Robust cardiac segmentation corrected with heuristics.

Cardiovascular diseases related to the right side of the heart, such as Pulmonary Hypertension, are some of the leading causes of death among the Mexican (and worldwide) population. To avoid invasive techniques such as catheterizing the heart, improving the segmenting performance of medical echocardiographic systems can be an option to early detect diseases related to the right-side of the heart. While current medical imaging systems perform well segmenting automatically the left side of the heart, they typically struggle segmenting the right-side cavities. This paper presents a robust cardiac segmentation algorithm based on the popular U-NET architecture capable of accurately segmenting the four cavities with a reduced training dataset. Moreover, we propose two additional steps to improve the quality of the results in our machine learning model, 1) a segmentation algorithm capable of accurately detecting cone shapes (as it has been trained and refined with multiple data sources) and 2) a post-processing step which refines the shape and contours of the segmentation based on heuristics provided by the clinicians. Our results demonstrate that the proposed techniques achieve segmentation accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art methods in datasets commonly used for this practice, as well as in datasets compiled by our medical team. Furthermore, we tested the validity of the post-processing correction step within the same sequence of images and demonstrated its consistency with manual segmentations performed by clinicians.

Obesity and its association with mental health among Mexican children and adolescents: systematic review.

CONTEXT: Obesity and mental health issues increasingly affect children and adolescents, but whether obesity is a risk factor for mental health issues is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the association between obesity and mental health issues (ie, anxiety and/or depression) among Mexican children and adolescents. DATA SOURCING, EXTRACTION, AND SYNTHESIS: A literature search of 13 databases and 1 search engine was conducted. Population, exposure, comparison, outcomes, and study design data were extracted, analyzed, and narratively synthesized. The JBI critical appraisal tool was used to evaluate evidence quality. RESULTS: A total of 16 studies with 12 103 participants between 8 and 18 years old were included. Four studies focused on anxiety outcomes, 10 on depression, and 2 on both (ie, anxiety and depression). Evidence is unclear about the association of obesity with anxiety. However, most evidence shows that Mexican children and adolescents with overweight or obesity are more likely to have depression or report a higher number of depressive symptoms than normal-weight participants. Such likelihood is greater for females. CONCLUSION: Health promotion interventions to treat or prevent obesity could also consider mental health outcomes. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42019154132.

Cultural factors related to childhood and adolescent obesity in Mexico: A systematic review of qualitative studies.

Culture and culturally specific beliefs or practices may influence perceptions and decisions, potentially contributing to childhood obesity. The objective of this study is to identify the cultural factors (expressed through decisions, behaviors, individual experiences, perceptions, attitudes, or views) related to childhood and adolescent obesity in Mexico. Ten databases and one search engine were searched from 1995 onwards for qualitative studies. The Sunrise Enabler Model, described within the Cultural Care Theory, guided this review. Sample, the phenomenon of interest, study design, and evaluation data were extracted, and the Critical Appraisals Skills Programme tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Twenty-four studies were included. Of these, 12 studies included children or adolescents, 12 included parents, eight included schoolteachers, four included school staff (other than teachers), four included food vendors, and one included policymakers. Cultural values, beliefs, lifeways (especially food and food costumes), kinship, and social factors (particularly immediate and extended family) strongly influenced childhood and adolescent obesity-related lifestyles in Mexico. Most cultural factors related to childhood obesity in Mexico identified in this review may be modifiable and amenable to practical interventions.

Implementation of NAO Robot Maze Navigation Based on Computer Vision and Collaborative Learning.

Maze navigation using one or more robots has become a recurring challenge in scientific literature and real life practice, with fleets having to find faster and better ways to navigate environments such as a travel hub, airports, or for evacuation of disaster zones. Many methodologies have been explored to solve this issue, including the implementation of a variety of sensors and other signal receiving systems. Most interestingly, camera-based techniques have become more popular in this kind of scenarios, given their robustness and scalability. In this paper, we implement an end-to-end strategy to address this scenario, allowing a robot to solve a maze in an autonomous way, by using computer vision and path planning. In addition, this robot shares the generated knowledge to another by means of communication protocols, having to adapt its mechanical characteristics to be capable of solving the same challenge. The paper presents experimental validation of the four components of this solution, namely camera calibration, maze mapping, path planning and robot communication. Finally, we showcase some initial experimentation in a pair of robots with different mechanical characteristics. Further implementations of this work include communicating the robots for other tasks, such as teaching assistance, remote classes, and other innovations in higher education.

Using artificial intelligence methods for systematic review in health sciences: A systematic review.

The exponential increase in published articles makes a thorough and expedient review of literature increasingly challenging. This review delineated automated tools and platforms that employ artificial intelligence (AI) approaches and evaluated the reported benefits and challenges in using such methods. A search was conducted in 4 databases (Medline, Embase, CDSR, and Epistemonikos) up to April 2021 for systematic reviews and other related reviews implementing AI methods. To be included, the review must use any form of AI method, including machine learning, deep learning, neural network, or any other applications used to enable the full or semi-autonomous performance of one or more stages in the development of evidence synthesis. Twelve reviews were included, using nine different tools to implement 15 different AI methods. Eleven methods were used in the screening stages of the review (73%). The rest were divided: two in data extraction (13%) and two in risk of bias assessment (13%). The ambiguous benefits of the data extractions, combined with the reported advantages from 10 reviews, indicating that AI platforms have taken hold with varying success in evidence synthesis. However, the results are qualified by the reliance on the self-reporting of the review authors. Extensive human validation still appears required at this stage in implementing AI methods, though further evaluation is required to define the overall contribution of such platforms in enhancing efficiency and quality in evidence synthesis.

