Technology and Health Care - Volume 32, issue 4

Authors: Luo, Linjie | Li, Ying | Zhang, Lin | Yang, Lijie

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), a prevalent form of lung cancer, is characterized by its high global mortality rate. Previous studies have demonstrated the significance of Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NME) in various cancers; however, the specific role of NME6 in LUAD remains inadequately understood. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to enhance our understanding of LUAD by investigating the expression level, epigenetic mechanism, signaling activities, and immune infiltrating characteristic immune cells of NME6 in patients. METHODS: The NME6 expression was explored between LUAD and normal tissue samples using GEPIA, UALCAN and HPA databases. The survival analysis …was performed by Kaplan-Meier plotter. The Shiny Methylation Analysis Resource Tool was employed to examine the methylation characteristics of NME6. The Tumor Immune Single-cell Hub (TISCH) and CIBERSORT algorithm were utilized to analyze immune infiltrating characteristic immune cells between NME6 high- and low-expression group in LUAD. RESULTS: According to GEPIA, UALCAN, and HPA databases, NME6 is highly expressed in LUAD compared to normal tissues. At the same time, elevated levels of NME6 were found to be significantly correlated with inferior overall survival outcomes in LUAD patients. Subsequently, the top 10 genes interacted with NME6 were mainly involved in seven pathways, such as p53 signaling pathway, glutathione metabolism, thiamine metabolism, metabolic pathways, and drug metabolism. Notably, NME6 methylation in LUAD samples was lower than in normal samples. The methylation of cg04625862 has a significant impact on the regulation of NME6 expression in LUAD. Furthermore, high NME6 expression in LUAD was associated with tumor stages and relative abundance of tumor infiltrating immune cells, such as Macrophage M2, activated mast cell, and neutrophil. Moreover, NME6 regulated the expression of m6A modification of genes related to LUAD, including METTL3, WTAP, RBM15B, METTL14, RBMX, VIRMA, YTHDC1, RBM15, ZC3H13, YTHDF1, YTHDC2, IGF2BP2, YTHDF3, HNRNPA2B1, YTHDF2, HNRNPC, FTO, and ALKBH5. CONCLUSION: The analysis showed that NME6 is a crucial prognostic factor for LUAD patients. NME6 regulates genes related to m6A modification and immune cells infiltration. Furthermore, NME6 could sever as a potential therapeutic target for LUAD. Show more

Keywords: Nucleoside diphosphate kinase 6, lung adenocarcinoma, DNA methylation, survival analysis, immune infiltration, m6A modification

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231058

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2277-2291, 2024

Authors: Li, Sujiao | Cai, Wenqian | Zhu, Pei | He, Wanying | Zheng, Jinyu | Fang, Fanfu | Yu, Hongliu

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation assessment is a critical component of rehabilitation treatment. OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on a comprehensive analysis of patients’ movement performance using the upper limb rehabilitation robot. It quantitatively assessed patients’ motor control ability and constructed an intelligent grading model of functional impairments. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of patients’ motor ability and provide valuable insights for personalized rehabilitation interventions. METHODS: Patients at different Brunnstrom stages underwent rehabilitation training using the upper limb rehabilitation robot, and data on the distal movement positions of the patients’ upper limbs were collected. A …total of 22 assessment metrics related to movement efficiency, smoothness, and accuracy were extracted. The performance of these assessment metrics was measured using the Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson correlation analysis. Due to the issue of imbalanced sample categories, data augmentation was performed using the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) algorithm based on weighted sampling, and an intelligent grading model of functional impairment based on the Extreme Gradient Boosting Tree (XGBoost) algorithm was constructed. RESULTS: Sixteen assessment metrics were screened. These metrics were effectively normalized to their maximum values, enabling the derivation of quantitative assessment scores for motor control ability across the three dimensions through a weighted fusion approach. Notably, when applied to the data-enhanced dataset, the intelligent grading model exhibited remarkable improvement, achieving an accuracy rate exceeding 0.98. Moreover, significant enhancements were observed in terms of precision, recall, and f1-score. CONCLUSION: The research findings demonstrate that this study enables the quantitative assessment of patients’ motor control ability and intelligent grading of functional impairments, thereby contributing to the efficiency enhancement of clinical rehabilitation assessment. Moreover, this method resolves the issues associated with the subjectivity and prolonged periods of traditional rehabilitation assessment methods. Show more

Keywords: Stroke, robotic rehabilitation, kinematic parameters, intelligent assessment, Brunnstrom stages

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231076

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2293-2306, 2024

Authors: Liu, Yining | Xu, Liming | Fang, Qiongyan | Rong, Hui | Zheng, Huaiyu

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Danshen Chuanxiong Injection (DCI) has demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of acute pancreatitis (AP); however, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects remain incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we employed network pharmacology analysis to comprehensively investigate the active components, potential targets, and signaling pathways involved in DCI-mediated treatment of AP. METHODS: We utilized the mouse pancreatic acinar cell line 266-6 to establish an cholecystokinin (CCK)-induced AP cell injury model and evaluated cell viability using the Cell counting kit-8 assay. Western blotting and quantitative PCR were employed to determine …the expression levels of key target proteins and genes. RESULTS: Network pharmacology analysis identified a total of 144 active components and 430 potential targets within DCI. By integrating data from public databases, we identified 762 AP-related genes. Among these, we identified 93 potential targets that may be involved in the therapeutic effects of DCI for AP. These targets were significantly enriched in biological processes such as oxidative stress, regulation of cytokine production, leukocyte migration, and the TNF signaling pathway. Molecular docking studies revealed a high binding affinity between the active components and the key targets AKT1 and NFKBA, indicative of potential interaction. Additionally, CCK-induced acinar cell injury led to upregulation of AKT1, NFKBA, and P53 proteins, as well as TNF, IL6, and MMP9 genes. Conversely, treatment with DCI dose-dependently attenuated CCK-induced acinar cell injury and restored the expression levels of the aforementioned proteins and genes. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of DCI in the treatment of AP. Our findings confirm the protective effect of DCI against CCK-induced acinar cell injury and its regulation of key targets. Show more

Keywords: Danshen Chuanxiongqin injection, acute pancreatitis, network pharmacology, acinar cells, molecular docking

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231086

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2307-2320, 2024

Authors: Fajkić, Almir | Jahić, Rijad | Begić, Edin | Dervišević, Amela | Kurtović, Avdo | Lepara, Orhan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of comorbidities related to regulating hyperglycemia and acute cardiovascular incidents and complications. With the increasing prevalence in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), MetS represents an increasing public health problem and clinical challenge, and early diagnosis is necessary to avoid the accelerated development of diabetic complications. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of Complete Blood Count-derived Inflammation Indexes (CBCIIs) in predicting MetS in T2DM individuals. METHODS: The study was designed as a two-year prospective study and included 80 T2DM individuals divided into MetS and non-MetS groups …based on MetS development over two years. The sera samples were analyzed for complete blood count parameters and C-reactive protein (CRP). Based on the laboratory test results, 13 CBCIIs were calculated and analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and their corresponding areas under the curve (AUC) were used to determine prognostic accuracy. RESULTS: There were significant differences between T2DM participants with Mets and those without MetS concerning Neutrophil to Platelet Ratio (NPR) values (p < 0.001), Neutrophil to Lymphocyte and Platelet Ratio (NLPR) (p < 0.001), Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) (p < 0.001), Lymphocyte to C-reactive protein Ratio (LCR) (p < 0.001), C-reactive protein to Lymphocyte Ratio (CRP/Ly) (p < 0.001), Systemic immune inflammation index (SII) (< 0.001), and Aggregate Index of Systemic Inflammation (AISI) (p = 0.005). The results of ROC curve analysis have shown that the LCR (AUC of 0.907), CRP/Ly (AUC of 0.907) can serve as excellent predictors, but NPR (AUC of 0.734), NLRP (AUC of 0.755), PLR (AUC of 0.823), SII (AUC of 0.745), and AISI (AUC of 0.688) as good predictors of MetS in T2 DM individuals. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the reliability of the CBCIIs as novel, simple, low cost and valuable predictors of MetS developing in T2DM. Show more

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, complete blood count-derived inflammation indexes

