Διερεύνηση δυνατότητας προσδιορισμού της υγείας εμβρύων μέσω μετρήσεων σε υπερηχογραφήματα

113 σ.Στην παρούσα εργασία παρουσιάζονται, κατ αρχήν, οι παράμετροι που επηρεάζουν την παρατήρηση της κίνησης του εμβρύου, ύστερα από την επιβαλλόμενη εξωτερική διέγερση. Προτείνονται δύο προσεγγίσεις προσδιορισμού της μεταφορικής κίνησης: των μεμονωμένων σημείων και του κέντρου βάρους σε συνδυασμό με την παρακολούθηση του κύριου κεντρικού άξονα αδράνειας για τον προσδιορισμό της περιστροφικής κίνησης. Αναπτύχθηκε αλγοριθμικά ένα εργαλείο που υπολογίζει αφενός το κέντρο βάρους του εμβρύου και της μήτρας, οπότε και προσδιορίζει τη σχετική μετατόπιση, και αφετέρου τη στροφή του κεντρικού άξονα αδράνειας του εμβρύου. Η στατιστική ανάλυση επί των μετρήσεων του εργαλείου αποδεικνύει ότι εάν τα περιγράμματα εμβρύου και μήτρας είναι σαφή και η σημείωση του περιγράμματος ακριβής, το κέντρο βάρους μπορεί να προσδιοριστεί με αρκετά μεγάλη ακρίβεια. Παρουσιάζονται μετρήσεις οι οποίες ελήφθησαν επί τριών περιστατικών, χρησιμοποιώντας μεμονωμένα σημεία και τα κέντρα βάρους (εμβρύου, μήτρας). Αξιολογώντας συγκριτικά τα αποτελέσματα, παρατηρείται σαφής διαφοροποίηση των ταχυτήτων του υγιούς εμβρύου σε σχέση με τις άλλες δύο περιπτώσεις. Το γεγονός αυτό είναι μια σαφής ένδειξη της συσχέτισης της υγείας του εμβρύου και της ταχύτητας κίνησης του εντός του αμνιακού υγρού, όταν αυτό διεγείρεται. Εντούτοις, επειδή ο προσδιορισμός της ταχύτητας της κίνησης αυτής είναι μια πολυπαραμετρική διαδικασία, τα δεδομένα που αξιοποιήθηκαν για τη διεκπεραίωση της παρούσας εργασίας δεν είναι αρκετά ώστε να εξαχθούν ασφαλή πορίσματα. Τέλος, γίνεται παρουσίαση κάποιων δυνατοτήτων για αυτοματοποίηση των διαδικασιών μέτρησης. Είναι σαφές ότι η απαιτούμενη ακρίβεια, λόγω της φύσης του προβλήματος είναι αρκετά μεγάλη, γεγονός που καθιστά τις αυτόματες διαδικασίες αρκετά επισφαλείς. Παρά το γεγονός αυτό, περαιτέρω έρευνα επί του αντικειμένου δύναται να οδηγήσει σε αξιοποιήσιμα αποτελέσματα.Μιχάλης Ν. Μήτρο

An Empirical Investigation of Big Data Analytics: The Financial Performance of Users versus Vendors

In the age of digitisation and globalisation, businesses have shifted online and are investing in big data analytics (BDA) to respond to changing market conditions and sustain their performance. Our study shifts the focus from the adoption of BDA to the impact of BDA on financial performance. We explore the financial performance of both BDA-vendors (business-to-business) and BDA-clients (business-to-customer). We distinguish between the five BDA-technologies (big-data-as-a-service (BDaaS), descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics) and discuss them individually. Further, we use four perspectives (internal business process, learning and growth, customer, and finance) and discuss the significance of how each of the five BDA-technologies affect the performance measures of these four perspectives. We also present the analysis of employee engagement, average turnover, average net income, and average net assets for BDA-clients and BDA-vendors. Our study also explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on business continuity for both BDA-vendors and BDA-clients

Aboriginal life pathways through multiple human service domains; administrative data linkage for policy

Aboriginal children and families face the highest levels of disadvantage of any population group in Australia across health, education, child protection, justice and other human service domains, but longitudinal data to inform policy is scant. The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) is a population representative cross-sectional child development study of over 5,000 randomly selected children aged 0-17 years, plus their families and schools, conducted between 2000 and 2002. This project seeks to leverage the WAACHS by linking the survey data for all participants with State administrative human services data registers from the previous 30+ years, to develop a major program of work in Aboriginal Human Development that would be unique in the world. This presentation describes the project history, novel survey linkage methodology, and project aims in the policy domain

Dietary, lifestyle and clinicopathological factors associated with BRAF and K-ras mutations arising in distinct subsets of colorectal cancers in the EPIC Norfolk study.

BACKGROUND: BRAF and K-ras proto-oncogenes encode components of the ERK signalling pathway and are frequently mutated in colorectal cancer. This study investigates the associations between BRAF and K-ras mutations and clinicopathological, lifestyle and dietary factors in colorectal cancers. METHODS: 186 adenocarcinomas and 16 adenomas from the EPIC Norfolk study were tested for BRAF and K-ras mutations. Diet and lifestyle data were collected prospectively using seven day food diaries. RESULTS: BRAF V600E mutation was found in 15.6% of colorectal cancers but at higher frequencies in cancers with proximal location, poor differentiation and microsatellite instability (MSI) (all p < 0.001). K-ras mutation (mostly in codons 12 and 13) was found in 22.0% of colorectal cancers but at higher frequencies in cancers of more advanced Dukes' stage (p = 0.001), microsatellite stable (MSS) status (p = 0.002) and in individuals with lower blood high-density lipoprotein concentrations (p = 0.04). Analysis of dietary factors demonstrated no link between BRAF mutation and any specific dietary constituent, however, K-ras mutation was found at higher frequencies in individuals with higher white meat consumption (p < 0.001). Further analysis of specific mutation type demonstrated that G to A transitions in K-ras were observed at higher frequencies in individuals consuming lower amounts of fruit (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: These data support the model of BRAF and K-ras mutations arising in distinct colorectal cancer subsets associated with different clinicopathological and dietary factors, acting as mutually exclusive mechanisms of activation of the same signalling pathway.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Alterations in PTEN and PIK3CA in colorectal cancers in the EPIC Norfolk study: associations with clinicopathological and dietary factors.

