MEDICAL EXPRESS - HEALTH INFORMATICS

1. New frailty measurement tool could help identify vulnerable older adults

   Investigators at Mass General Brigham have developed a tool that can identify older adults at increased risk of emergency health care needs, rehospitalization or death. The tool measured patient frailty, an aging-related syndrome, by integrating the health records of more than 500,000 individuals collected across multiple hospitals at Mass General Brigham.

2. Fog-to-Cloud computing framework: Researchers advance secure remote health monitoring for elderly care

   The health care sector is increasingly turning to innovative solutions to meet the needs of an aging population. A new framework based on Fog-to-Cloud (F2C) computing promises to revolutionize health care for older people by enabling real-time, remote monitoring of health metrics while addressing concerns surrounding data privacy and security.

3. Mobile app tracking blood pressure helps patients in Ghana

   The AHOMKA platform, an innovative mobile app for patient-to-provider communication that was developed through a collaboration between the School of Engineering and leading medical institutions in Ghana, has yielded positive results in tests with patients at high risk for heart attack or stroke.

4. Score integrates vital signs and laboratory tests to predict the likelihood of a hospital discharge

   Patients at the Lyell McEwin Hospital were less likely to be re-admitted when their likelihood of discharge was evaluated by an artificial intelligence system, new research has found.

5. AI chatbots are mostly correct, but incomplete, on endometriosis

   Three of the leading chatbots can provide basic information about endometriosis, a painful gynecologic condition that affects up to 1 in 10 women, but their responses are not as comprehensive as the guidance from health care providers, according to a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers. Their findings, published in AJOG Global Reports, sound a cautionary note for patients who turn to generative artificial intelligence (AI) for medical information.

6. User-friendly portal links molecular and clinical data to boost metabolic disease research

   Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Helmholtz Munich, among others, have developed a user-friendly portal with comprehensive data on human adipose tissue. The portal offers researchers and clinicians an opportunity to explore the biology of adipose tissue, right down to the individual cell level, without any requirement for knowledge in bioinformatics. The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

7. Novel computational tool for identifying synergistic drug combinations developed

   Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a powerful computational tool, named iDOMO, to improve the prediction of drug synergy and accelerate the development of combination therapies for complex diseases. The study, published in Briefings in Bioinformatics on February 20, highlights iDOMO's ability to identify synergistic drug combinations using gene expression data, outperforming existing methods.

8. Decreasing appearance anxiety in women through smartphone-based interventions

   Two Florida State University researchers have found that smartphone-based clinical interventions may reduce appearance-related anxiety in women experiencing high levels of concern about their appearance.

9. More people are asking generative AI questions about their health. But the wrong answer can be risky

   More people are turning to generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help them in their daily and professional lives. ChatGPT is one of the most well-known and widely available generative AI tools. It gives tailored, plausible answers to any question for free.

10. Study demonstrates feasibility, effectiveness of mobile care for COPD

    A multimodal, digital community-based intervention was feasible and decreased illness-related distress in treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study led by UMass Chan Medical School Program in Digital Medicine researchers.

11. Research indicates fitness apps fuel disordered eating

    With New Year resolutions in full swing and health tracking apps at our fingertips, new research reveals concerning links between health and fitness apps and disordered eating, body image concerns and excessive exercise.

12. Software proves faster than physicians at spotting side effects during cardiac arrhythmia drug treatment

    A software robot has proved to be faster than doctors at detecting side effects during a drug treatment for cardiac arrhythmia, while also cutting unnecessarily frequent follow-up lab tests and controls, according to a study at the University of Gothenburg.

13. Experts present method for standardizing goals of care notes in electronic health records

    It is important that a health care team is aware of and understands a patient's goals of care, both medical and personal. But that information, if documented, typically is not placed in a standardized location and is difficult to find within a patient's voluminous electronic health record (EHR).

14. AI-designed spatial gene map identifies early markers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

    An international team of researchers has, for the first time, created a detailed map of the location and identity of individual cells in the adult lung, both from healthy lungs and in lungs from people affected by chronic lung disease.