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231101

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2321-2330, 2024

Authors: Yuan, Zheng | Zhao, Wei | You, Yali | Wu, Wenbo | Duan, Guochen

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumours that threaten human health globally. Radical resection under thoracoscopic guidance has been accepted as the major therapeutic option for treating lung cancer clinically. However, the procedure still has some adverse impacts on the comfort of patients following thoracoscopic surgery. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the reliability and validity of the postoperative comfort scale for patients with lung cancer undergoing endoscopic surgery and to evaluate patient comfort. METHODS: With 210 patients with lung cancer undergoing endoscopic surgery as the participants, this study was performed to …assess the reliability and validity of the postoperative comfort scale for patients with lung cancer undergoing endoscopic surgery, with the assessment performed by eight experts. RESULTS: The postoperative comfort scale included 28 items and consisted of four dimensions (physiological, psychological, socio-cultural and environmental). The total Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.851, and the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.875. Meanwhile, the content validity index (CVI) was 0.875∼ 1, and the scale-level average CVI was 0.99. The Chi-square/degree-of-freedom ratio of construct validity was 2.844, suggesting a good model-fitting. Furthermore, the overall average score of patient comfort was 3.72 ± 0.57, with scores ranging between 3.59 ± 0.71 and 3.83 ± 1.06 across all four dimensions, with the lowest score in the physiological dimension. CONCLUSION: The postoperative comfort scale has good reliability and validity and can be applied for the postoperative comfort assessment of patients undergoing endoscopic surgery for lung cancer. Overall, the degree of patient comfort in this assessment was moderate, meaning targeted measures may be required to further improve patient comfort, especially in the physiological dimension. Show more

Keywords: Lung cancer, patients after endoscopic surgery, comfort assessment scale, reliability, validity, comfort evaluation

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231102

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2331-2343, 2024

Authors: Yu, Cai-Cha | Jiao, Yan | Wang, Jia-Jia | Zhao, Xiao-Si | Chen, Lei

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Endometrial receptivity is crucial for the establishment of a healthy pregnancy outcome. Previous research on endometrial receptivity primarily examined endometrial thickness, endometrial echo types, and endometrial blood supply. OBJECTIVE: To explore the differences in the elastic modulus of the endometrium in women with various pregnancy outcomes by real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) and to investigate its application value in evaluation of endometrial receptivity. METHODS: A total of 205 pregnant women who were admitted at Wenzhou People’s Hospital between January 2021 and December 2022 were selected. Three-dimensional transvaginal sonography and real-time shear wave …elastography were performed in the proliferative phase and receptive phase of the endometrium, and the average elastic modulus of the endometrium in the two phases was obtained and compared. According to whether the pregnancy was successful or not, the participants were divided into the pregnancy group (n = 72) and non-pregnancy group (n = 133), and the differences in intimal thickness, 3D blood flow parameters, and average elastic modulus of intima were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The average elastic modulus of the endometrium in the proliferative phase and receptive phase was (23.92 ± 2.31) kPa and (11.82 ± 2.24) kPa, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant P < 0.05. The average elastic modulus of the endometrium in the pregnancy group and non-pregnancy group was (9.97 ± 1.08) kPa and (12.82 ± 2.06) kPa, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant P < 0.05. The area under the curve of predicting pregnancy by the average elastic modulus of the endometrium in the receptive phase was 0.888 (0.841∼ 0.934), with corresponding P value < 0.05. The critical value was 11.15, with a corresponding sensitivity of 81.7% and specificity of 78.2%. CONCLUSION: Real-time shear wave elastography can quantitatively evaluate endometrial elasticity, indirectly reflect the endometrial phase, and provide a new diagnostic concept for evaluating endometrial receptivity and predicting pregnancy outcome in infertile patients. Show more

Keywords: Elastic modulus value, endometrial receptivity, real-time shear wave elastography

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231106

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2345-2352, 2024

Authors: Miao, Zhuang | Yu, Xinyue | Zhang, Lizhen | Zhu, Liqiao | Sheng, Huagang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: As a traditional digestive medicine, stir-fried Raphani Semen (SRS) has been used to treat food retention for thousands of years in China. Modern research has shown that SRS has a good therapeutic effect on functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the active components and mechanism of SRS in the treatment of FD are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to elucidate the material basis and mechanism of SRS for treating FD based on UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking. METHODS: The compounds of SRS water decoction were …identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS and the potential targets of these compounds were predicted by Swiss Target Prediction. FD-associated targets were collected from disease databases. The overlapped targets of SRS and FD were imported into STRING to construct Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network. Then, the Metascape was used to analyze Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway after introducing overlapped targets. Finally, the active components and core targets were obtained by analyzing the “component-target-pathway” network, and the affinity between them was verified by molecular docking. RESULTS: 53 components were identified, and 405 targets and 1487 FD-related targets were collected. GO and KEGG analysis of 174 overlapped targets showed that SRS had important effects on hormone levels, serotonin synapses, calcium signaling pathway and cAMP signaling pathway. 7 active components and 15 core targets were screened after analyzing the composite network. Molecular docking results showed that multiple active components had high affinity with most core targets. CONCLUSION: SRS can treat FD through a variety of pathways, which provides a direction for the modern application of SRS in FD treatment. Show more

Keywords: Network pharmacology, stir-fried Raphani Semen, functional dyspepsia, UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS, mechanism, molecular docking

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231122

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2353-2379, 2024

Authors: Wang, Qiuyang | An, Peng | Song, Lina | Liu, Junjie | Liu, Jisheng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NC) is one of the prevalent malignancies of the head and neck region with poor prognosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to establish a predictive model for assessing NC prognosis based on clinical and MR radiomics data, subsequently to develop a nomogram for practical application. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical and imaging data collected between May 2010 and August 2018, involving 211 patients diagnosed with histologically confirmed NC who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy or radical surgery in Xiangyang No. 1 People’s Hospital. According to 5–10 years of …follow-up results, the patients were divided into two groups: the study group (n = 76), which experienced recurrence, metastasis, or death, and the control group (n = 135), characterized by normal survival. Training and testing subsets were established at a 7:3 ratio, with a predefined time cutoff. In the training set, three prediction models were established: a clinical data model, an imaging model, and a combined model using the integrated variation in clinical characteristics along with MR radiomics parameters (Delta-Radscore) observed before and after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Model performance was compared using Delong’s test, and net clinical benefit was assessed via decision curve analysis (DCA). Then, external validation was conducted on the test set, and finally a nomogram predicting NC prognosis was created. RESULTS: Univariate analysis identified that the risk factors impacting the prognosis of NC included gender, pathological type, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), degree of tumor differentiation, MR enhancement pattern, and Delta-Radscore (P < 0.05). The combined model established based on the abovementioned factors exhibited significantly higher predictive performance [AUC: 0.874, 95% CI (0.810–0.923)] than that of the clinical data model [AUC: 0.650, 95% CI (0.568–0.727)] and imaging model [AUC: 0.824, 95% CI (0.753–0.882)]. DCA also demonstrated superior clinical net benefit in the combined model, a finding further verified by results from the test set. The developed nomogram, based on the combined model, exhibited promising performance in clinical applications. CONCLUSION: The Delta-Radscore derived from MR radiomics data before and after concurrent chemoradiotherapy helps enhance the performance of the NC prognostic model. The combined model and resultant nomogram provide valuable support for clinical decision-making in NC treatment, ultimately contributing to an improved survival rate. Show more

Keywords: Delta radiomics, nasopharyngeal cancer, predictive models, nomogram, decision curves, magnetic resonance imaging (MR)

