Business processes modelling and diagnosis

The computerization of relevant information in organizations is increasingly becoming a necessary reality in companies that want to be present in a market that is characterized by innovation, adaptability and where bigger amounts of information are increasingly available and accessible to everyone, the use of Social Collaboration tools in organizations become increasingly crucial to keep a business running (Brocke et al. 2018). In (Alter 2013), work systems are described as systems “in which human participants and machines perform work (processes and activities) using information, technology and other resources to produce specific products/services for specific internal and external customers”. The computerization of processes is not, however, so complete because all the formal and informal relationships among employees, which underlie each organization and have a high impact on the correct definition of processes, are not correctly considered. In order to mitigate this problem, this article presents a proposal for representing, in computer systems, formal and informal relations between employees and the consequent integration in organizational processes in order to provide automatic diagnosis of highlighted processes.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Neoplasia Blástica de Células Dendríticas Plasmocitóides

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm is a rare and aggressive hematodermic neoplasia with frequent cutaneous involvement and leukemic dissemination. We report the case of a 76-year-old man with a 2 month history of violaceous nodules and a tumor with stony consistency, located on the head, and mandibular, cervical and supraclavicular lymphadenopathies. Multiple thoracic and abdominal adenopathies were identified on computerized tomography. Flow cytometry analysis of the skin, lymph node and bone marrow biopsies demonstrated the presence of plasmocytoid dendritic cell neoplastic precursor cells (CD4+, CD45+, CD56+ and CD123+ phenotype). After initial clinical and laboratorial complete remission with chemotherapy, the patient died due to relapse of the disease associated with the appearance of a cervical mass with medullary compromise

LINFOPENIA T CD4 NO LUPUS ERITEMATOSO SISTÉMICO

Abstract: Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory chronic disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies, immunocomplex production and organ injury. Several alterations of the immune system have been described, namely of CD4 T cells, with particular focus on regulatory subgroup. Objective: Quantify peripheral CD4 T cells in a population of patients with SLE and correlate it with lupus activity, affected organs, therapeutics and infections. Methods: Retrospective study involving all SLE patients seen in the clinical immunology outpatient clinic of the Hospital Geral Santo António, Porto that has done some peripheral blood flow cytometry study. Results: Twenty-nine patients have been evaluated, 16 were taking glucocorticoids and six immunossupressors. The mean SLEDAI at the study time was nine and the ECLAM was three. Thirty-one percent of the patients had leukopenia, 76% lymphocytopenia and the same number CD4 depletion. Fifty-five percent of the patients had CD4 levels lower than 500/mm3, 31% lower than 200/mm3. All patients with SLEDAI ?20 and ECLAM ?4 had CD4 counts inferior to 500/mm3 and all patients with inactive disease had CD4 superior to 500/mm3. There have been three opportunistic infections: cryptococcal meningitis, pulmonary aspergilosis, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, all in patients with CD4 counts lower than 500/mm3. Conclusion: Decreased CD4 T cells counts have been very common in this study population. There is an inverse relation between CD4 cells counts and disease activity. Opportunistic infections occurred in patients with severe CD4 depletion. Keywords: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; CD4 T Lymphocytes; Lymphocytopenia; SLE Activity; Opportunistic infection

LINFOPENIA T CD4 NO LUPUS ERITEMATOSO SISTÉMICO

Abstract: Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory chronic disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies, immunocomplex production and organ injury. Several alterations of the immune system have been described, namely of CD4 T cells, with particular focus on regulatory subgroup. Objective: Quantify peripheral CD4 T cells in a population of patients with SLE and correlate it with lupus activity, affected organs, therapeutics and infections. Methods: Retrospective study involving all SLE patients seen in the clinical immunology outpatient clinic of the Hospital Geral Santo António, Porto that has done some peripheral blood flow cytometry study. Results: Twenty-nine patients have been evaluated, 16 were taking glucocorticoids and six immunossupressors. The mean SLEDAI at the study time was nine and the ECLAM was three. Thirty-one percent of the patients had leukopenia, 76% lymphocytopenia and the same number CD4 depletion. Fifty-five percent of the patients had CD4 levels lower than 500/mm3, 31% lower than 200/mm3. All patients with SLEDAI ?20 and ECLAM ?4 had CD4 counts inferior to 500/mm3 and all patients with inactive disease had CD4 superior to 500/mm3. There have been three opportunistic infections: cryptococcal meningitis, pulmonary aspergilosis, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, all in patients with CD4 counts lower than 500/mm3. Conclusion: Decreased CD4 T cells counts have been very common in this study population. There is an inverse relation between CD4 cells counts and disease activity. Opportunistic infections occurred in patients with severe CD4 depletion. Keywords: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; CD4 T Lymphocytes; Lymphocytopenia; SLE Activity; Opportunistic infection

Children's experiences of food poverty in Portugal: Findings from a mixed‐method case study approach

While observers acknowledge that the 2007–2008 crisis increased food insecurity, few studies considered how being food poor affects children's daily lives. In this paper, I discuss how children from low‐income families in Portugal experience food and deal with food scarcity. I draw on data from a larger European study, which employed a case study approach with a combination of semi‐structured interviews and photo‐elicitation. Children's accounts reveal how food poverty is embedded in their lives, affecting the quality and quantity of food, reducing opportunities to socialize with kin and friends and creating emotional stress. Visual methods added depth to our understanding.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Octatosylaminophthalocyanine: a reusable chromogenic anion chemosensor

