Essential oils from Argentinean native species reduce in vitro methane production

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Argentinean essential oils (EO) on methane production during in vitro fermentation compared to EO with proven effects as rumen fermentation modifiers. A complete randomized block design was used and the treatments included EO from Aloysia gratissima (50, 100, 150 and 300 mg/L), Eucalyptus globulus (5, 50, 150 and 300 mg/L), Lippia turbinata (30, 60, 120 and 240 mg/L), Mentha x piperita var. vulgaris (50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/L), Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum cv. Compacto (0.5, 5, 50 and 250 mg/L) and cv. Mendocino (50, 150, 250 and 350 mg/L), Rosmarinus officinalis (100, 300, 500 and 700 mg/L), Schinus molle (75, 150, 300 and 600 mg/L), Tagetes minuta (5, 50, 125 and 250 mg/L), and Thymus vulgaris (5, 50, 150 and 300 mg/L). Two controls were included: control (not containing EO) and monensin (1.87 mg/L). Variables measured were: digestibility of neutral detergent fiber, gas and methane production. Compared to the control, monensin reduced methane production by 44%, but with a 15% reduction in fiber digestibility. Except for E. globulus and L. turbinata, each variable measured was significantly reduced with the higher level of inclusion compared to the control, representing that overall microbial activity was affected. L. turbinata (60.8% limonene) reduced methane by half compared to control, and by 35 to 85% when compared to monensin, without affecting digestibility of the fiber. Some essential oils from native Argentinean plants exhibited great potential to reduce enteric methane production without affecting digestibility, of which L. turbinata was the most promising alternative.El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de aceites esenciales (AE) de plantas nativas de Argentina en la producción de metano durante la fermentación in vitro, en comparación con AE con efectos comprobados como modificadores de la fermentación ruminal. Se realizó un diseño en bloque completos al azar y los AE y dosis evaluados fueron: Aloysia gratissima (0,5, 5, 50 y 250 mg/L) , Eucalyptus globulus (5, 50, 150 y 300 mg/L), Lippia turbinata (30, 60, 120 y 240 mg/L), Mentha x piperita var. vulgaris (50, 100, 200 y 400 mg/L), Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum cv. Compacto (0,5, 5, 50 y 250 mg/L) y cv. Mendocino (50, 150, 250 y 350 mg/L), Rosmarinus officinalis (100, 300, 500 y 700 mg/L), Schinus molle (75, 150, 300 y 600 mg/L), Tagetes minuta (5, 50, 125 y 250 mg/L), y Thymus vulgaris (5, 50, 150 y 300 mg/L). Se incluyeron dos controles: control (sin AE) y monensina (1,87 mg/L). Las variables evaluadas fueron: digestibilidad in vitro de la fibra en detergente neutro, producción de gas y metano. En comparación al control, la monensina redujo la producción de metano en un 44%, pero con una reducción de un 15% en la digestibilidad de la fibra. Con excepción a E. globulus y L. turbinata, todas las variables fueron reducidas significativamente con el mayor nivel de inclusión comparado con el control, lo cual representa que la actividad microbiana se vio afectada. L. turbinata (60,8% limoneno) redujo la producción de metano a la mitad comparado al control, y entre un 35 y 85% en comparación a la monensina, sin que la digestibilidad de la fibra se vea afectada. Algunos aceites esenciales de plantas nativas de Argentina demostraron gran potencial para reducir la producción de metano entérico sin afectar la digestibilidad, de los cuales L. turbinata fue la alternativa más promisoria.EEA ManfrediFil: García, F. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; ArgentinaFil: Brunetti, Maria Alejandra. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Lucini, Enrique I. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias,; ArgentinaFil: Scorcione Turcato, M.C. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Moreno, Maria Valeria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Frossasco, Georgina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Colombatto, Dario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia; Argentina.Fil: Martinez, Maria Jose. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Ferrer, Jorge. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentin

AMELIE: Authoring Multimedia-Enhanced Learning Interactive Environment for e-Health Contents

This paper presents the AMELIE Authoring Tool for e-health applications. AMELIE provides the means for creating video-based contents with a focus on e-learning and telerehabilitation processes. The main core of AMELIE lies in the efficient exploitation of raw multimedia resources, which may be already available at clinical centers or recorded ad hoc for learning purposes by health professionals. Three real use cases scenarios involving different target users are presented: (1) cognitive skills? training of surgeons in minimally invasive surgery (medical professionals), (2) training of informal carers for elderly home assistance and (3) cognitive rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injury. Preliminary validation in the field of surgery hints at the potential of AMELIE; and its versatility in different medical applications is patent from the use cases described. Regardless, new validation studies are planned in the three main application areas identified in this work