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231173

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2381-2394, 2024

Authors: Al Ahmari, Nasser M. | Alshehri, Abdulkarim H. | Gadah, Thrya S. | Alqahtani, Jaber A. | Almushafi, Mohammed A. | Al Moaleem, Mohammed M. | Al Hatlan, Ebtisam N. | Alqhatani, Aliya S. | Alabydi, Shahad M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Endocrowns (ECs) are alternatives for rebuilding severely damaged teeth and show superior efficacy in molars over premolars. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this in vitro study is to evaluate the effects of different preparation designs with short pulp chambers on the mean color change (Δ ⁢ E ), fracture resistance, and failure types of mandibular molar ECs. METHOD: A total of 40 extracted mandibular molars were treated endodontically and divided into four groups. Samples in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 had occlusal preparation depths of 5 mm, 3 …mm, 3 mm with ferrule, and 3 mm with boxes, respectively. The samples were immersed in coffee and their Δ ⁢ E values were measured by using the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage color system. They were also subjected to a fracture test. Next, all specimens were examined visually under a stereomicroscope to evaluate their failure modes and identify their fracture origins. Data were entered and analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. RESULTS: Among all groups, group 4 (3 mm + boxes) presented the highest Δ ⁢ E (4.15) after immersion in coffee. Moreover, ANOVA revealed that the Δ ⁢ E of group 4 (occlusal preparation depth of 3 mm with boxes) was significantly different (p < 0.05) from that of group 2 (3 mm + ferrule, 3.07). The EC with a 3 mm chamfer and ferrule showed the highest maximum load of 2847.68 ± 693.27 N, whereas that with a 5 mm chamfer finish line had a marginally reduced load at fracture of 2831.52 ± 881.83 N. The EC with a 3 mm chamber and boxes had a slightly increased maximum load of 2700.75 ± 436.40 N, whereas that with the 3 mm chamber had the lowest maximum load at fracture of 2385.97 ± 465.61 N. One-way ANOVA showed that different EC preparation designs had no effect on maximum fracture load (F [3,16] = 0.550, p = 0.6). CONCLUSION: The recorded Δ ⁢ E values of ECs in all groups were equal or marginally higher than the acceptable values. The EC with a 3 mm chamfer and ferrule displayed the highest mean maximum load. The EC with a 5 mm chamfer finish line had a marginally lower maximum load at fracture than other ECs. Failures, such as ceramic fracture, split fracture, and ceramic and tooth splitting above the cemento–enamel junction (CEJ) or vertically were predominant in samples with occlusal preparation depths of 3 mm with ferrule and 5 mm. Show more

Keywords: Endocrown, color measurement, fracture strength, failure type, endocrown design

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231175

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2395-2408, 2024

Authors: Alhussaini, Khalid | Aleid, Adham | Alsadon, Omar | Aldohbeyb, Ahmed A. | Aljelaifie, Rakan | Javed, Ravish

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Adequate equipment maintenance is necessary to ensure efficient dental care facilities and satisfactory medical equipment performance. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess maintenance practices and manpower adequacy in private dental centres (DCs) across Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A questionnaire was designed to evaluate equipment maintenance and manpower strength based on international and national standards. Thirty-three private DCs were visited in-person with the designed questionnaire to conduct the study. The Chi-square test and t -test were performed. RESULTS: Only 21 dental centres had a scheduled maintenance plan for …medical equipment, whereas the rest had no plan. Furthermore, only 22 DCs maintained equipment maintenance records, while 11 DCs did not have any records. Additionally, the study found a lack of trained personnel to handle medical equipment and overall inadequate maintenance practices. Significant differences were observed between the responses for many questions (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings increase health risks to both the patient and the user. To address these issues, DC administrators should implement stricter measures to adhere to local DCs standards and hire qualified personnel who can periodically maintain and repair medical equipment. Show more

Keywords: Medical devices, equipment readiness, patient safety, healthcare, manpower requirement, private dental center

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231177

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2409-2419, 2024

Authors: Zhou, Xuan | Li, Zhen-Fei | Guo, Xuan-Zhu | Wei, Qiao | Niu, Ya-Nan | Li, Meng | Xia, Jia-Ning | Chen, Li-Ping

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The first-line treatment for cervical dystonia (CD) consists of repeated intramuscular injections of botulinum toxin (BoNT). However, the efficacy in some patients may be unsatisfactory and they may discontinue treatment. OBJECTIVE: To examine the factors associated with the maximum rate of remission in patients with CD after initial botulinum neurotoxin type A (or botulinum toxin type A abbreviated as BTX-A or BoNT-A) treatment. METHODS: Patients with CD who received BoNT-A injections were evaluated using the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) and the Tsui scale, with follow-up endpoints lasting until the …start of the second injection. Patients who did not receive a second injection of BoNT-A were followed up for at least 5 months. The maximum remission rates were determined using the lowest Tsui and TWSTRS total scores during the follow-up period. We obtained basic information about these patients such as age, gender, duration of disease, presence of additional disease, types of torticollis, presence of anxiety, depression, tremors, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) findings, injected dose, and so on from their medical records. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients with CD participated in this study, with males comprising 35.7% (25 individuals) with an average age of 45 ± 14 years old. The duration of disease was an independent risk factor for determining whether a complete remission has been attained using the Tsui scale (odds ratio [OR] = 0.978, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.959–0.997, P = 0.026). The optimal cut-off point for predicting patients who were unable to achieve complete remission based on duration of disease was 7.5 months (AUG = 0.711). Patients with CD with additional disease had greater difficulty achieving complete remission than those with CD alone based on TWSTRS assessments (P = 0.049). During the study, approximately 17% of all participants reported experiencing adverse reactions that lasted between 1 to 3 weeks before disappearing. CONCLUSION: BoNT is an effective and safe method for treating CD. The maximum remission rates of patients after their first injections are influenced by the duration of their disease. Thus, treatment using BoNT injections must be administered as soon as possible. Show more

Keywords: Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), cervical dystonia, efficacy, maximum remission rate, spasmodic torticollis

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231182

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2421-2430, 2024

Authors: Darshan, B.S. Dhruva | Sampathila, Niranjana | Bairy, Muralidhar G. | Belurkar, Sushma | Prabhu, Srikanth | Chadaga, Krishnaraj

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Anaemia is a commonly known blood illness worldwide. Red blood cell (RBC) count or oxygen carrying capability being insufficient are two ways to describe anaemia. This disorder has an impact on the quality of life. If anaemia is detected in the initial stage, appropriate care can be taken to prevent further harm. OBJECTIVE: This study proposes a machine learning approach to identify anaemia from clinical markers, which will help further in clinical practice. METHODS: The models are designed with a dataset of 364 samples and 12 blood test attributes. The developed algorithm …is expected to provide decision support to the clinicians based on blood markers. Each model is trained and validated on several performance metrics. RESULTS: The accuracy obtained by the random forest, K nearest neighbour, support vector machine, Naive Bayes, xgboost, and catboost are 97%, 98%, 95%, 95%, 98% and 97% respectively. Four explainers such as Shapley Additive Values (SHAP), QLattice, Eli5 and local interpretable model-agnostic explanations (LIME) are explored for interpreting the model predictions. CONCLUSION: The study provides insights into the potential of machine learning algorithms for classification and may help in the development of automated and accurate diagnostic tools for anaemia. Show more

Keywords: Clinical markers, decision support, explainable artificial intelligence, machine learning

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231207

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2431-2444, 2024

Authors: Feng, Ruigang | Huang, Wenwen | Liu, Bowen | Li, Dan | Zhao, Jinlai | Yu, Yue | Cao, Xuchen | Wang, Xin

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The effective treatment of breast cancer in elderly patients remains a major challenge. OBJECTIVE: To construct a nomogram affecting the overall survival of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and establish a survival risk prediction model. METHODS: A total of 5317 TPBC patients with negative expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) who were diagnosed and received systematic treatment from 2010 to 2015 were collected from the American Cancer Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. They were randomly divided into training set (n = …3721) and validation set (n = 1596). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to identify prognostic features, and a nomogram was established to predict the probability of 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS and BCSS. We used consistency index (C-index), calibration curve, area under the curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the predictive performance and clinical utility of the nomogram. RESULTS: The C-indices of the nomograms for OS and BCSS in the training cohort were 0.797 and 0.825, respectively, whereas those in the validation cohort were 0.795 and 0.818, respectively. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves had higher sensitivity at all specificity values as compared with the Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) system. The calibration plot revealed a satisfactory relationship between survival rates and predicted outcomes in both the training and validation cohorts. DCA demonstrated that the nomogram had clinical utility when compared with the TNM staging system. CONCLUSION: This study provides information on population-based clinical characteristics and prognostic factors for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, and constructs a reliable and accurate prognostic nomogram. Show more

Keywords: Triple negative breast cancer, nomogram, overall survival, breast cancer-specific survival, SEER database

