Towards a validated glossary of usability attributes for the evaluation of wearable robotic devices.

BACKGROUND: Despite technical advances in the field of wearable robotic devices (WRD), there is still limited user acceptance of these technologies. While usability often comes as a key factor influencing acceptance, there is a scattered landscape of definitions and scopes for the term. To advance usability evaluation, and to integrate usability features as design requirements during technology development, there is a need for benchmarks and shared terminology. These should be easily accessible and implementable by developers. METHODS: An initial set of usability attributes (UA) was extracted from a literature survey on usability evaluation in WRD. The initial set of attributes was enriched and locally validated with seven developers of WRD through an online survey and a focus group. The locally validated glossary was then externally validated through a globally distributed online survey. RESULTS: The result is the Robotics Usability Glossary (RUG), a comprehensive glossary of 41 UA validated by 70 WRD developers from 17 countries, ensuring its generalizability. 31 of the UA had high agreement scores among respondents and 27 were considered highly relevant in the field, but only 11 of them had been included as design criteria by the respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple UA ought to be considered for a comprehensive usability assessment. Usability remains inadequately incorporated into device development, indicating a need for increased awareness and end-user perspective. The RUG can be readily accessed through an online platform, the Interactive Usability Toolbox (IUT), developed to provide context-specific outcome measures and usability evaluation methods. Overall, this effort is an important step towards improving and promoting usability evaluation practices within WRD. It has the potential to pave the way for establishing usability evaluation benchmarks that further endorse the acceptance of WRD.

A qualitative study to elicit user requirements for lower limb wearable exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation in spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to determine a comprehensive set of requirements, perceptions, and expectations that people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the clinicians in charge of their rehabilitation have regarding the use of wearable robots (WR) for gait rehabilitation. BACKGROUND: There are concerns due to the limited user acceptance of WR for gait rehabilitation. Developers need to emphasize understanding the needs and constraints of all stakeholders involved, including the real-life dynamics of rehabilitation centers. METHODS: 15 people with SCI, 9 without experience with WR and 6 with experience with these technologies, and 10 clinicians from 3 rehabilitation centers in Spain were interviewed. A directed content analysis approach was used. RESULTS: 78 codes grouped into 9 categories (physical results, usability, psychology-related codes, technical characteristics, activities, acquisition issues, context of use, development of the technologies and clinical rehabilitation context) were expressed by at least 20% of the users interviewed, of whom 16 were not found in the literature. The agreement percentage between each group and subgroup included in the study, calculated as the number of codes that more than 20% of both groups expressed, divided over the total amount of codes any of those two groups agreed on (≥ 20%), showed limited agreement between patients and clinicians (50.00%) and between both types of patients (55.77%). The limited accessibility and availability of lower limb exoskeletons for gait rehabilitation arose in most of the interviews. CONCLUSIONS: The limited agreement percentage between patients and clinicians indicates that including both types of users in the design process of these technologies is important, given that their requirements are complementary. Engaging users with prior technology experience is recommended, as they often exhibit strong internal consensus and articulate well-defined requirements. This study adds up the knowledge available in the literature and the new codes found in our data, which enlighten important aspects that ought to be addressed in the field to develop technologies that respond to users' needs, are usable and feasible to implement in their intended contexts. APPLICATION: The set of criteria summarized in our study will be useful to guide the design, development, and evaluation of WR for gait rehabilitation to meet user's needs and allow them to be implemented in their intended context of use.

Construct Validity of the Gait Deviation Index for People With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury (GDI-SCI).

BACKGROUND: The Gait Deviation Index for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI-GDI) was recently proposed as a dimensionless multivariate kinematic measure based on 21 gait features derived from 3-dimensional kinematic data which quantifies gait impairment of adult population with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) relative to the normative gait of a healthy group. Nevertheless, no validity studies of the SCI-GDI have been published to date. OBJECTIVE: To assess the construct validity of the SCI-GDI in adult population following iSCI. Methods. SCI-GDI data were obtained from a sample of 50 healthy volunteers and 35 adults with iSCI. iSCI group was also assessed with the following measures: 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) at both self-selected (SS) and maximum speeds, Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), SS and maximum levels of the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI) II, mobility items of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM IIIIOMob), Lower Extremity Motor Score (LEMS), and Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship with the SCI-GDI. RESULTS: SCI-GDI shows strong correlation with the 10MWT (r ≥ -.716) and good correlation with LEMS (r = .638), TUGT (r = -.582), SS WISCI II levels (r = .521), and SCIM IIIIOMob (r = .501). No significant correlations were found with maximum WISCI II levels and MAS (P > .006). CONCLUSIONS: Construct validity of the SCI-GDI was demonstrated with the 10MWT, TUGT, LEMS, SCIM IIIIOMob, and SS WISCI II levels for independently walking adults with iSCI. Future work will include assessing the psychometric characteristics with a more heterogeneous sample, also considering the pediatric population.

