scholarly journals Revealing HIV viral load patterns using unsupervised machine learning and cluster summarization

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1144
Author(s):  
Samir A. Farooq ◽  
Samuel J. Weisenthal ◽  
Melissa Trayhan ◽  
Robert J. White ◽  
Kristen Bush ◽  
...  

HIV RNA viral load (VL) is an important outcome variable in studies of HIV infected persons. There exists only a handful of methods which classify patients by VL patterns.  Most methods place limits on the use of viral load measurements, are often specific to a particular study design, and do not account for complex, temporal variation. To address this issue, we propose a set of four unambiguous computable characteristics (features) of time-varying HIV viral load patterns, along with a novel centroid-based classification algorithm, which we use to classify a population of 1,576 HIV positive clinic patients into one of five different viral load patterns (clusters) often found in the literature: durably suppressed viral load (DSVL), sustained low viral load (SLVL), sustained high viral load (SHVL), high viral load suppression (HVLS), and rebounding viral load (RVL). The centroid algorithm summarizes these clusters in terms of their centroids and radii. We show that this allows new VL patterns to be assigned pattern membership based on the distance from the centroid relative to its radius, which we term radial normalization classification. This method has the benefit of providing an objective and quantitative method to assign VL pattern membership with a concise and interpretable model that aids clinical decision making. This method also facilitates meta-analyses by providing computably distinct HIV categories. Finally we propose that this novel centroid algorithm could also be useful in the areas of cluster comparison for outcomes research and data reduction in machine learning.

Med ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenz Adlung ◽  
Yotam Cohen ◽  
Uria Mor ◽  
Eran Elinav

Author(s):  
E. Amiri Souri ◽  
A. Chenoweth ◽  
A. Cheung ◽  
S. N. Karagiannis ◽  
S. Tsoka

Abstract Background Prognostic stratification of breast cancers remains a challenge to improve clinical decision making. We employ machine learning on breast cancer transcriptomics from multiple studies to link the expression of specific genes to histological grade and classify tumours into a more or less aggressive prognostic type. Materials and methods Microarray data of 5031 untreated breast tumours spanning 33 published datasets and corresponding clinical data were integrated. A machine learning model based on gradient boosted trees was trained on histological grade-1 and grade-3 samples. The resulting predictive model (Cancer Grade Model, CGM) was applied on samples of grade-2 and unknown-grade (3029) for prognostic risk classification. Results A 70-gene signature for assessing clinical risk was identified and was shown to be 90% accurate when tested on known histological-grade samples. The predictive framework was validated through survival analysis and showed robust prognostic performance. CGM was cross-referenced with existing genomic tests and demonstrated the competitive predictive power of tumour risk. Conclusions CGM is able to classify tumours into better-defined prognostic categories without employing information on tumour size, stage, or subgroups. The model offers means to improve prognosis and support the clinical decision and precision treatments, thereby potentially contributing to preventing underdiagnosis of high-risk tumours and minimising over-treatment of low-risk disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. e100251
Author(s):  
Ian Scott ◽  
Stacey Carter ◽  
Enrico Coiera

Machine learning algorithms are being used to screen and diagnose disease, prognosticate and predict therapeutic responses. Hundreds of new algorithms are being developed, but whether they improve clinical decision making and patient outcomes remains uncertain. If clinicians are to use algorithms, they need to be reassured that key issues relating to their validity, utility, feasibility, safety and ethical use have been addressed. We propose a checklist of 10 questions that clinicians can ask of those advocating for the use of a particular algorithm, but which do not expect clinicians, as non-experts, to demonstrate mastery over what can be highly complex statistical and computational concepts. The questions are: (1) What is the purpose and context of the algorithm? (2) How good were the data used to train the algorithm? (3) Were there sufficient data to train the algorithm? (4) How well does the algorithm perform? (5) Is the algorithm transferable to new clinical settings? (6) Are the outputs of the algorithm clinically intelligible? (7) How will this algorithm fit into and complement current workflows? (8) Has use of the algorithm been shown to improve patient care and outcomes? (9) Could the algorithm cause patient harm? and (10) Does use of the algorithm raise ethical, legal or social concerns? We provide examples where an algorithm may raise concerns and apply the checklist to a recent review of diagnostic imaging applications. This checklist aims to assist clinicians in assessing algorithm readiness for routine care and identify situations where further refinement and evaluation is required prior to large-scale use.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imogen Schofield ◽  
David C. Brodbelt ◽  
Noel Kennedy ◽  
Stijn J. M. Niessen ◽  
David B. Church ◽  
...  

