Forward Scan based Plane Sweep Algorithm for Parallel Interval Joins

The interval join is a basic operation that finds application in temporal, spatial, and uncertain databases. Although a number of centralized and distributed algorithms have been proposed for the efficient evaluation of interval joins, classic plane sweep approaches have not been considered at their full potential. A recent piece of related work proposes an optimized approach based on plane sweep (PS) for modern hardware, showing that it greatly outperforms previous work. However, this approach depends on the development of a complex data structure and its parallelization has not been adequately studied. In this paper, we explore the applicability of a largely ignored forward scan (FS) based plane sweep algorithm, which is extremely simple to implement. We propose two optimizations of FS that greatly reduce its cost, making it competitive to the state-of-the-art single-threaded PS algorithm while achieving a lower memory footprint. In addition, we show the drawbacks of a previously proposed hash-based partitioning approach for parallel join processing and suggest a domain-based partitioning approach that does not produce duplicate results. Within our approach we propose a novel breakdown of the partition join jobs into a small number of independent mini-join jobs with varying cost and manage to avoid redundant comparisons. Finally, we show how these mini-joins can be scheduled in multiple CPU cores and propose an adaptive domain partitioning, aiming at load balancing. We include an experimental study that demonstrates the efficiency of our optimized FS and the scalability of our parallelization framework.published_or_final_versio

Efficient point-based trajectory search

LNCS v. 9239 entitled: Advances in Spatial and Temporal Databases: 14th International Symposium, SSTD 2015, Hong Kong, China, August 26-28, 2015. ProceedingsTrajectory data capture the traveling history of moving objects such as people or vehicles. With the proliferation of GPS and tracking technology, huge volumes of trajectories are rapidly generated and collected. Under this, applications such as route recommendation and traveling behavior mining call for efficient trajectory retrieval. In this paper, we first focus on distance-based trajectory search; given a collection of trajectories and a set query points, the goal is to retrieve the top-k trajectories that pass as close as possible to all query points. We advance the state-of-the-art by combining existing approaches to a hybrid method and also proposing an alternative, more efficient rangebased approach. Second, we propose and study the practical variant of bounded distance-based search, which takes into account the temporal characteristics of the searched trajectories. Through an extensive experimental analysis with real trajectory data, we show that our rangebased approach outperforms previous methods by at least one order of magnitude. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.postprin

Orthodeoxia and platypnoea after acute organophosphorus poisoning reversed by CPAP: a newly described cause and review of the literature

AbstractThe case of a 60-year-old male patient, who survived severe organophosphorus poisoning, and subsequently developed platypnoea and orthodeoxia is described. The patient was mechanically ventilated for a long period of time in the intensive care unit. During the weaning trial, he developed platypnoea and orthodeoxia (PaO2 85 mmHg in recumbency, and 40 mmHg in upright position). Interestingly, the patient's orthodeoxia was alleviated on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. This is a newly described cause of the platypnoea-orthodeoxia syndrome. The possible pathophysiological mechanisms are discussed and a review of the reported abnormal states associated with this condition is presented

Comparative analysis of induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) profile in asbestos exposed workers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Biological monitoring of healthy workers exposed to hazardous dusts lack validated screening tools. Induced sputum (IS) cellular profile was compared with bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) profile in asbestos exposed workers in order to assess its usefulness in monitoring workers exposed to asbestos for a long period of time.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>IS and BALF analysis was performed in 39 workers of a car brakes and clutches factory that uses chrysotile asbestos. Selection criteria were an employment history of > 15 years and the absence of a diagnosis of pneumonoconiosis. The type of cells, the existence of dust cells, of iron laden macrophages and of asbestos bodies were assessed and compared between IS and BALF samples.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>35 IS samples (90%) had dust cells, 34 (87%) iron laden macrophages and in 8 samples (21%) asbestos bodies were found. In most samples neutrophils were dominated. Samples with asbestos bodies (ABs) had significantly higher lymphocytes and lower neutrophils count compared with the samples without ABs. Macrophages and neutrophils in IS and BALF exhibited significant inter-relations (Spearman's rho: 0.26-0.29, p < 0.05) while IS lymphocytes count showed an inverse relation with BALF neutrophils (Spearman's rho: -0.36). Neutrophils and dust cells were highly correlated between the samples (Spearman's rho: 0.35, p < 0.05) while IS dust cells and lymphocytes were inversely related (Spearman's rho: -0.36, p < 0.05). More years of employment in the company was related with more neutrophils (Spearman's rho: 0.26) and less lymphocytes (Spearman's rho: -0.33) count. In multivariate analysis the presence of AB in IS samples was strongly related to the presence of asbestos bodies and lymphocytes count in BALF samples.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>IS and BALF analysis showed a similar cellular profile indicating that IS sampling in exposed workers to asbestos as a less invasive and expensive method may be useful in providing an insight both for inhalation of dusts and inflammatory processes in the lung.</p

