Universidade de Pernambuco

About: Universidade de Pernambuco is a education organization based out in Recife, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Artificial neural network. The organization has 6147 authors who have published 6948 publications receiving 73648 citations.

FASH and MASH: female and male adult human phantoms based on polygon mesh surfaces: II. Dosimetric calculations

Abstract: Female and male adult human phantoms, called FASH (Female Adult meSH) and MASH (Male Adult meSH), have been developed in the first part of this study using 3D animation software and anatomical atlases to replace the image-based FAX06 and the MAX06 voxel phantoms. 3D modelling methods allow for phantom development independent from medical images of patients, volunteers or cadavers. The second part of this study investigates the dosimetric implications for organ and tissue equivalent doses due to the anatomical differences between the new and the old phantoms. These differences are mainly caused by the supine position of human bodies during scanning in order to acquire digital images for voxel phantom development. Compared to an upright standing person, in image-based voxel phantoms organs are often coronally shifted towards the head and sometimes the sagittal diameter of the trunk is reduced by a gravitational change of the fat distribution. In addition, volumes of adipose and muscle tissue shielding internal organs are sometimes too small, because adaptation of organ volumes to ICRP-based organ masses often occurs at the expense of general soft tissues, such as adipose, muscle or unspecified soft tissue. These effects have dosimetric consequences, especially for partial body exposure, such as in x-ray diagnosis, but also for whole body external exposure and for internal exposure. Using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code, internal and external exposure to photons and electrons has been simulated with both pairs of phantoms. The results show differences between organ and tissue equivalent doses for the upright standing FASH/MASH and the image-based supine FAX06/MAX06 phantoms of up to 80% for external exposure and up to 100% for internal exposure. Similar differences were found for external exposure between FASH/MASH and REGINA/REX, the reference voxel phantoms of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Comparison of effective doses for external photon exposure showed good agreement between FASH/MASH and REGINA/REX, but large differences between FASH/MASH and the mesh-based RPI_AM and the RPI_AF phantoms, developed at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Guidance and Movement Correction Based on Therapeutics Movements for Motor Rehabilitation Support Systems

Abstract: The use of Virtual and Augmented Reality systems for motor rehabilitation is increasing mainly due to the new interaction tools which enable interaction through body movements. To improve these systems it is important to provide movement guidance and correction according to the therapeutic description of it. The use of natural interaction can help due the understanding of user's intentions, e.g. analyzing their body movements allows the application to provide information and encouragement to them in real time, improving the interaction and the treatment process as a whole. Thus, the aim of this research is to provide guidance and correction to performed movements based on the therapeutic definition of them. This is applied on motor rehabilitation through the use of the Kinect sensor as interaction support tool for rehabilitation systems. The Kinect sensor gives three-dimensional information about the user body, recognizing skeleton and joint positions, however, it does not provide detection of body specific movements. This way, the correct description of therapeutic movement (upper limbs, for instance) was implemented in a prototype. A scoring mechanism was also developed in order to measure the patient performance, as well as to encourage him/her to improve it by displaying a positive feedback whenever he does a correct movement.

The prevalence of early childhood caries in 12- to 36-month-old children in Recife, Brazil.

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of early childhood caries among preschool children aged between 12 and 36 months from poor communities in the city of Recife, Brazil. This prevalence was evaluated along with the type and duration of feeding, supplementary diet in terms of cariogenicity and quantity of sugar intake. Of the 468 children studied, 28.46% presented caries and the association between the variable of a cariogenic diet and caries was strongly significant (x2 = 13.36 and p < 0.001). From the results of the present study it is possible to draw the following conclusions: the prevalence of early childhood caries in poor children aged 12-36 months in the city of Recife is in accordance with that found in other Brazilian cities, but is very high compared to that of the world population. Early childhood caries was not found to be related to the type of feeding; however, the number of sugary snacks between meals and a cariogenic diet were strongly related to early childhood caries. The prevalence of early childhood caries increases with age; and the first signs of the carious lesions were only detected after the eruption of the first molars, starting at 18 months.

O processo de preparo e administração de medicamentos: identificação de problemas para propor melhorias e prevenir erros de medicação

Abstract: Este estudo exploratorio analisou o processo do preparo e administracao de medicamentos de unidades de clinica medica de quatro hospitais brasileiros, localizados nas Regioes Sudeste, Centro-oeste e Nordeste do Brasil. Identificou os problemas que podem contribuir para a ocorrencia de erros de medicacao e propos medidas de melhorias. Os dados foram coletados atraves de observacao nao-participante e direta das atividades dos profissionais de enfermagem por uma semana. Os resultados revelaram como principais problemas o ambiente no Hospital B, falhas no preparo relacionadas a tecnica e ao preparo antecipado dos medicamentos no C e D, falhas de tecnica, comunicacao e identificacao do paciente no A. A formacao de uma comissao multidisciplinar para avaliar o sistema, grupos de discussao entre a enfermagem, melhorias do ambiente, cursos e treinamento continuos e presenca efetiva da enfermeira no processo sao algumas sugestoes para maior qualidade e seguranca na assistencia aos pacientes.