ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of reporting of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare against Consolidated Standards of ...Reporting Trials—AI (CONSORT-AI) guidelines.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesWe searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for studies reported from January 2015 to December 2021.Eligibility criteriaWe included RCTs reported in English that used AI as the intervention. Protocols, conference abstracts, studies on robotics and studies related to medical education were excluded.Data extractionThe included studies were graded using the CONSORT-AI checklist, comprising 43 items, by two independent graders. The results were tabulated and descriptive statistics were reported.ResultsWe screened 1501 potential abstracts, of which 112 full-text articles were reviewed for eligibility. A total of 42 studies were included. The number of participants ranged from 22 to 2352. Only two items of the CONSORT-AI items were fully reported in all studies. Five items were not applicable in more than 85% of the studies. Nineteen per cent (8/42) of the studies did not report more than 50% (21/43) of the CONSORT-AI checklist items.ConclusionsThe quality of reporting of RCTs in AI is suboptimal. As reporting is variable in existing RCTs, caution should be exercised in interpreting the findings of some studies.
IntroductionDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterised by hyperglycaemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. As a major global health ...concern, its prevalence has been steadily increasing. Pakistan, is no exception to this trend, facing a growing burden of non-communicable diseases including DM. This research aims to comprehensively assess the prevalence of DM, and disparities between rural and urban populations as well as between men and women in Pakistan.Methods and analysisThe systematic review will follow Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and will aim to assess DM prevalence in Pakistan. A comprehensive search strategy will be applied to databases like PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, PakMediNet and CINAHL from inception up to 1st April 2024. We will include studies that focus on diabetes prevalence in the general population, employing WHO or American Diabetes Association criteria for diagnosis of DM. Cross-sectional studies, cohort studies and population-based surveys with a sample size ≥500, in English will be considered. Data extraction will be done as per a predefined proforma which will include study details such as demographics, prevalence data and methodology. A meta-analysis will be performed using a random effect model with an inverse variance weighted method. I2 statistics will be used to examine heterogeneity, and subgroup analyses will be performed.Ethics and disseminationThe findings from the systematic review will be shared by publishing them in a peer-reviewed journal and showcasing them at pertinent conferences. Our analysis will be based on aggregated data and will not involve individual patient information, thus eliminating the need for ethical clearance.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42023453085.
Abiotic stresses have a detrimental impact on plant growth and productivity and are a major threat to sustainable crop production in rapidly changing environments. Proline, an important amino acid, ...plays an important role in maintaining the metabolism and growth of plants under abiotic stress conditions. Many insights indicate a positive relationship between proline accumulation and tolerance of plants to various abiotic stresses. Because of its metal chelator properties, it acts as a molecular chaperone, an antioxidative defence molecule that scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as having signalling behaviour to activate specific gene functions that are crucial for plant recovery from stresses. It also acts as an osmoprotectant, a potential source to acquire nitrogen as well as carbon, and plays a significant role in the flowering and development of plants. Overproduction of proline in plant cells contributes to maintaining cellular homeostasis, water uptake, osmotic adjustment and redox balance to restore the cell structures and mitigate oxidative damage. Many reports reveal that transgenic plants, particularly those overexpressing genes tailored for proline accumulation, exhibit better adaptation to abiotic stresses. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive update on proline biosynthesis and accumulation in plants and its putative regulatory roles in mediating plant defence against abiotic stresses. Additionally, the current and future directions in research concerning manipulation of proline to induce gene functions that appear promising in genetics and genomics approaches to improve plant adaptive responses under changing climate conditions are also highlighted.
Proline has multifaceted functions to combat abiotic stress in plants.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness globally, early detection is critical to prevent vision loss. Traditional screening that, rely on human experts are, however, costly, and ...time-consuming. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of smartphone-based artificial intelligence(AI) systems for DR detection.
Literature review was conducted on MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL Plus, and Cochrane from inception to December 2022. We included diagnostic test accuracy studies evaluating the use of smartphone-based AI algorithms for DR screening in patients with diabetes, with expert human grader as the reference standard. Random-effects model was used to pool sensitivity and specificity. Any DR(ADR) and referable DR(RDR) were analyzed separately.
Out of 968 identified articles, six diagnostic test accuracy studies met our inclusion criteria, comprising 3,931 patients. Four of these studies used the Medios AI algorithm. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of ADR were 88 % and 91.5 % respectively and for diagnosis of RDR were 98.2 % and 81.2 % respectively. The overall risk of bias across the studies was low.
