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Report on the International Congress on Health Sciences and Medical Technologies
Get PDFThe International Congress on Health Sciences and Medical Technologies is a periodical congress. It held three times regrouping several researchers and organization active in technology and medical research. With the contribution of universities, research centers, companies and publishers the congress was established at Algerian cities (Tlemcen, Algiers). This report describes the congress achievement through these three past years and announces its’ new edition
The relationship between MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in a sample of an Algerian population of the Oran city
Get PDFBackground
Many studies have investigated the role of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene polymorphism in essential hypertension (EH), but with conflicting results.
Aim
To determine the eventual association between 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR ) C677T gene polymorphism and hypertension in a sample of Algerian population from the Oran city.
Methods
A case-control study has been performed in 154 subjects including 82 hypertensives defined as subjects with elevated systolic blood pressure SBD140mmHg and or sustained diastolic blood pressure DBP≥90mmHg, and 72 normotensive subjects. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with restrictive fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to detect the MTHFR C677T variant.
Results
We observe no significant differences between allelic and genotypic frequencies between cases and controls for C677T polymorphism (OR=1.51, 95% CI= 0.89-2.56, P=0.13). Analyses adjusted for age, sex and body mass index improved the association level, though the association was still not significant (30% vs. 22%, OR=1.75, 95% CI= 0.95-3.24, P=0.07).
Conclusion
This work showed that genetic polymorphism related to the MTHFR gene (C677T) is not associated with the risk of hypertension in this sample of Algerian population. Larger case- control samples are required to clearly assess the role of this genetic variant in EH.
Keywords: MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism; hypertension; Algerian population; case-control study
On Assisted Living of Paralyzed Persons through Real-Time Eye Features Tracking and Classification using Support Vector Machines
Get PDFBackground: The eye features like eye-blink and eyeball movements can be used as a module in assisted living systems that allow a class of physically challenged people speaks – using their eyes. The objective of this work is to design a real-time customized keyboard to be used by a physically challenged person to speak to the outside world, for example, to enable a computer to read a story or a document, do gaming and exercise of nerves, etc., through eye features tracking
Method: In a paralyzed person environment, the right-left, up-down eyeball movements act like a scroll and eye blink as a nod. The eye features are tracked using Support Vector Machines (SVMs).
Results: A prototype keyboard is custom-designed to work with eye-blink detection and eyeball-movement tracking using Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and tested in a typical paralyzed person-environment under varied lighting conditions. Tests performed on male and female subjects of different ages showed results with a success rate of 92%.
Conclusions: Since the system needs about 2 seconds to process one command, real-time use is not required. The efficiency can be improved through the use of a depth sensor camera, faster processor environment, or motion estimation
The size of catheters: an important parameter to consider in assessing infectivity
Get PDFThe diagnosis of catheters’ infectivity is established considering several parameters. These relate to the clinical patients’ data and the microbial load of the catheters following their culture. Catheter infectivity type is related to the significance threshold. However, differences in sizes exist between several catheters. So, in order to qualify any microbial alteration, it is important to take into account the impact of the size of the catheters. For this, future studies should consider this parameter to assess microbial load properly
Automatic segmentation of the sphenoid sinus in CT-scans volume with DeepMedics 3D CNN architecture
Get PDFToday, researchers are increasingly using manual, semi-automatic, and automatic segmentation techniques to delimit or extract organs from medical images. Deep learning algorithms are increasingly being used in the area of medical imaging analysis. In comparison to traditional methods, these algorithms are more efficient to obtain compact information, which considerably enhances the quality of medical image analysis system. In this paper, we present a new method to fully automatic segmentation of the sphenoid sinus using a 3D (convolutional neural network). The scarcity of medical data initially forced us through this study to use a 3D CNN model learned on a small data set. To make our method fully automatic, preprocessing and post processing are automated with extraction techniques and mathematical morphologies. The proposed tool is compared to a semi-automatic method and manual deductions performed by a specialist. Preliminary results from CT volumes appear very promising
Automatic Human Sperm Concentrartion in microscopic videos
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Background: Human sperm cell counting analysis is of significant interest to biologists studying sperm function and to medical practitioners evaluating male infertility. Currently the analysis of this assessment is done manually by looking at the sperm samples through a phase-contrast microscope using expert knowledge to do a subjective judgement of the quality.
Aims: to eliminate the subjective and error prone of the manual semen analysis and to avoid inter and intra-laboratory inconsistencies in semen analysis test results
Methods: In this paper we introduce a technique for human sperm concentration. Its principle is based on the execution of three steps: The first step in unavoidable. It concerns the pretreatment of the human sperm microscopic videos which consists of a conversion of the RGB color space into the YCbCr space, the “Gaussian filtering” and the “discrete wavelet filtering”. The second step is devoted to the segmentation of the image into two classes: spermatozoas and the background. To achieve this, we used an edge detection technique “Sobel Contour detector”. The third step is to separate true sperm from false ones. It uses a machine learning technique of type decision trees that consist on two classes classification based on invariant characteristics that are the dimensions of the bounding ellipse of the spermatozoid head as well as its surface.
Results: To test the robustness of our system, we compared our results with those performed manually by andrologists. After results analysis, we can conclude that our system brings a real improvement of precision as well as treatment time which make it might be useful for groups who intend to design new CASA systems.
