Machine Intelligence for Advanced Medical Data Analysis: Manifold Learning Approach

In the current work, linear and non-linear manifold learning techniques, specifically Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Laplacian Eigenmaps, are studied in detail. Their applications in medical image and shape analysis are investigated. In the first contribution, a manifold learning-based multi-modal image registration technique is developed, which results in a unified intensity system through intensity transformation between the reference and sensed images. The transformation eliminates intensity variations in multi-modal medical scans and hence facilitates employing well-studied mono-modal registration techniques. The method can be used for registering multi-modal images with full and partial data. Next, a manifold learning-based scale invariant global shape descriptor is introduced. The proposed descriptor benefits from the capability of Laplacian Eigenmap in dealing with high dimensional data by introducing an exponential weighting scheme. It eliminates the limitations tied to the well-known cotangent weighting scheme, namely dependency on triangular mesh representation and high intra-class quality of 3D models. In the end, a novel descriptive model for diagnostic classification of pulmonary nodules is presented. The descriptive model benefits from structural differences between benign and malignant nodules for automatic and accurate prediction of a candidate nodule. It extracts concise and discriminative features automatically from the 3D surface structure of a nodule using spectral features studied in the previous work combined with a point cloud-based deep learning network. Extensive experiments have been conducted and have shown that the proposed algorithms based on manifold learning outperform several state-of-the-art methods. Advanced computational techniques with a combination of manifold learning and deep networks can play a vital role in effective healthcare delivery by providing a framework for several fundamental tasks in image and shape processing, namely, registration, classification, and detection of features of interest

Impaired aortic distensibility measured by computed tomography is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease.

Impaired aortic distensibility index (ADI) is associated with cardiovascular risk factors. This study evaluates the relation of ADI measured by computed tomographic angiography (CTA) with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in subjects with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Two hundred and twenty-nine subjects,age 63 ± 9 years, 42% female, underwent coronary artery calcium (CAC) scanning and CTA, and their ADI and Framingham risk score (FRS) were measured. End-systolic and end-diastolic (ED) cross-sectional-area(CSA) of ascending-aorta (AAo) was measured 15-mm above the left-main coronary ostium. ADI was defined as: [(Δlumen-CSA)/(lumen-CSA in ED × systemic-pulse-pressure) × 10(3)]. ADI measured by 2D-trans-thoracic echocardiography (TTE) was compared with CTA-measured ADI in 26 subjects without CAC. CAC was defined as 0, 1-100, 101-400 and 400+. CAD was defined as luminal stenosis 0, 1-49% and 50%+. There was an excellent correlation between CTA- and TTE-measured ADI (r(2)=0.94, P=0.0001). ADI decreased from CAC 0 to CAC 400+; similarly from FRS 1-9% to FRS 20% + (P<0.05). After adjustment for risk factors, the relative risk for each standard deviation decrease in ADI was 1.66 for CAC 1-100, 2.26 for CAC 101-400 and 2.32 for CAC 400+ as compared to CAC 0; similarly, 2.36 for non-obstructive CAD and 2.67 for obstructive CAD as compared to normal coronaries. The area under the ROC-curve to predict significant CAD was 0.68 for FRS, 0.75 for ADI, 0.81 for CAC and 0.86 for the combination (P<0.05). Impaired aortic distensibility strongly correlates with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. Addition of ADI to CAC and traditional risk factors provides incremental value to predict at-risk individuals

Solid silica-based sulfonic acid: A remarkably efficient heterogeneous reusable catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 2H-indazolo[2,1-b]phthalazine-triones

A novel, efficient and one-pot method for preparation of 2H-indazolo [2,1-b] phthalazine-trione derivatives is reported using solid silica-based sulfonic acid as an effective heterogeneous catalyst under thermal and solvent-free conditions. This method has the advantages of high yields, a cleaner reaction, simple methodology, easy work-up and greener conditions. The catalyst is easily prepared, stable (up to 300 C), reusable and efficient under the reaction conditions. Keywords: Dimedone, 2H-indazolo[2,1-b]phthalazine-trione, indazolophthalazine, solid silica-based sulfonic aci