Smartphone-based AI algorithms show high diagnostic accuracy for detecting DR. However, more high-quality comparative studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness in real-world clinical settings.
Abstract
In the present study, a method for the synthesis of gelatin-stabilized copper oxide nanoparticles was developed. Synthesis was carried out by direct chemical precipitation. Copper sulfate, ...chloride, and acetate were used as precursors for the copper oxide synthesis. Gelatin was used as a stabilizer. It was found that the formation of monophase copper oxide II only occurred when copper acetate was used as a precursor. Our results showed that particles of the smallest diameter are formed in an aqueous medium (18 ± 6 nm), and those of th largest diameter—in an isobutanol medium (370 ± 131 nm). According to the photon correlation spectroscopy data, copper oxide nanoparticles synthesized in an aqueous medium were highly stable and had a monomodal size distribution with an average hydrodynamic radius of 61 nm. The study of the pH effect on the colloidal stability of copper oxide nanoparticles showed that the sample was stable in the pH range of 6.8 to 11.98. A possible mechanism for the pH influence on the stability of copper oxide nanoparticles is described. The effect of the ionic strength of the solution on the stability of the CuO nanoparticles sol was also studied, and the results showed that Ca
2+
ions had the greatest effect on the sample stability. IR spectroscopy showed that the interaction of CuO nanoparticles with gelatin occurred through the hydroxyl group. It was found that CuO nanoparticles stabilized with gelatin have a fungicidal activity at concentration equivalent 2.5 · 10
−3
mol/L and as a material for food nanopackaging can provide an increase in the shelf life of products on the example of strawberries and tomatoes. We investigated the possibility of using methylcellulose films modified with CuO nanoparticles for packaging and storage of hard cheese “Holland”. The distribution of CuO nanoparticles in the methylcellulose film was uniform. We found that methylcellulose films modified with CuO nanoparticles inhibited the growth and development of QMAFAM, coliforms, yeast and mold in experimental cheese sa mples. Our research has shown that during the cheese storage in thermostat at 35 ± 1 °C for 7 days, CuO nanoparticles migrated to the product from the film. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the maximum change in the concentration of copper in the experimental samples was only 0.12 µg/mg, which is not a toxic concentration. In general, the small value of migration of CuO nanoparticles confirms the high stability of the developed preparation. Our results indicated that the CuO nanoparticles stabilized with gelatin have a high potential for use in food packaging – both as an independent nanofilm and as part of other packaging materials.
•A model of peristalsis-cilia induced flow of Johnson–Segalman fluid within fallopian tubal fluid in a finite narrow tube is developed.•Highly non-linear PDE is solved using perturbation ...method.•Important flow variables are analyzed for the involved parameters and constants.•Residue time of the Johnson–Segalman fluid in the narrow tube is 3–4 days, which agreed with the time taken by the developing embryo in the human fallopian tube.
The present prospective theoretical analysis concerns with the peristalsis-cilia induced transport of a developing embryo from ampulla to intramural, in the human fallopian tube. A model of peristalsis-cilia induced flow of the Johnson–Segalman fluid within fallopian tubal fluid in a finite two dimensional narrow tube is developed. We solved highly non-linear PDE emerging from the modeling of proposed model using perturbation method. The series expressions for flow variables like axial and radial velocities, pressure gradient, stream function, volume flow rate and time mean volume flow rate are derived. The numerical integration is performed for appropriate residue time over tube length and pressure difference over wavelength. The analysis delineated that, involved parameters and constants have vice versa effects on axial velocity and appropriate residue time over tube length. Striking features of the pumping characteristics and the trapping phenomenon are discussed in detail. Furthermore, comparison of the peristaltic flow with the peristaltic-ciliary flow and Johnson–Segalman fluid with the linearly viscous fluid is made. It is revealed that appropriate residue time of the Johnson–Segalman fluid in the narrow tube is 3–4 days, which agreed with the time taken by the developing embryo from ampulla to intramural, in the human fallopian tube.
