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The advantages offered by structured reporting have already been highlighted in the literature. However, there is still no evidence on the validity of this reporting method for the study of abdominal wall defects. This study aims to show the experience of the Trentino Hernia Team (THT) multidisciplinary group in the development and use of a structured CT scan report for the study of abdominal wall defects. A regional multidisciplinary team (THT group) used a Delphi method to identify and select the most important CT scan parameters needed to describe and stage abdominal wall defects for correct preoperative planning. Based on the selected parameters, a CT scan structured report was worked out and collectively accepted. The first 20 structured reports obtained were individually tested for compilation speed and homogeneity of the data reported by five distinct radiologists. The reports were then evaluated by five different surgeons to test the simplicity of interpretation. We produced a model of a structured report for the study of the abdominal wall defects and tested it in our hospital network on the first 20 reports. The average completion time was 18 min (range 12–25). There was no heterogeneity among the reported data. The reports were analysed by five distinct surgeons to evaluate completeness and simplicity of interpretation. Each surgeon used a Likert scale from 0 to 5 to evaluate each report, producing average scores of 4.8 and 4.1 for completeness and comprehensibility respectively, with a mean combined total score of 8.9 out of 10. Our structured report represents a fundamental tool capable of providing the surgeon with all the measurements of the parameters necessary for correct preoperative planning. At the same time, it is of crucial help for the radiologists representing an easy and fast way to report all the needed parameters using the same standards.

América Latina, a grandes rasgos, es un continente con varios niveles contextuales, dependientes de las características históricas, económicas, políticas y sociales. Con todo, hay aspectos que –como la brecha tecnológica- se reproducen en mayor o menor medida en los distintos países. Dicha brecha promueve unas sociedades parcialmente desconectadas –y, por tanto, invisibilizadas- y tiende a aminorar las posibilidades de innovación y desarrollo del periodismo digital. Metodología: En este estudio, y a partir de un análisis de contenido, hemos analizado la gestión de la interactividad en 87 cibermedios de Colombia, México y Ecuador durante 2016. Resultados y conclusiones: Los resultados muestran una baja implementación general de las opciones de interactividad en los ecosistemas digitales de estos tres países latinoamericanos.

Aim To evaluate the feasibility of V/Q SPECT and analyze its contribution to planar V/Q lung scintigraphy in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). Material and methods A total of 109 patients with suspected PE showing Wells score > 2 and elevated D-dimer were studied. The V/Q could not be completed in 7 patients, so they were excluded. Ventilation and perfusion scans were done using Technegas and 99m Tc-MAA. Planar study included 8 projections on a 256 × 256 matrix and 128 projections on a 128 × 128 matrix were acquired for the SPECT study, applying an iterative method. Planar images were interpreted according to modified PIOPED criteria, and SPECT by the guidelines of the EANMMI. The results with both techniques were compared. Results V/Q planar scintigraphy and SPECT could be performed in 102 patients. V/Q planar scintigraphy was considered “diagnostic” in 39 of the 102 patients, and “non-diagnostic” in 63. Of the 39 “diagnostic” studies, 31 were reported as high probability of PE and 8 as normal. Of the 63 “non-diagnostic”, 26 corresponded to intermediate, 29 to low, and 8 to very low probability. The SPECT study was “diagnostic” in 97 and indeterminate in only 5. All patients with a high probability planar scintigraphy had a positive SPECT. In the 8 patients with a normal planar scintigraphy SPECT was negative in 5 and positive in 3. In the 63 patients with a “non-diagnostic” planar scintigraphy SPECT was “diagnostic” in 58 of them, positive in 17 and negative in 41. Conclusion V/Q SPECT is a feasible technique as it was performed in 102 of the 109 patients who were enrolled in the study (94%). The addition of V/Q SPECT to planar V/Q decreases the number of “non-diagnostic” reports from 62% in planar scintigraphy to 4.9% in SPECT. Therefore, V/Q SPECT should be included in the diagnosis approach of PE due to its high diagnostic yield.