15. Machine learning sheds light on how the human brain perceives feeling

    How the brain feels about the world around it is the subject of a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, co-authored by Edward A. Vessel, the Eugene Surowitz Assistant Professor of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience of the City University of New York Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

16. Analytical framework reveals key insights into time persistence in human brain networks

    A new international and multidisciplinary study has unveiled a novel framework for understanding the concept of time persistence in the human brain, shedding light on its essential role in brain functioning and cognition. This research, which explores how long the brain's functional networks remain in a particular state before transitioning to another, opens new doors to our understanding of human cognition and behavior.

17. Tweets and AI models reveal heat stroke risks in urban areas

    Heat stroke poses a significant health risk, especially during extreme temperature conditions. As global temperatures rise due to climate change, the frequency and severity of heat waves have increased, putting vulnerable populations at greater risk.

18. AI model automatically segments MRI images, reducing radiologist workload

    Research scientists in Switzerland have developed and tested a robust AI model that automatically segments major anatomic structures in MRI images, independent of sequence, according to a study published in Radiology. In the study, the model outperformed other publicly available tools.

19. A geometric deep learning method for decoding brain dynamics

    In the parable of the blind men and the elephant, several blind men each describe a different part of an elephant they are touching—a sharp tusk, a flexible trunk, or a broad leg—and disagree about the animal's true nature. The story illustrates the problem of understanding an unseen or latent object based on incomplete individual perceptions.

20. Lack of regulations, oversight in health care IT can cause harm

    New ILR School-led research offers a comprehensive overview of the role of health information technology (IT) in the financialization of the health care industry—the extent to which Silicon Valley and Wall Street investors have profited on health IT systems that have often failed to deliver promised gains.

21. AI screening for heart failure clinical trial speeds up enrollment, study finds

    Artificial intelligence (AI) can rapidly screen patients for clinical trial enrollment, according to a study published in JAMA and led by Mass General Brigham researchers. Their novel AI-assisted patient screening tool significantly improved the speed of determining eligibility and enrollment in a heart failure clinical trial compared to manual screening.

22. AI-driven tool speeds up cancer diagnosis with precise cell imaging

    A research team led by Professor Kevin Tsia, program director of the Biomedical Engineering Program under the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has developed an AI-driven imaging tool that enables speedy and precise diagnosis of cancer patients, greatly enhancing the effectiveness of their medical treatment.

23. New Florida survey reveals public confusion on heart health

    Does fish oil truly improve heart health? How about aspirin or statins?

24. What cancer screenings do you need? A quick guide

    Cancer screenings can save lives by detecting cancer early, when treatment is most effective.

25. Most adults don't trust health care to use AI responsibly and without harm, survey finds

    A study finds that 65.8% of adults surveyed had low trust in their health care system to use artificial intelligence responsibly and 57.7% had low trust in their health care systems to make sure an AI tool would not harm them.

26. Revolutionizing battlefield medicine: Augmented reality for lifesaving trauma care

    In remote conflict zones and disaster-stricken areas, the nearest hospital is often hundreds of miles away. Medical teams face the tough task of providing critical care—with limited resources and while under constant threat—to casualties with wide-ranging medical needs.

27. Q&A: How AI is fostering human connection in health care

    You're reaching for your keys in the parking lot after a doctor's visit when it hits you, "What did my physician say I wasn't supposed to take with this new medication?"

28. 'Emotion aware' chatbot offers transformative potential for mental health care

    An AI-powered chatbot developed by computer scientists at Keele University has the potential to "transform" mental health care by removing existing barriers to mental health support, the researchers have said.

29. Android app targets Hispanic smokers and uses anxiety exercises to increase quitting success

    University of Houston researchers have created a first-of-its-kind, Spanish-language Android app called Impacto, designed specifically to help Hispanic smokers quit with guidance designed to reflect their cultural experiences. Results of the pilot test, published in the Journal of Substance Abuse & Addiction Treatment, indicate the app works – decreasing daily smoking rates and improving smoking cessation.

30. Should AI be used in end-of-life medical decisions? Bioethicist shares insights

    Artificial Intelligence is already being used in clinics to help analyze imaging data, such as X-rays and scans. But the recent arrival of sophisticated large-language AI models on the scene is forcing consideration of broadening the use of the technology into other areas of patient care.