Predictive model of variables associated with health-related quality of life in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease receiving hemodialysis.

PURPOSE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 10% of the global population. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been identified as a reliable indicator for assessing the effectiveness of treatment in chronic patients, and resilience as a predictor of low levels of stress and higher QoL. The aim of this research is to identify the relationship between HRQoL, resilience, perceived stress, and the different sociodemographic and clinical routine variables of advanced chronic kidney disease (ACKD). METHODS: Multicenter, cross-sectional, and correlational study with 155 ACKD patients in the Valencian Community (Spain). The measures for the study included the Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36 (KDQOL-36), the Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS10), and the Connors-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). To identify the variables with predictive power over the scales and subscales of the KDQOL-36, multiple regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Average participants' age was 67.39, 68.4% were male, 29% diabetic, and 83.2% had undergone arteriovenous vascular access placement with a Charlson Comorbidity Index of 6 (SD = 2.09). The regression models identified that age and resilience explained up to 26.8% of the variance of the KDQOL-36 total score. As for the physical component of QoL, comorbidity with other clinical conditions, resilience, and the presence of diabetes explained 32.1% of its variance. CONCLUSIONS: Resilience was identified as one of the most important predictors of HRQoL. Thus, the development of interventions aiming to improve the level of resilience may have a positive impact over the quality of life of patients with CKD.

Acantomas epidermolíticos múltiples del escroto: lo que el prurito genital puede esconder / Multiple Epidermolytic Acanthomas on the Scrotum: What Genital Pruritus Can Reveal

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Progressive limitation of mouth opening / Limitación progresiva de la apertura bucal

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In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy characterization of silver deposits in localized cutaneous argyria.

Localized cutaneous argyria is a rare condition secondary to skin deposition of silver following exposure to substances containing this metal. The clinical appearance and dermoscopy findings require deep melanocytic lesions and particularly melanoma metastasis to be ruled out. Silver deposits are usually confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and/or energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Herein we describe the in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) features observed in one case of localized cutaneous argyria. These features include the presence of a hyperrefractile network in the papillary dermis and a periadnexal dotted bright pattern. In vivo RCM might be a useful tool for an early diagnosis of this uncommon entity.

Wavelength-compensated time-sequential multiplexed color joint transform correlator.

We report a wavelength-compensated three-channel (RGB) joint transform correlator (JTC) for color pattern recognition using a ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) operating in binary pure phase modulation. We apply a previously reported time-multiplexing technique useful in creating wavelength-compensated diffraction patterns, based on the synchronization of properly scaled diffraction masks with the input wavelength selection obtained by applying a rotating RGB color-filter wheel to an Ar-Kr laser. The application of this technique to a JTC architecture permits real-time color object detection. In order to achieve a high light efficiency for the correlation process, we combine the design of zero-order joint power spectra in all color channels with the selection of a certain polarization configuration of the SLM, producing a broadband phase-only modulation. Excellent experimental results demonstrating color-object detection are provided.

Maximum likelihood for target location in the presence of substitutive noise.

We consider the optimal likelihood algorithm for the estimation of a target location when the images are corrupted by substitutive noise. We show the relationship between the optimal algorithm and the sliced orthogonal nonlinear generalized (SONG) correlation. The SONG correlation is based on the application of a linear correlation to corresponding binary slices of both the input scene and the reference object with appropriate weight factors. For a particular case, we show that the optimal strategy is a function of only the number of pixels for which the gray values in the noisy image match the ones of the reference image when the substitutive noise is uniformly distributed. This is exactly what a particular definition of the SONG correlation does.

Nonlinear rotation-invariant pattern recognition by use of the optical morphological correlation.

We introduce a modification of the nonlinear morphological correlation for optical rotation-invariant pattern recognition. The high selectivity of the morphological correlation is conserved compared with standard linear correlation. The operation performs the common morphological correlation by extraction of the information by means of a circular-harmonic component of a reference. In spite of some loss of information good discrimination is obtained, especially for detecting images with a high degree of resemblance. Computer simulations are presented, as well as optical experiments implemented with a joint transform correlator.

Invariant pattern recognition based on centroids.