BACKGROUND: The PTEN tumour suppressor gene and PIK3CA proto-oncogene encode proteins which contribute to regulation and propagation of signal transduction through the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. This study investigates the prevalence of loss of PTEN expression and mutations in both PTEN and PIK3CA in colorectal cancers (CRC) and their associations with tumour clinicopathological features, lifestyle factors and dietary consumptions. METHODS: 186 adenocarcinomas and 16 adenomas from the EPIC Norfolk study were tested for PTEN and PIK3CA mutations by DNA sequencing and PTEN expression changes by immunohistochemistry. Dietary and lifestyle data were collected prospectively using seven day food diaries and lifestyle questionnaires. RESULTS: Mutations in exons 7 and 8 of PTEN were observed in 2.2% of CRC and PTEN loss of expression was identified in 34.9% CRC. Negative PTEN expression was associated with lower blood low-density lipoprotein concentrations (p = 0.05). PIK3CA mutations were observed in 7% of cancers and were more frequent in CRCs in females (p = 0.04). Analysis of dietary intakes demonstrated no link between PTEN expression status and any specific dietary factor. PTEN expression negative, proximal CRC were of more advanced Dukes' stage (p = 0.02) and poor differentiation (p < 0.01). Testing of the prevalence of PIK3CA mutations and loss of PTEN expression demonstrated that these two events were independent (p = 0.55). CONCLUSION: These data demonstrated the frequent occurrence (34.9%) of PTEN loss of expression in colorectal cancers, for which gene mutations do not appear to be the main cause. Furthermore, dietary factors are not associated with loss of PTEN expression. PTEN expression negative CRC were not homogenous, as proximal cancers were associated with a more advanced Dukes' stage and poor differentiation, whereas distal cancers were associated with earlier Dukes' stage.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

The Structure of Stellar Coronae in Active Binary Systems

A survey of 28 stars using EUV spectra has been conducted to establish the structure of stellar coronae in active binary systems from the EMD, electron densities, and scale sizes. Observations obtained by the EUVE during 9 years of operation are included for the stars in the sample. EUVE data allow a continuous EMD to be constructed in the range log T~5.6-7.4, using iron emission lines. These data are complemented with IUE observations to model the lower temperature range. Inspection of the EMD shows an outstanding narrow enhancement, or ``bump'' peaking around log T~6.9 in 25 of the stars, defining a fundamental coronal structure. The emission measure per unit stellar area decreases with increasing orbital (or photometric) periods of the target stars; stars in binaries generally have more material at coronal temperatures than slowly rotating single stars. High electron densities (Ne>10^12 cm^-3) are derived at ~10 MK for some targets, implying small emitting volumes. The observations suggest the magnetic stellar coronae of these stars are consistent with two basic classes of magnetic loops: solar-like loops with maximum temperature around log T~6.3 and lower electron densities (Ne>10^9-10.5), and hotter loops peaking around log T~6.9 with higher electron densities (Ne>10^12). For the most active stars, material exists at much higher temperatures (log T>6.9) as well. However, current ab initio stellar loop models cannot reproduce such a configuration. Analysis of the light curves of these systems reveals signatures of rotation of coronal material, as well as apparent seasonal changes in the activity levels.Comment: 45 pages, 9 figures (with 20 eps files). Accepted for its publication in ApJ

Effect of intravenous clarithromycin in patients with sepsis, respiratory and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.

Clarithromycin may act as immune-regulating treatment in sepsis and acute respiratory dysfunction syndrome. However, clinical evidence remains inconclusive. We aimed to evaluate whether clarithromycin improves 28-day mortality among patients with sepsis, respiratory and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. We conducted a multicenter, randomized, clinical trial in patients with sepsis. Participants with ratio of partial oxygen pressure to fraction of inspired oxygen less than 200 and more than 3 SOFA points from systems other than the respiratory function were enrolled between December 2017 and September 2019. Patients were randomized to receive 1 gr of clarithromycin or placebo intravenously once daily for 4 consecutive days. The primary endpoint was 28-day all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were 90-day mortality; sepsis response (defined as at least 25% decrease in SOFA score by day 7); sepsis recurrence; and differences in peripheral blood cell populations and leukocyte transcriptomics. Fifty-five patients were allocated to each arm. By day 28, 27 (49.1%) patients in the clarithromycin and 25 (45.5%) in the placebo group died (risk difference 3.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) - 15.7 to 22.7]; P = 0.703, adjusted OR 1.03 [95%CI 0.35-3.06]; P = 0.959). There were no statistical differences in 90-day mortality and sepsis response. Clarithromycin was associated with lower incidence of sepsis recurrence (OR 0.21 [95%CI 0.06-0.68]; P = 0.012); significant increase in monocyte HLA-DR expression; expansion of non-classical monocytes; and upregulation of genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis. Serious and non-serious adverse events were equally distributed. Clarithromycin did not reduce mortality among patients with sepsis with respiratory and multiple organ dysfunction. Clarithromycin was associated with lower sepsis recurrence, possibly through a mechanism of immune restoration. Clinical trial registration clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT03345992 registered 17 November 2017; EudraCT 2017-001056-55