Capsule Endoscopy in Celiac Disease

Capsule endoscopy (CE) has been increasingly used for diagnosing disease of the small bowel. It is an attractive technique for assessing celiac disease (CD) because it is noninvasive and provides a close and magnified view of the mucosa of the entire small bowel. The aim of this paper is to update the current data on the use of CE for diagnosing villous atrophy and complications of CD

Parallel, Self-Organizing, Hierarchical Neural Networks

A new neural network architecture called the parallel self-organizing hierarchical neural network (PSHNN) is discussed. The PSHNN involves a number of stages in which each stage can be a particular neural network (SNN). At the end of each SNN, error detection is carried out, and a number of input vectors are rejected. Between 2 SNN’s there is a nonlinear transformation of those input vectors rejected by the first SNN. The PSHNN has many desirable properties such as optimized system complexity in the sense of minimized self-organizing number of stages, high classification accuracy, minimized learning and recall times, and truly parallel architectures in which all SNN’s are operating simultaneously without waiting for data from each other during testing. The experiments performed in comparison to multilayered networks with backpropagation training indicated the superiority of the PSHN

Fast Algorithms for the Real Discrete Fourier Transform

Fast algorithms for the computation of the real discrete Fourier transform (RDFT) are discussed. Implementations based on the RDFT are always efficient whereas the implementations based on the DFT are efficient only when signals to be processed are complex. The fast real Fourier (FRFT) algorithms discussed are the radix-2 decimation-in-time (DIT), the radix-2 decimation-in-frequency (DIF), the radix-4 DIT, the split-radix DIT, the split-radix DIF, the prime-factor, the Rader prime, and the Winograd FRFT algorithms

The association between placenta previa and leukocyte and platelet indices — a case control study

Objectives: Despite medical advances, rising awareness, and satisfactory care facilities, placenta previa (PP) remains a challenging clinical entity due to the risk of excessive obstetric hemorrhage. Etiological concerns gave way to life-saving concerns about the prediction of maternal outcomes due to hemorrhage. Our study aimed to detect an early predictive marker of placenta previa. Material and methods: Ninety-three pregnant patients diagnosed with PP and 247 controls were recruited for this retro­spective study. Platelet and leukocyte indices were compared between the two groups. Results: The groups were similar with regard to age distribution (31.2 ± 5.1 years [mean ± SD] in the PP group and 31.7 ± 4.2 years in controls), body mass index (BMI) (27.7 ± 3.6 kg/m2 in the PP group and 27.4 ± 4.6 kg/m2 in controls), and most characteristics of the obstetric history. Total leukocyte count, neutrophil count, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were significantly higher in the PP group. Mean platelet volume (MPV) and large platelet cell ratio (P-LCR) values were significantly lower in the PP group as compared to controls, with regard to third trimester values. However, patients who were diagnosed postnatally with placenta percreta had lower MPV and P-LCR values than other patients with PP. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups as far as first trimester values were concerned. Conclusions: Platelet and leukocyte indices in the third trimester of pregnancy may be valuable predictors of placenta previa and placenta percreta. More comprehensive studies are needed to address this issue