A scientometric analysis of fairness in health AI literature.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are central components of today's medical environment. The fairness of AI, i.e. the ability of AI to be free from bias, has repeatedly come into question. This study investigates the diversity of members of academia whose scholarship poses questions about the fairness of AI. The articles that combine the topics of fairness, artificial intelligence, and medicine were selected from Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Embase using keywords. Eligibility and data extraction from the articles were done manually and cross-checked by another author for accuracy. Articles were selected for further analysis, cleaned, and organized in Microsoft Excel; spatial diagrams were generated using Public Tableau. Additional graphs were generated using Matplotlib and Seaborn. Linear and logistic regressions were conducted using Python to measure the relationship between funding status, number of citations, and the gender demographics of the authorship team. We identified 375 eligible publications, including research and review articles concerning AI and fairness in healthcare. Analysis of the bibliographic data revealed that there is an overrepresentation of authors that are white, male, and are from high-income countries, especially in the roles of first and last author. Additionally, analysis showed that papers whose authors are based in higher-income countries were more likely to be cited more often and published in higher impact journals. These findings highlight the lack of diversity among the authors in the AI fairness community whose work gains the largest readership, potentially compromising the very impartiality that the AI fairness community is working towards.

Risk factors affecting oncological outcomes of surgical resections for middle and lower rectal cancer.

Objectives: In our study, it was aimed to evaluate the factors affecting oncological outcomes in resections for rectal cancer. Material and Methods: Between January 2010 and December 2014, patients with rectal tumors were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic and pathological data and oncological outcomes were analyzed as disease-free survival, overall survival, and local recurrence. Results: A total of 158 patients' data were obtained. Median age was 60 (22-83). Fifty-three patients were older than 65 years of age (138). Ninety-five (60%) patients were males, and 63 (40%) were females. Eighty patients (50.4%) had middle rectal, and 78 (49.6) patients had lower rectal cancer. There was no effect of tumor localization on oncological outcomes. Univariate analyses revealed the effects of age (p= 0.003), operation type (p <0.001), nodal status (p <0.001), malignant lymph node ratio (p <0.001), stage of the disease (p <0.001), distal resection margin (p= 0.047), perineural invasion (p <0.001), lymphatic invasion (p <0.001), venous-vascular invasion (p= 0.025), local recurrence (p <0.001) and distant metastasis (p <0.001) on overall survival rates. Univariate analyses revealed the effects of nodal status (p= 0.007), malignant lymph node ratio (p= 0.005), stage of the disease (p= 0.008), perineural invasion (p= 0.004) and venous-vascular invasion (p <0.001) on disease-free survival rates. Univariate analyses revealed the effects of anastomotic leak (p= 0.015) and venous-vascular invasion (p= 0.001) on local recurrence rates. Conclusion: Older age, advanced nodal status, and distant metastasis were detected as independent risk factors for overall survival. Perineural and venous-vascular invasion were detected as independent risk factors for disease-free survival. Lastly, anastomotic leak and venous-vascular invasion were detected as independent risk factors for local recurrence.

Literature Review and 2 Cases of Isolated Chylothorax After Pediatric Living-Donor Liver Transplant.

OBJECTIVES: Chylothorax without chylous ascites after liver transplant is rare. We present 2 cases of isolated chylothorax after liver transplant and a literature review. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compiled a literature review of chylothorax cases after abdominal surgery and analyzed the cases related to liver transplant. The demographic information, follow-up results, and treatment details of our 2 cases of chylothorax after living-donor pediatric livertransplant were discussed. RESULTS: An 8-month-old child and a 15-month-old child with cholestatic liver disease and urea cycle defect, respectively, underwent living-donor left lateral segment liver transplant. Patients who presented with chylothorax after discharge were treated conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated chylothorax is rare complication after abdominal surgery, which is mostly possible to treat with conservative methods. Interventional procedures and a surgical approach should only be performed in resistant cases when conservative treatment has failed.

Report of a case mimicking the acute appendicitis; Small bowel perforation due to olive leaf.

Abdominal pain is one of the most frequent causes of emergency room admissions. Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical pathology in these patients. Foreign body ingestion is a quite rare pathology that takes place in list of differential diagnosis of acute appendicitis. We presented a dry olive leaf ingestion case in this paper.

