Respiratory Diseases Diagnosis Using Audio Analysis and Artificial Intelligence: A Systematic Review.

Respiratory diseases represent a significant global burden, necessitating efficient diagnostic methods for timely intervention. Digital biomarkers based on audio, acoustics, and sound from the upper and lower respiratory system, as well as the voice, have emerged as valuable indicators of respiratory functionality. Recent advancements in machine learning (ML) algorithms offer promising avenues for the identification and diagnosis of respiratory diseases through the analysis and processing of such audio-based biomarkers. An ever-increasing number of studies employ ML techniques to extract meaningful information from audio biomarkers. Beyond disease identification, these studies explore diverse aspects such as the recognition of cough sounds amidst environmental noise, the analysis of respiratory sounds to detect respiratory symptoms like wheezes and crackles, as well as the analysis of the voice/speech for the evaluation of human voice abnormalities. To provide a more in-depth analysis, this review examines 75 relevant audio analysis studies across three distinct areas of concern based on respiratory diseases' symptoms: (a) cough detection, (b) lower respiratory symptoms identification, and (c) diagnostics from the voice and speech. Furthermore, publicly available datasets commonly utilized in this domain are presented. It is observed that research trends are influenced by the pandemic, with a surge in studies on COVID-19 diagnosis, mobile data acquisition, and remote diagnosis systems.

[Ulnar nerve pressure at the level of the elbow. Treatment by resection of the paratroclear apophysis]. / Compressione del nervo ulnare a livello del gomito. Trattamento con resezione dell'apofisi paratrocleare.

The pressure of the ulnar nerve at the level of the elbow is a pathological situation which causes serious problems of use of the suffering upper limb to its patient. In this study a reference is made to the anatomy of the ulnar nerve, to the reasons and to the main anatomic points of pressure of the ulnar nerve on the elbow, to the clinical indications and to the subjective symptoms of the patient. The state of art according to the diagnosis and methods of treatment is reported. The Authors particularly outline on the surgical technique used in order to solve this particular problem and to the patients that went to an under medical inspection. A step-by-step description of Authors' surgical technique and its benefits as well as its drawbacks is reported with an additionally, full iconography.