Earthworm injury test for in-situ biomonitoring of pesticides in biobeds.

Biobeds are presented as an alternative for good pesticide wastewater management on farms. This work proposes a new test for in-situ biomonitoring of pesticide detoxification in biobeds. It is based on the assessment of visually appreciable injuries to Eisenia fetida. The severity of the injury to each exposed individual is assessed from the morphological changes observed in comparison with the patterns established in seven categories and, an injury index is calculated. A linear relationship between the proposed injury index and the pesticide concentration was determined for each pesticide sprayed individually in the biomixture. The five pesticides used were atrazine, prometryn, clethodim, haloxyfop-P-methyl and dicamba. In addition, a multiple linear regression model (i.e., a multivariate response surface) was fitted, which showed a good generalization capacity. The sensitivity range of the injury test was tested from 0.01 to 630 mg kg-1 as the total pesticide concentration. This index is then used to monitor the detoxification of these pesticides in a biomixture (composed of wheat stubble, river waste, and soil, 50:25:25% by volume) over 210 days. The results are compared with standardized tests (Eisenia fetida avoidance test and Lactuca sativa seed germination test) carried out on the same biomixture. The results are also compared with data on the removal of pesticides. The injury test showed a better correlation with the removal of pesticides than the avoidance test and seed germination test. This simple and inexpensive test has proved to be useful for decontamination in-situ monitoring in biobeds.

Sensorless Estimation Based on Neural Networks Trained with the Dynamic Response Points.

In the present work, a neuronal dynamic response prediction system is shown to estimate the response of multiple systems remotely without sensors. For this, a set of Neural Networks and the response to the step of a stable system is used. Six basic characteristics of the dynamic response were extracted and used to calculate a Transfer Function equivalent to the dynamic model. A database with 1,500,000 data points was created to train the network system with the basic characteristics of the dynamic response and the Transfer Function that causes it. The contribution of this work lies in the use of Neural Network systems to estimate the behavior of any stable system, which has multiple advantages compared to typical linear regression techniques since, although the training process is offline, the estimation can perform in real time. The results show an average 2% MSE error for the set of networks. In addition, the system was tested with physical systems to observe the performance with practical examples, achieving a precise estimation of the output with an error of less than 1% for simulated systems and high performance in real signals with the typical noise associated due to the acquisition system.

[Study of biliary anatomy in living related liver transplantation]. / Anatomia das vias biliares em doadores e receptores de transplante hepático inter vivos.

BACKGROUND: Anatomic variations of the biliary tree are frequent and increase complications after liver transplantation. AIM: To describe the anatomy of the bile ducts of donors and recipients of living related liver transplantation. METHODS: From March 1998 to September 2002, the study was retrospective (23 transplantations). From October 2002 to August 2003, the study was prospective (17 transplantations). We studied the hepatic anatomy of 80 consecutive patients (40 donors and 40 recipients) of the living-related liver transplantation program of the "Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná" and the "Hospital Nossa Senhora das Graças", Curitiba, PR, Brazil; 51 were male (27 recipients 24 donors) and 29 female (13 recipients and 16 donors). The median age among the donors was 32.6 years and among the recipients was 36.3 years. Thirty-two recipients were adults and 8 recipients were under 15 years old. The bile duct anatomy was studied by magnetic resonance cholangiography in 33 patients, and anomalies were seen in 3 of them (9.1%). RESULTS: The most prevalent variation of bile ducts was the fusion of the right posterior duct with the left duct (6.06%; n=2). In the 40 harvesting operations, the right bile duct was single in 25 patients (87.5%), among the 32 right-lobe donors, double in 2 (6.25%) and triple in 2 (6.25%). All of the eight left livers procured had single bile ducts. Among the 40 recipients, the common bile duct was bifurcated in 2 of them (5%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of biliary anomalies is high in patients subjected to living liver transplantation and some anomalies are not diagnosed with preoperative imaging exams.

