatures such as HCO$^+$ wings could help identify more massive and active massive star-forming regions in samples of similarly evolved sources, as well as sources with older outflow activity.Comment: 24 pages, 37 figures, 11 table

Consultoría para el diseño y documentación estructural de un sistema de gestión de calidad basado en la Norma ISO 9001-2015, en el proceso de inspección de la Dirección General de Inspección de Trabajo del Ministerio de Trabajo y Previsión Social (MTPS).

Las inspecciones de trabajo en El Salvador son mecanismos de control gubernamental realizadas por el Ministerio de Trabajo y Previsión Social a través de la Dirección General de Inspección de Trabajo; que tiene como objeto velar por el cumplimiento de las disposiciones legales relativas a las condiciones de trabajo y a la protección de los trabajadores en el ejercicio de su profesión; tales como las disposiciones sobre horas de trabajo, salarios, seguridad, higiene y bienestar, empleo de adolescentes y demás disposiciones afines. Los repentinos y generalizados trastornos en los mercados nacionales de trabajo, unido a la actual crisis financiera y económica, así como la pandemia COVID-19, han hecho difícil a los inspectores de trabajo promover y garantizar la conformidad con la legislación laboral. El Ministerio de Trabajo ha identificado como a raíz de la pandemia COVID-19 se ha visto afectado el servicio público y las relaciones con los usuarios; teniendo que cambiar las estrategias, metodologías y procedimientos operativos implementados en las inspecciones de trabajo para adaptarse a la "nueva normalidad" (teletrabajo, el seguimiento electrónico de casos, entre otros), a la nueva normativa nacional vigente y poder actuar eficazmente; asumiendo así la necesidad de adoptar nuevas tecnologías y estándares internacionales de carácter certificable como lo es la Norma ISO 9001: 2015, la cual contiene los requisitos para la adopción de un Sistema de Gestión de Calidad que le permita proporcionar servicios de inspección del trabajo más eficientes. La Dirección General de Inspección de Trabajo, a través del Departamentos de Inspección de Industria y Comercio y el Departamento de Inspección Agrícola, realiza las inspecciones de trabajo a nivel nacional, con el objeto de hacer frente a los retos actuales del MTPS, por lo que el presente trabajo de graduación denominado “Consultoría para el diseño y documentación estructural de un Sistema de Gestión de Calidad basado en la norma ISO 9001:2015, en el proceso de Inspección de la Dirección General de Inspección de Trabajo del Ministerio de Trabajo y Previsión Social” busca el fortalecimiento de los procesos, el mejoramiento de los servicios y la satisfacción de los clientes internos y externos. El desarrollo del diagnóstico de la situación actual de la DGIT permitió determinar que su SGC contaba con un 38% de porcentaje de cumplimiento global de los requisitos de la Norma ISO 9001: 2015, lo cual indica que el nivel de madurez de dicho sistema era INCIPIENTE, y que aún estaba en la etapa de nacimiento. La Tabla 1 muestra el porcentaje de cumplimiento obtenido por cada apartado de la norma, el análisis detallado de estos resultados proporcionó al equipo los lineamientos para la elaboración de la estructura documental del SGC. Tabla 1: Nivel de Madurez del SGC de la DGIT, % de Cumplimiento y % de Brecha RESULTADOS DEL NIVEL DE MADUREZ DEL SGC DE LA DGIT Apartado de la Norma ISO 9001: 2015 % de Cumplimiento Nivel de Madurez % de Brecha 4. CONTEXTO DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN 26% INCIPIENTE 74% 5. LIDERAZGO 41% EN DESARROLLO 59% 6. PLANIFICACIÓN 14% NULO 86% 7. APOYO 43% EN DESARROLLO 57% 8. PLANIFICACIÓN Y OPERACIÓN 48% EN DESARROLLO 52% 9. EVALUACIÓN DEL DESEMPEÑO 40% EN DESARROLLO 60% 10. MEJORA 13% NULO 87% TOTAL % DE CUMPLIMIENTO 38% NIVEL DE MADUREZ GLOBAL INCIPIENTE Fuente: Elaboración propia a partir de los resultados del cuestionario de la Norma ISO 9001: 2015 La Tabla 2 muestra cinco estrategias desarrolladas para mejorar en el corto plazo la situación actual del proceso de inspección de trabajo de la DGIT, estrategias que implicaron la ejecución de las diferentes acciones necesarias para que el SGC llegara a un nivel de madurez COMPETITIVO, facilitando así la certificación del proceso en un futuro cercano, de forma tal que los servicios son proporcionados de acuerdo a estándares internacionales, permitiendo a la DGIT tomar acciones necesarias para hacer frente a los efectos de la pandemia COVID-19 en las inspecciones de trabajo y responder a las nuevas necesidades del mercado laboral. Tabla 2: Estrategias para mejorar en el corto plazo la situación actual del proceso de inspección de trabajo de la DGIT Estrategia 1 Aplicar una política, objetivos de la calidad y la planificación para lograrlos Estrategia 2 Mejora continua del proceso de inspección de trabajo de la Dirección General de Inspección de Trabajo Estrategia 3 Fortalecimiento del liderazgo Estrategia 4 Realizar auditorías del Sistema de Gestión de Calidad en base a la Norma ISO 9001: 2015 Estrategia 5 Reestructurar el diseño de la infraestructura y adecuar los recursos utilizados para brindar los servicios Fuente: Elaboración propia a partir del diagnóstico de la DGI

