Epidemiological description and trajectories of patients with prostate cancer in Denmark: an observational study of 7448 patients.

Objective: Identification of patients at high risk of aggressive prostate cancer is a major clinical challenge. With the view of developing artificial intelligence-based methods for identification of these patients, we are constructing a comprehensive clinical database including 7448 prostate cancer (PCa) Danish patients. In this paper we provide an epidemiological description and patients' trajectories of this retrospective observational population, to contribute to the understanding of the characteristics and pathways of PCa patients in Denmark.

Ammonia emissions from agriculture and their contribution to fine particulate matter: A review of implications for human health.

Atmospheric ammonia (NH) released from agriculture is contributing significantly to acidification and atmospheric NH may have on human health is much less readily available. The potential direct impact of NH on the health of the general public is under-represented in scientific literature, though there have been several studies which indicate that NH has a direct effect on the respiratory health of those who handle livestock. These health impacts can include a reduced lung function, irritation to the throat and eyes, and increased coughing and phlegm expulsion.

Artificial intelligence outperforms standard blood-based scores in identifying liver fibrosis patients in primary care.

For years, hepatologists have been seeking non-invasive methods able to detect significant liver fibrosis. However, no previous algorithm using routine blood markers has proven to be clinically appropriate in primary care. We present a novel approach based on artificial intelligence, able to predict significant liver fibrosis in low-prevalence populations using routinely available patient data.

Video-based eye tracking performance for computer-assisted diagnostic support of diabetic neuropathy.

Diabetes is currently one of the major public health threats. The essential components for effective treatment of diabetes include early diagnosis and regular monitoring. However, health-care providers are often short of human resources to closely monitor populations at risk.

Facial erythema detects diabetic neuropathy using the fusion of machine learning, random matrix theory and self organized criticality.

Rubeosis faciei diabeticorum, caused by microangiopathy and characterized by a chronic facial erythema, is associated with diabetic neuropathy. In clinical practice, facial erythema of patients with diabetes is evaluated based on subjective observations of visible redness, which often goes unnoticed leading to microangiopathic complications. To address this major shortcoming, we designed a contactless, non-invasive diagnostic point-of-care-device (POCD) consisting of a digital camera and a screen.

Non-invasive detection of diabetic complications via pattern analysis of temporal facial colour variations.

Background And Objective: Diabetes mellitus is a common disorder amounting to 400 million patients worldwide. It is often accompanied by a number of complications, including neuropathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular diseases. For example, peripheral neuropathy is present among 20-30% of diabetics before the diagnosis is substantiated.

Influence of urban forest on traffic air pollution and children respiratory health.

This study aimed to assess the air quality, the prevalence of child respiratory morbidity, and the association between them, in urban areas where concentrations of pollutants are expected to be below national limits. The monitoring of PM NO and O was performed in five schools, during 9 months. Information about respiratory diseases and associated symptoms were collected from each student using a questionnaire based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

Self-reported data in environmental health studies: mail vs. web-based surveys.

Background: Internet has been broadly employed as a facilitator for epidemiological surveys, as a way to provide a more economical and practical alternative to traditional survey modes. A current trend in survey research is to combine Web-based surveys with other survey modes by offering the participant the possibility of choosing his/her preferred response method (i.e.

Invisible Color Variations of Facial Erythema: A Novel Early Marker for Diabetic Complications?

Aim: (1) To quantify the invisible variations of facial erythema that occur as the blood flows in and out of the face of diabetic patients, during the blood pulse wave using an innovative image processing method, on videos recorded with a conventional digital camera and (2) to determine whether this "unveiled" facial red coloration and its periodic variations present specific characteristics in diabetic patients different from those in control subjects.

Methods: We video recorded the faces of 20 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy, retinopathy, and/or nephropathy and 10 nondiabetic control subjects, using a Canon EOS camera, for 240 s. Only one participant presented visible facial erythema.

Addressing priority challenges in the detection and assessment of colorectal polyps from capsule endoscopy and colonoscopy in colorectal cancer screening using machine learning.

Background: Colorectal capsule endoscopy (CCE) is a potentially valuable patient-friendly technique for colorectal cancer screening in large populations. Before it can be widely applied, significant research priorities need to be addressed. We present two innovative data science algorithms which can considerably improve acquisition and analysis of relevant data on colorectal polyps obtained from capsule endoscopy.

Glucocorticoid metabolites in newborns: A marker for traffic noise related stress?

Background: Traffic noise has been associated with an increased risk for several non-auditory health effects, which may be explained by a noise-induced release of stress hormones (e.g. glucocorticoids).

Capsule endoscopy vs. colonoscopy vs. histopathology in colorectal cancer screening: matched analyses of polyp size, morphology, and location estimates.

Purpose: Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) is considered a potential alternative to optical colonoscopy (OC) for colorectal cancer screening. However, the accuracy of CCE in polyp size and morphology estimation is unknown.

Methods: A fully paired study was performed (2015-2016), where 255 participants from the Danish national screening program had CCE, OC, and histopathology (HP) of all detected polyps.

Comparative analysis of spatio-temporal exposure assessment methods for estimating odor-related responses in non-urban populations.

