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1.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 1122, 2024 Jan 11.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38212346

RESUMEN

In this work, the quasi-analog to discrete transition occurring in the current-voltage characteristic of oxygen engineered yttrium oxide-based resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices is investigated in detail. In particular, the focus of our research is not on the absolute conductance values of this characteristic but on the magnitude of its conductance changes occurring during the reset process of the device. It is found that the detected changes correspond to conductance values predominantly of the order of the quantum unit of conductance G0 = 2e2/h, where e is the electron charge and h the Planck constant. This feature is observed even at conductance levels far above G0, i.e. where electron transport is seemingly diffusive. It is also observed that such behavior is reproducible across devices comprising yttrium oxide layers with different oxygen concentrations and measured under different voltage sweep rates. While the oxygen deficiency affects the total number of quantized conductance states, the magnitude of the changes in conductance, close to 1 G0, is invariant to the oxygen content of the functional layer.

2.
Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg ; 17(11): 1991-1999, 2022 Nov.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35643827

RESUMEN

PURPOSE: Surgical documentation is an important yet time-consuming necessity in clinical routine. Beside its core function to transmit information about a surgery to other medical professionals, the surgical report has gained even more significance in terms of information extraction for scientific, administrative and judicial application. A possible basis for computer aided reporting is phase detection by convolutional neural networks (CNN). In this article we propose a workflow to generate operative notes based on the output of the TeCNO CNN. METHODS: Video recordings of 15 cholecystectomies were used for inference. The annotation of TeCNO was compared to that of an expert surgeon (HE) and the algorithm based annotation of a scientist (HA). The CNN output then was used to identify aberrance from standard course as basis for the final report. Moreover, we assessed the phenomenon of 'phase flickering' as clusters of incorrectly labeled frames and evaluated its usability. RESULTS: The accordance of the HE and CNN was 79.7% and that of HA and CNN 87.0%. 'Phase flickering' indicated an aberrant course with AUCs of 0.91 and 0.89 in ROC analysis regarding number and extend of concerned frames. Finally, we created operative notes based on a standard text, deviation alerts, and manual completion by the surgeon. CONCLUSION: Computer-aided documentation is a noteworthy use case for phase recognition in standardized surgery. The analysis of phase flickering in a CNN's annotation has the potential of retrieving more information about the course of a particular procedure to complement an automated report.


Asunto(s)
Colecistectomía Laparoscópica , Algoritmos , Humanos , Almacenamiento y Recuperación de la Información , Redes Neurales de la Computación , Flujo de Trabajo
3.
Urologe A ; 60(3): 291-300, 2021 Mar.
Artículo en Alemán | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33559692

RESUMEN

Urologic cancer care needs to be prioritized despite multiple health care restrictions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, therapies and procedures may be delayed and complicated. In Germany, analysis of the multiple cancer registries provides insights into the actual numbers of treated patients. We provide a review on the registration of urologic cancer care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and on potential surgical complications of urologic interventions. We found that during the year 2020 there were generally fewer registrations of newly diagnosed patients with major urologic neoplasms in a representative federal database. The number of surgical interventions in patients with renal cell carcinoma and urothelial bladder cancer decreased, whereas equal numbers of radical prostatectomies were performed when compared to the year 2019. COVID-19 may increase non-urological postoperative complications following surgical treatment of urologic malignancies; however, available data are still very limited.


Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Neoplasias Urológicas , Alemania/epidemiología , Humanos , Pandemias , SARS-CoV-2 , Neoplasias Urológicas/epidemiología
4.
Rev Neurol (Paris) ; 177(4): 385-393, 2021 Apr.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33032799

