Using Grip Strength as a Cardiovascular Risk Indicator Based on Hybrid Algorithms

This article shows the application and design of a hybrid algorithm capable of classifying people into risk groups using data such as prehensile strength, body mass index and percentage of fat. The implementation was done on Python and proposes a tool to help make medical decisions regarding the cardiovascular health of patients. The data were taken in a systematic way, k-means and c-means algorithms were used for the classification of the data, for the prediction of new data two vectorial support machines were used, one for the k-means and the other for the c-means, obtaining as a result a 100% of precision in the vectorial support machine with c-means and a 92% in the one of k-means

Using grip strength as a cardiovascular risk indicator based on hybrid algorithms

This article shows the application and design of a hybrid algorithm capable of classifying people into risk groups using data such as prehensile strength, body mass index and percentage of fat. The implementation was done on Python and proposes a tool to help make medical decisions regarding the cardiovascular health of patients. The data were taken in a systematic way, k-means and c-means algorithms were used for the classification of the data, for the prediction of new data two vectorial support machines were used, one for the k-means and the other for the c-means, obtaining as a result a 100% of precision in the vectorial support machine with c-means and a 92% in the one of k-means.This article shows the application and design of a hybrid algorithm capable of classifying people into risk groups using data such as prehensile strength, body mass index and percentage of fat. The implementation was done on Python and proposes a tool to help make medical decisions regarding the cardiovascular health of patients. The data were taken in a systematic way, k-means and c-means algorithms were used for the classification of the data, for the prediction of new data two vectorial support machines were used, one for the k-means and the other for the c-means, obtaining as a result a 100% of precision in the vectorial support machine with c-means and a 92% in the one of k-means

Predicting infections using computational intelligence – A systematic review

Infections encompass a set of medical conditions of very diverse kinds that can pose a significant risk to health, and even death. As with many other diseases, early diagnosis can help to provide patients with proper care to minimize the damage produced by the disease, or to isolate them to avoid the risk of spread. In this context, computational intelligence can be useful to predict the risk of infection in patients, raising early alarms that can aid medical teams to respond as quick as possible. In this paper, we survey the state of the art on infection prediction using computer science by means of a systematic literature review. The objective is to find papers where computational intelligence is used to predict infections in patients using physiological data as features. We have posed one major research question along with nine specific subquestions. The whole review process is thoroughly described, and eight databases are considered which index most of the literature published in different scholarly formats. A total of 101 relevant documents have been found in the period comprised between 2003 and 2019, and a detailed study of these documents is carried out to classify the works and answer the research questions posed, resulting to our best knowledge in the most comprehensive study of its kind. We conclude that the most widely addressed infection is by far sepsis, followed by Clostridium difficile infection and surgical site infections. Most works use machine learning techniques, from which logistic regression, support vector machines, random forest and naive Bayes are the most common. Some machine learning works provide some ideas on the problems of small data and class imbalance, which can be of interest. The current systematic literature review shows that automatic diagnosis of infectious diseases using computational intelligence is well documented in the medical literature.publishedVersio

Clinical Risk Factors for Early-Onset Sepsis in Neonates: An International Delphi Study

Background: Despite growing evidence, there is still uncertainty about potentially modifiable risk factors for neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS). This study aimed to identify potential clinical risk factors for EOS based on a literature review and expert opinions. Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases. Articles in English, published up to May 2021, on clinical risk factors for neonatal EOS were included. Initially, a questionnaire on risk factors for EOS was developed and validated. The fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to formulate the final version of the questionnaire. The validity of the risk factors was assessed using the Chi square test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the review phase, 30 risk factors were approved by two neonatologists and included in the FDM phase. In total, 25 risk factors met the consensus criteria and entered the validation phase. During the observational study, 114 neonates (31 with and 83 without EOS) were evaluated for two months. The results of the Chi square test showed that cesarean section was not a significant risk factor for EOS (P=0.862). The need for mechanical ventilation and feed intolerance was observed in about 70% of neonates with EOS, and therefore considered significant risk factors for EOS (P<0.001). Finally, 26 potential clinical risk factors were determined. Conclusion: Neonatal-related risk factors for EOS were birth weight, one-min Apgar score, and prematurity. Maternal-related risk factors were gestational age and urinary tract infection. Delivery-related risk factors were premature rupture of membranes, chorioamnionitis, and intrapartum fever

The debate on the ethics of AI in health care: a reconstruction and critical review

Healthcare systems across the globe are struggling with increasing costs and worsening outcomes. This presents those responsible for overseeing healthcare with a challenge. Increasingly, policymakers, politicians, clinical entrepreneurs and computer and data scientists argue that a key part of the solution will be ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI) – particularly Machine Learning (ML). This argument stems not from the belief that all healthcare needs will soon be taken care of by “robot doctors.” Instead, it is an argument that rests on the classic counterfactual definition of AI as an umbrella term for a range of techniques that can be used to make machines complete tasks in a way that would be considered intelligent were they to be completed by a human. Automation of this nature could offer great opportunities for the improvement of healthcare services and ultimately patients’ health by significantly improving human clinical capabilities in diagnosis, drug discovery, epidemiology, personalised medicine, and operational efficiency. However, if these AI solutions are to be embedded in clinical practice, then at least three issues need to be considered: the technical possibilities and limitations; the ethical, regulatory and legal framework; and the governance framework. In this article, we report on the results of a systematic analysis designed to provide a clear overview of the second of these elements: the ethical, regulatory and legal framework. We find that ethical issues arise at six levels of abstraction (individual, interpersonal, group, institutional, sectoral, and societal) and can be categorised as epistemic, normative, or overarching. We conclude by stressing how important it is that the ethical challenges raised by implementing AI in healthcare settings are tackled proactively rather than reactively and map the key considerations for policymakers to each of the ethical concerns highlighted