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of amyloid imaging with (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B ((11)C-PIB) and of glucose metabolism on F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) PET/CT to the study of cognitive impairment in the clinical setting. Patients and methods Thirty-four patients (15 male, 19 female) were enrolled in the study. They were classified according to their clinically presented symptoms. Six patients had subjective memory complaints, five had nonamnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), seven had amnestic MCI, seven had prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD), five had frontotemporal dementia, two had dementia with Lewy bodies, and two had cortical degeneration. All the scans were conducted to determine the likelihood of AD or to differentiate between AD and other dementia. Static 30-min (11)C-PIB and 15-min (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans were obtained. A visual analysis of images was performed. Results Three of the six patients with subjective memory complaints had positive (11)C-PIB scans and one of them also had (18)F-FDG hypometabolism. All five nonamnestic MCI patients had normal (11)C-PIB and (18)F-FDG. Four of the seven amnestic MCI patients showed (11)C-PIB cortical retention but only one had positive (18)F-FDG. Positive (11)C-PIB and (18)F-FDG were detected in five of the seven prodromal AD patients. All the five patients with FDT had positive (18)F-FDG scans, but only one of the five had (11)C-PIB cortical retention. Both dementia with Lewy bodies and cortical degeneration patients had positive (11)C-PIB and (18)F-FDG scans. Conclusion The combined use of (11)C-PIB and (18)F-FDG PET provides relevant information for the clinical management of cognitive impairment. The detection of positive (11)C-PIB cortical retention in patients may be an indicator of the need for further clinical assessment and monitoring.

Author(s): Gonzalez-Ortega, A; Fialko, Y; Sandwell, D; Nava-Pichardo, FA; Fletcher, J; Gonzalez-Garcia, J; Lipovsky, B; Floyd, M; Funning, G | Abstract: El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake occurred on 4 April 2010 in northeastern Baja California just south of the U.S.-Mexico border. The earthquake ruptured several previously mapped faults, as well as some unidentified ones, including the Pescadores, Borrego, Paso Inferior and Paso Superior faults in the Sierra Cucapah, and the Indiviso fault in the Mexicali Valley and Colorado River Delta.We conducted several Global Positioning System (GPS) campaign surveys of preexisting and newly established benchmarks within 30 km of the earthquake rupture. Most of the benchmarks were occupied within days after the earthquake, allowing us to capture the very early postseismic transient motions. The GPS data show postseismic displacements in the same direction as the coseismic displacements; time series indicate a gradual decay in postseismic velocities with characteristic time scales of 66 ± 9 days and 20 ± 3 days, assuming exponential and logarithmic decay, respectively. We also analyzed interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data from the Envisat and ALOS satellites. The main deformation features seen in the line-of-sight displacement maps indicate subsidence concentrated in the southern and northern parts of the main rupture, in particular at the Indiviso fault, at the Laguna Salada basin, and at the Paso Superior fault. We show that the near-field GPS and InSAR observations over a time period of 5 months after the earthquake can be explained by a combination of afterslip, fault zone contraction, and a possible minor contribution of poroelastic rebound. Far-field data require an additional mechanism, most likely viscoelastic relaxation in the ductile substrate. ©2014. American Geophysical Union.

Purpose To compare the contribution of the 18 F-FDG-PET/CT acquisition at 180 min and at 60 min in suspicion of large vessel vasculitis (LVV). Material and methods A prospective study including 23 patients was performed. PET/CT was acquired at 60 and 180 min (early and delayed scan) after 18 F-FDG injection. A visual analysis was performed at the supra-aortic trunks (SAT), thoracic aorta (TA), abdominal aorta (AA), iliac arteries (IA) and femoral/tibioperoneal arteries (FTA). Intensity (0–3) and uptake pattern (diffuse/linear) were assessed in the 115 vascular regions. Results There was no FDG uptake in the early and delayed acquisition in 20/115 vascular regions (17.4%). Of the 95 regions (82.6%) showing FDG uptake at the early, delayed or both acquisitions, intensity did not change in the delayed acquisition in 46 and changed in 49. Of the 49 regions in which the intensity changed, it decreased in 36 and increased in 13 (TA:8, SAT:5). AA, IA and FTA intensity did not increase in any of the cases. Uptake pattern at the TA in the early acquisition was diffuse in 16 patients. In 7, it changed to linear and in 9 the uptake disappeared. The early pattern was linear in 7 patients and 6 of them showed increased intensity in the delayed acquisition and in 1 remained the same. Conclusion The 180 min delayed FDG-PET/CT acquisition provides a more detailed visualized of the vessel wall, showing the washout of the blood pool activity. Therefore, it may contribute to a more accurate diagnosis of LVV.

Aim To assess the calcification process of the carotid plaque by 18 F-sodium fluoride PET/CT imaging. Material and methods A prospectively designed study including 15 patients in whom an atheroma plaque was detected by contrast enhanced CT scan during a neurological work-up was performed. A total of 29 plaques, 19 asymptomatic and 10 symptomatic, were studied. An 18 F-sodium fluoride PET/CT scan was acquired 180 min after the i.v. injection of 370 MBq of 18 F-sodium fluoride in all the patients. The images obtained were analyzed visually according to the intensity of the uptake. Results All the plaques showed 18 F-sodium fluoride uptake, regardless of the intensity. However, the plaques of the symptomatic group showed a level of 2 or greater intensity while the intensity in 6 of the 19 in the asymptomatic group was lower than 2. Conclusions Although the study is limited by the small number of cases, the results show the feasibility of the technique to study the calcification of the atheroma using 18 F-sodium fluoride and suggest an association between symptomatology and higher uptake of 18 F-sodium fluoride. Thus, these results encourage us to continue this study, with the inclusion of a larger number of patients.

