National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has developed artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software capable of measuring age-related progressive loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) that it said can serve as an early warning system encouraging patients to seek treatment.
Sarcopenia, a condition usually associated with aging and patients undergoing chemotherapy can increase the likelihood of falls and fractures, but when detected early it can be mitigated through diet and rehabilitation, said Tsai Yi-shan (蔡依珊), director of the clinical innovation and research center at the Tainan-based university.
The Al-powered model is an optimal muscle deficit detection tool for anyone suffering from muscle loss, and it takes information from computed tomography (CT) scans to assess both the quantity and quality of a patient’s muscles to identify muscle deficiency, she said.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
In trials it has proven to be highly accurate, Tsai said.
Using a Dice coefficient, a statistical tool that measures similarities between two sets of data, the AI-powered model had a Dice index of 0.94 to 0.95, nearly reaching 1, the highest score, she said.
A score of 1 means the diagnosis of the AI tool would be the same as those from actual measurements, Tsai said, adding that the advantage of the NCKU model is that it generates results about 20 minutes faster than measurements done manually.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare in June granted NCKU a permit to use the AI-powered model commercially, making it the first academic institution to secure a permit to develop AI-related software, and sell it to hospitals and medical institutions.
Tsai said that she hoped the software’s analysis could be provided at no extra cost to cancer patients who have had CT scans because medical institutions can simply feed the CT scan images into the model to get results.
During the three-year period the model’s software needed to mature, four associated patents for the software were granted in Taiwan, and NCKU is applying for patents in the US, Japan and South Korea, among other nations, she said.
NCKU was one of a few academic institutions at a news conference on Tuesday presenting the results obtained under a four-year AI development plan run by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).
Another institution that introduced its progress on AI applications was the Chang Gung Medical Foundation.
Foundation physician Kuo Chang-fu (郭昶甫) said the institution has developed a software utilizing AI to assist clinical physicians identify subtle wrist scaphoid fractures.
The software, which has a commercial license, aids in significantly reducing the time patients spend seeking medical attention and the frequency of repeat visits for diagnosis, Kuo said.
It could also be used to support remote medical care, he said.
Since 2020, the NSTC has spearheaded a four-year program to subsidize the development of AI-integrated applications.
The program, which has a budget of NT$2.6 billion (US$81.5 million) and is open to medical groups, has funded nine successful applications in total, including from NCKU, the Chang Gung Medical Foundation and Asia University in Taichung.
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition