| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Jacome, Cristina, et al.
(författare)
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Monitoring Adherence to Asthma Inhalers Using the InspirerMundi App : Analysis of Real-World, Medium-Term Feasibility Studies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Medical Technology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2673-3129. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Poor medication adherence is a major challenge in asthma and objective assessment of inhaler adherence is needed. InspirerMundi app aims to monitor inhaler adherence while turning it into a positive experience through gamification and social support.Objective: We assessed the medium-term feasibility of the InspirerMundi app to monitor inhaler adherence in real-world patients with persistent asthma (treated with daily inhaled medication). In addition, we attempted to identify the characteristics of the patients related to higher app use.Methods: Two real-world multicenter observational studies, with one initial face-to-face visit and a 4-month telephone interview, were conducted in 29 secondary care centers from Portugal. During an initial face-to-face visit, patients were invited to use the app daily to register their asthma medication intakes. A scheduled intake was considered taken when patients took a photo of the medication (inhaler, blister, or others) using the image-based medication detection tool. Medication adherence was calculated as the number of doses taken as a percentage of the number scheduled. Interacting with the app =30 days was used as the cut-off for higher app use.Results: A total of 114 patients {median 20 [percentile 25 to percentile 75 (P25-P75) 16-36] years, 62% adults} were invited, 107 (94%) installed the app and 83 (73%) completed the 4-month interview. Patients interacted with the app for a median of 18 [3-45] days, translated on a median use rate of 15 [3-38]%. Median inhaler adherence assessed through the app was 34 [4-73]% when considering all scheduled inhalations for the study period. Inhaler adherence assessed was not significantly correlated with self-reported estimates. Median adherence for oral and other medication was 41 [6-83]% and 43 [3-73]%, respectively. Patients with higher app use were slightly older (p = 0.012), more frequently taking medication for other health conditions (p = 0.040), and more frequently prescribed long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA, p = 0.024). After 4 months, Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT) scores improved (p < 0.001), but no differences between patients interacting with the app for 30 days or less were seen.Conclusions: The InspirerMundi app was feasible to monitor inhaler adherence in patients with persistent asthma. The persistent use of this mHealth technology varies widely. A better understanding of characteristics related to higher app use is still needed before effectiveness studies are undertaken.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(författare)
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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
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| 5. |
- Neves, Ana Luisa, et al.
(författare)
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Determinants of the Use of Health and Fitness Mobile Apps by Patients With Asthma : Secondary Analysis of Observational Studies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Internet Research. - : JMIR Publications. - 1438-8871. ; 23:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Health and fitness apps have potential benefits to improve self-management and disease control among patients with asthma. However, inconsistent use rates have been reported across studies, regions, and health systems. A better understanding of the characteristics of users and nonusers is critical to design solutions that are effectively integrated in patients' daily lives, and to ensure that these equitably reach out to different groups of patients, thus improving rather than entrenching health inequities. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the use of general health and fitness apps by patients with asthma and to identify determinants of usage. Methods: A secondary analysis of the INSPIRERS observational studies was conducted using data from face-to-face visits. Patients with a diagnosis of asthma were included between November 2017 and August 2020. Individual-level data were collected, including age, gender, marital status, educational level, health status, presence of anxiety and depression, postcode, socioeconomic level, digital literacy, use of health services, and use of health and fitness apps. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model the probability of being a health and fitness app user. Statistical analysis was performed in R. Results: A total of 526 patients attended a face-to-face visit in the 49 recruiting centers and 514 had complete data. Most participants were <= 40 years old (66.4%), had at least 10 years of education (57.4%), and were in the 3 higher quintiles of the socioeconomic deprivation index (70.1%). The majority reported an overall good health status (visual analogue scale [VAS] score>70 in 93.1%) and the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 34.3% and 11.9%, respectively. The proportion of participants who reported using health and fitness mobile apps was 41.1% (n=211). Multivariate models revealed that single individuals and those with more than 10 years of education are more likely to use health and fitness mobile apps (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.22, 95%CI 1.05-4.75 and aOR 1.95, 95%CI 1.12-3.45, respectively). Higher digital literacy scores were also associated with higher odds of being a user of health and fitness apps, with participants in the second, third, and fourth quartiles reporting aORs of 6.74 (95%CI 2.90-17.40), 10.30 (95%CI 4.28-27.56), and 11.52 (95%CI 4.78-30.87), respectively. Participants with depression symptoms had lower odds of using health and fitness apps (aOR 0.32, 95%CI 0.12-0.83). Conclusions: A better understanding of the barriers and enhancers of app use among patients with lower education, lower digital literacy, or depressive symptoms is key to design tailored interventions to ensure a sustained and equitable use of these technologies. Future studies should also assess users' general health-seeking behavior and their interest and concerns specifically about digital tools. These factors may impact both initial engagement and sustained use.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Amaral, Rita, et al.