Obesity and oral health in Mexican children and adolescents: systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: A relationship between obesity and poor oral health has been reported. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between overweight/obesity and oral health in Mexican children and adolescents. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was conducted of 13 databases and 1 search engine for articles published from 1995 onward. DATA ANALYSIS: A total of 18 publications were included. Evidence was inconclusive and varied according to sociodemographic factors or outcome measuring tools. The Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth and Filled Teeth Surfaces indices and the decayed extracted filled teeth index outcomes were included in a random effects model meta-analysis. Pooled estimates showed no statistically significant oral health differences (measured via the decayed extracted filled teeth or the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth Surfaces indexes) among body mass index (BMI) categories. However, pooled estimates of 6 studies showed that children with higher BMI had worse oral health in permanent teeth (measured via the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth Index) than children with lower BMI (overall mean difference, -0.42; 95%CI, -0.74, -0.11). CONCLUSION: Whether there is an association between poor oral health and high BMI is inconclusive; however, both co-exist among Mexican children. Therefore, health promotion and prevention efforts should address common risk factors and broader risk social determinants shared between noncommunicable diseases.

Interventions to Treat Obesity in Mexican Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

CONTEXT: Prevalence of overweight and obesity has been rising in the past 3 decades among Mexican children and adolescents. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review experimental studies evaluating interventions to treat obesity in Mexican children and adolescents (≤18 years old). DATA SOURCES: For this study, 13 databases and 1 search engine were searched. DATA ANALYSIS: A total of 29 studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 2302 participants (age range, 8-16 years) from 11 states in Mexico were included. Most of the studies (n = 17 of 29) were provided in a clinical setting. A random-effect meta-analysis of 4 randomized controlled trials was conducted and a significant effect was found on body mass index reduction that favored the intervention group (-1.52; 95%CI, -2.15 to -0.89) for short-term (≤6 mo) interventions. CONCLUSIONS: A multicomponent, multidisciplinary, and individualized intervention that includes dietary modifications, physical activity practice, behavioral strategies, and active parental involvement might help treat childhood obesity in Mexico. However, long-term results need to be produced to identify effectiveness pointers that might help establish an integrated, long-lasting care model to treat obesity.

Interventions to Prevent Obesity in Mexican Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been rising among Mexican children and adolescents in the last decades. To systematically review obesity prevention interventions delivered to Mexican children and adolescents. Thirteen databases and one search engine were searched for evidence from 1995 to 2021. Searches were done in English and Spanish to capture relevant information. Studies with experimental designs, delivered in any setting (e.g., schools or clinics) or digital domains (e.g., social media campaigns) targeting Mexican children or adolescents (≤ 18 years) and reporting weight outcomes, were included in this review. In addition, the risk of bias was appraised with the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. Twenty-nine studies with 19,136 participants (3-17 years old) were included. The prevalence of overweight and obesity at baseline ranged from 21 to 69%. Most of the studies (89.6%) were delivered in school settings. The duration ranged from 2 days to 3 school years, and the number of sessions also varied from 2 to 200 sessions at different intensities. Overall, anthropometric changes varied across studies. Thus, the efficacy of the included studies is heterogeneous and inconclusive among studies. Current evidence is heterogeneous and inconclusive about the efficacy of interventions to prevent obesity in Mexican children and adolescents. Interventions should not be limited to educational activities and should include different components, such as multi-settings delivery, family inclusion, and longer-term implementations. Mixed-method evaluations (including robust quantitative and qualitative approaches) could provide a deeper understanding of the effectiveness and best practices.

Effectiveness of social marketing strategies to reduce youth obesity in European school-based interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: The use of social marketing to modify lifestyle choices could be helpful in reducing youth obesity. Some or all of the 8 domains of the National Social Marketing Centre's social marketing benchmark criteria (SMBC) are often used but not always defined in intervention studies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to assess the effectiveness of European school-based interventions to prevent obesity relative to the inclusion of SMBC domains in the intervention. DATA SOURCES: The PubMed, Cochrane, and ERIC databases were used. STUDY SELECTION: Nonrandomized and randomized controlled trials conducted from 1990 to April 2014 in participants aged 5 to 17 years were included. DATA EXTRACTION: After the study selection, the 8 domains of the SMBC were assessed in each included study. RESULTS: Thirty-eight publications were included in the systematic review. For the meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting body mass index or prevalence of overweight and obesity were considered. Eighteen RCTs with a total of 8681 participants included at least 5 SMBC. The meta-analysis showed a small standardized mean difference in body mass index of -0.25 (95%CI, -0.45 to -0.04) and a prevalence of overweight and obesity odds ratio of 0.72 (95%CI, 0.5-0.97). CONCLUSION: Current evidence indicates that the inclusion of at least 5 SMBC domains in school-based interventions could benefit efforts to prevent obesity in young people. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42014007297.