Single trajectory characterization via machine learning

[EN] In order to study transport in complex environments, it is extremely important to determine the physical mechanism underlying diffusion and precisely characterize its nature and parameters. Often, this task is strongly impacted by data consisting of trajectories with short length (either due to brief recordings or previous trajectory segmentation) and limited localization precision. In this paper, we propose a machine learning method based on a random forest architecture, which is able to associate single trajectories to the underlying diffusion mechanism with high accuracy. In addition, the algorithm is able to determine the anomalous exponent with a small error, thus inherently providing a classification of the motion as normal or anomalous (sub- or super-diffusion). The method provides highly accurate outputs even when working with very short trajectories and in the presence of experimental noise. We further demonstrate the application of transfer learning to experimental and simulated data not included in the training/test dataset. This allows for a full, high-accuracy characterization of experimental trajectories without the need of any prior information.This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry MINECO (National Plan 15 Grant: FISICATEAMO No. FIS2016-79508-P, SEVEROOCHOA No. SEV-2015-0522, FPI), European Social Fund, Fundacio Cellex, Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR Grant No. 2017 SGR 1341 and CERCA/Program), ERC AdG OSYRIS, EU FETPRO QUIC, and the National Science Centre, Poland-Symfonia Grant No. 2016/20/W/ST4/00314. CM acknowledges funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Social Fund through the Ramon y Cajal program 2015 (RYC-2015-17896) and the BFU2017-85693-R and from the Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR Grant No. 2017SGR940). GM acknowledges financial support from Fundacio Social La Caixa. MAGM acknowledges funding from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MEFP) through the Beatriz Galindo program 2018 (BEAGAL18/00203). We gratefully acknowledge the support of NVIDIA Corporation with the donation of the Titan Xp GPU.Munoz-Gil, G.; Garcia March, MA.; Manzo, C.; Martin-Guerrero, JD.; Lewenstein, M. (2020). Single trajectory characterization via machine learning. New Journal of Physics. 22(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab6065S1922

Extracellular Tumor-Related mRNA in Plasma of Lymphoma Patients and Survival Implications

BACKGROUND: We studied anomalous extracellular mRNAs in plasma from patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and their survival implications. mRNAs studied have been reported in the literature as markers of poor (BCL2, CCND2, MYC) and favorable outcome (LMO2, BCL6, FN1) in tumors. These markers were also analyzed in lymphoma tissues to test possible associations with their presence in plasma. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: mRNA from 42 plasma samples and 12 tumors from patients with DLBCL was analyzed by real-time PCR. Samples post-treatment were studied. The immunohistochemistry of BCL2 and BCL6 was defined. Presence of circulating tumor cells was determined by analyzing the clonality of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes by PCR. In DLBCL, MYC mRNA was associated with short overall survival. mRNA targets with unfavorable outcome in tumors were associated with characteristics indicative of poor prognosis, with partial treatment response and with short progression-free survival in patients with complete response. In patients with low IPI score, unfavorable mRNA targets were related to shorter overall survival, partial response, high LDH levels and death. mRNA disappeared in post-treatment samples of patients with complete response, and persisted in those with partial response or death. No associations were found between circulating tumor cells and plasma mRNA. Absence of BCL6 protein in tumors was associated with presence of unfavorable plasma mRNA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Through a non-invasive procedure, tumor-derived mRNAs can be obtained in plasma. mRNA detected in plasma did not proceed from circulating tumor cells. In our study, unfavorable targets in plasma were associated with poor prognosis in B-cell lymphomas, mainly MYC mRNA. Moreover, the unfavorable targets in plasma could help us to classify patients with poor outcome within the good prognosis group according to IPI

Entropy based parametrization of soils: Models and Tools

Particle-size distribution (PSD) is a fundamental soil physical property. The PSD is commonly reported in terms of the mass percentages of sand, silt and clay present

Measuring the Burden of Hospitalization in Patients with Parkinson´s Disease in Spain