(författare)
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Profiling Persistent Asthma Phenotypes in Adolescents : A Longitudinal Diagnostic Evaluation from the INSPIRERS Studies
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We aimed to identify persistent asthma phenotypes among adolescents and to evaluate longitudinally asthma-related outcomes across phenotypes. Adolescents (13-17 years) from the prospective, observational, and multicenter INSPIRERS studies, conducted in Portugal and Spain, were included (n = 162). Latent class analysis was applied to demographic, environmental, and clinical variables, collected at a baseline medical visit. Longitudinal differences in clinical variables were assessed at a 4-month follow-up telephone contact (n = 128). Three classes/phenotypes of persistent asthma were identified. Adolescents in class 1 (n = 87) were highly symptomatic at baseline and presented the highest number of unscheduled healthcare visits per month and exacerbations per month, both at baseline and follow-up. Class 2 (n = 32) was characterized by female predominance, more frequent obesity, and uncontrolled upper/lower airways symptoms at baseline. At follow-up, there was a significant increase in the proportion of controlled lower airway symptoms (p < 0.001). Class 3 (n = 43) included mostly males with controlled lower airways symptoms; at follow-up, while keeping symptom control, there was a significant increase in exacerbations/month (p = 0.015). We have identified distinct phenotypes of persistent asthma in adolescents with different patterns in longitudinal asthma-related outcomes, supporting the importance of profiling asthma phenotypes in predicting disease outcomes that might inform targeted interventions and reduce future risk.
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| 8. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 9. |
- Bernardo, Ricardo, et al.
(författare)
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Measurements of the Electrical Incidence Angle Modifiers of an Asymmetrical Photovoltaic/Thermal Compound Parabolic Concentrating-Collector
- 2013
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Ingår i: Engineering. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1947-3931 .- 1947-394X. ; 5, s. 37-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reflector edges, sharp acceptance angles and by-pass diodes introduce large variations in the electrical performance of asymmetrical concentrating photovoltaic/thermal modules over a short incidence angle interval. It is therefore important to quantify these impacts precisely. The impact on the electrical performance of the optical properties of an asymmet-rical photovoltaic/thermal CPC-collector was measured in Maputo, Mozambique. The measurements were carried out with the focus on attaining a high resolution incidence angle modifier in both the longitudinal and transversal directions, since large variations were expected over small angle intervals. A detailed analysis of the contribution of the diffuse radiation to the total output was also carried out. The solar cells have an electrical efficiency of 18% while the maxi-mum measured electrical efficiency of the collector was 13.9 % per active glazed area and 20.9 % per active cell area, at 25 °C. Such data make it possible to quantify not only the electrical performance for different climatic and operating conditions but also to determine potential improvements to the collector design. The electrical output can be increased by a number of different measures, e.g. removing the outermost cells, turning the edge cells 90°, dividing each receiver side into three or four parts and directing the tracking, when used, along a north-south axis.
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| 10. |
- Bernardo, Ricardo, et al.
(författare)
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Measurements of the Electrical Incidence Angle Modifiers of an Asymmetrical Photovoltaic/Thermal Compound Parabolic Concentrating-Collector
- 2013
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Ingår i: Engineering. - 1947-394X. ; 5:1B, s. 37-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reflector edges, sharp acceptance angles and by-pass diodes introduce large variations in the electrical performance of asymmetrical concentrating photovoltaic/thermal modules over a short incidence angle interval. It is therefore important to quantify these impacts precisely. The impact on the electrical performance of the optical properties of an asymmetrical photovoltaic/thermal CPC-collector was measured in Maputo, Mozambique. The measurements were carried out with the focus on attaining a high resolution incidence angle modifier in both the longitudinal and transversal directions, since large variations were expected over small angle intervals. A detailed analysis of the contribution of the diffuse radiation to the total output was also carried out. The solar cells have an electrical efficiency of 18% while the maximum measured electrical efficiency of the collector was 13.9 % per active glazed area and 20.9 % per active cell area, at 25 °C. Such data make it possible to quantify not only the electrical performance for different climatic and operating conditions but also to determine potential improvements to the collector design. The electrical output can be increased by a number of different measures, e.g. removing the outermost cells, turning the edge cells 90°, dividing each receiver side into three or four parts and directing the tracking, when used, along a north-south axis.
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| 11. |
- Bousquet, Jean, et al.
(författare)
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ARIA digital anamorphosis : Digital transformation of health and care in airway diseases from research to practice
- 2021
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Ingår i: Allergy. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0105-4538 .- 1398-9995. ; 76:1, s. 168-190
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Digital anamorphosis is used to define a distorted image of health and care that may be viewed correctly using digital tools and strategies. MASK digital anamorphosis represents the process used by MASK to develop the digital transformation of health and care in rhinitis. It strengthens the ARIA change management strategy in the prevention and management of airway disease. The MASK strategy is based on validated digital tools. Using the MASK digital tool and the CARAT online enhanced clinical framework, solutions for practical steps of digital enhancement of care are proposed.
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| 12. |
- Bousquet, J. Jean, et al.
(författare)
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Next-generation ARIA care pathways for rhinitis and asthma : a model for multimorbid chronic diseases
- 2019
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Ingår i: Clinical and Translational Allergy. - : BMC. - 2045-7022. ; 9
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: In all societies, the burden and cost of allergic and chronic respiratory diseases are increasing rapidly. Most economies are struggling to deliver modern health care effectively. There is a need to support the transformation of the health care system into integrated care with organizational health literacy.Main body: As an example for chronic disease care, MASK (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK), a new project of the ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) initiative, and POLLAR (Impact of Air POLLution on Asthma and Rhinitis, EIT Health), in collaboration with professional and patient organizations in the field of allergy and airway diseases, are proposing real-life ICPs centred around the patient with rhinitis, and using mHealth to monitor environmental exposure. Three aspects of care pathways are being developed: (i) Patient participation, health literacy and self-care through technology-assisted "patient activation", (ii) Implementation of care pathways by pharmacists and (iii) Next-generation guidelines assessing the recommendations of GRADE guidelines in rhinitis and asthma using real-world evidence (RWE) obtained through mobile technology. The EU and global political agendas are of great importance in supporting the digital transformation of health and care, and MASK has been recognized by DG Sante as a Good Practice in the field of digitally-enabled, integrated, person-centred care.Conclusion: In 20 years, ARIA has considerably evolved from the first multimorbidity guideline in respiratory diseases to the digital transformation of health and care with a strong political involvement.
