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PubMed1986

Digital vibrogram: a new diagnostic tool for sensory testing in compression neuropathy.

A Békésy audiometer was modified for use in analysis of vibrotactile sensibility of the hand at frequencies ranging from 8 to 500 Hz. In control subjects the "digital vibrogram" has a typical shape, which differs characteristically in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Changes in digital vibrogram usually parallel or precede abnormalities in neurophysiologic tests, and appear long before changes in two-point discrimination (2PD). One-hundred-thirty-two hands of 76 patients diagnosed as having CTS were tested with a vibrometer. Of 113 hands with normal 2PD, the digital vibrogram showed abnormal in 86 cases. Of 19 hands with abnormal 2PD, the digital vibrogram showed abnormal in all but three cases. Twenty-six hands with neurophysiologically normal appearance had abnormal digital vibrogram in 14 cases, while 53 hands neurophysiologically classified as CTS showed abnormal digital vibrogram in 44 cases. It is concluded that the digital vibrogram is a useful tool for early diagnosis of CTS.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome↗

PubMed2026

Digital health interventions for diabetes management in the eastern mediterranean region: A systematic review of types and effectiveness.

AIM: The aim of this study was to systematically review and evaluate the types and effectiveness of digital health interventions used for diabetes management in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO). METHODS: This systematic review, conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus up to May 2025 to identify studies on digital interventions for diabetes management in EMRO countries. Methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the EPHPP tool, and findings were categorized by intervention type, outcome measures, and intervention effectiveness. RESULTS: A total of 46 studies were included, mainly from Iran and Saudi Arabia. Phone calls and SMS were the most common digital tools. Digital interventions significantly improved HbA1c, fasting blood sugar, and several behavioral outcomes such as physical activity, medication adherence, and self-efficacy, while effects on psychological outcomes were mixed. CONCLUSION: Digital health interventions, especially phone calls and SMS, effectively improve glycemic control and self-care behaviors, though their impact on psychological outcomes remains inconsistent.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Digital photography: enhancing communication between burn therapists and nurses.

Burn rehabilitation therapists rely on nursing staff to follow through with the positioning and splinting programs. To communicate more effectively, a communication tool that consisted of digital photos and written instructions was created. Microsoft Word and Nikon View software were used to design the communication tool. The purpose of the study was to assess the perceived effectiveness of a communication tool between burn therapists and burn nurses for splinting and positioning. Thirty-two surveys were distributed to burn nursing staff to assess their perception of the communication tool (digital photographs with written instructions) compared with previous methods of instructions (without digital photographs). Seventy-three percent of nurses felt the communication tool with verbal instructions were the best methods of communicating splinting and positioning needs. All respondents felt that the rehabilitation staff should continue to use the communication tool.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy and reliability of fundus digital camera as a screening tool for diabetic retinopathy in Kuwait.

OBJECTIVE: Many screening and follow-up methods are available for detecting diabetic retinopathy (DR). However, once patients develop retinopathy, it is unclear as to what method should be used for their review. This study is designed to assess the correlation between fundus digital image and clinical examination and to develop a screening program for the early detection of sight-threatening DR using a Canon CF 60 UV fundus camera. METHODS: Patients who were not treated for DR earlier were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent digital fundus photography. The photographs were evaluated and compared with the clinical findings as recorded by retinal specialists. DR and macular edema were analyzed separately, and the correlation was statistically measured. The kappa statistic was used to estimate the extent of the agreement between the two procedures. RESULTS: A total of 92 eyes of 51 patients were eligible to be entered in the study. Comparison of the digital image of the fundus and the examination by an ophthalmologist showed a good correlation. The kappa score for retinopathy was estimated to be 93% with 95.6% concordance. The kappa score for diabetic maculopathy was 88% with concordance of 92.2%. CONCLUSION: We conclude that digital images provide an efficient method for diagnosing and classifying sight-threatening DR, particularly proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). However, agreement between the digital fundus camera and clinical examination by an ophthalmologist for diabetic maculopathy detection, though substantial statistically, was not very satisfactory. It was also felt that the digital photographs can be used as a tool for teleophthalmology and can be integrated as a screening system in Kuwait.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intraoperative digital subtraction neuroangiography: a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.

We report our experience with intraoperative digital subtraction neuroangiography to demonstrate its application as a diagnostic and therapeutic technique. Intraoperative neuroangiography was performed on 53 occasions in 43 patients using a portable imaging system. Thirty-two procedures were performed for diagnostic purposes after resection of arteriovenous malformations, clipping of aneurysms, or carotid endarterectomy. Unexpected problems were disclosed in seven cases and were surgically remedied immediately in four. In addition, angiography was used as a therapeutic tool in 21 cases to facilitate intraoperative embolization of a vascular lesion or to enable the angioplasty of a vessel inaccessible without direct surgical exposure. We found that by allowing a combined interventional neuroangiographic and neurosurgical approach, intraoperative angiography opened new avenues for treatment of intracranial vascular abnormalities.

