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Basic Science in Medical Reasoning: An Artificial Intelligence Approach.

A new generation of intelligent systems is growing up in the community of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine. The main goal of these systems is the representation and use of real theory of diseases, as they are represented in medical textbooks or in scientific articles, rather than the heuristic shortcuts of human experts. In this paper, we will argue that the difficulties in the integration of basic science and clinical knowledge in intelligent systems arise from ontological differences between these kinds of knowledge and that the solution can be found in their dynamic integration during the reasoning process. In order to illustrate this point, we will first describe an epistemological analysis of the interplay between basic science knowledge and clinical knowledge, and then we will provide the example of a computational architecture implementing this view.

Journal Article↗

Neural networks--an artificial intelligence approach to the analysis of clinical data.

This paper describes an approach to the pattern recognition problem of categorizing evoked response waveforms, using that branch of artificial intelligence known as neural networking. A total of 19 subjects (38 eyes) were exposed to a reversing chequerboard pattern, and the resulting Pattern electroretinogram (PERG) recorded. This was repeated for each of the subjects at contrast levels of 75%,50% and 25%, with the resulting response becoming less pronounced as the contrast level was decreased. The subjects were also given an Arden contrast sensitivity test, and the resulting scores recorded for each eye. The averaged responses from each of the 3 contrast levels for each of the 38 eyes tested were used as the input to a computer simulated 3-input per neuron cascaded neural network. The output and weighting parameters for the individual neurons were then varied until the network was able to optimally classify the PERG results on the basis of the Arden contrast sensitivity scores. The neural network was thus taught to recognize patterns in the PERG responses in much the same way that an experienced clinician might. A second neural network was similarly taught to classify the PERG responses on the basis of a clinician's subjective rating of each of the responses.

Adult↗

An artificial-intelligence technique for qualitatively deriving enzyme kinetic mechanisms from initial-velocity measurements and its application to hexokinase.

We have developed a computer method based on artificial-intelligence techniques for qualitatively analysing steady-state initial-velocity enzyme kinetic data. We have applied our system to experiments on hexokinase from a variety of sources: yeast, ascites and muscle. Our system accepts qualitative stylized descriptions of experimental data, infers constraints from the observed data behaviour and then compares the experimentally inferred constraints with corresponding theoretical model-based constraints. It is desirable to have large data sets which include the results of a variety of experiments. Human intervention is needed to interpret non-kinetic information, differences in conditions, etc. Different strategies were used by the several experimenters whose data was studied to formulate mechanisms for their enzyme preparations, including different methods (product inhibitors or alternate substrates), different experimental protocols (monitoring enzyme activity differently), or different experimental conditions (temperature, pH or ionic strength). The different ordered and rapid-equilibrium mechanisms proposed by these experimenters were generally consistent with their data. On comparing the constraints derived from the several experimental data sets, they are found to be in much less disagreement than the mechanisms published, and some of the disagreement can be ascribed to different experimental conditions (especially ionic strength).

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Multisensor system and artificial intelligence in housing for the elderly.

To improve the safety of a growing proportion of elderly and disabled people in the developed countries, a multisensor system based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advanced Telecommunications (AT) and Information Technology (IT) has been devised and fabricated. Thus, the habits and behaviours of these populations will be recorded without disturbing their daily activities. AI will diagnose any abnormal behavior or change and the system will warn the professionals. Gerontology issues are presented together with the multisensor system, the AI-based learning and diagnosis methodology and the main functionalities.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Artificial intelligence for translational personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine development.

Personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine is a promising strategy for precision immunotherapy by targeting patient-specific and mutation-derived tumor antigens. Early clinical studies have demonstrated the feasibility, safety, and immunogenicity of these vaccines across multiple solid tumors, with encouraging outcomes particularly when combined with immune checkpoint blockade. However, broader clinical translation remains limited by sequential bottlenecks across the vaccine development pipeline, including false-positive neoantigen selection,  imperfect modeling of antigen processing and HLA presentation, limited prediction of T-cell receptor recognition, and challenges in formulation, delivery, and manufacturing. Artificial intelligence and advanced computational workflows are increasingly integrated into this pipeline to improve candidate prioritization and support more reproducible decision-making. In this review, we summarize clinical progress and key translational barriers in personalized neoantigen vaccination, and discuss how AI-enabled approaches may contribute across four major stages: multi-omics integration for neoantigen discovery, processing-aware HLA presentation prediction, structure-aware and TCR-informed immunogenicity modeling, and data-driven formulation optimization, particularly for lipid nanoparticle-based delivery systems. These approaches are able to help narrow biological and chemical search spaces, improve prioritization, and provide mechanistic insights into antigen presentation and immune recognition rather than replacing experimental validation. This articlefurther addresses future implementation challenges, including dataset diversity, model interpretability, prospective benchmarking, manufacturing traceability, and evolving regulatory frameworks for individualized mRNA cancer immunotherapies. Integrating computational innovation with rigorous immunological validation, scalable manufacturing, and regulatory oversight will be essential for advancing personalized neoantigen vaccines toward broader clinical implementation.

Cancer Vaccines↗

Artificial intelligence in molecular diagnostics for pandemic preparedness.

INTRODUCTION: Molecular diagnostics focusing on the detection and analysis of nucleic acids are indispensable tools for early pathogen identification, transmission monitoring, and genomic surveillance during pandemics. Recent technological advances have broadened the diagnostic landscape, incorporating PCR-based methods, isothermal amplification, high-CRISPR-based amplification detection, and sequencing. Despite their diagnostic potential, widespread implementation remains limited by high validation costs, time and logistical constraints, the need for specialized professional knowledge, and a lack of adaptability in resource-limited settings. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognized as a promising but challenging approach, offering tools that streamline assay development, automate data interpretation, and optimize real-time diagnostic performance. AREAS COVERED: This review introduces recently published AI tools with potential to enhance the in-silico design validation process of oligonucleotides for molecular assays. These cover tools for initial assay design and optimization to validation and continuous assay updates. The limitations, including concerns regarding data accuracy, the lack of transparency in data processing ('black box' models), and unresolved licensing and regulatory issues, are highlighted for each tool and as expert opinion. EXPERT OPINION: Collectively, these challenges currently confine most AI-based approaches to research settings and prevent their routine implementation in clinical molecular diagnostics. Their widespread adoption depends on addressing remaining technical, regulatory, and practical challenges.

Humans↗

An artificial intelligence approach to motif discovery in protein sequences: application to steriod dehydrogenases.

MEME (Multiple Expectation-maximization for Motif Elicitation) is a unique new software tool that uses artificial intelligence techniques to discover motifs shared by a set of protein sequences in a fully automated manner. This paper is the first detailed study of the use of MEME to analyse a large, biologically relevant set of sequences, and to evaluate the sensitivity and accuracy of MEME in identifying structurally important motifs. For this purpose, we chose the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase superfamily because it is large and phylogenetically diverse, providing a test of how well MEME can work on sequences with low amino acid similarity. Moreover, this dataset contains enzymes of biological importance, and because several enzymes have known X-ray crystallographic structures, we can test the usefulness of MEME for structural analysis. The first six motifs from MEME map onto structurally important alpha-helices and beta-strands on Streptomyces hydrogenans 20beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. We also describe MAST (Motif Alignment Search Tool), which conveniently uses output from MEME for searching databases such as SWISS-PROT and Genpept. MAST provides statistical measures that permit a rigorous evaluation of the significance of database searches with individual motifs or groups of motifs. A database search of Genpept90 by MAST with the log-odds matrix of the first six motifs obtained from MEME yields a bimodal output, demonstrating the selectivity of MAST. We show for the first time, using primary sequence analysis, that bacterial sugar epimerases are homologs of short-chain dehydrogenases. MEME and MAST will be increasingly useful as genome sequencing provides large datasets of phylogenetically divergent sequences of biomedical interest.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

Evaluation of a new biochemical index for the estimation of bone demineralization using artificial intelligence.