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231240

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2445-2461, 2024

Authors: Mu, Shangdong | Tian, Qiusi | Shen, Liangyu

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Nucleolar protein 16 (NOP16) is present in the protein complex of the nucleolus. The NOP16 promoter contains a c-Myc binding site, and the transcriptional regulation by c-Myc directly regulates NOP16 expression levels. OBJECTIVE: Dysregulation of NOP 16 is currently reported in only a small number of cancers. In this study, the expression profile of NOP 16 in hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and its clinical significance were analyzed. METHODS: NOP16 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and its relationship with the clinical characters of LIHC were examined using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the Gene …Expression comprehensive database (GEO), Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, univariate Cox analysis, multivariate Cox analysis, ROC curve analysis of KEGG enrichment, GSEA enrichment, in vitro experiments (e.g., siRNA interference of NOP16 expression in hepatoma cells, Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, cell cycle, cell apoptosis and Transwell assays), and LIHC single-cell sequencing (scRNA). RESULTS: Pan-cancer analysis revealed that NOP16 was highly expressed in 20 cancer types, including LIHC, and high NOP16 expression was an independent adverse prognostic factor in LIHC patients. The expression levels of NOP16 mRNA and protein were significantly increased in tumour tissues of LIHC patients compared to normal tissues. The functions of co-expressed genes were primarily enriched in the cell cycle and reactive oxygen species metabolism. The experimental results showed that knockdown of NOP16 activated the Keap/Nrf2 signalling pathway and inhibited the invasion, migration, and EMT progression of LIHC cells. LIHC scRNA-seq data showed that NOP16 was primarily expressed in T lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS: NOP16 promoted cancer development in LIHC and caused an imbalance in Keap/Nrf2 signalling, which subsequently caused the aberrant expression of genes typical for EMT, cell cycle progression and apoptosis. NOP16 is a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Show more

Keywords: NOP16, Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, hepatic cell liver cancer, bioinformatics

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231256

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2463-2483, 2024

Authors: Wang, Zhen | Zhu, Darong | Hu, Guangzhu | Shi, Xiaobei

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The study of coronary artery calcification (CAC) may assist in identifying additional coronary artery problem protective factors. On the contrary side, due to the wide variety of CAC as individuals, CAC research is difficult. Due to this, evaluating data for investigation is becoming complicated. OBJECTIVE: To use a multi-layer perceptron, we investigated the accuracy and reliability of synthetic CAC coursework or hazard classification in pre or alors chest computerized tomography (CT) of arrangements resolutions in this analysis. method: Photographs of the chest from similar individuals as well as calcium-just and non-gated pictures …were incorporated. This cut thickness ordered CT pictures (bunch A: 1 mm; bunch B: 3 mm). The CAC rating was determined utilizing calcification score picture information, and became standard for tests. While the control treatment’s machine learning program was created using 170 computed tomography pictures and evaluated using 144 scans, group A’s machine learning algorithm was created using 150 chest CT diagnostic tests. RESULTS: 334 external related pictures (100 μ m: 117; 0.5 mm x: 117) of 117 individuals and 612 inside design organizing (1 mm: 294; mm3: 314) of 406 patients were surveyed. Pack B had 0.94, however, tests An and b had 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85–0.93) ICCs between significant learning and gold expenses (0.92–0.96). Dull Altman plots agreed well. A machine teaching approach successfully identified 71% of cases in category A is 81% of patients in section B again for cardiac risk class. CONCLUSION: Regression risk evaluation algorithms could assist in categorizing cardiorespiratory individuals into distinct risk groups and conveniently personalize the treatments to the patient’s circumstances. The models would be based on information gathered through CAC. On both 1 and 3-mm scanners, the automatic determination of a CAC value and cardiovascular events categorization that used a depth teaching approach was reliable and precise. The layer thickness of 0.5 mm on chest CT was slightly less accurate in CAC detection and risk evaluation. Show more

Keywords: Coronary artery calcification (CAC), CT images, CT diagnostic tests, artificial neural network, calcification score image data

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231273

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2485-2507, 2024

Authors: Lu, Cancan | Shi, Jimin | Tan, Yamin | Hu, Huixian

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is no specificity in the clinical presentation of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). OBJECTIVE: To study some clinical, etiological, and prognostic features of HLH to improve the clinical understanding of the disease. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 125 patients with HLH admitted to our hospital from June 2015 to August 2021, including clinical characteristics, laboratory indicators, and survival period. Statistical analysis was performed from the overall group of study indicators, which included population, children, and adults. RESULTS: In the whole population, sex, age, blood myoglobin, and NK …cell ratio of M-HLH and non-M-HLH patients (P < 0.05), serum albumin, and direct bilirubin were independent correlates of M-HLH. In the pediatric group, age and the proportion of NK cells were significantly different between M-HLH and non-M-HLH patients (P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that all factors were not significantly associated with M-HLH. The associated regression analysis showed that all factors were not significantly associated with M-HLH. ROC curve analysis showed that the best predictive value of NK cell percentage for M-HLH diagnosis in the overall population was 4.96% in the pediatric group and 4.96% in the adult group. The best predictive value for M-HLH diagnosis was 2.08%. The univariate analysis showed that platelet count, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, serum albumin, direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin affected prognosis; COX regression showed that none of these factors had a significant relationship. The overall median survival time was 20.7 months in the adult group, 44.3 months in non-M-HLH patients, and 7.73 months in M-HLH patients (p = 0.011); univariate analysis showed that platelet count and serum albumin level affected prognosis; COX regression results in serum albumin level was an independent risk factor for prognosis. CONCLUSION: The survival rate of non-M-HLH was significantly better than that of M-HLH; the proportion of NK cells had predictive value for the diagnosis of M-HLH; in the general population, non-M-HLH was more likely to have abnormal liver function than M-HLH: lower platelet count and serum albumin level were associated with poor prognosis, and the lower the platelet count and serum albumin level, the worse the prognosis: in addition, adults with lower serum albumin levels are also associated with poor prognosis. Show more

Keywords: HLH, EB virus infection, inclusion criteria, diagnostic criteria, demographics

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231275

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2509-2526, 2024

Authors: Siegel, Danielle N. | Ogle, Melissa M. | Wilson, Christopher | Scholes, Olivia | Prow, Abby | Mannen, Erin M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Rolling is an important developmental milestone for infants where identifying the coordinated movement patterns could facilitate the early identification of motor development delays. Current methods for identifying coordinated movements of rolling are limited to a laboratory setting and not feasible for clinicians. OBJECTIVE: To develop video-based methods in which six coordinated movements, previously defined through motion capture, can be identified through video alone. METHODS: Forty-five videos of sixteen healthy infants achieving a roll were used to develop the video-based methodology and twenty-four videos had corresponding motion capture data used for validation. Four raters …comprised of researchers and a clinician identified rolling coordination using the new video-based methods. A Fleiss’ Kappa statistical test determined the inter- and intra-rater reliability of agreement for the new methodology and compared it to motion capture. RESULTS: The comparison of the motion capture and video-based methods resulted in substantial agreement. The video-based methods inter- and intra-rater reliability were substantial and almost perfect, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We developed reliable methodology to accurately identify the coordinated movements of infant rolling using only 2D video. This methodology will allow researchers to reliably define coordinated movements of infants through video alone and may assist clinicians in identifying possible motor development delays and disorders. Show more

Keywords: Motor development, kinematics, milestones, biomechanics, experimental design

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231281

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2527-2539, 2024

Authors: Lv, Chen | Guo, Qian | Peng, Shuang-Shuang | Chen, Xiao-Feng | Liu, Su-Fang | Wang, Xiu-Hua

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The implementation of the rotation system in the Chinese medical industry has achieved significant results. OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to 1) explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of rotational nursing department implementation and 2) provide references for developing nursing staff’s competencies in leadership, performance evaluation, quality of care, communication in relationships and human resources. METHODS: A total of 16 rotational nursing department staff members from a tertiary tuberculosis specialist hospital in Beijing were interviewed, and the interview data were analysed using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis and class …analysis. RESULTS: The advantages of the rotational nursing department included: (1) stimulating the nursing staff’s enthusiasm and creativity; (2) strengthening the communication and collaboration between departments; (3) improving the detailed management of nursing quality; and (4) enhancing the nursing staff’s comprehensive abilities. The disadvantages included: (1) the design of the rotation programme focusing on practice; (2) a lack of personalisation; and (3) imperfect performance assessment of the rotating staff. Opportunities included: (1) deepening the connotation of nursing job management and (2) developing the construction of nursing discipline and the need for personal career development and value realisation. Threats included the lack of a sound rotation management model to draw on. CONCLUSION: A rotational nursing department is conducive to enhancing the competence of nursing staff in management positions and providing new ideas for hospitals to select and train nursing management talents. By taking full advantage of the benefits of vertical nursing management, designing personalised rotation training programmes, building a diversified learning and training platform and developing a positive performance incentive mechanism is recommended to fully engage the role of rotation in nursing management talent training. Show more

Keywords: Job rotation training, post competency, SWOT analysis, nursing management

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231282

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2541-2552, 2024

Authors: Tomasevic, Smiljana | Anic, Milos | Arsic, Branko | Gakovic, Branko | Filipovic, Nenad | Djukic, Tijana

