AI ’ s Unforeseen Medical Discoveries: The Curious Case Of Unusual Associations
Artificial intelligence can do a plethora of astonishing things, which has been discussed thoroughly in the past year. We train models to assist medical work, from administration to image analysis, from triage to mental health support. And every now and then AI has curious medical discoveries, detecting things that – to the best of our human knowledge – should not be detectable from the input data. Like knowing the race of the patient from chest X-rays alone. These unusual associations present brand-new challenges to medical professionals.
In these cases, the medical detective work has a new aim: to understa...
Source: The Medical Futurist - November 28, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Pranavsingh Dhunnoo Tags: TMF Artificial Intelligence in Medicine digital health Healthcare technology AI Source Type: blogs
April 2021: An Eye on the Problem
A 3-year-old boy presented to the emergency department with lethargy. He was bradycardic and somnolent, responding only to physical stimuli. His vital signs were a temperature of 37°C, a heart rate of 50 bpm, a respiratory rate of 26 breaths per minute, a blood pressure of 92/41 mm Hg, and a pulse oximetry of 100% on room air.When awoken, the child answered questions appropriately but then fell back asleep quickly. His pupils were pinpoint. There were no signs of trauma. A cardiac examination demonstrated bradycardia, and the remainder of the examination was unremarkable.The child was given an IV fluid bolus and placed...
Source: The Tox Cave - April 1, 2021 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
The Art of Prescribing (Or Not)
By HANS DUVEFELT
I have learned a few things about prescribing medications during my 42 years as a physician. Some are old lessons, and some are more recent. I thought I’d share some random examples.
First: I don’t like to have to use medications, but when they seem necessary, I choose, present and prescribe them with great care.
CHOOSING MEDICATIONS
Medications are like people. They have personalities. With so many choices for any given diagnosis or symptom, I consider their mechanism of action, possible beneficial additional effects and their risk of unwanted side effects when selecting which one to presc...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 1, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Patients Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
What should you do during a psychiatric medication shortage?
You have finally found a medication to treat your depression that your body tolerates well. It has taken your psychiatrist months to find the optimal dose (after two failed medication trials). The COVID-19 pandemic hit, but in spite of your new daily stressors, you seem to be doing relatively well. That is, until you hear that your antidepressant medication is now in short supply. What can you do?
Mental health treatment during COVID-19
With the increased stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, prescriptions for medications to treat mental illnesses have increased more than 20% between February and March 2020. Sertraline, or Zolo...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 2, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Stephanie Collier, MD, MPH Tags: Behavioral Health Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Artificial Intelligence Discovers Unusual Associations in Medicine
Artificial intelligence does wonders in healthcare. The technology helped issue the first COVID-19 warning before the WHO and CDC did so. It can slash the phenomenon of alarm fatigue. IBM’s Watson Health leverages the power of A.I. to bring drugs to the market faster. And it does so while cutting costs by over 50%.
Speaking of IBM Watson, while the algorithm got its name from the company’s founder Thomas J. Watson, there’s another pop culture figure attached to that name. It’s elementary; we’re talking about none other than Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick, Dr. Watson. It seems like real-world A. I. is taking after...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 26, 2020 Category: Information Technology Authors: Prans Tags: Artificial Intelligence AI digital health Healthcare Medicine technology Source Type: blogs
Machine-learning study finds EEG brain signatures that predict response to antidepressant treatments
This study takes previous research showing that we can predict who benefits from an antidepressant and actually brings it to the point of practical utility,” said Amit Etkin, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford. “I will be surprised if this isn’t used by clinicians within the next five years.”
Instead of functional magnetic resonance imaging, an expensive technology often used in studies to image brain activity, the scientists turned to electroencephalography, or EEG, a much less costly technology…
The paper is one of several based on data from a federally funded depression study ...
Source: SharpBrains - February 18, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Technology algorithm Amit Etkin antidepressant antidepressants brain brain-activity brain-wave signature depression depression-treatment EEG electrical activity electroencephalography Source Type: blogs
Early Birds And Bearded Dragons: The Week ’s Best Psychology Links
Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web
A study on bearded dragons has honed in on the brain structure responsible for generating slow wave sleep patterns, writes Elizabeth Pennisi at Science. An area of the brain called the claustrum — not previously known to even exist in reptiles — was key: when the structure was damaged, the lizards could still sleep but showed no slow wave patterns. It’s been an interesting few months for bearded dragon research: as we wrote in December, the lizards apparently also succumb to optical illusions.