Detailed herein is the use of 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octatosylaminophthalocyanine as a chromogenic chemosensor for anions. The host:guest complexes formed during the sensing event can be regenerated by acid treatment without loss of the sensing ability. This allows the phthalocyanine chemosensor to be reused. This system also responds in a colorimetric manner when exposed to the neutral solvent molecules, dimethyl sulfoxide and methanol. A single-crystal X-ray structure of the Pc 1:2 MeOH complex was obtained. It illustrates the main interactions between the host:guest species in the solid state. Fits of the binding curves are consistent with this stoichiometry predominating in the solution state

And after the Sensory Processing Disorders? - What answers does the DSM-5 have

Introduction: From the question of whether the diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) should have classification matching in the DSM-5 or whether it constitutes a pre-morbid condition for other pathologies, a retrospective study was conducted in 2016 titled Regulatory Disturbances: The Return to the Past - Conditioners of Evolution. The study did not show a significant association between the abnormal results obtained in the SDQ scale by children with PRPS and therapeutic intervention, which allowed us to conclude that it is imperative to rethink the intervention of these cases. From these results and the lack of corresponding diagnosis in DSM-5, the present study intends to understand what possible diagnoses these children have in the latency / adolescence and adult age and what are the therapeutic interventions required. Objectives: Characterize the sample of children diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder who used the psychiatry consultation at the unity of infant mental health (UPI) between 2006-2013; characterize the results obtained at the follow-up; check current medical status, pharmacological therapy, other therapeutic interventions, and if they present another corresponding diagnosis in the DSM-5. Methods: Retrospective and follow-up study using the Clinical Processes of the first consultations performed between the years 2006 and 2013 at the UPI. Evaluation of the current state was made by telephone through a structured interview to the main caregivers and the application of the SDQ. The information will be submitted to statistical processing (in SPSS®), with descriptive analysis and correlation of variables. The sample is of Convenience. Results: 55 children with SPD (N=55), 47 of their caregivers answered a telephone interview (n=47). No statistically significant association was found between any SPD type and current diagnosis of ADHD nor parental perception of current state. Significant association between SPD diagnosis and abnormal results in subscales of hyperactivity (p = 0.027) and behavior problems (p = 0.017) of the SDQ. Discussion and Conclusion: The wide dispersion of diagnoses found may pose two hypotheses: SPD should be considered as an independent diagnostic category; symptomatology (alterations in the SP) can be common to different pathologies. It is important to carry out prospective studies in children diagnosed with SPD, in order to determine if it may be a future diagnostic category in the DSM.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Serum Metabolomic Signatures Can Predict Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

OBJECTIVE: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Standard serum lipid measurements in clinical practice do not predict cardiovascular disease risk in patients with SLE. More detailed analysis of lipoprotein taxonomy could identify better predictors of cardiovascular disease risk in SLE. Approach and Results: Eighty women with SLE and no history of cardiovascular disease underwent carotid and femoral ultrasound scans; 30 had atherosclerosis plaques (patients with SLE with subclinical plaque) and 50 had no plaques (patients with SLE with no subclinical plaque). Serum samples obtained at the time of the scan were analyzed using a lipoprotein-focused metabolomics platform assessing 228 metabolites by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and 5 binary classification models with 10-fold cross validation. Patients with SLE had global changes in complex lipoprotein profiles compared with healthy controls despite having clinical serum lipid levels within normal ranges. In the SLE cohort, univariate logistic regression identified 4 metabolites associated with subclinical plaque; 3 subclasses of VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein; free cholesterol in medium and large VLDL particles and phospholipids in chylomicrons and extremely large VLDL particles) and leucine. Together with age, these metabolites were also within the top features identified by the lasso logistic regression (with and without interactions) and random forest machine learning models. Logistic regression with interactions differentiated between patients with SLE with subclinical plaque and patients with SLE with no subclinical plaque groups with the greatest accuracy (0.800). Notably, free cholesterol in large VLDL particles and age differentiated between patients with SLE with subclinical plaque and patients with SLE with no subclinical plaque in all models. CONCLUSIONS: Serum metabolites are promising biomarkers to uncover and predict multimetabolic phenotypes of subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE

Using serum metabolomics analysis to predict sub-clinical atherosclerosis in patients with SLE

Background: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 30-40% have sub-clinical atherosclerosis on vascular ultrasound scanning. Standard measurements of serum lipids in clinical practice do not predict CVD risk in patients with SLE. We hypothesise that more detailed analysis of lipoprotein taxonomy could identify better predictors of CVD risk in SLE. / Methods: Eighty patients with SLE and no history of CVD underwent carotid and femoral ultrasound scans; 30 had atherosclerosis plaques (SLE-P) and 50 had no plaques (SLE-NP). Serum samples obtained at the time of the scan were analysed using a lipoprotein-focused metabolomics platform assessing 228 metabolites by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Data was analysed using logistic regression and five binary classification models with 10-fold cross validation; decision tree, random forest, support vector machine and lasso (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) logistic regression with and without interactions. / Results: Univariate logistic regression identified four metabolites associated with the presence of sub-clinical plaque; three subclasses of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) (percentage of free cholesterol in medium and large VLDL particles and percentage of phospholipids in chylomicrons and extremely large VLDL particles) and Leucine. Together with age, these metabolites were also within the top features identified by the lasso logistic regression (with and without interactions) and random forest machine learning models. Logistic regression with interactions differentiated between SLE-P and SLE-NP with greatest accuracy (0.800). Notably, percentage of free cholesterol in large VLDL particles and age were identified by all models as being important to differentiate between SLE-P and SLE-NP patients. / Conclusion: Serum metabolites are a promising biomarker for prediction of sub-clinical atherosclerosis development in SLE patients and could provide novel insight into mechanisms of early atherosclerosis development