2023
Autores
Oliveira, LR; Ferreira, RM; Pinheiro, MR; Silva, HF; Tuchin, VV; Oliveira, LM;
Publicação
JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS
Abstract
The increase of tissue transparency through sequential optical immersion clearing treatments and treatment reversibility have high interest for clinical applications. To evaluate the clearing reversibility in a broad spectral range and the magnitude of the transparency created by a second treatment, the present study consisted on measuring the spectral collimated transmittance of lung tissues during a sequence of two treatments with electronic cigarette (e-cig) fluid, which was intercalated with an immersion in saline. The saline immersion clearly reverted the clearing effect in the lung tissue in the spectral range between 220 and 1000 nm. By a later application of a second treatment with the e-cig fluid, the magnitude of the optical clearing effect was observed to be about the double as the one observed in the first treatment, showing that the molecules of the optical clearing agent might have converted some bound water into mobile water during the first treatment.
2023
Autores
Neto, PC; Sequeira, AF; Cardoso, JS; Terhörst, P;
Publicação
IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, CVPR 2023 - Workshops, Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 17-24, 2023
Abstract
In the context of biometrics, matching confidence refers to the confidence that a given matching decision is correct. Since many biometric systems operate in critical decision-making processes, such as in forensics investigations, accurately and reliably stating the matching confidence becomes of high importance. Previous works on biometric confidence estimation can well differentiate between high and low confidence, but lack interpretability. Therefore, they do not provide accurate probabilistic estimates of the correctness of a decision. In this work, we propose a probabilistic interpretable comparison (PIC) score that accurately reflects the probability that the score originates from samples of the same identity. We prove that the proposed approach provides optimal matching confidence. Contrary to other approaches, it can also optimally combine multiple samples in a joint PIC score which further increases the recognition and confidence estimation performance. In the experiments, the proposed PIC approach is compared against all biometric confidence estimation methods available on four publicly available databases and five state-of-the-art face recognition systems. The results demonstrate that PIC has a significantly more accurate probabilistic interpretation than similar approaches and is highly effective for multi-biometric recognition. The code is publicly-available1. © 2023 IEEE.
2023
Autores
Silva, HF; Martins, IS; Bogdanov, AA; Tuchin, VV; Oliveira, LM;
Publicação
JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS
Abstract
The recent increasing interest in the application of radiology contrasting agents to create transparency in biological tissues implies that the diffusion properties of those agents need evaluation. The comparison of those properties with the ones obtained for other optical clearing agents allows to perform an optimized agent selection to create optimized transparency in clinical applications. In this study, the evaluation and comparison of the diffusion properties of gadobutrol and glycerol in skeletal muscle was made, showing that although gadobutrol has a higher molar mass than glycerol, its low viscosity allows for a faster diffusion in the muscle. The characterization of the tissue dehydration and refractive index matching mechanisms of optical clearing was made in skeletal muscle, namely by the estimation of the diffusion coefficients for water, glycerol and gadobutrol. The estimated tortuosity values of glycerol (2.2) and of gadobutrol (1.7) showed a longer path-length for glycerol in the muscle.
2023
Autores
Fortier, I; Wey, TW; Bergeron, J; de Moira, AP; Nybo Andersen, AM; Bishop, T; Murtagh, MJ; Miocevic, M; Swertz, MA; van Enckevort, E; Marcon, Y; Mayrhofer, MT; Ornelas, JP; Sebert, S; Santos, AC; Rocha, A; Wilson, RC; Griffith, LE; Burton, P;
Publicação
JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE
Abstract
Optimizing research on the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) involves implementing initiatives maximizing the use of the available cohort study data; achieving sufficient statistical power to support subgroup analysis; and using participant data presenting adequate follow-up and exposure heterogeneity. It also involves being able to undertake comparison, cross-validation, or replication across data sets. To answer these requirements, cohort study data need to be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), and more particularly, it often needs to be harmonized. Harmonization is required to achieve or improve comparability of the putatively equivalent measures collected by different studies on different individuals. Although the characteristics of the research initiatives generating and using harmonized data vary extensively, all are confronted by similar issues. Having to collate, understand, process, host, and co-analyze data from individual cohort studies is particularly challenging. The scientific success and timely management of projects can be facilitated by an ensemble of factors. The current document provides an overview of the 'life course' of research projects requiring harmonization of existing data and highlights key elements to be considered from the inception to the end of the project.
