Technology and Health Care - Volume 30, issue S1

Authors: Cheng, Li | Hao, Chenru | Wang, Yanpeng | Zhang, Jingjing | Wen, Yunlong | Chi, Ziqiang | Li, Xiuyuan | Yang, Haibo | Wu, Yanru | Guo, Lisha | Zhao, Ruibin

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The results of urine tests are often affected by improper midstream urine collection time, urine spilling, and urine pollution, all of which can lead to an increase in the test error. OBJECTIVE: To solve this problem, aiming at improving the toilet environment at the hospitals and public physical examination centers, this paper designs an automatic urine collection system. It can automatically adjust the position of the urine cup with an infrared remote controller, or manually, adjust the position of the urine cup in special situations according to the needs of the user. It also has …an alarm function. METHODS: The overall size and shape are designed based on the squatting pan, suitable for disposable plastic urine cups of different shapes and sizes. It can realize the automatic collection of midstream urine, manual collection in exceptional cases, emergency stops, and rescue calls. RESULTS: Through the trial survey, there was a significant difference between the statistical results of using the device and not using the device (t = 13.937, P = 0.000). 96% of the subjects thought that the design of the system was reasonable, 22% thought that it was inconvenient to use, and 91.7% of the medical staff thought that the system met the sampling requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, the trial evaluation is satisfactory, and the proposed collection system is suitable for use in hospitals at all levels and public health examination centers with a large amount of inspection. Show more

Keywords: Automatic collection system, medical physical examination, single-chip microcomputer, urine test

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228010

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 105-114, 2022

Authors: Kwon, Yu-Ri | Ko, Junghyuk | Lee, Ryun-Hee | Eom, Gwang-Moon | Kim, Ji-Won

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Quantitative measures of the finger tapping task is important for objective assessment of bradykinesia. However, age-related changes in quantitative measures are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantitatively investigate age-related group differences in finger tapping performance. METHODS: Eighty-three healthy normal subjects with age ranging from aged 20 to 89 years participated in this study. All subjects were instructed to tap their index finger and thumbs as rapidly as possible and with as large amplitude as possible. Angular velocity of the finger tapping movement was measured using a gyrosensor. …Quantitative variables include root mean squared (RMS) angular velocity, RMS angular displacement, peak power and peak frequency derived from angular velocity signals. RESULTS: Significant age-related differences were observed in RMS angular velocity, peak power and peak frequency (P < 0.001). Specifically, the oldest age group had the slowest average speed, the lowest peak power and peak frequency. These results indicate deterioration in finger speed, intensity of the main movement component and tapping frequency due to aging. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the quantitative variables should be adjusted for age when clinicians assess Parkinsonian bradykinesia. The results contribute to the development of an accurate and quantitative assessment tool for bradykinesia. Show more

Keywords: Finger tapping, age, elderly, quantification, gyrosensor, Parkinson’s disease

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228011

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 115-122, 2022

Authors: Sun, Jung-Chang | Hsieh, Bor-Tsung | Cheng, Chih-Wu | Hsieh, Chih-Ming | Tsang, Yuk-Wah | Cheng, Kai-Yuan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy plays an important role in cancer treatment today. Successful radiotherapy includes precise positioning and accurate dosimetry. OBJECTIVE: To use NIPAM gel dosimeter and concentric swing machine to simulate and evaluate the feasibility of lung or upper abdominal tumor dose distribution during breathing. METHODS: We used a concentric swing machine to simulate actual radiotherapy for lung or upper abdomen tumors. A 4 × 4 cm 2 irradiation field area was set and MRI was performed. Next, readout analysis was performed using MATLAB and the 3 mm, 3% …gamma passing rate > 95% was used as a basis for evaluation. RESULTS: The concentric dynamic dose curve for a simulated respiratory rate of 3 seconds/breath and 4 × 4 cm 2 field was compared with 4 × 4, 3 × 3, and 2 × 2 cm 2 treatment planning systems (TPS), and the 3 mm, 3% gamma passing rate was 42.87%, 54.96%, and 49.92%, respectively. Pre-simulation showed that the high-dose region dose curve was similar to the 2 × 2 cm 2 TPS result. After appropriate selection and comparison, we found that the 3 mm, 3% gamma passing rate was 97.92% on comparing the > 60% dose curve with the 2 × 2 cm 2 TPS. CONCLUSIONS: NIPAM gel dosimeter and concentric swing machine use is feasible to simulate dose distribution during breathing and results conforming to clinical evaluation standards. Show more