Derivation of the Gait Deviation Index for Spinal Cord Injury.

The Gait Deviation Index (GDI) is a dimensionless multivariate measure of overall gait pathology represented as a single score that indicates the gait deviation from a normal gait average. It is calculated using kinematic data recorded during a three-dimensional gait analysis and an orthonormal vectorial basis with 15 gait features that was originally obtained using singular value decomposition and feature analysis on a dataset of children with cerebral palsy. Ever since, it has been used as an outcome measure to study gait in several conditions, including spinal cord injury (SCI). Nevertheless, the validity of implementing the GDI in a population with SCI has not been studied yet. We investigate the application of these mathematical methods to derive a similar metric but with a dataset of adults with SCI (SCI-GDI). The new SCI-GDI is compared with the original GDI to evaluate their differences and assess the need for a specific GDI for SCI and with the WISCI II to evaluate its sensibility. Our findings show that a 21-feature basis is necessary to account for most of the variance in gait patterns in the SCI population and to provide high-quality reconstructions of the gait curves included in the dataset and in foreign data. Furthermore, using only the first 15 features of our SCI basis, the fidelity of the reconstructions obtained in our population is higher than that when using the basis of the original GDI. The results showed that the SCI-GDI discriminates most levels of the WISCI II scale, except for levels 12 and 18. Statistically significant differences were found between both indexes within each WISCI II level except for 12, 20, and the control group (p < 0.05). In all levels, the average GDI value was greater than the average SCI-GDI value, but the difference between both indexes is larger in data with greater impairment and it reduces progressively toward a normal gait pattern. In conclusion, the implementation of the original GDI in SCI may lead to overestimation of gait function, and our new SCI-GDI is more sensitive to larger gait impairment than the GDI. Further validation of the SCI-GDI with other scales validated in SCI is needed.

Deep learning representations to support COVID-19 diagnosis on CT slices. / Representaciones basadas en aprendizaje profundo como apoyo del diagnóstico de la COVID-19 en cortes de tomografía computarizada

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a significant public health problem worldwide. In this context, CT-scan automatic analysis has emerged as a COVID-19 complementary diagnosis tool allowing for radiological finding characterization, patient categorization, and disease follow-up. However, this analysis depends on the radiologist's expertise, which may result in subjective evaluations. OBJECTIVE: To explore deep learning representations, trained from thoracic CT-slices, to automatically distinguish COVID-19 disease from control samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two datasets were used: SARS-CoV-2 CT Scan (Set-1) and FOSCAL clinic's dataset (Set-2). The deep representations took advantage of supervised learning models previously trained on the natural image domain, which were adjusted following a transfer learning scheme. The deep classification was carried out: (a) via an end-to-end deep learning approach and (b) via random forest and support vector machine classifiers by feeding the deep representation embedding vectors into these classifiers. RESULTS: The end-to-end classification achieved an average accuracy of 92.33% (89.70% precision) for Set-1 and 96.99% (96.62% precision) for Set-2. The deep feature embedding with a support vector machine achieved an average accuracy of 91.40% (95.77% precision) and 96.00% (94.74% precision) for Set-1 and Set-2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Deep representations have achieved outstanding performance in the identification of COVID-19 cases on CT scans demonstrating good characterization of the COVID-19 radiological patterns. These representations could potentially support the COVID-19 diagnosis in clinical settings.