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: Parkinsonism in the elderly presents a major risk factor for recurrent falls (2 and more falls per year), which is associated with increased morbidity. The main objective was to investigate explanatory variables relating to the risk of being recurrent fallers (RF) in persons with parkinsonian gait. METHODS: Seventy-nine among 172 eligible persons were enrolled in this prospective study, the findings of which were analyzed at 12 months. Motor and non-motor features, as well as follow-up interviews to identify falls, loss of ability to walk, fluctuating cognition, traumatic falls, all-cause hospitalizations and deaths were collated and results compared between non RF (zero and one fall per year) and RF. Bayesian model averaging was used to predict the probability of patients being RF from their medical history as well as from cognitive assessment, gait velocity, vision and posture. RESULTS: N=79, 0.58 men, 50% had Parkinson's disease, 14% other neurodegenerative parkinsonian syndrome, 23% vascular parkinsonism and 13% Lewy body disease, 58% were RF. Median age 81.2 years and median MMSE 25/30. A history of falls and of hallucinations, median odds ratio respectively 9.06 (CI 2.34-38.22), 4.21 (CI 1.04-18.67) were associated with the highest odds ratios along with fluctuating cognition and abnormal posture. Two or more falls a year was a relevant threshold to distinguish a population with a high risk of comorbidity. CONCLUSION: The whole history of falls, hallucinations and fluctuating cognition can be considered predictive of recurrent falls in elderly people with parkinsonian gait and provide a tracking tool for patient management.


Asunto(s)
Marcha , Enfermedad de Parkinson , Anciano , Teorema de Bayes , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Estudios Prospectivos
5.
Sci Rep ; 10(1): 21785, 2020 12 11.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33311585

RESUMEN

The main function of pain is to automatically draw attention towards sources of potential injury. However, pain sometimes needs to be inhibited in order to address or pursue more relevant tasks. Elucidating the factors that influence how people manage this relationship between pain and task performance is essential to understanding the disruptive nature of pain and its variability between individuals. Here, 41 healthy adults completed a challenging working memory task (2-back task) while receiving painful thermal stimulations. Examining the trial-by-trial relationship between pain perception and task performance revealed that pain's disruptive effects on performance were mediated by self-reported pain intensity, and that the analgesic effects of a competing task were influenced by task performance. We found that higher pain catastrophizing, higher trait anxiety, and lower trait mindfulness were associated with larger trade-offs between pain perception and task performance, suggesting that these psychological factors can predict increased fluctuations between disruption by pain and analgesia from a competing task. Altogether these findings provide an important and novel perspective on our understanding of individual differences in the interplay between pain and ongoing task performance.


Asunto(s)
Analgesia , Ansiedad , Catastrofización , Cognición , Memoria a Corto Plazo , Percepción del Dolor , Adulto , Ansiedad/tratamiento farmacológico , Ansiedad/fisiopatología , Ansiedad/psicología , Catastrofización/tratamiento farmacológico , Catastrofización/fisiopatología , Catastrofización/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino
6.
FEMS Microbiol Ecol ; 96(8)2020 08 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32589193

RESUMEN

Niche is a fundamental concept in ecology. It integrates the sum of biotic and abiotic environmental requirements that determines a taxon's distribution. Microbiologists currently lack quantitative approaches to address niche-related hypotheses. We tested four approaches for the quantification of niche breadth and overlap of taxa in amplicon sequencing datasets, with the goal of determining generalists, specialists and environmental-dependent distributions of community members. We applied these indices to in silico training datasets first, and then to real human gut and desert biological soil crust (biocrust) case studies, assessing the agreement of the indices with previous findings. Implementation of each approach successfully identified a priori conditions within in silico training data, and we found that by including a limit of quantification based on species rank, one could identify taxa falsely classified as specialists because of their low, sparse counts. Analysis of the human gut study offered quantitative support for Bacilli, Gammaproteobacteria and Fusobacteria specialists enriched after bariatric surgery. We could quantitatively characterise differential niche distributions of cyanobacterial taxa with respect to precipitation gradients in biocrusts. We conclude that these approaches, made publicly available as an R package (MicroNiche), represent useful tools to assess microbial environment-taxon and taxon-taxon relationships in a quantitative manner.


Asunto(s)
Cianobacterias , Ecosistema , Cianobacterias/genética , Ecología , Humanos
7.
Opt Lett ; 45(9): 2494-2497, 2020 May 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32356799

RESUMEN

We demonstrate terahertz (THz) generation using the tilted pulse front method in lithium niobate, driven at an unprecedented high average power of more than 100 W and at a 13.3 MHz repetition rate, provided by a compact amplifier-free mode-locked thin-disk oscillator. The conversion efficiency was optimized with respect to the pump spot size and pump pulse duration, enabling us to generate a maximum THz average power of 66 mW, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest reported to date from a laser-driven, few-cycle THz source. Furthermore, we identify beam walk-off as the main obstacle that currently limits the conversion efficiency in this excitation regime (with moderate pulse energies and small spot sizes). Further upscaling to the watt level and beyond is within reach, paving the way for linear and nonlinear high average power THz spectroscopy experiments with an exceptional signal-to-noise ratio at megahertz repetition rates.