The use of artificial neural networks (ANN) for the identification of a positive correlation between the QuiOs quotient, a single-valued indicator of bone mineral density, and multisite dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measurements is described. The measurements were obtained using the Hologic QDRR-2000 x-ray bone densitometer in a multicenter clinical trial including 374 female patients. The QuiOs quotient estimates bone mineral density and determines the severity of bone density loss. This quotient is calculated by using a proprietary software program to perform a multivariate analysis of the results of testing of serum levels of calcium, phosphate, total alkaline phosphate, two alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes (liver and intestine), estradiol, and progesterone. The results show that given the four DEXA measurements obtained from the bone densitometer, the trained neural network can predict whether the corresponding QuiOs score of the same patient will be below the cutoff score of 0.690. The findings in this study indicate a positive correlation between DEXA measurements and the QuiOs quotient obtained from two different sources.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Modeling and artificial intelligence approaches to enzyme systems.

Modeling is a means of formulating and testing complex hypotheses. Useful modeling is now possible with biological laboratory microcomputers with which experimenters feel comfortable. Artificial intelligence (AI) is sufficiently similar to modeling that AI techniques, now becoming usable on microcomputers, are applicable to modeling. Microcomputer and AI applications to physiological system studies with multienzyme models and with kinetic models of isolated enzymes are described. Using an IBM PC microcomputer, we have been able to fit kinetic enzyme models; to extend this process to design kinetic experiments by determining the optimal conditions; and to construct an enzyme (hexokinase) kinetics data base. We have also used a PC to do most of the constructing of complex multienzyme models, initially with small simple BASIC programs; alternative methods with standard spreadsheet or data base programs have been defined. Formulating and solving differential equations in appropriate representational languages, and sensitivity analysis, are soon likely to be feasible with PCs. Much of the modeling process can be stated in terms of AI expert systems, using sets of rules for fitting and evaluating models and designing further experiments. AI techniques also permit critiquing and evaluating the data, experiments, and hypotheses being modeled, and can be extended to supervise the calculations involved.

Artificial Intelligence↗

Computer vision and artificial intelligence in mammography.

The revolution in digital computer technology that has made possible new and sophisticated imaging techniques may next influence the interpretation of radiologic images. In mammography, computer vision and artificial intelligence techniques have been used successfully to detect or to characterize abnormalities on digital images. Radiologists supplied with this information often perform better at mammographic detection or characterization tasks in observer studies than do unaided radiologists. This technology therefore could decrease errors in mammographic interpretation that continue to plague human observers.

Artificial Intelligence↗

Efficacy of current approaches to non-invasive diagnosis of skin cancer and the potential impact of artificial intelligence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide, particularly within Caucasian populations. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively review the current literature on non-invasive diagnosis of skin cancer and evaluate the current evidence to support the use of tools in addition to, or in replacement of clinician face-to-face assessment. METHODS: A literature search was conducted for publications in PubMed, Medline and Embase databases. Articles describing accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and outcomes of their mode of assessment were included. A total of 208 articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the diagnostic performance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the interpretation of dermatoscopic images was high for melanoma diagnosis, basal cell carcinoma or malignancy, in comparison to dermatoscopic assessment alone by clinicians and experts. Although AI interpretation of images demonstrated higher sensitivity for melanoma diagnosis in comparison to clinical assessment combined with dermatoscopic assessment, it is unclear if this is also the case for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis. Reflectance confocal microscopy, a non-invasive high resolution imaging technique, is known to have a high sensitivity for diagnosing cutaneous malignancy, and this may have applications within secondary care. Therefore, AI could help reduce resource burden and aid in clinical assessment, particularly within primary care settings.

Humans↗

Comparison of artificial intelligence techniques with UKTRISS for estimating probability of survival after trauma. UK Trauma and Injury Severity Score.

BACKGROUND: The development of TRISS was principally a search for variables that correlated with outcome. It is not known, however, if linear statistical models provide optimal results. Artificial intelligence techniques can answer this question and also determine the most important predictor variables. METHODS: An artificial neural network, using 16 anatomic and physiologic predictor variables, was compared with the latest United Kingdom version of TRISS model. RESULTS: Both methods were 89.6% correct, but TRISS was significantly better by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.941 vs. 0.921, p < 0.001). The artificial neural network, however, was better calibrated to the test data (Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic, 58.3 vs. 105.4). Head injury, age, and chest injury were the most important predictors by linear or nonlinear methods, whereas respiration rate, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure were underused. CONCLUSION: Prediction using linear statistics is adequate but not optimal. Only half the predictors have important predictive value, fewer still when using linear classification. The strongest predictors swamp any nonlinearity observed in other variables.

