Embedded Software of the KM3NeT Central Logic Board

The KM3NeT Collaboration is building and operating two deep sea neutrino telescopes at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The telescopes consist of latices of photomultiplier tubes housed in pressure-resistant glass spheres, called digital optical modules and arranged in vertical detection units. The two main scientific goals are the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the discovery and observation of high-energy neutrino sources in the Universe. Neutrinos are detected via the Cherenkov light, which is induced by charged particles originated in neutrino interactions. The photomultiplier tubes convert the Cherenkov light into electrical signals that are acquired and timestamped by the acquisition electronics. Each optical module houses the acquisition electronics for collecting and timestamping the photomultiplier signals with one nanosecond accuracy. Once finished, the two telescopes will have installed more than six thousand optical acquisition nodes, completing one of the more complex networks in the world in terms of operation and synchronization. The embedded software running in the acquisition nodes has been designed to provide a framework that will operate with different hardware versions and functionalities. The hardware will not be accessible once in operation, which complicates the embedded software architecture. The embedded software provides a set of tools to facilitate remote manageability of the deployed hardware, including safe reconfiguration of the firmware. This paper presents the architecture and the techniques, methods and implementation of the embedded software running in the acquisition nodes of the KM3NeT neutrino telescopes

Prospects for combined analyses of hadronic emission from γ\gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way with CTA and KM3NeT

The Cherenkov Telescope Array and the KM3NeT neutrino telescopes are major upcoming facilities in the fields of $\gamma$-ray and neutrino astronomy, respectively. Possible simultaneous production of $\gamma$ rays and neutrinos in astrophysical accelerators of cosmic-ray nuclei motivates a combination of their data. We assess the potential of a combined analysis of CTA and KM3NeT data to determine the contribution of hadronic emission processes in known Galactic $\gamma$-ray emitters, comparing this result to the cases of two separate analyses. In doing so, we demonstrate the capability of Gammapy, an open-source software package for the analysis of $\gamma$-ray data, to also process data from neutrino telescopes. For a selection of prototypical $\gamma$-ray sources within our Galaxy, we obtain models for primary proton and electron spectra in the hadronic and leptonic emission scenario, respectively, by fitting published $\gamma$-ray spectra. Using these models and instrument response functions for both detectors, we employ the Gammapy package to generate pseudo data sets, where we assume 200 hours of CTA observations and 10 years of KM3NeT detector operation. We then apply a three-dimensional binned likelihood analysis to these data sets, separately for each instrument and jointly for both. We find that the largest benefit of the combined analysis lies in the possibility of a consistent modelling of the $\gamma$-ray and neutrino emission. Assuming a purely leptonic scenario as input, we obtain, for the most favourable source, an average expected 68% credible interval that constrains the contribution of hadronic processes to the observed $\gamma$-ray emission to below 15%.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures. Submitted to journa

Restless Legs Syndrome masquerades as chronic insomnia

Objective: The objective of this study is to emphasize the importance of the clinical suspicion of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) among patients with chronic insomnia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study referring to the period 2009–2018. All patients presenting with the complaint of insomnia and fulfilling the criteria of Chronic Insomnia (C.I.) were enrolled. In this group we estimated how many patients finally had the diagnosis of RLS. Demographic and clinical characteristics (sleep related problems, fatigue, daytime sleepiness and psychological profile) were recorded and analyzed between C.I. and RLS patients using logistic regression models. Results: A total of 532 patients presented with C.I. Among them 83 proved to have RLS. No differences in frequencies or odds were observed concerning the type of insomnia, daily fatigue, daytime sleepiness and depression. RLS is more frequent in women (p = 0.01) and in older patients (p = 0.05) who present with the picture of C.I. Anxiety levels are higher in the RLS group (p = 0.004). Conclusion: RLS and C.I. patients demonstrate a very similar profile which complicates the differential diagnosis. Physicians and especially psychiatrists who deal with insomnia must have increased clinical suspicion for RLS as RLS and insomnia have a totally different therapeutic approach. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Survival outcomes of ovarian cancer patients treated with secondary cytoreductive surgery for isolated lymph node recurrence: A systematic review of the literature

