Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance

Towards earlier detection of Alzheimer's disease using magnetic resonance images

Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is essential to provide the patients with adequate and timely treatments and to help researchers monitor their effectiveness. Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic tool that provides high-resolution images and a high brain tissue contrast. \ud \ud Classification methods have been proposed that use MRI-based biomarkers as features to distinguish between normal controls and AD patients. Most approaches rely substantially on the quality of at least one of the following: 1) the assumptions of which brain regions are affected; 2) the segmentation of these brain structures, which suffers from large variability across studies; 3) a voxelwise inter-subject correspondence, which is difficult to achieve, particularly considering the large anatomical variability of the brain across different subjects. Also, such methods focus on structural (volume, shape, density) changes only. It has recently been considered that also the MR image intensities and textures can provide complementary information that is overlooked by the structural-based features.\ud \ud In this thesis, we build on the existing literature on classification approaches that use MR image textures for early detection of AD. Firstly, we focus our analysis on a type of lesions in the white matter, which are thought to play a role in cognitive decline. Results show that the lesion textures are more discriminative than the widely used lesion volumes and locations.\ud \ud Secondly, we propose three approaches that use texture descriptors, determined at local patches over the entire brain. Results show that: 1) texture descriptors are able to achieve high classification rates, comparably to structural-based features; 2) no assumptions need to be made about the expectedly affected brain regions, and consequently no prior segmentations are needed; 3) by only affine-registering the images we are still able to localize discriminative regions using finely sampled patches in the brain

Comparison of dynamic susceptibility contrast-MRI perfusion quantification methods in the presence of delay and dispersion

The perfusion of the brain is essential to maintain brain function. Stroke is an example of a decrease in blood flow and reduced perfusion. During ischemic stroke the blood flow to tissue is hampered due to a clot inside a vessel. To investigate the recovery of stroke patients, follow up studies are necessary. MRI is the preferred imaging modality for follow up because of the absence of radiation dose concerns, contrary to CT. Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast (DSC) MRI is an imaging technique used for measuring perfusion of the brain, however, is not standard applied in the clinical routine due to lack of immediate patient benefit. Several post processing algorithms are described in the literature to obtain cerebral blood flow (CBF). The quantification of CBF relies on the deconvolution of a tracer concentration-time curve in an arterial and a tissue voxel. There are several methods to obtain this deconvolution based on singular-value decomposition (SVD). This contribution describes a comparison between the different approaches as currently there is no best practice for (all) clinical relevant situations. We investigate the influence of tracer delay, dispersion and recirculation on the performance of the methods. In the presence of negative delays, the truncated SVD approach overestimates the CBF. Block-circulant and reformulated SVD are delay-independent. Due to its delay dependent behavior, the truncated SVD approach performs worse in the presence of dispersion as well. However all SVD approaches are dependent on the amount of dispersion. Moreover, we observe that the optimal truncation parameter varies when recirculation is added to noisy data, suggesting that, in practice, these methods are not immune to tracer recirculation. Finally, applying the methods to clinical data resulted in a large variability of the CBF estimates. Block-circulant SVD will work in all situations and is the method with the highest potential

Comparison of dynamic susceptibility contrast-MRI perfusion quantification methods in the presence of delay and dispersion

The perfusion of the brain is essential to maintain brain function. Stroke is an example of a decrease in blood flow and reduced perfusion. During ischemic stroke the blood flow to tissue is hampered due to a clot inside a vessel. To investigate the recovery of stroke patients, follow up studies are necessary. MRI is the preferred imaging modality for follow up because of the absence of radiation dose concerns, contrary to CT. Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast (DSC) MRI is an imaging technique used for measuring perfusion of the brain, however, is not standard applied in the clinical routine due to lack of immediate patient benefit. Several post processing algorithms are described in the literature to obtain cerebral blood flow (CBF). The quantification of CBF relies on the deconvolution of a tracer concentration-time curve in an arterial and a tissue voxel. There are several methods to obtain this deconvolution based on singular-value decomposition (SVD). This contribution describes a comparison between the different approaches as currently there is no best practice for (all) clinical relevant situations. We investigate the influence of tracer delay, dispersion and recirculation on the performance of the methods. In the presence of negative delays, the truncated SVD approach overestimates the CBF. Block-circulant and reformulated SVD are delay-independent. Due to its delay dependent behavior, the truncated SVD approach performs worse in the presence of dispersion as well. However all SVD approaches are dependent on the amount of dispersion. Moreover, we observe that the optimal truncation parameter varies when recirculation is added to noisy data, suggesting that, in practice, these methods are not immune to tracer recirculation. Finally, applying the methods to clinical data resulted in a large variability of the CBF estimates. Block-circulant SVD will work in all situations and is the method with the highest potential