The catalytic cracking of vacuum gas oil over fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst containing novel additives was investigated to enhance propylene yield. A conventional ZSM-5, mesoporous ZSM-5 ...(Meso-Z), TNU-9 and SSZ-33 zeolite were tested as additives to a commercial equilibrium USY FCC catalyst (E-Cat). Their catalytic performance was assessed in a fixed-bed micro-activity test unit (MAT) at 520
°C and various catalyst/oil ratios. The cracking activity of all E-Cat/additives did not decrease by using these additives. The highest propylene yield of 12.2 wt.% was achieved over E-Cat/Meso-Z compared with 9.0 wt.% each over E-Cat/ZSM-5 and E-Cat/TNU-9, at similar gasoline yield penalty. The enhanced production of propylene over Meso-Z is attributed to its mesopores that suppressed secondary and hydrogen transfer reactions and offered easier transport and accessibility to active sites. The lower enhancement of propylene over the large-pore SSZ-33 additive was due to its high-hydrogen transfer activity. Gasoline quality was improved by the use of all additives, as octane rating increased by 7–12 numbers for all E-Cat/additives.
To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the IOLMaster 700 foveal scans to detect foveal pathology compared with a standard swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) device.
One hundred seventy ...eye scans of 95 patients were included in the final analyses. Ninety-nine (58.2%) scans were classified as abnormal by SS-OCT. Mean sensitivity of the biometry device was 67.5% (range: 51-84%) and mean specificity was 69.5% (range: 44-95%). Intra-class correlation coefficients were 0.912 and 0.835, for reader 1 and 2, respectively. Area under the curve for receiver operating curve was 0.726. Foveal scans of the IOLMaster 700 can provide clinically useful information. Clinicians should pay attention to the macular scans when reviewing biometry prior to cataract surgery and standard macular OCT should ideally be supplemented in suspicious cases.
To describe the predisposing pathology and clinical features of all incident cases of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) recruited in Scotland during a 2-year period.
Prospective surveillance ...study of incident cases of RRD.
All incident cases of RRD recruited as part of the Scottish Retinal Detachment Study.
During a 2-year period, we coordinated a comprehensive system in which every case of primary RRD presenting to 1 of 6 vitreoretinal surgical sites in Scotland was examined and approached for study inclusion.
Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment incidence, predisposing features, and clinical characteristics.
A total of 1202 cases were recruited. Detailed clinical information was available on 1130 (94%) of cases. By causative break, the proportions of RRD were horseshoe tear (HST) associated with posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in 86.2%, giant retinal tear (GRT) and PVD in 1.3%, non-PVD round hole (RH) in 4.9%, retinal dialysis in 5.9%, and retinoschisis RRD in 1.6%. One in 10 cases reported significant ocular trauma. One in 5 cases were pseudophakic. Round hole RRD more frequently presented with multiple retinal breaks compared with HST RRD (67.8% vs. 48.7%; P = 0.003). In PVD-associated RRD, 56.1% (95% confidence interval CI, 53.8-58.3) of breaks were identified in the superotemporal retina. In non-PVD RRD, 54.6% (95% CI, 47.9-61.1) of breaks were inferotemporal, followed by superotemporal in 34.9% (95% CI, 28.7-41.5). Lattice degeneration was present in 18.7% of affected eyes and more common in RH RRD (35.7%) than in HST RRD (19.3%) (P = 0.003). Seven percent reported an affected first-degree relative, and these cases were significantly more myopic than nonfamilial cases.
More than 85% of RRD cases are associated with PVD and related tractional tears. Non-PVD RH RRD occurred in younger and more myopic individuals. The majority of cases are caused by more than 1 retinal break, and the macula is affected in more than 50% at presentation. Ocular trauma, previous cataract surgery, family history, and lattice degeneration are important predisposing features.
To report the early surgical outcome, risk of failure and predictive value of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) classification based on all participants in the Scottish Retinal Detachment ...study.
Over 2 years, all incident cases of RRD in Scotland were approached for recruitment. Early postoperative success was defined as an attached retina following one procedure with a minimum follow-up of 6-8 weeks. Using a regression model, the influence of clinical factors on the failure risk was estimated and the sensitivity and specificity of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) grading for RRD and the vitrectomy in retinal detachment stratification risk formula (VR-SRF) in predicting operative failure were assessed.
Primary outcome data were available for 86.2% (975/1130) of patients. The overall primary success rate was 80.8% (95% CI 78.1 to 83.3%). The presence of preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy of any degree and each additional clock hour of detachment increased the risk of failure by an OR of 2.4 and 1.13 respectively (p<0.05). A specificity of >95% in predicting early surgical failure was noted for highly complex RRDs according to the VR-SRF formula and the RCOphth classification.
Consistent with previous series, the overall early success rate of RRD repair was 80% after one operation. The type of surgical repair did not influence overall success rates. Significant predictors of failure are the presence of preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy of any grade and the extent of detachment. The analytical value of current classification systems in predicting failure is most useful in complex RRDs.