Introducción. La enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) es actualmente el principal problema de salud pública en el mundo. En este contexto, el análisis automático de tomografías computarizadas (TC) surge como una herramienta diagnóstica complementaria que permite caracterizar hallazgos radiológicos, y categorizar y hacer el seguimiento de pacientes con COVID-19. Sin embargo, este análisis depende de la experiencia de los radiólogos, por lo que las valoraciones pueden ser subjetivas. Objetivo. Explorar representaciones de aprendizaje profundo entrenadas con cortes de TC torácica para diferenciar automáticamente entre los casos de COVID-19 y personas no infectadas. Materiales y métodos. Se usaron dos conjuntos de datos de TC: de SARS-CoV-2 CT (conjunto 1) y de la clínica FOSCAL (conjunto 2). Los modelos de aprendizaje supervisados y previamente entrenados en imágenes naturales, se ajustaron usando aprendizaje por transferencia. La clasificación se llevó a cabo mediante aprendizaje de extremo a extremo y clasificadores tales como los árboles de decisiones y las máquinas de soporte vectorial, alimentados por la representación profunda previamente aprendida. Resultados. El enfoque de extremo a extremo alcanzó una exactitud promedio de 92,33 % (89,70 % de precisión) para el conjunto 1 y de 96,99 % (96,62 % de precisión) para el conjunto-2. La máquina de soporte vectorial alcanzó una exactitud promedio de 91,40 % (precisión del 95,77 %) para el conjunto-1 y del 96,00 % (precisión del 94,74 %) para el conjunto 2. Conclusión. Las representaciones profundas lograron resultados sobresalientes al caracterizar patrones radiológicos usados en la detección de casos de COVID-19 a partir de estudios de TC y demostraron ser una potencial herramienta de apoyo del diagnóstico.

Application of the Gait Deviation Index to Study Gait Impairment in Adult Population With Spinal Cord Injury: Comparison With the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury Levels.

The Gait Deviation Index (GDI) is a multivariate measure of overall gait pathology based on 15 gait features derived from three-dimensional (3D) kinematic data. GDI aims at providing a comprehensive, easy to interpret, and clinically meaningful metric of overall gait function. It has been used as an outcome measure to study gait in several conditions: cerebral palsy (CP), post-stroke hemiparetic gait, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson's disease, among others. Nevertheless, its use in population with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) has not been studied yet. The aim of the present study was to investigate the applicability of the GDI to SCI through the assessment of the relationship of the GDI with the Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI) II. 3D gait kinematics of 34 patients with incomplete SCI (iSCI) was obtained. Besides, 3D gait kinematics of a sample of 50 healthy volunteers (HV) was also gathered with Codamotion motion capture system. A total of 302 (iSCI) and 446 (HV) strides were collected. GDI was calculated for each stride and grouped for each WISCI II level. HV data were analyzed as an additional set. Normal distribution for each group was assessed with Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Afterward, ANOVA tests were performed between each pair of WISCI II levels to identify differences among groups (p < 0.05). The results showed that the GDI was normally distributed across all WISCI II levels in both iSCI and HV groups. Furthermore, our results showed an increasing relationship between the GDI values and WISCI II levels in subjects with iSCI, but only discriminative in WISCI II levels 13, 19, and 20. The index successfully distinguished HV group from all the individuals with iSCI. Findings of this study indicated that the GDI is not an appropriate multivariate walking metric to represent the deviation of gait pattern in adult population with iSCI from a normal gait profile when it is compared with the levels of walking impairment described by the WISCI II. Future work should aim at defining and validating an overall gait index derived from 3D kinematic gait variables appropriate for SCI, additionally taking into account other walking ability outcome measures.

Deep learning representations to support COVID-19 diagnosis on CT slices / Representaciones basadas en aprendizaje profundo como apoyo del diagnóstico de la COVID-19 en cortes de tomografía computarizada

