AI and Non AI Assessments for Dementia

Current progress in the artificial intelligence domain has led to the development of various types of AI-powered dementia assessments, which can be employed to identify patients at the early stage of dementia. It can revolutionize the dementia care settings. It is essential that the medical community be aware of various AI assessments and choose them considering their degrees of validity, efficiency, practicality, reliability, and accuracy concerning the early identification of patients with dementia (PwD). On the other hand, AI developers should be informed about various non-AI assessments as well as recently developed AI assessments. Thus, this paper, which can be readable by both clinicians and AI engineers, fills the gap in the literature in explaining the existing solutions for the recognition of dementia to clinicians, as well as the techniques used and the most widespread dementia datasets to AI engineers. It follows a review of papers on AI and non-AI assessments for dementia to provide valuable information about various dementia assessments for both the AI and medical communities. The discussion and conclusion highlight the most prominent research directions and the maturity of existing solutions.Comment: 49 page

Is brain connectome research the future frontier for subjective cognitive decline? A systematic review

Objective We performed a systematic literature review on Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) in order to examine whether the resemblance of brain connectome and functional connectivity (FC) alterations in SCD with respect to MCI, AD and HC can help us draw conclusions on the progression of SCD to more advanced stages of dementia. Methods We searched for studies that used any neuroimaging tool to investigate potential differences/similarities of brain connectome in SCD with respect to HC, MCI, and AD. Results Sixteen studies were finally included in the review. Apparent FC connections and disruptions were observed in the white matter, default mode and gray matter networks in SCD with regards to HC, MCI, and AD. Interestingly, more apparent connections in SCD were located over the posterior regions, while an increase of FC over anterior regions was observed as the disease progressed. Conclusions Elders with SCD display a significant disruption of the brain network, which in most of the cases is worse than HC across multiple network parameters. Significance The present review provides comprehensive and balanced coverage of a timely target research activity around SCD with the intention to identify similarities/differences across patient groups on the basis of brain connectome properties

Wearable devices for assessing function in Alzheimer’s disease: a European public involvement activity about the features and preferences of patients and caregivers

Background: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) impairs the ability to carry out daily activities, reduces independence and quality of life and increases caregiver burden. Our understanding of functional decline has traditionally relied on reports by family and caregivers, which are subjective and vulnerable to recall bias. The Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable sensor technologies promise to provide objective, affordable, and reliable means for monitoring and understanding function. However, human factors for its acceptance are relatively unexplored. Objective: The Public Involvement (PI) activity presented in this paper aims to capture the preferences, priorities and concerns of people with AD and their caregivers for using monitoring wearables. Their feedback will drive device selection for clinical research, starting with the study of the RADAR-AD project. Method: The PI activity involved the Patient Advisory Board (PAB) of the RADAR-AD project, comprised of people with dementia across Europe and their caregivers (11 and 10, respectively). A set of four devices that optimally represent various combinations of aspects and features from the variety of currently available wearables (e.g., weight, size, comfort, battery life, screen types, water-resistance, and metrics) was presented and experienced hands-on. Afterwards, sets of cards were used to rate and rank devices and features and freely discuss preferences. Results: Overall, the PAB was willing to accept and incorporate devices into their daily lives. For the presented devices, the aspects most important to them included comfort, convenience and affordability. For devices in general, the features they prioritized were appearance/style, battery life and water resistance, followed by price, having an emergency button and a screen with metrics. The metrics valuable to them included activity levels and heart rate, followed by respiration rate, sleep quality and distance. Some concerns were the potential complexity, forgetting to charge the device, the potential stigma and data privacy. Conclusions: The PI activity explored the preferences, priorities and concerns of the PAB, a group of people with dementia and caregivers across Europe, regarding devices for monitoring function and decline, after a hands-on experience and explanation. They highlighted some expected aspects, metrics and features (e.g., comfort and convenience), but also some less expected (e.g., screen with metrics)

An authoring tool for educators to make virtual labs

This paper focuses on the design and implementation of a tool that allows educators to author 3D virtual labs. The methodology followed is based on web 3D frameworks such as three.js and WordPress that allowed us to develop simplified interfaces for modifying Unity3D templates. Two types of templates namely one for Chemistry and one for Wind Energy labs were developed that allow to test the generalization, user-friendliness and usefulness of such an approach. Results have shown that educators are much interested on the general concept, but several improvements should be made towards the user-friendliness and the intuitiveness of the interfaces in order to allow the inexperienced educators in 3D gaming to make such an attempt.peer-reviewe