Automatic determination of white matter hyperintensity properties in relation to the development of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia seen in the elderly. No curing medicine for AD exists at this moment. In the search for an effective medicine, research is directed towards the prediction of conversion of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD. White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) have been shown to contain information regarding the development of AD, although non-conclusive results are found in literature. These studies often use qualitative measures to describe WMHs, which is time consuming and prone to variability. To investigate the relation between WMHs and the development of AD, algorithms to automatically determine quantitative properties in terms of volume and spatial distribution of WMHs are developed and compared between normal controls and MCI subjects. MCI subjects have a significantly higher total volume of WMHs than normal controls. This difference persists when lesions are classified according to their distance to the ventricular wall. Spatial distribution is also described by defining different brain regions based on a common coordinate system. This reveals that MCI subjects have a larger WMH volume in the upper part of the brain compared to normal controls. In four subjects, the change of WMH properties over time is studied in detail. Although such a small dataset cannot be used to give definitive conclusions, the data suggests that progression of WMHs in subjects with a low lesion load is caused by an increase in the number of lesions and by the progression of juxtacortical lesions. In subjects with a larger lesion load, progression is caused by expansion of pre-existing lesions

Data of subjective wave motion score vs objective assessment

Subjective motion score was assessed for a series of ram ejaculates and compared to objective assessment by optical flow method and beads motion. The data are organised in two separated excel sheets for optical flow and beads motion.<br

Differential expression of apoptosis-related genes from death receptor pathway in chronic myeloproliferative diseases

Background Chronic myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) are clonal haematopoietic stem cell malignancies characterised by an accumulation of mature myeloid cells in bone marrow and peripheral blood. Deregulation of the apoptotic machinery may be associated with MPD physiopathology. Aims To evaluate expression of death receptors` family members, mononuclear cell apoptosis resistance, and JAK2 allele burden. Subjects and Methods Bone marrow haematopoietic progenitor CD34 cells were separated using the Ficoll-hypaque protocol followed by the Miltenyi CD34 isolation kit, and peripheral blood leukocytes were separated by the Haes-Steril method. Total RNA was extracted by the Trizol method, the High Capacity Kit was used to synthesise cDNA, and real-time PCR was performed using SybrGreen in ABIPrism 7500 equipment. The results of gene expression quantification are given as 2(-Delta Delta Ct). The JAK2 V617F mutation was detected by real-time allelic discrimination PCR assay. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by the Ficoll-hypaque protocol and cultured in the presence of apoptosis inducers. Results In CD34 cells, there was mRNA overexpression for fas, faim and c-flip in polycythaemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythaemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF), as well as fasl in PMF, and dr4 levels were increased in ET. In leukocytes, fas, c-flip and trail levels were increased in PV, and dr5 expression was decreased in ET. There was an association between dr5 and fasl expression and JAK2V617F mutation. PBMCs from patients with PV, ET or PMF showed resistance to apoptosis inducers. Conclusions The results indicate deregulation of apoptosis gene expression, which may be associated with MPD pathogenesis leading to accumulation of myeloid cells in MPDs.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[08/54387-5]Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[06/50094-8]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with persistent asthma : a cross-sectional analysis of the INSPIRERS studies

ObjectivesAnxiety and depression are relevant comorbidities in asthma, but, in Portugal and Spain, data on this topic are scarce. We assessed, in patients with asthma, the frequency of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the European Quality of Life Five Dimension Questionnaire (EQ-5D); the level of agreement between these questionnaires, and the factors associated with these symptoms.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of the INSPIRERS studies. A total of 614 adolescents and adults with persistent asthma (32.6 +/- 16.9 years, 64.7% female) were recruited from 30 primary care centres and 32 allergy, pulmonology and paediatric clinics. Demographic and clinical characteristics, HADS and EQ-5D were collected. A score &gt;= 8 on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety/Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression or a positive answer to EQ-5D item 5 indicated the presence of these symptoms. Agreement was determined by Cohen's kappa. Two multivariable logistic regressions were built.ResultsAccording to HADS, 36% of the participants had symptoms of anxiety and 12% of depression. According to EQ-5D, 36% of the participants had anxiety/depression. The agreement between questionnaires in identifying anxiety/depression was moderate (k=0.55, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.62). Late asthma diagnosis, comorbidities and female gender were predictors of anxiety/depression, while better asthma control, health-related quality of life and perception of health were associated with lower odds for anxiety/depression.ConclusionAt least 1/3 of the patients with persistent asthma experience symptoms of anxiety/depression, showing the relevance of screening these disorders in patients with asthma. EQ-5D and HADS questionnaires showed a moderate agreement in the identification of anxiety/depression symptoms. The identified associated factors need to be further investigated in long-term studies

Surgeons' perspectives on artificial intelligence to support clinical decision-making in trauma and emergency contexts: results from an international survey

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining traction in medicine and surgery. AI-based applications can offer tools to examine high-volume data to inform predictive analytics that supports complex decision-making processes. Time-sensitive trauma and emergency contexts are often challenging. The study aims to investigate trauma and emergency surgeons' knowledge and perception of using AI-based tools in clinical decision-making processes. Methods: An online survey grounded on literature regarding AI-enabled surgical decision-making aids was created by a multidisciplinary committee and endorsed by the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES). The survey was advertised to 917 WSES members through the society's website and Twitter profile. Results: 650 surgeons from 71 countries in five continents participated in the survey. Results depict the presence of technology enthusiasts and skeptics and surgeons' preference toward more classical decision-making aids like clinical guidelines, traditional training, and the support of their multidisciplinary colleagues. A lack of knowledge about several AI-related aspects emerges and is associated with mistrust. Discussion: The trauma and emergency surgical community is divided into those who firmly believe in the potential of AI and those who do not understand or trust AI-enabled surgical decision-making aids. Academic societies and surgical training programs should promote a foundational, working knowledge of clinical AI