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a significant public health problem worldwide. In this context, CT-scan automatic analysis has emerged as a COVID-19 complementary diagnosis tool allowing for radiological finding characterization, patient categorization, and disease follow-up. However, this analysis depends on the radiologist's expertise, which may result in subjective evaluations. Objective: To explore deep learning representations, trained from thoracic CT-slices, to automatically distinguish COVID-19 disease from control samples. Materials and methods: Two datasets were used: SARS-CoV-2 CT Scan (Set-1) and FOSCAL clinic's dataset (Set-2). The deep representations took advantage of supervised learning models previously trained on the natural image domain, which were adjusted following a transfer learning scheme. The deep classification was carried out: (a) via an end-to-end deep learning approach and (b) via random forest and support vector machine classifiers by feeding the deep representation embedding vectors into these classifiers. Results: The end-to-end classification achieved an average accuracy of 92.33% (89.70% precision) for Set-1 and 96.99% (96.62% precision) for Set-2. The deep feature embedding with a support vector machine achieved an average accuracy of 91.40% (95.77% precision) and 96.00% (94.74% precision) for Set-1 and Set-2, respectively. Conclusion: Deep representations have achieved outstanding performance in the identification of COVID-19 cases on CT scans demonstrating good characterization of the COVID-19 radiological patterns. These representations could potentially support the COVID-19 diagnosis in clinical settings.

Introducción. La enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) es actualmente el principal problema de salud pública en el mundo. En este contexto, el análisis automático de tomografías computarizadas (TC) surge como una herramienta diagnóstica complementaria que permite caracterizar hallazgos radiológicos, y categorizar y hacer el seguimiento de pacientes con COVID-19. Sin embargo, este análisis depende de la experiencia de los radiólogos, por lo que las valoraciones pueden ser subjetivas. Objetivo. Explorar representaciones de aprendizaje profundo entrenadas con cortes de TC torácica para diferenciar automáticamente entre los casos de COVID-19 y personas no infectadas. Materiales y métodos. Se usaron dos conjuntos de datos de TC: de SARS-CoV-2 CT (conjunto 1) y de la clínica FOSCAL (conjunto 2). Los modelos de aprendizaje supervisados y previamente entrenados en imágenes naturales, se ajustaron usando aprendizaje por transferencia. La clasificación se llevó a cabo mediante aprendizaje de extremo a extremo y clasificadores tales como los árboles de decisiones y las máquinas de soporte vectorial, alimentados por la representación profunda previamente aprendida. Resultados. El enfoque de extremo a extremo alcanzó una exactitud promedio de 92,33 % (89,70 % de precisión) para el conjunto 1 y de 96,99 % (96,62 % de precisión) para el conjunto-2. La máquina de soporte vectorial alcanzó una exactitud promedio de 91,40 % (precisión del 95,77 %) para el conjunto-1 y del 96,00 % (precisión del 94,74 %) para el conjunto 2. Conclusión. Las representaciones profundas lograron resultados sobresalientes al caracterizar patrones radiológicos usados en la detección de casos de COVID-19 a partir de estudios de TC y demostraron ser una potencial herramienta de apoyo del diagnóstico.

Edificios usados como refugios por murciélagos en un campus universitario del piedemonte llanero de Colombia / Buildings used as roosts by bats in a university campus in the eastern foothills of Colombia / Predios usados como abrigos de morcegos no campus universitario nos contrafortes orientais da Colômbia

Resumen Algunos murciélagos ocupan ambientes altamente modificados por los humanos, y en Colombia poco sabemos sobre su historia natural en ambientes urbanos. Por ello estudiamos los edificios utilizados por murciélagos como refugios en un campus universitario en Villavicencio, Meta, piedemonte llanero colombiano. Medimos la altura al sitio de percha, cobertura del dosel y distancia al poste de luz más cercano para cada refugio. Identificamos 13 edificios con 15 refugios; siete usados por Saccopteryx leptura, cuatro por Carollia perspicillata, tres por Molossus molossus, y dos por Phyllostomus elongatus. En un caso, M. molossus y C. perspicillata compartieron refugio. La altura al sitio de percha, cobertura del dosel y distancia a postes de luz fue considerablemente variable entre refugios. Los refugios se encontraron entre 1.83-13.5 m de altura, y coberturas de dosel y distancia a postes entre 22.75-87.5%, y 3.5-39.92 m, respectivamente. El número de individuos en los refugios de S. leptura se correlacionó positivamente con la distancia al poste de luz más cercano y la altura del sitio de percha. Así, esas características de los refugios artificiales parecen relacionarse con su calidad para S. leptura. Sugerimos evitar los refugios en sitios de trabajo cercanos a personas, para reducir conflictos entre humanos y murciélagos en el campus por la posibilidad de transmisión de enfermedades. También sugerimos evaluar el uso de refugios artificiales, e.g., cajas para murciélagos, como alternativas a los edificios para mantener los servicios ecosistémicos brindados por los murciélagos en el campus.