Artificial Intelligence↗

Decoding gene regulation in plant genomes with artificial intelligence.

One of the central goals of plant functional genomics is to uncover regulatory mechanisms that shape agriculturally important traits to inform crop improvement. Recent advances in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), especially Large Language Models (LLMs), have greatly transformed our ability to derive regulatory information from complex genomics data. This review starts with a brief introduction of recent advances in AI and ML. We then present a plant-focused synthesis of emerging applications of AI- and LLM tools to: (i) predict epigenomic features, regulatory DNA elements, and gene expressions; (ii) infer gene regulatory network; and (iii) estimate post-transcriptional regulation.

Artificial intelligence↗

Accurate identification of abnormal ploidy using an artificial intelligence model in preimplantation genetic testing.

STUDY QUESTION: Can ultra-low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (ulc-WGS) accurately identify abnormal ploidy during preimplantation genetic testing (PGT)? SUMMARY ANSWER: The artificial intelligence (AI)-based PGT-Plus model demonstrates high accuracy in ploidy detection, offering a cost-effective solution that enhances clinical utility of PGT. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The predominant PGT for aneuploidy can identify chromosomal aneuploidies but cannot determine ploidy status. Transferring embryos with ploidy abnormalities can result in miscarriage and molar pregnancy. On the other hand, in ART, fertilization is assessed by morphological pronuclear assessment at the zygote stage. However, it has a low specificity in the prediction of abnormal ploidy status and embryos deemed abnormally fertilized can yield healthy pregnancies. Accurately identified abnormal ploidy in PGT-A can resolve current limitations and expand the utility range of PGT-A. Several studies have identified ploidy abnormalities; however, they were mainly based on single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays or needed to combine additional targeted-next-generation sequencing (NGS) information. Studies based on ulc-WGS remain scarce. STUDY DESIGN SIZE DURATION: The study consisted of two stages: methodology establishment and validation. An AI model, named PGT-Plus, was developed using 653 samples with known ploidy status, which was further validated using 792 different ploidy status samples. In the clinical application stage, the approach was used to analyse the ploidy status of 19&#x2009;103 normally fertilized PGT blastocysts and 140 single pronucleus (1PN)-derived blastocysts collected between May 2022 and December 2023. All blastocysts were tested using trophectoderm biopsy and NGS. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS SETTING METHODS: The methodology is based on the ulc-WGS data. First, based on samples with known ploidy status: the heterozygosity rate of high-frequency biallelic SNPs, the likelihood ratio (LLR) of alleles was calculated under different assumptions ('both parental homologs' [BPH] from a single parent, 'single parental homolog' [SPH] from each parent, disomy, and monosomy) by leveraging allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium (LD) measured in the 1000 genomes project database. Twenty-three continuous candidate features derived from heterozygosity rates and LLRs of chromosomes or selected windows were included to establish the ploidy prediction AI model. Gini importance analysis and multicollinearity mitigation was performed for feature selection, then the performance of Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Logistic Regression for modelling was compared. Subsequently, the parameter optimization was performed based on the RF model. Ploidy constitution concordance was evaluated in known ploidy status samples. The frequency of abnormal ploidy in normal fertilized PGT blastocysts and 1PN-derived blastocysts (including conventional IVF and ICSI) was evaluated. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Eleven features were collected for model architecture compared to SVM and Logistic Regression; RF achieved superior performance for ploidy detection. The AI model achieved an AUC of 1 for genome-wide-uniparental diploidy (GW-UPD), 1 for triploidy, and 0.99 for diploidy. For the 792 validation samples, 99.5% of samples were successfully detected using the AI model, and the model showed 100% accuracy for ploidy classification. In the clinical application stage, out of 19&#x2009;103 PGT samples, 19&#x2009;069 were successfully analysed using the model, with 110 (0.57%) identified as having abnormal ploidy embryos. Among these, 12.7% (14/110) were identified as GW-UPD, and 87.3% (96/110) were triploid. Among 5563 diploid blastocysts transferred, 3478 clinical pregnancies were achieved. Subsequent ploidy analysis was performed for 217 spontaneous abortion and 935 prenatal diagnostic samples, and no abnormal ploidy was identified. Furthermore, of the 140 1PN embryos tested, 40 (28.6%) exhibited GW-UPD, 3 (2.1%) exhibited triploidy, and 97 (69.3%) were determined to be biparental and normally fertilized. Among the 97 biparental embryos, 46 were diploid, 11 were mosaic, and 40 were aneuploid. In terms of the insemination pattern, the percentage of abnormal ploidy in ICSI was significantly higher than in conventional IVF (P&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.01, 37.1% vs. 2.9%, respectively). With full informed consent, 20 patients without euploidy from normal fertilization chose 1PN-derived biparental and diploid blastocysts to transfer, resulting in 10 clinical pregnancies and 9 ongoing pregnancies. LARGE-SCALE DATA: N/A. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: Some rare ploidy abnormalities, such as polyploidy with an equal number of identical sets of chromosomes and ploidy mosaicism cannot be accurately identified. Moreover, the origin of abnormal ploidy was not identified due to the unavailability of DNA from both parents. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The PGT-Plus AI model provides a ploidy evaluation method based on the conventional PGT-A data and integrates directly into standard PGT-A workflows. Clinical utility results suggest that the model is a valuable tool for identifying embryos with abnormal ploidy in PGT-A and rescuing normal diploid embryos from abnormally fertilized embryos. These findings demonstrate that PGT-Plus significantly enhances the diagnostic accuracy of PGT. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This study was supported by grants from Major Scientific Program of CITIC Group (No. 2023ZXKYB34100, to Ge.L.), Hunan Provincial Grant for Innovative Province Construction (2019SK4012), Hunan Xiangjiang New District (Changsha High-tech Zone) key core technology research project in 2023, and Science Foundation of Hunan Province (Grant 2023JJ30422). All authors declared no conflicts of interest..