Keywords: NIPAM gel dosimeter, organ motion, MRI

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228012

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 123-133, 2022

Authors: Huang, Hai-Hui | Liang, Yong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes chronic obstructive conditions, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, and is a major cause of death worldwide. Although several efforts for identifying biomarkers and pathways have been made, specific causal COPD mechanism remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study combined biological interaction data with gene expression data for a better understanding of the biological process and network module for COPD. METHODS: Using a sparse network-based method, we selected 49 genes from peripheral blood mononuclear cell expression data of 136 subjects, including 42 ex-smoking controls and 94 subjects with COPD. …RESULTS: These 49 genes might influence biological processes and molecular functions related to COPD. For example, our result suggests that FoxO signaling may contribute to the atrophy of COPD peripheral muscle tissues via oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our approach enhances the existing understanding of COPD disease pathogenesis and predicts new genetic markers and pathways that may influence COPD pathogenesis. Show more

Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, biomarkers, network-based

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228013

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 135-142, 2022

Authors: Wen, Hao | Yu, Wenjian | Wu, Yuanqing | Zhao, Jun | Liu, Xiaolong | Kuang, Zhexiang | Fan, Rong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is one of the most prevalent skin conditions, which harms not only the patients’ physiological conditions, but also their mental health. Early diagnosis and accurate continuous self-monitoring could help control and alleviate their discomfort. OBJECTIVE: We focus on the development and comparison of deep learning models for locating acne lesions on facial images, thus making estimations on the acne severity on faces via medical criterion. METHODS: Different from most existing literature on facial acne analysis, the considered models in this study are object detection models with convolutional neural network (CNN) …as backbone and has better interpretability. Thus, they produce more credible results of acne detection and facial acne severity evaluation. RESULTS: Experiments with real data validate the effectiveness of these models. The highest mean average precision (mAP) is 0.536 on an open source dataset. Corresponding error of acne lesion counting can be as low as 0.43 ± 6.65 on this dataset. CONCLUSIONS: The presented models have been released to public via deployed as a freely accessible WeChat applet service, which provides continuous out-of-hospital self-monitoring to patients. This also aids the dermatologists to track the progress of this disease and to assess the effectiveness of treatment. Show more

Keywords: Facial acne, convolutional neural network, object detection, interpretability, self-monitoring

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228014

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 143-153, 2022

Authors: Hu, Bing | Wang, Zhizhi | Xu, Minbo | Zhu, Luyao | Wang, Dingjiang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The mechanism of prevention and treatment of epilepsy is a hot issue in theoretical research. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we studied the control mechanism of the generalized spike-and-wave discharges (GSWD) by different types of external electrical stimulation acting on the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in a computational model. METHODS: Firstly, we analyzed the pathological mechanism of seizures, which were induced by different parameters in the thalamocortical (TC) circuit. Then, a voltage V was exerted in the STN. At last, we used the sine wave and square wave current stimulation in the STN. …RESULTS: We found that seizures can be inhibited by tuning stimulus intensity into suitable range, and the direction of adjustment depended on the size of the parameter. We observed that the seizure can also be inhibited by tuning different parameters in current. CONCLUSIONS: Different inhibition mechanisms can be explained in this model, which may provide theoretical evidences for selecting the optimal treatment scheme in the clinical. Show more

Keywords: Seizures, electrical stimulation, STN, inhibition

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228015

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 155-162, 2022

Authors: Wang, Shanshan | Zou, Xinyi | Zeng, Liang | Song, Junjie | Zhou, Liang | Ding, Mingyue | Yuchi, Ming

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) is a promising technique for improving the detection of breast cancer. Image quality of USCT has a major impact on the breast cancer diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: This paper investigates the combination of variational mode decomposition (VMD) and coherent factor method for USCT image quality enhancement. METHODS: The signals can be decomposed into multiple intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) sifting through the frequency by VMD method. Refactoring the remaining IMFs, spatio-temporally smoothed coherence factor (STSCF) beamforming method is applied to reconstructed data for USCT. RESULTS: The validation of …combination the VMD and STSCF is described through the breast phantom experiment and in vivo experiments. The evaluation indicators such as contrast ratio (CR), contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and signal to noise ratio (SNR) have been better improved in the experimental results. For the breast phantom, the proposed method gives a higher resolution and the better contrast properties for the hyperechoic cyst. The borders of cysts and tumors in the breast phantom can be distinguished clearly. For volunteer breast experiments, artifacts are removed more efficiently while the clutters are suppressed simultaneously. CONCLUSION: The combination of VMD and STSCF can further reduce the noise and suppress the side lobes. Show more

Keywords: Variational mode decomposition, ultrasound computer tomography, ring array

