Hepatitis C Virus positivity prediction from serum samples using NIRS and L1-penalized classification.

AIMS: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) has developed a strategy to coexist with its host resulting in varying degrees of tissue and cell damage, which generate different pathological phenotypes, such as varying degrees of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is no integrated information that can predict the evolutionary course of the infection. We propose to combine Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and machine learning techniques to provide a predictive model. In this work, we propose to discriminate HCV positivity in biobank patient serum samples. METHODS: 126 serum samples from 38 HCV patients in different stages of the disease were obtained from the Biobank of Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcon. NIRS spectrum was captured by a FT-NIRS Spectrum 100 (Perkin Elmer) device in reflectance mode. For each patient, the HCV positivity was identified (PCR) and labeled as detectable =1 and undetectable =0. We propose an L1-penalized logistic regression model to classify each spectrum as positive (1) or negative (0) for HCV presence (x). The regularization parameter is selected using 5- fold cross-validation. The penalized model will induce sparsity in the solution so that only a few relevant wavelengths will be different from zero. RESULTS: L1-penalized logistic regression model provided 167 wavelengths different from zero. The accuracy on an independent test set was 0.78. CONCLUSIONS: We present a straightforward promising approach to detect HCV positivity from patient serum samples combining NIRS and machine learning techniques. This result is encouraging to predict HCV progression, among other applications. Clinical relevance- We presented a simple while promising approach to use machine learning and NIRS to analyze viral presence on sample serums.

Case of study on a sustainability building: Environmental risk assessment related with allergenicity from air quality considering meteorological and urban green infrastructure data on BIM.

Digitisation is gaining importance with 3D workflow for architecture-specific annotation of built heritage. The objective is to use the Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology in order to carry out a study of alternatives of impact on environmental sustainability associated with the potential allergenicity with green infrastructure on a new housing, located in Mérida (SW Spain). It is intended to simulate the meteorology (direction and speed of the wind) in the study city with the compass rose for 18 years (2003-2020) to assess the meteorological pattern associated with the wind on the studied housing. 3 green infrastructure garden alternatives (considering 5 ornamental species of cypress trees) were designed to evaluate the potential impact of allergenicity on the housing. AIROT index was applied to project the results on the frontage of the housing. This index was developed in the field of large areas of urban environments. The calculation was carried out in the most exact way possible in specific sections of the frontage of the housing and automatically with tools associated with the BIM environment (such as Autodesk Revit, Dynamo, Enscape, Wrplot and Bim One) to the discipline of Architecture (such as Autodesk Autocad and Autodesk Flow Design). The obtained results were applied to evaluate 3 scenario designs, trying to minimize the potential exposure to urban green infrastructure (focus on cypress trees) in this current project, and offering a health reference guide in future projects, from the design phase considering appropriate measures and proposing recommendations.

Different brain oxidative and neuroinflammation status in rats during prolonged abstinence depending on their ethanol relapse-like drinking behavior: Effects of ethanol reintroduction.

RATIONALE: Accumulating evidence suggests that chronic alcohol consumption is associated with excessive oxidative damage and neuroinflammatory processes and these events have been associated to early alcohol withdrawal. In the present research we wonder if brain oxidative stress and neuroinflammation remains altered during prolonged withdrawal situations and whether these alterations can be correlated with relapse behavior in alcohol consumption. The effects of alcohol reintroduction were also evaluated METHODS: We have used a model based on the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) within a cohort of wild-type male Wistar rats. Two subpopulations were identified according to the alcohol relapse-like drinking behavior displayed (ADE and NO-ADE subpopulations). Oxidized and reduced glutathione content was determined within the hippocampus and the amygdala using a mass spectrometry method. The levels of mRNA of seven different inflammatory mediators in the prefrontal cortex of rats were quantified. All the analyses were performed in two different conditions: after 21-day alcohol deprivation (prolonged abstinence) and after 24 h of ethanol reintroduction in both subpopulations. RESULTS: ADE and NO-ADE rats showed different endophenotypes. ADE rats always displayed a significant lower alcohol intake rate and ethanol preference than NO-ADE rats. The results also demonstrated the existence of altered brain redox and neuroinflammation status after prolonged abstinence exclusively in ADE rats. Moreover, when ethanol was reintroduced in the ADE subpopulation, altered oxidative stress and neuroinflammatory markers were restored. CONCLUSIONS: Present findings provide new mechanisms underlying the neurobiology of relapse behavior and suggest the development of new pharmacological approaches to treat alcohol-induced relapse.

