Orthotic treatment for stage I and II posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (flat foot): A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether orthotic treatment is effective for the treatment of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction stages I and II (flat foot). DATA SOURCES: Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, PEDro, SPORTDiscus and The Cochrane Library) were searched for potential RCTs from their inception until August 2020. REVIEW METHODS: Only randomised controlled trials (RCT) that included subjects diagnosed with posterior tibial dysfunction in the initial stage and treated with orthotic treatments were selected. The outcomes assessed were whatever symptom related to posterior tibial tendon dysfunction stage I and II. Included RCTs were appraised using the Cochrane collaboration risk of bias tool. RESULTS: Four RCT articles and 186 subjects were included. 75% were at high risk of bias for blinding of participants and personnel. Three different types of conservative treatment were used in the studies: foot/ankle-foot orthoses, footwear and stretching /strengthening exercises. Foot orthoses, together with exercise programmes, seemed to improve the effect of orthotic treatment. Foot orthoses with personalised internal longitudinal arch support were more effective than flat insoles or standard treatments in reducing pain. CONCLUSIONS: The use of orthotic treatment may be effective in reducing pain in the early stages of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction. Further research is needed into individualised orthotic treatment and high-intensity monitored exercise programmes.

A Data-Based Model Predictive Decision Support System for Inventory Management in Hospitals.

This paper presents experimental results from the application of a data-based model predictive decision support system to drug inventory management in the pharmacy of a mid-size hospital in Spain. The underlying objective is to improve the efficiency of their inventory policy by exploiting pharmacy historical data. To this end, the pharmacy staff was aided by a decision support system that provided them with quantities needed for the satisfaction of clinical needs and the risk of stockout in case no order is placed for different time horizons. With this information in mind, the pharmacy service takes the final order decisions. The results obtained during a test period of four months are provided and compared with those of a previous model predictive control approach, which was implemented in the same hospital in the past, and with the usual policy of the pharmacy department.

Distributed Estimation Techniques for Cyber-Physical Systems: A Systematic Review.

This paper undertakes a systematic review (SR) on distributed estimation techniques applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS). Even though SRs are not the common way to survey a theme in the control community, they provide a rigorous, robust and objective formula that should not be always ignored. The presented SR incorporates and adapts the guidelines recommended in other fields (mainly biosciences and computer sciences) to the field of automation and control and presents a brief description of the different phases that constitute an SR. As a result, this review compares the different techniques found in the literature in terms of: The proposed estimator (Kalman filter, Luenberger observer, Bayesian filter, etc.), the particular application within CPS, the design of the estimators (decentralized vs centralized), the amount of data required for implementation or the inclusion of experiments/simulations in the studies. Particular attention is paid to those papers that present some results in applications that include humans, animals or biological systems.

Off the Shelf Cloud Robotics for the Smart Home: Empowering a Wireless Robot through Cloud Computing.

In this paper, we explore the possibilities offered by the integration of home automation systems and service robots. In particular, we examine how advanced computationally expensive services can be provided by using a cloud computing approach to overcome the limitations of the hardware available at the user's home. To this end, we integrate two wireless low-cost, off-the-shelf systems in this work, namely, the service robot Rovio and the home automation system Z-wave. Cloud computing is used to enhance the capabilities of these systems so that advanced sensing and interaction services based on image processing and voice recognition can be offered.

Eritema necrolítico migratorio asociado a glucagonoma / Necrolytic migratory erythema associated with glucagonoma

El glucagonoma es un raro tumor pancreático que habitualmente se asocia a un síndrome que incluye diabetes, anemia, pérdida de peso y lesiones cutáneas en forma de eritema necrolítico migratorio. Se presenta el caso de una paciente con un glucagonoma maligno tratado con cirugía y octreótida que se manifestó con lesiones cutáneas. Se revisa la fisiopatología, las otras causas de eritema necrolítico, el diagnóstico y diagnóstico diferencial y el tratamiento

Glucagonoma is a rare pancreatic tumor that isusually associated with a syndrome that includes diabetes, anemia, weight loss and skin lesions in the form of necrolyticmigratory erythema. We present the case of a patient with malignant glucagonoma treated with surgery and octreotide, which manifested with skin lesions. The discussion will review the physiopathology, other causes of necrolytic erythema, diagnosis and differential diagnosis and treatment

[Necrolytic migratory erythema associated with glucagonoma]. / Eritema necrolítico migratorio asociado a glucagonoma.

Glucagonoma is a rare pancreatic tumor that is usually associated with a syndrome that includes diabetes, anemia, weight loss and skin lesions in the form of necrolytic migratory erythema. We present the case of a patient with malignant glucagonoma treated with surgery and octreotide, which manifested with skin lesions. The discussion will review the physiopathology, other causes of necrolytic erythema, diagnosis and differential diagnosis and treatment.