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Brain Research Aug 2024The right-ear advantage (REA) for recalling dichotically presented auditory-verbal stimuli has been traditionally linked to the dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere...
The right-ear advantage (REA) for recalling dichotically presented auditory-verbal stimuli has been traditionally linked to the dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere for speech processing. Early studies on patients with callosotomy additionally found that the removal of the corpus callosum leads to a complete extinction of the left ear, and consequently the today widely used models to explain the REA assume a central role of callosal axons for recalling the left-ear stimulus in dichotic listening. However, later dichotic-listening studies on callosotomy patients challenge this interpretation, as many patients appear to be able to recall left-ear stimuli well above chance level, albeit with reduced accuracy. The aim of the present systematic review was to identify possible experimental and patient variables that explain the inconsistences found regarding the effect of split-brain surgery on dichotic listening. For this purpose, a systematic literature search was conducted (databases: Pubmed, Web of Knowledge, EBSChost, and Ovid) to identify all empirical studies on patients with surgical section of the corpus callosum (complete or partial) that used a verbal dichotic-listening paradigm. This search yielded k = 32 publications reporting patient data either on case or group level, and the data was analysed by comparing the case-level incidence of left-ear suppression, left-ear extinction, and right-ear enhancement narratively or statistically considering possible moderator variables (i.a., extent of the callosal surgery, stimulus material, response format, selective attention). The main finding was an increased incidence of left-ear suppression (odds ratio = 7.47, CI: [1.21; 83.49], exact p = .02) and right-ear enhancement (odds ratio = 21.61, CI: [4.40; 154.11], p < .01) when rhyming as compared with non-rhyming stimuli were used. Also, an increase in left-ear reports was apparent when a response by the right hemisphere was allowed (i.e., response with the left hand). While the present review is limited by the overall small number of cases and a lack of an appropriate control sample in most of the original studies, the findings nevertheless suggest an adjustment of the classical dichotic-listening models incorporating right-hemispheric processing abilities as well as the perceptual competition of the left- and right-ear stimuli for attention.
Topics: Humans; Dichotic Listening Tests; Corpus Callosum; Auditory Perception; Functional Laterality; Split-Brain Procedure; Speech Perception
PubMed: 38677451
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148965 -
Computer Methods and Programs in... Jun 2024Artificial intelligence (AI) models trained on multi-centric and multi-device studies can provide more robust insights and research findings compared to single-center... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Artificial intelligence (AI) models trained on multi-centric and multi-device studies can provide more robust insights and research findings compared to single-center studies. However, variability in acquisition protocols and equipment can introduce inconsistencies that hamper the effective pooling of multi-source datasets. This systematic review evaluates strategies for image harmonization, which standardizes appearances to enable reliable AI analysis of multi-source medical imaging.
METHODS
A literature search using PRISMA guidelines was conducted to identify relevant papers published between 2013 and 2023 analyzing multi-centric and multi-device medical imaging studies that utilized image harmonization approaches.
RESULTS
Common image harmonization techniques included grayscale normalization (improving classification accuracy by up to 24.42 %), resampling (increasing the percentage of robust radiomics features from 59.5 % to 89.25 %), and color normalization (enhancing AUC by up to 0.25 in external test sets). Initially, mathematical and statistical methods dominated, but machine and deep learning adoption has risen recently. Color imaging modalities like digital pathology and dermatology have remained prominent application areas, though harmonization efforts have expanded to diverse fields including radiology, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound imaging. In all the modalities covered by this review, image harmonization improved AI performance, with increasing of up to 24.42 % in classification accuracy and 47 % in segmentation Dice scores.
CONCLUSIONS
Continued progress in image harmonization represents a promising strategy for advancing healthcare by enabling large-scale, reliable analysis of integrated multi-source datasets using AI. Standardizing imaging data across clinical settings can help realize personalized, evidence-based care supported by data-driven technologies while mitigating biases associated with specific populations or acquisition protocols.
Topics: Humans; Diagnostic Imaging; Artificial Intelligence; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Multicenter Studies as Topic
PubMed: 38677080
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2024.108200 -
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2024Pediatric sarcomas, rare malignancies of mesenchymal origin, pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. In this review, we explore the role of radiomics in reshaping... (Review)
Review
Advancing Pediatric Sarcomas through Radiomics: A Systematic Review and Prospective Assessment Using Radiomics Quality Score (RQS) and Methodological Radiomics Score (METRICS).
