Corneal endothelium assessment in specular microscopy images with Fuchs’ dystrophy via deep regression of signed distance maps

Specular microscopy assessment of the human corneal endothelium (CE) in Fuchs’ dystrophy is challenging due to the presence of dark image regions called guttae. This paper proposes a UNet-based segmentation approach that requires minimal post-processing and achieves reliable CE morphometric assessment and guttae identification across all degrees of Fuchs’ dystrophy. We cast the segmentation problem as a regression task of the cell and gutta signed distance maps instead of a pixel-level classification task as typically done with UNets. Compared to the conventional UNet classification approach, the distance-map regression approach converges faster in clinically relevant parameters. It also produces morphometric parameters that agree with the manually-segmented ground-truth data, namely the average cell density difference of -41.9 cells/mm2 (95% confidence interval (CI) [-306.2, 222.5]) and the average difference of mean cell area of 14.8 µm 2 (95% CI [-41.9, 71.5]). These results suggest a promising alternative for CE assessment.This work has been partly funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Colombia, Project 124489786239 (Contract 763-2021), Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar (UTB) Project CI2021P02, and Agencia Estatal de Investigación del Gobierno de España (PID2020-114582RB-I00/ AEI / 10.13039/501100011033). J. Sierra thanks UTB for a post-graduate scholarship.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Corneal Endothelium Evaluation in Presence of Corneal Fuchs’ Dystrophy via Convolutional Neural Networks

Specular microscopy is a non-contact technique used to image the corneal endothelium (CE). The CE is primarily made up of hexagonal cells, and an accurate assessment of its health can be performed by measuring the morphometric parameters. However, traditional methods often struggle in cases of diseases, such as cornea guttata. In this thesis, we investigated the use of deep learning methods to assess CE health without manual intervention, both in healthy and pathological subjects. We present the results of using a fully convolutional regression network to predict cell density maps from input microscopy images. In addition, we present two strategies for performing cell segmentation: classification and regression. The first approach uses a 5-layer UNet architecture to classify each pixel in an input specular microscopy image into one of three categories: the cell body, diseased region, or intercellular space. The second approach, a novel regression architecture based on UNet, aims to predict signed distance maps. We compared this approach with manual references and a comercial software. Finally, we summarize our conclusions and limitations, and outline future work. Our results show that deep-learning-based methods can be a promising tool for CE health assessment, providing a more effective and automated approach

Automated corneal endothelium image segmentation in the presence of cornea guttata via convolutional neural networks - 115110H

Automated cell counting in in-vivo specular microscopy images is challenging, especially in situations where single-cell segmentation methods fail due to pathological conditions. This work aims to obtain reliable cell segmentation from specular microscopy images of both healthy and pathological corneas. We cast the problem of cell segmentation as a supervised multi-class segmentation problem. The goal is to learn a mapping relation between an input specular microscopy image and its labeled counterpart, indicating healthy (cells) and pathological regions (e.g., guttae). We trained a U-net model by extracting 96 96 pixel patches from corneal endothelial cell images and the corresponding manual segmentation by a physician. Encouraging results show that the proposed method can deliver reliable feature segmentation enabling more accurate cell density estimations for assessing the state of the cornea.This work has been partly funded by the Centre de Cooperació i Desenvolupament (CCD) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya under project ref. CCD 2020-B014.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Memorias: primer encuentro de la RED internacional de investigación en el marco de la X Jornada de Investigación 2019

