The American journal of medicine
-
Fever of unknown origin and inflammation of unknown origin are highly challenging diagnostic conditions. The current practice for evaluating patients is to conduct a positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan as either a first- or a second-line modality. We aimed to assess the contributory effect of PET-CT to the diagnosis and compare it with the contributory effect of CT alone. ⋯ PET-CT has a contributory effect of 75% for the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin and inflammation of unknown origin. PET-CT had superior sensitivity and inferior specificity vs the CT scan.
-
Review Historical Article
Calculated Medicine: Seven Decades of Accelerating Growth.
The field of Calculated Medicine has grown substantially over the last 7 decades. Comprised of objective, evidence-based medical decision tools, Calculated Medicine has broad application in medical practice, medical research, and health care management. This article reviews the history and varied methodologies of Calculated Medicine, starting with the 1953 Apgar score and concluding with a look into modern computational tools of the field: machine learning, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and in silico research techniques. ⋯ Using natural language processing, we examine and analyze this burgeoning database. Lastly, we examine an important new direction of Calculated Medicine: self-reflection on its potential effect on racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Our field is making great strides promoting health care egality, and some of the most prominent contributions will be reviewed.