Semi-Automatic Knowledge Augmentation: Methods and Tools

Text mining techniques are being adopted in many different fields to face the problem of extracting meaningful information hidden in unstructured data. Hybrid processes (human-machine) of knowledge extraction are usually the best solution for companies to achieve great results and to ensure the conformity of the output of the knowledge extraction process. Anyway, state-of-art literature on Natural Language Processing (NLP) lacks in process management studies. In particular, researchers have not yet studied the best way to integrate NLP outputs with human activities. To our best knowledge, the present thesis is a first step in the desired direction. This work aims to investigate the techniques used for the development of Knowledge Base to be used in Text Mining applications and to develop a semi-automatic procedure for Knowledge Augmentation. After an overview on the state-of-art, different techniques of knowledge extraction are applied to four case studies: 1. A completely human-based approach; 2. An automatic keyword extraction approach based on the TF-IDF plus a manual review of the results; 3. POS-tagging based keyword extraction plus a manual review of the results; 4. Hybrid approach that uses regular expressions and an advanced deep-learning method (word embeddings) to extract keywords from documents. Statistical filters are then used to select meaningful words. The amount of human intervention decreases from the first to the last case study

A rare case of siliconomas resulting from free silicone injections in breast tissue

: One of the most common complications of free silicone injection at multiple sites is its leakage and more rarely its migration through the lymphatic system with a resulting local inflammatory reaction of granulomatous type, known as "siliconoma". This report describes the case of a young woman who came to our attention for bilateral mastodynia and palpable tumefactions in breast and gluteal region, a few years after percutaneous injections of free liquid silicone for breast augmentation

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Autism Spectrum Disorders: clinical and neuroradiological phenotypes

Background and aim: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that can severely compromise social and cognitive functions in childhood. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) currently represents the gold standard as an in vivo and non-invasive study of the human brain morphology. This work aims to search for possible links between clinical phenotypes and radiological anomalies that may be relevant and pathognomonic in the subsequent diagnosis of ASDs. Methods: This is a retrospective study in which 132 patients (112 males and 20 females) with neurodevelopment disorders, including ASDs, were enrolled. The population study was divided into three groups considering their own pathological diagnosis. All patients included in this population underwent genetic screening and one or multiple 1.5T MRI scans were performed to evaluate potential anomalies of the corpus callosum, periventricular white matter, ventricular space, cerebellum, subarachnoid space and thalamus. Results: Univariate analysis showed that the presence of MRI brain abnormalities was a significant variable in predicting the presence of ASDs.  Increased ventricular volume was one of the most replicated findings in ASDs patients since it was reported to be statistically significant both in uni- and multivariate analysis, resulting even as a potentially predictive factor of diagnosis. Conclusions: This study can represent a starting point for the research of new radiological evidence that might be important to early diagnose ASDs and for making a differential diagnosis with all those conditions that mimic autistic traits, but which are not clinically connected to the spectrum disorder itself

A Severe and Fatal Type A Aortic Dissection in an Adult with a Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot

We report a case of a 44-year-old woman surgically treated for tetralogy of Fallot who experienced an acute and extensive Stanford A type aortic dissection despite the meticulous follow-up. While aortic dilatation is prevalent in individuals with repaired tetralogy of Fallot, aortic dissection represents a rare consequence, that when it appears, is progressive and usually detected during the check-up visits. In the case reported, the dissection was unexpected and severe, and the patient’s clinical state worsened suddenly, leading to death after a few days. Constant awareness for aortic aneurysms is essential in the Fallot tetralogy population, nevertheless, several causes may contribute to the acute worsening of the clinical condition until the patient’s death

Diagnosis and management of a rare case of clival chordoma in a young male patient

Chordomas are uncommon bone slow-growing tumors developing from remnants of the notochord. They are typically seen in adults, and rarely in children. We present the case of a 16-year-old male patient with a clival chordoma, presenting with progressive headache and diplopia. In this case report we aim to provide an educational explanation of the radiological findings, diagnostic challenges, and therapeutic and management strategies

Bilateral renal hemorrhage in an anticoagulated patient: A rare case of Wunderlich syndrome

: We describe a rare case of Wunderlich syndrome with bilateral renal hemorrhage in a patient under anticoagulant therapy for atrial fibrillation. An 84-year-old woman came to our department complaining of acute bilateral flank pain. Clinical and laboratory examinations revealed a condition of hypovolemic shock. An abdominal contrast-enhanced CT scan detected the presence of a bilateral hemorrhage affecting the peri- and para-renal spaces. Planning an appropriate management strategy considering the anticoagulated treatment required a multidisciplinary approach in the case of the Wunderlich syndrome diagnosis