Improving deep learning performance with missing values via deletion and compensation

Proceedings of: International Work conference on the Interplay between Natural and Artificial Computation (IWINAC 2015)Missing values in a dataset is one of the most common difficulties in real applications. Many different techniques based on machine learning have been proposed in the literature to face this problem. In this work, the great representation capability of the stacked denoising auto-encoders is used to obtain a new method of imputating missing values based on two ideas: deletion and compensation. This method improves imputation performance by artificially deleting values in the input features and using them as targets in the training process. Nevertheless, although the deletion of samples is demonstrated to be really efficient, it may cause an imbalance between the distributions of the training and the test sets. In order to solve this issue, a compensation mechanism is proposed based on a slight modification of the error function to be optimized. Experiments over several datasets show that the deletion and compensation not only involve improvements in imputation but also in classification in comparison with other classical techniques.The work of A. R. Figueiras-Vidal has been partly supported by Grant Macro-ADOBE (TEC 2015-67719-P, MINECO/FEDER&FSE). The work of J.L. Sancho-Gómez has been partly supported by Grant AES 2017 (PI17/00771, MINECO/FEDER)

Ansiedad entre cuidadores de pacientes con Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica tras el alta hospitalaria

Objective: To identify the factors that influence changes in caregivers anxiety status three months after discharge for acute exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Methodology: Longitudinal study. Participants included 87 caregivers of patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation of COPD. Anxiety was measured at the time of hospitalization and three months after discharge. We measured factors from four domains: context of care, caregiving demands, caregiver resources, and patient characteristics. We used multiple univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to determine changes in anxiety three months later. Univariate and multivariate multiple logistic regressions were used to determine changes in anxiety three months later.Results: A total of 57.5% of caregivers reported anxiety at the time of hospitalization. Of these, 44% had a remission of their anxiety three months after discharge. However, 22% of caregivers who had not experienced anxiety at the hospitalization became anxious at 3 months. The severity of COPD and not receiving help from another caregiver decreased the likelihood of remission of anxiety. Moderately high overload increases the likelihood of experiencing anxiety symptoms.Conclusions: The perception of anxious symptoms is dynamic. Caregivers are likely to recover from anxiety when they receive help from another caregiver and if the patient they are caring for does not have severe COPD.Objetivo: Identificar los factores que influyen en cambios en la ansiedad de los cuidadores tres meses después del alta hospitalaria por exacerbación aguda de la Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica (EPOC).  Metodología: Estudio longitudinal. Participaron 87 cuidadores de pacientes hospitalizados por exacerbación aguda de EPOC. Se midió la ansiedad en el momento de la hospitalización y tres meses después del alta. Además, se midieron potenciales factores asociados a su cambio en cuatro dominios: Contexto del cuidado, demandas del cuidado, recursos y características del paciente. Utilizamos regresiones logísticas múltiples univariadas y multivariadas para determinar los cambios en la ansiedad tres meses después. Resultados: Presentaron ansiedad en el momento de la hospitalización el 57,5% de los cuidadores. De ellos, el 44% había remitido su ansiedad tres meses después del alta hospitalaria. Sin embargo, el 22% de los cuidadores quienes no habían presentado ansiedad en el momento de la hospitalización se mostraron ansiosos a los 3 meses. La gravedad de la EPOC y no recibir apoyo de otro cuidador disminuyó las probabilidades de remisión de la ansiedad. La sobrecarga moderadamente alta incrementa las probabilidades de presentar  nuevos síntomas de ansiedad. Conclusiones: La percepción de los síntomas de la ansiedad es dinámica. Los cuidadores pueden recuperarse si reciben ayuda de otro cuidador o si el paciente al que cuidan no está en un estado severo de EPOC

Blood parameters as biomarkers in a Salmonella spp. disease model of weaning piglets

peer-reviewedBackground The weaning pig is used as an experimental model to assess the impact of diet on intestinal health. Blood parameters (BP) are considered a useful tool in humans, but there is very scarce information of such indicators in the weaning pig. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the use of different BP as indicators in an experimental model of salmonellosis. Methodology Seventy-two 28-day-old piglets were divided into four groups in a 2x2 factorial arrangement, with animals receiving or not a probiotic combination based on B. infantis IM1® and B. lactis BPL6 (109 colony forming units (cfu)/d) and orally challenged or not a week later with Salmonella Typhimurium (5x108 cfu). Blood samples of one animal per pen (N = 24) were taken four days post-inoculation for the evaluation of different BP using an I-stat® System and of plasmatic concentrations of zinc, iron and copper. Principal findings Results reported marginal deficiencies of zinc in piglets at weaning. Moreover, plasmatic zinc, copper and iron presented good correlations with weight gain (r 0.57, r -0.67, r 0.54 respectively; P < 0.01). Blood electrolytes (Na+, Cl- and K+) decreased (P < 0.01) only when the performance of the animals was seriously compromised and clinical symptoms were more apparent. Acid-base balance parameters such as HCO3-, TCO2 and BEecf significantly correlated with weight gain, but only in the challenged animals (r -0.54, r -0.55, and r -0.51, respectively; P < 0.05), suggesting metabolic acidosis depending on Salmonella infection. Glucose was affected by the challenge (P = 0.040), while Htc and Hgb increased with the challenge and decreased with the probiotic (P < 0.05). Furthermore, correlations of Glu, Htc and Hgb with weight gain were observed (P < 0.05). Overall, BP could be regarded as simple, useful indexes to assess performance and health of weaning piglets