COPD exacerbation: Lost in translation

The introduction and acceptance of a standard definition for exacerbations of COPD can be helpful in prompt diagnosis and management of these events. The latest GOLD executive committee recognised this necessity and it has now included a definition of exacerbation in the guidelines for COPD which is an important step forward in the management of the disease. This definition is pragmatic and compromises the different approaches for exacerbation. However, the inclusion of the "healthcare utilisation" approach (".. may warrant a change in regular medication") in the definition may introduce in the diagnosis of exacerbation factors related to the access to health care services which may not be related to the underlying pathophysiologal process which characterizes exacerbations. It should be also noted that the aetiology of COPD exacerbations has not yet been included in the current definition. In this respect, the definition does not acknowledge the fact that many patients with COPD may suffer from additional conditions (i.e. congestive cardiac failure or pulmonary embolism) that can masquerade as exacerbations but they should not be considered as causes of them. The authors therefore suggest that an inclusion of the etiologic factors of COPD exacerbations in the definition. Moreover, COPD exacerbations are characterized by increased airway and systemic inflammation and significant deterioration in lung fuction. These fundamental aspects should be accounted in diagnosis/definition of exacerbations. This could be done by the introduction of a "laboratory" marker in the diagnosis of these acute events. The authors acknowledge that the use of a test or a biomarker in the diagnosis of exacerbations meets certain difficulties related to performing lung function tests or to sampling during exacerbations. However, the introduction of a test that reflects airway or systemic inflammation in the diagnosis of exacerbations might be another step forward in the management of COPD

A new mathematical model for the interpretation of translational research evaluating six CTLA-4 polymorphisms in high-risk melanoma patients receiving adjuvant interferon

Adjuvant therapy of stage IIB/III melanoma with interferon reduces relapse and mortality by up to 33% but is accompanied by toxicity-related complications. Polymorphisms of the CTLA-4 gene associated with autoimmune diseases could help in identifying interferon treatment benefits. We previously genotyped 286 melanoma patients and 288 healthy (unrelated) individuals for six CTLA-4 polymorphisms (SNP). Previous analyses found no significant differences between the distributions of CTLA-4 polymorphisms in the melanoma population vs. controls, no significant difference in relapse free and overall survivals among patients and no correlation between autoimmunity and specific alleles. We report new analysis of these CTLA-4 genetic profiles, using Network Phenotyping Strategy (NPS). It is graph-theory based method, analyzing the SNP patterns. Application of NPS on CTLA-4 polymorphism captures allele relationship pattern for every patient into 6-partite mathematical graph P. Graphs P are combined into weighted 6-partite graph S, which subsequently decomposed into reference relationship profiles (RRP). Finally, every individual CTLA-4 genotype pattern is characterized by the graph distances of P from eight identified RRP's. RRP's are subgraphs of S, collecting equally frequent binary allele co-occurrences in all studied loci. If S topology represents the genetic "dominant model", the RRP's and their characteristic frequencies are identical to expectation-maximization derived haplotypes and maximal likelihood estimates of their frequencies. The graphrepresentation allows showing that patient CTLA-4 haplotypes are uniquely different from the controls by absence of specific SNP combinations. New function-related insight is derived when the 6-partite graph reflects allelic state of CTLA-4. We found that we can use differences between individual P and specific RRPs to identify patient subpopulations with clearly different polymorphic patterns relatively to controls as well as to identify patients with significantly different survival. © 2014 Pancoska et al

Epidemiology of interstitial lung diseases in Greece

SummaryIntroductionFew data are available on the epidemiology of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), especially after the current classification of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. The aim of this study is to provide data on the epidemiology of ILDs in Greece, under the ATS/ERS international consensus.MethodsDepartments of Pneumonology were contacted and asked to complete a questionnaire for every case of ILD that was alive on 2004 as well as for every new case from 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2004. Questions on the patients' demographic data, the exact diagnosis and the procedures used to establish the diagnosis were included. Centers covering about 60% of the Greek population have been analyzed.ResultsA total of 967 cases have been registered. The estimated prevalence of ILDs is 17.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The estimated annual incidence of ILDs is 4.63 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The most frequent disease is sarcoidosis (34.1%), followed in decreasing order by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (19.5%), ILD associated with collagen vascular diseases (12.4%), cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (5.3%), histiocytosis (3.8%), and hypersensitivity pneumonitis (2.6%). Unclassified ILD or not otherwise specified accounted for the 8.5% of prevalent cases.ConclusionsThese data suggest that sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are the most frequent ILDs in our population. In comparison with the few previous reports, interesting dissimilarities have been observed