artificial intelligence↗

Effectiveness of artificial intelligence in nursing simulation education: A systematic review, meta-analysis and bibliometric visualization analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To synthesize the roles and core functions of AI in nursing simulation education for nursing students via systematic review, quantitatively evaluate its effects on students' knowledge and skill outcomes through meta-analysis, and map the research landscape and development trends of this field through bibliometric visualization analysis. DESIGN: Systematic review, meta-analysis and bibliometric visualization analysis. DATA SOURCES: Eight electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, ERIC, Academic Search Complete, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) were employed to search studies from the time of construction to 16 December 2025. REVIEW METHODS: Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were screened. The revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (ROB 2) and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklists were used for quality assessment. Meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.4, and bibliometric visualization analysis was conducted using VOSviewer 1.6.20 and Bibliometrix (based on R4.4.3). RESULTS: A total of 61 studies were included. AI primarily played two roles in nursing simulation education: peer-type new subject (n&#xa0;=&#xa0;24) and direct mediator (n&#xa0;=&#xa0;22). Meta-analysis showed that AI interventions significantly improved nursing students' knowledge (SMD&#xa0;=&#xa0;1.49, 95% CI [0.55,2.43], p&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.002) and skills (SMD&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.66, 95% CI [0.02,1.31], p&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.04). Bibliometric analysis identified that the United States of America and China were the two main contributing countries in this field, and the key motor themes included generative artificial intelligence, virtual patients, and geriatric care. CONCLUSIONS: AI exerts positive effects on nursing students' knowledge acquisition and skill enhancement in simulation education, with peer-type new subject and direct mediator as the dominant roles. Future research should focus on expanding AI applications in multi-specialty simulation scenarios, activating the data-driven value of machine learning, and strengthening international collaboration and standardization construction, so as to promote the sustainable development of AI-integrated nursing simulation education.

Humans↗

Impact of Commercial Artificial Intelligence on Radiologist Reading Time for Pulmonary Nodule Evaluation at Chest CT.

