ABSTRACT
The vertiginous development of robotics, as part of the Artificial Intelligence, is currently raising its potential from the point of view of care. The purpose of the present article is the robotic implementation of a logical sequence model of the phases that happen in proper care. This requires approaching the representation and formalization of knowledge about care, what and how the care is: starting with the conceptual dissertation between life, and human characteristics, and also consider this care with the aim to lay the groundwork for Robots based on care..
Subject(s)
Artificial Intelligence , Human Characteristics , Robotics , Self Care , Humans , Models, TheoreticalABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and normal hearing over 10 years, compared with healthy controls. METHODS: Thirty patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus were evaluated in a prospective, descriptive study. Eight patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, i.e. normal otoscopy, normal hearing, normal imaging and disease duration of less than one year. Eleven healthy companions of ENT patients were recruited as controls. RESULTS: At study commencement, the mean patient age was 32.75 years (range, 15-49 years) and there were no statistically significant audiometric differences between patients and controls. No statistically significant audiometric changes were found either within or between the patient and control groups at 10-year follow up. CONCLUSION: These results supply no evidence for progressive hearing loss in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with no hearing involvement at study commencement. Therefore, we recommend audiometric tests only for systemic lupus erythematosus patients complaining of hearing loss, or for other clinical purposes. It is conceivable that asymptomatic hearing loss could be observed over a more extended follow-up period (i.e. more than 10 years).
Subject(s)
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/etiology , Hearing/physiology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Adolescent , Adult , Audiometry, Pure-Tone , Disease Progression , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/epidemiology , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/physiopathology , Humans , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/epidemiology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , Prognosis , Prospective Studies , Retrospective Studies , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
We report the case of an immunocompromised female patient with external otitis, who developed a picture of external otitis with poor response to conventional treatment and subsequent isolation of Pseudomona Aeruginosa in the ear secretion culture. The final diagnosis was malignant external otitis. Our objective is to describe the scintigraphic findings as well as to analyze their correlation with the clinical pattern and to evaluate the possible causes of the discordance found.
Subject(s)
Multimodal Imaging , Opportunistic Infections/diagnostic imaging , Osteomyelitis/diagnostic imaging , Otitis Externa/diagnostic imaging , Positron-Emission Tomography , Pseudomonas Infections/diagnostic imaging , Skull Base/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Amikacin/therapeutic use , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Ceftazidime/therapeutic use , Cytarabine/administration & dosage , Cytarabine/adverse effects , Dexamethasone/administration & dosage , Dexamethasone/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Immunocompromised Host , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/complications , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/drug therapy , Middle Aged , Opportunistic Infections/microbiology , Organoplatinum Compounds/administration & dosage , Organoplatinum Compounds/adverse effects , Osteomyelitis/etiology , Osteomyelitis/microbiology , Otitis Externa/complications , Oxaliplatin , Skull Base/microbiology , Temporal Bone/diagnostic imaging , Temporal Bone/microbiologyABSTRACT
PROBLEM: Approximately 90% of tumours of cerebellopontine angle and internal auditory canal are vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas) and meningiomas. Lipochoristomas are rare benign masses that represent only 0.15% of cases. METHODOLOGY: We report the case of a 39-year-old man who consulted us for right-sided hearing loss and tinnitus. RESULTS: Tonal audiometry showed a down-sloping right sensorineural hearing loss in frequencies above 2000 Hz. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a heterogeneous lesion in the right internal auditory canal with areas of hyperintensity on noncontrast T1-weighted MRI and suppression of much of the signal of the lesion with persistence of some areas of enhancement on T1-weighted fat-suppressed images. CONCLUSION: Correct imaging diagnosis through MRI (high signal intensity on noncontrast T1-weighted images together with a missing signal in fat suppression sequences) is essential in order to avoid unnecessary surgery or radiation therapy, which are not recommended in the treatment of these lesions.
