Measurement quality of a software defined radio system for medical diagnostics

The measurement quality of a software defined radio system was investigated and discussed for medical diagnostics in the frequency band of interest 500 MHz-2 GHz. A calibration approach was proposed in order to deal with the random phase problem, and the obtained performance was evaluated and benchmarked against a vector network analyser. The results suggest that the measurement quality of the software defined radio system is mainly limited by the signal leakage from the transmitter to the receiver. Good agreement between the measurement data obtained with the software defined ratio system and the network analyser was achieved when the transmission loss is less than 70 dB. With some a priori knowledge of the measured object, the software defined radio system is able to perform accurate measurement when the transmission loss is even higher

Microwave Antenna System for Muscle Rupture Imaging with a Lossy Gel to Reduce Multipath Interference

Injuries to the hamstring muscles are an increasing problem in sports. Imaging plays a key role in diagnosing and managing athletes with muscle injuries, but there are several problems with conventional imaging modalities with respect to cost and availability. We hypothesized that microwave imaging could provide improved availability and lower costs and lead to improved and more accurate diagnostics. In this paper, a semicircular microwave imaging array with eight antennae was investigated. A key component in this system is the novel antenna design, which is based on a monopole antenna and a lossy gel. The purpose of the gel is to reduce the effects of multipath signals and improve the imaging quality. Several different gels have been manufactured and evaluated in imaging experiments. For comparison, corresponding simulations were performed. The results showed that the gels can effectively reduce the multipath signals and the imaging experiments resulted in significantly more stable and repeatable reconstructions when a lossy gel was used compared to when an almost non-lossy gel was used

La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia en los departamentos de Boyacá, Caldas, Cundinamarca y Meta.

La imagen y la narrativa como herramientas para el abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia en los Departamentos de Boyacá, Caldas, Cundinamarca y Meta.El abordaje psicosocial en escenarios de violencia, y en el contexto específico, en regiones de Colombia, pretende ser un proceso que aporte a la organización y reconstrucción de la experiencia humana, ya que como los señala Cabrera (2006,pp. 834), “Las personas que han soportado acontecimientos traumáticos tienen necesidad de dar sentido a la experiencia del terror y la muerte violenta e irrazonada”, de los cual se generan discusiones colectivas acerca de las causas, las posibilidades de haber prevenido el hecho y la atribución de responsabilidades (personales, institucionales, políticas, sociales, etc.), que requieren seguir procesos de intervención disciplinar teniendo en cuenta variables propias y otorgando de cierto modo enfoques diferenciales aún en contextos comunitarios. Para ello se acude al diseño de estrategias con acciones que involucran técnicas e instrumentos para el logro de objetivos establecidos, y éstos regidos por el código deontológico y bioético del profesional. Durante el desarrollo del presente trabajo, se expone a nivel teórico el rol al que se enfrenta el profesional en psicología ante población víctima del conflicto armado en Colombia, e instados a la situación de sobreviviente, reflejando el ejercicio de acompañamiento psicosocial identificado en las comunidades de los departamentos de Boyacá, Caldas, Meta y Cundinamarca mediante el enfoque narrativo con la técnica de foto voz. Adicional a ello, contiene el análisis de observación de procesos traumáticos, resilientes e intersubjetivos de relatos de violencia y esperanza, en el caso específico de José Ignacio Medina y el caso de la Comunidad de Cacarica. Autores desde Kordon, Edelman, Lagos y Kersner (1995) entre otros, nos orientan a la necesidad de dinamizar ante factores de riesgo reflejados en la pérdida humana y la ausencia de rituales de duelo o luto, en contextos de violencia y que inciden en su normal desarrollo. Palabras clave Acompañamiento Psicosocial, Afrontamiento, Enfoque Narrativo, Violencia.The psychosocial approach in scenarios of violence, and in the specific context, in regions of Colombia, aims to be a process that contributes to the organization and reconstruction of human experience, since as Cabrera (2006,pp. 834), points out, "People who have endured traumatic events need to give meaning to the experience of terror and violent and unreasonable death ", from which collective discussions are generated about the causes, the possibilities of having prevented the event and the attribution of responsibilities (personal, institutional, policies, social, etc.), which require to follow processes of disciplinary intervention taking into account their own variables and granting differential approaches in a certain way even in community contexts. To do this, we go to the design of strategies with actions that involve techniques and instruments for the achievement of established objectives, and these are governed by the deontological and bioethical code of the professional. During the development of the present work, the role faced by the professional in psychology before a population victim of the armed conflict in Colombia is exposed, and urged to the survivor situation, reflecting the exercise of psychosocial accompaniment identified in the communities of the departments of Boyacá, Caldas, Meta and Cundinamarca through the narrative approach with the photo voice technique. In addition to this, it contains the observation analysis of traumatic, resilient and intersubjective processes of stories of violence and hope, in the specific case of José Ignacio Medina and the case of the Community of Cacarica. Authors from Kordon, Edelman, Lagos and Kersner (1995), among others, guide us to the need to dynamise before risk factors reflected in human loss and the absence of rituals of mourning or mourning, in contexts of violence and that affect their normal development. Key words: Psychosocial Accompaniment, Coping, Narrative Approach, Violence