8.
Surg Endosc ; 34(6): 2814-2823, 2020 06.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32253562

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: A reliable and sterile access through the intestinal wall to ease flexible endoscopic transluminal interventions is still appealing but lacks a suitable port system. METHODS: In a granted industry cooperation, we developed the MIEO-Port, a flexible three components overtube system that provides a temporary hermetic sealing of the intestinal wall to allow endoscopic disinfection and manipulation to gain access to the abdominal cavity. The port features an innovative head part which allows for coupling the port to the intestinal wall by vacuum suction and for controlled jetting the isolated intestinal surface with a disinfectant. The device was tested in vivo in 6 pigs for acute and long-term usability. All animal tests were approved by the local ethics committee. RESULTS: In the acute experiment, the port system supported sealed endoscopic mucosa resection and transluminal cholecystectomy. In the survival study on 5 animals, the MIEO-Port proved its reliability after transcolonic peritoneoscopy. In one animal, a port dislocation occurred after extensive retroperitoneal preparation, one animal revealed bacterial contamination at necropsy; however, all animals showed a favourable course over ten days and offered no signs of peritonitis or abscedation during post-mortem examination. DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, the MIEO-Port system is the first device to provide a reliable and sterile flexible access to the peritoneal cavity that can be used throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract regardless of the access route and which combines hermetic sealing with local sterilization. Further studies are warranted.


Asunto(s)
Resección Endoscópica de la Mucosa/instrumentación , Mucosa Intestinal/cirugía , Laparoscopía/instrumentación , Cavidad Peritoneal/cirugía , Peritonitis/prevención & control , Animales , Colecistectomía/efectos adversos , Colecistectomía/instrumentación , Colecistectomía/métodos , Resección Endoscópica de la Mucosa/efectos adversos , Resección Endoscópica de la Mucosa/métodos , Laparoscopía/efectos adversos , Laparoscopía/métodos , Modelos Animales , Peritonitis/etiología , Instrumentos Quirúrgicos , Porcinos
9.
Environ Sci Process Impacts ; 22(3): 512-517, 2020 Mar 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32181779

RESUMEN

Prior to the 1960s, knowledge of biological transformations of highly halogenated aliphatic compounds was limited, except in mammalian organisms where enzymatic transformations occurred to rid the body of ingested harmful chemicals. Limited abiotic transformation of such compounds had also been observed, with half-lives varying from days to centuries. Commonly believed was that aerobic transformation might occur by cometabolism rather than to conserve energy for respiration, while anaerobic transformations were in general thought not to occur. However, in the late 1960s anaerobic transformation of chlorinated pesticides was noted, and then in the early 1980s, partial microbial dehalogenation of chlorinated solvents such as tetrachlorethene, trichloroethene, trichlorethane, and carbon tetrachloride was also found to occur. With only partial dechlorination, complete detoxification was not achieved. And at the time, dehalogenation reactions were not believed to yield energy for growth to the degrading microorganisms. However, in the 1990s bacteria began to be found that obtain energy from anaerobic transformations, often enabling complete dechlorination and detoxification. Since then such ability has been found among several bacterial species, many of which use molecular hydrogen as a donor substrate and halogenated organics as electron acceptors, thus conserving energy through reductive dehalogenation. Growth of knowledge in this field has grown rapidly since the 1960s. Broad usages of such microorganisms are now underway to rid contaminated groundwater of hazardous halogenated chemicals.