Abstract Several bat species are able to use environments highly modified by humans, and in Colombia, little is known about the natural history of urban bats. Consequently, we studied the buildings used by bats as roosts in a university campus in the foothills of the Eastern Cordillera in Villavicencio, Meta. We measured for each roosting site: height to the perching site, tree cover, and distance to light poles. We identified 13 buildings with 15 roosting sites; seven were used by Saccopteryx leptura (Lesser Sac-winged Bat), four by Carollia perspicillata (Seba's Short-tailed Bat), three by Molossus molossus (Pallas's Mastiff Bat), and two by Phyllostomus elongatus (Lesser Spear-nosed Bat). Molossus molossus and C. perspicillata shared one roosting site. Height to the perching site, canopy cover, and distance to light poles were highly variable. The roosts were between 1.83-13.5 m, whereas tree cover and distances to light poles were between 22.75-87.5%, and 3.5-39.92 m, respectively. The number of individuals within the roosts of S. leptura was positively correlated to the distance to the nearest pole and the height of the perch site. Thus, these characteristics of the artificial roosting sites appear to be related to site quality for this bat species. We suggest avoiding roosts in work places close to people to reduce conflicts between bats and humans on campus, due to the likelihood of disease transmission. We also suggest evaluating the use of artificial roosting sites, such as bat boxes, as alternatives to buildings to maintain the ecosystem services provided by these mammals on campus.

Resumo Alguns morcegos têm-se adaptado a abitar entornos urbanos, e conviver com os humanos, na Colômbia é pouco o que se conhece sobre sua história natural nestas condições. Portanto se estudaram os prédios de um campus universitário usados pelos morcegos como refúgios na cidade de Villavicencio, Meta, no piedemonte das planícies orientais colombianas. A altura do refúgio, a cobertura do dossel, e a distância entre os postes da iluminação pública foram medidos. Se identificaram 15 refúgios em 13 prédios, sete eram utilizados por Saccopteryx leptura, quatro por Carollia perspicillata, três por Molossus molossus e dois por Phyllostomus elongatus. Só num caso M. molossus e C. perspicillata achavam-se juntos. A altura, cobertura do dossel y a distância entre os postes foram consideravelmente variáveis entre os refúgios, que se encontravam entre 1,83-13,5 m de altura, a cobertura do dossel e a distancias entre postes foram de entre 22.75-87.5% e 3.5-39.92 m, respectivamente. Achou-se uma correlação positiva entre a distância ao poste mais perto e a altura de penduragem, com a quantidade de indivíduos nos refúgios de S. leptura. Assim, para esta espécie, estas características dos refúgios artificiais aparentemente se relacionam com a qualidade. Se sugere evitar os refúgios nos lugares de trabalho pertos aos humanos para reducir conflitos entre as espécies pela aparição de doenças. Também se aconselha avaliar a utilização de refúgios artificiais, como caixas para morcegos, como alternativas aos prédios para manter os serviços ecossistêmicos oferecidos pelos morcegos no campus.

Influences of the biofeedback content on robotic post-stroke gait rehabilitation: electromyographic vs joint torque biofeedback.

BACKGROUND: Add-on robot-mediated therapy has proven to be more effective than conventional therapy alone in post-stroke gait rehabilitation. Such robot-mediated interventions routinely use also visual biofeedback tools. A better understanding of biofeedback content effects when used for robotic locomotor training may improve the rehabilitation process and outcomes. METHODS: This randomized cross-over pilot trial aimed to address the possible impact of different biofeedback contents on patients' performance and experience during Lokomat training, by comparing a novel biofeedback based on online biological electromyographic information (EMGb) versus the commercial joint torque biofeedback (Rb) in sub-acute non ambulatory patients. 12 patients were randomized into two treatment groups, A and B, based on two different biofeedback training. For both groups, study protocol consisted of 12 Lokomat sessions, 6 for each biofeedback condition, 40 min each, 3 sessions per week of frequency. All patients performed Lokomat trainings as an add-on therapy to the conventional one that was the same for both groups and consisted of 40 min per day, 5 days per week. The primary outcome was the Modified Ashworth Spasticity Scale, and secondary outcomes included clinical, neurological, mechanical, and personal experience variables collected before and after each biofeedback training. RESULTS: Lokomat training significantly improved gait/daily living activity independence and trunk control, nevertheless, different effects due to biofeedback content were remarked. EMGb was more effective to reduce spasticity and improve muscle force at the ankle, knee and hip joints. Robot data suggest that Rb induces more adaptation to robotic movements than EMGb. Furthermore, Rb was perceived less demanding than EMGb, even though patient motivation was higher for EMGb. Robot was perceived to be effective, easy to use, reliable and safe: acceptability was rated as very high by all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Specific effects can be related to biofeedback content: when muscular-based information is used, a more direct effect on lower limb spasticity and muscle activity is evidenced. In a similar manner, when biofeedback treatment is based on joint torque data, a higher patient compliance effect in terms of force exerted is achieved. Subjects who underwent EMGb seemed to be more motivated than those treated with Rb.

