Selection Criteria for Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) Treatment in Patients with Peritoneal Metastases.

The standard treatment protocol for PIPAC consists of three procedures. Completion of treatment has been shown to be prognostic of improved survival. The aim of this study was to identify predictors for completion of treatment. Retrospective multicentric cohort study of patients with peritoneal metastases undergoing PIPAC in three PIPAC expert centers. Per protocol (PP) treatment was defined as patients receiving ≥3 PIPACs and was compared to patients receiving <3. Overall, 183 patients had 517 PIPACs. The main reasons for stopping PIPAC were disease progression in 50% patients, bowel obstruction in 15%, patient's refusal to pursue in 10%, conversion to cytoreductive surgery in 7%, and medical reasons in 8%. Overall, 95 patients (52%) had PP treatment. The PP median OS was 17 vs. 7 months, p = 0.001. PP patients had r ascites (410 ± 100 mL vs. 960 ± 188 mL, p = 0.001), no prior history of bowel obstruction (12% vs. 24%, p = 0.028), and more bimodal treatment (39% vs. 13%, p < 0.001). After multiple regression, bimodal treatment was found as an independent predictive factor for completing PP (OR = 4.202, 95%CI [1.813, 10.630], p < 0.001), along with prior bowel obstruction (OR = 0.389, 95%CI [0.153, 0.920], p = 0.037). The absence of ascites and prior bowel obstruction can help to select patients suitable for PIPAC. Best results seem to be achieved when PIPAC is combined with systemic chemotherapy

Range-wide assessment of livestock grazing across the sagebrush biome

Domestic livestock grazing occurs in virtually all sagebrush habitats and is a prominent disturbance factor. By affecting habitat condition and trend, grazing influences the resources required by, and thus, the distribution and abundance of sagebrush-obligate wildlife species (for example, sage-grouse Centrocercus spp.). Yet, the risks that livestock grazing may pose to these species and their habitats are not always clear. Although livestock grazing intensity and associated habitat condition may be known in many places at the local level, we have not yet been able to answer questions about use, condition, and trend at the landscape scale or at the range-wide scale for wildlife species. A great deal of information about grazing use, management regimes, and ecological condition exists at the local level (for individual livestock management units) under the oversight of organizations such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). However, the extent, quality, and types of existing data are unknown, which hinders the compilation, mapping, or analysis of these data. Once compiled, these data may be helpful for drawing conclusions about rangeland status, and we may be able to identify relationships between those data and wildlife habitat at the landscape scale

Risco Cardiovascular do Metilfenidato Como prevenir, e como agir perante a sobredosagem

O metilfenidato, único psicoestimulante aprovado em Portugal, é terapêutica farmacológica de primeira linha da PHDA, a perturbação neurocomportamental mais frequente na infância. Há também relatos de automedicação e uso recreativo de metilfenidato. Embora seja habitualmente bem tolerado, os efeitos adversos cardiovasculares devem ser encarados com prudência, dada a sua potencial gravidade.N/

Forest drones for environmental sensing and nature conservation

Protecting our nature and biodiversity is essential. For this purpose, remote sensing robotic platforms are increasingly explored to collect spatial and temporal data. However, there is still little attention on leveraging aerial robots to interact with trees for sample collection and targeted countermeasure deployment. In this study, we propose platforms and methodology that offer the use of aerial robots in the forests to conduct various tasks including leaf sample collection, visual sensing of forest topology and autonomous sensor placement. With the developed virtual reality (VR) interface, we show that remote environmental sensing, detection of plant pathogens, and sample collection are viable tasks that can be achieved by the proposed platforms. In this context, physical and visual sensing approaches as well as various aerial robots are introduced and discussed for forest applications

Development and Validation of the Metric-Based Assessment of a Robotic Vessel Dissection, Vessel Loop Positioning, Clip Applying and Bipolar Coagulation Task on an Avian Model

The evolution of robotic technology and its diffusion does not seem to have been adequately accompanied by the development and implementation of surgeon training programs that ensure skilled and safe device use at the start of the learning curve. The objective of the study is to develop and validate performance metrics for vessel dissection, vessel loop positioning, clip applying and bipolar coagulation using an avian model. Three robotic surgeons and a behavioral scientist characterized the performance metrics of the task according to the proficiency-based progression methodology. Fourteen experienced robotic surgeons from different European countries participated in a modified online Delphi consensus. Eight experienced surgeons and eight novices performed the robotic task twice. In the Delphi meeting, 100% consensus was reached on the performance metrics. Novice surgeons took 26 min to complete the entire task on trial 1 and 20 min on trial 2. Experts took 10.1 min and 9.5 min. On average the Expert Group completed the task 137% faster than the Novice Group. The amount of time to reach the vessel part of the task was also calculated. Novice surgeons took 26 min on trial 1 and 20 min on trial 2. Experts took 5.5 min and 4.8 min. On average the experts reached the vessel 200% faster than the novices. The Expert Group made 155% fewer performance errors than the Novice Group. The mean IRR of video-recorded performance assessments for all metrics was 0.96 (95% confidence intervals (CI) lower = 0.94-upper = 0.98). We report the development and validation for a standard and replicable basic robotic vessel dissection, vessel loop positioning, clip applying and bipolar coagulation task on an avian model. The development of objective performance metrics, based on a transparent and fair methodology (i.e., PBP), is the first fundamental step toward quality assured training. This task developed on the avian model proved to have good results in the validation study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SpectraNet–53: A deep residual learning architecture for predicting soluble solids content with VIS–NIR spectroscopy

This work presents a new deep learning architecture, SpectraNet-53, for quantitative analysis of fruit spectra, optimized for predicting Soluble Solids Content (SSC, in Brix). The novelty of this approach resides in being an architecture trainable on a very small dataset, while keeping a performance level on-par or above Partial Least Squares (PLS), a time-proven machine learning method in the field of spectroscopy. SpectraNet-53 performance is assessed by determining the SSC of 616 Citrus sinensi L. Osbeck 'Newhall' oranges, from two Algarve (Portugal) orchards, spanning two consecutive years, and under different edaphoclimatic conditions. This dataset consists of short-wave near-infrared spectroscopic (SW-NIRS) data, and was acquired with a portable spectrometer, in the visible to near infrared region, on-tree and without temperature equalization. SpectraNet-53 results are compared to a similar state-of-the-art architecture, DeepSpectra, as well as PLS, and thoroughly assessed on 15 internal validation sets (where the training and test data were sampled from the same orchard or year) and on 28 external validation sets (training/test data sampled from different orchards/years). SpectraNet-53 was able to achieve better performance than DeepSpectra and PLS in several metrics, and is especially robust to training overfit. For external validation results, on average, SpectraNet-53 was 3.1% better than PLS on RMSEP (1.16 vs. 1.20 Brix), 11.6% better in SDR (1.22 vs. 1.10), and 28.0% better in R2 (0.40 vs. 0.31).project NIBAP ALG-01-0247-FEDER-037303, project OtiCalFrut ALG-010247-FEDER-033652info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

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

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

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

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