Optimal priority ordering in PHP production of multiple part-types in a failure-prone machine

This note deals with the problem of minimising the expected sum of quadratic holding and shortage inventory costs when a single, failure-prone machine produces multiple part-types. Shu and Perkins (2001) introduce the problem and, by restricting the set of control policies to the class of prioritised hedging point (PHP) policies, establish simple, analytical expressions for the optimal hedging points provided that the priority ordering of the part-types is given. However, the determination of an optimal priority ordering is left by the authors as an open question. This leaves an embedded sequencing problem which we focus on in this note. We define a lower bound for the problem, introduce a test bed for future developments, and propose three dynamic programming approaches (with or without the lower bound) for determining the optimal priority orderings for the instances of the test bed. This is an initial step in a research project aimed at solving the optimal priority ordering problem, which will allow evaluating the performance of future heuristic and metaheuristic proceduresPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Marcadores bioquímicos e hipertensión gestacional : utilidad del ácido ùrico como marcador de riesgo de las enfermedades de hipertensión inducidas por el embarazo

It is well known that preeclampsia is associated to high uric acid levels, but the clinical assessment of this relationship is still under consideration.\nOur aim was to describe the behavior of serum uric acid in pregnant woman and its possible role as an early predictor of gestational hypertensive pathologies to contribute to the care of pregnancy and childbirth.\nIn a retrospective study performed at the National Hospital "Dr. Prof. Alejandro Posadas ", we found that in the first half of gestation, uric acid levels were similar in normotensive pregnant women and in those who developed preeclampsia. However, after the 20th weeks of gestation, uric acid increases 1.5-fold in preeclamptic pregnant women, with no changes in uremia and creatininemia, confirming that these patients had no renal complications.\nIn a prospective approach, we found that the ratio of uricemia (after 20 weeks of gestation / before 20 weeks of gestation) has a high predictive negative value excluding these pathologies if the result is negative (<1,5) and high sensitivity if it is positive.\nOur findings suggest that uric acid is a candidate molecule for monitoring the risk of this group of pathologies.Fil: Corominas, Ana Irene. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAunque se conoce que existe una asociación entre los niveles elevados de ácido úrico y preeclampsia, el debate sobre su aplicación clínica aún está abierto.\nNuestro objetivo fue describir el comportamiento del ácido úrico sérico en la mujer embarazada y su eventual rol como predictor precoz de las patologías hipertensivas gestacionales con el fin de contribuir al cuidado del embarazo y el parto.\nEn un estudio retrospectivo realizado en el Hospital Nacional ?Dr. Prof. Alejandro Posadas?, encontramos que en la primera mitad de la gestación los niveles de ácido úrico fueron similares en embarazadas normotensas y en aquellas que desarrollaron preeclampsia. Sin embargo, a partir de la semana 20, el ácido úrico aumenta 1,5 veces en gestantes preeclámpticas, sin cambios en la uremia y creatininemia, descartándose así el compromiso renal.\nEn un abordaje prospectivo, encontramos que la razón de uricemias (después de las 20 semanas de gestación/ antes de las 20 semanas de gestación) presenta un alto valor predictivo negativo si es que el resultado es negativo (<1,5) y alta sensibilidad si el mismo da positivo.\nNuestros hallazgos sugieren que el ácido úrico es una molécula candidata para el monitoreo de riesgo de este grupo de patologías