Conclusion: In this study, we designed and implemented a system for automatic concentration assessment based on machine learning method and image processing techniques
Toward a Full Integration of the Arabic Language into ‘Intel ACAT’ Assitive Platform
Get PDFBackground:Assisting people with severe physical limitations with information technology has been an active area of research in recent years. Many researchers’ efforts are built on assistive devices which are often used to offset the impact of the resulted physical impairments.The Assistive Context-Aware Toolkit (ACAT) is the widely known project in this area. After being released as open source, the developers’ community helped to integrate many languages such as French and Spanich. However, many languages are still messing and to the best of our knowledge, the Arabic-speaking users still can not use the platform as no significant effort to integrate the Arabic language have been previously undertaken.Methods:This paper firstly, provides an overview on ACAT; the specifically-developed platform by Intel Labs for Dr. Stephen Hawking. Besides, it describes the ways in which ACAT may be used to enhance the capacity to take part in fundamental and instrumental activities of every day living and upgrade one\u27s autonomy in general.Secondly, we outline our contributions in integrating the Arabic language into the keyboard, the intelligent predictive text engine and all interfaces of this unique and highly configurable system. Results:Our integration evolved after resolving many issues and we succeeded in integrating the Arabic language in interfaces, keyboard and word prediction engine. Most of other ACAT features (Facial gesture recognition, Mouse Navigation., etc) are functional.
Conclusion:This work is a step forward to make the intel ACAT platform completely available in Arabic language. Therefore, Arabic-speaking patient can now get the benefits from this platform and are able to perform common tasks such as documents editing and management, Web surfing, writing emails and above all, communicating with others easily.The Arabic Text-to-speech engine integration is planned for future works
Serum Total Homocysteine Level in Association with Folate and Vitamin B12 Status Among Algerian Prostate Cancer Patients
Get PDFBackground: Folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine are essential for methyl group metabolism and thus also for DNA methylation and metabolic disorders may lead to carcinogenesis metabolic disorders, which may lead to carcinogenesis. In the present study, we proposed to evaluate the associations between folate and vitamin B12, with fasting plasma tHcy concentration in prostate cancer (PCa) patients.
Methods: A case –control study was conducted with 40 newly patients with prostate cancer diagnosed with prostate cancer and 50 age matched healthy controls. Serum level of total homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 were measured by enzyme conversion immunoassay and radioassay, respectively using the ARCHITECT system (both Abbott–Diagnostics Division).
Results: The average rate of total PSA was 20.97 ng / ml (ranged between 8- 60 ng / ml). 53% of patients had a PSA≥20ng/ml. Histology confirmed that all patients accounted for prostatic adenocarcinoma with prognostic Gleason score that ranged between 7 and 8 . There are no significant differences between cases and controls about serum Hcy levels (adjusted OR = 0.160% CI = 0.832-1.031), folate levels (adjusted OR = 0.428% CI = 0.977-1.008) and vitamin B12 (adjusted OR = 0.103% CI = 0.992-1.001).
Conclusion: In this study, the results show that homocysteine is not involved in prostate cancer. However, this study shows that the sporadic form is much more prevalent than familial one. The diagnosis is often made too late in advanced stage with a high PSA levels and biopsy showing high levels of Gleaso
Synthesis of New inhibitors of the FibrillogenesisAß42: Alzheimer’s Disease
Get PDFBackground: The Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. The pathological hallmarks of AD are the presence of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid deposits in the brain of the patient, as already defined by Alois Alzheimer in 1907. The aim of our study is to inhibit the formation the folding of amyloid protein by new synthesis of b-sheet breaker peptides.
Methods: Our approach consist to develop b-sheet breaker peptides as a novel strategy to inhibit and reverse amyloidosis in AD. The synthesis was down by peptid coupling method.
Results: Several b-sheet breaker peptides have been designed based on the hypothesis that amyloid deposition could be inhibited by short synthetic peptides partially homologous to the Ab region undergoing conformational changes to give rise to the amyloidogenic Ab intermediate and containing residues disrupting as aziridine and CD for the b-sheet formation university Tlemcen 2017.
Conclusion:At present, there is no ideal drug for the treatment of AD, and the searches for AD drugs remain an urgent issue in the pharmaceutical community. Due to its complex pathogenesis, a single target drug cannot cure this disease fundamentally. Dual or multiple target drugs involved in two or more aspects of AD pathogenesis may generate a synergistic effect and ultimately achieve an ideal therapeutic effect
Technological advances: what hope for colorectal cancer?
Get PDFIntroduction: Colorectal cancers rank third in all cancers. Mass screening has proven effectiveness by significantly reducing incidence and mortality. If optical colonoscopy is the reference exam, virtual colonoscopy is an alternative of choice. We evaluate its first-line position in screening, following technological progress.
Methods: We used PubMed\u27s electronic search data from 2010. Among the 100 most consulted articles, have been studied those in English-language and which looked at screening in the population at average risk aged between 50 and 75 years , asymptomatic and dealing with optical and virtual colonoscopy. Studies in the symptomatic, high-risk, or very high-risk population or for diagnostic purposes were excluded.
Results: in the USA, studies confirm the trend towards a decrease in incidence and mortality by colorectal cancers, shifting from 56.7 per 100,000 and 23.6 deaths respectively in 1992 to 36.5 per 100,000 and 14 deaths in 2015, thanks to the means of screening including the endoscopy. Although optical colonoscopy is the standard exam, virtual colonoscopy, with a specificity of 90% and a sensitivity of 85%, is becoming more and more a first-line means of screening for colorectal cancers.
Conclusion: Thus, first-line endoscopic screening has proved its effectiveness in reducing morbidity and mortality by this cancer. However, the virtual endoscopy chosen by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network as a means of screening will undoubtedly constitute a strategy for the future, particularly in developing countries