Sensibilización ambiental con TIC: App "Ubica un primate" / Environmental awareness with ICT: App "Ubica un primate" / Sensibilização ambiental com TIC: App "Ubica un primate"

Resumen Las constantes amenazas y conflictos que afectan a los primates en ambientes urbanos ponen a sus poblaciones en declive. Esto se agrava por la falta de conocimiento de los habitantes sobre la fauna y la flora con la que coexisten. Con el objetivo de aumentar el conocimiento y sensibilizar a la población de Villavicencio sobre la importancia y distribución de primates en ecosistemas urbanos se desarrolló una aplicación móvil (app) gratuita. Inicialmente, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas (n = 140) con residentes de cada zona (n = 28) de la ciudad de Villavicencio en la que se observaron primates, con el fin de generar un mapa de la distribución de primates diurnos. También se hizo la identificación de las especies presentes, siendo: Saimiri sciureus cassiquiarensis, Plecturocebus ornatus, Alouatta seniculus y Sapajus apella. Con los datos de distribución, conflictos y amenazas, se construyó una aplicación móvil en el sistema Android, donde tales datos están georreferenciados, con el fin de sensibilizar a la comunidad sobre las especies de primates presentes en la ciudad. La socialización de la app fue dirigida a las entidades gubernamentales y ONGs de la ciudad, obteniendo una evaluación positiva por el público. Trabajar con comunidades en proyectos de sensibilización ambiental que utilizan herramientas como las TICs tiene el potencial de transformar la dinámica sociocultural local, promoviendo una mayor preocupación con la biodiversidad y siendo una herramienta bien recibida por diferentes grupos de la población.

Abstract Constant threats and conflicts that affect primates in urban environments put their populations in decline. The situation is aggravated by the lack of knowledge of the community about the fauna and flora that they coexist with. Aiming to increase the knowledge and awareness of the people from Villavicencio on the importance and distribution of primates in urban ecosystems, a free mobile application (app) was developed. Initially, 140 semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents of each area of Villavicencio where primates were observed (n=28). As a result, a distribution map of diurnal primates was created. Identification of the present species was also made. The following species were found: Saimiri sciureus cassiquiarensis, Plecturocebus ornatus, Alouatta seniculus, and Sapajus apella. With distribution, conflicts and threats data, a mobile application was built in the Android system, georeferencing the information available, so the community could be sensitized about the primate species in the city. Socialization of the application was addressed to governmental entities and NGOs of the city, obtaining a positive evaluation by the public. Working with communities on environmental awareness projects that use tools such as ICTs has the potential to transform local socio-cultural dynamics, to promote greater concern about biodiversity, and it is a well-received tool by different groups of people.