Introduction: This epidemiological survey estimates the hospitalization burden related to Parkinson´s Disease in Spain. Methods: This observational retrospective survey was performed by reviewing data from the National Surveillance System for Hospital Data, which includes more than 98% of Spanish hospitals. All hospitalizations of patients with Parkinson´s disease that were reported from 1997-2012 were analyzed. Codes were selected using the 9th International Classification of Diseases: ICD-9-CM: 332.0. Results: A total of 438,513 hospital discharges of patients with Parkinson´s Disease were reported during the study period. The annual hospitalization rate was 64.2 cases per 100,000. The average length of hospital stay was 10 days. The trend for the annual hospitalization rate differed significantly depending on whether Parkinson´s disease was the main cause of hospitalization (n = 23,086, 1.14% annual increase) or was not the main cause of hospitalization (n = 415,427, 15.37% annual increase). The overall case-fatality rate among hospitalized patients was 10%. The case fatality rate among patient´s hospitalized with Parkinson´s disease as the main cause of hospitalization was 2.5%. The hospitalization rate and case-fatality rate significantly increased with age. The primary causes of hospitalization when Parkinson´s disease was not coded as the main cause of hospitalization were as follows: respiratory system diseases (24%), circulatory system diseases (19%), injuries and poisoning, including fractures (12%), diseases of the digestive system (10%) and neoplasms (5%). The annual average cost for National Health Care System was € 120 M, with a mean hospitalization cost of €4,378. Conclusions: Parkinson´s disease poses a significant health threat in Spain, particularly in the elderly. While hospitalizations due to Parkinson´s Disease are relatively stable over time, the number of patients presenting with Parkinson´s disease as an important comorbidity has increased dramatically. Medical staff must be specifically trained to treat the particular needs of hospitalized patients suffering from Parkinson´s disease as an important comorbidity.Funding sources for study: The cathedra “Evaluación de Resultados en Salud. Rey Juan Carlos University” is sponsored by Abbvie.S

Evolución de la superficie hortícola en los partidos de Luján, Exaltación de la Cruz (2005 – 2015) y Zárate (2010 – 2015), provincia de Buenos Aires

Los partidos de Luján, Exaltación de la Cruz y Zárate conforman el límite noroeste del área metropolitana de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, emplazándose sobre la pampa ondulada alta. El objetivo fue estimar la dinámica del uso de la tierra para la producción hortícola en la región. Se utilizaron imágenes satelitales, de disponibilidad pública, utilizando la plataforma GEO INTA. Se delimitó cada partido y se establecieron las zonas hortícolas. Se calculó la superficie total, restando la superficie de áreas no productivas, estimando la superficie con producción a campo e invernadero; calculando la evolución de la superficie mediante imágenes disponibles en Google Earth (2005-2015 para Luján y Exaltación de la Cruz; 2010-2015 para Zárate). El área presenta una superficie bruta total de 985,2 ha. Restándole la superficie sin uso se obtuvo un total de 128,5 ha en Luján, 520,5 ha a Exaltación de la Cruz y 167,1 ha a Zárate, lo que representa un incremento del 49%, 32% y 40%, respectivamente, para los periodos considerados. La superficie de invernaderos es de 19,5 ha en Luján, 74,5 ha en Exaltación de la Cruz y 8,7 ha en Zárate, representando incrementos de 14,7; 5,3 y 1,52 veces la superficie original. Si bien el incremento de la superficie es elevado en todos los partidos, se pudo observar la intensificación de la producción mediante el aumento de la superficie cubierta.EEA San PedroFil: García, Leonardo Martín. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Pedro. Agencia de Extensión Rural Zárate; ArgentinaFil: Paganini, Adolfo Hernán. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Pedro. Agencia de Extensión Rural Zárate; ArgentinaFil: Puerta, Analia Veronica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Floricultura; ArgentinaFil: Sangiacomo, Miguel Angel. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Garbi, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Tecnología; Argentin

Subclinical hypothyroidism in childhood, treatment or only follow-up?

