Road traffic collisions in Malawi: Trends and patterns of mortality on scene

Background: Worldwide, 90% of injury deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Road traffic collisions (RTCs) are increasingly common and result in more death and disability in the developing world than in the developed world. We aimed to examine the prehospital case fatality rate from RTCs in Malawi.Material and Methods: A retrospective study was performed utilizing the Malawian National Road Safety Council (NRSC) registry from 2008-2012. The NRSC data were collected at the scene by police officers. Victim, vehicle, and environmental factors were used to describe the characteristics of fatal collisions. Case fatality rate was defined as the number of fatalities divided by the number of people involved in RTCs each year. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of crash scene fatality.Results: A total of 11,467 RTCs were reported by the NRSC between 2008 and 2012. Of these, 34% involved at least one fatality at the scene. The average age of fatalities was 32 years and 82% were male. Drivers of motor vehicles had the lowest odds of mortality following RTCs. Compared to drivers; pedestrians had the highest odds of mortality (OR 39, 95% CI 34, 45) followed by bicyclists (OR 26, 95% CI 22, 31). The average case fatality rate was 17% / year, and showed an increased throughout the study period.Conclusions: RTCs are a common cause of injury in Malawi. Approximately one-third of RTCs involved at least one death at the scene. Pedestrians were particularly vulnerable, exhibiting very high odds of mortality when involved in a road traffic collision. We encourage the use of these data to develop strategies in LMIC countries to protect pedestrians and other road users from RTCs

Characterizing zebra crossing zones using LiDAR data

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanning in urban environments leads to accurate and dense three-dimensional point clouds where the different elements in the scene can be precisely characterized. In this paper, two LiDAR-based algorithms that complement each other are proposed. The first one is a novel profiling method robust to noise and obstacles. It accurately characterizes the curvature, the slope, the height of the sidewalks, obstacles, and defects such as potholes. It was effective for 48 of 49 detected zebra crossings, even in the presence of pedestrians or vehicles in the crossing zone. The second one is a detailed quantitative summary of the state of the zebra crossing. It contains information about the location, the geometry, and the road marking. Coarse grain statistics are more prone to obstacle-related errors and are only fully reliable for 18 zebra crossings free from significant obstacles. However, all the anomalous statistics can be analyzed by looking at the associated profiles. The results can help in the maintenance of urban roads. More specifically, they can be used to improve the quality and safety of pedestrian routesConsellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Grant/Award Numbers: accreditation 2019-2022 ED431G-2019/04, 2022-2024, ED431C2022/16, ED481A-2020/231; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); CiTIUS-Research Center in Intelligent Technologies of the University of Santiago de Compostela as a Research Center of the Galician University System; Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Government of Spain, Grant/Award Number: PID2019-104834GB-I00; National Department of Traffic (DGT) through the project Analysis of Indicators Big-Geodata on Urban Roads for the Dynamic Design of Safe School Roads, Grant/Award Number: SPIP2017-02340S

Rebiopsias en glomerulonefritis asociadas a ANCA: ¿Cuál es su utilidad en la toma de decisiones?

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la utilidad de la rebiopsia renal en pacientes con glomerulonefritis ANCA en la toma de decisiones. Se incluyeron en forma retrospectiva todos los pacientes con glomerulonefritis ANCA diagnosticados por biopsia renal entre enero de 2002 y mayo de 2017. Se revisó la histología de las rebiopsias y fue correlacionada con los hallazgos clínicos (hematuria, proteinuria y caída del filtrado) y resultados histológicos de la primera y segunda biopsia. Sesenta pacientes (77% mujeres) fueron incluidos

TOFPET ASIC for PET applications

A 64-channel ASIC for Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography (TOF PET) imaging has been designed and simulated. The circuit is optimized for the readout of signals pro- duced by the scintillation of a L(Y)SO crystal optically coupled to a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). Developed in the framework of the EndoTOFPET-US collaboration (1), the ASIC is integrated in the external PET plate and performs timing, digitization and data transmission for 511 keV and lower-energy events due to Compton scattering. Multi-event buffering capability allows event rates up to 100 kHz per channel. The channel cell includes a low input impedance low-noise current conveyor and two trans-impedance amplifier branches separately optimized for energy and time resolution. Two voltage mode discriminators generate respectively a fast trigger for accurate timing and a signal for time-over-threshold calcu- lation, used for charge measurement. The digitization of these signals is done by two low-power TDCs, providing coarse and fine time stamps that are saved into a local register and later managed by a global controller, which builds-up the 40-bit event data and runs the interface with the data acquisition back-end. Running at 160 MHz the chip yields a 50 ps time binning and dissipates u 7 mW per channel (simulated for 40 kHz event rate p/channel) for high capacitance photodetectors (9 mm 2 active area Silicon Photomultiplier with 320 pF terminal capacitance). The minimum SNR of 23.5 dB expected with this capacitance should allow triggering on the first photoelectron to achieve the envisaged timing performance for a TOF-PET system

Modified magnetic anisotropy at LaCoO_(3)/La_(0.7)Sr_(0.3)MnO_(3) interfaces

Controlling magnetic anisotropy is an important objective towards engineering novel magnetic device concepts in oxide electronics. In thin film manganites, magnetic anisotropy is weak and it is primarily determined by the substrate, through induced structural distortions resulting from epitaxial mismatch strain. On the other hand, in cobaltites, with a stronger spin orbit interaction, magnetic anisotropy is typically much stronger. In this paper, we show that interfacing La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) with an ultrathin LaCoO3 (LCO) layer drastically modifies the magnetic anisotropy of the manganite, making it independent of the substrate and closer to the magnetic isotropy characterizing its rhombohedral structure. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements evidence a tendency of manganite magnetic moments to point out-of-plane suggesting non collinear magnetic interactions at the interface. These results may be of interest for the design of oxide interfaces with tailored magnetic structures for new oxide devices