A mismatch between a student’s “chron...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - February 14, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Weekly links Source Type: blogs
Discontinuation syndrome and antidepressants
Discontinuation and change are part of life. We all start and stop various activities. Jobs change, relationships change. So, too, may medical treatments, such as antidepressants that help many people navigate depression and anxiety. Planning changes in advance tends to make things easier and smoother. You may start a medication for treatment and discover that it’s not helping your particular medical issue. Or perhaps you’re having side effects. Or maybe your condition has improved, and you no longer need the drug. If so, working with your doctor to change or stop taking an antidepressant slowly may help you avoid unc...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 4, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christopher Bullock, MD Tags: Anxiety and Depression Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Can I Become Addicted To My Depression Medication?
What is depression medication?
Depression medication, also known as antidepressants, are prescription medications used to treat moderate to severe depression. When taken under the supervision of a medical professional and according to their prescribed dosage, depression medication can work well to help people manage their symptoms and lead happy, healthy lives.
Depression is more than just feeling sad, or needing to be cheered up. Often times, people can become frustrated that nothing is making them feel better, when in reality depression is a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated. Depression symptoms can include:
T...
Source: Cliffside Malibu - October 12, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Jaclyn Uloth Tags: Addiction Recovery Depression Depression Treatment antidepressants depression disorders depression medication dual diagnosis Source Type: blogs
Addiction Abuse
Hardly a day goes by without a report in the press about some new addiction. There are warnings about addiction to coffee. Popular psychology publications talk of “extreme sports addiction. ” Some news reports even alert us to the perils of chocolate addiction. One gets the impression that life is awash in threats of addiction. People tend to equate the word “addiction” with “abuse.” Ironically, “addiction” is a subject of abuse.The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a “chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry…characterized by the inabilit...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 13, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 49-year-old woman with obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 49-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit. She is overweight and has hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus, both of which are well controlled. For several years, she has attempted to lose weight through various commercial diets; dietician-monitored, calorie-restricted diets; and physical activity. She has worked with a behavioral therapist, and although she has not achieved weight loss, her weight has remained stable. She exercises 30 minutes daily. Medical history is also remarkable for glau...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 1, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions Obesity Primary Care Source Type: blogs
Might Depression Be Linked to One of These Popular Medications?
If you’re taking beta blockers, certain kinds of anxiety drugs, certain types of painkillers (including ibuprofen), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (used to treat acid reflux), ACE inhibitors (used to treat high blood pressure), or anti-convulsant drugs, you may be at greater risk for depression. That’s according to a new, large-scale study published earlier this week in JAMA.
However, this was a correlational study, so it can’t say that these medications actually cause depression or not. It may be that people with greater health problems are more likely to take one of these medications and be depressed abo...
Source: World of Psychology - June 15, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Depression General Medications Psychiatry Research Drugs cause depression popular medications Source Type: blogs
How New Generation Drugs Are Targeting Depression
Two years ago, I talked with a prominent psychiatrist about what could be done for all the people who have treatment-resistant depression who do not respond — or only partially respond — to the drugs on the market today.
“We wait for better drugs to come out,” he said.
I wanted a better answer, because my experience with the newer drugs like Zyprexa (olanzapine) — atypical neuroleptics (a type of antipsychotic) that were supposed to treat bipolar disorder with fewer side effects than typical mood stabilizers like lithium and Depakote (divalproex sodium) — proved to be a disaster.
But I am c...
Source: World of Psychology - August 17, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Alternative and Nutritional Supplements Antidepressant Antipsychotic Depression Medications Treatment Depressive Episode Major Depressive Disorder Source Type: blogs
Time for action
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog
LITFL: Life in the Fast Lane Medical Blog - Emergency medicine and critical care medical education blog
This is a guest post by Dr Sandra Lussier, who is an ICU/General and Acute Care medicine Advanced Trainee at Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Victorian CICM Trainee Representative and a member of the Women in Intensive Care Network
The publicity surrounding the death of yet another junior doctor has moved me in a way that I cannot even articulate. The thought that our working conditions could be so crushing that seemingly, the only way out for a vivacious, loved and valued member ...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - March 20, 2017 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Chris Nickson Tags: Healthy Lifestyle Psychiatry and Mental Health beyondblue depression junior doctors sandra lussier suicide Source Type: blogs
Medications that Increase the Risks of Falling
Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don ’t.ByAlzheimer's Reading RoomWhat ’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and DementiaHow to Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's and DementiaHow to Get Answers To Your Questions About Alzheimer's and Dementia“Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults 65 and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don’t – perhap...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - February 1, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimer's care care of dementia patients dementia care health help alzheimer's help with dementia care medications falls Prescription Medications Risks risk of falling senior care Source Type: blogs
