Detecting thyroid disease by computer

Algorithm reveals cases of otherwise hidden thyroid dysfunction

2012-08-02

(Press-News.org) Researchers in India have developed an improved expert system for the diagnosis of thyroid disease. They describe details of their approach to screening medical data in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering.

Thyroid disease in which either too much thyroid hormone is produced (hyperthyroidism) or too little is made (hypothyroidism) are common health problems across the globe. An overactive thyroid can lead to increased perspiration, a raise pulse, tremors, anxiety, nervousness, and irritability, insomnia, thinning of the skin, fine brittle hair, and muscular weakness. Sluggish thyroid in contrast might cause constipation, cold intolerance, decreased sweating, a slow pulse, depression, dry skin and poor female fertility. Thyroid disease is often asymptomatic and is commonly undiagnosed. It is obviously less of a clinical problem if there are no symptoms but left untreated symptoms can ultimately become apparent causing various problems for patients with either an overactive or a sluggish thyroid.

Jaganathan Palanichamy and Rajkumar Nallamuthu of the PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, in Tamilnadu, India, have descried that thyroid can effectively be diagnosed through proper and careful interpretation of the thyroid data but the classification of a raw dataset from patient records can also allow undiagnosed thyroid problems to be discovered through computerized screening.

The screening algorithm developed by the PSNA team boosts the accuracy of earlier approaches, bringing the level to almost 93.5%, as opposed to earlier tests that had 92% confidence or less. That means that 15 more patients are given neither a false positive nor a false negative of every 1000 in the screened dataset. Over a healthcare network with millions of patients that can amount to significant numbers of people correctly identified with a thyroid problem based on patient records rather than having to carry out specific thyroid function blood tests. As such, the screening approach could also be used by doctors in a clinical setting to assess patients that present with a range of symptoms and so identify with precision whether a thyroid test and subsequent pharmaceutical intervention is required.

###"An expert system for optimizing thyroid disease diagnosis" in Int. J. Computational Science and Engineering, 2012, 7, 232-238

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Psychology of possibilities can enhance health, happiness, research says

2012-08-02

ORLANDO, Fla. -- First-time mothers who pay attention to their emotional and physical changes during their pregnancy may feel better and have healthier newborns than new mothers who don't, according to research to be presented at American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. "These findings continue more than 40 years of research that has made clear that whether you are mindless or mindful makes a big difference in every aspect of your health and well-being -- from competence to longevity," Ellen Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard University and ...

Note to waitresses: Wearing red can be profitable

2012-08-02

Los Angeles, CA (02 August, 2012) In many restaurants throughout the world, wait staff's income depends largely on the tips received from customers. According to a new study, male restaurant customers give higher tips to waitresses wearing red. This study was published in a recent issue of Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (published by SAGE, on behalf of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education). In their study of 272 restaurant customers, researchers Nicolas Guéguen and Céline Jacob found not only that male patrons gave ...

New structural information on functionalization of gold nanoparticles

2012-08-02

Nanometre-scale gold particles are currently intensively investigated for possible applications as catalysts, sensors, biolabels, drug delivery devices, biological contrast agents and as components in photonics and molecular electronics. The particles are prepared in a solution from gold salts and their reactive gold cores can be stabilized with various organic ligands. Particularly stable particles can be synthesized by using organothiol ligands that have a strong chemical interaction to gold, producing precise compositions in the size range of 1 to 3 nanometres. Modification ...

Mechanisms for a beneficial effect of moderate alcohol consumption on osteoporosis in women

2012-08-02

Women after menopause tend to develop weaker bones from what is known as osteoporosis, which may lead to fractures (especially hip fractures) from falling. The weakness of the bones results from an imbalance between the normal resorption (a type of dissolving of old bone) and the laying down of new bone, an ongoing process for both men and women referred to as "bone turnover." For poorly understood reasons, after menopause the resorption of old bone in women continues but new bone is laid down less well, leading to a decrease in bone density. A variety of substances ...

Infants exposed to specific molds have higher asthma risk

2012-08-02

CINCINNATI—In the United States, one in 10 children suffers from asthma but the potential environmental factors contributing to the disease are not well known. Cincinnati-based researchers now report new evidence that exposure to three types of mold during infancy may have a direct link to asthma development during childhood. These forms of mold—Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus unguis and Penicillium variabile—are typically found growing in water-damaged homes, putting a spotlight on the importance of mold remediation for public health. Lead author Tiina Reponen, ...

Chronic vulvar pain related to irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and interstitial cystitis

2012-08-02

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Millions of women suffer from unexplained vulvar pain so severe it can make intercourse, exercise and even sitting unbearable. New research now shows that women with this painful vaginal condition known as vulvodynia are two to three times more likely to also have one or more other chronic pain conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia (musculoskeletal pain) and interstitial cystitis (bladder pain). These increasingly prevalent chronic pain conditions are known to be underdiagnosed – and the new data sheds more light on how they ...

Implementing a therapeutic hypothermia program for post-cardiac arrest in acute care hospitals

2012-08-02

New Rochelle, NY, August 2, 2012–National guidelines recommend the use of therapeutic hypothermia to improve outcomes in patients who suffer a heart attack outside of a hospital. The results of a survey of all 73 acute care hospitals in New Jersey evaluating the adoption and implementation of this life-saving treatment from 2004-2011 is published in Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management website at http://www.liebertpub.com/ther. Therapeutic ...

Disorders of consciousness: How should clinicians respond to new therapeutic interventions?

2012-08-02

New tools have confirmed high rates of misdiagnosis of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness, such as the vegetative state. An increasing number of patients' families wish to use these novel techniques for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. An international team of researchers, including Dr. Éric Racine, researcher at the IRCM, analyzed the clinical, social and ethical issues that clinicians are now facing. Their article is published in the August edition of The Lancet Neurology, a renowned journal in the field of clinical neurology. "Patients with disorders ...

What sets allergies in motion?

2012-08-02

Allergies, or hypersensitivities of the immune system, are more common than ever before. According to the Asthma and Allergies Foundation of America, one in five Americans suffers from an allergy — from milder forms like hay fever to more severe instances, like peanut allergies which can lead to anaphylactic shock. While medications like antihistamines can treat the symptoms of an allergic reaction, the treatment is too limited, says Prof. Ronit Sagi-Eisenberg, a cell biologist at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Cells release dozens of molecules during ...

Multiple husbands serve as child support and life insurance in some cultures says MU researcher

2012-08-02

Marrying multiple husbands at the same time, or polyandry, creates a safety net for women in some cultures, according to a recent study by a University of Missouri researcher. Extra husbands ensure that women's children are cared for even if their fathers die or disappear. Although polyandry is taboo and illegal in the United States, certain legal structures, such as child support payments and life insurance, fill the same role for American women that multiple husbands do in other cultures. "In America, we don't meet many of the criteria that tend to define polyandrous ...

AI-generated voices which sound like you are perceived as more trustworthy and likeable, with implications for deep-fakes and manipulation

The cacao tree species (Theobroma cacao L.), from which we get chocolate, is likely about 7.5 million years old, with chloroplast genomes indicating that the current known diversity diversified during

Detecting thyroid disease by computer

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: