Open partial nephrectomy in renal cancer: a feasible gold standard technique in all hospitals

Introduction. Partial nephrectomy (PN) is playing an increasingly important role in localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as a true alternative to radical nephrectomy. With the greater experience and expertise of surgical teams, it has become an alternative to radical nephrectomy in young patients when the tumor diameter is 4 cm or less in almost all hospitals since cancer-specific survival outcomes are similar to those obtained with radical nephrectomy. Materials and Methods. The authors comment on their own experience and review the literature, reporting current indications and outcomes including complications. The surgical technique of open partial nephrectomy is outlined. Conclusions. Nowadays, open PN is the gold standard technique to treat small renal masses, and all nonablative techniques must pass the test of time to be compared to PN. It is not ethical for patients to undergo radical surgery just because the urologists involved do not have adequate experience with PN. Patients should be involved in the final treatment decision and, when appropriate, referred to specialized centers with experience in open or laparoscopic partial nephrectomies

Experimental Modeling and Control Strategies on an Open Mobile Robot Platform PRIM

This research work deals with the problem of modeling and design of low level speed controller for the mobile robot PRIM. The main objective is to develop an effective educational tool. On one hand, the interests in using the open mobile platform PRIM consist in integrating several highly related subjects to the automatic control theory in an educational context, by embracing the subjects of communications, signal processing, sensor fusion and hardware design, amongst others. On the other hand, the idea is to implement useful navigation strategies such that the robot can be served as a mobile multimedia information point. It is in this context, when navigation strategies are oriented to goal achievement, that a local model predictive control is attained. Hence, such studies are presented as a very interesting control strategy in order to develop the future capabilities of the system

PRIM an Open Mobile Robot Platform. Motivation, Present and Future Trends

This paper is focused on the robot mobile platform PRIM (platform robot information multimedia). This robot has been made in order to cover two main needs of our group, on one hand the need for a full open mobile robotic platform that is very useful in fulfilling the teaching and research activity of our school community, and on the other hand with the idea of introducing an ethical product which would be useful as mobile multimedia information point as a service tool. This paper introduces exactly how the system is made up and explains just what the philosophy is behind this work. The navigation strategies and sensor fusion, where machine vision system is the most important one, are oriented towards goal achievement and are the key to the behaviour of the robot

An Open-Label, Noncomparative, Multicenter Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of NASHA/Dx Gel as a Bulking Agent for the Treatment of Fecal Incontinence

Fecal incontinence (FI) is the involuntary loss of rectal contents through the anal canal. Reports of its prevalence vary from 1-21%. Studies, have demonstrated a positive effect on FI symptoms with injectable bulking agents. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of NASHA/Dx gel in the treatment of FI. One hundred fifteen eligible patients suffering from FI received 4 injections of 1 mL NASHA/Dx gel. Primary efficacy was based on data from 86 patients that completed the study. This study demonstrated a ≥50% reduction from baseline in the number of FI episodes in 57.1% of patients at 6 months, and 64.0% at 12 months. Significant improvements (P < .001) were also noted in total number of both solid and loose FI episodes, FI free days, CCFIS, and FIQL scores in all 4 domains. The majority of the treatment related AEs (94.9%) were mild or moderate intensity, and (98.7%) of AEs resolved spontaneously, or following treatment, without sequelae. Results of this study indicate NASHA/Dx gel was efficacious in the treatment of FI. Treatment effect was significant both in reduction of number of FI episodes and disease specific quality of life at 6 months and lasted up to 12 months after treatment.

Improvement in growth after two years of growth hormone therapy in very young children born small for gestational age and without spontaneous catch-up growth: results of a multicenter, controlled, randomized, open clinical trial.