Asunto(s)
Biodegradación Ambiental , Tricloroetileno , Bacterias , Halogenación , Estudios Retrospectivos
10.
BJA Educ ; 20(3): 89-95, 2020 Mar.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33456935
11.
QJM ; 113(1): 5-15, 2020 Jan 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30796433

RESUMEN

The objective of this narrative review was to provide an update on oral and nasal vitamin B12 (cobalamin) therapy in elderly patients. Relevant articles were identified by 'PubMed' and 'Scholar Google' search from January 2010 to July 2018 and through hand search of relevant reference articles. Additional studies were obtained from references of identified studies, the 'Cochrane Library' and the 'ISI Web of Knowledge'. Data retrieved from international meetings were also used, as was information retrieved from commercial sites on the web and data from 'CARE B12' research group. For oral vitamin B12 therapy, four prospective randomized controlled trials, eight prospective studies, one systematic and four reviews fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The studies included mainly or exclusively elderly patients (≥65-year-olds). In all of the studies, the mean age of the patients was at least 70 years except for two. The present review documents that oral vitamin B12 replacement at 1000 µg daily proved adequate to cure vitamin B12 deficiency, with a good safety profile. The efficacy was particularly marked when considering the noticeable improvement in serum vitamin B12 levels and haematological parameters, such as haemoglobin level, mean erythrocyte cell volume and reticulocyte count. The effect of oral cobalamin treatment in patients presenting with severe neurological manifestations has not yet been adequately documented. For nasal vitamin B12, only a few preliminary studies were available. We conclude that oral vitamin B12 is an effective alternative to intramuscular vitamin B12 injections in elderly patients. Oral vitamin B12 treatment avoids the discomfort, inconvenience and cost of monthly injections.


Asunto(s)
Envejecimiento/fisiología , Deficiencia de Vitamina B 12/tratamiento farmacológico , Vitamina B 12/administración & dosificación , Administración Intranasal , Administración Oral , Anciano , Suplementos Dietéticos , Humanos , Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como Asunto , Vitamina B 12/sangre , Vitamina B 12/metabolismo , Deficiencia de Vitamina B 12/sangre
12.
Rev Med Liege ; 74(12): 667-671, 2019 12.
Artículo en Francés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31833278

RESUMEN

INTRODUCTION: Anemia remains one of the main concerns of the day-today life of Internist since it ranks third among the pathologies seen in Internal Medicine Departments. OBJECTIVE: it seemed appropriate for the SiFMI Group (Common Situations in Internal Medicine of the SNFMI) to carry out a study of anemia evaluating the contribution to the diagnosis of the «classical¼ semiology of the anemic syndrome. This work reports the results from the study of 204 patients aged 75 years and more. METHOD: A prospective, non interventional multicenter study was carried out in Internal and Geriatric Departments in the period September 2015-September 2017. Clinical and biological variables were collected. RESULTS: 204 patients from 10 Internal or Geriatric Departments were included in the period September 2015-September 2017. They were assigned into two groups with and without anemia. According to this study, it seems that the following parameters : asthenia, dyspnea (NYHA stages III and IV), palpitations, chest pain, tachycardia, hypotension as well as confusion, falls, depression and MMSE showed no significant statistical difference between both groups in contrast to pallor, edema, albumin and ECG. CONCLUSION: Clinical diagnosis of anemia in elderly individuals remains a challenge. It is difficult to establish a diagnostic protocol in this population.


INTRODUCTION: L'anémie reste une des préoccupations majeures du quotidien de l'Interniste, puisque classée troisième parmi les pathologies prises en charge dans les services de Médecine Interne. Objectif : Il a semblé? opportun au Groupe SiFMI (Situations Fréquentes en Médecine Interne de la Société Nationale Française de Médecine Interne - SNFMI) de s'attacher à l'étude des anémies au travers de l'apport au diagnostic de la sémiologie «classique¼ du syndrome anémique. Méthode : Etude prospective, non interventionnelle, multicentrique, menée de septembre 2015 à septembre 2017, dans des services de Médecine Interne et de Gériatrie. Des données cliniques et biologiques ont été recueillies. Résultats : 204 patients ont été inclus par 10 services de Médecine Interne et de Gériatrie de septembre 2015 à septembre 2017. Ils ont été répartis en deux groupes, avec et sans anémie. Dans ce travail, il apparaît que les différents paramètres suivants : asthénie, dyspnée de stades III et IV de la NYHA, palpitations, douleur thoracique, tachycardie, hypotension, mais également confusion, chute, dépression et MMSE, sont sans différence notable sur le plan statistique entre les deux groupes, à l'exception de la pâleur cutanéomuqueuse, des œdèmes des membres inférieurs, du taux d'albuminémie et de l'ECG. CONCLUSION: Le diagnostic clinique de l'anémie au sein d'une population de sujets âgés s'avère être un vrai défi. Il reste difficile d'établir une démarche diagnostique standardisée au sein de cette population.