Background Chest CT is a primary method for identifying pulmonary nodules, yet interpreting scans remains time-intensive and demanding. Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to reduce reading times, but the effect of AI on reporting times in this setting is unknown. Purpose To evaluate the impact of a commercial AI software on radiologists' reading time for pulmonary nodule assessment on chest CT scans within a real-world clinical setting. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients who underwent chest CT examinations at a tertiary medical center between September 2021 and May 2024. The study period was divided into pre- and post-AI phases. The primary outcome was radiology reporting time. The association between AI implementation and reporting time was evaluated using a multivariable parametric Weibull shared frailty survival model adjusted for reader function, examination type, patient location, and requesting specialty, with clustering at the radiologist level. Interaction analyses assessed heterogeneity across prespecified subgroups. An exploratory extrapolation estimated projected workforce and financial impact. Results This study included 19&#x2009;433 patients (mean age, 62 years &#xb1; 14.2 [SD]; 21&#x2009;814 men; 39&#x2009;323 chest CT examinations, 19&#x2009;190 pre-AI, and 20&#x2009;133 post-AI). AI implementation was associated with faster report completion (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.17; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.21; P < .001). The adjusted median reporting time decreased from 21.3 minutes pre-AI to 18.2 minutes post-AI (14.6% reduction; P < .001). Heterogeneity was observed across reader function (P < .001), examination type (P = .048), and requesting specialty (P = .03). The largest relative reductions were observed for CT thorax electrocardiogram-gated examinations (-41.1%; P < .001) and thoracic radiologists (-25.0%; P < .001), whereas emergency department examinations showed increased median reporting time (7.1%; P < .001). At institutional scan volumes (approximately 20&#x2009;000-22&#x2009;000 chest CT examinations annually), exploratory modeling suggested an approximate reduction of 0.5 full-time equivalent radiologist workload. Conclusion Implementation of commercial AI-assisted pulmonary nodule assessment on chest CT scans reduced radiologist reporting time in a real-world clinical setting. &#xa9; The Author(s) 2026. Published by the Radiological Society of North America under a CC BY 4.0 license. Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Iwasawa in this issue.

Humans↗

[Artificial intelligence in sleep analysis (ARTISANA)--modelling visual processes in sleep classification].

We describe a novel approach to the problem of automated sleep stage recognition. The ARTISANA algorithm mimics the behaviour of a human expert visually scoring sleep stages (Rechtschaffen and Kales classification). It comprises a number of interacting components that imitate the stepwise approach of the human expert, and artificial intelligence components. On the basis of parameters extracted at 1-s intervals from the signal curves, artificial neural networks recognize the incidence of typical patterns, e.g. delta activity or K complexes. This is followed by a rule interpretation stage that identifies the sleep stage with the aid of a neuro-fuzzy system while taking account of the context. Validation studies based on the records of 8 patients with obstructive sleep apnoea have confirmed the potential of this approach. Further features of the system include the transparency of the decision-taking process, and the flexibility of the option for expanding the system to cover new patterns and criteria.

Adult↗

Evaluation of an artificial intelligence program for estimating occupational exposures.

Estimation and Assessment of Substance Exposure (EASE) is an artificial intelligence program developed by UK's Health and Safety Executive to assess exposure. EASE computes estimated airborne concentrations based on a substance's vapor pressure and the types of controls in the work area. Though EASE is intended only to make broad predictions of exposure from occupational environments, some occupational hygienists might attempt to use EASE for individual exposure characterizations. This study investigated whether EASE would accurately predict actual sampling results from a chemical manufacturing process. Personal breathing zone time-weighted average (TWA) monitoring data for two volatile organic chemicals--a common solvent (toluene) and a specialty monomer (chloroprene)--present in this manufacturing process were compared to EASE-generated estimates. EASE-estimated concentrations for specific tasks were weighted by task durations reported in the monitoring record to yield TWA estimates from EASE that could be directly compared to the measured TWA data. Two hundred and six chloroprene and toluene full-shift personal samples were selected from eight areas of this manufacturing process. The Spearman correlation between EASE TWA estimates and measured TWA values was 0.55 for chloroprene and 0.44 for toluene, indicating moderate predictive values for both compounds. For toluene, the interquartile range of EASE estimates at least partially overlapped the interquartile range of the measured data distributions in all process areas. The interquartile range of EASE estimates for chloroprene fell above the interquartile range of the measured data distributions in one process area, partially overlapped the third quartile of the measured data in five process areas and fell within the interquartile range in two process areas. EASE is not a substitute for actual exposure monitoring. However, EASE can be used in conditions that cannot otherwise be sampled and in preliminary exposure assessment if it is recognized that the actual interquartile range could be much wider and/or offset by a factor of 10 or more.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