Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Ultrasound Scanning

Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation (Project MIA.2021.M02.0005 TARTAGLIA, from the Recovery, Resilience, and Transformation Plan financed by the European Union through Next Generation EU funds). TARTAGLIA takes place under the R&D Missions in Artificial Intelligence program, which is part of the Spain Digital 2025 Agenda and the Spanish National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.Ultrasound (US) is a flexible imaging modality used globally as a first-line medical exam procedure in many different clinical cases. It benefits from the continued evolution of ultrasonic technologies and a well-established US-based digital health system. Nevertheless, its diagnostic performance still presents challenges due to the inherent characteristics of US imaging, such as manual operation and significant operator dependence. Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to recognize complicated scan patterns and provide quantitative assessments for imaging data. Therefore, AI technology has the potential to help physicians get more accurate and repeatable outcomes in the US. In this article, we review the recent advances in AI-assisted US scanning. We have identified the main areas where AI is being used to facilitate US scanning, such as standard plane recognition and organ identification, the extraction of standard clinical planes from 3D US volumes, and the scanning guidance of US acquisitions performed by humans or robots. In general, the lack of standardization and reference datasets in this field makes it difficult to perform comparative studies among the different proposed methods. More open-access repositories of large US datasets with detailed information about the acquisition are needed to facilitate the development of this very active research field, which is expected to have a very positive impact on US imaging.Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y ElectrónicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEMinistry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation from the Recovery, Resilience, and Transformation PlanNext Generation EU fundspu

The Strength of Connection: The Virtual Adaptation of Twelve-Step Programs’ Meetings

The global crisis engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic brought about profound changes in various aspects of daily life, one of which pertains to how group therapies and support meetings are conducted. Of particular interest in this paper is the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program, a globally recognized initiative known for its efficacy in helping individuals cope with alcoholism through mutual, peer support in group meetings. The advent of the pandemic, however, challenged this very structure of the program, enforcing a radical transition from in-person meetings to virtual environments, which has posed several hurdles for both organizers and participants. Notably, these changes triggered by restrictive mobility measures have called for innovative adaptations to continue to provide the support needed for recovery and to reduce relapses fuelled by pandemic-induced loneliness and isolation