Grasp Stability Prediction for a Dexterous Robotic Hand Combining Depth Vision and Haptic Bayesian Exploration.

Grasp stability prediction of unknown objects is crucial to enable autonomous robotic manipulation in an unstructured environment. Even if prior information about the object is available, real-time local exploration might be necessary to mitigate object modelling inaccuracies. This paper presents an approach to predict safe grasps of unknown objects using depth vision and a dexterous robot hand equipped with tactile feedback. Our approach does not assume any prior knowledge about the objects. First, an object pose estimation is obtained from RGB-D sensing; then, the object is explored haptically to maximise a given grasp metric. We compare two probabilistic methods (i.e. standard and unscented Bayesian Optimisation) against random exploration (i.e. uniform grid search). Our experimental results demonstrate that these probabilistic methods can provide confident predictions after a limited number of exploratory observations, and that unscented Bayesian Optimisation can find safer grasps, taking into account the uncertainty in robot sensing and grasp execution

In vitro activity of fosfomycin against uropathogen multi-drug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii

Urinary tract infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram negative bacilli constitute a major global healthcare problem. Fosfomycin is considered the best treatment option for such infections. Urine samples were collected and cultured in a tertiary care hospital (Urology). Identification of these uropathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity screening were performed according to CLSI guidelines. Urine samples (n=436) were selected in which Ps. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii werefound to be the significant pathogens and treated-exposed to fosfomycin. Sixty six (15%) were identified as Acinetobacter baumannii, Ps. aeruginosa n=370(85%). Forty four percent of all Ps. aeruginosa were found to be multidrug resistant while 48.5% of the Acinetobacter baumannii strains were found multidrug resistant. Polymyxin B was found to be the most effective drug (100%) against all uropathogens and fosfomycin was found effective against 73% of the multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates and 70% of the multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. It may be concluded that  antimicrobial  activity (in vitro) of fosfomycin, especially against MDR uropathogens, is very effective.Keywords: Fosfomycin, Multidrug resistant Gram negative bacilli, Urinary tract infections, Ps.  aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii L’ACTIVITE IN VITRO DE LA FOSFOMYCINE CONTRE UROPATHOGEN MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT (MDR)PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA ET ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNIILes infections des voies urinaires causées par les bacilles de multi résistants Gram négatifs, constituent un problème majeur de sante mondiale. Fosfomycine est considéré comme la meilleure option de traitement pour telles infections. Les échantillons d’urine ont été recueillis et cultives dans un hôpital de soins tertiaires. Identification de ces uropathogènes et programmation de leur sensibilité aux  antibiotiques ont été réalisés selon les directives (CLSI). Les échantillons d’urine (n = 436) ont été choisis dans laquelle Ps. aeruginosa et Acinetobacter baumannii se sont trouves être l’agent pathogène important et traités – exposés a Fosfomycine. Soixante – six (15%) ont été identifies comme  Acinetobacter baumannii, Ps. aeruginosa = 370 (85%). Quarante – quatre pourcent de tous les Ps. aeruginosa se sont trouvés être multi résistants et 48,5% des souches Acinetobacter baumannii sesont trouves multi résistants. Polymyxine B a été trouvé d’être le médicament le plus efficace (100%) contre tous les uropathogènes et Fosfomycine a été trouvé efficace contre 73% des isolats de multi résistants Acinetobacter baumannii et 70% des souches de multi résistants Pseudomonas aeruginosa. On peut conclure que l’activité antimicrobienne (in vitro) de Fosfomycine est très efficace, particulièrement contre les uropathogenes MDR.Mots – clés : Fosfomycine, les bacilles de Multi résistants Gram négatifs, les infections des voies urinaires, Ps. aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii.

Circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers of early vascular damage in vitamin D deficiency, obese, and diabetic patients

Vitamin D3 deficiency, obesity, and diabetes mellitus (DM) have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the early detection of vascular damage in those patients is still difficult to ascertain. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recognized to play a critical role in initiation and pathogenesis of vascular dysfunction. Herein, we aimed to identify circulating miRNA biomarkers of vascular dysfunction as early predictors of CVDs. We have recruited 23 middle-aged Emiratis patients with the following criteria: A healthy control group with vitamin D ≥ 20ng, and BMI 1.5) in high-risk patients for CVDs vs healthy controls. Collectively, our result indicates that four specific circulating miRNA signature, may be utilized as non-invasive, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for early vascular damage in patients suffering from vitamin D deficiency, obesity and DM

Comparative profiling of biomarker psoralen in antioxidant active extracts of different species of genus Ficus by validated HPTLC method

Background: A simple but sensitive HPTLC method was developed for the comparative evaluation of psoralen in antioxidant active extracts of leaves of five different species of genus Ficus (Ficus carica, Ficus nitida, Ficus ingens, Ficus palmata and Ficus vasta).Materials and Methods: HPTLC studies were carried out using CAMAG HPTLC system on Glass-backed silica gel 60F254 HPTLC pre-coated plates using selected mobile phase toluene: methanol (9:1). The antioxidant activity was carried out, using DPPH free radical method.Results: Among all the five species of genus Ficus, F. palmata and F. carica exhibited comparatively good antioxidant activity in DPPH assay. The developed HPTLC method was found to give a compact spot for psoralen (Rf = 0.55±0.001) at 305 nm. The regression equation and r2 for psoralen was found to be Y= 4.516X+35.894 and 0.998. The quantification result revealed the presence of psoralen in only two species, F. carica (0.24%, w/w) and F. palmata (1.88%, w/w) which supported their supremacy for anti-oxidant potential over other species. The statistical analysis proved that the developed method was reproducible and selective.Conclusion: The developed method can be used as an important tool to assure the therapeutic dose of active ingredients in herbal formulations as well as for standardization and quality control of bulk drugs and in-process formulations. This method can also be employed for the further study of degradation kinetics and determination of psoralen in plasma and other biological fluids.Key words: Ficus species, psoralen, antioxidant, HPTLC, Validation

