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Biomedical subjects

H O'Beirne

Publications and source records attributed to H O'Beirne.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

A model of the maturation of respiratory control in the newborn infant.

A model of automatic neonatal respiratory control has been constructed as an aid in the investigation of a possible maturation in respiratory control loops during the newborn period. The primary objective was to provide a framework for investigating this hypothesis without the need for external stimuli or invasive measurements. Spontaneous sighs provide a physiological disturbance to the respiratory system by transiently altering the levels of the blood gases. The dynamic ventilatory response following such a disturbance was modeled. A change from a highly damped to less damped pattern was found when model parameter values were varied to mimic maturation in the neonatal period. A perturbation model analysis demonstrated the dynamic ventilatory response is most sensitive to factors affecting the gain of the peripheral chemoreflex loop. It is concluded that the model provides valuable insight into the hypothesis that the peripheral chemoreflex matures during the neonatal period and provides a viable method for testing this in the human infant.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

DIAG: a computer-assisted dermatologic diagnostic system--clinical experience and insight.

Over the past few decades, the computer has been utilized in various ways to assist physicians in formulating their differential diagnoses, usually on an experimental basis. Following a review of the three major technics employed in computer-assisted diagnosis, statistical pattern classification, production rules, and cognitive models, a new system (DIAG) is described. The sole function of DIAG is to assist in the formulation of the differential diagnosis of skin diseases. At the beginning of the fourth year of development, the accuracy of the program in reaching diagnoses has been shown, on many occasions, to be comparable to its expert counterparts. However, it has been demonstrated that the system is not utilized within the dermatology clinic routinely. In response to this, aspects of DIAG have been modified in order to improve its clinical acceptability. Until this acceptance is achieved, these tools will not fulfill their potential to affect patient care.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1977

A simple method for ECG and VCG assessment of the severity of pulmonary valve stenosis.

In patients with isolated pulmonary valve stenosis, the right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy is related to the hemodynamic severity of their lesions. We estimated the peak RV pressure noninvasively in 112 patients with isolated pulmonary valve stenosis by a Frank lead vectorcardiogram (VCG), an orthogonal electrocardiogram (ECG), and a standard scalar ECG. In 78 randomly assigned patients, 10 ECG measurements and 13 VCG measurements were correlated with the peak RV pressure at cardiac catheterization; the best multiple linear regression equation used the R wave in standard lead 1 (ECG), maximal rightward voltage in the terminal part of the frontal vector loop (VCG), and the Q wave in the orthogonal Z lead, giving R = 0.66 (SEM 25). The equation was validated in the other 34 patients; correlation of estimated with actual peak RV pressure was r = 0.64. A nomogram for clinical use was devised from this regression equation.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer diagnosis of skin disease: system design and preliminary results.

A system for computer-assisted diagnosis of dermatological disease is described. This is an 'expert system' whose knowledge base has been prepared with the aid of a dermatological specialist. The user enters the key elements of the patient's disease history and physical examination into the computer. The computer then returns a summary of the patient's medical record, and a differential diagnosis. The rules of operation by which a given diagnosis was included or rejected is accessible to the user. The system is currently being evaluated in a large dermatology clinic. Preliminary evaluation of the accuracy of diagnosis by the computer indicates that while it nearly always includes the correct diagnosis in its differential diagnosis (94% of cases), it frequently also includes diseases thought to be inappropriate (34% of diseases listed).

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