Asunto(s)
Anemia , Anciano , Anemia/complicaciones , Anemia/diagnóstico , Arritmias Cardíacas/etiología , Dolor en el Pecho/etiología , Francia , Humanos , Estudios Prospectivos
13.
Opt Express ; 27(21): 30340-30349, 2019 Oct 14.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31684282

RESUMEN

We demonstrate a high repetition-rate, single-cycle THz source with a maximum average power of 1.35 mW, operating at a center frequency of 2 THz. This result was obtained by optical rectification (OR) in GaP using an amplifier-free, nonlinearly compressed modelocked thin-disk oscillator based on Yb:YAG, delivering 8.4 µJ pulses with 88 fs duration at a repetition rate of 13.4 MHz, resulting in driving pulses for OR with 112 W average power and 80 MW peak power. To the best of our knowledge, our result represents the highest average power so far achieved with OR in GaP. The demonstrated performance is very attractive for improving current linear THz time-domain spectroscopy experiments, which are currently restricted by low signal-to-noise ratio and long measurement times.

14.
mBio ; 10(5)2019 10 22.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31641082

RESUMEN

Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) has been under intense study recently as a vaccine antigen, yet there remain unanswered questions regarding the immune response directed toward NA. Antibodies (Abs) that can inhibit NA activity have been shown to aid in the control of disease caused by influenza virus infection in humans and animal models, yet how and if interactions between the Fc portion of anti-NA Abs and Fcγ receptors (FcγR) contribute to protection has not yet been extensively studied. Herein, we show that poly- and monoclonal anti-NA IgG antibodies with NA inhibitory activity can control A(H1N1)pdm09 infection in the absence of FcγRs, but FcγR interaction aided in viral clearance from the lungs. In contrast, a mouse-human chimeric anti-NA IgG1 that was incapable of mediating NA inhibition (NI) solely relied on FcγR interaction to protect transgenic mice (with a humanized FcγR compartment) against A(H1N1)pdm09 infection. As such, this study suggests that NA-specific antibodies contribute to protection against influenza A virus infection even in the absence of NI activity and supports protection through multiple effector mechanisms.IMPORTANCE There is a pressing need for next-generation influenza vaccine strategies that are better able to manage antigenic drift and the cocirculation of multiple drift variants and that consistently improve vaccine effectiveness. Influenza virus NA is a key target antigen as a component of a next-generation vaccine in the influenza field, with evidence for a role in protective immunity in humans. However, mechanisms of protection provided by antibodies directed to NA remain largely unexplored. Herein, we show that antibody Fc interaction with Fcγ receptors (FcγRs) expressed on effector cells contributes to viral control in a murine model of influenza. Importantly, a chimeric mouse-human IgG1 with no direct antiviral activity was demonstrated to solely rely on FcγRs to protect mice from disease. Therefore, antibodies without NA enzymatic inhibitory activity may also play a role in controlling influenza viruses and should be of consideration when designing NA-based vaccines and assessing immunogenicity.


Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antivirales/farmacología , Anticuerpos Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Antivirales/farmacología , Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Subtipo H1N1 del Virus de la Influenza A/efectos de los fármacos , Neuraminidasa/inmunología , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/tratamiento farmacológico , Animales , Anticuerpos Monoclonales/inmunología , Anticuerpos Monoclonales/farmacología , Anticuerpos Monoclonales/uso terapéutico , Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , Antivirales/inmunología , Femenino , Fragmentos Fc de Inmunoglobulinas/inmunología , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/inmunología
15.
Chirurg ; 90(6): 470-477, 2019 Jun.
Artículo en Alemán | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30758596

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The "magic triangle" in surgery and other disciplines consists of the demand for increasingly gentler forms of treatment, simultaneous cost reduction and the fundamental primacy of improving the quality of results. The digitalization of medicine offers a promising opportunity to do justice to this, also in the sense of "Surgery 4.0". The aim is to create a cognitive, collaborative diagnostics and treatment environment to support the surgeon. METHODS: In the sense of a "theory building" for analysis and planning, process modeling is the cornerstone for modern treatment planning. The main distinction is made between the patient model and the treatment model. The course of the actual surgical treatment can also be modeled: in principle it is possible to describe the course of an operation in such fine detail that the surgical procedure can be mapped and reproduced down to each single step, such as a single implementation of forceps. Basically, this has already been achieved. So-called neural networks also open up completely new forms of knowledge acquisition, machine learning and flexible reaction to nearly all conceivable possibilities in highly complex processes. CONCLUSION: "Digitalization" is a necessary development in surgery. It offers not only countless possibilities to support the surgeon in the field of activity but also the chance of more precise data acquisition with respect to academic surgery. Modeling is an indispensable part of this and must be rigorously implemented and further developed.