Analysis of the mutational landscape of classic Hodgkin lymphoma identifies disease heterogeneity and potential therapeutic targets

Defining the mutational landscape of classic Hodgkin lymphoma is still a major research goal. New targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques may identify pathogenic mechanisms and new therapeutic opportunities related to this disease. We describe the mutational profile of a series of 57 cHL cases, enriched in Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells. Overall, the results confirm the presence of strong genomic heterogeneity. However, several variants were consistently detected in genes related to relevant signaling pathways, such as GM-CSF/IL-3, CBP/EP300, JAK/STAT, NF-kappaB, and numerous variants of genes affecting the B-cell receptor (BCR) pathway, such as BTK, CARD11, BCL10, among others. This unexpectedly high prevalence of mutations affecting the BCR pathway suggests some requirement for active BCR signaling for cHL cell viability. Additionally, incubation of a panel of cHL cellular models with selective BTK inhibitors in vitro constrains cell proliferation and causes cell death. Our results indicate new pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities in this disease

The Pliocene marine megafauna extinction and its impact on functional diversity

The end of the Pliocene marked the beginning of a period of great climatic variability and sea-level oscillations. Here, based on a new analysis of the fossil record, we identify a previously unrecognized extinction event among marine megafauna (mammals, seabirds, turtles and sharks) during this time, with extinction rates three times higher than in the rest of the Cenozoic, and with 36% of Pliocene genera failing to survive into the Pleistocene. To gauge the potential consequences of this event for ecosystem functioning, we evaluate its impacts on functional diversity, focusing on the 86% of the megafauna genera that are associated with coastal habitats. Seven (14%) coastal functional entities (unique trait combinations) disappeared, along with 17% of functional richness (volume of the functional space). The origination of new genera during the Pleistocene created new functional entities and contributed to a functional shift of 21%, but minimally compensated for the functional space lost. Reconstructions show that from the late Pliocene onwards, the global area of the neritic zone significantly diminished and exhibited amplified fluctuations. We hypothesize that the abrupt loss of productive coastal habitats, potentially acting alongside oceanographic alterations, was a key extinction driver. The importance of area loss is supported by model analyses showing that animals with high energy requirements (homeotherms) were more susceptible to extinction. The extinction event we uncover here demonstrates that marine megafauna were more vulnerable to global environmental changes in the recent geological past than previously thought

Situación fitosanitaria de los principales sistemas de producción en el Valle del Cauca durante el año de 1997.

El Instituto Colombiano Agropocuario ICA, as Is ontidad responsablo do Pa sanidad agrlcola y pecuarla del pals a través do Is coordlnaclon, I. planoacion, dirección y ojecucion do programas do protecclon y control do todas lag situacionos do riosgo pare Is productividad agropocuaria uttlizando raclonales criterios do compotltividad, sostoniblildad y oquidad con el proposito do participar efoctivamonto on all dosarrollo economico y social del pals. En oste sontido, ontre los diforontes proyectos quo so ojecutan an al Dopartamonto del Valle del Cauca as oncuontre: Diagnostico, vigilancia y alerts fitosanitarla an los principales sistemas do producclon on 01 Valle del Cauca", quo adelantan los técnicos do Sanidad Vegetal on oats Seccional. Como resultado prollmlnar do [as acciones do Vigitancla Fltosanitarta este documento pretends ponor en conoclmlonto do los usuarlos intermediaries del departamento (ontidades del orden municipal y dopartamontal) Is situaciôn fitosanitaria do los principales sistemas do prcducclón (cane do azUcar, café, algodOn, maiz, sorgo, soya, plétano, banano y tomato) on ol Valle del Cauca durante 1997. Las especies restantos so Inoorporarén al sistema do Informaclôn do Vlgilancla fitosanitaila on Is rnedlda an quo so Involucren como fuentes do informaclón todas In entidados del sector agropecuarlo ubicadal on los municiplos del dopartamento

The Joint Action of Sesquiterpene Lactones from Leaves as an Explanation for the Activity of Cynara cardunculus

The work described herein is a continuation of a previous study centered on the bioprospect of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) leaf extracts through the isolation of secondary metabolites with phytotoxic activity. Chromatographic fractionations of the ethyl acetate extract and spectroscopic analysis showed that the majority of the components were sesquiterpene lactones. Of these compounds, aguerin B, grosheimin, and cynaropicrin were very active on etiolated wheat coleoptile, standard target species, and weed growth. The joint action of binary mixtures of these three active sesquiterpene lactones and one nonactive compound (11,13-dihydroxy-8-desoxygrosheimin) was studied. The activities of fixed-ratio mixtures were assessed on wheat coleoptile. The results can be interpreted with respect to a reference model by considering dose−response analyses and isobolograms with linear regression analyses. A total of 17 binary mixtures at different levels of inhibition (ED25, ED50, and ED75) were studied, and predominantly they responded additively (25). Deviations from additivity included seven synergistic responses and two antagonistic responses. The joint action of major sesquiterpene lactones isolated from C. cardunculus can explain the activities observed in extracts and fractions. The results reported here reiterate the utility of the wheat coleoptile bioassay as a quick tool to detect potential synergistic effects in binary mixtures