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Ultrasound is one of the non-invasive techniques that are used in clinical diagnostics of carotid artery disease. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents software methodology that can be used in combination with this imaging technique to provide additional information about the state of patient-specific artery. METHODS: Overall three modules are combined within the proposed methodology. A clinical dataset is used within the deep learning module to extract the contours of the carotid artery. This data is then used within the second module to perform the three-dimensional reconstruction of the geometry of the carotid bifurcation …and ultimately this geometry is used within the third module, where the hemodynamic analysis is performed. The obtained distributions of hemodynamic quantities enable a more detailed analysis of the blood flow and state of the arterial wall and could be useful to predict further progress of present abnormalities in the carotid bifurcation. RESULTS: The performance of the deep learning module was demonstrated through the high values of relevant common classification metric parameters. Also, the accuracy of the proposed methodology was shown through the validation of results for the reconstructed parameters against the clinically measured values. CONCLUSION: The presented methodology could be used in combination with standard clinical ultrasound examination to quickly provide additional quantitative and qualitative information about the state of the patient’s carotid bifurcation and thus ensure a treatment that is more adapted to the specific patient. Show more

Keywords: Convolutional neural networks, 3D reconstruction, blood flow, patient-specific geometry, validation against clinical data

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231306

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2553-2574, 2024

Authors: Farid, Farzaneh | Haider, Julfikar | Shahab, Marjan Sadeghpour | Rezaeikalantari, Nika

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: For placement of intraradicular posts the intracanal filling material has to be removed. If drills are employed for this purpose, extra widening of the canal, incomplete cracks or root perforation are probable when inappropriate size of drill is used. OBJECTIVE: This in vitro study assessed the efficacy of radiographs taken after completion of root canal therapy in selecting the appropriate-sized Peeso reamer for post space preparation. METHODS: Canals of 53 extracted maxillary and mandibular teeth of different types were cleaned and shaped. Then with acrylic resin 3-dimensional model of the intracanal …space of each tooth was fabricated. Next, all canals were filled with gutta-percha and teeth were radiographed buccolingually. Based on these radiographs two observers selected a Peeso reamer that best matched each canal’s diameter. The diameter of the selected Peeso reamer was compared to the diameter of the corresponding resin model of each canal by two independent observers and the difference was measured. The data were analyzed by paired sample t -test using SPSS version 22. RESULTS: The diameter of the selected Peeso reamers ranged from 0.21 mm smaller to 0.12 mm larger than the diameter of intracanal spaces. The difference between reamer and resin model was less than 0.1 mm in 75% of the cases. CONCLUSION: The result of this study suggests that post-operation endodontic radiographs are reliable means for selecting a size of Peeso reamer that does not encroach on dentinal wall during removal of intracanal filling material and post space preparation. Show more

Keywords: Root canal therapy, periapical radiographs, peeso reamer, post space preparation

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231410

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2575-2583, 2024

Authors: Dedić, Mirza | Omeragić, Elma | Imamović, Belma | Bilajac, Esma | Mahmutović, Lejla | Glamočlija, Una | Bečić, Ervina

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Preclinical drug testing requires in vitro and in vivo assessments that are vital for studying drug pharmacokinetics and toxicity. Distinct factors that play an important role in drug screening, such as hydrophobicity, solubility of the substance and serum protein binding can be challenging by inducing result inconsistencies. Hence, establishing accurate methods to quantify drug concentrations in cell cultures becomes pivotal for reliable and reproducible results important for in vivo dosing predictions. OBJECTIVE: This research focuses on developing an optimized analytical approach via high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine thymoquinone (TQ) levels in …monolayer cell cultures. METHODS: The method’s validation adheres to the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guideline M10, ensuring its acceptance and applicability. Using an HPLC system with a Diode Array Detector (DAD), the study fine-tuned various parameters to achieve an efficient separation of TQ. Validation covered specificity, sensitivity, matrix effects, linearity, precision, and accuracy, alongside assessing TQ stability in RPMI-1640 medium. RESULTS: The HPLC method exhibited remarkable TQ specificity, free from interfering peaks at the analyte retention. Sensitivity analysis at the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) revealed 5.68% %CV and 98.37% % mean accuracy. Matrix effect evaluation showcased accuracy within 85–115%. Linearity spanned in the concentration range of 2–10 μ M with a correlation coefficient (r 2 ) of 0.9993. Precision and accuracy were aligned with acceptance criteria. The proposed method was found to be greener in terms of usage of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals and solvents, corrosive samples, and waste production. CONCLUSION: The developed HPLC-DAD method emerges as specific, accurate, sensitive, and reliable for TQ determination in cell cultures. It ensures robust TQ quantification, enhancing precise in vitro assessments and dependable dosing predictions for in vivo studies. Further research is advocated to investigate TQ’s stability across diverse environmental conditions. Show more

Keywords: Method validation, RPMI-1640, thymoquinone concentration determination

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231432

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2585-2598, 2024

Authors: Zhou, Hongtao | Daud, D. Maryama Binti Ag

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Sports have been a fundamental component of any culture and legacy for centuries. Athletes are widely regarded as a source of national pride, and their physical well-being is deemed to be of paramount significance. The attainment of optimal performance and injury prevention in athletes is contingent upon physical fitness. Technology integration has implemented Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) to augment the athletic training milieu. OBJECTIVE: The present study introduces an approach for assessing athlete physical fitness in training environments: the Internet of Things (IoT) and CPS-based Physical Fitness Evaluation Method (IoT-CPS-PFEM). METHODS: The IoT-CPS-PFEM …employs a range of IoT-connected sensors and devices to observe and assess the physical fitness of athletes. The proposed methodology gathers information on diverse fitness parameters, including heart rate, body temperature, and oxygen saturation. It employs machine learning algorithms to scrutinize and furnish feedback on the athlete’s physical fitness status. RESULTS: The simulation findings illustrate the efficacy of the proposed IoT-CPS-PFEM in identifying the physical fitness levels of athletes, with an average precision of 93%. The method under consideration aims to tackle the existing obstacles of conventional physical fitness assessment techniques, including imprecisions, time lags, and manual data-gathering requirements. The approach of IoT-CPS-PFEM provides the benefits of real-time monitoring, precision, and automation, thereby enhancing an athlete’s physical fitness and overall performance to a considerable extent. CONCLUSION: The research findings suggest that the implementation of IoT-CPS-PFEM can significantly impact the physical fitness of athletes and enhance the performance of the Indian sports industry in global competitions. Show more

Keywords: Athlete physical fitness, sports training, cyber-physical systems, internet of things, performance optimization

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231435

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2599-2618, 2024

Authors: Li, Yang | Chen, Qianxi | Zhu, Tao | Lu, Shaohuan | Liang, Canhua | Wang, Guangzhao | Wu, Xuefeng | Meng, Guangyi

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: How to comprehensively evaluate the rationality of drug use is a challenging issue. OBJECTIVE: To establish the evaluation index of the effective use of tislelizumab, so as to ensure its higher rationality and normalization in clinical application. METHODS: Based on the indications, drug instructions, and relevant guidelines of the National Basic Medical Insurance Restriction Catalogue, a retrospective analysis and evaluation of 286 cases of using tislelizumab injection in our hospital from January to December 2022 were conducted using the weighted technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. …RESULTS: Among the 286 medical records evaluated, the main irrational manifestations were inappropriate indications (90 cases, 31.47%), auxiliary examination and laboratory examination did not meet the minimum requirements of combination chemotherapy drugs (40 cases, 13.99%), the drug course was not standard (39 cases, 13.64%). Among the included cases, 57.34% were reasonable cases (C i ⩾ 0.8), 10.84% were basic reasonable cases (0.6 ⩽ C i < 0.8), and 31.82% were unreasonable cases (C i < 0.6). CONCLUSION: The TOPSIS method, with its attribute hierarchical model (AHM)-weighted approach, can be employed as the rational assessment technique for the injection of tislelizumab. The clinical application of tislelizumab in our hospital is still insufficient, which needs to be further improved management. Show more

Keywords: Drug use evaluation, weighted TOPSIS, Tislelizumab, attribute hierarchical model

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231574

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2619-2628, 2024

Authors: Alotaibi, Hanan | Al-Otibi, Fatimah | Alharbi, Raedah | ALshwuaiman, Ghada | Altwaijri, Shahad | Alfouzan, Afnan | Altaweel, Sara | Alshehri, Huda | Binrayes, Abdulaziz | Labban, Nawaf