Anatomia das vias biliares em doadores e receptores de transplante hepático inter vivos / Study of biliary anatomy in living related liver transplantation / Study of biliary anatomy in living related liver transplantation

RACIONAL: Variações anatômicas das vias biliares são freqüentes e aumentam as complicações dos transplantes hepáticos. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a anatomia das vias biliares nos doadores e receptores do transplante hepático inter vivos realizados no Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná e do Hospital Nossa Senhora das Graças de Curitiba, Curitiba, PR. CASUíSTICA E MÉTODOS: A avaliação foi retrospectiva de março de 1998 até setembro de 2002 (23 transplantes), quando os dados passaram a ser captados de forma prospectiva (17 transplantes), até agosto de 2003. Foram obtidos dados de 80 pacientes consecutivos (40 doadores e 40 receptores), submetidos a transplante hepático inter vivos, sendo 32 transplantes com receptor adulto e 8 transplantes pediátricos (receptor com idade inferior a 15 anos). Entre os 80 pacientes incluídos no estudo, 51 eram do sexo masculino (27 receptores e 24 doadores) e 29 do feminino (13 receptores e 16 doadores). A idade média dos doadores foi de 32,6 anos e a dos receptores de 36,3 anos. RESULTADOS: Nas cirurgias de captação do lobo hepático direito, a via biliar direita foi única em 25 entre 29 casos (86,2 por cento), dupla em dois (6,9 por cento) e tripla em dois (6,9 por cento). Nos oito casos em que o setor lateral esquerdo ou o lobo hepático esquerdo foram captados, a via biliar foi única. Entre os 33 pacientes submetidos a colangiografia por ressonância magnética, variações foram verificadas em três pacientes (9,1 por cento), sendo a mais comum o ducto biliar posterior direito tributário do ducto hepático esquerdo (6,06 por cento; n = 2). CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de anomalias biliares nos transplantes inter vivos de fígado é elevada e algumas não são diagnosticadas com os exames de imagem pré-operatórios.

BACKGROUND: Anatomic variations of the biliary tree are frequent and increase complications after liver transplantation. AIM: To describe the anatomy of the bile ducts of donors and recipients of living related liver transplantation. METHODS: From March 1998 to September 2002, the study was retrospective (23 transplantations). From October 2002 to August 2003, the study was prospective (17 transplantations). We studied the hepatic anatomy of 80 consecutive patients (40 donors and 40 recipients) of the living-related liver transplantation program of the "Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná" and the "Hospital Nossa Senhora das Graças", Curitiba, PR, Brazil; 51 were male (27 recipients 24 donors) and 29 female (13 recipients and 16 donors). The median age among the donors was 32.6 years and among the recipients was 36.3 years. Thirty-two recipients were adults and 8 recipients were under 15 years old. The bile duct anatomy was studied by magnetic resonance cholangiography in 33 patients, and anomalies were seen in 3 of them (9.1 percent). RESULTS: The most prevalent variation of bile ducts was the fusion of the right posterior duct with the left duct (6.06 percent; n=2). In the 40 harvesting operations, the right bile duct was single in 25 patients (87.5 percent), among the 32 right-lobe donors, double in 2 (6.25 percent) and triple in 2 (6.25 percent). All of the eight left livers procured had single bile ducts. Among the 40 recipients, the common bile duct was bifurcated in 2 of them (5 percent). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of biliary anomalies is high in patients subjected to living liver transplantation and some anomalies are not diagnosed with preoperative imaging exams.

Anatomia da artéria hepática em doadores e receptores de transplante hepático intervivos / Hepatic artery anatomy in living related liver transplantation

OBJETIVO: O objetivo do presente estudo é avaliar a anatomia da artéria hepática nos doadores e receptores do transplante hepático intervivos realizados no Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná e do Hospital Nossa Senhora das Graças de Curitiba. MÉTODO: A avaliação foi retrospectiva de março de 1998 até setembro de 2002 (23 transplantes), quando os dados passaram a ser captados de forma prospectiva (17 transplantes), até agosto de 2003. Foram obtidos dados de 80 pacientes consecutivos (40 doadores e 40 receptores), submetidos a transplante hepático intervivos, sendo 32 transplantes com receptor adulto e 8 transplantes pediátricos (receptor com idade inferior a 15 anos). Entre os 80 pacientes incluídos no estudo, 51 eram do sexo masculino (27 receptores e 24 doadores) e 29 eram do sexo feminino (13 receptores e 16 doadores). A idade média dos doadores foi de 32,6 anos e a dos receptores de 36,3 anos. RESULTADOS: No estudo da anatomia da artéria hepática, realizaram-se arteriografias em 43 pacientes, e variações anatômicas foram encontradas em 18 casos (41,86 por cento), sendo a mais comum a artéria hepática direita ramo da artéria mesentérica superior (12,5 por cento; n=5); no estudo da anatomia arterial realizado nas cirurgias, foram verificadas variações em 16 casos (20 por cento) entre os 80 casos estudados, sendo a mais comum a artéria hepática direita como ramo da artéria mesentérica superior (7,5 por cento; n=6). CONCLUSÃO: Conclui-se que a prevalência de variações na anatomia da artéria hepática é elevada.