Gestió de cadàvers d'animals de companyia. Legislació, ètica i sostenibilitat

Treball presentat a l'assignatura de Deontologia i Veterinària Legal (21223

Serum uric acid levels and risk of developing preeclampsia

Si bien se conoce que existe una asociación entre los niveles elevados de ácido úrico y la preeclampsia, el debate sobre su aplicación clínica aún está abierto. Nuestro objetivo fue estudiar la utilidad del dosaje periódico del ácido úrico sérico durante el embarazo para identificar gestantes con mayor riesgo de desarrollar preeclampsia. Realizamos un estudio retrospectivo en gestantes primíparas: 79 normotensas y 79 con preeclampsia atendidas en el Hospital Nacional Posadas durante el año 2010. Se analizaron los niveles séricos de ácido úrico, creatinina y urea, y los datos de proteinuria de las historias clínicas de las mujeres embarazadas. Los niveles de ácido úrico fueron similares en ambos grupos durante la primera mitad de la gestación. Sin embargo, a partir de la semana 20, el ácido úrico se incrementó 1.5 veces en gestantes preeclámpticas, sin cambios en la uremia y creatininemia, descartándose así el compromiso renal. Además, encontramos que niveles más altos de ácido úrico se correlacionaban con bajo peso del recién nacido. También vimos que las gestantes con antecedentes familiares de hipertensión eran más propensas a desarrollar esta condición. Por otro lado, no observamos una relación directa ni con el sexo fetal ni con el tiempo de aparición de los síntomas clínicos. Estos hallazgos sugieren que los cambios en las concentraciones de ácido úrico se deberían a alteraciones en los estadios iniciales de la preeclampsia. Por ello, la monitorización de los niveles del mismo durante el embarazo podría contribuir al abordaje precoz de este desorden gestacional.It is well known that preeclampsia is associated to high uric acid levels, but the clinical assessment of this relationship is still under consideration. Our research was to evaluate if periodic doses of uric acid during pregnancy might help to identify a high risk group prior to the onset of preeclampsia. We conducted a retrospective investigation in 79 primary gestates with normal blood pressure and 79 women with preeclampsia who were assisted at Hospital Nacional Posadas during 2010. Serum uric acid levels, creatininemia, uremia, and proteinuria data from the clinical records of the pregnant women were considered. Uric acid levels were similar in both groups during the first half of gestation. However, as of the 20th week, uric acid increased 1.5-times in preeclamptic women with no changes in creatinine and urea, confirming that these patients had no renal complications. Furthermore, we noted that higher levels of uric acid correlated with low birth weight. We also observed that pregnant women with a family history of hypertension were more likely to develop this condition. Moreover, we did not find a direct relationship with the fetal sex or the appearance of clinical symptoms. The analytical evidence suggests that changes in uric acid concentrations may be due to metabolic alterations at the initial stages of preeclampsia. Therefore, we propose that monitoring levels of uric acid during pregnancy might contribute to the early control of this condition.Fil: Corominas, Ana. Hospital Nacional Prof. Dr. Alejandro Posadas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Balconi, Silvia. Hospital Nacional Prof. Dr. Alejandro Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Palermo, Mario. Hospital Nacional Prof. Dr. Alejandro Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Maskin, Bernardo. Hospital Nacional Prof. Dr. Alejandro Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Damiano, Alicia Ermelinda. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas. Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular; Argentina. Universidad Autónoma de Chile; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay; Argentin

Periungual fibrokeratoma acquired in the pediatric age, with regard to a case

[Resumen] Objetivo: El fibroqueratoma periungueal adquirido es un tumor fibroepitelial benigno, con escasa incidencia a nivel del pie. Es una tumoración cubierta de piel hiperpigmentada con hiperqueratosis en su porción distal, de consistencia firme e indurada, y tamaño variable, que oscila entre los 3 y los 15 mm. de diámetro. Material y métódos: Presentamos un varón de 6 años de edad, con una tumoración de 0,4 x 0,5 cm, dolorosa compatible con fibroqueratoma periungueal adquirido a nivel del hallux. Dada la edad del paciente, hay que realizar diagnóstico diferencial con tumor de Köenen. Resultados: Tras la resección quirúrgica según técnica de colgajo en bandera, el estudio histopatológico confirma la sospecha clínica. Conclusiones: El fibroqueratoma periungueal adquirido, es una entidad clínica e histológica bien definida y muy característica, cuyo diagnóstico puede realizarse con toda certeza y su tratamiento definitivo se realizará por medio de la escisión definitiva de la lesión.[Abstract] Objective: The acquired periungual fibrokeratoma is a benign fibroepithelial tumor, with little incidence at the level of the foot. It presents as a fleshy mass covered with hyperpigmented skin with hyperkeratosis in its distal portion, firm and indurated consistency, and variable size, ranging from 3 to 15 mm. diameter. Methods: We present a 6-year-old male, who presented at the level of the hallux, a tumor 0.4 x 0.5 cm, painful compatible with fibrokeratoma periungueal acquired. Given the patient's age, a differential diagnosis should be made with Köenen's tumor. Results: After surgical resection according to flag flap technique, the histopathological study confirms the clinical suspicion. Conclusion: Acquired periungueal fibrokeratoma is a well-defined and characteristic clinical and histological entity, whose diagnosis can be made with all certainty and its definitive treatment will be carried out through definitive excision of the lesion

Effect of corticosteroids on the clinical course of community-acquired pneumonia: a randomized controlled trial

Introduction The benefit of corticosteroids as adjunctive treatment in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospital admission remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of corticosteroid treatment on outcomes in patients with CAP. Methods This was a prospective, double-blind and randomized study. All patients received treatment with ceftriaxone plus levofloxacin and methyl-prednisolone (MPDN) administered randomly and blindly as an initial bolus, followed by a tapering regimen, or placebo. Results Of the 56 patients included in the study, 28 (50%) were treated with concomitant corticosteroids. Patients included in the MPDN group show a more favourable evolution of the pO2/FiO2 ratio and faster decrease of fever, as well as greater radiological improvement at seven days. The time to resolution of morbidity was also significantly shorter in this group. Six patients met the criteria for mechanical ventilation (MV): five in the placebo group (22.7%) and one in the MPDN group (4.3%). The duration of MV was 13 days (interquartile range 7 to 26 days) for the placebo group and three days for the only case in the MPDN group. The differences did not reach statistical significance. Interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) showed a significantly quicker decrease after 24 h of treatment among patients treated with MPDN. No differences in mortality were found among groups. Conclusions MPDN treatment, in combination with antibiotics, improves respiratory failure and accelerates the timing of clinical resolution of severe CAP needing hospital admission

