Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Analysis of the impact of sex and age on the variation in the prevalence of antinuclear autoantibodies in Polish population: a nationwide observational, cross-sectional study

The detection of antinuclear autoantibody (ANA) is dependent on many factors and varies between the populations. The aim of the study was first to assess the prevalence of ANA in the Polish adult population depending on age, sex and the cutoff threshold used for the results obtained. Second, we estimated the occurrence of individual types of ANA-staining patterns. We tested 1731 patient samples using commercially available IIFA using two cutoff thresholds of 1:100 and 1:160. We found ANA in 260 participants (15.0%), but the percentage of positive results strongly depended on the cutoff level. For a cutoff threshold 1:100, the positive population was 19.5% and for the 1:160 cutoff threshold, it was 11.7%. The most prevalent ANA-staining pattern was AC-2 Dense Fine speckled (50%), followed by AC-21 Reticular/AMA (14.38%) ANA more common in women (72%); 64% of ANA-positive patients were over 50 years of age. ANA prevalence in the Polish population is at a level observed in other highly developed countries and is more prevalent in women and elderly individuals. To reduce the number of positive results released, we suggest that Polish laboratories should set 1:160 as the cutoff threshold

An automatic footshape plantograms analysis based on a new shape-measure

In this note we present a method for recognition of flatfoot abnormality with the help of some new shape-measure describing numerically this abnormality efficient enough. The proposed measure can be easily implemented and used for automatic flatfoot level diagnosis. Experiments carried out on a number of the plantograms, analysed using the computer programme prepared by first of the authors, proved the usefulness of this new approach

Measuring Currency Power from 2005 to 2018: Greenback Still Unrivaled or Increasingly Constrained by Its Rivals?

The main research goal of this paper is to empirically assess the state of US currency power relative to its main rivals in the period between 2005 and 2018. The most novel aspect of our inquiry is the design of three new composite indices called: Monetary Capability Index (MCI), Quality of Governance Index (QGI) and Currency Internationalization Index (CII). We argue that those indices are indispensable in an attempt to empirically measure the concept of currency power, both its underlying material and non-material resources, as well as the degree of their effective exploatation. Based on the conducted analysis it is visible that material resources are a necessary but not sufficient condition to wield and exert currency power which we proxy by currency internationalization. In that regard quality of governance remains indispensable to this effort. Our measurement shows that US currency power remains unshattered by the global financial crisis (GFC) and US dollar is still placed firmly at the top of international monetary and credit hierarchy. In spite of dangers emanating from Trump’s erratic policy, US rivals either face weakening of their currency power in terms of their monetary capability or still lag far behind the US in terms of their quality of governance

Automatic plantography footprint database searching method

In this note we present a very simple database searching method for footprints of the desired flatfoot abnormality. The method is based on the new shape-measure introduced in [7]. The used measure describes flatfoot abnormalities very well, do not use reference points determined manually, so is it easily implemented for fully automatic footprints comparison task. Experiments carried out on a number of plantograms, with the help of the software prepared by the first author, approved good searching results of the described method

Fourier analysis in classification of blood cells

In the paper we present some results concerning the usage of Fourier analysis which we can successfully apply to distinguish between normal and pathological blood cells. We use special area function and different number of Fourier descriptors that are automatically calculated for all objects pointed out in an image. Calculations are performed with the help of the software made by the first author. Experiments performed on the same set of tested images as in [3] and [5] draw as to the same conclusions as there in [3] where the fractal analysis to shape has been used and in [5] where simple geometrical shape parameters have been applied. Other application of Fourier analysis one can find in [9]

Blood cells analysis based on simple geometrical shape descriptors

In the paper we present some results concerning application of simple shape parameters that are successfully used to distinguish between normal and pathological blood cells. All descriptors are based on shape area and its perimeter. We use five parameters that are automatically calculated for objects pointed out in the analyzed image with the help of our software. The experiments performed on the same set of tested images as in [3] let us draw the same conclusions as those reported in [3] where fractal analysis to shape has been used

Two applications of signalprocessors in signal processing and data acquisition

W ciągu ostatnich kilku lat nastąpił skokowy wzrost liczby aplikacji stosujących mikrokontrolery i mikroprocesory w układach pomiarowych. Ten wzrost dotyczy także zastosowań procesorów sygnałowych, pozwalających na wstępne przetwarzanie rejestrowanych danych w czasie rzeczywistym. Możliwość wstępnego przetwarzania istotnie ogranicza liczbę przechowywanych lub przesyłanych do nadrzędnego komputera parametrów w stosunku do liczby rejestrowanych próbek sygnałów. W pracy przedstawiono dwa przykładowe zastosowania procesorów sygnałowych dokonującego procesu wstępnego przetwarzania rejestrowanych próbek oraz w układzie realizującym funkcje woltomierza fazoczułego (ang. lock-in amplifier). W pierwszym przypadku przestawiono koncepcję urządzenia pozwalającego na kondycjonowanie, próbkowanie sygnałów ze wstępnym przetwarzaniem jak i rejestrację w pamięci wewnętrznej układu lub w dołączonej karcie pamięci. System został wyposażony w kilka standardowych interfejsów (USB, I2C i CAN), które pozwalają na dołączenie zewnętrznych sensorów lub nadrzędnego komputera. W drugim przykładzie wykorzystano zestaw uruchomieniowy z procesorem sygnałowym TMS320C6713 oraz zewnętrzny układ z przetwornikiem A/C. Oprogramowanie procesora realizuje generację fali sinusoidalnej oraz jej przesunięcia w fazie, funkcje mnożnika i filtracji dolnoprzepustowej - funkcje niezbędne do pracy woltomierza fazoczułego.There is a strong growth in the number of microcontrollers and processors applications for measurement systems. This growth concerns the applications of digital signal processors as well. These processors can preprocess the sampled data before saving that limits amount of the stored data to the estimated parameters only. Two applications of digital signal processors are presented in detail: multi-channel recorder with preprocessing and lock-in amplifier. The recorder can amplify the sampled signals and saves in flash memory or memory card. This system was fitted with various standard interface (USB, I2C and CAN), that enables attachment of various sensors and a superior processor. The latter application (lock-in amplifier) uses digital signal processor TMS320C6713 and extemal A/D converter. The control program generates harmonic signal, performs multiplication and low-pass filtering to achieve lock-in amplifier functionality