Analysis of Human Cervical Cell Images from Pap Smears for Classification

Cervical cancer is the fourth most commonly occurring cancer in women. It can be prevented by regular screenings to find precancerous cells through the Papanicolaou Smear Test and microscopy which can show cellular abnormalities. However, the manual microscopic screening for the nuclear abnormalities is subjective and prone to error, making automated detection a necessity. This study aims to quantify the nuclear features related to shape characteristics of normal and abnormal cells from pap smear images and examine potential detection of multi classes. Using the ground truth images of normal and abnormal cells we extracted the nuclear shape features that corresponded to the classified cells such as normal and three categories of abnormal: mild, moderate and severe; that is four classes. The dataset of the nuclear shape features were visually plotted as a heat map and bubble plots using the ground truth or known predetermined labelled normal, mild-, moderate- or severe abnormal cells, and also without any such labeling. By clustering, 78 - 89% of the cells were successfully matched with the ground truth. Further, we found that more than 4 classes were obtained. In conclusion, by data visualization techniques we can classify precancerous cells

Study of automated hematology analyzer’s scatterplot patterns in white blood cell disorders

Background: Automated hematology analyzers produce scattergrams that can be used as screening tool for various hematological conditions and efficiently shorten turnaround times. Aim was to study scattergram patterns of various while blood cell disorders and assess their efficacy compared to a peripheral blood smear for diagnosis of various disorders. Methods: Scattergram findings generated by UniCel® DxH 800 automated hematology analyzer, a 5-part differential analyzer. The graphic displays have been compiled over a period of 3 months from blood samples received for CBC. Samples that the counter flagged as abnormal for white blood cell were chosen. Based on the scatterplots, a preliminary diagnosis was formed. It was compared with the peripheral blood smear (PBS) findings which were taken as the gold standard. Results: The scatterplots showed unique patterns for various disorders on the basis of location, shape, size, density of the cells and their clustering. The scattergram analyser showed 90% sensitivity and 88% specificity for diagnosing hematological disorders. A 97-100% accuracy rate was reported showing excellent correlation between PBS result and WBC parameter result in cell counter analyzers. Conclusions: Not all cases of haematological malignancy exhibit cytopenias or cytosis at initial presentation. Therefore, these scatter plots offer helpful information that prompts a hematopathologist to suspiciously screen the peripheral smear in cases with normal counts. Scattergram analysis suspects a diagnosis earlier than peripheral smear examination. Given their strong correlation with a variety of WBC disorders and confirmed by PBS, WBC scatterplots can be used as a screening tool

Развитие навыков самоуправления учебной деятельностью слушателей при решении расчетных задач

ВЫСШЕЕ МЕДИЦИНСКОЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕОБРАЗОВАНИЕ МЕДИЦИНСКОЕУЧЕБНАЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬРАСЧЕТНЫЕ ЗАДАЧИСЛУШАТЕЛИ ФПДПСАМОУПРАВЛЕНИ

Similar neural networks respond to coherence during comprehension and production of discourse

When comprehending discourse, listeners engage default-mode regions associated with integrative semantic processing to construct a situation model of its content. We investigated how similar networks are engaged when we produce, as well as comprehend, discourse. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants spoke about a series of specific topics and listened to discourse on other topics. We tested how activation was predicted by natural fluctuations in the global coherence of the discourse, that is, the degree to which utterances conformed to the expected topic. The neural correlates of coherence were similar across speaking and listening, particularly in default-mode regions. This network showed greater activation when less coherent speech was heard or produced, reflecting updating of mental representations when discourse did not conform to the expected topic. In contrast, regions that exert control over semantic activation showed task-specific effects, correlating negatively with coherence during listening but not during production. Participants who showed greater activation in left inferior prefrontal cortex also produced more coherent discourse, suggesting a specific role for this region in goal-directed regulation of speech content. Results suggest strong correspondence of discourse representations during speaking and listening. However, they indicate that the semantic control network plays different roles in comprehension and production

Algorithmically Generated Visual Knowledge Panels

Information about a particular topic, e.g., in response to a search query, is sometimes presented in a concise user interface (UI) such as a knowledge card or panel. Such panels are typically text intensive and can be unsuitable for certain users, e.g., users that have limited reading capability, or those who prefer visual content. This disclosure describes techniques to render a visual knowledge panel, e.g., one that primarily includes images, videos, and other visual content. Per the techniques, the visual knowledge panel is algorithmically created by mapping a text knowledge panel to existing video or image content such as video Q&A, a short video, a story illustrated by slideshow, etc

Engaging under- and/or never-engaged populations in health services: A systematic review

Patient engagement is a mechanism used to facilitate person-centred care, however, has not been realized in all patient populations. Often, many marginalized populations still remain under- and/or never-engaged. The purpose of this systematic review was to: 1) identify methods or interventions that have been used to engage under- and/or never-engaged populations in health services and 2) identify outcomes that are associated with engaging under- and/or never-engaged populations in health services. A comprehensive search using the Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases was conducted to examine literature between January 2002 and January 2015. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Data was extracted from these studies and findings are synthesized based on discrete themes that map to the research objectives. The majority of studies were quantitative, repeated-measures designs and concentrated in the United States. Hispanic and Latino/a populations were most frequently included in these studies. The main methods of recruitment included: 1) referral from a healthcare provider, 2) patient self-referral after seeing advertisements on mass media or targeted media, 3) directly approached by researcher in-person or telephone, and 4) administrative databases. Interventions occurred primarily at the individual-level, however some system-level interventions were identified. Five main outcomes resulted from the interventions, including: 1) behavioural change, 2) physiological, 3) psychosocial, 4) system and 5) process. Finally, culture-specific components were embedded in the interventions, both as surface and deep structures. This study provides future direction for patient engagement related projects, as it relates to under-and never-engaged population in healthcare. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Changes in insulin sensitivity over time and associated factors in HIV-infected adolescents

OBJECTIVE: To compare prevalence of insulin resistance between perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) and perinatally HIV-exposed, but uninfected adolescents (PHEU), determine incidence of and contributory factors to new and resolved cases of insulin resistance in PHIV+, and evaluate glucose metabolism. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design for comparison of prevalence among PHIV+ and PHEU. Longitudinal design for incidence and resolution of insulin resistance among PHIV+ at risk for these outcomes. METHODS: The source population was adolescents from pediatric HIV clinics in the United States and Puerto Rico participating in the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study designed to evaluate impact of HIV infection and its treatment on multiple domains in preadolescents and adolescents. Insulin resistance was assessed by homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance. Those with incident insulin resistance underwent 2-h oral glucose tolerance test and HbA1c. Baseline demographic, metabolic, and HIV-specific variables were evaluated for association with incident or resolved insulin resistance. RESULTS: Unadjusted prevalence of insulin resistance in PHIV+ was 27.3 versus 34.1% in PHEU. After adjustment for Tanner stage, age, sex, and race/ethnicity, there was no significant difference between groups. Factors positively associated with developing insulin resistance included female sex, higher BMI z score, and higher waist circumference; those associated with resolving insulin resistance included male sex and lower BMI z score. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of insulin resistance in PHIV+ and PHEU was substantially higher than that reported in HIV-uninfected nonoverweight youth, but similar to that in HIV-uninfected obese youth. Factors associated with incident or resolved insulin resistance among PHIV+ were similar to those reported in HIV-negative obese youth. However, a contributory role of HIV infection and/or its treatment to the incident risk of insulin resistance cannot be excluded