Pediatric sarcomas, rare malignancies of mesenchymal origin, pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. In this review, we explore the role of radiomics in reshaping our understanding of pediatric sarcomas, emphasizing methodological considerations and applications such as diagnostics and predictive modeling. A systematic review conducted up to November 2023 identified 72 papers on radiomics analysis in pediatric sarcoma from PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, and Scopus. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 reports were included in this review. The studies, predominantly retrospective, focus on Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma, utilizing diverse imaging modalities, including CT, MRI, PET/CT, and PET/MRI. Manual segmentation is common, with a median of 35 features extracted. Radiomics Quality Score (RQS) and Methodological Radiomics Score (METRICS) assessments reveal a consistent emphasis on non-radiomic features, validation criteria, and improved methodological rigor in recent publications. Diagnostic applications dominate, with innovative studies exploring prognostic and treatment response aspects. Challenges include feature heterogeneity and sample size variations. The evolving landscape underscores the need for standardized methodologies. Despite challenges, the diagnostic and predictive potential of radiomics in pediatric oncology is evident, paving the way for precision medicine advancements.
PubMed: 38667477
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14080832 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024Omicron (B.1.1.529), a variant of SARS-CoV-2, has emerged as a dominant strain in COVID-19 pandemic. This development has raised concerns about the effectiveness of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Omicron (B.1.1.529), a variant of SARS-CoV-2, has emerged as a dominant strain in COVID-19 pandemic. This development has raised concerns about the effectiveness of vaccination to Omicron, particularly in the context of children and adolescents. Our study evaluated the efficacy of different COVID-19 vaccination regimens in children and adolescents during the Omicron epidemic phase.
METHODS
We searched PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase electronic databases for studies published through March 2023 on the association between COVID-19 vaccination and vaccine effectiveness (VE) against SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents at the Omicron variant period. The effectiveness outcomes included mild COVID-19 and severe COVID-19. This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023390481).
RESULTS
A total of 33 studies involving 16,532,536 children were included in the analysis. First, in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years, the overall VE of the COVID-19 vaccine is 45% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 40 to 50%). Subgroup analysis of VE during Omicron epidemic phase for different dosage regimens demonstrated that the VE was 50% (95% CI: 44 to 55%) for the 2-dose vaccination and 61% (95% CI: 45 to 73%) for the booster vaccination. Upon further analysis of different effectiveness outcomes during the 2-dose vaccination showed that the VE was 41% (95% CI: 35 to 47%) against mild COVID-19 and 71% (95% CI: 60 to 79%) against severe COVID-19. In addition, VE exhibited a gradual decrease over time, with the significant decline in the efficacy of Omicron for infection before and after 90 days following the 2-dose vaccination, registering 54% (95% CI: 48 to 59%) and 34% (95% CI: 21 to 56%), respectively.
CONCLUSION
During the Omicron variant epidemic, the vaccine provided protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years. Two doses of vaccination can provide effective protection severe COVID-19, with booster vaccination additionally enhancing VE.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; Infant; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; Vaccine Efficacy
PubMed: 38660347
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1338208 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2024Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has made breakthroughs in spinal cord neural injury and restoration in recent years. It has a positive impact on clinical...
BACKGROUND
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has made breakthroughs in spinal cord neural injury and restoration in recent years. It has a positive impact on clinical treatment. This study explores AI research's progress and hotspots in spinal cord neural injury and restoration. It also analyzes research shortcomings related to this area and proposes potential solutions.
METHODS
We used CiteSpace 6.1.R6 and VOSviewer 1.6.19 to research WOS articles on AI research in spinal cord neural injury and restoration.
RESULTS
A total of 1,502 articles were screened, in which the United States dominated; Kadone, Hideki (13 articles, University of Tsukuba, JAPAN) was the author with the highest number of publications; ARCH PHYS MED REHAB (IF = 4.3) was the most cited journal, and topics included molecular biology, immunology, neurology, sports, among other related areas.