Effect of corticosteroids on the clinical course of community-acquired pneumonia: a randomized controlled trial

Introduction The benefit of corticosteroids as adjunctive treatment in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospital admission remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of corticosteroid treatment on outcomes in patients with CAP. Methods This was a prospective, double-blind and randomized study. All patients received treatment with ceftriaxone plus levofloxacin and methyl-prednisolone (MPDN) administered randomly and blindly as an initial bolus, followed by a tapering regimen, or placebo. Results Of the 56 patients included in the study, 28 (50%) were treated with concomitant corticosteroids. Patients included in the MPDN group show a more favourable evolution of the pO2/FiO2 ratio and faster decrease of fever, as well as greater radiological improvement at seven days. The time to resolution of morbidity was also significantly shorter in this group. Six patients met the criteria for mechanical ventilation (MV): five in the placebo group (22.7%) and one in the MPDN group (4.3%). The duration of MV was 13 days (interquartile range 7 to 26 days) for the placebo group and three days for the only case in the MPDN group. The differences did not reach statistical significance. Interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) showed a significantly quicker decrease after 24 h of treatment among patients treated with MPDN. No differences in mortality were found among groups. Conclusions MPDN treatment, in combination with antibiotics, improves respiratory failure and accelerates the timing of clinical resolution of severe CAP needing hospital admission

Liver transcriptome profile in pigs with extreme phenotypes of intramuscular fatty acid composition

Abstract Background New advances in high-throughput technologies have allowed for the massive analysis of genomic data, providing new opportunities for the characterization of the transcriptome architectures. Recent studies in pigs have employed RNA-Seq to explore the transcriptome of different tissues in a reduced number of animals. The main goal of this study was the identification of differentially-expressed genes in the liver of Iberian x Landrace crossbred pigs showing extreme phenotypes for intramuscular fatty acid composition using RNA-Seq. Results The liver transcriptomes of two female groups (H and L) with phenotypically extreme intramuscular fatty acid composition were sequenced using RNA-Seq. A total of 146 and 180 unannotated protein-coding genes were identified in intergenic regions for the L and H groups, respectively. In addition, a range of 5.8 to 7.3% of repetitive elements was found, with SINEs being the most abundant elements. The expression in liver of 186 (L) and 270 (H) lncRNAs was also detected. The higher reproducibility of the RNA-Seq data was validated by RT-qPCR and porcine expression microarrays, therefore showing a strong correlation between RT-qPCR and RNA-Seq data (ranking from 0.79 to 0.96), as well as between microarrays and RNA-Seq (r=0.72). A differential expression analysis between H and L animals identified 55 genes differentially-expressed between groups. Pathways analysis revealed that these genes belong to biological functions, canonical pathways and three gene networks related to lipid and fatty acid metabolism. In concordance with the phenotypic classification, the pathways analysis inferred that linolenic and arachidonic acids metabolism was altered between extreme individuals. In addition, a connection was observed among the top three networks, hence suggesting that these genes are interconnected and play an important role in lipid and fatty acid metabolism. Conclusions In the present study RNA-Seq was used as a tool to explore the liver transcriptome of pigs with extreme phenotypes for intramuscular fatty acid composition. The differential gene expression analysis showed potential gene networks which affect lipid and fatty acid metabolism. These results may help in the design of selection strategies to improve the sensorial and nutritional quality of pork meat.This work was funded by MICINN projects AGL2008-04818-C03/GAN and AGL2011-29821-C02 (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), and by the Innovation Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Program (CSD2007-00036, Centre for Research in Agrigenomics). Y. Ramayo-Caldas was funded by a FPU PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (AP2008-01450), J. Corominas was funded by a FPI PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (BES-2009-018223), A. Esteve-Codina is recipient of a FPI PhD fellowship from the Ministerio de Educación (BES-2008-005772), Spain.Peer Reviewe

Impact of antibiotic therapy on systemic cytokine expression in pneumococcal pneumonia

The aim of this study was to compare the evolution of systemic cytokine levels over time in patients with pneumococal pneumonia treated either with β-lactam monotherapy or with combination therapy (β-lactam plus fluoroquinolone). Prospective observational study of hospitalized non-immunocompromised adults with PP. Concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α were determined on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. Patients on β-lactam monotherapy were compared with those receiving combination therapy. Fifty-two patients were enrolled in the study. Concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 decreased rapidly in the first days after admission, in accordance with the mean time to defervescence. High levels of IL-6 were found in patients with the worst outcomes, measured by the need for intensive care unit admission and mortality. No major differences in demographic or clinical characteristics or severity of disease were found between patients treated with β-lactam monotherapy and those treated with combination therapy. IL-6 levels fell more rapidly in patients with combination therapy in the first 48 h (p = 0.016). Our data suggest that systemic expression of IL-6 production in patients with PP correlates with prognosis. Initial combination antibiotic therapy produces a faster decrease in this cytokine in the first 48 h