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Denture stomatitis, frequently encountered, is generally addressed symptomatically, with limited exploration of preventive approaches involving antifungal medicinal plants. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the impact of Artemisia sieberi extracts on the candida growth of conventional and digitally processed acrylic materials. METHOD: Thirty acrylic resin discs (3 mm thickness × 10 mm diameter) were prepared by conventional or CAD/CAM technology (milling and 3D printing). The resin discs were exposed to simulated brushing, thermocycling, and immersion in Artemisia sieberi extract for 8 hours. The surface roughness of the discs was assessed at …baseline and after immersion in Artemisia sieberi extract. Candida growth was quantified through colony-forming units (CFU/mL). Data was analyzed using SPSS v.22 (α ⩽ 0.05). RESULTS: Irrespective of the material type, the post-immersion surface roughness was significantly higher compared to pre-immersion values (p < 0.05). Candida growth was significantly higher in conventional acrylic materials than digitally fabricated acrylics (p < 0.05). At × 3, Ra and CFU were found to be moderately positive and non-significantly correlated (R = 0.664, p = 0.149). At × 4, Ra and CFU were found to be weak positive and non-significantly correlated (R = 0.344, p = 0.503). CONCLUSION: Artemisia sieberi extracts had a notable impact on digitally fabricated denture acrylics, reducing candida albicans growth compared to conventional heat-cured acrylic. This suggests a potential role for these extracts in improving denture hygiene and preventing denture stomatitis, particularly in the context of digitally fabricated dentures. Show more

Keywords: 3D printing, candida growth, roughness, colony forming units

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231767

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2629-2641, 2024

Authors: Meenakshi, Srinivasa Iyer | Maheshkumar, Hima | Dureja, Shyla | Rao, Raghunath Nagasundara | Shivakumar, Ganiga Channaiah | Marrapodi, Maria Maddalena | Cervino, Gabriele | Minervini, Giuseppe

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a commonly used denture base material, but susceptibility to fracture under functional loading remains a challenge. OBJECTIVE: This preliminary screening study aims to investigate the potential of sericin and fibroin as reinforcing agents in the PMMA denture base material. METHODS: The flexural and impact strengths of PMMA incorporated with 0.01% sericin, and 0.01% each of sericin and fibroin, were evaluated. The control group consisted of PMMA without any additives. The maximum load and energy required to break the samples were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA …test and Scheffe Post Hoc tests to compare mean values between subgroups. RESULTS: The results indicated significant improvement in the flexural and impact strengths of PMMA with the addition of sericin and fibroin. The subgroups with 0.01% sericin, and 0.01% each of sericin and fibroin, demonstrated higher mean values in load and energy measurements compared to the control group. The statistical analysis confirmed the significance of these findings. CONCLUSION: The addition of 0.01% sericin and 0.01% each of sericin and fibroin to PMMA denture-based resin material significantly increases its flexural and impact strengths. These preliminary findings suggest the potential of sericin and fibroin as effective reinforcing agents in PMMA denture base materials, thereby enhancing their biomechanical properties. Show more

Keywords: PMMA, denture base material, sericin, fibroin, flexural strength, impact strength, reinforcing agents

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231772

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2643-2656, 2024

Authors: Li, Jiahao

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The main goal of sports science is to monitor sports injuries. Nevertheless, the existing sports injury monitoring projects have many expensive instruments and excessively extended monitoring periods, which makes it difficult to expand sports injury monitoring on a large scale. OBJECTIVE: The advancement of machine learning algorithms opens up new avenues for the tracking of sports injuries. METHODS: A training set of sports injuries was created using the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Random Forest algorithms. Next, a basic analytic framework was created based on the lower-body movement of runners, and an …athlete’s injury likelihood monitoring system was established. First off, the wearable gyroscope device can efficiently plot the motion displacement curve and monitor the three-dimensional mechanics of the athlete’s hips, thighs, and calves. Secondly, the system has a higher computational efficiency and an advantage over other classifier-based systems in terms of testing and training times RESULTS: The suggested system framework identifies athletes’ injury propensity, providing preventive recommendations based on displacement curves, and offering a low total cost and high testing accuracy, making it easy to implement and cost-effective. CONCLUSION: All things considered, the sports injury monitoring device is very accurate and reasonably priced, making it appropriate for widespread use. Show more

Keywords: Discrete wavelet transform, random forest algorithm, three-dimensional mechanics, gyroscope, computational efficiency

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231789

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2657-2671, 2024

Authors: Bečić, Ervina | Salihović, Mirsada | Tüzün, Burak | Omeragić, Elma | Imamović, Belma | Dedić, Mirza | Roca, Sunčica | Špirtović-Halilović, Selma

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Computational research plays an important role in predicting the chemical and physical properties of biologically active compounds important in future structural modifications to improve or modify biological activity. OBJECTIVE: This research focuses on quantum chemical and spectroscopic investigations properties of synthesized 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives. METHODS: Quantum chemical calculations were obtained using B3LYP, HF, and M06-2x level methods with the 6-31++G (d,p) basis set. Afterward, IR, 1 H, 13 C, UV-Visible experimentally parameters were compared with the results obtained using the B3LYP/6-31+G*(d) basis set of the molecules to be able to characterize the structures. …RESULTS: Based on the quantum chemical calculations compound with acetamido group on the phenyl ring is the most reactive, and compound with nitro substituent is the least reactive and the the strongest electrophile among tested compounds. With the exception of compounds with dimethylamino group, all other compounds have a pronounced tautomer between OH and C = O group. The calculated and experimental values are in agreement with each other. CONCLUSION: The molecular structure in the ground state of six 3-cinnamoyl 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives was optimized using density functional theory. The observed and computed values were compared and it can be concluded that the theoretical results were in good linear agreement with the experimental data. Show more

Keywords: Density functional theory (DFT), coumarin derivatives, quantum chemical calculations

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231798

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2673-2684, 2024

Authors: Zeeshan, Tayyaba | Qamar, Zeeshan | Abdul, Nishath Sayed | Soman, Cristalle | Bamousa, Badr | Marrapodi, Maria Maddalena | Cicciù, Marco | Minervini, Giuseppe

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Commercially available oral rinses contain active ingredients with concentration that is claimed by manufacturers to be effective as antiplaque agent. To date there has been no mention of the effect of oral rinse on the adherence of early plaque colonizers in plaque formation and the concentration to be used before/after meals. OBJECTIVE: The chief aim of the study was to evaluate microbial retention on the salivary pellicle on treatment with oral rinses (CHX & EO)/PS (mimicking after meals use of mouth wash/PS). METHODS: Noordini’s Artifical Mouth model was used for developing the …single species biofilm with early microbial colonizers of oral biofilm (A. viscosus , Strep. mitis and Strep. sanguinis respectively). The microbial retention on use of oral rinses comprising of CHX and EO as an active ingredients respectively was compared with Curcumin PS. For evaluating the microbial retention, the pellicle with microbial inoculation was developed on the glass beads in the mouth model. Subsequently the respective single specie biofilm was exposed to the mouth wash and PS after inoculation. It mimicked as use of mouth wash/PS after meals. The bacterial count in the dental biofilm was evaluated on serial dilution (CFU/ml). Sterile deionized water was used as a negative control. For qualitative analysis, Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to evaluate the microbial count. RESULTS: From the data it was observed that for the treatment of single species experimental biofilm with commercially available mouth rinses (CHX & EO) and PS (curcumin), there was significant retention for S.mitis , S.sanguinis and A.viscosus . There was no significant difference observed between PS and CHX treated single species biofilm. Whereas a significant difference was observed between EO treated biofilms and CHX/PS treated biofilms (p ⩽ 0.05). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded from the results that curcumin PS and CHX should not be used after meals whereas EO containing mouth rinse can be used to maintain the oral mocroflora. Show more

Keywords: Bacterial retention, essential oils, chlorhexidine gluconate, curcumin photosensitizer