Cerebral Angiography↗

PubMed2005

The Virtual Naval Hospital: the digital library as knowledge management tool for nomadic patrons.

OBJECTIVE: To meet the information needs of isolated primary care providers and their patients in the US Navy, a digital health sciences library, the Virtual Naval Hospital, was created through a unique partnership between academia and government. METHODS: The creation of the digital library was heavily influenced by the principles of user-centered design and made allowances for the nomadic nature of the digital library's patrons and the heterogeneous access they have to Internet bandwidth. RESULTS: The result is a digital library that has been in operation since 1997, continues to expand in size, is heavily used, and is highly regarded by its patrons. CONCLUSIONS: The digital library is dedicated to delivering the right information at the right time to the right person so the right decision can be made, and therefore the Virtual Naval Hospital functions as a knowledge-management system for the US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

Health Education↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Digital marbling: a multiscale fluid model.

This paper presents a multiscale fluid model based on mesoscale dynamics and viscous fluid equations as a generic tool for digital marbling purposes. The model uses an averaging technique on the adaptation of a stochastic mesoscale model to obtain the effect of fluctuations at different levels. It allows various user controls to simulate complex flow behaviors as in traditional marbling techniques, as well as laminar and turbulent flows. Material transport is based on an improved advection solution to be able to match the highly detailed, sharp fluid interfaces in marbling patterns. In the transport model, two reaction models are introduced to create different effects and to simulate density fluctuations.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1991

[Digital roentgen analysis as a tool for kinematic studies of the shoulder--a study of radiation dosage].

The radiation exposure during biomechanical investigation of the shoulder joint done with a digital radiography system (Polytron 1000 VR - Siemens) was measured experimentally. Total radiation dose and surface dose were determined by phantom measurements. The radiation exposure per image is about 1/6 to 1/7 of that of a conventional study. The digital radiography system used is thus suitable for kinesiologic studies of large joints in healthy volunteers.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

Optimisation of conditions of visualisation of dental crowns in dental radiography.

Digital X-ray imaging systems are an alternative to conventional intraoral radiograms. In the paper there are discussed the possibilities of application of different digital radiography tools as well as density measurements in optimization of diagnostics of pathological lesions of teeth crowns. There were analyzed 1,491 digital intraoral radiograms obtained in 985 patients in the Digora Soredex digital radiography system. On all taken X-ray pictures there were evaluated the crowns of teeth in cases of primary and secondary caries, dental fillings, internal resorption, traumatic lesions of incisors as well as the relationships between deep carietic lesions and pulp horns as well as root furcation. An attempt was made to assess the possibilities of differentiation of cervical caries and cervical burn-out. In the paper there were presented the optimal options of digital radiography software in diagnostics of the discussed pathological lesions.

Crowns↗

PubMed2005

Clinical use of electronic portal imaging.

Accurate and routine target localization is necessary for successful outcome in radiation therapy treatments. Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) provide an advanced tool with digital technology to improve target localization and maintain clinical efficiency. EPIDs are ubiquitous in the radiation therapy clinic, and they provide a powerful and flexible tool to collect and process data in a quantitative manner to improve treatment accuracy for virtually any treatment site. This manuscript provides an overview of the clinical implementation process for effective use of EPIDs. It continues with a review of correction strategies and finally highlights numerous examples of effective clinical application of EPID.

Calibration↗

PubMed2002

Is digital subtraction flouroscopy a useful tool for the interventional pain physician?

Most interventional pain physicians are experts in the use of fluoroscopy and understand its importance in improving the safety, accuracy and efficacy of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The addition of digital subtraction may enhance the utility of radiography and improve the accuracy of our interpretations. This article illustrates the use of the technique in several patients. The utility of this enhanced technique in clinical versus research application remains to be determined.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Digital motion analysis as a tool for analysing the shape and performance of the circulatory system in transparent animals.