CONTEXT GH treatment is effective in children born small for gestational age (SGA); however, its effectiveness and safety in very young SGA children is unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim was to analyze the outcome of very young SGA children treated with GH and followed for 2 yr. The results after 24 months of treatment, compared with a control group without treatment during 12 months followed by 12 months of treatment, are shown. DESIGN We performed a multicenter, controlled, randomized, open trial. SETTINGS The pediatric endocrinology departments of 14 public hospitals in Spain participated in the study. PATIENTS Seventy-six children, aged 2-5 yr born SGA and without catch-up growth, were studied. INTERVENTION Children received GH at 0.06 mg/kg.d for 2 yr (group I) or were followed for 12 months with no treatment and then treated for 12 months (group II). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Age, general health status, pubertal stage, bone age, height, weight, biochemical and hormonal analyses, and adverse side effects were determined at biannual check-ups. RESULTS The mean height sd score gain for chronological age in children treated for 24 months (group I) was 2.10, whereas in those treated only during the last 12 months (group II) was 1.43. In both groups, children under 4 yr of age had the greatest gain in growth velocity. No significant acceleration of bone age or side effects related to treatment was seen. CONCLUSION Very young SGA children without spontaneous catch-up growth could benefit from GH treatment because growth was accelerated and no negative side effects were observed.

The persistence of multifocal colonisation by a single ABC genotype of Candida albicans may predict the transition from commensalism to infection

Candida albicans is a common member of the human microbiota and may cause invasive disease in susceptible populations. Several risk factors have been proposed for candidaemia acquisition. Previous Candida multifocal colonisation among hospitalised patients may be crucial for the successful establishment of candidaemia. Nevertheless, it is still not clear whether the persistence or replacement of a single clone of C. albicans in multiple anatomical sites of the organism may represent an additional risk for candidaemia acquisition. Therefore, we prospectively evaluated the dynamics of the colonising strains of C. albicans for two groups of seven critically ill patients: group I included patients colonised by C. albicans in multiple sites who did not develop candidaemia and group II included patients who were colonised and who developed candidaemia. ABC and microsatellite genotyping of 51 strains of C. albicans revealed that patients who did not develop candidaemia were multiply colonised by at least two ABC genotypes of C. albicans, whereas candidaemic patients had highly related microsatellites and the same ABC genotype in colonising and bloodstream isolates that were probably present in different body sites before the onset of candidaemia.

Estudio y diseño de filtros pasobanda y en banda dual basados en resonadores microstrip open-loop acoplados

El proyecto está dedicado al estudio y diseño de filtros paso-banda y en banda dual con tecnología microstrip mediante estructuras resonantes de tipo open-loop. Se ha llevado a cabo el diseño de un filtro paso-banda con respuesta Chebyshev, un filtro pasobanda con ceros de transmisión y un filtro de banda dual para WCDMA y WiFi, empleado el método de diseño para filtros basados en resonadores inter-acoplados. Se presentan los modelos eléctricos de los filtros de RF simulados junto con sus respectivos layouts y se comparan las respuestas obtenidas de los dispositivos con las respuestas ideales. En el proyecto se realiza un estudio del comportamiento de los diferentes tipos de acoplamiento entre resonadores open-loop en función de la geometría de la estructura. Las tendencias de comportamiento de los acoplamientos permiten el diseño y colocación de los resonadores para satisfacer las especificaciones del filtro.

OpenNebula y Hadoop : Cloud Computing con herramientas Open Source

El presente proyecto consiste en una introducción al "cloud computing" y un estudio en profundidad de las herramientas OpenNebula, dentro del modelo IaaS (Infraestructure as a Service), y Hadoop, dentro del modelo PaaS (Platform as a Service). El trabajo también incluye la instalación, integración, configuración y puesta en marcha de una plataforma "cloud computing" utilizando OpenNebula y Hadoop con el objetivo de aplicar los conceptos teóricos en una solución real dentro de un entorno de laboratorio que puede ser extrapolable a una instalación real.

Open source software expectations in retail businesses of Igualada : an exploratory study

The emergence of open source software in the last years has become a common topic of study in different fields, from the most technical characteristics to the economical aspects. This paper examines the current status about the literature dealing with economics of open source and explores the uses, infrastructure and expectations of retail businesses and institutions of the town of Igualda about it. This qualitative case study finds out that the current equipment and level of uses of ICTs are low and that the current situation of the town stores is receptive to a potential introduction of open source software.