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| 13. |
- Burrinha, Tatiana, et al.
(författare)
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Up-regulation of APP endocytosis by neuronal aging drives amyloid dependent-synapse loss
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Cell Science. - : The Company of Biologists. - 0021-9533 .- 1477-9137. ; 134:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neuronal aging increases the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease. During normal aging, synapses decline, and β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulates intraneuronally. However, little is known about the underlying cell biological mechanisms. We studied normal neuronal aging using normal aged brain and aged mouse primary neurons that accumulate lysosomal lipofuscin and show synapse loss. We identify the up-regulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) endocytosis as a neuronal aging mechanism that potentiates APP processing and Aβ production in vitro and in vivo. The increased APP endocytosis may contribute to the observed early endosomes enlargement in the aged brain. Mechanistically, we show that clathrin-dependent APP endocytosis requires F-actin and that clathrin and endocytic F-actin increase with neuronal aging. Finally, Aβ production inhibition reverts synaptic decline in aged neurons while Aβ accumulation, promoted by endocytosis up-regulation in younger neurons, recapitulates aging-related synapse decline. Overall, we identify APP endocytosis up-regulation as a potential mechanism of neuronal aging and, thus, a novel target to prevent late-onset Alzheimer's disease.
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| 14. |
- Carravetta, Vincenzo, et al.
(författare)
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An atomistic explanation of the ethanol-water azeotrope
- 2022
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 24:42, s. 26037-26045
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ethanol and water form an azeotropic mixture at an ethanol molecular percentage of similar to 91% (similar to 96% by volume), which prohibits ethanol from being further purified via distillation. Aqueous solutions at different concentrations in ethanol have been studied both experimentally and theoretically. We performed cylindrical micro-jet photoelectron spectroscopy, excited by synchrotron radiation, 70 eV above C1s ionization threshold, providing optimal atomic-scale surface-probing. Large model systems have been employed to simulate, by molecular dynamics, slabs of the aqueous solutions and obtain an atomistic description of both bulk and surface regions. We show how the azeotropic behaviour results from an unexpected concentration-dependence of the surface composition. While ethanol strongly dominates the surface and water is almost completely depleted from the surface for most mixing ratios, the different intermolecular bonding patterns of the two components cause water to penetrate to the surface region at high ethanol concentrations. The addition of surface water increases its relative vapour pressure, giving rise to the azeotropic behaviour.
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| 15. |
- Chaves, Roberta Rayra Martins, et al.
(författare)
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KRAS mutations in implant‐associated peripheral giant cell granuloma
- 2020
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Ingår i: Oral Diseases. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1354-523X .- 1601-0825. ; 26:2, s. 334-340
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To investigate the molecular pathogenesis of implant‐associated peripheral giant cell granuloma (IA‐PGCG). Methods: A convenience sample of 15 IA‐PGCG cases was selected. Hotspot mutations of KRAS, FGFR1, and TRPV4 genes, previously reported in conventional giant cell lesions of the jaws, were investigated by Sanger sequencing. As these mutations could activate MAPK/ERK pathway, the expression of phospho‐ERK1/2 was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: KRAS mutations were detected in 8/15 (53.4%) samples. Similar to conventional peripheral giant cell granuloma, the KRAS mutations most frequently occurred in codon 146 (p.A146V, n = 3), followed by codon 12 (p.G12A and p.G12D, n = 1 each) and codon 14 (p.V14L, n = 1). Variants of unknown significance (VUS) were also detected in two cases, affecting codons 37 (p.E37K) and 127 (p.T127I). All samples showed wild‐type (WT) sequences for FGFR1 and TRPV4 genes. Consistent with MAPK/ERK pathway activation, all mononuclear cells of the lesion showed strong staining for phospho‐ERK1/2 protein in the immunohistochemical analysis. Conclusions: KRAS mutations and activation of the MAPK‐ERK signaling pathway occur in IA‐PGCG. This is the first study to demonstrate cancer‐associated gene mutations in a non‐neoplastic reactive condition associated with dental implants.
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| 16. |
- Chrcanovic, Bruno, et al.
(författare)
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Central giant cell lesion of the jaws : an updated analysis of 2270 cases reported in the literature
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0904-2512 .- 1600-0714. ; 47:8, s. 731-739
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose. To review all available data published on central giant cell lesion (CGCL) of the jaws into a comprehensive analysis of its clinical/radiologic features, with emphasis on the predictive factors associated with its recurrence. Methods. Electronic search undertaken in 5 databases (February/2018), looking for publications reporting cases of CGCLs. Results. 365 publications were included, comprising 2270 lesions. CGCLs were more prevalent in women and in the mandible, being usually asymptomatic. Cortical bone perforation occurred in 50% of the cases. Marginal/segmental resection were more often performed in larger lesions, and drug therapy was more frequent in small lesions. Recurrence was reported in 232/1316 cases (17.6%). The recurrence rate of the aggressive lesions (22.8%) after surgical treatment was higher than non-aggressive lesions (7.8%). Four out of five CGCLs showed partial/total regression with pharmacological treatment. Aggressive lesions showed worse response to corticosteroids than non-aggressive lesions. For the lesions submitted to surgery as the first treatment, curettage, enucleation or marginal resection in relation to segmental resection, aggressive lesions, cortical bone perforation, and tooth root resorption were associated with increased recurrence rate. Recurrence related to combination of surgical/pharmacological treatment could not be evaluated due to the variety of protocols. Conclusions. Aggressive CGCLs recur more often than the non-aggressive ones. Despite sometimes showing poor response to corticosteroid injection or surgical curettage, a combination of both treatment strategies should be considered in these aggressive cases in order to reduce morbidities associated with radical surgery. The best protocol to manage aggressive and non-aggressive lesions remains to be determined.