The analysis of perfusion parameters using the frame-to-frame technique and the observation of small blood vessels in transparent animals using video microscopy can be tedious and very difficult because of the poor contrast of the images. Injection of a fluorescent probe (fluorescein isothiocynate, FITC) bound to a high-molecular-mass dextran improved the visibility of blood vessels, but the gray-scale histogram showed blurring at the edges of the vessels. Furthermore, injection of the fluorescent probe into the ventricle of small zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos (body mass approximately 1 mg) often resulted in reduced cardiac activity. Digital motion analysis, however, proved to be a very effective tool for analysing the shape and performance of the circulatory system in transparent animals and tissues. By subtracting the two fields of a video frame (the odd and the even frame), any movement that occurred within the 20 ms necessary for the acquisition of one field could be visualised. The length of the shifting vector generated by this subtraction, represented a direct measure of the velocity of a moving particle, i.e. an erythrocyte in the vascular system. By accumulating shifting vectors generated from several consecutive video frames, a complete trace of the routes over which erythrocytes moved could be obtained. Thus, a cast of the vascular system, except for those tiny vessels that are not entered by erythrocytes, could be obtained. Because the gray-scale value of any given pixel or any given group of pixels increased with the number of erythrocytes passing it, digital motion analysis could also be used to visualise the distribution of blood cells in transparent tissues. This method was used to describe the development of the peripheral vascular system in zebrafish larvae up to 8 days post-fertilisation. At this stage, food intake resulted in a clear redistribution of blood between muscle tissue and the gut, and alpha-adrenergic control of peripheral blood flow was established.

Anguilla↗

PubMed2003

Measurements of linear dimensions on fundus photographs: comparison between photographic film and digital systems.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to compare linear fundal landmarks measurements of standard photographic film with colour digital fundal images. METHODS: Pairs of fundus fluorescein images were acquired with a digital system and photographic film on 10 patients. Each pair of images was assessed independently by two observers who calculated the distance between two selected points on each image using easily identifiable landmarks. Measurements made using film images were compared to measurements made using the corresponding digital images. Agreement between the two methods of measurements was assessed using a linear correlation and graphical method. RESULTS: The patients were divided into two groups based on the field setting on the digital software. In Group 1, the correlation coefficient was 0.99 and in Group 2 it was 0.98, indicating a high level of agreement between measurements with the computer measuring tool for digital images compared to photographic films using a standard reticule. CONCLUSION: On the basis of the strong correlation between linear fundal landmark measurements between standard photographic film and colour digital fundal images, we conclude that the measurements from the digital images are acceptable for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Although there was a tendency for the measurements to be less accurate with increasing distances measured.

Fluorescein Angiography↗

PubMed1993

Digital simulation as a teaching tool: the distribution and transport of fluids in humans.

We present a mathematical model to analyze the distribution and transport of fluids in humans. The interest of this model is that is based on a strong physiological structure. Some classical experiments of the physiological sciences are show. We have simulated the intravenous infusion of isotonic, hypertonic and colloid solutions in a patient of average physical characteristics. In our opinion, the digital simulation, in the context of the classic techniques of distribution and transport of fluids analysis, is a supplementary teaching tool.

Biological Transport↗

PubMed2005

Spectral phase based medical image processing.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To exploit the spectral phase characteristics of digital or digitized mammograms for early detection of microcalcifications, shape, and sizes of suspected lesions and to demonstrate its use for training radiologists to discriminate signal features in different spatially varying backgrounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We propose two algorithms: in the phase-only image (POI) reconstruction algorithm the spectral phase of the digital mammogram is extracted from its Fourier spectrum. This is coupled with unit magnitude and inverse Fourier transformed to reconstruct the POI thus enhancing the features of interest such as microcalcifications, shape, and sizes of suspected lesions. In the algorithm for image reconstruction from a priori phase-only information, spectral phase is used to extract signal features of the digital mammogram and then this is combined with spectral magnitude that is extracted and averaged over an ensemble of unrelated digital mammograms. RESULTS: The results for several digital phantoms and mammograms show that POI reconstructs only high spatial frequencies related to the features such as microcalcifications, shape, and size of masses like cysts and tumors. The results on image reconstruction from a priori phase-only information demonstrate the changes in the visibility of signal features when buried in a wide variety of real world mammogram backgrounds with different densities. CONCLUSION: The POI can aid radiologists in early detection of microcalcifications, lesions, and other masses of interest in digital mammograms. This reconstruction method is self-adaptive to changes in the background. The image reconstruction from a priori phase-only information can help the radiologist as a training tool in his decision-making process. Preliminary experiments indicate the potential of the techniques for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Clinical studies on these algorithm procedures are in progress for application as a diagnostic CAD tool in digital mammography. These methods can in general be applied to other medical images such as CT and MRI images.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2026

