Extracting MRS discriminant functional features of brain tumors

The current challenge in automatic brain tumor classification based on MRS is the improvement of the robustness of the classification models that explicitly account for the probable breach of the independent and identically distributed conditions in the MRS data points. To contribute to this purpose, a new algorithm for the extraction of discriminant MRS features of brain tumors based on a functional approach is presented. Functional data analysis based on region segmentation (RSFDA) is based on the functional data analysis formalism using nonuniformly distributed B splines according to spectral regions that are highly correlated. An exhaustive characterization of the method is presented in this work using controlled and real scenarios. The performance of RSFDA was compared with other widely used feature extraction methods. In all simulated conditions, RSFDA was proven to be stable with respect to the number of variables selected and with respect to the classification performance against noise and baseline artifacts. Furthermore, with real multicenter datasets classification, RSFDA and peak integration (PI) obtained better performance than the other feature extraction methods used for comparison. Other advantages of the method proposed are its usefulness in selecting the optimal number of features for classification and its simplified functional representation of the spectra, which contributes to highlight the discriminative regions of the MR spectrum for each classification task. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

FCGR3A V(176) polymorphism for systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility in Mexican population

The objective of this study is to establish whether there is an association between the presence of FCGR3A V(176) polymorphism with SLE or its manifestations. We included 94 patients according to the 1982 ACR criteria as well as 98 controls matched by age and gender. The 11 ACR diagnostic criteria were analyzed on the clinical files. The polymorphism FCGR3A V(176) was determined by direct sequencing. There was not an association between the polymorphism FCGR3A V(176) with SLE or its main manifestations. The allelic frequency for F(176) was: 0.80 and 0.72 in cases and controls, respectively (P?=?0.09, IC95%: 0.42?C1.07); and the genotypic frequency in the group of cases was: 0.65 for homozygotes F(176)/F(176), 0.30 for heterozygotes and 0.05 for the homozygotes V(176)/V(176), while for the control group it was 0.53, 0.39 and 0.08, respectively. The polymorphism FCGR3A V(176) is not associated with SLE or any of its manifestations in patients with SLE from the West of Mexico.     

Lung Transplantation in Children. Specific Aspects

Lung transplantation has become in recent years a therapeutic option for infants with terminal lung disease with similar results to transplantation in adults. In Spain, since 1996 114 children lung transplants have been performed; this corresponds to 3.9% of the total transplant number. The most common indication in children is cystic fibrosis, which represents between 70-80% of the transplants performed in adolescents. In infants common indications are interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension. In most children a sequential double lung transplant is performed, generally with the help of extracorpo-real circulation. Lung transplantation in children presents special challenges in monitoring and follow-up, especially in infants, given the difficulty in assessing lung function and performing transbronchial biopsies.There are some more specific complications in children like postransplant lymphoproliferative syndrome or a greater severity of respiratory virus infections. After lung transplantation children usually experiment a very important improvement in their quality of life. Eighty eight per cent of children have no limitations in their activity after 3 years of transplantation. According to the registry of the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) survival at 5 years of transplantation is 54% and at 10 years is around 35%.     

Tell Me Your Life: Including Life Stories in an Adult Development and Aging Course

The goals of this study were to determine the learning impact of an assignment that consisted of interviewing and analyzing older people’s life stories, and to explore how the assignment was evaluated by students. Participants in the study were 122 first-year social education students enrolled in an adult development and aging course. They evaluated the assignment using an eight-adjective questionnaire and were asked about the benefits of the task. Their answers to the questionnaire were then reviewed using content analysis. The results indicated that marks on the life story assignment predicted marks on an exam about basic course concepts. Students considered that the assignment was interesting, useful, and integrated into the course, although most of them also thought that it was very time-consuming. They identified benefits related to the explicit goals of the course (improvement in the learning of developmental concepts, the acquisition of research-related skills, and the deactivation of aging stereotypes) and personal, growth-related benefits. The authors discuss the difficulties posed by the assignment and its usefulness as a complement to more traditional, lecture-based teaching methods in adult development and aging courses.     

Use of volume-targeted non-invasive bilevel positive airway pressure ventilation in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which most patients die of respiratory failure. Although volume-targeted non-invasive bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) ventilation has been studied in patients with chronic respiratory failure of various etiologies, its use in ALS has not been reported. We present the case of a 66-year-old woman with ALS and respiratory failure treated with volume-targeted BPAP ventilation for 15 weeks. Weekly data downloads showed that disease progression was associated with increased respiratory muscle weakness, decreased spontaneous breathing, and increased use of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, whereas tidal volume and minute ventilation remained relatively constant.     

Geometrical Measurement of Central Tumor Location in cT1N0M0 NSCLC Predicts N1 but Not N2 Upstaging

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