Resumo As constantes ameaças e conflitos que afetam os primatas em ambientes urbanos colocam suas populações em declínio. Isso é agravado ainda pela falta de conhecimento dos habitantes sobre a fauna e a flora com a qual coexistem. Com o objetivo de aumentar o conhecimento e sensibilizar a população de Villavicencio sobre a importância e distribuição de primatas em ecossistemas urbanos foi desenvolvido um aplicativo móvel (app) gratuito. Inicialmente, foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas (n=140) com residentes de cada zona (n=28) da cidade de Villavicencio nas quais se observaram primatas a fim de gerar um mapa da distribuição de primatas diurnos. Também foi feita a identificação das espécies presentes, sendo: Saimiri sciureus cassiquiarensis, Plecturocebus ornatus, Alouatta seniculus e Sapajus apella. Com os dados de distribuição, conflitos e ameaças, foi construído um aplicativo móvel no sistema Android, onde tais dados estão georeferenciados, a fim de sensibilizar a comunidade sobre as espécies de primatas presentes na cidade. A socialização do app foi direcionada para as entidades governamentais e ONGs da cidade, obtendo uma avaliação positiva pelo público. Trabalhar com comunidades em projetos de sensibilização ambiental que utilizam ferramentas como as TICs tem o potencial de transformar a dinâmica sociocultural local, promovendo uma maior preocupação com a biodiversidade, sendo uma ferramenta bem recebida por diferentes grupos da população.

Una actualización sobre aplicaciones ortopédicas usando tecnologías de impresión tridimensional / An Update on Orthopedic Applications Using 3-Dimensional Printing Technologies / Uma atualização em aplicações ortopédicas usando tecnologias de impressão tridimensionais

Resumen En este artículo se revisan las aplicaciones tecnológicas de la impresión tridimensional (3DP) en Ortopedia. La impresión 3D es el proceso de manufacturar para construir objetos tridimensionales a través de la acumulación de material, y recientemente está llamando la atención de profesionales médicos de forma significativa. La Ortopedia es probablemente la mayor área de aplicación de esta tecnología, y está siendo probada en diversos procedimientos, desde hacer planeación quirúrgica hasta manufacturar implantes para probar su utilidad. Sin embargo, esta tecnología no ha superado completamente los problemas que surgieron en la década de los noventa, estas limitaciones serán superadas eventualmente cuando la velocidad del desarrollo tecnológico sea considerada.

Abstract This article reviews the technological applications of 3-dimensional printing (3DP) in orthopedics. 3DP is the manufacturing process to build three-dimensional object by accumulating material, and recently it is drawing the interest of medical professional significantly. Orthopedics is probably the biggest application of this technology, and is being tested from surgical planning to the implant manufacturing to prove its usefulness. The technology has not overcome the problems that arose in the 90s completely, those limitations will be overcome eventually, when the technological development speed is considered.

Resumo Este artigo descreve as aplicações tecnológicas da impressão tridimensional (3DP) em Ortopedia. Impressão 3D é o processo de manufatura para construir objectos tridimensionais, através da acumulação de material. Recentemente elas estao atraindo significativamente a atenção dos profissionais médicos. A Ortopedia é provavelmente a maior área de aplicação desta tecnologia, e está sendo testado em vários processos, desde o planejamento cirúrgico até a fabricação de implantes cirúrgicos para provar a sua utilidade. No entanto, esta tecnologia não foi consigue superar completamente os problemas que surgiram na década dos noventa. Essas limitações serao superadas quando a velocidade do desenvolvimento tecnológico seja considerado.

Reporte de infecciones nosocomiales en la unidad de neonatología del hdlv durante los años 2015, 2016, 2017 / Report of nosocomial infections in the neonatology unit of the hdlv during the years 2015, 2016, 2017

Introducción. La neonatología del Hospital de los Valles (HDLV) es un centro de referencia para atención de cuarto nivel. Las infecciones asociadas a la atención de salud (IAAS) contribuyen a la mortalidad de los recién nacidos en la Región de las Américas, especialmente de aquellos más vulnerables. Se reportan importantes diferencias en la incidencia de IAAS en las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales (UCI NEO), así, en Estados Unidos, las tasas varían desde el 6% a más altas del 40% en la Región de las Américas, hay pocos datos disponibles, pero son frecuentes la información de brotes en estas UCI NEO, con repercusión en la opinión pública, generalmente, por la alta letalidad. Materiales y Métodos. Este es un estudio, observacional y descriptivo que incluye todos los pacientes nacidos, transferidos e ingresados en cuidado intensivo del área de neonatología del HDLV desde el primero de enero del 2015 hasta el 31 de diciembre del 2017. Los datos son registrados y analizados en Excel. Resultados. Entre enero del 2015 a diciembre del 2017 se registraron 1016 pacientes de los cuales 318 son ingresados al área de cuidado intensivo, la edad gestacional más común de los pacientes en estudio corresponde al periodo comprendido entre 28 y 32 semanas. El total de pacientes con reporte de cultivos positivos es de 44 casos que corresponde al 4.3% del total de pacientes registrados. El mayor número de casos está relacionado con 11 casos de Klebsiella Neumoniae y 8 casos con Klebsiella Neumoniae BLEE. La mayoría de las infecciones están relacionadas con menores de 1000 gramos y con una edad gestacional entre 28 y 32 semanas. Conclusión. La neonatología del HDLV presta atención prioritariamente a pacientes de menos de 28 semanas de edad gestacional y pacientes con patología quirúrgica grave, sin embargo, según los datos previos la incidencia de procesos infecciosos tiene tendencia a mantenerse antes que a incrementar con la mayor complejidad de las enfermedades de los pacientes transferidos

