ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To propose a semi-automated method for pattern classification to predict individuals' stage of growth based on morphologic characteristics that are described in the modified cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method of Baccetti et al. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 188 lateral cephalograms were collected, digitized, evaluated manually, and grouped into cervical stages by two expert examiners. Landmarks were located on each image and measured. Three pattern classifiers based on the Naïve Bayes algorithm were built and assessed using a software program. The classifier with the greatest accuracy according to the weighted kappa test was considered best. RESULTS: The classifier showed a weighted kappa coefficient of 0.861 ± 0.020. If an adjacent estimated pre-stage or poststage value was taken to be acceptable, the classifier would show a weighted kappa coefficient of 0.992 ± 0.019. CONCLUSION: Results from this study show that the proposed semi-automated pattern classification method can help orthodontists identify the stage of CVM. However, additional studies are needed before this semi-automated classification method for CVM assessment can be implemented in clinical practice.
Subject(s)
Age Determination by Skeleton/methods , Cephalometry/methods , Cervical Vertebrae/growth & development , Bayes Theorem , Cervical Vertebrae/anatomy & histology , Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging , Decision Support Techniques , Female , Humans , Male , SoftwareABSTRACT
We examined the agreement between diagnoses of pigmented skin lesions based on an in-person (face-to-face) dermatological examination and diagnoses based on the study of medical records and images transferred through the web (teledermatoscopy). Two experienced dermatologists examined and diagnosed 64 pigmented skin lesions, which had been surgically excised and undergone histopathology examination. Two years later, the same cases were studied and diagnosed once again by the same dermatologists via the web. There was 72% agreement between the in-person diagnoses and the biopsy results (the gold standard), and 66% agreement between the telediagnoses and the biopsy results. Telemedicine had high sensitivity (87%) and specificity (73%), although there were 4 false-negative diagnoses. A web-based dermatoscopic diagnostic service appears to be feasible and would meet the needs for access to specialized services in rural areas. However, further work is required to decrease the number of false negative cases.
Subject(s)
Dermoscopy , Remote Consultation , Skin Diseases/diagnosis , Brazil , Dermoscopy/methods , Humans , Internet , Nevus, Pigmented/pathology , Photography , Remote Consultation/methods , Remote Consultation/standards , Schools, Medical , Sensitivity and Specificity , Skin Diseases/pathologyABSTRACT
The proposal of new analytical techniques has guided innovative methodological developments in public health interventions. The goal of this work is show advances in the development of a large scale system for space-time visualization, monitoring, modeling and analysis of epidemic data using a Grid platform. The resulting virtual laboratory, dubbed IntegraEPI, is expected to provide better epidemic forecasting and to define better strategies to fight the spread of a disease, in which new population-level interventions could be evaluated and iteratively refined using computational simulations, with tangible benefits for real-world epidemic prevention and control efforts.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Medical Informatics/organization & administration , Population Surveillance , Brazil , Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control , Forecasting , HumansABSTRACT
Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are being increasingly used on the health field, however, there are not many papers guiding a PDA-software development process concerning its usability in health field. This paper presents our experience dealing with PDAs regarding some elements of usability. We have shown that if simple yet extremely important points are to be observed before and during the development process, usability on PDA software can be greatly improved.