A new method for pattern recognition that is invariant under changes of position, orientation, intensity, and scale is presented. The centroids of objects provide unique points that are related to the energy distribution. For obtaining more such unique points a conformal transform can be used to rearrange the energy distribution of the object. By means of the conformal transform many different centroids can be produced from the same object. A useful pattern-recognition and object-registration method that yields a position-, rotation-, intensity-, and scale-invariant feature vector based on these centroids can be created.

Modified morphological correlation based on bit-map representations.

Pattern recognition with high discrimination can be achieved with a morphological correlator. A modification of this correlator is carried out by use of a binary slicing process instead of linear thresholding. Although the obtained correlation result is not identical to the conventional morphological correlation, it requires fewer calculations and provides even higher discrimination. Two optical experimental implementations of this modified morphological correlator as well as some experimental results are shown.

Superresolving optical system with time multiplexing and computer decoding.

Objects that have slow temporal variations may be superresolved with two moving masks such as pinhole or grating. The first mask is responsible for encoding the input image, and the second one performs the decoding operation. This approach is efficient for exceeding the resolving capability beyond Abbe's limit of resolution. However, the proposed setup requires two physical gratings that should move in a synchronized manner. We propose what is believed to be a novel configuration in which the second grating responsible for the information decoding is replaced with a detector array and some postprocessing digital procedures. In this way the synchronization problem that exists when two gratings are used is simplified. Experimental results are provided for illustrating the utility of the new approach.

Nonlinear morphological correlation: optoelectronic implementation.

An optoelectronic implementation of the nonlinear morphological correlation by use of a threshold-decomposition technique and a joint transform correlator architecture is presented. This nonlinear morphological correlation provides improved image detection compared with standard linear optical pattern-recognition correlation methods. It also offers a more robust detection of low-intensity images in the presence of high-intensity patterns to be rejected.

Nitrofurantoin-stimulated reactive oxygen species production and genotoxicity in digestive gland microsomes and cytosol of the common mussel (Mytilus edulis L.).

The ability of nitrofurantoin (NF) to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) was investigated in subcellular fractions of digestive gland of the mussel Mytilus edulis in terms of oxygen consumption and the formation of superoxide anion radical (O2-) (measured as SOD-sensitive cytochrome c reduction or SOD-sensitive sensitive .OH production), H2O2 (effect of catalase), and hydroxyl radical (.OH) (iron/EDTA-mediated oxidation of KMBA to ethylene). Additionally, the genotoxic effects of NF were examined using the Salmonella typhimurium umu mutagenicity assay. Microsomal NAD(P)H-dependent oxygen consumption was stimulated by NF, leading to the formation of H2O2. Stimulation of microsomal O2- production by NF was evident for NADH but not NADPH, confirming redox cycling at least with the former coenzyme. No stimulation of O2- production was obvious for cytosolic fraction with either coenzyme. NF stimulated microsomal NAD(P)H-dependent .OH production; the rates of .OH production were greater for NADH than NADPH; and the .OH was indicated to be formed, at least in part, by an iron-catalyzed Haber-Weiss reaction. A role was indicated for a free radical driven Fenton reaction in the NF-stimulated microsomal production of .OH from NADPH. The production of mutagenic species from NF was observed for cytosol but not for microsomes, and the former effects were greater for NADH than NADPH. Overall, the NAD(P)H-dependent microsomal generation of ROS, and the lack of correlation of ROS production with mutagenicity, are considered indicative of the potential of digestive gland to metabolize NF by both one-electron and two-electron reductive pathways. From this and other studies, enhanced ROS production by NF and other redox cycling xenobiotics is indicated to be a widespread phenomenon in aquatic organisms and a potential mechanism of pollutant-mediated toxicity.

Color encoding for polychromatic single-channel optical pattern recognition.

The common multichannel system for recognizing colored images is replaced by a color-encoded single-channel system. Amethod inspired by the Munsell color system is used for encoding the different colors as phase and amplitude functions. It is shown that for many practical cases the phase information part of the color code is sufficient for obtaining good results. An implementation based on a liquid-crystal television panel that works in a phase-modulation mode is suggested. Computer simulations that demonstrate the capabilities of the suggested method are given as well as a comparison with previously published multichannel performance.