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231814

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2685-2696, 2024

Authors: Han, Shi-Lei | Li, Na

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Prosthodontics are often performed to treat patients with malocclusion and dentition defects. However, single prosthodontics cannot properly correct the disharmony of teeth, dental arch and other parts affected by malocclusion, and some patients may have difficulty in recovering the occlusal function due to poor prosthodontics. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the effect of orthodontics combined with fibre-reinforced composite resin-bonded fixed partial denture (FRC-RBFPD) on anterior dentition defects with minimal vertical intermaxillary space. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with anterior dentition defects with minimal vertical mandibular space admitted to our hospital between March 2021 …and May 2023 were enrolled in this study. The participants were divided into the observation group (31 cases) and the control group (31 cases), according to the treatment plan. The control group was treated with traditional therapy, and the observation group was treated with orthodontic combined FRC-RBFPD therapy. Periodontal conditions (periodontal pocket depth [PD], the plaque index [PLI], the sulcus bleeding index [SBI]), levels of inflammatory factors in gingival crevicular fluid (high mobility group box 1 [HMGB1]), myeloid cell triggering receptor-1 (TREM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), pain (visual analogue scale [VAS]), the clinical response rate and the incidence of adverse reactions were collected and compared. RESULTS: After 1, 3, 5 and 9 months following treatment, the scores of the PD, PLI, SBI, HMGB1, VAS, TREM-1 and MCP-1 in the observation group were found to be lower than those in the control group (F PD treatment = 352.532, F PLI score treatment = 112.341, F SBI score treatment = 79.479, F VAS score treatment = 96.132, F HMGB1 treatment = 52.532, F TREM-1 score treatment = 64.593, F MCP-1 score treatment = 53.582, and they were all statistically significant P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the response rate between the two groups (97.77% vs. 80.65%, χ 2 = 4.026, P = 0.045). No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (6.45% vs. 16.13%, χ 2 = 1.449, P = 0.229). CONCLUSION: Orthodontics combined with FRC-RBFPD shows an ideal restorative effect on patients with anterior dentition defects and minimal vertical intermaxillary space. Show more

Keywords: Orthodontics, fibre-reinforced composite resin-bonded fixed partial denture, dentition defects, tooth restoration

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231889

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2697-2709, 2024

Authors: Kuppusamy, Ramesh | Murugesan, Anbarasan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In recent times, there has been widespread deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, particularly in the healthcare sector, where computations involving user-specific data are carried out on cloud servers. However, the network nodes in IoT healthcare are vulnerable to an increased level of security threats. OBJECTIVE: This paper introduces a secure Electronic Health Record (EHR) framework with a focus on IoT. METHODS: Initially, the IoT sensor nodes are designated as registered patients and undergo initialization. Subsequently, a trust evaluation is conducted, and the clustering of trusted nodes is achieved through the …application of Tasmanian Devil Optimization (STD-TDO) utilizing the Student’s T-Distribution. Utilizing the Transposition Cipher-Squared random number generator-based-Elliptic Curve Cryptography (TCS-ECC), the clustered nodes encrypt four types of sensed patient data. The resulting encrypted data undergoes hashing and is subsequently added to the blockchain. This configuration functions as a network, actively monitored to detect any external attacks. To accomplish this, a feature reputation score is calculated for the network’s features. This score is then input into the Swish Beta activated-Recurrent Neural Network (SB-RNN) model to classify potential attacks. The latest transactions on the blockchain are scrutinized using the Neutrosophic Vague Set Fuzzy (NVS-Fu) algorithm to identify any double-spending attacks on non-compromised nodes. Finally, genuine nodes are granted permission to decrypt medical records. RESULTS: In the experimental analysis, the performance of the proposed methods was compared to existing models. The results demonstrated that the suggested approach significantly increased the security level to 98%, reduced attack detection time to 1300 ms, and maximized accuracy to 98%. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparative analysis affirmed the reliability of the proposed model across all metrics. CONCLUSION: The proposed healthcare framework’s efficiency is proved by the experimental evaluation. Show more

Keywords: Cluster Head (CH), Electronic Health Records (EHR), Student’s T-Distribution employed Tasmanian Devil Optimization (STD-TDO), Swish Beta activated-Recurrent Neural Network (SB-RNN), Neutrosophic Vague Set Fuzzy (NVS-Fu)

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231895

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2711-2731, 2024

Authors: Kasiviswanathan, Sivachandar | Vijayan, Thulasi Bai

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of health conditions ranging from general well-being to critical health issues. In the realm of health diagnostics, an often overlooked but critical aspect is the consideration of cost-sensitive learning, a facet that this study prioritizes over the non-invasive nature of the diagnostic process whereas the other standard metrics such as accuracy and sensitivity reflect weakness in error profile. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to investigate the total cost of misclassification (Total Cost) by decision rule Machine Learning (ML) algorithms implemented in Java platforms such as DecisionTable, …JRip, OneR, and PART. An augmented dataset with conjunctiva images along candidates’ demographic and anthropometric features under supervised learning is considered with a specific emphasis on cost-sensitive classification. METHODS: The opted decision rule classifiers use the text features, additionally the image feature ‘a* value of CIELAB color space’ extracted from the conjunctiva digital images as input attributes. The pre-processing consists of amalgamating text and image features on a uniform scale, normalizing. Then the 10-fold cross-validation enables the classification of samples into two categories: the presence or absence of the anemia. This study utilizes the Cost Ratio (ρ ) extracted from the cost matrix to meticulously monitor the Total Cost in four different cost ratio methodologies namely Uniform (U), Uniform Inverted (UI), Non-Uniform (NU), and Non-Uniform Inverted (NUI). RESULTS: It has been established that the PART classifier stands out as the top performer in this binary classification task, yielding the lowest mean total cost of 629.9 compared to other selected classifiers. Moreover, it demonstrates a comparatively lower standard deviation 335.9, and lower total cost across all four different cost ratio methodologies. The ranking of algorithm performance goes as follows: PART, JRIP, DecisionTable, and OneR. CONCLUSION: The significance of adopting a cost-sensitive learning approach is emphasized showing the PART classifier’s consistent performance within the proposed framework for learning the anemia dataset. This emphasis on cost-sensitive learning not only enhances the recommendations in diagnosis but also holds the potential for substantial cost savings and makes it a noteworthy focal point in the advancement of AI-driven health care. Show more

Keywords: Cost matrix, cost ratio, cost sensitive classifier, decision rule classifier, DecisionTable, JRip, OneR, PART

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231946

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2733-2753, 2024

Authors: Alhamoudi, Fahad Hussain

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The accuracy of dental crowns is crucial for their longevity and effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate how the precision of crowns is affected by two different fabrication methods, either subtractive (milling) or additive (3D printing), within computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) technology. METHODS: A standardised digital scan of a maxillary first molar with a shoulder margin (.stl file) was used to design and fabricate crowns through both subtractive (milling) and additive (3D printing) processes. The crowns’ marginal and internal fits were assessed comprehensively. Statistical analysis, including two-way ANOVA and independent t-tests, …revealed significant differences in fitting accuracy between the two methods. RESULTS: Crowns produced via 3D printing demonstrated superior fitting with minimal marginal (14 ± 5 μ m) and internal discrepancies (22 ± 5 μ m) compared to milling (marginal: 22 ± 4 μ m, internal: 23 ± 3 μ m), indicating a statistically significant advantage in precision (p ⁢ s ⩽ 0.022 for marginal fit). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that 3D printing may offer a more accurate alternative to milling in the fabrication of digital dental prostheses, potentially revolutionising the field with its enhanced precision capabilities. Show more

Keywords: Digital crowns, CAD/CAM, milling, 3D Printing, fit accuracy, dental material, 3D scanner

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231961

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2755-2768, 2024

Authors: Zuo, Wanzhao | Li, Jing | Zuo, Mingyan | Li, Miao | Zhou, Shuang | Cai, Xing

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: It is difficult to differentiate between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-peripheral bronchogenic carcinoma (COPD-PBC) and inflammatory masses. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to predict COPD-PBC based on clinical data and preoperative Habitat-based enhanced CT radiomics (HECT radiomics) modeling. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical imaging data of 232 cases of postoperative pathological confirmed PBC or inflammatory masses. The PBC group consisted of 82 cases, while the non-PBC group consisted of 150 cases. A training set and a testing set were established using a 7:3 ratio and a time cutoff point. In …the training set, multiple models were established using clinical data and radiomics texture changes within different enhanced areas of the CT mass (HECT radiomics). The AUC values of each model were compared using Delong’s test, and the clinical net benefit of the models was tested using decision curve analysis (DCA). The models were then externally validated in the testing set, and a nomogram of predicting COPD-PBC was created. RESULTS: Univariate analysis confirmed that female gender, tumor morphology, CEA, Cyfra21-1, CT enhancement pattern, and Habitat-Radscore B/C were predictive factors for COPD-PBC (P < 0.05). The combination model based on these factors had significantly higher predictive performance [AUC: 0.894, 95% CI (0.836–0.936)] than the clinical data model [AUC: 0.758, 95% CI (0.685–0.822)] and radiomics model [AUC: 0.828, 95% CI (0.761–0.882)]. DCA also confirmed the higher clinical net benefit of the combination model, which was validated in the testing set. The nomogram developed based on the combination model helped predict COPD-PBC. CONCLUSION: The combination model based on clinical data and Habitat-based enhanced CT radiomics can help differentiate COPD-PBC, providing a new non-invasive and efficient method for its diagnosis, treatment, and clinical decision-making. Show more

