Albendazole versus Praziquantel in the Treatment of Neurocysticercosis: A Meta-analysis of Comparative Trials

Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic disease caused by the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, when the larval form of the parasite lodges in the central nervous system. This disease is most commonly found among members of agricultural societies with poor sanitary conditions and economies based on breeding livestock (especially pigs) with low hygiene standards. It is a disease with long history in humans, and the usual therapeutic intervention was surgery until the development of antiparasitic cysticidal agents, the most common being praziquantel and albendazole. T. solium infection can take many different forms in humans, but we concentrated on parenchymal neurocysticercosis with viable cysts. A consensus statement by a panel of experts on the subject supports the use of antiparasitic treatment, but does not indicate either albendazole or praziquantel as the drug of choice for this type of neurocysticercosis, because data from single relevant clinical trials are not conclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis to further evaluate the comparative effectiveness and safety of albendazole and praziquantel for this particular type of neurocysticercosis. The outcomes of our meta-analysis suggest that albendazole is more effective than praziquantel in controlling seizures in affected patients and in leading to the total disappearance of cysts and subsequently cure of patients with neurocysticercosis

Receiver operating characteristic curves and statistic analysis of medical data

98 σ.Ο στόχος της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η μελέτη των ROC καμπυλών καθώς και η εφαρμογή αυτών σε πραγματικά ιατρικά δεδομένα. Οι καμπύλες λειτουργικού χαρακτηριστικού δέκτη, ή αλλιώς, ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic curves), αποτελούν ένα αρκετά δημοφιλές στατιστικό εργαλείο που περιγράφει την διαγνωστική ακρίβεια διαφόρων δοκιμασιών σε πολλούς επιστημονικούς κλάδους όπως για παράδειγμα στην Ιατρική. Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο, αναλύονται κάποιες βασικές έννοιες και ορισμοί από την ROC Ανάλυση όπως ειδικότητα και ευαισθησία, λόγοι πιθανοφάνειας και εμβαδόν κάτω από την καμπύλη χαρακτηριστικού δέκτη. Επίσης, παρουσιάζονται οι λόγοι χρήσης μιας ROC καμπύλης όπως η εκτίμηση της διακριτικής ικανότητας μια δοκιμασίας, η σύγκριση της διακριτικής ικανότητας δύο ή περισσοτέρων δοκιμασιών για τη διάγνωση του ίδιου νοσήματος, καθώς και η επιλογή του βέλτιστου διαχωριστικού ορίου μιας δοκιμασίας. Στη συνέχεια, διεξήχθη μία στατιστική ανάλυση των ιατρικών δεδομένων με σκοπό να αποκτήσει ο αναγνώστης μια ολοκληρωμένη εικόνα για το διαθέσιμο δείγμα. Στο τρίτο και τελευταίο κεφάλαιο, παρουσιάζεται η ROC ανάλυση που πραγματοποιήθηκε στο διαθέσιμο δείγμα, με στόχο την εύρεση παραγόντων που επηρεάζουν την έκβαση νοσηλείας ατόμων που εισήχθησαν στο νοσοκομείο ή την αναγκαιότητα διενέργειας επέμβασης κατά τη διάρκεια παραμονής τους σε αυτό.The purpose of this thesis, is to study the ROC curves, as well as to present its applications in medical data. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves, represent a rather popular statistical tool used in order to describe the diagnostic accuracy of different tests in many scientific areas such as medicine. Firstly, basic terminals and definitions are presented such as specificity and sensitivity, likelihood ratios and the area under the curve (AUC). Next, a statistical analysis of the medical data was performed in order to study the available sample. Furthermore, the use of ROC Analysis is presented such as the estimation of a resolution test, the comparison between two or more assays for the diagnosis of the same disease, and the optimal cut-off point of an assay. In the third and last chapter, ROC analysis of the available sample is presented. The aim of this analysis, is to determine significant factors, such as the outcome of the hospitalization of patients, or the necessity of intervention.Ελένη Σ. Αδαμίδ

A Safety System for Human Radiation Protection and Guidance in Extreme Environmental Conditions

We present a safety system designed to ensure human radiation protection and provide real-time guidance in extreme environmental conditions. This system was developed and tested in the complex experimental infrastructure of the ATLAS underground cavern at CERN, where personnel safety is crucial, especially during maintenance periods. Safety in such environments is challenging and extremely important due to the high complexity of the working space, the radioactivity, and the stress that people experience. The safety system we propose consists of three sub-systems: a data acquisition (DAQ) system, a control system (CS), and a remote monitoring system (MS). The DAQ system acquires data wirelessly from various environmental and biological sensors installed in the outfit of the user. The CS controls and creates alerts to warn the user in case of emergency. The MS is developed to remotely supervise the health status of the personnel and provide real-time guidance during the performance of complex activities inside the ATLAS cavern. Radiation background monitoring is also achieved through the MS via the communication of the DAQ system with a gamma camera placed in the cavern. This system is developed to supervise multiple interventions and communicate with numerous users in real time, and it is adaptable to various extreme environmental conditions