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An automated classification system based on a Deep Learning (DL) technique for Cardiac Disease (CD) monitoring and detection is proposed in this paper. The proposed DL architecture is divided into Deep Auto-Encoders (DAEs) as an unsupervised form of feature learning and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) as a classifier. The objective of this study is to improve on the previous machine learning technique that consists of several data processing steps such as feature extraction and feature selection or feature reduction. It is also noticed that the previously used machine learning technique required human interference and expertise in determining robust features, yet was time-consuming in the labeling and data processing steps. In contrast, DL enables an embedded feature extraction and feature selection in DAEs pre-training and DNNs fine-tuning process directly from raw data. Hence, DAEs is able to extract high-level of features not only from the training data but also from unseen data. The proposed model uses 10 classes of imbalanced data from ECG signals. Since it is related to the cardiac region, abnormality is usually considered for an early diagnosis of CD. In order to validate the result, the proposed model is compared with the shallow models and DL approaches. Results found that the proposed method achieved a promising performance with 99.73% accuracy, 91.20% sensitivity, 93.60% precision, 99.80% specificity, and a 91.80% F1-Score. Moreover, both the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and the Precision-Recall (PR) curve from the confusion matrix showed that the developed model is a good classifier. The developed model based on unsupervised feature extraction and deep neural network is ready to be used on a large population before its installation for clinical usage.

Accurate segmentation of fetal heart in echocardiography images is essential for detecting the structural abnormalities such as congenital heart defects (CHDs). Due to the wide variations attributed to different factors, such as maternal obesity, abdominal scars, amniotic fluid volume, and great vessel connections, this process is still a challenging problem. CHDs detection with expertise in general are substandard; the accuracy of measurements remains highly dependent on humans’ training, skills, and experience. To make such a process automatic, this study proposes deep learning-based computer-aided fetal heart echocardiography examinations with an instance segmentation approach, which inherently segments the four standard heart views and detects the defect simultaneously. We conducted several experiments with 1149 fetal heart images for predicting 24 objects, including four shapes of fetal heart standard views, 17 objects of heart-chambers in each view, and three cases of congenital heart defect. The result showed that the proposed model performed satisfactory performance for standard views segmentation, with a 79.97% intersection over union and 89.70% Dice coefficient similarity. It also performed well in the CHDs detection, with mean average precision around 98.30% for intra-patient variation and 82.42% for inter-patient variation. We believe that automatic segmentation and detection techniques could make an important contribution toward improving congenital heart disease diagnosis rates.

BACKGROUND: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder mediated by inflammatory cytokines. Decreasing vitamin D levels is a common feature in SLE patients. Vitamin D has the capacity in suppressing inflammatory cascade. Seluang fish (Rasbora spp.) contained a high level of vitamin D with the potential as a new therapeutic modality. AIM: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Seluang fish oil against proinflammatory cytokines, vitamin D levels, and clinical conditions of SLE. METHODS: A randomised, double-blind, clinical trial study design was conducted. The subjects were 16 SLE subjects treated with 500uL Seluang fish oil capsules and 16 SLE subjects with placebo capsules. Measurement of vitamin D, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-17 levels were performed with ELISA. Clinical assessment of SLE was performed with MEX-SLEDAI. Bivariate analysis, T-test, was performed. Data were presented in the form of mean ± SD. RESULTS: The administration of Seluang fish oil was clinically able to show efficacy assessed by the MEX SLEDAI score. Significant results were also shown by increased vitamin D levels and reduced levels of IL-1, IL-6 and IL-17, in Seluang fish oil group. CONCLUSION: Seluang fish oil possessed the efficacy of reducing the inflammatory response in SLE patients by increasing serum vitamin D levels.

Early prenatal screening with an ultrasound (US) can significantly lower newborn mortality caused by congenital heart diseases (CHDs). However, the need for expertise in fetal cardiologists and the high volume of screening cases limit the practically achievable detection rates. Hence, automated prenatal screening to support clinicians is desirable. This paper presents and analyses potential deep learning (DL) techniques to diagnose CHDs in fetal USs. Four convolutional neural network architectures were compared to select the best classifier with satisfactory results. Hence, dense convolutional network (DenseNet) 201 architecture was selected for the classification of seven CHDs, such as ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, atrioventricular septal defect, Ebstein’s anomaly, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great arteries, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and a normal control. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the DenseNet201 model were 100%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, for the intra-patient scenario and 99%, 97%, and 98%, respectively, for the inter-patient scenario. We used the intra-patient DL prediction model to validate our proposed model against the prediction results of three expert fetal cardiologists. The proposed model produces a satisfactory result, which means that our model can support expert fetal cardiologists to interpret the decision to improve CHD diagnostics. This work represents a step toward the goal of assisting front-line sonographers with CHD diagnoses at the population level.