Tencent comes to London to speed up Parkinson's diagnoses

[nir]

The Chinese firm, Tencent, has teamed up with a London-based medical firm, Medopad, in order to help speed up diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease from half an hour to minutes using artificial intelligence. The two firms have developed software, which could be packaged as a mobile app, that watches a patient open and close their hands, it can then use the “frequency and amplitude” to determine a score for the patient which represents the severity of the Parkinson’s disease.

 

The AI that’s used to perform the calculations has been trained with videos from the King’s College Hospital in London that feature patients that have previously been assessed by doctors. While the main aim is to cut down the assessment time, the finished product may mean that a trip to the doctor isn’t even required – this would be a significant development in countries with poor healthcare systems where care is expensive, or it’s difficult for rural patients to get to a doctor.

 

Dr Wei Fan, head of the Tencent Medical AI lab, speaking to the BBC, said the firm was looking to do work in the U.S., U.K., and other countries:

 

“We are looking forward to clinical trials in both China and US and other countries. We will strictly follow local regulations and when we have the results they will benefit not just one country but globally.”

 

How easy it will be for Tencent to follow through on these plans in the U.S. is up for debate given the current climate surrounding trade between the two countries. With regards to trusting China in the field of healthcare, Wei Fan claimed that Tencent would be “open and transparent” with the project so that it “will work for everyone.”

 

Source

[Ryrynz]

Diagnosis you say? Cellphone app that measures THE SEVERITY of Parksinsons.. Some breakthrough. Saving time is nice and all.. but WTF is medical science going to do re Parkinsons?

I know.. Sir/Madam.. you have Parkinsons, this is what to expect over the coming years. There is literally nothing we can do other than inform you that your quality of life is about to seriously decline.
 

• Tremors. A tremor, or shaking, usually begins in a limb, often your hand or fingers. You may a rub your thumb and forefinger back-and-forth, known as a pill-rolling tremor. Your hand may tremor when it's at rest.
• Slowed movement (bradykinesia). Parkinson's disease may slow your movement, making simple tasks difficult and time-consuming. Your steps may become shorter when you walk. It may be difficult to get out of a chair. You may drag your feet as you try to walk.
• Rigid muscles. Muscle stiffness may occur in any part of your body. The stiff muscles can be painful and limit your range of motion.
• Impaired posture and balance. Your posture may become stooped, or you may have balance problems as a result of Parkinson's disease.
• Loss of automatic movements. You may have a decreased ability to perform unconscious movements, including blinking, smiling or swinging your arms when you walk.
• Speech changes. You may speak softly, quickly, slur or hesitate before talking. Your speech may be more of a monotone rather than with the usual inflections.
  
  Thanks for using our App, please donate to get the full app experience and remove ads.