A new solution to reservoir saturation logging in highly deviated and horizontal wells leverages a light system using coiled tubing (CT) equipped with fiber optics to overcome reach limitations and provide real-time acquisition of downhole reservoir information. The advantages of the methodology in terms of technical capabilities and efficiency have been demonstrated in wells in Mexico where acquisition of once-inaccessible logging information opened new avenues in the production management of the area. The conveyance of logging tools via wireline cable or wired CT presents significant reach and pumping limitations in highly deviated or horizontal wells. The combination of a recent downhole module development and the use of lighter CT package equipped with fiber optics addresses these conveyance and operating challenges. The optical telemetry link supports real-time logging without the need for wireline surface equipment, and the new downhole module provides power to a wide range of logging tools, including the power-demanding reservoir saturation tools. The lighter system overcomes weight limitations, and logging can be performed in any type of well profile. The new module significantly increases the voltage output from the downhole source to the logging toolstring, thus enabling the use of power-demanding components that were previously unusable with CT systems. It also extends the downhole operating logging time for traditional production logging tools by up to six times over that of previous methods. As the production of mature fields in Southern Mexico is gradually decreasing and water has become an increasing issue, operators in the area are currently performing major workover operations to rejuvenate the fields. This novel approach enabled acquisition of reservoir saturation data in several wells in which this information could not be acquired previously because of reach limitations. The newly acquired data enabled identification of bypassed hydrocarbons in those wells. With this information, the operator could selectively shut off the water-producing zones while opening new hydrocarbon-bearing ones, thus significantly reducing water production and prolonging the life of the wells. The introduction of the innovative methodology not only significantly broadens the range of logging interventions that can be performed, it also enables accessing reservoir data that, in some cases, have been inaccessible for a long time, and which can be key to the optimization of production management of entire fields.

Aim \ud People with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing depression and other psychological disorders. However little is known about the prevalence, correlates, or care pathways in countries other than the UK and the US. A new study, the International Prevalence and Treatment of Diabetes and Depression (INTERPRET-DD) Study aims to address this dearth of knowledge and identify optimal pathways to care across the globe. \ud \ud Method\ud INTERPRET-DD is a two-year longitudinal study, taking place in 16 countries’ diabetes out-patients facilities, investigating the recognition and management of depressive disorders in people with type 2 diabetes. Clinical interviews are used to diagnose depression, with clinical and other data obtained from medical records and through patient interviews. Pathways to care and the impact of treatment for previously unrecognised depression on clinical outcomes and emotional well-being are being investigated. \ud \ud Results\ud Initial evidence indicates a range of pathways to care exist, with few of these based on available recommendations for treatment. Pilot data indicates that the instruments we are using to measure both symptoms and clinical diagnosis of depression are acceptable in our study population and easy to use.\ud \ud Conclusions \ud Our study will increase the understanding of the impact of co-morbid diabetes and depression and identify the most appropriate (country specific) pathways via which patients receive their care. It addresses an important public health problem and lead to recommendations for best practice relevant to the different participating centres with regard to the identification and treatment of people with co-morbid diabetes and depression.

The accurate diagnosis of recurrence of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is crucial for the appropriate management of patients with suspicion of recurrence (SOR). We evaluated prospectively in the clinical setting the contribution of FDG PET/CT in patients with SOR of NSCLC in terms of sensitivity, specificity, impact on therapy and on survival. Methods Of the 55 patients included in the study, recurrence was confirmed in 37 but, follow up data for survival evaluation was available in 34. There were 59 SOR in the 55 patients and in 41 recurrence was confirmed. 53 of the 59 suspicions, had a contrast enhanced CT. All patients had a FDG PET/CT scan after iv injection of 8MBq/kg of F18-FDG. Results Of the 59 SOR, FDG PET/CT was positive in all 41 in which recurrence was confirmed (100% sensitivity) and, it was negative in 15 of the 18 in which it was ruled out (specificity 83%). In 27 SOR with inconclusive CT, FDG PET/CT showed 100% sensitivity (18/18) and 78% specificity (7/9). FDG PET/CT had an impact on treatment in 42 of the 59 SOR. In all 34 patients, FDG PET/CT diagnosed recurrence and overall survival at 20 months and 5 years was 44% and 11%, respectively. When the extent of recurrence assessed by FDG PET/CT was considered, survival at 20 months and at 5 years of patients with loco-regional recurrence was 77% and 28% and in patients with distant recurrence 14% and 0% ( p Conclusion Despite the small number of patients, our study demonstrates that FDG PET/CT is highly accurate for the detection of NSCLC recurrence. Therefore it has a great impact on the therapy regimen and on survival depending on the extent of the recurrent disease, survival being better for patients with local recurrence. By differentiating local from distant recurrence, it allows the selection of patients who, could potentially benefit from new therapies. The results also suggest that there are grounds to include FDG PET/CT in the guidelines for surveillance for NSCLC.