Clinical assessment of a low-cost, hand-held, smartphone-attached intraoral imaging probe for ALA PDT monitoring and guidance

India has one of the highest rates of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in the world, with an incidence of 15 per 100,000 and more than 70,000 deaths per year. The problem is exacerbated by lack of medical infrastructure and routine screening, especially in rural areas. This collaboration recently developed, and clinically validated, a low-cost, portable and easy-to-use platform for intraoral photodynamic therapy (PDT) specifically engineered for use in global health settings. Here, we explore the implementation of our low-cost PDT system in conjunction with a small, handheld smartphone-coupled, multichannel fluorescence and white-light oral cancer imaging probe, which was also developed for global health settings. Our study aimed to use this mobile intraoral imaging device for treatment guidance and monitoring PDT using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PS; PpIX) fluorescence. A total of 12 patients with 14 lesions having moderately/well-differentiated micro-invasive OSCC lesions (<2 cm diameter, depth <5 mm) were systemically administered with three doses of 20mg/kg ALA (total 60mg/kg). Lesion site PpIX and auto fluorescence was analyzed before/after ALA administration, and again after light delivery (fractionated, total 100 J/cm^{2} of 630nm red LED light). Quantification of relative PpIX fluorescence enables lesion area segmentation to improve guidance of light delivery and reports extent of photobleaching. These results indicate the utility of this approach for image-guided PDT and treatment monitoring while also laying groundwork for an integrated approach, combining cancer screening and treatment with the same hardware

DevOps for network function virtualisation: an architectural approach

The Service Programming and Orchestration for Virtualised Software Networks (SONATA) project targets both the flexible programmability of software networks and the optimisation of their deployments by means of integrating Development and Operations in order to accelerate industry adoption of software networks and reduce time-to-market for networked services. SONATA supports network function chaining and orchestration, making service platforms modular and easier to customise to the needs of different service providers, and introduces a specialised Development and Operations model for supporting developers

Volumetric laser endomicroscopy and its application to Barrett's esophagus: results from a 1,000 patient registry.

Volumetric laser endomicroscopy (VLE) uses optical coherence tomography (OCT) for real-time, microscopic cross-sectional imaging. A US-based multi-center registry was constructed to prospectively collect data on patients undergoing upper endoscopy during which a VLE scan was performed. The objective of this registry was to determine usage patterns of VLE in clinical practice and to estimate quantitative and qualitative performance metrics as they are applied to Barrett's esophagus (BE) management. All procedures utilized the NvisionVLE Imaging System (NinePoint Medical, Bedford, MA) which was used by investigators to identify the tissue types present, along with focal areas of concern. Following the VLE procedure, investigators were asked to answer six key questions regarding how VLE impacted each case. Statistical analyses including neoplasia diagnostic yield improvement using VLE was performed. One thousand patients were enrolled across 18 US trial sites from August 2014 through April 2016. In patients with previously diagnosed or suspected BE (894/1000), investigators used VLE and identified areas of concern not seen on white light endoscopy (WLE) in 59% of the procedures. VLE imaging also guided tissue acquisition and treatment in 71% and 54% of procedures, respectively. VLE as an adjunct modality improved the neoplasia diagnostic yield by 55% beyond the standard of care practice. In patients with no prior history of therapy, and without visual findings from other technologies, VLE-guided tissue acquisition increased neoplasia detection over random biopsies by 700%. Registry investigators reported that VLE improved the BE management process when used as an adjunct tissue acquisition and treatment guidance tool. The ability of VLE to image large segments of the esophagus with microscopic cross-sectional detail may provide additional benefits including higher yield biopsies and more efficient tissue acquisition. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02215291

Breast cancer risk factor knowledge among nurses in teaching hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in both the developed and the developing world. The incidence of breast cancer in Karachi, Pakistan is 69.1 per 100,000 with breast cancer presentation in stages III and IV being common (≥ 50%). The most pragmatic solution to early detection lies in breast cancer education of women. Nurses constitute a special group having characteristics most suited for disseminating breast cancer information to the women. We assessed the level of knowledge of breast cancer risk factors among registered female nurses in teaching hospitals of Karachi. We also identified whether selected factors among nurses were associated with their knowledge of breast cancer risk factors, so that relevant measures to improve knowledge of nurses could be implemented. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven teaching hospitals of Karachi using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. A total of 609 registered female nurses were interviewed using a structured questionnaire adapted from the Stager's Comprehensive Breast Cancer Knowledge Test. Knowledge of breast cancer risk factors was categorized into good, fair and poor categories. Ordinal regression was used to identify factors associated with risk knowledge among nurses. RESULTS: Thirty five percent of nurses had good knowledge of risk factors. Graduates from private nursing schools (aOR = 4.23, 95% CI: 2.93, 6.10), nurses who had cared for breast cancer patients (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.99), those having received a breast examination themselves (aOR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.26) or those who ever examined a patient's breast (aOR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.34, 2.61) were more likely to have good knowledge. CONCLUSION: A relatively small proportion of the nursing population had good level of knowledge of the breast cancer risk factors. This knowledge is associated with nursing school status, professional breast cancer exposure and self history of clinical breast examination. Since only about one-third of the nurses had good knowledge about risk factors, there is a need to introduce breast cancer education in nursing schools particularly in the public sector. Continuing nursing education at the workplace can be of additional benefit