Keywords: Nomograms, retrospective studies, antigen CYFRA21.1, area under curve, radiomics, tomography, X-ray computed, clinical decision-making, pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231980

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2769-2781, 2024

Authors: Maheshwaran, Bipin | Chokkatt, Jerry Joe | Shenoy, Amrutha | Ganapathy, Dhanraj | Yadalam, Pradeep Kumar | Marrapodi, Maria Maddalena | Cicciù, Marco | Minervini, Giuseppe

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Titanium nanoparticles (NPs) offer promising applications in the treatment and prevention of inflammatory disorders due to their unique physicochemical characteristics. However, additional research is necessary to attain a thorough comprehension and validate the efficacy of this approach in dental practice. OBJECTIVE: This study scrutinizes the anti-inflammatory properties of a dental varnish infused with ginger and rosemary extracts mediated by titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. METHODS: A herbal dental varnish was formulated by integrating ginger and rosemary extracts with titanium dioxide nanoparticles at concentrations of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 μ L. …Anti-inflammatory properties were assessed through Bovine Serum Albumin denaturation and membrane stabilization assays, comparing results with a control group. RESULTS: The results reveal concentration-dependent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in the test group when compared to the control group. The BSA assay corroborates increased percent inhibition with rising titanium dioxide nanoparticle concentrations. In line with existing literature, titanium dioxide nanoparticles enhance dental material properties. CONCLUSION: The bioactive compounds in ginger and rosemary, such as phenolic compounds and terpenes, contribute to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the varnish. Additionally, the therapeutic potential of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in addressing inflammatory diseases underscores their significance in this formulation. Show more

Keywords: Preventive dentistry, nanoparticles, titanium dioxide, green synthesis, antioxidant

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231994

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2783-2792, 2024

Authors: Hu, Qinghua | Li, Min | Jiang, Linwen | Liu, Mei

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals are sensitive to motion-induced interference, leading to the emergence of motion artifacts (MA) and baseline drift, which significantly affect the accuracy of PPG measurements. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study is to effectively eliminate baseline drift and high-frequency noise from PPG signals, ensuring that the signal’s critical frequency components remain within the range of 1 ∼ 10 Hz. METHODS: This paper introduces a novel hybrid denoising method for PPG signals, integrating Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) with an improved wavelet threshold function. The method initially employs VMD to …decompose PPG signals into a set of narrowband intrinsic mode function (IMF) components, effectively removing low-frequency baseline drift. Subsequently, an improved wavelet thresholding algorithm is applied to eliminate high-frequency noise, resulting in denoised PPG signals. The effectiveness of the denoising method was rigorously assessed through a comprehensive validation process. It was tested on real-world PPG measurements, PPG signals generated by the Fluke ProSim™ 8 Vital Signs Simulator with synthesized noise, and extended to the MIMIC-III waveform database. RESULTS: The application of the improved threshold function let to a substantial 11.47% increase in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and an impressive 26.75% reduction in root mean square error (RMSE) compared to the soft threshold function. Furthermore, the hybrid denoising method improved SNR by 15.54% and reduced RMSE by 37.43% compared to the improved threshold function. CONCLUSION: This study proposes an effective PPG denoising algorithm based on VMD and an improved wavelet threshold function, capable of simultaneously eliminating low-frequency baseline drift and high-frequency noise in PPG signals while faithfully preserving their morphological characteristics. This advancement establishes the foundation for time-domain feature extraction and model development in the domain of PPG signal analysis. Show more

Keywords: Variational mode decomposition, denoising, improved wavelet thresholding, photoplethysmography

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231996

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2793-2814, 2024

Authors: Hao, Xianjie | Yi, Yanli | Lin, Xian | Li, Jie | Chen, Cheng | Shen, Yanfeng | Sun, Yuhang | He, Jinglan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Psychological factors are a risk factor for the incidence of breast cancer and have a significant impact on patient prognosis. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to investigate the effects of personalised graded psychological intervention on negative emotion and quality of life in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 200 patients with breast cancer were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group (n = 100) and control group (n = 100). Both groups received routine nursing care. The experimental group …received personalised graded psychological intervention care, and the control group received routine nursing measures. After 2 months of standard treatment, the patients’ quality of life and negative emotions were evaluated using the self-rating depression scale (SDS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), social support rating scale (SSRS) and quality of life measurement scale (FACT-B) scoring criteria. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the general data between the two groups (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the SDS, SAS, SSRS and FACT-B scores between the two groups before personalised graded psychological intervention (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the experimental group exhibited an improved nursing effect compared with the control group. The SDS and SAS scores were lower in the experimental group than in the control group (p < 0.05); after the intervention, the SDS and SAS scores were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The SSRS and FACT-B scores were higher in the experimental group than in the control group (p < 0.05), and the experimental group’s post-intervention SSRS and FACT-B scores were significantly higher than before the intervention (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of personalised graded psychological intervention for the nursing of patients with breast cancer in clinical practice can significantly reduce patients’ negative emotions as well as improve positive emotions and quality of life; thus, this method can be popularised in the nursing process. Show more

Keywords: Personalised grading, breast cancer, psychological intervention, negative emotions, quality of life

DOI: 10.3233/THC-232021

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2815-2823, 2024

Authors: Batool, Syeda Aqsa | Chaudhry, Sana | Munir, Nadia | Inayat, Naveed | Suleman, Ghazala | Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq | Al-Qarni, Mohammed A. | Chaturvedi, Mudita | Cicciù, Marco | Minervini, Giuseppe

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The radiation released at the time of dental panoramic radiographs causes genotoxic and cytotoxic effects on epithelial cells. OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to evaluate the changes in the frequencies of micronucleated cells in patients’ buccal epithelial cells following dental panoramic radiography. METHODS: 74 patients were recruited for the study who were advised for panoramic radiographs. Using a wooden spatula, the buccal epithelial cells were scraped from both cheeks before to panoramic radiation exposure and ten days after the panoramic radiation exposure. Giemsa stain was used to stain the cells, and 500 cells …were scored on a slide to determine the frequency of micronuclei. To determine the difference between the frequency of micronuclei before and after radiation exposure, a paired t -test was used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of micronuclei cells was 0.11% before radiation exposure and 0.57% following radiation exposure after 10 days. A statistically significant increase in the frequencies of micronuclei was noted after radiation exposure values. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the genotoxicity of epithelial cells with dental panoramic radiation exposure. It is advised to reduce the use of such radiographs and to use only when there is no other diagnostic tool that is helpful or when absolutely essential. Show more

Keywords: Panoramic radiography, cytotoxic, micronuclei

DOI: 10.3233/THC-240072

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2825-2836, 2024

Authors: Celebioglu, Cansu | Topalli, Ayca Kumluca

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Incubators, especially the ones for babies, require continuous monitoring for anomaly detection and taking action when necessary. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to introduce a system in which important information such as temperature, humidity and gas values being tracked from incubator environment continuously in real-time. METHOD: Multiple sensors, a microcontroller, a transmission module, a cloud server, a mobile application, and a Web application were integrated Data were made accessible to the duty personnel both remotely via Wi-Fi and in the range of the sensors via Bluetooth Low Energy technologies. In addition, potential emergencies …were detected and alarm notifications were created utilising a machine learning algorithm. The mobile application receiving the data from the sensors via Bluetooth was designed such a way that it stores the data internally in case of Internet disruption, and transfers the data when the connection is restored. RESULTS: The obtained results reveal that a neural network structure with sensor measurements from the last hour gives the best prediction for the next hour measurement. CONCLUSION: The affordable hardware and software used in this system make it beneficial, especially in the health sector, in which the close monitoring of baby incubators is vitally important. Show more

Keywords: Biomedical, cloud service, healthcare, incubators, machine learning, mobile applications, web application, child wellbeing

DOI: 10.3233/THC-240167

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2837-2846, 2024

Authors: Luschi, Alessio

Article Type: Letter

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231784

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2847-2849, 2024

Article Type: Retraction

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231589

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 2851-2851, 2024