Towards Energy-Aware Federated Traffic Prediction for Cellular Networks

Cellular traffic prediction is a crucial activity for optimizing networks in fifth-generation (5G) networks and beyond, as accurate forecasting is essential for intelligent network design, resource allocation and anomaly mitigation. Although machine learning (ML) is a promising approach to effectively predict network traffic, the centralization of massive data in a single data center raises issues regarding confidentiality, privacy and data transfer demands. To address these challenges, federated learning (FL) emerges as an appealing ML training framework which offers high accurate predictions through parallel distributed computations. However, the environmental impact of these methods is often overlooked, which calls into question their sustainability. In this paper, we address the trade-off between accuracy and energy consumption in FL by proposing a novel sustainability indicator that allows assessing the feasibility of ML models. Then, we comprehensively evaluate state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) architectures in a federated scenario using real-world measurements from base station (BS) sites in the area of Barcelona, Spain. Our findings indicate that larger ML models achieve marginally improved performance but have a significant environmental impact in terms of carbon footprint, which make them impractical for real-world applications.Comment: International Symposium on Federated Learning Technologies and Applications (FLTA), 202

Habilidades motrices y su relación con las actividades y creencias parentales en preescolares; comparaciones por nivel socio-económico

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the relationship between preschoolers’ gross and fine motor skills, parent reported frequency of motor activities, and parental beliefs about motor development in different socio-economic contexts. Seventy-five parents and their children from low and high socio-economic status participated in the study. The frequency with which parents engaged in motor activities with their children and their beliefs about motor development were assessed using a questionnaire; children’s motor skills were assessed using the fine and gross motor skill subscales from the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-2). Results show that parents report that they consider the development of fine- as more important than gross motor skills. Children from Low SES performed better on the gross motor skill assessment than their higher SES counterparts, however, performance did not differ by SES on the fine motor skill assessment. We conclude that the development of motor skills in preschool does not appear to be associated to parental beliefs or to parent reported frequency of motor activities; however, we did find differences by SES on children’s performance.El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar cómo se relacionan las habilidades motrices gruesas y finas en preescolares, la frecuencia de actividades motrices reportadas por los padres y las creencias sobre el desarrollo motor en diferente Nivel Socio-Económico (NSE). Participaron 75 padres de familia y sus respectivos hijos de NSE bajo y alto. La frecuencia con que realizan actividades motrices con sus hijos y sus creencias sobre el desarrollo motor se registraron por medio de un cuestionario; las habilidades motrices se evaluaron con las sub-escales de motricidad fina y gruesa del Inventario de Desarrollo Battelle (BDI-2). En los resultados los padres afirmaron      otorgar mayor importancia al desarrollo de la motricidad fina que al desarrollo de la motricidad gruesa. Los niños de NSE bajo obtuvieron una puntuación más alta en motricidad gruesa que sus pares de NSE alto, sin embargo no se encontraron diferencias entre las puntuaciones de motricidad fina entre      ambos grupos. Concluimos que el desarrollo de las habilidades motrices en preescolar no parece estar asociado a las creencias de los padres ni a la frecuencia con que suelen realizar actividades motrices con sus hijos; sin embargo existen diferencias por NSE en el desempeño de los menores