The Effect of Educational Interventions on Sexual Behavior and Reproductive Health of Women: A Systematic Review

AbstractIntroduction: Reproductive and sexual health and its dimensions are important aspects of health in human life and the World Health Organization emphasizes to promote these section health indexes. Since a review study has not been conducted to identify an appropriate approach for intervention in this field. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of systematically reviewing the impact of educational and counseling interventions on sexual function of women.Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was carried out with no time limit until 6 August 2022. All published studies with inclusion criteria by 2021 were searched in Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus, SID, and Magiran. The literature search was performed using PRISMA instructions. Cochrane Quality Assessment Scale [adapted for evaluating RCT, interventional studies] was used to evaluate the quality of the articles.Results: From a total of 93 articles obtained from the search in databases, by removing duplicate titles and checking the titles and summaries of the articles, 40 articles were obtained, and finally, after the final review of the full text of the articles, 21 articles were included in the present review. Due to the variety of interventional types in the studies, it was not possible to categorize counseling approaches. Studies showed that interventions based on sexual education and counseling were effective on the outcomes including marital satisfaction, sexual knowledge, sexual satisfaction, marital relationship quality and sexual performance.Conclusions: Designing a comprehensive educational program with an appropriate approach focusing on various aspects of reproductive and sexual health can be an important role in promoting sexual and reproductive health. Therefore, interventional studies are necessary to identify an appropriate intervention approach to enhance reproductive and sexual literacy of couples

Validation of the Persian Translation of the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire in Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Dysphagia, as a common finding in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, was estimated to be present in 80–95% of this population during different stages of the disease. The Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ) was created as a self-rated dysphagia screening tool in PD. According to the guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation, Persian version of this questionnaire (SDQ-P) was developed. 59 Persian patients (39 men and 20 women) participated in the study. They responded to the SDQ-P and underwent videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS). Aspiration during VFSS was compared with questionnaire results for each individual. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.86 and based on SDQ-P 15 patients (25.4%) were dysphagic, while 10 patients (16.9%) showed aspiration during VFSS. SDQ-P sensitivity and specificity in predicting aspiration were 96.7 and 91.2%; therefore, the SDQ-P could be a prognostic tool for aspiration. The positive predictive value (PPV), the negative predictive value (NPV), and the pre- and posttest probabilities of aspiration were 0.67, 1, 16.9%, and 66.7%, respectively. In summary, this study demonstrated the reliability and also the feasibility of SDQ-P for screening of aspiration in Iranian patients with PD. Further evaluation of SDQ-P in larger subject population would be suggested

Assessing flood indirect impacts on road transport networks applying mesoscopic traffic modelling: the case study of Santarém, Portugal

The key aspect for the quantification of indirect impacts of flooding is the assessment of the disruption of the transportation service considering social and economic consequences. To investigate how flooding can affect road transportation, it is essential to analyze interaction during the flood event itself, as well as on the following days. In this work, two static and dynamic traffic models are applied to a study zone for quantification of the performance and functionality of the network during the flood and after the failure of infrastructure components. A mesoscopic simulation was applied to identify the traffic disruption in the face of flood events. This simulation is capable of considering the road network model, assigning trip paths with the impact of road closures and speed reductions, and evaluating travel time and vehicle volume redistribution in a given disruption scenario. By comparing the traffic analysis results (travel time, travelled distance and street speed changes) in normal and flooded situations, the impact of flooding on a transportation network could be examined. Moreover, modelling outputs from a case study in the Santarém region (Portugal) indicated that in analyzing the flood impacts on a traffic network, even non-flooded infrastructures must be taken into account because of their service disruption.This work was partly financed by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under reference UIDB/04029/2020. The first author would like to thank FCT-Portuguese Scientific Foundation for the research grant 2020.06035.BD. The second author would like to thank FCT-Portuguese Scientific Foundation for the research grant SFRH/BD/144749/2019. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 769255