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| 17. |
- Chrcanovic, Bruno, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical factors associated with the recurrence of central giant cell lesions.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0904-2512 .- 1600-0714. ; 48:9, s. 799-802
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Central giant cell lesion of the jaws (CGCLJ) is a destructive condition that shows a varied and unpredictable biological behaviour. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate factors associated with the recurrence of CGCLJ. Based on the data of a previous systematic review of 2,270 CGCLJ, we used the multiple imputation to deal with the missing data. The dependent variable was the recurrence after the first treatment (yes/no). The dichotomic covariates were sex, upper or lower jaw location, size (up to or larger than 4 cm), pain, cortical bone perforation (yes/no), locularity (uni-/multilocular), tooth displacement (yes/no), treatment type (curettage or enucleation) and root resorption (yes/no). The final logistic model indicated that the tumours associated with tooth displacement, root resorption, and treated with curettage had a more significant chance of recurrence. In conclusion, our study suggests that tooth displacement, root resorption, and the type of treatment are potentially useful in the future construction of an algorithm for patient's treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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| 18. |
- Chrcanovic, Bruno, et al.
(författare)
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Desmoplastic ameloblastoma : a systematic review of the cases reported in the literature
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. - : Elsevier. - 0901-5027 .- 1399-0020. ; 49:6, s. 709-716
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose was to integrate the available data published on desmoplastic ameloblastoma (DA) into a comprehensive analysis of its clinical/radiographic features. As it is not clear if the hybrid ameloblastoma has a unique biological behavior, the clinical/radiographic features of conventional DA with the hybrid variant were compared. An electronic search was undertaken in May/2019. Eligibility criteria included publications having enough clinical/radiographic/histological information to confirm the diagnosis. 128 publications reporting 285 DAs were included (246 central non-hybrid, 33 central hybrid, 6 peripheral). There was a statistically significant difference between non-hybrid and hybrid cases concerning lesion location, radiographic limits and size. In contrast to non-hybrid tumors that showed similar distribution in mandible and maxilla, a highly predominant mandible location was observed in the hybrid tumors. Also, non-hybrid lesions more often showed ill-defined radiographic margins, and were larger tumors than hybrid DAs. Enucleation with an additional therapy (either curettage or peripheral osteotomy) or resection led to a lower recurrence risk in comparison to curettage or enucleation without additional therapy. Location of the lesion and type of treatment are related to tumor recurrence. There are important differences in location and radiographic limits between hybrid and non-hybrid DAs, which support their classification as distinct lesions.
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| 19. |
- Chrcanovic, Bruno, et al.
(författare)
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Peripheral giant cell granuloma : an updated analysis of 2824 cases reported in the literature
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0904-2512 .- 1600-0714. ; 47:5, s. 454-459
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To integrate the available data published on peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG) into a comprehensive analysis of its clinical/radiologic features. Materials and Methods. An electronic search was undertaken in January/2018 in 5 databases, looking for publications reporting cases of PGCGs. Probability of recurrence was calculated for some variables. Results. 165 publications were included, 2824 lesions identified. PGCGs were slightly more prevalent in women and more prevalent in mandibles, usually asymptomatic, and presenting erosion of the subjacent bone in almost 1/3 of cases. Additional curettage (2.8%) or peripheral osteotomy (0%) after excision presented lower recurrence rates in comparison to excision alone (16%). Excision followed by curettage decreases the probability of recurrence by 85% in comparison to excision alone. Other factors (age, lesion size, follow-up, gender, location, clinical symptoms, bone erosion) seem to do not influence the probability of recurrence. Conclusions. As surgical excision alone shows a considerable recurrence rate, excision followed by an additional therapy - curettage or peripheral osteotomy - should be the first choice of treatment of PGCG.
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| 20. |
- Chrcanovic, Bruno, et al.
(författare)
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Peripheral giant cell granuloma associated with dental implants : a systematic review
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. - : Elsevier. - 2468-7855. ; 120:5, s. 456-461
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of the present review was to integrate the available published data on peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG) associated with dental implants into a comprehensive analysis of its clinical/radiologic features. An electronic search was undertaken in February/2018 in three databases, looking for publications reporting cases of PGCGs associated with dental implants. Nineteen publications were included, reporting 37 implant-associated PGCG. These lesions are more prevalent in women, in mandible, and in posterior regions of the jaws. Both ‘excision alone’ and ‘excision + curettage’ presented high recurrence rates (40% and 31.3%, respectively). The etiology of implant-associated PGCG has not yet been determined. Despite the small number of cases reported, implant-associated PGCG shows a high recurrence rate (1/3) for a benign non-neoplastic lesion and sometimes it requires the removal of the associated implant in order to prevent further recurrences. This recurrence rate is not affected by curettage after excision.