Hepatic Artery Intimal Dissection During Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A New Modified Approach.

Ensuring optimal arterial flow in solid organ transplantation is very important. Insufficient flow causes important problems such as bile duct problems, intrahepatic abscess formation, and organ loss. Arterial intimal dissection is an important factor that negatively affects organ blood flow. In this study, hepatic artery dissections that we detected in patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation in our clinic were defined, and the microvascular intima-adventitial fixation technique, which can be considered a new approach, was described.

Using Pericholedochal Varix Inflow for Complete Portal Vein Thrombosis in Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Case Report.

One of the crucial steps of liver transplantation is to provide the portal inflow. Portal vein thrombosis is the most challenging factor to achieve. Using a pericholedochal varix for portal inflow in a patient with complete portal vein thrombosis in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is a rare technique. We present our experience of a LDLT with PVT.

Patient With Hemophilia A Undergoing Consecutive Coronary Bypass and Live Donor Liver Transplantation: A Case Report.

Liver transplantation surgery due to cirrhosis in patients with hemophilia is rare and there are limited cases in the literature. We present a case of a patient with hemophilia A who underwent 2 consecutive surgeries owing to coronary artery disease and cryptogenic cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma. After these surgeries, no bleeding or other complications were seen, and the factor VIII levels have not changed since liver transplantation in the follow-up.

Two Cases With Developing Neurologic Complications After Liver Transplant.

The widespread use of immunosuppressive agents has significantly increased the rates of successful solid-organ and stem cell transplants, especially with liver and kidney. Cyclosporine and tacrolimus are most commonly used for this purpose. Although these agents have different mechanisms of action, both have various adverse effects, including nausea, vomiting, headache, hypertension, nephrotoxicity, and rarely epileptic seizures. In our first case, a patient presented with epileptic seizures and hemiparesis after a liver transplant, and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome related to cyclosporine toxicity was considered. Once cyclosporine levels in the blood decreased, the patient had both clinical and radiologic improvements. In our second case, a patient presented with delirium after a liver transplant. Again, when cyclosporine levels in the blood decreased, the patient showed improvement in clinical findings. Neurologic complications may develop after liver transplant, and these complications are encountered most frequently within the first postoperative month. Neurologic complications are multifactorial; insufficient graft function, intracranial bleeding, cerebral infarcts, infections, and immunosuppressive drug toxicity (tacrolimus and cyclosporine) may be considered among these factors. As shown in our presented cases, most neurologic complications can be successfully treated by correcting the underlying factor.

Is stoma care effective in terms of morbidity in complicated ileostomies?

BACKGROUND: Performing transient or permanent ileostomy is one of the common procedures involved in colorectal surgery. Complication rates up to 40% have been reported in ileostomies. In this report, the effect of specific stoma care unit on ileostomy and its complications were investigated. METHODS: A total of 141 patients, who were operated and underwent ileostomy, due to different causes, at Department of General Surgery, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey, between 2003 and 2006, were examined, retrospectively. Patient records were examined in terms of age, sex, surgery indications, urgent/elective state, benign/malign origin, ileostomy type, complications and stoma care, and education. χ(2) test was used to compare the categorical data. RESULTS: Among the patients, 95 (67%) were male and 46 (33%) were female. The mean age was 47 years (17-67). Some of the subjects (49%) were operated urgently and some (51%) were under elective conditions. The ileostomy types used included the following: end ileostomy (43%), loop ileostomy (46%), and double-barrel ileostomy (11%). Permanent ileostomy was performed in 23 patients and transient ileostomy was performed in 118 patients. The patients were operated because of either benign (48%) or malign (52%) causes. Complications developed in 37 (26%) patients. The rate of development of complication was markedly higher in ileostomies performed under urgent conditions (61% vs 39%) (P<0.001). The complications included mucocutaneous separation (12 patients), maceration in the peristomal skin (ten patients), retraction (five patients), necrosis (three patients), prolapsus (three patients), and other metabolic complications (four patients). The complications were treated with care (68%) and surgical revision (32%). CONCLUSION: The rate of ileostomy was found to be higher in the male patients compared to female patients. The risk of development of complications was found to be higher in ileostomies performed under urgent conditions. The most common complication observed was mucocutaneous separation. Ileostomy complications can be treated conservatively with professional care and education.