Asunto(s)
Redes Neurales de la Computación , Procedimientos Quirúrgicos Operativos , Humanos , Modelos Teóricos
16.
NPJ Vaccines ; 3: 55, 2018.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30510776

RESUMEN

Split inactivated influenza vaccines remain one of the primary preventative strategies against severe influenza disease in the population. However, current vaccines are only effective against a limited number of matched strains. The need for broadly protective vaccines is acute due to the high mutational rate of influenza viruses and multiple strain variants in circulation at any one time. The neuraminidase (NA) glycoprotein expressed on the influenza virion surface has recently regained recognition as a valuable vaccine candidate. We sought to broaden the protection provided by NA within the N1 subtype by computationally engineering consensus NA sequences. Three NA antigens (NA5200, NA7900, NA9100) were designed based on sequence clusters encompassing three major groupings of NA sequence space; (i) H1N1 2009 pandemic and Swine H1N1, (ii) historical seasonal H1N1 and (iii) H1N1 viruses ranging from 1933 till current times. Recombinant NA proteins were produced as a vaccine and used in a mouse challenge model. The design of the protein dictated the protection provided against the challenge strains. NA5200 protected against H1N1 pdm09, a Swine isolate from 1998 and NIBRG-14 (H5N1). NA7900 protected against all seasonal H1N1 viruses tested, and NA9100 showed the broadest range of protection covering all N1 viruses tested. By passive transfer studies and serological assays, the protection provided by the cluster-based consensus (CBC) designs correlated to antibodies capable of mediating NA inhibition. Importantly, sera raised to the consensus NAs displayed a broader pattern of reactivity and protection than naturally occurring NAs, potentially supporting a predictive approach to antigen design.

17.
BMC Palliat Care ; 17(1): 123, 2018 Nov 19.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30454032

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Many terminally ill patients in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) fail to receive needed medical attention and social support. In 2016 a primary healthcare centreer (PHCC) in Doboj (BiH) requested the methodological and technical support of a local partner (Fondacija fami) and the Geneva University Hospitals to address the needs of terminally ill patients living at home. In order to design acceptable, affordable and sustainable solutions, we involved patients and their families in exploring needs, barriers and available resources. METHODS: We conducted interviews with 62 purposely selected patients using a semi-structured interview guide designed to elicit patients' experiences, needs and expectations. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted, using an inductive thematic approach. RESULTS: While patients were aware that their illnesses were incurable, they were poorly informed about medical and social support resources available to them. Family members appeared to be patients' main source of support, and often suffered from exhaustion and financial strain. Patients expressed feelings of helplessness and lack of control over their health. They wanted more support from health professionals for pain and other symptom management, as well as for anxiety and depression. Patients who were bedridden or with reduced mobility expressed strong feelings of loneliness, social exclusion, and stigma from community members and - occasionally - from health workers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a wide gap between patients' end-of-life care needs and existing services. In order to address the medical, psychological and social needs of terminally ill patients, a multi-pronged approach is called for, including not only better symptom management through training of health professionals and improved access to medication and equipment, but also a coordinated inter-professional, inter-institutional and multi-stakeholder effort aimed at offering comprehensive medical, psycho-social, educational and spiritual support.


