Artificial intelligence in virtual standardized patients: Combining natural language understanding and rule based dialogue management to improve conversational fidelity.

Introduction: Advances in natural language understanding have facilitated the development of Virtual Standardized Patients (VSPs) that may soon rival human patients in conversational ability. We describe herein the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) system for VSPs enabling students to practice their history taking skills.

Methods: Our system consists of (1) Automated Speech Recognition (ASR), (2) hybrid AI for question identification, (3) classifier to choose between the two systems, and (4) automated speech generation.

Predictors of patient adherence to long-term home nebulizer therapy for COPD. The IPPB Study Group. Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing.

Study Objective: Patients with moderate to severe COPD are frequently prescribed expensive and complicated therapies that require adjustments in usual activities of daily living. However, little is known about factors that are associated with adherence to such treatment. The objective of this study was to identify characteristics of patients who were adherent to long-term home nebulizer therapy.

Antituberculous drug resistance in Manitoba from 1980 to 1989.

Objectives: To estimate the magnitude of antituberculous drug resistance and identify the risk factors for its development in tuberculosis patients in Manitoba over a 10-year period. As well, to examine the clinical course of the patients whose initial or subsequent isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were resistant to one or more drugs.

Design: Comparison of drug-resistant and non-drug-resistant cases of tuberculosis.

Effects of cold air hyperpnea in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease.

In 26 well-characterized, stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we measured changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) induced by isocapnic hyperpnea of subfreezing dry air. The patients had a mean FEV1 of 1.21 L(38% predicted); 13 of 26 increased their FEV1 by at least 20% in response to inhaled beta agonists, and 11 of 18 subjects tested demonstrated at least a 30% increase in FEV1 with oral administration of corticosteroids.

Steroid response in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

We compared a 2-week course of 32 mg/d methylprednisolone with placebo in a double-blind crossover trial in 46 well-characterized patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Placebo and steroid trials were separated by 2 weeks when no tablets were given. Response was assessed by measuring forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1.