Burden of non-communicable diseases and behavioural risk factors in Mexico: Trends and gender observational analysis

BACKGROUND: There is scarce gender-disaggregated evidence on the burden of disease (BD) worldwide and this is particularly prominent in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study is to compare the BD caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related risk factors by gender in Mexican adults. METHODS: We retrieved disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) estimates for diabetes, cancers and neoplasms, chronic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study from 1990-2019. Age-standardized death rates were calculated using official mortality microdata from 2000 to 2020. Then, we analysed national health surveys to depict tobacco and alcohol use and physical inactivity from 2000-2018. Women-to-men DALYs and mortality rates and prevalence ratios (WMR) were calculated as a measure of gender gap. FINDINGS: Regarding DALYs, WMR was >1 for diabetes, cancers, and CKD in 1990, indicating a higher burden in women. WMR decreased over time in all NCDs, except for CRDs, which increased to 0.78. However, WMR was 1 for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in 2000 and 1 and increasing. CONCLUSIONS: The gender gap has changed for selected NCDs in favour of women, except for CRDs. Women face a lower BD and are less affected by tobacco and alcohol use but face a higher risk of physical inactivity. Policymakers should consider a gendered approach for designing effective policies to reduce the burden of NCDs and health inequities

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Upregulation of GALNT7 in prostate cancer modifies O-glycosylation and promotes tumour growth.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and it is estimated that over 350,000 men worldwide die of prostate cancer every year. There remains an unmet clinical need to improve how clinically significant prostate cancer is diagnosed and develop new treatments for advanced disease. Aberrant glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer implicated in tumour growth, metastasis, and immune evasion. One of the key drivers of aberrant glycosylation is the dysregulated expression of glycosylation enzymes within the cancer cell. Here, we demonstrate using multiple independent clinical cohorts that the glycosyltransferase enzyme GALNT7 is upregulated in prostate cancer tissue. We show GALNT7 can identify men with prostate cancer, using urine and blood samples, with improved diagnostic accuracy than serum PSA alone. We also show that GALNT7 levels remain high in progression to castrate-resistant disease, and using in vitro and in vivo models, reveal that GALNT7 promotes prostate tumour growth. Mechanistically, GALNT7 can modify O-glycosylation in prostate cancer cells and correlates with cell cycle and immune signalling pathways. Our study provides a new biomarker to aid the diagnosis of clinically significant disease and cements GALNT7-mediated O-glycosylation as an important driver of prostate cancer progression

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

Background 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

Colombian consensus recommendations for diagnosis, management and treatment of the infection by SARS-COV-2/ COVID-19 in health care facilities - Recommendations from expert´s group based and informed on evidence

La Asociación Colombiana de Infectología (ACIN) y el Instituto de Evaluación de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Salud (IETS) conformó un grupo de trabajo para desarrollar recomendaciones informadas y basadas en evidencia, por consenso de expertos para la atención, diagnóstico y manejo de casos de Covid 19. Estas guías son dirigidas al personal de salud y buscar dar recomendaciones en los ámbitos de la atención en salud de los casos de Covid-19, en el contexto nacional de Colombia

Dementia in Latin America : paving the way towards a regional action plan

Regional challenges faced by Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) to fight dementia, such as heterogeneity, diversity, political instabilities, and socioeconomic disparities, can be addressed more effectively grounded in a collaborative setting based on the open exchange of knowledge. In this work, the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium on Dementia (LAC-CD) proposes an agenda for integration to deliver a Knowledge to Action Framework (KtAF). First, we summarize evidence-based strategies (epidemiology, genetics, biomarkers, clinical trials, nonpharmacological interventions, networking and translational research) and align them to current global strategies to translate regional knowledge into actions with transformative power. Then, by characterizing genetic isolates, admixture in populations, environmental factors, and barriers to effective interventions and mapping these to the above challenges, we provide the basic mosaics of knowledge that will pave the way towards a KtAF. We describe strategies supporting the knowledge creation stage that underpins the translational impact of KtAF

Gestión del conocimiento. Perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 17

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, Volumen 17 de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro es una publicación internacional, seriada, continua, arbitrada, de acceso abierto a todas las áreas del conocimiento, orientada a contribuir con procesos de gestión del conocimiento científico, tecnológico y humanístico. Con esta colección, se aspira contribuir con el cultivo, la comprensión, la recopilación y la apropiación social del conocimiento en cuanto a patrimonio intangible de la humanidad, con el propósito de hacer aportes con la transformación de las relaciones socioculturales que sustentan la construcción social de los saberes y su reconocimiento como bien público