A topological model for partial equivariance in deep learning and data analysis.

In this article, we propose a topological model to encode partial equivariance in neural networks. To this end, we introduce a class of operators, called P-GENEOs, that change data expressed by measurements, respecting the action of certain sets of transformations, in a non-expansive way. If the set of transformations acting is a group, we obtain the so-called GENEOs. We then study the spaces of measurements, whose domains are subjected to the action of certain self-maps and the space of P-GENEOs between these spaces. We define pseudo-metrics on them and show some properties of the resulting spaces. In particular, we show how such spaces have convenient approximation and convexity properties.

Smile InTM Totems in Radiotherapy: Patients' Satisfaction with Limited Equipment and COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: We report a mono-institutional experience regarding patient-perceived quality regarding the Chieti Radiotherapy Department, through RAMSI (Radiotherapy Amica Mia-SmileINTM(SI)-My Friend RadiotherapySI) project, in critical scenarios of limited equipment and COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) were assessed as follows: Patient-centric welcome perception (PCWP), Comfort, Professional skills and Punctuality. Patients could give anonymous feedback using HappyOrNot technology through four totems located in strategic areas within the center. An internal benchmark was obtained using the feedback received after a preliminary observation period. The SI Experience Index was collected, analyzed and compared. Weekly and monthly reports were generated. RESULTS: From February 2019 to February 2022, 8924 patients accessed the department; 17,464 daily treatments were recorded and 5830 points of feedback were collected: 896, 1267, 1125 and 2542 for PCWP, Comfort, Professional skills and Punctuality, respectively. A LINAC decommissioning period was analyzed, with decreases in the SI-Index score and Smile-IN approved percentage and an improvement after this period. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic was analyzed with a mild evaluations decrease for PREM's Welcome, Comfort and Punctuality (Δ-value: -9%, -3% and -4%, respectively), while Professional skills were always optimal. CONCLUSION: The RAMSI project was effective for assessing treatment quality perception, allowing for improving clinical procedures with corrective actions. The RAMSI project is ongoing.

Feasibility and Clinical Roles of Different Substaging Systems at First and Second Transurethral Resection in Patients with T1 High-Grade Bladder Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Decision making in T1 high-grade bladder cancer patients remains a challenging issue in urologic practice. OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and potential prognostic role of three different substaging systems in specimens from both primary and second transurethral resection (TUR) of the bladder in T1 high-grade bladder cancer patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 250 consecutive, confirmed pure transitional T1 high-grade bladder tumors submitted to second TUR entered the retrospective study. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Feasibility of two already clinically tested microstaging systems (anatomy-based T1a/T1b/T1c and micrometric T1m/T1e with 0.5-mm thresholds of invasion) and that of a micrometric substage designed by the authors and based on a 1-mm threshold of invasion (Rete Oncologica Lombarda [ROL] system) was assessed by five independent uropathologists on both first and second TUR specimens. Univariable Cox proportional hazards models were attempted to identify significant independent predictors of recurrence and progression after TUR. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to compare different substaging methods analyzing recurrence and progression. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The ROL system proved to be feasible in nearly all cases at both first and second TUR. Median follow-up was 60 mo. The univariate Cox regression analysis documented the ROL substage (ROL2 vs ROL1) to be the only statistically significant predictor of progression (hazard ratio: 2.01; 95% CI, 1.03-3.79; p<0.03). For the first time to our knowledge, the substage was investigated and used to assess T1 tumors found at second TUR, registering a high rate of feasibility. CONCLUSIONS: T1 microstaging using different procedures is feasible on both primary- and second-TUR specimens. A high rate of feasibility may be expected for T1m/T1e and ROL systems. The clinical role of microstaging on second TUR remains to be defined. PATIENT SUMMARY: The Rete Oncologica Lombarda system showed feasible results in T1 high-grade bladder tumors. Our substratification was predictive of progression of disease.

Usefulness of pT1 substaging in papillary urothelial bladder carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: When treating bladder cancer patients, the most significant problems usually concern cases with high-grade non-muscle-invasive carcinoma, and a better understanding of which patients would benefit from early radical cystectomy is urgently needed. The uropathology community is seeking more user-friendly approaches to distinguishing between T1 cancers exhibiting different types of clinical behavior. METHODS: After a retrospective review, we selected a group of 314 patients who underwent transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) and were diagnosed with high-grade urothelial carcinoma staged as T1. Three different substaging systems were applied: one was the anatomy-based T1 a/b; and two involved micrometric thresholds of either 0.5 mm of invasion (as proposed by van Rhijn et al.), or 1 mm of invasion (as proposed in the present study). Early reTUR (repeated transurethral resection) was performed in 250 patients, and the same substaging approaches were applied to cases of T1. RESULTS: It proved feasible to apply the 1 mm substaging system in 100 % of cases, the van Rhijn system in 100 %, and the anatomy-based method (T1 a/b) in 72.3 % of cases. At a mean follow-up of 46 months, the recurrence-free survival rate was significantly better (p < 0.001) in the group that underwent reTUR, while none of the three substaging systems reliably predicted recurrences. The 1 mm did seem promising, however, as a threshold for predicting progression, reaching statistical significance in the Kaplan Meier estimates (p < 0.04). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that micrometric substaging is feasible in this setting and should be extended to include any early reTUR to complete the substaging done after the first TURB. It can also provide helpful prognostic information.

Reversibility of Left Ventricle Longitudinal Strain Alterations Induced by Adjuvant Therapy in Early Breast Cancer Patients.

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF), despite its high feasibility, is not sensitive enough to detect early and subtle LV systolic dysfunction during oncologic treatments. Therefore, we used systolic global longitudinal strain (GLS) by speckle tracking echocardiography to verify whether early LV systolic dysfunction induced by adjuvant therapy in early breast cancer patients at low risk for cardiotoxicity can be reversed. Thirty patients (aged 53 ± 11 y) with no previous cardiac and oncologic disease who were receiving adjuvant trastuzumab and taxane (group HER2+, n = 15) or taxane only (group HER2-, n = 15), after treatment with anthracyclines, were studied. LV-EF and GLS were measured at baseline, after anthracyclines (end of week 7 or 8), short term after trastuzumab and/or taxane (end of week 18) and after completion of therapy. Significant LV systolic dysfunction was defined as a relative reduction in GLS of >10% with respect to baseline values. Mean and individual LV-EFs did not change significantly during the oncologic treatment and after completion of therapy, although GLS varied significantly. In particular, during the course of therapy, four patients in the trastuzumab-docetaxel HER2+ subgroup and two patients in the taxane HER2- subgroup had a relative decrease (>10%) in GLS. However, after the end of adjuvant treatment, strain modification was fully or partially reversible. Speckle tracking echocardiography is more sensitive than LV-EF in recognizing subtle myocardial impairment during adjuvant chemotherapy. However, in patients at low risk for cardiotoxicity, these alterations may be reversible and not associated with clinically significant cardiotoxicity or late development of decreased LV-EF.

Microencapsulación de peróxido de hidrógeno para la elaboración de un caramelo de goma blanqueador dental y evaluación in vitro mediante un método colorimétrico / Microencapsulation of hydrogen peroxide for the development of a dental whitening gummy candy and in vitro evaluation using a colorimetric method