Asunto(s)
Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud/estadística & datos numéricos , Evaluación de Necesidades/organización & administración , Cuidados Paliativos , Satisfacción del Paciente/estadística & datos numéricos , Enfermo Terminal/psicología , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Bosnia y Herzegovina , Comunicación , Femenino , Humanos , Entrevistas como Asunto , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Cuidados Paliativos/normas , Relaciones Médico-Paciente , Investigación Cualitativa , Apoyo Social
18.
J Virol ; 92(4)2018 02 15.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29167342

RESUMEN

There is increasing evidence to suggest that antibodies directed toward influenza A virus (IAV) neuraminidase (NA) are an important correlate of protection against influenza in humans. Moreover, the potential of NA-specific antibodies to provide broader protection than conventional hemagglutinin (HA) antibodies has been recognized. Here, we describe the isolation of two monoclonal antibodies, N1-7D3 and N1-C4, directed toward the N1 NA. N1-7D3 binds to a conserved linear epitope in the membrane-distal, carboxy-terminal part of the NA and reacted with the NA of seasonal H1N1 isolates ranging from 1977 to 2007 and the 2009 H1N1pdm virus, as well as A/Vietnam/1194/04 (H5N1). However, N1-7D3 lacked NA inhibition (NI) activity and the ability to protect BALB/c mice against a lethal challenge with a range of H1N1 viruses. Conversely, N1-C4 bound to a conformational epitope that is conserved between two influenza virus subtypes, 2009 H1N1pdm and H5N1 IAV, and displayed potent in vitro antiviral activity mediating both NI and plaque size reduction. Moreover, N1-C4 could provide heterosubtypic protection in BALB/c mice against a lethal challenge with 2009 H1N1pdm or H5N1 virus. Glutamic acid residue 311 in the NA was found to be critical for the NA binding and antiviral activity of monoclonal antibody N1-C4. Our data provide further evidence for cross-protective epitopes within the N1 subtype and highlight the potential of NA as an important target for vaccine and therapeutic approaches.IMPORTANCE Influenza remains a worldwide burden on public health. As such, the development of novel vaccines and therapeutics against influenza virus is crucial. Human challenge studies have recently highlighted the importance of antibodies directed toward the viral neuraminidase (NA) as an important correlate of reduced influenza-associated disease severity. Furthermore, there is evidence that anti-NA antibodies can provide broader protection than antibodies toward the viral hemagglutinin. Here, we describe the isolation and detailed characterization of two N1 NA-specific monoclonal antibodies. One of these monoclonal antibodies broadly binds N1-type NAs, and the second displays NA inhibition and in vitro and in vivo antiviral activity against 2009 H1N1pdm and H5N1 influenza viruses. These two new anti-NA antibodies contribute to our understanding of the antigenic properties and protective potential of the influenza virus NA antigen.


Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Monoclonales/uso terapéutico , Anticuerpos Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Neuraminidasa/inmunología , Infecciones por Orthomyxoviridae/prevención & control , Proteínas Virales/inmunología , Animales , Anticuerpos Monoclonales/inmunología , Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , Protección Cruzada , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Femenino , Inmunización Pasiva , Subtipo H1N1 del Virus de la Influenza A , Subtipo H5N1 del Virus de la Influenza A , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C
20.
Sci Total Environ ; 598: 1037-1049, 2017 Nov 15.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28476077

RESUMEN

The granitic Uhlirska headwater catchment with a size of 1.78km2 is located in the Jizera Mountains in the northern Czech Republic and received among the highest inputs of anthropogenic acid depositions in Europe. An analysis of sulphate (SO42-) distribution in deposition, soil water, stream water and groundwater compartments allowed to establish a SO42- mass-balance (deposition input minus surface water export) and helped to evaluate which changes occurred since the last evaluation of the catchment in 1997. The determined SO42- concentrations decreased in the following order: wetland groundwater>groundwater from 20m below ground level (bgl)>groundwater from 30m bgl>stream water>groundwater from10m bgl>hillslope soil water>wetland soil water>bulk deposition with median values of 0.24, 0.21, 0.17, 0.15, 0.11, 0.07, 0.03 and 0.01mmolL-1, respectively. Our results show that average deposition reductions of 62% did not result in equal changes of the sulphate mass-balance, which changed by only 47%. This difference occurs because sulphate originates from internal sources such as the groundwater and soil water. The Uhlirska catchment is subject to delayed recovery from anthropogenic acid depositions and remains a net source of stored sulphur even after three decades of declining inputs. The wetland groundwater and soil water provide environmental memories of legacy pollutant sulphate. Elevated stream water sulphate concentrations after the unusually dry summer 2015 imply importance of weather and climate patterns for future recovery from acidification.

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