IoMT-Driven eHealth: A Technological Innovation Proposal Based on Smart Speakers

Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a technological concept applied in healthcare contexts to achieve the digital interconnection of everyday objects with the Internet in order to make life easier for people. IoMT can help monitor, inform and notify not only caregivers, but provide healthcare providers with actual data to identify issues before they become critical or to allow for earlier invention. In this sense, this paper is contextualized in Assisted Repro duction Treatment (ART) processes to reduce the number of hospital visits, reduce healthcare costs and improve patientcare, as well as the productivity of the healthcare professional. So, we present an IoMT-based technological pro posal to manage and control the prescription of pharmacological treatments to patients who are carried out ART processes. In this context, we propose the integration of iMEDEA (modular system specialized in the management of electronic clinical records for ART unit) and smart speaker devices (specifically, Amazon’s Alexa), as well as the validation of our proposal in the real envi ronment offered by Inebir clinicMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2016-76956-C3-2-R (POLOLAS)Junta de Andalucía AT17-5904-US

Mesenchymal stem cells and their use as cell replacement therapy and disease modelling tool.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from adult somatic tissues may differentiate in vitro and in vivo into multiple mesodermal tissues including bone, cartilage, adipose tissue, tendon, ligament or even muscle. MSCs preferentially home to damaged tissues where they exert their therapeutic potential. A striking feature of the MSCs is their low inherent immunogenicity as they induce little, if any, proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. Instead, MSCs appear to be immunosuppressive in vitro. Their multilineage differentiation potential coupled to their immuno-privileged properties is being exploited worldwide for both autologous and allogeneic cell replacement strategies. Here, we introduce the readers to the biology of MSCs and the mechanisms underlying immune tolerance. We then outline potential cell replacement strategies and clinical applications based on the MSCs immunological properties. Ongoing clinical trials for graft-versus-host-disease, haematopoietic recovery after co-transplantation of MSCs along with haematopoietic stem cells and tissue repair are discussed. Finally, we review the emerging area based on the use of MSCs as a target cell subset for either spontaneous or induced neoplastic transformation and, for modelling non-haematological mesenchymal cancers such as sarcomas

Clood CBR: towards microservices oriented case-based reasoning.

CBR applications have been deployed in a wide range of sectors, from pharmaceuticals; to defence and aerospace to IoT and transportation, to poetry and music generation; for example. However, a majority of these have been built using monolithic architectures which impose size and complexity constraints. As such these applications have a barrier to adopting new technologies and remain prohibitively expensive in both time and cost because changes in frameworks or languages affect the application directly. To address this challenge, we introduce a distributed and highly scalable generic CBR system, Clood, which is based on a microservices architecture. This splits the application into a set of smaller, interconnected services that scale to meet varying demands. Experimental results show that our Clood implementation retrieves cases at a fairly consistent rate as the casebase grows by several orders of magnitude and was over 3,700 times faster than a comparable monolithic CBR system when retrieving from half a million cases. Microservices are cloud-native architectures and with the rapid increase in cloud-computing adoption, it is timely for the CBR community to have access to such a framework

Promoter Genotyping and mRNA Expression – Based Analysis of the PTGDR Gene in Allergy

[EN]Background: Prostaglandin D2 receptors are acquiring a relevant role as potential therapeutic targets in allergy. PTGDR has been described as a candidate gene in allergic disease, although functional studies on this gene are lacking. Objective: The objective of this case-control study was to investigate the potential role of PTGDR in allergy. Methods: The study population comprised 195 allergic patients and 112 healthy controls. The PTGDR promoter polymorphisms –1289G>A, –1122T>C, –881C>T, –834C>T, –613C>T, –549T>C, –441C>T, –197T>C, and-95G>T were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. PTGDR expression levels were analyzed using quantitative PCR and normalized to GAPDH and TBP mRNA levels. All procedures were performed following the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiment guidelines. Results: [EN]PTGDR expression levels were significantly higher in allergic patients than in controls (PA and –1122T>C were found in allergic patients (P=.009). Conclusions: The results indicate that PTGDR overexpression is associated with allergy. The polymorphisms –1289G>A and –1122T>C partly explain the variation in expression we observed. PTGDR expression could have a potential role as a biomarker and pharmacogenetic factor in allergy

