Opinion research among Russian Physicians on the application of technologies using artificial intelligence in the field of medicine and health care.

BACKGROUND: To date, no opinion surveys has been conducted among Russian physicians to study their awareness about artificial intelligence. With a survey, we aimed to evaluate the attitudes of stakeholders to the usage of technologies employing AI in the field of medicine and healthcare and identify challenges and perspectives to introducing AI. METHODS: We conducted a 12-question online survey using Google Forms. The survey consisted of questions related to the recognition of AI and attitudes towards it, the direction of development of AI in medicine and the possible risks of using AI in medicine. RESULTS: 301 doctors took part in the survey. 107 (35.6%) responded that they are familiar with AI. The vast majority of participants considered AI useful in the medical field (85%). The advantage of AI was associated with the ability to analyze huge volumes of clinically relevant data in real time (79%). Respondents highlighted areas where AI would be most useful-organizational optimization (74%), biopharmaceutical research (67%), and disease diagnosis (52%). Among the possible problems when using AI, they noted the lack of flexibility and limited application on controversial issues (64% and 60% of respondents). 56% believe that AI decision making will be difficult if inadequate information is presented for analysis. A third of doctors fear that specialists with little experience took part in the development of AI, and 89% of respondents believe that doctors should participate in the development of AI for medicine and healthcare. Only 20 participants (6.6%) responded that they agree that AI can replace them at work. At the same time, 76% of respondents believe that in the future, doctors using AI will replace those who do not. CONCLUSIONS: Russian doctors are for AI in medicine. Most of the respondents believe that AI will not replace them in the future and will become a useful tool. First of all, for optimizing organizational processes, research and diagnostics of diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the Lomonosov Moscow State University Medical Research and Education Center (IRB00010587).

[Red cell distribution width as a predictor of impaired exercise capacity in patients with heart failure].

Aim    To test a hypothesis that increased values of red cell distribution width (RDW) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) can be related with low exercise tolerance.Material and methods    102 patients were evaluated who had CHF with mid-range and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LV EF) without anemia (72% men, mean age 66±10.2 years). Cardiopulmonary stress test (CPST), echocardiography, 6­min walk test (6MWT), blood count, and measurements of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) and serum iron were performed.Results    The average LV EF was 39±8.7 %; the peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) was 13.7±4.8 ml /kg /min; and the median NT-pro-BNP was 595.3 pg /ml (Q1-3 1443-2401). RDW variables, including the RDW coefficient of variation (RDW-CV) and RDW standard deviation (RDW-SD), were not significantly related with serum iron or hemoglobin concentrations. A one-factor linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation of VO2peak with RDW-SD (р=0.039). A multivariate linear regression analysis with adjustments for LV EF, hemoglobin concentration, and age did not reveal any significant correlation of VO2peak with RDW variables. The distance covered in the 6MWT was significantly associated with RDW-CV both in the one-factor analysis and with adjustments for LV EF, hemoglobin and serum iron concentrations, and age.Conclusion    This study showed that high RDW values in CHF patients without anemia predicted low exercise tolerance regardless of the age, LV systolic function, and hemoglobin and serum iron concentrations. A 16% increase in RDW-CV significantly decreased the likelihood of covering a distance longer than 360 m during 6 min.

[Impact of interleukin-10 and interleukin-28 gene polymorphisms on the development and course of lupus nephritis].

AIM: To assess the relationship of the carriage of IL-10-1080 G/A and IL-28 rs8099917 C/T polymorphisms to the course of lupus nephritis (LN). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ninety-nine patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including 68 with LN, were examined. Gene polymorphisms were analyzed using standard molecular genetic techniques. The frequency of the clinical manifestations of LN was analyzed; renal survival (RS) was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Ten-year RS rates were 80 and 86% of the patients with and without the mutant IL-10 allele, respectively (p = 0.78). The 10-year RS was lower (75%) in carriers of the mutant IL-28 rsl2979860 allele than in patients without this mutant allele (83%; p = 0.049) and in those of the mutant IL28 rs8099917 allele than in patients without the above mutant allele (67 and 88%, respectively; p = 0.047). LN patients, carriers of the mutant IL-10-1028 G/A allele, were observed to have higher-grade proteinuria in the presence of nephritic syndrome (mean 6.1 g/l) than those without the mutant allele of this gene (mean 2.9 g/l; p = 0.034). However, the mutant allele carriers responded to treatment better (p = 0.050). The mutant IL-10 and IL-28 alleles were unassociated with the development of rapidly progressive nephritis, the activity of a renal lupus process, and the rate of onset of SLE and LN. CONCLUSION: In the LN patients, the carriage of the mutant IL-10 allele A is associated with a better response to treatment and that of the mutant IL-28 allele is linked to the severe course of the disease.

[Prognostic value of allelic variants affecting the hemostatic system in the development of antiphospholipid syndrome and kidney lesion in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus].

AIM: To analyze the prognostic value of the polymorphisms of the thrombophilic genes: plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) (-675 4G/5G), factor XIII (FXIII) (G485T), fibrinogen (FBG) (G(-455)A), glycoprotein Ia (GPIa) (C807T), glycoprotein IIIa (GPIIIa) (T106C), and p22phox (C242T), as well as protein genes involved in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction: subunits of p22phox NADH-oxidase (p22phox) (C242T), endothelial NO-synthase (eNOS) (G894T), and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) (C677T) for the development of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and a type of progressive lupous nephritis (LN) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred patients with SLE were examined and, according to the presence of clinical and laboratory signs of APS were divided into 2 groups: 1) 50 SLE patients with APS; 2) 50 SLE patients without APS who were matched for gender and age with Group 1 patients. The gene polymorphisms were analyzed using standard molecular genetic techniques. The frequency of clinical manifestations of APS and the type of progressive nephritis were analyzed in view of the genotypes of the patients. RESULTS: Comparison of SLE patients with and without SLE revealed no statistically significant differences in the rates of alleles and genotypes. The patients with arterial and/or venous thrombosis in the presence of APS more frequently displayed a minor allele (T) and genotype (TT) of the p22phox gene than those with APS without thrombosis: T, 64.5 and 34%, respectively (p = 0.033); TT, 36 and 7% (p = 0.021); odds ratio (OR), 2.1 at 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5 to 22.7). In the APS patients with livedo reticularis, the minor allele (T) and genotype (TT) of the eNOS gene were more common than in those without livedo: T, 33 and 10%, respectively (p = 0.019); TT, 15 and 0% (p = 0.031); OR, 2.49 at 95% CI, 1.2 to 28.9). In the patients with AFS and rapidly progressive LN (RPLN), the minor allele (T) and genotype (TT) of the MTHFR gene were much more frequently encountered: T, 46 and 27%, respectively (p = 0.038); TT, 30 and 0% (p = 0.033); OR, 3.1 at 95% CI, 1.4 to 32.7). The group of patients without APS exhibited no relationship between the examined polymorphisms and kidney lesion. CONCLUSION: The mutant allele of the p22phox gene increases the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis; the polymorphism of the eNOS gene may be related to the higher incidence of impaired blood microcirculation in SLE concurrent with APS. The risk of RPLN in SLE patients with APS is probably associated with MTHFR gene mutation.