MEDICAL EXPRESS - HEALTH INFORMATICS

1. Computational platform helps unlock A20's dual role in cancer immunotherapy

   There is an urgent need for precision immunotherapy strategies that simultaneously target both tumor cells and immune cells to enhance treatment efficacy. Identifying genes with dual functions in both cancer and immune cells opens new possibilities for overcoming tumor resistance and improving patient survival.

2. Novel AI-based method reveals how cells respond to drug treatments

   Researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed an innovative method that can help to understand better how cells behave in changing biological environments, such as those found within a cancerous tumor.

3. Machine learning helps predict immunotherapy response in lymphoma patients

   Researchers with City of Hope and Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center have created a tool that uses machine learning to assess a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patient's likely response to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy before starting the treatment, according to study results published in Nature Medicine.

4. AI advances knee surgery, using 'functionally aligned' surgery instead of conventional knee-replacement surgery

   Patients whose legs are naturally curved are responding well to a novel form of knee-replacement surgery that uses AI to find the best alignment of the new components for their body.

5. Clinical trial unearths hidden hypertension with automated searches of health records

   A new study by investigators at Mass General Brigham shows that clues about hypertension may be buried in electronic health records (EHR). Using natural language processing, a form of artificial intelligence, researchers identified patients who had a heart ultrasound indicating thickening of the heart muscle, a condition frequently caused by hypertension.

6. Improved algorithm for predicting older people's frailty can help doctors intervene earlier

   Researchers have successfully improved the Electronic Frailty Index (eFI)—a tool that uses data to predict older patients' risks of living with frailty—so medical professionals can provide holistic care, help to prevent falls, reduce burdensome medications and provide targeted exercise programs to maximize independence.

7. Artificial intelligence can aid in the prevention of sudden cardiac death

   Many cases of sudden cardiac death could be avoided thanks to artificial intelligence. As part of a new study published in the European Heart Journal, a network of artificial neurons imitating the human brain was developed by researchers from Inserm, Paris Cité University and the Paris public hospitals group (AP-HP), in collaboration with their colleagues in the U.S.

8. An AI-powered breath test could detect silicosis early

   A new diagnostic tool developed by physicians and scientists from UNSW Sydney that analyzes a person's breath for signs of silicosis has the potential to catch the disease earlier rather than wait for irreversible lung damage to appear.

9. My robot therapist: The ethics of AI mental health chatbots for kids

   Mental health care can be difficult to access in the U.S. Insurance coverage is spotty and there aren't enough mental health professionals to cover the nation's need, leading to long waits and costly care.

10. AI is for the birds: How machine learning can help predict and manage avian flu outbreaks

    The active and ongoing global spread of avian influenza virus has impacted more than 14 million birds in Canada and 160 million in the U.S..

11. AI model shows high accuracy in heart attack detection

    An artificial intelligence (AI) model trained to detect blocked coronary arteries based on electrocardiogram (ECG) readings performed better than expert clinicians and was on par with troponin T testing, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25) on March 29 in Chicago. The results were simultaneously published in the European Heart Journal. The findings suggest that the freely available open-source AI model could help physicians more quickly identify patients who require urgent treatment for a heart attack.

12. AI dental assistant reads X-rays with near-perfect accuracy

    The Ateneo Laboratory for Intelligent Visual Environments (ALIVE) and international researchers have developed a deep learning model that aims to revolutionize dentistry, with the capability to identify tooth and sinus structures in dental X-rays with an accuracy of 98.2%.

13. Electronic provider alerts improve treatment rates of valvular heart disease

    A new method of alerting clinical care providers holds promise for increasing treatment and improving survival for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), a valvular heart condition that can be deadly when left untreated.

14. Gen AI's potential to transform global medical care—and the 'tension between the perfect and good'

    When it comes to widespread global health problems, ChatGPT and its like may not be the first solution that comes to your mind.

15. Using AI to calculate the heart's biological age predicts increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular events: Study

    While everybody's heart has an absolute chronological age (as old as that person is), hearts also have a theoretical "biological" age that is based on how the heart functions. So, someone who is 50 but has poor heart health could have a biological heart age of 60, while someone aged 50 with optimal heart health could have a biological heart age of 40.