INTRODUCCIÓN: La apariencia y el color de los dientes es una preocupación común para los pacientes por lo que hay una creciente necesidad de contar con tratamientos que mejoren la estética dental. Por esa razón, en los últimos 20 años la ciencia dental ha buscado nuevas técnicas y materiales capaces de reducir la discoloración dental. MÉTODO: Se prepararon pastillas de goma fantasía, caramelos de goma o gominolas que contenían dos concentraciones diferentes (7% y 14% m/v) de peróxido de hidrógeno microencapsulado por gelificación iónica. Durante 30 días se realizó un tratamiento diario de blanqueamiento dental in vitro para evaluar la acción blanqueadora de las dos formulaciones. La medición del color de la superficie de los dientes tratados se llevó a cabo utilizando una técnica colorimétrica. RESULTADOS: Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los tratamientos de blanqueamiento con las dos formulaciones elaboradas en comparación con un grupo de control, siendo el esquema de dos procedimientos diarios con la formulación al 7% de peróxido de hidrógeno más efectivo que el de un único procedimiento diario con la formulación al 14%. CONCLUSIONES: Las dos formulaciones desarrolladas en este estudio tuvieron un mayor efecto de blanqueamiento in vitro en comparación con un grupo de control, y además se encontró que se logran mejores resultados al disminuir la concentración de peróxido si el número de aplicaciones aumenta para dosis diarias iguales

INTRODUCTION: The appearance and color of the teeth are common concerns for patients and are associated with an increased need for treatments that can improve dental aesthetics. For this reason, in the past 20 years, dental science has been searching for new techniques and materials able to reduce dental discoloration. METHOD: Gummy candies containing two different concentrations (7% and 14% w/v) of hydrogen peroxide microencapsulated by ionic gelation were prepared. In vitro tooth whitening treatment was carried out for 30 days to test the bleaching action of these formulations. The surface color of the treated teeth was measured using a colorimetric technique. RESULTS: Significant differences were found on comparing the whitening treatments for the two formulations with a control group, with two daily treatments using the formulation with 7% hydrogen peroxide being more effective for whitening than a daily single treatment using the formulation with 14 %. CONCLUSIONS: The two formulations developed had an in vitro higher bleaching effect in comparison with the control group, and in addition, better results were achieved if the daily dose was provided by more applications at a lower concentration of hydrogen peroxide

The oncofetal protein IMP3: a novel grading tool and predictor of poor clinical outcome in human gliomas.

Morphologic criteria illustrated in WHO guidelines are the most significant prognostic factor in human gliomas, but novel biomarkers are needed to identify patients with a poorer outcome. The present study examined the expression of the oncofetal protein IMP3 in a series of 135 patients affected by high-grade (grade III and IV) gliomas, correlating the results with proliferative activity, molecular parameters, and clinical and follow-up data. Overall, IMP3 expression was higher in glioblastomas (68%) than in grade III tumors (20%, P < 0.0001), and IMP3-positive high-grade gliomas showed a shorter overall and disease-free survival than negative ones (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.006, resp.). IMP3 expression was significantly associated with the absence of mutations of IDH1 gene (P = 0.0001) and with the unmethylated phenotype of MGMT in high-grade gliomas (P = 0.004). High Ki67 levels were correlated with better prognosis in glioblastomas but IMP3 expression was not correlated with the proliferation index. These findings confirm the role of IMP3 as a marker of poor outcome, also in consideration of its association with IDH1 wild-type phenotype and MGMT unmethylated status. The data suggest that IMP3 staining could identify a subgroup of patients with poor prognosis and at risk of recurrence in high-grade gliomas.

Validation of a GC/MS method for the determination of tramadol in human plasma after intravenous bolus.

Tramadol quantitative determination by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using nefopam hydrochloride as internal standard (IS) and two calibration curves because of the large range of concentration attended in the plasmatic samples is described. Plasma samples drawn from subjects in postoperative period treated with two different initial intravenous (iv) bolus of tramadol (50 and 100 mg) followed by tramadol at the same infusion rate (12 mg h(-1)) are analysed. We operated for the qualitative analysis in Scan mode while for the quantitative analysis in SIM mode, selecting the ion m/z 58 for tramadol and m/z 179 for IS. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.01 microg ml(-1) and the limit of quantification was 0.04 microg ml(-1).

Impact of particle size on interaction forces between ettringite and dispersing comb-polymers in various electrolyte solutions.