Correction to: Two years later: Is the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still having an impact on emergency surgery? An international cross-sectional survey among WSES members

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ongoing and a major challenge for health care services worldwide. In the first WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey, a strong negative impact on emergency surgery (ES) had been described already early in the pandemic situation. However, the knowledge is limited about current effects of the pandemic on patient flow through emergency rooms, daily routine and decision making in ES as well as their changes over time during the last two pandemic years. This second WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on ES during the course of the pandemic. Methods: A web survey had been distributed to medical specialists in ES during a four-week period from January 2022, investigating the impact of the pandemic on patients and septic diseases both requiring ES, structural problems due to the pandemic and time-to-intervention in ES routine. Results: 367 collaborators from 59 countries responded to the survey. The majority indicated that the pandemic still significantly impacts on treatment and outcome of surgical emergency patients (83.1% and 78.5%, respectively). As reasons, the collaborators reported decreased case load in ES (44.7%), but patients presenting with more prolonged and severe diseases, especially concerning perforated appendicitis (62.1%) and diverticulitis (57.5%). Otherwise, approximately 50% of the participants still observe a delay in time-to-intervention in ES compared with the situation before the pandemic. Relevant causes leading to enlarged time-to-intervention in ES during the pandemic are persistent problems with in-hospital logistics, lacks in medical staff as well as operating room and intensive care capacities during the pandemic. This leads not only to the need for triage or transferring of ES patients to other hospitals, reported by 64.0% and 48.8% of the collaborators, respectively, but also to paradigm shifts in treatment modalities to non-operative approaches reported by 67.3% of the participants, especially in uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and multiple-recurrent diverticulitis. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still significantly impacts on care and outcome of patients in ES. Well-known problems with in-hospital logistics are not sufficiently resolved by now; however, medical staff shortages and reduced capacities have been dramatically aggravated over last two pandemic years

MAMEM EEG SSVEP Dataset III (14 channels, 11 subjects, 5 frequencies presented simultaneously)

<div>EEG signals with 14 channels captured from 11 subjects executing a SSVEP-based experimental protocol. Five different frequencies (6.66, 7.50, 8.57, 10.00 and 12.00 Hz) have been used for the visual stimulation, and the Emotiv EPOC, using 14 wireless channels has been used for capturing the signals.</div><div><br><div>Check <b>https://github.com/MAMEM/ssvep-eeg-processing-toolbox </b>for the processing toolbox.</div></div

MAMEM EEG SSVEP Dataset II (256 channels, 11 subjects, 5 frequencies presented simultaneously)

EEG signals with 256 channels captured from 11 subjects executing a SSVEP-based experimental protocol. Five different frequencies (6.66, 7.50, 8.57, 10.00 and 12.00 Hz) have been used for the visual stimulation, and the EGI 300 Geodesic EEG System (GES 300), using a 256-channel HydroCel Geodesic Sensor Net (HCGSN) and a sampling rate of 250 Hz has been used for capturing the signals.<div><br><div>Check <b>https://github.com/MAMEM/ssvep-eeg-processing-toolbox </b>for the processing toolbox.</div></div

MAMEM EEG SSVEP Dataset I (256 channels, 11 subjects, 5 frequencies presented in isolation)

<p>EEG signals with 256 channels captured from 11 subjects executing a SSVEP-based experimental protocol. Five different frequencies (6.66, 7.50, 8.57, 10.00 and 12.00 Hz) have been used for the visual stimulation, and the EGI 300 Geodesic EEG System (GES 300), using a 256-channel HydroCel Geodesic Sensor Net (HCGSN) and a sampling rate of 250 Hz has been used for capturing the signals. </p><p>Check <b>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lGBVvCX5d8&feature=youtu.be</b> for a video demonstrating one trial.</p><p>Check <b>https://github.com/MAMEM/ssvep-eeg-processing-toolbox </b>for the processing toolbox.</p><p>Check <b>http://arxiv.org/abs/1602.00904 </b>for the technical report.</p