Proposing a sustainable urban 3D model to minimize the potential risk associated with green infrastructure by applying engineering tools.

The goal of this study is to estimate the potential risk of exposure to urban green infrastructure by calculating and improving of AIROT index, adding meteorological factors as wind direction and updating the index to be more accurate for smaller urban green areas. To achieve this objective, BIM methodology has been applied by creating a 3D BIM model from the reality capture of a street with LiDAR. The BIM model contains the parametric data needed to apply AIROT index and it allows to map results in a graphic environmental sustainability study. The importance of location of green infrastructure is one of main conclusions obtained in order to minimize aerobiological risks in future new buildings or even in maintenance tasks of urban green infrastructure. A valuable result obtained from the developed methodology are walk simulations in the 3D model with the aim to identify high risk of potential exposure of urban green infrastructure with allergenic interest for allergic patients in order to supply health itineraries of pedestrians in a proposal of Smart City.

Microcatheter-assisted stenting of the tortuous vertical ductus arteriosus via femoral access in a duct-dependent pulmonary circulation.

BACKGROUND: Stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) has been accepted as alternative option to surgical shunting to enable additional pulmonary blood flow or for palliation of patients with a truly duct-dependent pulmonary circulation. The procedure can be challenging given the variable and often tortuous anatomy of the PDA and various technical approaches are reported. OBJECTIVE: To report an alternative technique to treat tortuous ducts with microcatheter assistance and by transfemoral approach. METHODS: We applied this technique of PDA stenting in 5 consecutive patients (4/5 age < 1 week, weight 2,7-3,2 kg; 1/5 re-do PDA stenting at 6,5 month and 5,9 kg). A soft coronary guidewire was advanced by microcatheter assistance into the branch pulmonary arteries and thereafter replaced by an extrastiff guidewire to enable the placement of long coronary stents. RESULTS: Successful PDA stenting with this stepwise approach and with femoral access only could be achieved in all patients (n = 5/5). A single stent was used in 2 patients (one with re-do stenting and previous stents). 3/5 patients had 2 stents implanted by telescopic technique. Stent sizes used were 4,5 × 15 mm (n = 2) and 4,5 × 18 mm (n = 6). No guide wire or stent dislodgement appeared through all procedures with microcatheter assistance. CONCLUSIONS: This technique enables PDA stenting via transfemoral approach in complex and tortuous ducts and thereby offers an attractive addition to the interventional management of truly duct-dependent pulmonary circulation.

Marking petroglyphs with calcite and gypsum-based chalks: Interaction with granite under different simulated conditions and the effectiveness and harmfulness of cleaning methods.

Marking petroglyphs with chalk is a common practice to enhance them for documentation and reproduction. Although this procedure has started to be less frequently used, there is no knowledge about the interaction between the rock engravings nor about the effectiveness achieved by the common cleaning procedures of such markers considering the chalk extraction and the induced damage to the rock. This study evaluates the interaction between two chalks of different composition (calcite and gypsum) and a granite on which the majority of NW Iberian Peninsula-petroglyphs are carved. Granitic samples marked with these chalks were subjected to artificial rain events and high temperatures (700°C) related to fires. After each aging test, chemical and physical modifications on the rock were analysed by means of stereomicroscopy, x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and colour spectrophotometry. Moreover, the evaluation of the effectiveness and harmfulness of several mechanical and chemical cleaning procedures commonly used in the field of cultural heritage conservation was carried out. Both chalks remained at different extent on the surface after the artificial rain events. Water would promote a different penetration-depth of the chalks into the stone, depending on their solubility. High temperatures led to mineral phase transformations of the chalks influencing the interaction with the rock. Regarding cleaning effectiveness, despite a few chalk remains were found in all the cleanings, chemical methods showed higher effectiveness than mechanical procedures even though some of them leave chemical contamination. Benzalkonium chloride can be considered as the cleaner with the best results to extract both types of chalk on granite.

Relationships between airborne pollen grains, wind direction and land cover using GIS and circular statistics.