Video-based tasks for emotional processing rehabilitation in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of cognitive processes and by a deficit of typi-cal emotional responses. Effectiveness of computerized task has been demonstrated in the field of cognitive rehabilitation. However, current rehabilitation programs based on virtual environments normally focus on higher cognitive functions, not covering social cognition training. This paper presents a set of video-based tasks specifically designed for the rehabilita-tion of emotional processing deficits in patients in early stages of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. These tasks are part of the Mental Health program of Guttmann NeuroPer-sonalTrainer® cognitive tele-rehabilitation platform, and entail innovation both from a clinical and technological per-spective in relation with former traditional therapeutic con-tents

Breast Cancer Detection by Means of Artificial Neural Networks

Breast cancer is a fatal disease causing high mortality in women. Constant efforts are being made for creating more efficient techniques for early and accurate diagnosis. Classical methods require oncologists to examine the breast lesions for detection and classification of various stages of cancer. Such manual attempts are time consuming and inefficient in many cases. Hence, there is a need for efficient methods that diagnoses the cancerous cells without human involvement with high accuracies. In this research, image processing techniques were used to develop imaging biomarkers through mammography analysis and based on artificial intelligence technology aiming to detect breast cancer in early stages to support diagnosis and prioritization of high-risk patients. For automatic classification of breast cancer on mammograms, a generalized regression artificial neural network was trained and tested to separate malignant and benign tumors reaching an accuracy of 95.83%. With the biomarker and trained neural net, a computer-aided diagnosis system is being designed. The results obtained show that generalized regression artificial neural network is a promising and robust system for breast cancer detection. The Laboratorio de Innovacion y Desarrollo Tecnologico en Inteligencia Artificial is seeking collaboration with research groups interested in validating the technology being developed

Diagnostic Ability of Macular Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Using New Segmentation Software in Glaucoma Suspects

Purpose. To assess the capacity of internal retinal layer thickness measurements made at the macula using new spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) software to distinguish between healthy subjects and those with suspected glaucoma. The diagnostic performance of such measurements also was compared with that of conventional peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements. Methods. The study included 38 subjects with suspected glaucoma and 38 age-matched healthy subjects. In one randomly selected eye of each participant, thickness measurements at the level of the macula were made of the nerve fiber layer (mRNFL), the ganglion cell layer (GCL), and the ganglion cell complex (GCC; GCL + internal plexiform layer) through automated OCT segmentation. Peripapillary RNFL thickness (pRNFL) also was determined using the conventional scan. Results. As the only variable showing intergroup variation, mRNFL in the glaucoma suspects was significantly thinner in the quadrants inner inferior (P = 0.003), inner temporal (P = 0.010), and outer inferior (P = 0.017). The variable best able to discriminate between the two groups was inner inferior mRNFL thickness, as indicated by an area below the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.742. Conclusions. Macular RNFL thickness measurements showed an improved diagnostic capacity over the other variables examined to distinguish between healthy subjects and glaucoma suspects

A Diagnostic Calculator for Detecting Glaucoma on the Basis of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer, Optic Disc, and Retinal Ganglion Cell Analysis by Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a multivariate predictive model to detect glaucoma by using a combination of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), retinal ganglion cell-inner plexiform (GCIPL), and optic disc parameters measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: Five hundred eyes from 500 participants and 187 eyes of another 187 participants were included in the study and validation groups, respectively. Patients with glaucoma were classified in five groups based on visual field damage. Sensitivity and specificity of all glaucoma OCT parameters were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) and areas under the ROC (AUC) were compared. Three predictive multivariate models (quantitative, qualitative, and combined) that used a combination of the best OCT parameters were constructed. A diagnostic calculator was created using the combined multivariate model. Results: The best AUC parameters were: inferior RNFL, average RNFL, vertical cup/disc ratio, minimal GCIPL, and inferior-temporal GCIPL. Comparisons among the parameters did not show that the GCIPL parameters were better than those of the RNFL in early and advanced glaucoma. The highest AUC was in the combined predictive model (0.937; 95% confidence interval, 0.911–0.957) and was significantly (P = 0.0001) higher than the other isolated parameters considered in early and advanced glaucoma. The validation group displayed similar results to those of the study group. Conclusions: Best GCIPL, RNFL, and optic disc parameters showed a similar ability to detect glaucoma. The combined predictive formula improved the glaucoma detection compared to the best isolated parameters evaluated. The diagnostic calculator obtained good classification from participants in both the study and validation groups