Nasal mask for the sleep apnea

[EN] GASMEDI, who supplies home delivered respiratory therapies, has developed in collaboration with Biomechanics Institute of Valencia a new nasal mask for the treatment of the sleep apnea disease. To this end, the person oriented innovation model has been adopted, specially focused on the elderly population. The application of such innovation model has made possible the development of a nasal mask that overcomes the usability and injury drawbacks of current masks. Besides, the nasal mask has been designed in such a way that can be easily used by the aged people.[ES] La empresa GASMEDI, proveedora asal para la apnea del sueño de terapias respiratorias a domicilio, ha desarrollado, en colaboración con el Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV), una nueva mascarilla para el tratamiento de la apnea del sueño. Para su desarrollo se ha seguido el modelo de innovación orientada por las personas, prestando especial atención a las personas de edad avanzada. La aplicación de dicho modelo de innovación perseguía superar los problemas de usabilidad y lesiones que presentan las mascarillas nasales actuales. Asimismo, la mascarilla se ha diseñado de forma que sea fácilmente utilizable por personas mayores.Proyecot desarrollado a través del II Plan de Competitividad de la Empresa Valenciana (PCEV) de IMPIVA, cofinanciado por los fondos FEDER, dentro del Programa Operativo FEDER de la Comunitat Valenciana 2007-2013.Morales Martín, I.; Atienza Vicente, CM.; Villuendas Ros, A.; Carmona Gutiérrez, C.; Vidal Calvo, L.; Nacher Fernandez, B.; Navarro Garcia, FJ.... (2013). Mascarilla nasal para la apnea del sueño. Revista de biomecánica. 59:51-53. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/38678S51535

Impact of late presentation of HIV infection on short-, mid- and long-term mortality and causes of death in a multicenter national cohort: 2004–2013

SummaryObjectivesTo analyze the impact of late presentation (LP) on overall mortality and causes of death and describe LP trends and risk factors (2004–2013).MethodsCox models and logistic regression were used to analyze data from a nation-wide cohort in Spain. LP is defined as being diagnosed when CD4 < 350 cells/ml or AIDS.ResultsOf 7165 new HIV diagnoses, 46.9% (CI95%:45.7–48.0) were LP, 240 patients died.First-year mortality was the highest (aHRLP.vs.nLP = 10.3[CI95%:5.5–19.3]); between 1 and 4 years post-diagnosis, aHRLP.vs.nLP = 1.9(1.2–3.0); and >4 years, aHRLP.vs.nLP = 1.5(0.7–3.1).First-year's main cause of death was HIV/AIDS (73%); and malignancies among those surviving >4 years (32%). HIV/AIDS-related deaths were more likely in LP (59.2% vs. 25.0%; p < 0.001). LP declined from 55.9% (2004–05) to 39.4% (2012–13), and reduced in 46.1% in men who have sex with men (MSM) and 37.6% in heterosexual men, but increased in 22.6% in heterosexual women.Factors associated with LP: sex (ORMEN.vs.WOMEN = 1.4[1.2–1.7]); age (OR31–40.vs.<30 = 1.6[1.4–1.8], OR41–50.vs.<30 = 2.2[1.8–2.6], OR>50.vs.<30 = 3.6[2.9–4.4]); behavior (ORInjectedDrugUse.vs.MSM = 2.8[2.0–3.8]; ORHeterosexual.vs.MSM = 2.2[1.7–3.0]); education (ORPrimaryEducation.vs.University = 1.5[1.1–2.0], ORLowerSecondary.vs.University = 1.3[1.1–1.5]); and geographical origin (ORSub-Saharan.vs.Spain = 1.6[1.3–2.0], ORLatin-American.vs.Spain = 1.4[1.2–1.8]).ConclusionsLP is associated with higher mortality, especially short-term- and HIV/AIDS-related mortality. Mid-term-, but not long-term mortality, remained also higher in LP than nLP. LP decreased in MSM and heterosexual men, not in heterosexual women. The groups most affected by LP are low educated, non-Spanish and heterosexual women