Airborne bio-aerosol content (mainly pollen and spores) depends on the surrounding vegetation and weather conditions, particularly wind direction. In order to understand this issue, maps of the main land cover in influence areas of 10km in radius surrounding pollen traps were created. Atmospheric content of the most abundant 14 pollen types was analysed in relation to the predominant wind directions measured in three localities of SW of Iberian Peninsula, from March 2011 to March 2014. Three Hirst type traps were used for aerobiological monitoring. The surface area for each land cover category was calculated and wind direction analysis was approached by using circular statistics. This method could be helpful for estimating the potential risk of exposure to various pollen types. Thus, the main land cover was different for each monitoring location, being irrigated crops, pastures and hardwood forests the main categories among 11 types described. Comparison of the pollen content with the predominant winds and land cover shows that the atmospheric pollen concentration is related to some source areas identified in the inventory. The study found that some pollen types (e.g. Plantago, Fraxinus-Phillyrea, Alnus) come from local sources but other pollen types (e.g. Quercus) are mostly coming from longer distances. As main conclusions, airborne particle concentrations can be effectively split by addressing wind with circular statistics. By combining circular statistics and GIS method with aerobiological data, we have created a useful tool for understanding pollen origin. Some pollen loads can be explained by immediate surrounding landscape and observed wind patterns for most of the time. However, other factors like medium or long-distance transport or even pollen trap location within a city, may occasionally affect the pollen load recorded using an air sampler.

[Prevalence of tuberculosis infection and its association with social class in children in the Autonomous Community of Madrid]. / Prevalencia de infección tuberculosa y su relación con la clase social en niños de la Comunidad de Madrid.

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of tuberculosis infection, particularly among children, indicates the magnitude of the disease reservoir. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of tuberculosis infection in children in the Autonomous Community of Madrid and its association with social class. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a cross sectional study of 6-year-old schoolchildren living in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, selected through probabilistic sampling. From September 1999 through June 2000, information was collected on residence stratum, tuberculin test (positivity threshold 5 mm), social class (five categories), based on the occupation of the main earner in the family, and the formal education attained by the parents. We calculated 95% confidence intervals for the prevalence estimates according to a Poisson distribution. RESULTS: A total of 2,721 children were studied. The prevalence of tuberculosis infection for the total study population was 0.62% (95% CI: 0.29-0.95). The prevalence of tuberculosis infection was 0.42% (95% CI: 0.00-0.85) in social class I (the highest), 0.00% (95% CI: 0.00-1.17) in class II, 0.77% (95% CI: 0.00-1.86) in class III, 0.62% (95% CI: 0.00-1.32) in class IV, and 1.57% (95% CI: 0.00-3.40) in class V (the lowest). In both fathers and mothers, the highest prevalence of tuberculosis infection was found in the group that had only completed elementary school or basic general education (up to the age of 14). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of tuberculosis infection in the Autonomous Community of Madrid is similar to that in others areas of Spain. The results of our study are consistent with a lower prevalence in the higher socioeconomic groups.

Prevalencia de infección tuberculosa y su relación con la clase social en niños de la Comunidad de Madrid / Prevalence of tuberculosis infection and its association with social class in children in the Autonomous Community of Madrid

Introducción La frecuencia de infección tuberculosa, sobre todo en población infantil, indica la magnitud del reservorio de la enfermedad. El objetivo de este trabajo fue medir la prevalencia de infección tuberculosa en niños de la Comunidad de Madrid y su asociación con la clase social de pertenencia. Material y métodos Se realizó un estudio transversal de los niños de 6 años escolarizados y residentes en la Comunidad de Madrid, seleccionados mediante muestreo probabilístico. Entre septiembre y junio de 2000, se obtuvo información sobre estrato de residencia, resultado de la prueba de la tuberculina (umbral de positividad de 5 mm), clase social (en 5 categorías) estimada por la ocupación del sustentador principal del hogar, y los estudios realizados por el padre y por la madre. Se realizaron estimaciones al 95 % de confianza (IC 95 %) a partir de una distribución de Poisson. Resultados Se han estudiado 2.721 niños. La prevalencia de infección tuberculosa en el total de la población de estudio fue 0,62 % (IC 95 %: 0,29-0,95). Por clase social, la prevalencia ha sido 0,42 % (IC 95 %: 0,00-0,85) en la clase I (la más alta), 0,00 % (IC 95 %: 0,00-1,17) en la clase II, 0,77 % (IC 95 %: 0,00-1,86) en la clase III, 0,62 % (IC 95 %: 0,00-1,32) en la clase IV, y 1,57 % (IC 95 %: 0,00-3,40) en la clase V (la más baja). En los padres y madres, la prevalencia de infección tuberculosa más elevada correspondió al grupo que ha completado el bachiller elemental/EGB. Conclusiones La prevalencia de infección tuberculosa en la Comunidad de Madrid es similar a la observada en otras zonas de España. Los resultados son consistentes con una menor prevalencia en los grupos con nivel socioeconómico más elevado