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228016

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 163-171, 2022

Authors: Zhou, Kuochen | Li, Wei | Zhao, Dazhe

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Breast cancer has long been one of the major global life-threatening illnesses among women. Surgery and adjuvant therapy, coupled with early detection, could save many lives. This underscores the importance of mammography, a cost-effective and accurate method for early detection. Due to the poor contrast, noise and artifacts which results in difficulty for radiologists to diagnose, Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems are hence developed. The extraction of breast region is a fundamental and crucial preparation step for further development of CAD systems. OBJECTIVE: The proposed method aims to extract breast region accurately from mammographic images where …noise is suppressed, contrast is enhanced and pectoral muscle region is removed. METHODS: This paper presents a new deep learning-based breast region extraction method that combines pre-processing methods containing noise suppression using median filter, contrast enhancement using CLAHE and semantic segmentation using Deeplab v3+ model. RESULTS: The method is trained and evaluated on mini-MIAS dataset. It has also been evaluated on INbreast dataset. The results outperform those generated by other recent researches and are indicative of the capacity of the model to retain its accuracy and runtime advantage across different databases with different image resolutions. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method shows state-of-the-art performance at extracting breast region from mammographic images. Wide range of evaluation on two commonly used mammography datasets proves the ability and adaptability of the method. Show more

Keywords: Breast cancer, mammography pre-processing, computer-aided diagnosis, region extraction, semantic segmentation, deep learning, fine-tuning

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228017

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 173-190, 2022

Authors: Chen, Xi | Wang, Yingying | Cai, Jiye | Wang, Shuang | Cheng, Zihao | Zhang, Zhengxu | Zhang, Chengyi

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: It has been found that baicalin have anti-inflammatory effects since it reduces the elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Meanwhile, it has also been shown that baicalin brings positive effects against rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, little is observed on its beneficial effects on adjuvant arthritis. OBJECTIVE: To consider the anti-inflammatory influence of baicalin on adjuvant arthritis rats and its related autophagy mechanism. METHODS: In this research, there are six groups of rats, each has 10 rats in it. These groups are normal group (normal saline), model group (normal saline), dexamethasone group (0.125 mg/kg …dexamethasone), low-dose baicalin group (50 mg/kg baicalin), medium-dose baicalin group (100 mg/kg baicalin) and high-dose baicalin group (200 mg/kg baicalin). The degrees of adjuvant-induced swelling in rats’ feet were measured every 4 days and the arthritis scores were calculated every 7 days. The inflamed joint tissues were taken after rats were sacrificed. The rat’ joints showed pathological changes, which were observed by HE staining. The relative expression levels of inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1, IL-17, TNF-α , COX2, and COX1 in the rats’ snovial tissues were detected by RT-PCR. As for the expression levels of autophagy markers Beclin1, Atg5, Atg7, Atg12, microtubule-associated protein-light chain3-II (LC3-II), Bcl-2, and Bax in the synovial tissue, they were discoverd by Western blot. RESULTS: Baicalin could significantly inhibit the inflammatory response of adjuvant arthritis rats. CONCLUSIONS: RT-PCR studies showed that the different doses of baicalin could inhibit the expression of TNF-a, IL-6, IL-1, IL-17, COX2 and COX1 in the synovial tissue (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Western blot studies showed that the different doses of baicalin could reduce the expression of Atg5, Atg7, Atg12, LC3-II, Beclin1 and Bcl-2 proteins, and increase the expression of Bax proteins in the synovial tissue. Show more

Keywords: Baicalin, rheumatoid arthritis, synovial fibroblasts, autophagy

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228018

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 191-200, 2022

Authors: Sun, Zheng | Zhang, Xiaoxue

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In endoscopic photoacoustic tomography (EPAT), the photoacoustically induced ultrasonic wave reflects at tissue boundaries due to the acoustic inhomogeneity of the imaged tissue, resulting in reflection artifacts (RAs) in the reconstructed images. OBJECTIVE: To suppress RAs in EPAT image reconstruction for improving the image quality. METHODS: A method was presented to render the cross-sectional images of the optical absorption with reduced RAs from acoustic measurements. The ideal photoacoustic signal was recovered from acoustic signals collected by the detector through solving a least square problem. Then, high-quality images of the optical absorption distribution …were reconstructed from the ideal signal. RESULTS: The results demonstrated the improvement in the quality of the images rendered by this method in comparison with the conventional back-projection (BP) reconstructions. Compared with the short lag spatial coherence (SLSC) method, the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), normalized mean square absolute distance (NMSAD), and structural similarity (SSIM) were improved by up to 8%, 20%, and 5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This method was capable of rendering images displaying the complex tissue types with reduced RAs and lower computational burden in comparison with previously developed methods. Show more

Keywords: Endoscopic photoacoustic tomography (EPAT), image reconstruction, reflection artifact, artifact suppression

DOI: 10.3233/THC-228019

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 30, no. S1, pp. 201-214, 2022