CONCLUSION
We pinpointed three research hotspots for AI research in spinal cord neural injury and restoration: (1) intelligent robots and limb exoskeletons to assist rehabilitation training; (2) brain-computer interfaces; and (3) neuromodulation and noninvasive electrical stimulation. In addition, many new hotspots were discussed: (1) starting with image segmentation models based on convolutional neural networks; (2) the use of AI to fabricate polymeric biomaterials to provide the microenvironment required for neural stem cell-derived neural network tissues; (3) AI survival prediction tools, and transcription factor regulatory networks in the field of genetics were discussed. Although AI research in spinal cord neural injury and restoration has many benefits, the technology has several limitations (data and ethical issues). The data-gathering problem should be addressed in future research, which requires a significant sample of quality clinical data to build valid AI models. At the same time, research on genomics and other mechanisms in this field is fragile. In the future, machine learning techniques, such as AI survival prediction tools and transcription factor regulatory networks, can be utilized for studies related to the up-regulation of regeneration-related genes and the production of structural proteins for axonal growth.
PubMed: 38628700
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1361235 -
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy 2024The COVID-19 pandemic presents the possibility of future large-scale infectious disease outbreaks. In response, we conducted a systematic review of COVID-19 pandemic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic presents the possibility of future large-scale infectious disease outbreaks. In response, we conducted a systematic review of COVID-19 pandemic risk assessment to provide insights into countries' pandemic surveillance and preparedness for potential pandemic events in the post-COVID-19 era.
OBJECTIVE
We aim to systematically identify relevant articles and synthesize pandemic risk assessment findings to facilitate government officials and public health experts in crisis planning.
METHODS
This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and included over 620,000 records from the World Health Organization COVID-19 Research Database. Articles related to pandemic risk assessment were identified based on a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Relevant articles were characterized based on study location, variable types, data-visualization techniques, research objectives, and methodologies. Findings were presented using tables and charts.
RESULTS
Sixty-two articles satisfying both the inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. Among the articles, 32.3% focused on local areas, while another 32.3% had a global coverage. Epidemic data were the most commonly used variables (74.2% of articles), with over half of them (51.6%) employing two or more variable types. The research objectives covered various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with risk exposure assessment and identification of risk factors being the most common theme (35.5%). No dominant research methodology for risk assessment emerged from these articles.
CONCLUSION
Our synthesized findings support proactive planning and development of prevention and control measures in anticipation of future public health threats.
PubMed: 38623576
DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S444494 -
Sports Medicine - Open Apr 2024Musculoskeletal conditions are a leading contributor to disability worldwide. The treatment of these conditions accounts for 7% of health care costs in Germany and is...
BACKGROUND
Musculoskeletal conditions are a leading contributor to disability worldwide. The treatment of these conditions accounts for 7% of health care costs in Germany and is often provided by physiotherapists. Yet, an overview of the cost-effectiveness of treatments for musculoskeletal conditions offered by physiotherapists is missing. This review aims to provide an overview of full economic evaluations of interventions for musculoskeletal conditions offered by physiotherapists.
METHODS
We systematically searched for publications in Medline, EconLit, and NHS-EED. Title and abstracts, followed by full texts were screened independently by two authors. We included trial-based full economic evaluations of physiotherapeutic interventions for patients with musculoskeletal conditions and allowed any control group. We extracted participants' information, the setting, the intervention, and details on the economic analyses. We evaluated the quality of the included articles with the Consensus on Health Economic Criteria checklist.
RESULTS
We identified 5141 eligible publications and included 83 articles. The articles were based on 78 clinical trials. They addressed conditions of the spine (n = 39), the upper limb (n = 8), the lower limb (n = 30), and some other conditions (n = 6). The most investigated conditions were low back pain (n = 25) and knee and hip osteoarthritis (n = 16). The articles involved 69 comparisons between physiotherapeutic interventions (in which we defined primary interventions) and 81 comparisons in which only one intervention was offered by a physiotherapist. Physiotherapeutic interventions compared to those provided by other health professionals were cheaper and more effective in 43% (18/42) of the comparisons. Ten percent (4/42) of the interventions were dominated. The overall quality of the articles was high. However, the description of delivered interventions varied widely and often lacked details. This limited fair treatment comparisons.