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| 21. |
- Davidsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Construction of laboratories for solar energy research in developing countries
- 2014
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Ingår i: Energy Procedia 57. - : Elsevier BV. - 1876-6102. ; 57:Energy Procedia 57, s. 982-988
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A large number of photovoltaic systems have been installed in developing countries around the world during numerous projects. The goal is often to improve the quality of life in rural areas often lacking electricity. Many of these installations provide important services such as lighting and charging of various devices. However, when the projects are finished, there is a large risk that maintenance is not carried out properly and that malfunctions are never repaired. This situation can leave an otherwise well- functioning system unusable. A key problem is that there are not enough trained technicians that can maintain and repair the system locally. One reason for this is the lack of practical education in many developing countries. Furthermore, the availability of spare parts is essential for long term effectiveness. During 2011 a group of researchers from Lund University in Sweden built a small scale laboratory in Maputo, Mozambique, with local researchers. The project was successful and today the laboratory functions both as a teaching facility and as a measurement station for solar energy research for licentiates, masters and Ph.D. students. The main goal now is to widen the project in order to incorporate more universities in developing countries. We are now looking for new interested partners in developing countries who believe that such a laboratory could strengthen their ability to teach practical work and to perform research at a local university. Partners for planning and executing the project are also needed.
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| 22. |
- Fernandes, Juliana Folloni, et al.
(författare)
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Transplantation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells for Primary Immunodeficiencies in Brazil: Challenges in Treating Rare Diseases in Developing Countries.
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of clinical immunology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-2592 .- 0271-9142. ; 38:8, s. 917-926
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The results of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) for primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) have been improving over time. Unfortunately, developing countries do not experience the same results. This first report of Brazilian experience of HSCT for PID describes the development and results in the field. We included data from transplants in 221 patients, performed at 11 centers which participated in the Brazilian collaborative group, from July 1990 to December 2015. The majority of transplants were concentrated in one center (n=123). The median age at HSCT was 22months, and the most common diseases were severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) (n=67) and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) (n=67). Only 15 patients received unconditioned transplants. Cumulative incidence of GVHD grades II to IV was 23%, and GVHD grades III to IV was 10%. The 5-year overall survival was 71.6%. WAS patients had better survival compared to other diseases. Most deaths (n=53) occurred in the first year after transplantation mainly due to infection (55%) and GVHD (13%). Although transplant for PID patients in Brazil has evolved since its beginning, we still face some challenges like delayed diagnosis and referral, severe infections before transplant, a limited number of transplant centers with expertise, and resources for more advanced techniques. Measures like newborn screening for SCID may hasten the diagnosis and ameliorate patients' conditions at the moment of transplant.
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| 23. |
- Gei, Maga, et al.
(författare)
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Legume abundance along successional and rainfall gradients in Neotropical forests
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature Ecology & Evolution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-334X. ; 2:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nutrient demands of regrowing tropical forests are partly satisfied by nitrogen-fixing legume trees, but our understanding of the abundance of those species is biased towards wet tropical regions. Here we show how the abundance of Leguminosae is affected by both recovery from disturbance and large-scale rainfall gradients through a synthesis of forest inventory plots from a network of 42 Neotropical forest chronosequences. During the first three decades of natural forest regeneration, legume basal area is twice as high in dry compared with wet secondary forests. The tremendous ecological success of legumes in recently disturbed, water-limited forests is likely to be related to both their reduced leaflet size and ability to fix N2, which together enhance legume drought tolerance and water-use efficiency. Earth system models should incorporate these large-scale successional and climatic patterns of legume dominance to provide more accurate estimates of the maximum potential for natural nitrogen fixation across tropical forests.
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| 24. |
- Gentile, Niko, et al.
(författare)
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Construction of a small scale laboratory for solar collectors and solar cells in a developing country
- 2013
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Ingår i: Engineering. - 1947-394X. ; 5:1B, s. 75-80
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the field of renewable energy, self-provided research in developing countries is barely present, but most welcomed. The creation of know-how and self-development of technologies should reduce the dependence on industrialized countries for both materials and knowledge. This work presents technological and social issues related to the construction of a low budget solar laboratory in Mozambique. The goal is to demonstrate that scientific level research can be carried out in developing countries by using affordable solutions without sacrificing quality of the results. For this investigation, a solar laboratory was built in 2011 at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane of Maputo. The laboratory enables measurements to evaluate solar thermal and photovoltaic-thermal hybrid collectors. Thanks to the flexibility of the system, students and teaching staff can add/remove equipment and develop customised local research programs. In addition, a course on the principles of solar energy and collector simulation for local students was taught. The needed data acquisition devices usually used in Europe were compared with cheaper and easy-maintenance ones. Calibration and estimation of the uncertainty were successfully performed. Approximately 9% of inaccuracy in the measurement was introduced by the cheaper equipment, but the investment cost was reduced by more than 90%. Other issues, results and future recommendations are shown.
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| 25. |
- Gil, Eric Bernd, et al.