Background: Isolated lymph node recurrence (ILNR) is present in 12–37% of recurrences in ovarian cancer patients. Although several studies have investigated the impact of secondary cytoreduction in these cases, consensus still lacks concerning their optimal management. The purpose of the present review is to investigate whether secondary cytoreduction benefits patients with ILNR in terms of overall survival (OS) and post-relapse survival (PRS). Method: The present systematic review was designed using the PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines and has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019122854). We searched Medline, Scopus, Clinicaltrials.gov, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL and Google Scholar databases from inception until February 2019. Results: Overall, eight studies where included that recruited a total number of 479 women. Current evidence suggests that ILNR in EOC patients should be clearly distinguished from recurrences in other sites (including peritoneal and parenchymal) as their course seems to be less aggressive. Furthermore, the implementation of secondary cytoreduction as an adjunct to standard chemotherapy should be taken into consideration in this specific group of patients as the PRS may easily reach and even extend beyond 5 years. Prolonged survival (>110 months) may be seen as a realistic target for a significant number of these patients when systematic lymphadenectomy is performed. Conclusion: The findings of our review suggest that patients with ILNR should be treated with a combined surgical and chemotherapeutic approach to optimize survival outcomes. However, further studies are needed to reach firm conclusions as current evidence is based in low quality studies. © 201

Galectins-1, -3, -7, -8 and -9 as prognostic markers for survival in epithelial ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Galectins are a family of proteins that have recently emerged as regulators of cancer biology. Objectives: To investigate the impact of peritumoral and tumoral galectin expression on ovarian cancer prognosis. Search strategy: We searched Medline, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases from inception until March 22, 2020. Selection criteria: All studies correlating galectins and ovarian cancer prognosis were selected. Data collection and analysis: The literature search presented 11 studies, which contained 1034 patients. Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.3 software. Main results: Studies were stratified into two groups depending on the location of galectin expression (peritumoral stroma or nucleus/cytoplasm of tumor cells). Tumoral galectin-7 and galectin-9 expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival (odds ratio [OR] 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32–3.21, P = 0.001; OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.27–2.30, P < 0.001, respectively). The total effect of high tumoral expression of galectins in overall survival and progression-free survival was significant (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.02–2.23, P = 0.04; OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.73–4.40, P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Our results suggest that galectins are implicated in ovarian cancer prognosis; however, further research is needed to ascertain their actual importance as well as their diagnostic accuracy. © 2020 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetric

Chloride Intracellular Channel 4 Overexpression in the Proximal Tubules of Kidneys from the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat: Insight from Proteomic Analysis

Background: Hypertensive nephropathy, a leading cause of declining kidney function, is a multifactorial process not well understood. In order to elucidate biological processes and identify novel macromolecular components crucially involved in the process of kidney damage, the application of system biology approaches, like proteomics, is required. Methods: Proteomic studies were performed using the renal parenchyma of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their normotensive Wistar Kyoto controls. Animals were sacrificed at early time intervals (6, 13, and 20 weeks after birth), the renal tissue extract was subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, differential expressed proteins were identified, and altered pathways were evaluated. One specific protein, chloride intracellular channel 4 (CLIC4), not implicated so far in the development of hypertension and nephrosclerosis, was further studied by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Results: Proteomic analysis identified several pathways/processes and organelles (mitochondria) as being affected from the early stages of hypertension. CLIC4 was overexpressed in SHR at all 3 time intervals examined. This finding was confirmed by Western blotting and by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence; these morphological techniques demonstrated that CLIC4 was almost exclusively localized at the apical surface of the proximal tubular epithelial cells. Conclusions: Our studies provide evidence that major changes occur in the renal parenchyma from early stages of the development of hypertension. The overexpression of CLIC4 suggests that alterations in the proximal tubular compartment during hypertension should be further examined and that CLIC4 may be a useful early marker of renal tubular alterations due to elevated blood pressure. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel. Copyright: All rights reserved