16. New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africa's most remote regions

    Charles Owusu Aseku has traveled across Ghana and beyond in search of care for the large growth of tissue called a keloid on his neck since 2002. The 46-year-old was growing increasingly frustrated after two unsuccessful surgeries and a trip to South Africa that ended with just a consultation.

17. AI in colonoscopy: Study finds increase in polyp detection but minimal cancer risk impact

    A team of Norwegian researchers, through international collaboration, found that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) during colonoscopy increased the detection of polyps by about 8%, but the risk of cancer was minimally affected.

18. AI can serve up ideas for healthy meals in a snap, but they come with a side of caution

    For anybody who's struggled to pull together a grocery list or plan a week of family meals, the promise of assistance from artificial intelligence is downright appetizing.

19. AI meets oncology: New model personalizes bladder cancer treatment

    Leveraging the power of AI and machine learning technologies, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine developed a more effective model for predicting how patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer will respond to chemotherapy. The model harnesses whole-slide tumor imaging data and gene expression analyses in a way that outperforms previous models using a single data type.

20. Neuroscientists unveil digital 'translator' for brain studies

    UCLA Health researchers have helped to develop a new digital toolbox to create a "common language" for brain network studies, potentially accelerating new discoveries and treatments for neurological and psychiatric conditions.

21. Global population data is in crisis—here's why that matters

    Every day, decisions that affect our lives depend on knowing how many people live where. For example, how many vaccines are needed in a community, where polling stations should be placed for elections or who might be in danger as a hurricane approaches. The answers rely on population data.

22. AI learns to 'speak' genetic 'dialect' for future SARS-CoV-2 mutation prediction

    It's been five years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. As SARS-CoV-2 shifts to endemic status, questions about its future evolution remain. New variants of the virus will likely emerge, driven by positive selection for traits such as increased transmissibility, longer infection duration and the ability to evade immune defenses. These changes could allow the virus to spread among previously immunized populations, potentially triggering new waves of infection.

23. First trial of therapy chatbot suggests AI can provide 'gold-standard' mental-health care

    Dartmouth researchers conducted the first clinical trial of a therapy chatbot powered by generative AI and found that the software resulted in significant improvements in participants' symptoms, according to results published in NEJM AI, a journal from the publishers of the New England Journal of Medicine.

24. Open-access machine learning model enhances transplant risk assessment in myelofibrosis patients

    A machine learning model generated by a team from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) outperformed standard statistical models in identifying and stratifying transplant risk for patients with myelofibrosis, according to new research published in Blood.

25. AI is as good as pathologists at diagnosing celiac disease, study finds

    A machine learning algorithm developed by Cambridge scientists was able to correctly identify in 97 cases out of 100 whether or not an individual had celiac disease based on their biopsy, new research has shown.

26. Dengue fever on the rise: What to know about the mosquito-borne illness in Florida

    The U.S. is on alert for dengue fever during the busy spring break season as cases of the mosquito-borne illness continue to rise globally.

27. Experts recommend lower age for colorectal cancer screening

    Colorectal cancer is no longer a disease of older people. People in their 50s, 40s and younger are increasingly being diagnosed with cancers of the colon and rectum. Incidence rates increased by about 2% per year in people younger than 50 during the past decade, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2019, 20% of colorectal cancers were in people aged 54 years or younger, up from 11% in 1995.

28. From weight to wellness: New database could transform obesity research

    A new medical database automatically compiles the medical records of obese patients and those suffering from obesity-related diseases in a uniquely comprehensive and reliable manner. The initiative, led by Kobe University, offers valuable insights into health promotion and drug development.

29. AI's perceived burden hinders health care adoption, study finds

    The potential benefits of AI for patient care may be overlooked if urgent steps are not taken to ensure that the technologies are effective for the clinicians using them, a new white paper argues.

30. Could your next therapist be a robot?

    When faced with a problem, it's increasingly common for us to ask a chatbot. Within seconds of posing the question, you have an answer.