(författare)
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Body Sensor Network: A Self-Adaptive System Exemplar in the Healthcare Domain
- 2021
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Ingår i: 2021 International Symposium on Software Engineering for Adaptive and Self-Managing Systems (SEAMS). - 2157-2321. - 9781665402897
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent worldwide events shed light on the need of human-centered systems engineering in the healthcare domain. These systems must be prepared to evolve quickly but safely, according to unpredicted environments and ever-changing pathogens that spread ruthlessly. Such scenarios suffocate hospitals' infrastructure and disable healthcare systems that are not prepared to deal with unpredicted environments without costly re-engineering. In the face of these challenges, we offer the SA-BSN - Self-Adaptive Body Sensor Network - prototype to explore the rather dynamic patient's health status monitoring. The exemplar is focused on self-adaptation and comes with scenarios that hinder an interplay between system reliability and battery consumption that is available after each execution. Also, we provide: (i) a noise injection mechanism, (ii) file-based patient profiles' configuration, (iii) six healthcare sensor simulations, and (iv) an extensible/reusable controller implementation for self-adaptation. The artifact is implemented in ROS (Robot Operating System), which embraces principles such as ease of use and relies on an active open source community support
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| 26. |
- Gomes, João, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Minimizing the impact of shading at oblique solar angles in a fully enclosed asymmetric concentrating PVT collector
- 2014
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Ingår i: Energy Procedia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1876-6102. ; 57, s. 2176-2185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PVT collectors produce both electricity and heat from the same area. PVT collectors with low concentration factor allow both stationary and tracking configurations. For stationary or single axis tracking, the daily variation in the solar incidence angle can cause significant shading in concentrating collectors. Shading has a larger impact on PV than on thermal collectors and thus the evaluations was more focused on the electrical part. Several prototype versions of a novel design for a concentrating asymmetric PVT collector have been tested and compared. One tested improvement was replacing the reflective end gables with transparent end gables. Another improvement was to use different cell sizes. These actions were expected to minimize the impact of the shading at oblique solar incidence angles. The second action was found to be more beneficial than the first. Measurements were also performed in the solar simulator to fully understand the impact of shading in cell strings with 1/6 the size of standard cells. The latest version of the PVT was found to have, at 25 °C and 1000w/m2, a collector efficiency of 13,7%, a cell area efficiency of 20,3% and an electrical power output of 237W. Lower side of the receiver was producing 58% of the total power.
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| 27. |
- Householder, John Ethan, et al.
(författare)
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One sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is dependent on river floodplains
- 2024
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Ingår i: NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION. - 2397-334X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amazonia's floodplain system is the largest and most biodiverse on Earth. Although forests are crucial to the ecological integrity of floodplains, our understanding of their species composition and how this may differ from surrounding forest types is still far too limited, particularly as changing inundation regimes begin to reshape floodplain tree communities and the critical ecosystem functions they underpin. Here we address this gap by taking a spatially explicit look at Amazonia-wide patterns of tree-species turnover and ecological specialization of the region's floodplain forests. We show that the majority of Amazonian tree species can inhabit floodplains, and about a sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is ecologically specialized on floodplains. The degree of specialization in floodplain communities is driven by regional flood patterns, with the most compositionally differentiated floodplain forests located centrally within the fluvial network and contingent on the most extraordinary flood magnitudes regionally. Our results provide a spatially explicit view of ecological specialization of floodplain forest communities and expose the need for whole-basin hydrological integrity to protect the Amazon's tree diversity and its function.
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| 28. |
- Jacome, Cristina, et al.
(författare)
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Feasibility and Acceptability of an Asthma App to Monitor Medication Adherence : Mixed Methods Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: JMIR mhealth and uhealth. - : JMIR Publications. - 2291-5222. ; 9:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Poor medication adherence is a major challenge in asthma, and objective assessment of inhaler adherence is needed. The InspirerMundi app aims to monitor adherence while providing a positive experience through gamification and social support. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the InspirerMundi app to monitor medication adherence in adolescents and adults with persistent asthma (treated with daily inhaled medication). Methods: A 1-month mixed method multicenter observational study was conducted in 26 secondary care centers from Portugal and Spain. During an initial face-to-face visit, physicians reported patients' asthma therapeutic plan in a structured questionnaire. During the visits, patients were invited to use the app daily to register their asthma medication intakes. A scheduled intake was considered taken when patients registered the intake (inhaler, blister, or other drug formulation) by using the image-based medication detection tool. At 1 month, patients were interviewed by phone, and app satisfaction was assessed on a 1 (low) to 5 (high) scale. Patients were also asked to point out the most and least preferred app features and make suggestions for future app improvements. Results: A total of 107 patients (median 27 [P25-P75 14-40] years) were invited, 92.5% (99/107) installed the app, and 73.8% (79/107) completed the 1-month interview. Patients interacted with the app a median of 9 (P25-P75 1-24) days. At least one medication was registered in the app by 78% (77/99) of patients. A total of 53% (52/99) of participants registered all prescribed inhalers, and 34% (34/99) registered the complete asthma therapeutic plan. Median medication adherence was 75% (P25-P75 25%-90%) for inhalers and 82% (P25-P75 50%-94%) for other drug formulations. Patients were globally satisfied with the app, with 75% (59/79) scoring >= 4,; adherence monitoring, symptom monitoring, and gamification features being the most highly scored components; and the medication detection tool among the lowest scored. A total of 53% (42/79) of the patients stated that the app had motivated them to improve adherence to inhaled medication and 77% (61/79) would recommend the app to other patients. Patient feedback was reflected in 4 major themes: medication-related features (67/79, 85%), gamification and social network (33/79, 42%), symptom monitoring and physician communication (21/79, 27%), and other aspects (16/79, 20%). Conclusions: The InspirerMundi app was feasible and acceptable to monitor medication adherence in patients with asthma. Based on patient feedback and to increase the registering of medications, the therapeutic plan registration and medication detection tool were redesigned. Our results highlight the importance of patient participation to produce a patient-centered and engaging mHealth asthma app.
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| 29. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 30. |
- Kirschner, Johannes, et al.
(författare)
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The molecular structure of the surface of water-ethanol mixtures
- 2021
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 23:19, s. 11568-11578
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mixtures of water and alcohol exhibit an excess surface concentration of alcohol as a result of the amphiphilic nature of the alcohol molecule, which has important consequences for the physico-chemical properties of water-alcohol mixtures. Here we use a combination of intensity vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy, heterodyne-detected VSFG (HD-VSFG), and core-level photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) to investigate the molecular properties of water-ethanol mixtures at the air-liquid interface. We find that increasing the ethanol concentration up to a molar fraction (MF) of 0.1 leads to a steep increase of the surface density of the ethanol molecules, and an increased ordering of the ethanol molecules at the surface. When the ethanol concentration is further increased, the surface density of ethanol remains more or less constant, while the orientation of the ethanol molecules becomes increasingly disordered. The used techniques of PES and VSFG provide complementary information on the density and orientation of ethanol molecules at the surface of water, thus providing new information on the molecular-scale properties of the surface of water-alcohol mixtures over a wide range of compositions. This information is invaluable in understanding the chemical and physical properties of water-alcohol mixtures.
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| 31. |
- Luize, Bruno Garcia, et al.
(författare)
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Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities
- 2024
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and v & aacute;rzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igap & oacute; and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R-2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R-2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions.
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| 32. |
- Magalhaes, Ana, et al.
(författare)
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The glycan receptors of Helicobacter pylori : decoding the pathways underlying gastric glycophenotype modulation
- 2016
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Ingår i: Glycobiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0959-6658 .- 1460-2423. ; 26:12, s. 1401-1402
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The gastrointestinal tract is covered by a complex extracellular mucus layer that protects the gastric epithelium fromexternal aggressions such as chemical agents, microorganismsand shear stress. Although this mucus barrier confers protec-tion against certain pathogens, it may also provide a niche formicrobial binding.Helicobacter pyloriexploits the host glycoconjugates present in the gastric mucus layer and lining thesurface epithelium of the gastric mucosa to colonize the stomach. Infection can persist for decades promoting chronicinflammation, and in a subset of individuals lesions cansilently progress to cancer. The secreted MUC5AC mucin isthe main component of the gastric mucus layer, andH. pyloriBabA-mediated binding to MUC5AC confers increased riskfor overt disease. We have shown that FUT2 determines theO-glycosylation pattern of Muc5ac, with Fut2 knock-outleading to a marked decrease inα1,2-fucosylated structuresand increased expression of the terminal type 1 glycan structure Lewisa. Importantly, for thefirst time, we structurallyvalidated the expression of Lewisain murine gastric mucosa(1). We further demonstrated that loss of mucin FUT2-mediated fucosylation impairs gastric mucosal binding ofH.pyloriBabA adhesin, which is a recognized feature of patho-genicity. UponH. pyloriinfection,concomitantly with tissueinflammation, there is a remodeling of the gastric glycopheno-type. We showed that increased expression of sialyl-Lewisa/xantigens is due to transcriptional up-regulation of theB3GNT5,B3GALT5,andFUT3genes. In addition, weobserved thatH. pyloriinfected individuals present a markedgastric local pro-inflammatory signature with significantlyhigher TNF-αlevels and demonstrated that TNF-induced activation of the NF-kappaB pathway results in B3GNT5 up-regulation (2). Furthermore, we showed that this gastric glycosylation shift, characterized by increased sialylation pat-terns, favors SabA-mediatedH. pyloriattachment to humaninflamed gastric mucosa. Our data provides clinically relevantinsights into the regulatory mechanisms underlyingH. pylorimodulation of host glycosylation machinery, and phenotypicalterations crucial for life-long infection and gastric disease.
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| 33. |
- Marinho, Daniela Hespanha, et al.
(författare)
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The challenge of long-term follow-up of survivors of childhood acute leukemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in resource-limited countries: A single-center report from Brazil.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Pediatric transplantation. - : Wiley. - 1399-3046 .- 1397-3142. ; 24:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the number of long-term HSCT survivors steadily increasing, attention needs to be focused on the late complications and quality of life. We therefore analyzed the outcome of 101 pediatric patients (<18years old at the time of HSCT) transplanted for acute leukemia between 1981 and 2015 at Complexo Hospital de Clínicas, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil, and who survived at least two years after HSCT. The median follow-up was 5.9years (2.0-29.0); median age at follow-up was 17.5years (2.98-39.0). The 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse was 27.5% (95% CI 18.6%-36.4%). Two-year cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 21.8% (95% CI 13.7%-29.8%). Of the 101 patients, 72 patients (71.3%) presented with late effects. Those surviving longer after HSCT experienced more complications. Patients who received TBI-based regimen developed more late effects (P=.013) and more endocrinological complications (P=.024). Endocrinological complications were the most common late sequelae found in this study. For childhood survivors, quality of life was not influenced by age (at HSCT or at last visit), time from HSCT, gender, donor, or GVHD. For survivors that no longer were children, only age at last visit impacted financial domain measures, irrespective of gender, donor, or GVHD. The current study confirms the high burden late complications after pediatric HSCT have on the survivors and underlines the importance of extended follow-up.
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| 34. |
- Moreira, Dinis, et al.
(författare)
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Real-Time Surf Manoeuvres’ Detection Using Smartphones’ Inertial Sensors
- 2020
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Ingår i: Proceedings IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. - Cham : Springer Nature. ; , s. 256-267
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Surfing is currently one of the most popular water sports in the world, both for recreational and competitive level surfers. Surf session analysis is often performed with commercially available devices. However, most of them seem insufficient considering the surfers’ needs, by displaying a low number of features, being inaccurate, invasive or not adequate for all surfer levels. Despite the fact that performing manoeuvres is the ultimate goal of surfing, there are no available solutions that enable the identification and characterization of such events. In this work, we propose a novel method to detect manoeuvre events during wave riding periods resorting solely to the inertial sensors embedded in smartphones. The proposed method was able to correctly identify over 95% of all the manoeuvres in the dataset (172 annotated manoeuvres), while achieving a precision of up to 80%, using a session-independent validation approach. These findings demonstrate the suitability and validity of the proposed solution for identification of manoeuvre events in real-world conditions, evidencing a high market potential.