CONCLUSIONS
High-quality evidence was found for physiotherapeutic interventions to be cost-effective, but the result depends on the patient group, intervention, and control arm. Treatments of knee and back conditions were primarily investigated, highlighting a need for physiotherapeutic cost-effectiveness analyses of less often investigated joints and conditions. The documentation of provided interventions needs improvement to enable clinicians and stakeholders to fairly compare interventions and ultimately adopt cost-effective treatments.
PubMed: 38613739
DOI: 10.1186/s40798-024-00713-9 -
Clinical Medicine & Research Mar 2024To evaluate the predictive power of the China-PAR model for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Dominate databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
To evaluate the predictive power of the China-PAR model for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Dominate databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System, and VIP self-built database, were searched from January 1, 2016 to February 22, 2022. The primary outcome included observed events and predicted events by China-PAR. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Stroke, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), male, and female were divided into subgroup analyses. Funnel plots were used to assess publication bias. A total of nine studies, which included 221,918 participants, were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed the combined observed incidence of CVD was 3.97%, and the combined predicted incidence was 9.59% by China-PAR. There was no significant difference between the observed and the predicted events. Subgroup analysis showed there was no statistical significance between the observed and the predicted events for stroke or for ASCVD. The difference between the observed and the predicted events by China-PAR was not statistically significant in either males or females. China-PAR model has important public health significance to further improve the primary prevention strategy of CVD.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Cardiovascular Diseases; Asian People; China; Databases, Factual; Stroke
PubMed: 38609143
DOI: 10.3121/cmr.2024.1846 -
Journal of Translational... 2023In this systematic review, we assessed the efficacy, potential mechanisms, and safety of two neuromodulation therapies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
In this systematic review, we assessed the efficacy, potential mechanisms, and safety of two neuromodulation therapies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The first therapy is vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) utilizing implantable or transcutaneous electrodes, and the second is sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) using implantable or percutaneous electrodes.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The PubMed database was comprehensively searched, and studies were rigorously assessed for inclusion and exclusion criteria.
RESULTS
Our analysis encompassed five clinical studies, three on VNS and two on SNS. Most investigated studies demonstrated significant beneficial effects on IBD symptoms, including disease activity, severity of intestinal lesions, and intestinal pain. When evaluating the impact on key IBD pathophysiologies, both VNS and SNS exhibited trends toward reducing biomarkers of intestinal mucosal inflammation and mitigating sympathetic dominance. Importantly, none of the evaluated neuromodulation methods resulted in long-term adverse effects.
CONCLUSIONS
Cumulative evidence from the evaluated studies indicates that VNS and SNS therapies effectively alleviate IBD symptoms and may hold promise in addressing the underlying pathophysiologies of IBD, including intestinal mucosal inflammation and sympathetic dominance. Consequently, they represent valuable options for individualized IBD treatment.
PubMed: 38606364
DOI: 10.14218/jtg.2023.00098 -
Cureus Mar 2024This meta-analysis aimed to compare the effectiveness of high statin monotherapy and a combination of statin and ezetimibe to prevent cardiovascular outcomes in patients... (Review)
Review
Comparison of Effectiveness of High Dose Statin Monotherapy With Combination of Statin and Ezetimibe to Prevent Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
This meta-analysis aimed to compare the effectiveness of high statin monotherapy and a combination of statin and ezetimibe to prevent cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The study was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We conducted comprehensive searches across online databases, including MEDLINE/ PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science, to find the relevant articles from the databases' inception to 10 Feb 2024. Outcomes assessed in the meta-analysis included major cardiovascular events (MACE), all-cause mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction, and unplanned revascularization. Data analysis was conducted utilizing RevMan Version 5.3.1. The comparison of outcomes between the two groups involved the calculation of risk ratios (RR) accompanied by 95% confidence intervals (CI) using either a random or fixed-effect model. Five studies were included in this meta-analysis, encompassing 48,668 patients. The pooled analysis showed that the risk of all-cause mortality was higher in patients receiving high statin monotherapy. However, no significant differences in MACE, myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization were reported. While acknowledging the limitations, including the lack of randomized controlled trials and the dominance of one study in the analysis, these findings underscore the importance of further research to clarify the comparative effectiveness of these treatment modalities in preventing cardiovascular outcomes in ACS patients.
PubMed: 38601367
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55922