ERII 2019 es el Primer Encuentro de la Red Internacional Universitaria para el Desarrollo de la Investigación y las Publicaciones Científicas, conformada por la Universidad Católica de Colombia, la Universidad Católica de Salta (Argentina), la Universidad de Monterrey (México) y la Universidad Gabriela Mistral (Chile). Esta red tiene como principal objetivo potenciar el desarrollo de la actividad investigativa, mediante la formalización de redes de investigadores, la promoción de actividades conjuntas, el diseño de planes y movilidad y el trabajo en una red editorial. La actividad académica fue un espacio abierto para compartir experiencias y resultados de investigación no solo de las universidades adscritas a la red, sino de otras instituciones que participaron en el evento. (Tomado de la fuente).1ra ediciónIntroducción ponencias I. Derecho y Ciencias Sociales Análisis del marco institucional vinculado a la implementación de las salvaguardas REDD+ en la Provincia de Salta, Argentina Guadalupe Zapata: intersticios en la construcción histórica fundacional de Pereira, Colombia La notificación por aviso como garantía al debido proceso y tutela judicial efectiva en el proceso monitorio colombiano: análisis en el marco de la Sentencia C-031/2019 Migración y prácticas territoriales de la comunidad boliviana en la ciudad de Salta, Argentina El derecho de infancia y adolescencia en Colombia: reflexiones sobre su estatuto jurídico-doctrinal La soberanía funcional en Colombia para los derechos humanos Agnición de los militares víctimas del conflicto armado en Colombia Elementos politológicos y jurídicos del voto en blanco, el voto nulo y el abstencionismo en las elecciones presidenciales de Ecuador 2017, Costa Rica 2018 y Colombia 2018 La democracia: ¿un fruto envenenado? Una propuesta de jerarquización de las democracias liberales Estudio sobre las relaciones de similitud, causalidad y simbólicas en niños de 3 a 13 años Garantías para el ejercicio de los derechos de los usuarios y estudiantes con discapacidad, enfocado en la inclusión desde el consultorio jurídico de CECAR II. Arte, Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño La industrialización como motor de suburbanización y metropolización de Monterrey, México, en el siglo XX Reivindicación del campesinado desde sus prácticas y saberes: tradiciones en tiempos del posacuerdo en el Sumapaz (Colombia) Diseño geométrico de “calado” para potencializar la ventilación natural en edificaciones El Anfiteatro de la quebrada de Las Conchas: caracterización acústica direccional Estrategia de intervención urbana para la reconfiguración de las redes caminables del borde urbano. Caso de estudio: Sierra Morena, USME Instrumentos musicales del Caribe colombiano en vías de extinción: guandú, arco de boca y marimba de pierna Dispositivos de cambio: intervenciones colectivas en el borde urbano suroriental de Bogotá Creación de nuevos procesos y diseños para la arquitectura de América Latina con la ayuda de indicadores III. Ingeniería y Tecnología Diseño de inclusión tecnológica educativa a través del B-Learning y las TIC Diseño de soluciones tecnológicas a problemas del contexto local en región a través del semillero de investigación TECSIS de la Universidad de Caldas Aplicación de las tecnologías semánticas a la forensia digital: ontología del correo electrónico y su trazabilidad para el análisis forense M-Learning aplicado para estudio de mercados en la formulación de proyectos Análisis en la generación de caudales pico a partir del cambio de la cobertura vegetal en la cuenca Sardinata, departamento del Norte de Santander, Colombia Análisis de impactos ambientales provocados por el aprovechamiento de recursos naturales renovables: metodologías que desarrollan nuevas fuentes generadoras de energía en Panamá y Colombia Aplicación de un modelo unificado para arcillas y arenas a suelos típicos de la ciudad de Salta Estudio técnico para la planeación de la emisora radial de la Universidad Católica de Colombia con migración hacia radio digital La transferencia de las tecnologías limpias en la vivienda social en Brasil y Colombia Desarrollo de un contador Geiger-Müller para verificar la exposición a la radiación en salas de radiología convencional Diseño de un controlador tolerante a fallas en un vehículo de suspensión semiactiva IV. Ciencias de la Salud Biorremediación de residuos peligrosos generados por laboratorios de docencia de la Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca Morbilidad en Ecuador, 2007-2016 El desplazamiento del metabolismo de atorvastatina es afectado por los polimorfismos SLCO1B1 y ABCB1 en la población mexicana Terapia ocupacional basada en la evidencia y razonamiento profesional en equipos interdisciplinares de tecnología de apoyo: prótesis impresas en 3D de la Corporación Fabrilab Vicisitudes actuales de la autoridad en las familias de Salta, Argentina Efecto de la lesión por leishmaniasis cutánea (Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania amazonensis) en el nervio periférico y dermis en ratones Balb/C. Estudio in vivo Diseño y validación del cuestionario de gravedad social percibida del consumo de alcohol en adolescentes Diseño y construcción de una aplicación virtual para rehabilitación auditiva en adultos Revisión sistemática: propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos utilizados para evaluar las actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria en joven, adulto y persona mayor V. Negocios, Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas Estudio de factibilidad para la conformación de una empresa prestadora de servicios para motocicletas en Manizales Oferta productiva del cacao colombiano en el posconflicto: estrategias para el aprovechamiento de oportunidades comerciales en el marco del acuerdo comercial entre Colombia y la Unión Europea VI. Educación y Humanidades La infantilización del estudiante universitario: origen, situación actual e implicaciones Promoción de competencias socioafectivas en el aula Análisis de la estructura curricular de la Licenciatura en Higiene y Seguridad en el Trabajo: el sistema modular La familia cristiana, una nueva buena para el tercer milenio: los Encuentros Mundiales de las Familias, de Juan Pablo II a Francisco (1994-2018) Perspectivas de la innovación educativa que caracterizan los trabajos de investigación de la Maestría en E-Learning de la Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (Colombia) Análisis de las nuevas tendencias laborales y formativas del trabajador social de Uniminuto (Girardot) Articulación entre la educación religiosa escolar y el derecho a la libertad religiosa Análisis correlacional del aporte de la educación pregradual a la educación secundaria de los egresados del programa de Trabajo Social del 2018 del CRG Uniminuto El aprendizaje en la resignificación de la vida de las infancias Modelo teórico predictor de la retención estudiantil a partir del engagement en la Fundación Universitaria Los Libertadores La letra con sangre entra: castigo permitido en la educación escolar en Bogotá La diferencia en la educación pósteres I. Arte, Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño Restructuración de los paisajes naturales presentes en los bordes urbanos de Bogotá ¿Paisaje, medioambiente y tecnología como bioarquitectura del paisaje? El equipamiento de culto en la construcción del borde urbano de la ciudad II. Ingeniería y Tecnología Nueva matriz para registrar la experiencia consolidada de los oferentes que contratan con el Estado en el sector de la infraestructura vial, en la empresa JOYCO S. A. S Seguridad a un ojo de distancia Sistema de radio sobre fibra para la transmisión de imágenes Estructuras en guadua (quiosco) y bambú (yurta)* Análisis de la utilización de fibras de guadua como refuerzo del concreto Laboratorios con simulación y con equipo real en la enseñanza de redes de computadoras en el nivel universitario Análisis bibliométrico de la correlación existente entre los tópicos de “identificadores de radiofrecuencia” y “gestión de cadena de suministros” como caso de estudio II. Ciencias de la Salud Presencia en manos y conocimiento de Staphylococcus aureus coagulasa positivo en estudiantes de áreas de la salud IV. Educación y Humanidades Del refugio de la virtualidad a la exposición del contacto real Conclusione

ENGIU: Encuentro Nacional de Grupos de Investigación de UNIMINUTO.

El desarrollo del prototipo para el sistema de detección de Mina Antipersona (MAP), inicia desde el semillero ADSSOF perteneciente al programa de Administración en Seguridad y Salud en el trabajo de la UNIMINUTO, se realiza a partir de un detector de metales que emite una señal audible, que el usuario puede interpretar como aviso de presencia de un objeto metálico, en este caso una MAP. La señal audible se interpreta como un dato, como ese dato no es perceptible a 5 metros de distancia, se implementa el transmisor de Frecuencia Modulada FM por la facilidad de modulación y la escogencia de frecuencia de transmisión de acuerdo con las normas y resolución del Ministerio de Comunicaciones; de manera que esta sea la plataforma base para enviar los datos obtenidos a una frecuencia establecida. La idea es que el ser humano no explore zonas peligrosas y buscar la forma de crear un sistema que permita eliminar ese riesgo, por otro lado, buscar la facilidad de uso de elementos ya disponibles en el mercado

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care. We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research