This study introduces an orbital monitoring system designed to quantify non-technical losses (NTLs) within electricity distribution networks. Leveraging Sentinel-2 satellite imagery alongside advanced techniques in computer vision and machine learning, this system focuses on accurately segmenting urban areas, facilitating the removal of clouds, and utilizing OpenStreetMap masks for pre-annotation. Through testing on two datasets, the method attained a Jaccard index (IoU) of 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a serious complication following deep brain stimulation (DBS) but only received little attention. Its main risk factors are higher age and preoperative cognitive deficits. These are also main risk factors for long-term cognitive decline after DBS in Parkinson's disease (PD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAquatic contaminants and infectious diseases are among the major drivers of global amphibian declines. However, the interaction of these factors is poorly explored and could better explain the amphibian crisis. We exposed males and females of the Brazilian Cururu Toad, Rhinella icterica, to an environmentally relevant concentration of the estrogen 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (an emerging contaminant) and to the chytrid infection (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), in their combined and isolated forms, and the ecotoxicity was determined by multiple biomarkers: cutaneous, hematological, cardiac, hepatic, and gonadal analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLegius syndrome (LS) is a rare and underrecognized disorder that is often misdiagnosed as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). It is characterized by café-au-lait macules without the tumoral manifestations of NF1. We report the case of an 11-year-old patient with multiple café-au-lait macules and intertriginous freckling who was admitted for bloody stools, joint pain, and weight loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Heroic Imagination Project (HIP) aims to redefine heroism as a set of habits that anyone can achieve. Research findings on the psychological foundations of negative forms of social influence that can lead to bystander behavior are translated into tools that individuals can use in their daily lives. Habits of wise and effective helping behavior are learned, modeled, and encouraged through the training of the "heroic imagination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Neurodegeneration and glial activation are primary events in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL) are biomarkers of underlying neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease processes. The aim of the present study was to assess the usefulness of these serum biomarkers for the identification and monitoring of retinal neurodysfunction in subjects with type 2 diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The aim of the study was to characterize the 2-year progression of risk phenotypes of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) phenotype C, or ischemic phenotype, identified by decreased skeletonized retinal vessel density (VD), ≥2 SD over normal values, and phenotype B, or edema phenotype, identified by increased retinal thickness, i.e., subclinical macular edema, and no significant decrease in VD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreaking bad news is common in obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn). However, it is difficult, and few doctors receive training on how to deal with this situation. This narrative review aims to gather, analyze, and synthesize part of the knowledge on the area, focused on Ob-Gyn.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeadersh Health Serv (Bradf Engl)
January 2022
Purpose: This paper aims to propose a model studying the relationship of authentic leadership (AL), structural empowerment (SE) and civility in the palliative care sector. This model proposes SE as a mediator between AL and civility.
Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected from 213 employees working in five major public palliative care hospitals in central Portugal.
Introduction: We characterized the progression of different diabetic retinopathy (DR) phenotypes in type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Methods: A prospective longitudinal cohort study (CORDIS, NCT03696810) was conducted with three visits (baseline, 6 months, and 1 year). Demographic and systemic data included age, sex, diabetes duration, lipid profile, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).
Epidemiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is based on staging systems relying on color fundus photography (CFP). We aim to compare AMD staging using CFP to multimodal imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT), infra-red (IR), and fundus autofluorescence (FAF), in a large cohort from the Epidemiologic AMD Coimbra Eye Study. All imaging exams from the participants of this population-based study were classified by a central reading center.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe main aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of serum biomarkers to predict the worsening of retinal neurodysfunction in subjects with type 2 diabetes. For this purpose, we measured selected molecules (N-epsilon-carboxy methyl lysine (CML), laminin P1 (Lam-P1), and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)) in the serum of 341 participants of the EUROCONDOR study at baseline, 24, and 48 weeks. Retinal neurodysfunction was assessed by measuring implicit time (IT) using multifocal electroretinography, and structural changes were examined by spectral domain-optical coherence tomography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe current study aimed to analyze the relationships between students' background variables (students' academic preparation and sociocultural status), students' cognitive and behavioral engagement, and an outcome variable (academic achievement). One sample of 380 first-year students who were studying in different scientific areas participated in the study. Students answered a questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of their first semester in college.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBullfrog farming and trade practices are well-established, globally distributed, and economically valuable, but pose risks for biodiversity conservation. Besides their negative impacts on native amphibian populations as an invasive species, bullfrogs play a key role in spreading the frog-killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in the natural environment. Bullfrogs are tolerant to Bd, meaning that they can carry high infection loads without developing chytridiomycosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of our Facebook fan page and compare it to similar pages.
Methods: The authors reviewed page-specific metrics provided by Facebook, including number of fans, their age and sex, and country of origin; number of views, likes, and shares tied to our posts. A search for similar fan pages using keyword "endometriosis" found pages in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
The host-associated microbiome is vital to host immunity and pathogen defense. In aquatic ecosystems, organisms may interact with environmental bacteria to influence the pool of potential symbionts, but the effects of these interactions on host microbiome assembly and pathogen resistance are unresolved. We used replicated bromeliad microecosystems to test for indirect effects of arthropod-bacteria interactions on host microbiome assembly and pathogen burden, using tadpoles and the fungal amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis as a model host-pathogen system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRanavirus is a double-stranded DNA virus associated with amphibian, fish and reptile die-offs worldwide. International trade of live animals farmed for human consumption, such as the American bullfrog (), plays a key role in spreading the pathogen. In Brazil, ranavirus has only been reported in captive bullfrog farms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClassroom questioning can be considered a key factor in the promotion of student engagement. This case study explored classroom questioning practices and perceptions of a group of 47 first-year law students and their teacher. Eight lessons of 90 min were observed and audio-recorded and afterward the students and the teacher answered a questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasite Epidemiol Control
May 2019
is the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis, a widespread zoonosis that affects several homeothermic animals, including humans. This disease causes serious health problems, such that 10% of infected individuals develop clinical manifestations. Some studies on indigenous human populations have indicated variations in seroprevalence from 10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To describe the 6.5-year incidence and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a coastal town of central Portugal.
Methods: Population-based cohort study.
The primary objective of this study was to assess whether the topical administration of two neuroprotective drugs (brimonidine and somatostatin) could prevent or arrest retinal neurodysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes. For this purpose, adults aged between 45 and 75 years with a diabetes duration ≥5 years and an Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) level of ≤35 were randomly assigned to one of three arms: placebo, somatostatin, or brimonidine. The primary outcome was the change in implicit time (IT) assessed by multifocal electroretinography between baseline and at the end of follow-up (96 weeks).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To characterize the lifestyle and nutritional risk profile associated with the Mediterranean diet in a Portuguese population with and without age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods: Nested case-control study (n = 883) within the Coimbra Eye Study, including 434 subjects with AMD and 449 age- and sex-matched subjects without AMD. All enrolled subjects underwent a full risk assessment, including lifestyle-related risk factors and a thorough food frequency questionnaire.
Aim: To analyse retinopathy phenotypes and microaneurysm (MA) turnover in mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) as predictors of progression to diabetic central-involved macular oedema (CIMO) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in two different ethnic populations.
Methods: 205 patients with type 2 DM and mild NPDR were followed in a prospective observational study for 2 years or until development of CIMO, in two centres from different regions of the world. Ophthalmological examinations, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography with RetmarkerDR analysis, and optical coherence tomography (OCT), were performed at baseline and 6 12 and 24 months.