The assessment of air pollution exposures in epidemiological studies does not always account for spatio-temporal variability of pollutants concentrations. In the case of odor studies, a common approach is to use yearly averaged odorant exposure estimates with low spatial resolution, which may not capture the spatio-temporal variability of emissions and therefore distort the epidemiological results. This study explores the use of different exposure assessment methods for time-variant ammonia exposures with high spatial resolution, in rural communities exposed to odors from agricultural and livestock farming activities.

A novel approach for exposure assessment in air pollution epidemiological studies using neuro-fuzzy inference systems: Comparison of exposure estimates and exposure-health associations.

Many epidemiological studies have used proximity to sources as air pollution exposure assessment method. However, proximity measures are not generally good surrogates because of their complex non-linear relationship with exposures. Neuro-fuzzy inference systems (NFIS) can be used to map complex non-linear systems, but its usefulness in exposure assessment has not been extensively explored.

Characterization of exposure in epidemiological studies on air pollution from biodegradable wastes: Misclassification and comparison of exposure assessment strategies.

The assignment of exposure is one of the main challenges faced by environmental epidemiologists. However, misclassification of exposures has not been explored in population epidemiological studies on air pollution from biodegradable wastes. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of different approaches for assessing exposure to air pollution from biodegradable wastes by analyzing (1) the misclassification of exposure that is committed by using these surrogates, (2) the existence of differential misclassification (3) the effects that misclassification may have on health effect estimates and the interpretation of epidemiological results, and (4) the ability of the exposure measures to predict health outcomes using 10-fold cross validation.

Wind turbines and idiopathic symptoms: The confounding effect of concurrent environmental exposures.

Whether or not wind turbines pose a risk to human health is a matter of heated debate. Personal reactions to other environmental exposures occurring in the same settings as wind turbines may be responsible of the reported symptoms. However, these have not been accounted for in previous studies.

In vivo and in situ measurement and modelling of intra-body effective complex permittivity.

Radio frequency tracking of medical micro-robots in minimally invasive medicine is usually investigated upon the assumption that the human body is a homogeneous propagation medium. In this Letter, the authors conducted various trial programs to measure and model the effective complex permittivity ε in terms of refraction ε', absorption ε″ and their variations in gastrointestinal (GI) tract organs (i.e.

Characteristics of pollutant gas releases from swine, dairy, beef, and layer manure, and municipal wastewater.

Knowledge about characteristics of gas releases from various types of organic wastes can assist in developing gas pollution reduction technologies and establishing environmental regulations. Five different organic wastes, i.e.

Bayesian-based localization of wireless capsule endoscope using received signal strength.

In wireless body area sensor networking (WBASN) applications such as gastrointestinal (GI) tract monitoring using wireless video capsule endoscopy (WCE), the performance of out-of-body wireless link propagating through different body media (i.e. blood, fat, muscle and bone) is still under investigation.

Air pollution from biodegradable wastes and non-specific health symptoms among residents: direct or annoyance-mediated associations?

Adverse health effects of exposure to high levels of air pollutants from biodegradable wastes have been well-studied. However, few investigations have examined the potential effects of chronic exposure to low-to-moderate levels on non-specific health symptoms among residents. Besides, most studies have relied on distances to waste sites to assign exposure status, and have not investigated whether the exposure-symptoms associations are direct or mediated by odor annoyance.

Chronic exposure to odorous chemicals in residential areas and effects on human psychosocial health: dose-response relationships.

Perceived air pollution, including environmental odor pollution, is known to be an environmental stressor that affects individuals' psychosocial health and well-being. However, very few studies have been able to quantify exposure-response associations based on individual-specific residential exposures to a proxy gas and to examine the mechanisms underlying these associations. In this study, individual-specific exposures in non-urban residential environments during 2005-2010 on a gas released from animal biodegradable wastes (ammonia, NH3) were calculated by the Danish Eulerian long-range transport model and the local-scale transport deposition model.

Respiratory and sensory irritation symptoms among residents exposed to low-to-moderate air pollution from biodegradable wastes.

Previous studies have reported increased occurrence of respiratory and sensory irritation symptoms among residents living close to biodegradable waste sites. However, few studies have been able to quantify direct and annoyance-mediated effects based on individual-specific assessments of chemical exposures. We examined associations between residential exposures to a proxy gas (ammonia, NH3) from biodegradable wastes (mainly from farming, animal and agricultural activities) and odor annoyance and six respiratory and sensory irritation symptoms (self-reported), using adjusted logistic regression models and mediation analyses.

Perceived annoyance from environmental odors and association with atmospheric ammonia levels in non-urban residential communities: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Odor exposure is an environmental stressor that is responsible of many citizens complains about air pollution in non-urban areas. However, information about the exposure-response relation is scarce. One of the main challenges is to identify a measurable compound that can be related with odor annoyance responses.

Residential exposure to outdoor air pollution from livestock operations and perceived annoyance among citizens.

Epidemiological studies have shown that residential exposure to livestock odors can affect the health and wellbeing of rural citizens. However, exposure-response models for this relationship have not been developed. One of the main challenges is to identify a compound that can be used as proxy for livestock odor exposure.