Depth range cameras are a promising solution for the 3DTV production chain. The generation of color images with their accompanying depth value simplifies the transmission bandwidth problem in 3DTV and yields a direct input for autostereoscopic displays. Recent developments in plenoptic video-cameras make it possible to introduce 3D cameras that operate similarly to traditional cameras. The use of plenoptic cameras for 3DTV has some benefits with respect to 3D capture systems based on dual stereo cameras since there is no need for geometric and color calibration or frame synchronization. This paper presents a method for simultaneously recovering depth and all-in-focus images from a plenoptic camera in near real time using graphics processing units (GPUs). Previous methods for 3D reconstruction using plenoptic images suffered from the drawback of low spatial resolution. A method that overcomes this deficiency is developed on parallel hardware to obtain near real-time 3D reconstruction with a final spatial resolution of800×600pixels. This resolution is suitable as an input to some autostereoscopic displays currently on the market and shows that real-time 3DTV based on plenoptic video-cameras is technologically feasible.

In this work we develop a new algorithm, extending the Fast Digital Radon transform from Gotz and Druckmuller (1996), that is capable of generating the approximate focal stack of a scene, previously measured with a plenoptic camera, with the minimum number of operations. This new algorithm does not require multiplications, just sums, and its computational complexity is O(N4) to achieve a volume consisting of 2N − 1 photographic planes focused at different depths, from a N4 light field. The method is close to real-time performance, and its output can be used to estimate the distances to objects of a scene.

This paper presents a new technique to simultaneously estimate the depth map and the all-in-focus image of a scene, both at super-resolution, from a plenoptic camera.

Objetivo. Determinar y explorar los factores socioculturales que facilitan u obstaculizan el consumo recomendado de un complemento alimenticio (CA) repartido en todo el país como parte del Programa Oportunidades en niños de 6 a 59 meses de edad. Material y métodos. Estudio cualitativo en comunidades rurales de los estados de Chiapas y Veracruz. Se realizaron 44 entrevistas semiestructuradas y se organizaron 25 grupos focales de madres beneficiarias e informantes clave. El análisis se efectuó bajo el enfoque fenomenológico. Resultados. Los facilitadores fueron gratuidad, gran accesibilidad, aceptabilidad favorable del CA y alta credibilidad de las madres en las recomendaciones médicas; las barreras fueron problemas de almacenamiento y distribución, condiciones de pobreza, dilución intrafamiliar, creencias y conocimientos. Conclusión. Los resultados permitieron sugerir elementos para promover el CA, así como identificar las incongruencias culturales y sociales entre las recomendaciones del programa y las prácticas y preferencias de la población objetivo.

In Mexico, the potential impact on child malnutrition from a nutritional supplement (papilla) delivered through a conditional transfer program (Oportunidades) was attenuated by problems of household utilization. A behavioral change through communication intervention was developed to improve supplement utilization. Our study assessed the efficacy of this intervention through the results of a randomized trial. In 2 states (Veracruz and Chiapas) 2 clusters of communities were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Data were obtained from 176-198 mothers in intervention and control communities using a survey questionnaire at preintervention baseline and at a 5-mo follow-up. Concordance between reported and observed behaviors was examined through an observational substudy. The 4 behavioral recommendations were: 1) prepare papilla as a pap; 2) administer the preparation every day; 3) administer it between breakfast and dinner; and 4) administer it only to target children. The intervention resulted in a significant increase (P

A simple, seismic-ray tracing computer program tailored to velocity models representing a Benioff zone is presented. The 2D model represents the overriding crust by flat, horizontal layers, and the subducted crust by flat, parallel, dipping layers. The propagation velocity within each layer may be constant or depend linearly on the distance perpendicular to the top of the layer. A seismic source, generating rays travelling in either P or S mode, may be located anywhere within the model. Whenever a ray intersects an interface, reflection or transmission and, if desired, change in mode of propagation can be specified. Travel time is computed for each ray, and propagation is terminated on encountering the free surface or a model boundary. Model and rays can be plotted. The advantages of this specialized program over well-known more general programs for ray tracing in laterally heterogeneous media are shortness, simplicity, and fast interactive operation.