The inter-particle forces play a fundamental role for the flow properties of a particle suspension in response to shear stresses. In concrete applications, cement admixtures based on comb-polymers like polycarboxylate-ether-based superplasticizer (PCE) are used to control the rheological behavior of the fresh mixtures, as it is negatively impacted by certain early hydration products, like the mineral ettringite. In this work, dispersion forces due to PCE were measured directly at the surface of ettringite crystals in different electrolyte solutions by the means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) applying spherical and sharp silicon dioxide tips. Results show an effective repulsion between ettringite surface and AFM tips for solutions above the IEP of ettringite (pH∼12) and significant attraction in solution at lower pH. The addition of polyelectrolytes in solution provides dispersion forces exclusively between the sharp tips (radius ≈ 10 nm) and the ettringite surface, whereas the polymer layer at the ettringite surface results to be unable to disperse large colloidal probes (radius ≈ 10 µm). A simple modeling of the inter-particle forces explains that, for large particles, the steric hindrance of the studied PCE molecules is not high enough to compensate for the Van der Waals and the attractive electrostatic contributions. Therefore, in cement suspensions the impact of ettringite on rheology is probably not only related to the particle charge, but also related to the involved particle sizes.

Whorled Urothelial Cell Carcinoma: A Neglected Variant.

Twelve cases of urothelial cell papillary carcinoma with a whorled pattern of growth are described. This variant is reported with clinicopathological correlations and immunohistochemical findings. All cases showed this peculiar and distinctive curlicue histological pattern, ranging from 50% to 100% of the neoplastic population. Despite the disordered/turbulent growth pattern, the cytological grade was uniformly low. All the lesions were Ta staged and no patient experienced progression after transurethral resection, while 2 showed clinical recurrences. The immunophenotype (low p53, high p27, low Ki67, and high GATA3) of the cases contributes to define this rare variant as a low-grade tumor.

Interaction of cement model systems with superplasticizers investigated by atomic force microscopy, zeta potential, and adsorption measurements.

Polyelectrolyte-based dispersants are commonly used in a wide range of industrial applications to provide specific workability to colloidal suspensions. Their working mechanism is based on adsorption onto the surfaces of the suspended particles. The adsorbed polymer layer can exercise an electrostatic and/or a steric effect which is responsible for achieving dispersion. This study is focused on the dispersion forces induced by polycarboxylate ether-based superplasticizers (PCEs) commonly used in concrete. They are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) applying standard silicon nitride tips exposed to solutions with different ionic compositions in a wet cell. Adsorption isotherms and zeta potential analysis were performed to characterize polymer displacement in the AFM system on nonreactive model substrates (quartz, mica, calcite, and magnesium oxide) in order to avoid the complexity of cement hydration products. The results show that PCE is strongly adsorbed by positively charged materials. This fact reveals that, being silicon nitride naturally positively charged, in most cases the superplasticizer adsorbs preferably on the silicon nitride tip than on the AFM substrate. However, the force-distance curves displayed repulsive interactions between tip and substrates even when polymer was poorly adsorbed on both. These observations allow us to conclude that the dispersion due to PCE strongly depends on the particle charge. It differs between colloids adsorbing and not adsorbing PCE, and leads to different forces acting between the particles.

Neonato com ascite urinária e ruptura de cálice renal secundárias a válvula de uretra posterior: diagnóstico ultrassonográfico / Newborn with urinary ascites and renal calyx rupture secondary to posterior urethral valve: sonographic diagnosis

A literatura relata somente alguns casos de recém-nascidos com ascite urinária, geralmente secundária a ruptura de bexiga urinária e não de um cálice renal. Este relato de caso descreve um caso raro de ascite urinária em recém-nascido com válvula de uretra posterior que teve ruptura de um cálice renal, neste caso diagnosticada, até onde sabemos, pela primeira vez por ultrassonografia.

The literature reports only rare cases of urinary ascites, usually secondary to rupture of the bladder and not to renal calyx rupture. The present report describes an uncommon case of posterior urethral valve in a newborn with ascites caused by the rupture of a renal calyx that, to our knowledge, was diagnosed for the first time by ultrasonography.