2023
Autores
Lorthe, E; Santos, C; Ornelas, JP; Doetsch, JN; Marques, SCS; Teixeira, R; Santos, AC; Rodrigues, C; Goncalves, G; Sousa, PF; Lopes, JC; Rocha, A; Barros, H;
Publicação
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
Abstract
Background: Preterm birth is a global health concern. Its adverse consequences may persist throughout the life course, exerting a potentially heavy burden on families, health systems, and societies. In high-income countries, the first children who benefited from improved care are now adults entering middle age. However, there is a clear gap in the knowledge regarding the long-term outcomes of individuals born preterm. Objective: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of recruiting and following up an e-cohort of adults born preterm worldwide and provide estimations of participation, characteristics of participants, the acceptability of questions, and the quality of data collected. Methods: We implemented a prospective, open, observational, and international e-cohort pilot study (Health of Adult People Born Preterm-an e-Cohort Pilot Study [HAPP-e]). Inclusion criteria were being an adult (aged =18 years), born preterm (<37 weeks of gestation), having internet access and an email address, and understanding at least 1 of the available languages. A large, multifaceted, and multilingual communication strategy was established. Between December 2019 and June 2021, inclusion and repeated data collection were performed using a secured web platform. We provided descriptive statistics regarding participation in the e-cohort, namely, the number of persons who registered on the platform, signed the consent form, initiated and completed the baseline questionnaire, and initiated and completed the follow-up questionnaire. We also described the main characteristics of the HAPP-e participants and provided an assessment of the quality of the data and the acceptability of sensitive questions. Results: As of December 31, 2020, a total of 1004 persons had registered on the platform, leading to 527 accounts with a confirmed email and 333 signed consent forms. A total of 333 participants initiated the baseline questionnaire. All participants were invited to follow-up, and 35.7% (119/333) consented to participate, of whom 97.5% (116/119) initiated the follow-up questionnaire. Completion rates were very high both at baseline (296/333, 88.9%) and at follow-up (112/116, 96.6%). This sample of adults born preterm in 34 countries covered a wide range of sociodemographic and health characteristics. The gestational age at birth ranged from 23+6 to 36+6 weeks (median 32, IQR 29-35 weeks). Only 2.1% (7/333) of the participants had previously participated in a cohort of individuals born preterm. Women (252/333, 75.7%) and highly educated participants (235/327, 71.9%) were also overrepresented. Good quality data were collected thanks to validation controls implemented on the web platform. The acceptability of potentially sensitive questions was excellent, as very few participants chose the I prefer not to say option when available. Conclusions: Although we identified room for improvement in specific procedures, this pilot study confirmed the great potential for recruiting a large and diverse sample of adults born preterm worldwide, thereby advancing research on adults born preterm.
2023
Autores
Clemente, MP; Mendes, J; Bernardes, G; Van Twillert, H; Ferreira, AP; Amarante, JM;
Publicação
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH
Abstract
This paper presents a clinical case study investigating the pattern of a saxophonist's embouchure as a possible origin of orofacial pain. The rehabilitation addressed the dental occlusion and a fracture in a metal ceramic bridge. To evaluate the undesirable loads on the upper teeth, two piezoresistive sensors were placed between the central incisors and the mouthpiece during the embouchure. A newly fixed metal ceramic prosthesis was placed from teeth 13 to 25, and two implants were placed in the premolar zone corresponding to teeth 14 and 15. After the oral rehabilitation, the embouchure force measurements showed that higher stability was promoted by the newly fixed metal-ceramic prosthesis. The musician executed a more symmetric loading of the central incisors (teeth 11 and 21). The functional demands of the saxophone player and consequent application of excessive pressure can significantly influence and modify the metal-ceramic position on the anterior zone teeth 21/22. The contribution of engineering (i.e., monitoring the applied forces on the musician's dental structures) was therefore crucial for the correct assessment and design of the treatment plan.
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