Racial differences in systemic sclerosis disease presentation: a European Scleroderma Trials and Research group study

Objectives. Racial factors play a significant role in SSc. We evaluated differences in SSc presentations between white patients (WP), Asian patients (AP) and black patients (BP) and analysed the effects of geographical locations.Methods. SSc characteristics of patients from the EUSTAR cohort were cross-sectionally compared across racial groups using survival and multiple logistic regression analyses.Results. The study included 9162 WP, 341 AP and 181 BP. AP developed the first non-RP feature faster than WP but slower than BP. AP were less frequently anti-centromere (ACA; odds ratio (OR) = 0.4, P < 0.001) and more frequently anti-topoisomerase-I autoantibodies (ATA) positive (OR = 1.2, P = 0.068), while BP were less likely to be ACA and ATA positive than were WP [OR(ACA) = 0.3, P < 0.001; OR(ATA) = 0.5, P = 0.020]. AP had less often (OR = 0.7, P = 0.06) and BP more often (OR = 2.7, P < 0.001) diffuse skin involvement than had WP.AP and BP were more likely to have pulmonary hypertension [OR(AP) = 2.6, P < 0.001; OR(BP) = 2.7, P = 0.03 vs WP] and a reduced forced vital capacity [OR(AP) = 2.5, P < 0.001; OR(BP) = 2.4, P < 0.004] than were WP. AP more often had an impaired diffusing capacity of the lung than had BP and WP [OR(AP vs BP) = 1.9, P = 0.038; OR(AP vs WP) = 2.4, P < 0.001]. After RP onset, AP and BP had a higher hazard to die than had WP [hazard ratio (HR) (AP) = 1.6, P = 0.011; HR(BP) = 2.1, P < 0.001].Conclusion. Compared with WP, and mostly independent of geographical location, AP have a faster and earlier disease onset with high prevalences of ATA, pulmonary hypertension and forced vital capacity impairment and higher mortality. BP had the fastest disease onset, a high prevalence of diffuse skin involvement and nominally the highest mortality

Sexual dysfunction and depression in Behçet’s disease in comparison to healthy controls

Behçet's disease (BD) can affect the genital system and is more common in Middle Eastern countries and Asia but also occurs in Caucasian people. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) and depression in patients with BD compared to a healthy control group (HCG). In addition, differences with regard to depression and patients' origin were evaluated. This prospective, monocentric study included 106 consecutive patients from our specialized BD outpatient clinic. Patients were asked to fill out the paper based standardized and validated questionnaires International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In addition, 206 healthy controls were asked to fill out the questionnaires. 106 patients with BD were evaluated and 206 participants in the HCG. The mean age in BD group was 40.5 years as compared to 44.4 years in the HCG. Half of the patients had Middle Eastern and half Caucasian origin. SD was found in 24.5% of all subjects. Only 6.9% of male patients showed signs of SD, while half of the women's group was suffering from SD. The prevalence for SD was significantly higher in women with Middle Eastern ethnic origin compared to women with Caucasian origin (75 vs. 33.3%, p = 0.024). Erectile Dysfunction occurred in 55% of all male patients which was not statistical different from the HCG. Genital ulcers affected 73.6% of all patients. Depression was found in 36.7% of all subjects as compared to 6.25% in the HCG (p < 0.001). Both, SD and depression correlated positively in males (p = 0.017) and females (p = 0.013). SD and depression are very common problems in BD and should be addressed by the treating physician. Both manifestations are intensifying each other. Depression especially is more prevalent compared to the healthy population

The use of artificial intelligence for sign language recognition in education: from a literature overview to the ISENSE project

Common strategies to guarantee the inclusion of d/Deaf students in university are still absent. Recent studies have demonstrated how innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence and virtual/augmented reality, could be applied to solve this issue. This paper aims at providing an overview of the AI-based algorithms for sign language recognition, as well as the description of the project ISENSE. As concerning the AI application, the already implemented procedures are generally based on three steps, starting from sign language capture to sign language translation, passing through sign language recognition. The state-of-the art for each step has been reported, highlighting the most widespread solutions and the related pros and cons. Focusing on ISENSE, the project aims at implementing services and tools based on artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for deaf students at university. The project framework has been introduced, reporting both the main outcomes and the operating steps

Inattention behind the wheel: how factual internal thoughts impact attentional control while driving

Commonly defined as 'task-unrelated thoughts', the mind wandering (MW) state is one of the causes of inattention to on-going tasks. Such a concept includes various kinds of thoughts from unaware ones to emotional/ruminative or distractive ones (i.e. all thoughts unrelated to an emotional state). Some researchers have investigated emotional ruminative thoughts in the daily driving context and found an indisputable impact on the focus of attention on the driving scene. Although more frequent in driving situations, no study has focused on distractive thoughts. The aim of this paper is to determine how this kind of task-unrelated thought impacts driving behavior. To induce distractive thoughts, participants were instructed to encode picture/word (retrospective thoughts) and picture/intention (prospective thoughts) pairs during a distractive thought induction phase. Then, in the simulated driving phase, encoded pictures were presented on highway road signs, and served as cues of recall. Drivers had to recall either the word or the intention associated with the picture as soon as they saw it, requiring self-activation of thoughts by participants. Distractive thoughts led to less micro-regulation of both speed and lateral position and narrowed visual scanning of the driving scene. Participants also declared that it increased their mental workload. Theoretical and methodological aspects of the study were discussed regarding the literature on mind-wandering and distraction in driving

Pulse electropolymerization synthesis of PPy(DBS) nanoparticle layers

International audienceA one-step process using a pulse electropolymerization technique is used to fabricate nanoparticles of polypyrrole (PPy) with dodecyl benzene sulfonate (DBS) anions from an aqueous solution without template and without using any chemical additives. The morphology of particles is controlled by changing the pulse duration (from 120 to 0.5 s), while keeping the relaxation time constant at 15 s. Short pulses resulted in the formation of PPy(DBS) nanoparticles with an average particle size of about 50 nm. The control of the size of the PPy(DBS) nanoparticles is ascribed to a pulse electropolymerization growth mechanism, whereby progressive nucleation associated with two-dimensional growth is initiated at each new pulse cycle from the equilibrium electrolyte solution. Short pulses are needed to avoid nonuniform growth of nanoparticles and control the particle size. Sufficiently long relaxation time is required to restore the equilibrium concentrations in the vicinity of the working electrode by suppressing the double layer. Combining short pulses with sufficiently long relaxation times enables the formation of PPy(DBS) nanoparticles. The proposed short-pulse technique is meant to be applied to the fabrication of a wide range of nanostructured conductive polymers