Computer-Aided Diagnosis System of Fetal Hypoxia Incorporating Recurrence Plot With Convolutional Neural Network

Background: Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) is widely applied as a routine diagnostic tool by clinicians using fetal heart rate (FHR) signals to prevent fetal hypoxia. However, visual interpretation of the FHR usually leads to significant inter-observer and intra-observer variability, and false positives become the main cause of unnecessary cesarean sections.Goal: The main aim of this study was to ensure a novel, consistent, robust, and effective model for fetal hypoxia detection.Methods: In this work, we proposed a novel computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system integrated with an advanced deep learning (DL) algorithm. For a 1-dimensional preprocessed FHR signal, the 2-dimensional image was transformed using recurrence plot (RP), which is considered to greatly capture the non-linear characteristics. The ultimate image dataset was enriched by changing several parameters of the RP and was then used to feed the convolutional neural network (CNN). Compared to conventional machine learning (ML) methods, a CNN can self-learn useful features from the input data and does not perform complex manual feature engineering (i.e., feature extraction and selection).Results: Finally, according to the optimization experiment, the CNN model obtained the average performance using optimal configuration across 10-fold: accuracy = 98.69%, sensitivity = 99.29%, specificity = 98.10%, and area under the curve = 98.70%.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this approached achieved better classification performance in predicting fetal hypoxia using FHR signals compared to the other state-of-the-art works.Significance: In summary, the satisfied result proved the effectiveness of our proposed CAD system for assisting obstetricians making objective and accurate medical decisions based on RP and powerful CNN algorithm

Smoking cessation : a report of the Surgeon General

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS] 2014). Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and costs the United States billions of dollars in direct medical costs each year (USDHHS 2014). Although considerable progress has been made in reducing cigarette smoking since the first U.S. Surgeon General\u2019s report was released in 1964 (USDHHS 2014), in 2018, 13.7% of U.S. adults (34.2 million people) were still current cigarette smokers (Creamer et al. 2019). One of the main reasons smokers keep smoking is nicotine (USDHHS 1988). Nicotine, a drug found naturally in the tobacco plant, is highly addictive, as with such drugs as cocaine and heroin; acti- vates the brain\u2019s reward circuits; and reinforces repeated nicotine exposure (USDHHS 1988, 2010, 2014; National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] 2018).The majority of cigarette smokers (68%) want to quit smoking completely (Babb et al. 2017). The 1990 Surgeon General\u2019s report, The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation, was the last Surgeon General\u2019s report to focus on cur- rent research on smoking cessation and to predominantly review the health benefits of quitting smoking (USDHHS 1990). Because of limited data at that time, the 1990 report did not review the determinants, processes, or outcomes of attempts at smoking cessation. Pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation was not introduced until the 1980s. Additionally, behavioral and other counseling approaches were slow to develop and not widely available at the time of the 1990 report because few were covered under health insurance, and programs such as group counseling ses- sions were hard for smokers to access, even by those who were motivated to quit (Fiore et al. 1990).The purpose of this report is to update and expand the 1990 Surgeon General\u2019s report based on new scien- tific evidence about smoking cessation. Since 1990, the scientific literature has expanded greatly on the deter- minants and processes of smoking cessation, informing the development of interventions that promote cessa- tion and help smokers quit (Fiore et al. 2008; Schlam and Baker 2013). This knowledge and other major develop- ments have transformed the landscape of smoking ces- sation in the United States. This report summarizes this enhanced knowledge and specifically reviews patterns and trends of smoking cessation; biologic mechanisms; various health benefits; overall morbidity, mortality, and economic benefits; interventions; and strategies that pro- mote smoking cessation.Suggested citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Smoking Cessation. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2020.2020-cessation-sgr-full-report.pdf2020713