Introduction. The neonatology of the Hospital de los Valles (HDLV) is a reference center for fourth level care. Infections associated with health care (IAAS) contribute to the mortality of newborns in the Region of the Americas, especially those most vulnerable. Important differences are reported in the incidence of IAAS in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (UCI NEO), thus, in the United States, the rates vary from 6% to higher than 40% in the Region of the Americas. There is few data available, but information about outbreaks in these NEO UCIs is frequent, with repercussions on public opinion, generally, due to high lethality. Materials and methods. This is an observational and descriptive study that includes all the patients born, transferred and admitted to intensive care in the HDLV neonatology area from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. The data is recorded and analyzed in Excel. Results Between January 2015 and December 2017, 1016 patients were registered, of which 318 were admitted to the intensive care area; the most common gestational age of the patients in the study corresponds to the period between 28 and 32 weeks. The total number of patients reporting positive cultures is 44 cases, corresponding to 4.3% of the total number of registered patients. The largest number of cases is related to 11 cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 8 cases with Klebsiella pneumoniae BLEE. The majority of infections are related to children under 1000 grams and with a gestational age between 28 and 32 weeks. Conclusion. HDLV neonatology gives priority attention to patients less than 28 weeks gestational age and patients with severe surgical pathology, however, according to the previous data the incidence of infectious processes has a tendency to be maintained instead of increasing with the greater complexity of the diseases of transferred patients.

Deficiencia de adhesión leucocitaria en un neonato: caso clínico / Leukocyte adhesion deficiency in a neonate: clinical case

Los síndromes de deficiencia de adhesión leucocitaria (leukocyte adhesion deficiency [LAD por sus siglas en inglés]) engloban un conjunto de patologías causadas por defectos en el reconocimiento, la adhesión y la migración de los leucocitos mieloides hacia los lugares de invasión microbiana, lo que provoca la falta de defensa innata del huésped frente a bacterias, hongos u otros microrganismos. Se identifica en lactantes por antecedentes como la demora en la caída del cordón umbilical cuando los niños empiezan a tener complicaciones infecciosas. No es común identificar LAD en niños recién nacidos, posiblemente la presencia de la fistula ano rectal y el tratamiento quirúrgico aceleran la presentación clínica en el paciente facilitando así su diagnóstico. Por ser una enfermedad autosómica recesiva y teniendo el importante antecedente de los fallecimientos en sus dos hermanos anteriores a mayor edad. Poder contar con mecanismos de diagnóstico efectivos facilitan el llegar a una conclusión pronta, mejor manejo en general mejorando las expectativas de vida de los pacientes con este tipo de alteraciones hematológicas.

The syndromes of leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) encompass a group of pathologies caused by defects in the recognition, adhesion and migration of myeloid leukocytes to microbial invasion sites. Causes the lack of innate host defense against bacteria, fungi or other microorganisms. It is identified in infants due to antecedents such as the delay in the fall of the umbilical cord when children begin to have infectious complications. It is not common to identify HDL in newborn children, possibly the presence of anus rectal fistula and surgical treatment accelerate the clinical presentation in the patient, thus facilitating its diagnosis. For being an autosomal recessive disease and having the important antecedent of the deaths in his two older brothers at older age. Being able to count on effective diagnostic mechanisms makes it easier to arrive at a quick conclusion better management in general, improving the life expectancy of patients with this type of hematological alterations.