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis biomarkers linked to lung metastatic potential and cell stemness

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare lung-metastasizing neoplasm caused by the proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells that commonly carry loss-of-function mutations in either the tuberous sclerosis complex 1 or 2 (TSC1 or TSC2) genes. While allosteric inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) has shown substantial clinical benefit, complementary therapies are required to improve response and/or to treat specific patients. However, there is a lack of LAM biomarkers that could potentially be used to monitor the disease and to develop other targeted therapies. We hypothesized that the mediators of cancer metastasis to lung, particularly in breast cancer, also play a relevant role in LAM. Analyses across independent breast cancer datasets revealed associations between low TSC1/2 expression, altered mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway signaling, and metastasis to lung. Subsequently, immunohistochemical analyses of 23 LAM lesions revealed positivity in all cases for the lung metastasis mediators fascin 1 (FSCN1) and inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (ID1). Moreover, assessment of breast cancer stem or luminal progenitor cell biomarkers showed positivity in most LAM tissue for the aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), integrin-ß3 (ITGB3/CD61), and/or the sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) proteins. The immunohistochemical analyses also provided evidence of heterogeneity between and within LAM cases. The analysis of Tsc2-deficient cells revealed relative over-expression of FSCN1 and ID1; however, Tsc2-deficient cells did not show higher sensitivity to ID1-based cancer inhibitors. Collectively, the results of this study reveal novel LAM biomarkers linked to breast cancer metastasis to lung and to cell stemness, which in turn might guide the assessment of additional or complementary therapeutic opportunities for LAM

Comparison of seven prognostic tools to identify low-risk pulmonary embolism in patients aged <50 years

publishersversionPeer reviewe

RET Fusion Testing in Patients With NSCLC: The RETING Study

Introduction: RET inhibitors with impressive overall response rates are now available for patients with NSCLC, yet the identi fication of RET fusions remains a dif ficult challenge. Most guidelines encourage the upfront use of next -generation sequencing (NGS), or alternatively, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) when NGS is not possible or available. Taken together, the suboptimal performance of single-analyte assays to detect RET fusions, although consistent with the notion of encouraging universal NGS, is currently widening some of the clinical practice gaps in the implementation of predictive biomarkers in patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: This situation prompted us to evaluate several RET assays in a large multicenter cohort of RET fusion -positive NSCLC (n 1 / 4 38) to obtain real -world data. In addition to RNA -based NGS (the criterion standard method), all positive specimens underwent break -apart RET FISH with two different assays and were also tested by an RT-PCR assay. Results: The most common RET partners were KIF5B (78.9%), followed by CCDC6 (15.8%). The two RET NGSpositive but FISH -negative samples contained a KIF5B(15)RET(12) fusion. The three RET fusions not identi fied with RT-PCR were AKAP13(35)-RET(12) , KIF5B(24)-RET(9) and KIF5B(24)-RET(11) . All three false -negative RT-PCR cases were FISH -positive, exhibited a typical break -apart pattern, and contained a very high number of positive tumor cells with both FISH assays. Signet ring cells, psammoma bodies, and pleomorphic features were frequently observed (in 34.2%, 39.5%, and 39.5% of tumors, respectively). Conclusions: In-depth knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of the different RET testing methodologies could help clinical and molecular tumor boards implement and maintain sensible algorithms for the rapid and effective detection of RET fusions in patients with NSCLC. The likelihood of RET false -negative results with both FISH and RT-PCR reinforces the need for upfront NGS in patients with NSCLC. (c) 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Morbid liver manifestations are intrinsically bound to metabolic syndrome and nutrient intake based on a machine-learning cluster analysis

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the most important medical problems around the world. Identification of patient ' s singular characteristic could help to reduce the clinical impact and facilitate individualized management. This study aimed to categorize MetS patients using phenotypical and clinical variables habitually collected during health check-ups of individuals considered to have high cardiovascular risk. The selected markers to categorize MetS participants included anthropometric variables as well as clinical data, biochemical parameters and prescribed pharmacological treatment. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out with a subsequent hierarchical cluster analysis using the z-scores from factor analysis. The first step identified three different factors. The first was determined by hypercholesterolemia and associated treatments, the second factor exhibited glycemic disorders and accompanying treatments and the third factor was characterized by hepatic enzymes. Subsequently four clusters of patients were identified, where cluster 1 was characterized by glucose disorders and treatments, cluster 2 presented mild MetS, cluster 3 presented exacerbated levels of hepatic enzymes and cluster 4 highlighted cholesterol and its associated treatments Interestingly, the liver status related cluster was characterized by higher protein consumption and cluster 4 with low polyunsaturated fatty acid intake. This research emphasized the potential clinical relevance of hepatic impairments in addition to MetS traditional characterization for precision and personalized management of MetS patients