A graphical tool for designing interactive video cognitive rehabilitation therapies

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) has become one of the most common causes of neurological disability in developed countries. Cognitive disorders result in a loss of independence and therefore patients? quality of life. Cognitive rehabilitation aims to promote patients? skills to achieve their highest degree of personal autonomy. New technologies such as interactive video, whereby real situations of daily living are reproduced within a controlled virtual environment, enable the design of personalized therapies with a high level of generalization and a great ecological validity. This paper presents a graphical tool that allows neuropsychologists to design, modify, and configure interactive video therapeutic activities, through the combination of graphic and natural language. The tool has been validated creating several Activities of Daily Living and a preliminary usability evaluation has been performed showing a good clinical acceptance in the definition of complex interactive video therapies for cognitive rehabilitation

Integración de tecnologías eye-tracking con vídeos interactivos para neurorrehabilitación cognitiva

La integración de las nuevas tecnologías en el proceso de rehabilitación permite la generación de terapias personalizadas, ubicuas y basadas en la evidencia. Tecnologías como el vídeo interactivo son propicias para el desarrollo de entornos virtuales en los que el paciente se ve inmerso dentro de actividades de la vida diaria en los que tiene que lograr un objetivo ecológico en un contexto seguro, controlado y adaptado a su perfil disfuncional. Dentro de este marco de rehabilitación la interacción visual paciente-entorno virtual se entiende como el mecanismo de comunicación principal, siendo además la atención visual un reflejo del estado cognitivo del paciente. El trabajo presentado en este artículo permite la integración de un sistema de eye-tracking con un entorno de neurorrehabilitación basado en vídeo interactivo. El objetivo último del sistema es la monitorización en tiempo real de la atención visual del usuario durante el proceso de neurorrehabilitación. Esta monitorización permite no sólo reproducir la ejecución de la actividad junto con el foco de la mirada, sino también detectar faltas de atención por parte del usuario, que permiten al vídeo interactivo reaccionar y adaptar la presentación de estímulos para ayudar a centrar su atención y así completar el objetivo de la actividad

Detección y seguimiento de objetos en vídeos de actividades de vida diaria para rehabilitación de pacientes con daño cerebral adquirido

Las técnicas de rehabilitación permiten la recuperación y mejora de las funciones dañadas o deterioradas y ayuda al paciente con DCA a adaptarse a su nueva situación. El avance tecnológico que se ha producido en las últimas décadas, ha impulsado la investigación en el diseño y desarrollo de nuevos modelos de rehabilitación. La tecnología de vídeo interactivo se convierte en un elemento de apoyo en estos nuevos modelos rehabilitadores. Se hace necesario desarrollar nuevos algoritmos de segmentación y seguimiento que permitan dotar de información adicional a los vídeos. En este trabajo se han implementado y evaluado dos métodos que permiten realizar la detección y el seguimiento de objetos de interés

Entornos virtuales de vídeo interactivo para neurorrehabilitación cognitiva

En pocos años, la discapacidad de origen cognitivo será uno de los principales problemas de salud. El déficit cognitivo influye en la ejecución de todas las actividades de la vida diaria. Pacientes con una afección de este tipo ven alterados su entorno social y familiar. Por todo ello, se hace imprescindible el desarrollo de programas de rehabilitación que permitan minimizar las consecuencias de las lesiones adquiridas y restituir o compensar las funciones afectadas. En la actualidad nos encontramos en un momento de cambio en las metodologías de la neurorrehabilitación, donde los entornos virtuales digitales interactivos son una fuente de innovación y una ventana terapéutica para la generación de nuevas estrategias basadas en una rehabilitación personalizada, monitorizada y ubicua, con la que lograr el máximo nivel de realización en las actividades de vida diaria. En este trabajo de investigación se plantea el uso del vídeo interactivo como medio tecnológico para realizar las terapias de rehabilitación cognitiva. Se presenta una prueba de concepto de una actividad de vida diaria y su posterior análisis por el equipo clínico del Instituí Guttmann. Los resultados preliminares apoyan su uso para alcanzar una rehabilitación basada en el nuevo paradigma