The importance of foot abduction brace after the Ponseti treatment of clubfoot

The aim of this study was to find out the role and importance of foot abduction brace after the completion of clubfoot treatment by Ponseti method. In the interval 2014-2016, a series of 51 children (74 feet) suffering of clubfoot were treated according to the Ponseti method in our department. Of them, 36 children satisfied the inclusion criteria in the study. Compliance with orthoses was defined in the terms below: 23 hours/day in the first three months after the cast removal and minimum 8 hours/day up to the age of 3 years. Non-compliance was defined as the incapacity of observing the criterion mentioned above up to the age of 18 months. Out of the 36 patients, 25 (69%) patients (35 feet) complied with the requirement and 11 (31%) patients (15 feet) did not comply with the foot abduction orthoses. At the age of 18 months, it was found out that in the non-complying group, the Pirani score increased significantly as compared to the complying group which means a deterioration of the initial result. Another finding with reference to the foot abduction orthoses complying group is that the Pirani score was maintained or improved significantly (p<0.05), while with the non-complying group the initial results obtained by plaster casts were damaged due to lack of use of orthoses (p<0.05). We consider the correct use of the foot abduction orthoses as essential for the conservative treatment of the clubfoot according to the Ponseti method, in spite of the obstacles sometimes put by parents

Efficient Data Organisation in Distributed Computer Systems using Data Warehouse

Databases represent a highly developed form of data organisation. The efficient use of databases by their beneficiaries is a permanent and stringent concern. The first part of the article presents a short development of the way data are organised and of the ways distributed databases can be optimised in computer networks. Then, two means for the efficient operation of distributed databases are shown. The last part of the paper evaluations of the architectures of some data warehouses (DW) and of their building are made. Using the data warehouse, a beneficiary can prepare in advance the required support to get reports and then make the right decisions in specific situations

Optimization for Date Redistributed System with Applications

In this paper we intend to define a strategy for managing databases with mobile structures, taking into account their redistribution in the nodes of a computer network. The minimal cost of the redistribution is highlighted and some applications for medical and business databases are presented

Transient neonatal myasthenia gravis: case report

Transient neonatal myasthenia gravis (TNMG) is a distinct type of myasthenia gravis (MG), a temporary autoimmune condition due to the mother’s antibodies crossing over the placenta and affecting the baby. Studies suggest that 10 to 15% of infants born to mothers suffering from MG will develop TNMG. Undoubtedly, if not diagnosed and treated in time, TNMG can be a serious condition, even life-threatening. Almost 80% of newborns will present symptoms in the first 24 hours of life that will last up to 4 weeks and a complete recovery is expected by 2 months of age. Only 10% of the affected infants may still be symptomatic at 4 months

Serum MicroRNA Signatures Identified by Solexa Sequencing Predict Sepsis Patients’ Mortality: A Prospective Observational Study

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in Intensive Care Units. Novel sepsis biomarkers and targets for treatment are needed to improve mortality from sepsis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been used as finger prints for sepsis, and our goal in this prospective study was to investigate if serum miRNAs identified in genome-wide scans could predict sepsis mortality.We enrolled 214 sepsis patients (117 survivors and 97 non-survivors based on 28-day mortality). Solexa sequencing followed by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays was used to test for differences in the levels of miRNAs between survivors and non-survivors. miR-223, miR-15a, miR-16, miR-122, miR-193*, and miR-483-5p were significantly differentially expressed. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated and the areas under the curve (AUC) for these six miRNAs for predicting sepsis mortality ranged from 0.610 (95%CI: 0.523-0.697) to 0.790 (95%CI: 0.719-0.861). Logistic regression analysis showed that sepsis stage, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores, miR-15a, miR-16, miR-193b*, and miR-483-5p were associated with death from sepsis. An analysis was done using these seven variables combined. The AUC for these combined variables' predictive probability was 0.953 (95% CI: 0.923-0.983), which was much higher than the AUCs for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores (0.782; 95% CI: 0.712-0.851), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (0.752; 95% CI: 0.672-0.832), and procalcitonin levels (0.689; 95% CI: 0.611-0.784). With a cut-off point of 0.550, the predictive value of the seven variables had a sensitivity of 88.5% and a specificity of 90.4%. Additionally, miR-193b* had the highest odds ratio for sepsis mortality of 9.23 (95% CI: 1.20-71.16).Six serum miRNA's were identified as prognostic predictors for sepsis patients.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01207531

MicroRNA Fingerprints Identify miR-150 as a Plasma Prognostic Marker in Patients with Sepsis

BACKGROUND: The physiopathology of sepsis continues to be poorly understood, and despite recent advances in its management, sepsis is still a life-threatening condition with a poor outcome. If new diagnostic markers related to sepsis pathogenesis will be identified, new specific therapies might be developed and mortality reduced. Small regulatory non-coding RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), were recently linked to various diseases; the aim of our prospective study was to identify miRNAs that can differentiate patients with early-stage sepsis from healthy controls and to determine if miRNA levels correlate with the severity assessed by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: By using genome-wide miRNA profiling by microarray in peripheral blood leukocytes, we found that miR-150, miR-182, miR-342-5p, and miR-486 expression profiles differentiated sepsis patients from healthy controls. We also proved by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction that miR-150 levels were significantly reduced in plasma samples of sepsis patients and correlated with the level of disease severity measured by the SOFA score, but were independent of the white blood counts (WBC). We found that plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-10, and interleukin-18, all genes with sequence complementarity to miR-150, were negatively correlated with the plasma levels of this miRNA. Furthermore, we identified that the plasma levels ratio for miR-150/interleukin-18 can be used for assessing the severity of the sepsis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We propose that miR-150 levels in both leukocytes and plasma correlate with the aggressiveness of sepsis and can be used as a marker of early sepsis. Furthermore, we envision miR-150 restoration as a future therapeutic option in sepsis patients

BioSimulators: a central registry of simulation engines and services for recommending specific tools

Computational models have great potential to accelerate bioscience, bioengineering, and medicine. However, it remains challenging to reproduce and reuse simulations, in part, because the numerous formats and methods for simulating various subsystems and scales remain siloed by different software tools. For example, each tool must be executed through a distinct interface. To help investigators find and use simulation tools, we developed BioSimulators (https://biosimulators.org), a central registry of the capabilities of simulation tools and consistent Python, command-line and containerized interfaces to each version of each tool. The foundation of BioSimulators is standards, such as CellML, SBML, SED-ML and the COMBINE archive format, and validation tools for simulation projects and simulation tools that ensure these standards are used consistently. To help modelers find tools for particular projects, we have also used the registry to develop recommendation services. We anticipate that BioSimulators will help modelers exchange, reproduce, and combine simulations