Introduction The frequency of tuberculosis infection, particularly among children, indicates the magnitude of the disease reservoir. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of tuberculosis infection in children in the Autonomous Community of Madrid and its association with social class. Material and methods We performed a cross sectional study of 6-year-old schoolchildren living in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, selected through probabilistic sampling. From September 1999 through June 2000, information was collected on residence stratum, tuberculin test (positivity threshold 5 mm), social class (five categories), based on the occupation of the main earner in the family, and the formal education attained by the parents. We calculated 95 % confidence intervals for the prevalence estimates according to a Poisson distribution. Results A total of 2,721 children were studied. The prevalence of tuberculosis infection for the total study population was 0.62 % (95 % CI: 0.29-0.95). The prevalence of tuberculosis infection was 0.42 % (95 % CI: 0.00-0.85) in social class I (the highest), 0.00 % (95 % CI: 0.00-1.17) in class II, 0.77 % (95 % CI: 0.00-1.86) in class III, 0.62 % (95 % CI: 0.00-1.32) in class IV, and 1.57 % (95 % CI: 0.00-3.40) in class V (the lowest). In both fathers and mothers, the highest prevalence of tuberculosis infection was found in the group that had only completed elementary school or basic general education (up to the age of 14). Conclusions The prevalence of tuberculosis infection in the Autonomous Community of Madrid is similar to that in others areas of Spain. The results of our study are consistent with a lower prevalence in the higher socioeconomic groups

Promoción de la salud basada en la evidencia: ¿realmente funcionan los programas de salud comunitarios? / Health promotion based on evidence: do community health programmes really work?

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La toma de tensión arterial en la farmacia comunitaria: un servicio orientado a la Atención Farmacéutica / No disponible

Se describen los resultados de las mediciones de TA en una farmacia comunitaria durante 5 semanas de 2003. Se clasifica a los usuarios de este servicio en función de su conocimiento de la enfermedad y del tipo de tratamiento establecido, con el objetivo de protocolizar las actuaciones posteriores, consiguiendo una continuidad de la atención cuando sea necesario. Se encuentran similitudes con otros trabajos realizados también en farmacias de Barcelona y ello parece sugerir la necesidad de establecer una sistemática de actuación final que permita contribuir con las diferentes actividades de Atención Farmacéutica (AF) en cada farmacia, a la mejora del control de esta enfermedad (AU)

We describe the results of a set of measures of blood pressure taken at a community pharmacy office along five weeks in 2003. We classify the users of this pharmacy service according to their awareness of the disease and their treatment with the objective of organizing the activities after the measuring of the BP, taking care of achieving a seamless-care for each patient. We found similitudes with the studies of another pharmacies from Barcelona and such finding hint to us the need of stablishing a protocol for this service, integrated with the different activities of pharrmaceutical-care offered, contributing in this way, to achieve the better control of this disease in the population of users of this health-service (AU)

Consulta de adolescente / Consultation of adolescent

Se hace un estudio de todos los adolescentes en la consulta creada al efecto en la especialidad de Endocrinología del Hospital Provincial Clínicoquirúrgico Docente "Gustavo Aldereguía Lima" de Cienfuegos en un año de trabajo. Se manifiesta que las causas más frecuentes fueron la talla baja talla, el retardo puberal y el bocio puberal; siendo la primera mas frecuente en el sexo masculino y la última en el femenino. Se concluye que es una necesidad que estos pacientes dentro de un programa de atención específico, donde no selo sean valorados clínicamente sino que se orienten científicamente en cuanto a todas las dudas que esta edad produce