Image diagnosis for evaluation of heterotopic ossification

UNIFESP-EPM DDIDiagnósticos da AméricaUNIFESP-EPMHospital São LuizUNIFESP, EPM, DDIUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Biomedical data management and processing - a new framework

The integration of information from biomedical devices is of fundamental importance for effective medical diagnosis. In this sense, the present work aimed to develop a new framework able to manage and process biomedical data in real time. The major advantage of the proposed solution is the ability to add new medical devices and integrate their results with the existing ones. The devices tested include brainwave sensors, a baropodometric treadmill and a biomedical kit composed of a patient position sensor (accelerometer), glucometer, body temperature, blood pressure, pulse and oxygen in blood, airflow, galvanic skin response and electrocardiogram sensors. From the tests conducted, it can be concluded that the proposed framework is robust, accurate and fast, and can manage and process large volumes of data in real time. Customizable graphs can be built from the electroencephalogramsignals acquired during patient gait, which can be analyzed based on barographic image registration. Finally, it can be concluded that the framework is quite promising to be used to assist medical diagnosis and improve and accelerate the treatment of patients

Limited risk of Zika virus transmission by five Aedes albopictus populations from Spain

Background: Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is an exotic invasive species in Europe. It has substantial public health relevance due to its potential role in transmitting several human pathogens. Out of the European countries, Spain has one of the highest risk levels of autochthonous arbovirus transmission due to both the high density of Ae. albopictus and the extensive tourist influx from vector-endemic areas. This study aims to investigate the susceptibility of five Ae. albopictus populations from mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands to a Brazilian Zika virus (ZIKV) strain. Methods: The F1 generation of each Ae. albopictus population was orally challenged with a ZIKV-infected blood meal (1.8 × 10 PFU/ml). At 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi), mosquito bodies (thorax and abdomen) and heads were individually analysed through RT-qPCR to determine the infection rate (IR) and dissemination rate (DR), respectively. The saliva of infected mosquitoes was inoculated in Vero cells and the transmission rate was assessed by plaque assay or RT-qPCR on ∼33 individuals per population. Results: The IR and DR ranged between 12-88%, and 0-60%, respectively, suggesting that ZIKV is capable of crossing the midgut barrier. Remarkably, no infectious viral particle was found in saliva samples, indicating a low ability of ZIKV to overcome the salivary gland barrier. A subsequent assay revealed that a second non-infective blood meal 48 h after ZIKV exposure did not influence Ae. albopictus vector competence. Conclusions: The oral experimental ZIKV infections performed here indicate that Ae. albopictus from Spain become infected and disseminate the virus through the body but has a limited ability to transmit the Brazilian ZIKV strain through biting. Therefore, the results suggest a limited risk of autochthonous ZIKV transmission in Spain by Ae. albopictus

Will ultrathin CIGS solar cells overtake the champion thin-film cells? Updated SCAPS baseline models reveal main differences between ultrathin and standard CIGS

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells are amongst the best performing thin-film technologies, with the latest performance gains being mainly due to recent years improvements obtained with post-deposition treatments (PDT). Moreover, thinning of the absorber layer down to sub-micrometre values (ultrathin absorbers) is of extreme importance for CIGS to be even more cost-effective and sustainable. However, electrical and optical limitations, such as rear interface recombination and insufficient light absorption, prevent the widespread implementation of ultrathin CIGS devices. The recent electrical CIGS simulation baseline models have failed to keep up with the experimental developments. Here an updated and experimentally based baseline model for electrical simulations in the Solar Cell Capacitor Simulator (SCAPS) software is presented and discussed with the incorporation of the PDT effects and increased optical accuracy with the support from Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulation results. Furthermore, a champion solar cell with an equivalent architecture validates the developed thin-film model. The baseline model is also applied to ultrathin CIGS solar cell devices, validated with the ultrathin champion cell. Ultimately, these ultrathin models pave the way for an ultrathin baseline model. Simulations results reveal that addressing these absorbers' inherent limitations makes it possible to achieve an ultrathin solar cell with at least 21.0% power conversion efficiency, with open-circuit voltage values even higher than the recent thin-film champion cells.This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecno-logia (FCT) grant numbers DFA/BD/7073/2020, DFA/BD/4564/2020, SFRH/BD/146776/2019, IF/00133/2015, UIDB/50025/2020, UIDP/50025/2020, UIDB/04730/2020, and UIDP/04730/2020. The authors want to acknowledge the funding from the project NovaCell (PTDC/ CTM-CTM/28075/2017). The authors also acknowledge the financial support of the project Baterias 2030, with the reference POCI-01-0247-FEDER-046109, co-funded by Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDFinfo:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

Resting Heart Rate as Predictor for Left Ventricular Dysfunction and Heart Failure MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis)

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between baseline resting heart rate and incidence of heart failure (HF) and global and regional left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.BackgroundThe association of resting heart rate to HF and LV function has not been well described in an asymptomatic multi-ethnic population.MethodsResting heart rate was measured in participants in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) trial at inclusion. Incident HF was registered (n = 176) during follow-up (median 7 years) in those who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (n = 5,000). Changes in ejection fraction (ΔEF) and peak circumferential strain (Δεcc) were measured as markers of developing global and regional LV dysfunction in 1,056 participants imaged at baseline and 5 years later. Time to HF (Cox model) and Δεcc and ΔEF (multiple linear regression models) were adjusted for demographics, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, calcium score, LV end-diastolic volume, and mass in addition to resting heart rate.ResultsCox analysis demonstrated that for 1 beat/min increase in resting heart rate, there was a 4% greater adjusted relative risk for incident HF (hazard ratio: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.06; p < 0.001). Adjusted multiple regression models demonstrated that resting heart rate was positively associated with deteriorating εcc and decrease in EF, even when all coronary heart disease events were excluded from the model.ConclusionsElevated resting heart rate was associated with increased risk for incident HF in asymptomatic participants in the MESA trial. Higher heart rate was related to development of regional and global LV dysfunction independent of subclinical atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis [MESA]; NCT00005487

Impact of interaction between chronic variable stress and moderate intensity physical exercise on antibody production in Wistar rats

Stress in its chronic form has been an important factor in the onset of depression. In addition, it can lead to immunosuppression. On the other hand, physical exercise has a protective action on the immune system and reduces the signs and symptoms of stress. Studies on the effects of chronic variable stress (CVS) and moderate intensity physical exercise (MIPE) on humoral immunity are scarce. Thus, in this study, we investigated the interaction between the effects of CVS and MIPE on antibody production. Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (C); physical exercise (P); stress (S); and physical exercise and stress (PS). The P and PS groups were trained in MIPE for six weeks. From the fourth week of the study, concomitant with the MIPE, the S and PS groups were subjected to CVS. To evaluate the production of antibodies, all groups were immunized. Regarding antibody production, it was observed that females in the C and S groups presented higher IgM antibody production in relation to males. Furthermore, the production of IgM was potentiated in males of the PS group. On the other hand, no significant differences were observed in relation to the production of IgG1 and IgG2a. We conclude that CVS prevented the increase in IgM production in male rats and MIPE was effective in reversing the effects of stress on the production of IgM in male rats. On the other hand, the production of IgG1 and IgG2a was not affected by MIPE or CVS