The Impact of Chatbot Type and Normative Messaging on Chatbot Usage Intention Based on the Health Technology Acceptance Model: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Digital health tools, such as health chatbots, may improve access to scalable health support, but adoption remains inconsistent. Existing models do not fully integrate technology acceptance factors with health motivation factors relevant to digital health use. OBJECTIVE: This study proposed and tested the health technology acceptance model and examined whether normative message framing and chatbot type were associated with health motivation, technology acceptance, and intention to use a health chatbot. METHODS: In October 2025, we conducted a 4 × 2 between-participants online experiment with 1000 US adults recruited from a nationally representative YouGov panel. Participants were randomized to 1 of 8 conditions varying norm message type (self-oriented, peer-oriented, expert-oriented, or family-oriented) and chatbot type (AI-powered or rule-based) in a cancer prevention and genetic risk information scenario. Outcomes included descriptive norms, injunctive norms, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, trust, privacy concerns, and usage intention. Data were analyzed using a multivariate ANOVA with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc tests and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Peer-oriented and family-oriented messages produced higher usage intention than expert-oriented messages, and peer-oriented messages also increased descriptive norms, injunctive norms, self-efficacy, and trust. AI-powered chatbots were associated with higher usage intention (P=.02) and greater trust (P=.008) than rule-based chatbots. In regression analyses, the model explained 50.8% of the variance in usage intention. Usage intention was positively associated with descriptive norms (β=0.087; P=.003), injunctive norms (β=0.078; P=.009), perceived susceptibility (β=0.051; P=.03), perceived benefits (β=0.253; P<.001), and trust (β=0.33; P<.001), and negatively associated with perceived severity (β=-0.047; P=.049) and privacy concerns (β=-0.11; P<.001). Perceived ease of use and self-efficacy were not significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: The health technology acceptance model was a useful framework for explaining the intention to use a health chatbot by combining technology acceptance and health motivation constructs. Both social design features and chatbot design features shaped adoption-related beliefs, with peer-oriented and family-oriented framing and AI-powered chatbots showing particular promise. Trust and privacy concerns remained central determinants of intended use.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

Predicting protein subcellular location using digital signal processing.

The biological functions of a protein are closely related to its attributes in a cell. With the rapid accumulation of newly found protein sequence data in databanks, it is highly desirable to develop an automated method for predicting the subcellular location of proteins. The establishment of such a predictor will expedite the functional determination of newly found proteins and the process of prioritizing genes and proteins identified by genomic efforts as potential molecular targets for drug design. The traditional algorithms for predicting these attributes were based solely on amino acid composition in which no sequence order effect was taken into account. To improve the prediction quality, it is necessary to incorporate such an effect. However, the number of possible patterns in protein sequences is extremely large, posing a formidable difficulty for realizing this goal. To deal with such difficulty, a well-developed tool in digital signal processing named digital Fourier transform (DFT) [1] was introduced. After being translated to a digital signal according to the hydrophobicity of each amino acid, a protein was analyzed by DFT within the frequency domain. A set of frequency spectrum parameters, thus obtained, were regarded as the factors to represent the sequence order effect. A significant improvement in prediction quality was observed by incorporating the frequency spectrum parameters with the conventional amino acid composition. One of the crucial merits of this approach is that many existing tools in mathematics and engineering can be easily applied in the predicting process. It is anticipated that digital signal processing may serve as a useful vehicle for many other protein science areas.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1998

Portfolio: a prototype workstation for development and evaluation of tools for analysis and management of digital portal images.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to design and implement a prototype physician workstation, called PortFolio, as a platform for developing and evaluating, by means of controlled observer studies, user interfaces and interactive tools for analyzing and managing digital portal images. The first observer study was designed to measure physician acceptance of workstation technology, as an alternative to a view box, for inspection and analysis of portal images for detection of treatment setup errors. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The observer study was conducted in a controlled experimental setting to evaluate physician acceptance of the prototype workstation technology exemplified by PortFolio. PortFolio incorporates a windows user interface, a compact kit of carefully selected image analysis tools, and an object-oriented data base infrastructure. The kit evaluated in the observer study included tools for contrast enhancement, registration, and multimodal image visualization. Acceptance was measured in the context of performing portal image analysis in a structured protocol designed to simulate clinical practice. The acceptability and usage patterns were measured from semistructured questionnaires and logs of user interactions. RESULTS: Radiation oncologists, the subjects for this study, perceived the tools in PortFolio to be acceptable clinical aids. Concerns were expressed regarding user efficiency, particularly with respect to the image registration tools. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our observer study indicate that workstation technology is acceptable to radiation oncologists as an alternative to a view box for clinical detection of setup errors from digital portal images. Improvements in implementation, including more tools and a greater degree of automation in the image analysis tasks, are needed to make PortFolio more clinically practical.

Algorithms↗