AbstractCushing’s syndrome is an endocrine disease in dogs that negatively impacts upon the quality-of-life of affected animals. Cushing’s syndrome can be a challenging diagnosis to confirm, therefore new methods to aid diagnosis are warranted. Four machine-learning algorithms were applied to predict a future diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome, using structured clinical data from the VetCompass programme in the UK. Dogs suspected of having Cushing's syndrome were included in the analysis and classified based on their final reported diagnosis within their clinical records. Demographic and clinical features available at the point of first suspicion by the attending veterinarian were included within the models. The machine-learning methods were able to classify the recorded Cushing’s syndrome diagnoses, with good predictive performance. The LASSO penalised regression model indicated the best overall performance when applied to the test set with an AUROC = 0.85 (95% CI 0.80–0.89), sensitivity = 0.71, specificity = 0.82, PPV = 0.75 and NPV = 0.78. The findings of our study indicate that machine-learning methods could predict the future diagnosis of a practicing veterinarian. New approaches using these methods could support clinical decision-making and contribute to improved diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa De Pace ◽  
Patrizia Caligiuri ◽  
Valentina Ricucci ◽  
Nicola Nigro ◽  
Barbara Galano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The ongoing pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 requires the availability of accurate and rapid diagnostic tests, especially in some clinical settings like emergency and intensive care units. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performances of rapid PCR kit Vivalytic SARS-CoV-2 in lower respiratory tract (LRT) specimens.Methods: A consecutive sample of LRT specimens (bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchoaspirates) was collected from Intensive Care Units of San Martino Hospital (Genoa, Italy) between November 2020 and January 2021. All samples were tested in RT-PCR by using Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2 assay (Seegene Inc., South Korea). Based on RT-PCR results, specimens were categorized into negative, positive with high viral load [cycle threshold (Ct) ≤30] and positive with low viral load (Ct of 31–35). A quota 1:1:1 sampling was used to achieve a sample size of 75. Then, all specimens were tested in the rapid PCR assay Vivalytic SARS-CoV-2 (Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH, Germany). The diagnostic performance of the rapid PCR against RT-PCR was assessed through calculation of accuracy, Cohen’s κ, sensitivity, specificity and expected positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values.Results: The overall diagnostic accuracy of the Vivalytic SARS-CoV-2 was 97.3% (95% CI: 90.9–99.3%) with an excellent Cohen’s κ of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.72–1). The sensitivity and specificity were 96% (95% CI: 86.5–98.9%) and 100% (95% CI: 86.7–100%), respectively. Samples with high viral loads had a sensitivity of 100% (Table 1). The distributions of E gene Ct values were similar (Wilcoxon’s test: P=0.070) with medians of 35 (IQR: 25–36) and 35 (IQR: 25–35), respectively (Figure 1). NPV and PPV was 92.6% and 100%, respectively.Conclusions: This study shows Vivalytic SARS-CoV-2 can be used following the sample liquefaction on LRT specimens. It’s a feasible and highly accurate molecular procedure especially in high viral load samples. This assay allows having a result in about 40 min and therefore may accelerate the clinical decision making in urgent/emergency situations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (30) ◽  
pp. 658-663
Author(s):  
Duncan MacKellar ◽  
Claire Steiner ◽  
Oscar E. Rwabiyago ◽  
Haddi J. Cham ◽  
Sherri Pals ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elza Rechtman ◽  
Paul Curtin ◽  
Esmeralda Navarro ◽  
Sharon Nirenberg ◽  
Megan K. Horton

AbstractTimely and effective clinical decision-making for COVID-19 requires rapid identification of risk factors for disease outcomes. Our objective was to identify characteristics available immediately upon first clinical evaluation related COVID-19 mortality. We conducted a retrospective study of 8770 laboratory-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 from a network of 53 facilities in New-York City. We analysed 3 classes of variables; demographic, clinical, and comorbid factors, in a two-tiered analysis that included traditional regression strategies and machine learning. COVID-19 mortality was 12.7%. Logistic regression identified older age (OR, 1.69 [95% CI 1.66–1.92]), male sex (OR, 1.57 [95% CI 1.30–1.90]), higher BMI (OR, 1.03 [95% CI 1.102–1.05]), higher heart rate (OR, 1.01 [95% CI 1.00–1.01]), higher respiratory rate (OR, 1.05 [95% CI 1.03–1.07]), lower oxygen saturation (OR, 0.94 [95% CI 0.93–0.96]), and chronic kidney disease (OR, 1.53 [95% CI 1.20–1.95]) were associated with COVID-19 mortality. Using gradient-boosting machine learning, these factors predicted COVID-19 related mortality (AUC = 0.86) following cross-validation in a training set. Immediate, objective and culturally generalizable measures accessible upon clinical presentation are effective predictors of COVID-19 outcome. These findings may inform rapid response strategies to optimize health care delivery in parts of the world who have not yet confronted this epidemic, as well as in those forecasting a possible second outbreak.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubham Debnath ◽  
◽  
Douglas P. Barnaby ◽  
Kevin Coppa ◽  
Alexander Makhnevich ◽  
...  

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