Alimentación práctica del cerdo

The feed represent over 65% of production costs, so should be established as a priority. It is not enough that a diet meets the nutritional needs of pigs, the ration formulation must right with official regulations governing each country for the use and manufacture of feed. Also, the feed should be easy to preserve and supplying, taking into the wide variety to installations (feeders and drinkers) used in various stages of pigs. However, the fundamental objective of the formulation of a diet is that it contains the necessary nutrients in the correct proportions and balance, considering the physiological stage, weight, age, sex, genetic potential, health status, season and production objectives with a the legal constraints. Once accomplished the formulation, the next step will be insure preparing the feed under conditions that ensure the safety, traceability and lower cost of the same. To this challenge, is adding the need to the right with environmental regulations related to feed and animal welfare.La alimentación representan alrededor del 65% de los costes de producción, por ello debe establecerse como una prioridad. No es suficiente que una dieta cumpla con las necesidades nutricionales de los cerdos, la formulación debe obedecer las normativas oficiales que rigen en cada país para el uso y fabricación de alimentos. Asimismo, el alimento debe ser fácil de conservar y suministrar, asumiendo la gran variedad de instalaciones (comederos y bebederos) utilizadas en las distintas etapas de los cerdos. Sin embargo, el objetivo fundamental de la formulación de una dieta es que contenga los nutrientes necesarios en las cantidades correctas y equilibradas, considerando la etapa fisiológica, peso, edad, sexo, potencial genético, estado de salud, época del año, objetivos productivos y de producto final, así como las limitantes legales. Una vez cumplida la formulación, el siguiente paso es asegurar que ésta sea elaborada bajo condiciones que garanticen la inocuidad, trazabilidad y bajo costo de la misma. A este desafío, se añade la necesidad de cumplir con las normativas ambientales relacionadas con la alimentación y bienestar animal

El suicidio en Segovia (1992-1994).

Se registran los suicidios consumados, y las tentativas de suicidio que ingresaron en el Hospital General de Segovia entre 1992 y 1994. La tasa media anual de suicidios consumados es de 9,3 por diez mil habitantes y la de tentativas de 29,5, muy distintas a las recogidas en la Estadística del Suicidio del INE. Se establecen diferencias entre el suicidio consumado, suicidio frustrado y tentativas de suicidio (parasuicidio) considerando algunos factores asociados a las distintas conductas suicidas

El suicidio en Segovia (1992-1994).

Se registran los suicidios consumados, y las tentativas de suicidio que ingresaron en el Hospital General de Segovia entre 1992 y 1994. La tasa media anual de suicidios consumados es de 9,3 por diez mil habitantes y la de tentativas de 29,5, muy distintas a las recogidas en la Estadística del Suicidio del INE. Se establecen diferencias entre el suicidio consumado, suicidio frustrado y tentativas de suicidio (parasuicidio) considerando algunos factores asociados a las distintas conductas suicidas

Noncentral bimatrix variate generalised beta distributions

In this paper, we determine the density functions of nonsymmetrised doubly noncentral matrix variate beta type I and II distributions. The nonsymetrised density functions of doubly noncentral and noncentral bimatrix variate generalised beta type I and II distributions are also obtained.Comment: 14 page

Assessment of manual dexterity in VR: Towards a fully automated version of the box and blocks test

© 2019 The authors and IOS Press. This article is published online with Open Access by IOS Press and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0). In recent years, the possibility of using serious gaming technology for the automation of clinical procedures for assessment of motor function have captured the interest of the research community. In this paper, a virtual version of the Box and Blocks Test (BBT) for manual dexterity assessment is presented. This game-like system combines the classical BBT mechanics with a play-centric approach to accomplish a fully automated test for assessing hand motor function, making it more accessible and easier to administer. Additionally, some variants of the traditional mechanics are proposed in order to fully exploit the advantages of the chosen technology. This ongoing research aims to provide the clinical practitioners with a customisable, intuitive, and reliable tool for the assessment and rehabilitation of hand motor function