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| 35. |
- Soares, Priscilla Barbosa Ferreira, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of titanium surface functionalization with bioactive glass on osseointegration : an experimental study in dogs.
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinical Oral Implants Research. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0905-7161 .- 1600-0501. ; 29:11, s. 1120-1125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of surface functionalization with bioactive glass BSF18 on the osseointegration of sandblasted and dual acid-etched surface (AE) implants. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Forty Morse taper implants with an AE surface as controls (C) or with an AE surface functionalized with BSF18 (BF) were placed in the mandibles of 10 beagles. Implants were analysed after 2 and 4 weeks of healing. Implant stability quotient (ISQ) values were registered immediately after installation and prior to sacrifice. Samples were analysed for bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone density (BD). The characterization of BF implants included surface roughness analysis with atomic force microscopy and contact angle (CA) analysis to evaluate wettability. Data were analysed using two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Surface roughness was not affected by BF treatment. CA was lower in the BF group compared to the C group. No significant difference was observed in ISQ values between surfaces (p=0,231), irrespective of time. Significantly higher ISQ values were observed for both implants after 4 weeks when compared with baseline (p=0.04). Significantly higher BIC (p= 0.011) and BD (p=0.025) values were observed for the BF compared to the C group at 2 weeks. Significantly higher BIC (p=0.030) and BD (p=0.015) values for the C group were observed at 4 weeks compared to 2 weeks. No significant difference was observed in the BF group between 2 and 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Implant functionalization with BSF18 improved the wettability of the implant surface; enhancing BIC and BD at 2 weeks. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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| 36. |
- Stebbins, Amanda, et al.
(författare)
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A Model for Predicting Mortality in Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated With Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention : Results From the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial
- 2010
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Ingår i: Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. - 1941-7640. ; 3:5, s. 414-422
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background-Accurate models to predict mortality are needed for risk stratification in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and Results-We examined 5745 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI in the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial within 6 hours of symptom onset. A Cox proportional hazards model incorporating regression splines to accommodate nonlinearity in the log hazard ratio (HR) scale was used to determine baseline independent predictors of 90-day mortality. At 90 days, 271 (4.7%) of 5745 patients died. Independent correlates of 90-day mortality were (in descending order of statistical significance) age (HR, 2.03/10-y increments; 95% CI, 1.80 to 2.29), systolic blood pressure (HR, 0.86/10-mm Hg increments; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.90), Killip class (class 3 or 4 versus 1 or 2) (HR, 4.24; 95% CI, 2.97 to 6.08), heart rate (>70 beats per minute) (HR, 1.45/10-beat increments; 95% CI, 1.31 to 1.59), creatinine (HR, 1.23/10-mu mol/L increments >90 mu mol/L; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.34), sum of ST-segment deviations (HR, 1.25/10-mm increments; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.40), and anterior STEMI location (HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.93) (c-index, 0.82). Internal validation with bootstrapping confirmed minimal overoptimism (c-index, 0.81). Conclusions-Our study provides a practical method to assess intermediate-term prognosis of patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI, using baseline clinical and ECG variables. This model identifies key factors affecting prognosis and enables quantitative risk stratification that may be helpful in guiding clinical care and for risk adjustment for observational analyses. (Circ Cardiovasc Interv. 2010;3:414-422.)
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| 37. |
- ter Steege, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora
- 2023
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Ingår i: COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY. - 2399-3642. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution. A study mapping the tree species richness in Amazonian forests shows that soil type exerts a strong effect on species richness, probably caused by the areas of these forest types. Cumulative water deficit, tree density and temperature seasonality affect species richness at a regional scale.
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| 38. |
- Vieira, Renan, et al.
(författare)
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Bayesian Analysis of Bug-Fixing Time using Report Data
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement. - New York, NY, USA : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781450394277 ; , s. 57-68
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Bug-fixing is the crux of software maintenance. It entails tending to heaps of bug reports using limited resources. Using historical data, we can ask questions that contribute to betterinformed allocation heuristics. The caveat here is that often there is not enough data to provide a sound response. This issue is especially prominent for young projects. Also, answers may vary from project to project. Consequently, it is impossible to generalize results without assuming a notion of relatedness between projects.Aims: Evaluate the independent impact of three report features in the bug-fixing time (BFT), generalizing results from many projects: bug priority, code-churn size in bug fixing commits, and existence of links to other reports (e.g., depends on or blocks other bug reports).Method: We analyze 55 projects from the Apache ecosystem using Bayesian statistics. Similar to standard random effects methodology, we assume each project's average BFT is a dispersed version of a global average BFT that we want to assess. We split the data based on feature values/range (e.g., with or without links). For each split, we compute a posterior distribution over its respective global BFT. Finally, we compare the posteriors to establish the feature's effect on the BFT. We run independent analyses for each feature.Results: Our results show that the existence of links and higher code-churn values lead to BFTs that are at least twice as long. On the other hand, considering three levels of priority (low, medium, and high), we observe no difference in the BFT.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using hierarchical Bayes to extrapolate results from multiple projects and assess the global effect of different attributes on the BFT. We use this methodology to gain insight on how links, priority, and code-churn size impact the BFT. On top of that, our posteriors can be used as a prior to analyze novel projects, potentially young and scarce on data. We also believe our methodology can be reused for other generalization studies in empirical software engineering. © 2022 Association for Computing Machinery.
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