Epidemiologic trends in lung cancer over two decades in Northern Greece: an analysis of bronchoscopic data

Background and Aim. The relative frequency of histological subtypes of lung cancer in Europe has changed dramatically during the 20th century. The aim of this study was to explore the changing epidemiology of lung cancer in Northern Greece over the last two decades. Methods. From the extensive database of the Bronchoscopy Unit of the G. Papanicolaou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece, we identified all patients with a histologic and/or cytologic report positive for lung cancer over two consecutive decades. Results. Between 1/1/1986 and 31/12/2005 we identified 9981 patients with specimens positive for lung cancer. A significant increase in mean patient age was observed during the second decade (64.8±9.4 vs. 62.1±8.9, p=0.001). Men developed lung cancer ten times more often than women. The predominant histological type was squamous cell cancer in males (4203 cases, 45.7%) and adenocarcinoma (418 cases, 52.6%) in females. The number of lung cancer cases was significantly higher during the second decade compared to the first decade (5766 cases [57.8%] vs. 4215 cases [42.2%], respectively, p<0.001). There was a significant decrease in the percentage of squamous cell carcinoma in males in the second decade (2317 cases [44.1%] vs. 1886 cases [48.0%], p<0.001), and an increase in adenocarcinoma (1021 cases [19.4%] vs. 609 [11.6%], p<0.001). In females, the relative incidence of adenocarcinoma was decreased and that of squamous cell carcinoma was increased, but not significantly. There was no obvious change in the incidence of small cell lung cancer. Neoplastic lesions were most often located in the upper lobes. Conclusion. The number of lung cancer cases has increased in the last decade. Squamous lung cancer appears to be decreasing in men and increasing in women. Adenocarcinoma appears to be increasing in men and decreasing in women. There appears to be no change in small cell lung cancer. During the second decade there has been a significant decrease in the male: female ratio

The DIAMORFOSIS (DIAgnosis and Management Of lung canceR and FibrOSIS) survey: international survey and call for consensus.

Background Currently there is major lack of agreement on the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and lung cancer. Our aim was to identify variations in diagnostic and management strategies across different institutions and provide rationale for a consensus statement on this issue. Methods This was a joint-survey by European Respiratory Society (ERS) Assemblies 8, 11 and 12. The survey consisted of 25 questions. Results Four hundred and ninety-four (n=494) physicians from 68 different countries and five continents responded to the survey. Ninety-four per cent of participants were pulmonologists, 1.8% thoracic surgeons and 1.9% oncologists; 97.7% were involved in multidisciplinary team approaches on diagnosis and management. Regular low-dose high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan was used by 49.5% of the respondents to screen for lung cancer in IPF. Positron emission tomography (PET) scan and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is performed by 60% and 88% to diagnose nodular lesions with mediastinal lymphadenopathy in patients with advanced and mild IPF, respectively. Eighty-three per cent of respondents continue anti-fibrotics following lung cancer diagnosis; safety precautions during surgical interventions including low tidal volume are applied by 67%. Stereotactic radiotherapy is used to treat patients with advanced IPF (diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) &lt;35%) and otherwise operable nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by 54% of respondents and doublet platinum regimens and immunotherapy for metastatic disease by 25% and 31.9%, respectively. Almost all participants (93%) replied that a consensus statement for the management of these patients is highly warranted. Conclusion The diagnosis and management of IPF-lung cancer (LC) is heterogeneous with most respondents calling for a consensus statement

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Best practice in monitoring and managing a relentless fibrotic disease

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibrosing interstitial lung disease that is, by definition, progressive. Progression of IPF is reflected by a decline in lung function, worsening of dyspnea and exercise capacity, and deterioration in health-related quality of life. In the short term, the course of disease for an individual patient is impossible to predict. A period of relative stability in forced vital capacity (FVC) does not mean that FVC will remain stable in the near future. Frequent monitoring using multiple assessments, not limited to pulmonary function tests, is important to evaluate disease progression in individual patients and ensure that patients are offered appropriate care. Optimal management of IPF requires a multidimensional approach, including both pharmacological therapy to slow decline in lung function and supportive care to preserve patients' quality of life