Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C Ruggiero.
An expert system, named BREASTCAN and designed to assist physicians giving postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, is described. The system is based on frames, each corresponding to one stage of treatment--either a decision-making stage or a therapeutic stage. The system has been designed to allow fast and easy consultation by general practitioners lacking computer knowledge.
The corrected circumference of the pulmonary trunk, its branches and ascending aorta as well as the maximum diameter of the principal bronchi, were measured in 120 human fresh cadavers of subjects (60 males and 60 females) aged between 27 and 91 years, died of natural causes. The statistical analysis of the obtained data yielded the following main results: 1) the corrected circumference of the pulmonary trunk, smaller than that of the aorta, is not statistically correlated with the age of the subjects and does not present significant degrees between the 2 sexes; 2) the right and left pulmonary arteries have a corrected circumference quite similar in the 2 sexes and statistically correlated with that of the vessel of origin; 3) both the right pulmonary artery and the right principal bronchus have sizes greater than the left ones, possibly due to the greatest volume and weight of the right lung; 4) the lackness of a correlation between the size of the pulmonary arteries and those of the respective bronchi shows once more the difficulty of identifying general rules concerning the interrelationship between vascular and ductal human structures.
The brain weight of 100 fresh cadavers of Italian subjects (60 males and 40 females), aged between 17 and 84 years, was obtained and the corrected circumference of the following blood vessels was measured: basilar artery, internal carotid arteries, anterior and posterior cerebral arteries, and anterior and posterior communicating arteries. The cerebral 'potential flow' was expressed in each case by adding the circumference of the basilar artery to that of the internal carotid arteries. Moreover, the sides and the perimeter of the circle of Willis as well as the length of the basilar artery were calculated. The statistical analysis of the obtained data yielded the following main results: (1) the brain weight decreases with aging, is lower in females than in males and and is statistically correlated neither with the circumferences of the considered arteries and the 'potential flow' nor with the perimeter of the arterial polygon (circle of Willis); (2) the arteries of the left side appear to be larger than those of the right one; (3) no significant difference exists in the circumference and length of the arteries between males and females; (4) the increase of the perimeter of the arterial polygon is achieved by means of a harmonious increase of all its sides; (5) the anterior and posterior communicating arteries have an anarchic pattern, because of the relatively frequent anomalies and the lack of a correlation between their circumference and that of the vessel of origin or of outlet.
A new method for the detection of fecal occult blood was tested in a clinical setting. The test is performed by placing a chemically treated paper pad in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement and observing for color change on the pad. This method eliminates the mechanical task of handling or gathering stool by the patient. Forty-four valid trials were completed in 19 patients with known risk factors for gastrointestinal disease. A widely used reference standard (Hemoccult II) was utilized as a control method against which the study method was compared. Concordance of the results of the study method was noted in 95.8 percent of positive cases and 100 percent of negative cases. This preliminary study supports further investigation. If the aesthetic aspects of fecal occult blood testing can be improved, there may be improvements in patient compliance with screening protocols for the early detection of colorectal cancer.
A method is presented to obtain realistic modifications of faces represented as sequences of tomograms, to be used for geometrical modelling or for planning of plastic surgery. This method uses a mathematical model consisting of the harmonic expansion of tomograms whose harmonic parameters are represented by cubic spline functions of the z variable. Based on this model a three dimensional shape editor is proposed that allows for local modifications. The results obtained using tomograms of a plaster mould are presented.
An artificial intelligence system, NEWCHEM, for the development of new oncology therapies is described. This system takes into account the most recent advances in molecular and cellular biology and in cell-drug interaction, and aims to guide experimentation in the design of new optimal protocols. Further work is being carried out, aimed to embody in the system all the basic knowledge of biology, physiopathology and pharmacology, to reason qualitatively from first principles so as to be able to suggest cancer therapies.
This paper presents Visual Heuristics, a consultation system for diagnosis based on thorax radiograph recording. Visual Heuristics uses both prototypical representations of physiological and pathological states and reasoning aimed to infer conclusions from pathological or physiological conditions, establishing correspondences between pathological or physiological states and semantic descriptions of images. Images are assembled with groups of descriptors that guide the recognition process, achieving the possibility of comparisons with real images on the basis of 'expected' images. The system may be employed to generate a dynamic atlas that does not contain proper images, but generates them.
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The authors report a case of post-traumatic diaphragmatic hernia with non specific clinical findings. They consider the etiopathogenetic factors, clinical findings, therapy and underline the importance of well-performed remota anamnestic procedure to recognise the illness fastly.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.