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is defined as serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) above the upper limit with normal concentrations of free T4 (fT4). Its management remains challenging. The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical and laboratory findings as well as the clinical course of children with SH followed in a third level hospital. Sixty-five patients aged between 2 and 18 years old were retrospectively studied. The patients were followed for a median period of 9 months (range 6 months to 24 months). Those who normalized TSH levels were discharged (Group 1). If TSH persisted mildly elevated (5-10μUI/mL) with normal fT4 and negative TPOAb/TgAb, they were classified as Group 2 and followed semi-annually without treatment. Those patients whose TSH raised ≥10μUI/mL or who maintained TSH 5-10μUI/mL and positive TPOAb/TgAb were considered suitable for thyroxin therapy (Group 3, G3). In 89% of our patients, TSH concentrations spontaneously reverted to normality or remained stable without treatment (Groups 1 and 2), whereas less than 11% progressed to clinical hypothyroidism (Group 3). Baseline TSH was significantly lower in group 1 than in group 3. In group 3 the prevalence of female sex (71%) was higher and TPO antibodies were present in 85% of patients. The risk of developing overt hypothyroidism in patients with positive anti-thyroid antibodies respect to those who normalized TSH was 45 (95%CI 6.5-312.5). Baseline TSH, female sex and the presence of thyroid autoimmunity were the best predictors of the evolution to SH over time

Randomized crossover pharmacokinetic evaluation of subcutaneous versus intravenous granisetron in cancer patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: 5-HT3-receptor antagonists are one of the mainstays of antiemetic treatment, and they are administered either i.v. or orally. Nevertheless, sometimes neither administration route is feasible, such as in patients unable to admit oral intake managed in an outpatient setting. Our objective was to evaluate the bioavailability of s.c. granisetron. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy were randomized to receive 3 mg of granisetron either s.c. or i.v. in a crossover manner during two cycles. Blood and urine samples were collected after each cycle. Pharmacokinetic parameters observed with each administration route were compared by analysis of variance. RESULTS: From May to November 2005, 31 patients were included and 25 were evaluable. Subcutaneous granisetron resulted in a 27% higher area under the concentration-time curve for 0-12 hours (AUC(0-12h)) and higher levels at 12 hours, with similar values for AUC(0-24h). The maximum concentration was lower with the s.c. than with the i.v. route and was observed 30 minutes following s.c. administration. CONCLUSION: Granisetron administered s.c. achieves complete bioavailability. This is the first study that shows that s.c. granisetron might be a valid alternative to i.v. delivery. Further trials to confirm clinical equivalence are warranted. This new route of administration might be especially relevant for outpatient management of emesis in cancer patients

Grupo español de cirugía torácica asistida por videoimagen: método, auditoría y resultados iniciales de una cohorte nacional prospectiva de pacientes tratados con resecciones anatómicas del pulmón

Introduction: our study sought to know the current implementation of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for anatomical lung resections in Spain. We present our initial results and describe the auditing systems developed by the Spanish VATS Group (GEVATS). Methods: we conducted a prospective multicentre cohort study that included patients receiving anatomical lung resections between 12/20/2016 and 03/20/2018. The main quality controls consisted of determining the recruitment rate of each centre and the accuracy of the perioperative data collected based on six key variables. The implications of a low recruitment rate were analysed for '90-day mortality' and 'Grade IIIb-V complications'. Results: the series was composed of 3533 cases (1917 VATS; 54.3%) across 33 departments. The centres' median recruitment rate was 99% (25-75th:76-100%), with an overall recruitment rate of 83% and a data accuracy of 98%. We were unable to demonstrate a significant association between the recruitment rate and the risk of morbidity/mortality, but a trend was found in the unadjusted analysis for those centres with recruitment rates lower than 80% (centres with 95-100% rates as reference): grade IIIb-V OR=0.61 (p=0.081), 90-day mortality OR=0.46 (p=0.051). Conclusions: more than half of the anatomical lung resections in Spain are performed via VATS. According to our results, the centre's recruitment rate and its potential implications due to selection bias, should deserve further attention by the main voluntary multicentre studies of our speciality. The high representativeness as well as the reliability of the GEVATS data constitute a fundamental point of departure for this nationwide cohort