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.

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.