Francesco Iodice

Guglielmo Gallone, Francesco Iodice, Alberto Presta et al.

Aims. To develop a deep-learning based system for recognition of subclinical atherosclerosis on a plain frontal chest x-ray. Methods and Results. A deep-learning algorithm to predict coronary artery calcium (CAC) score (the AI-CAC model) was developed on 460 chest x-ray (80% training cohort, 20% internal validation cohort) of primary prevention patients (58.4% male, median age 63 [51-74] years) with available paired chest x-ray and chest computed tomography (CT) indicated for any clinical reason and performed within 3 months. The CAC score calculated on chest CT was used as ground truth. The model was validated on an temporally-independent cohort of 90 patients from the same institution (external validation). The diagnostic accuracy of the AI-CAC model assessed by the area under the curve (AUC) was the primary outcome. Overall, median AI-CAC score was 35 (0-388) and 28.9% patients had no AI-CAC. AUC of the AI-CAC model to identify a CAC>0 was 0.90 in the internal validation cohort and 0.77 in the external validation cohort. Sensitivity was consistently above 92% in both cohorts. In the overall cohort (n=540), among patients with AI-CAC=0, a single ASCVD event occurred, after 4.3 years. Patients with AI-CAC>0 had significantly higher Kaplan Meier estimates for ASCVD events (13.5% vs. 3.4%, log-rank=0.013). Conclusion. The AI-CAC model seems to accurately detect subclinical atherosclerosis on chest x-ray with elevated sensitivity, and to predict ASCVD events with elevated negative predictive value. Adoption of the AI-CAC model to refine CV risk stratification or as an opportunistic screening tool requires prospective evaluation.

Francesco Iodice, Elena De Momi, Arash Ajoudani

The integration of collaborative robots into industrial environments has improved productivity, but has also highlighted significant challenges related to operator safety and ergonomics. This paper proposes an innovative framework that integrates advanced visual perception, continuous ergonomic monitoring, and adaptive Behaviour Tree decision-making to overcome the limitations of traditional methods that typically operate as isolated components. Our approach synthesizes deep learning models, advanced tracking algorithms, and dynamic ergonomic assessments into a modular, scalable, and adaptive system. Experimental validation demonstrates the framework's superiority over existing solutions across multiple dimensions: the visual perception module outperformed previous detection models with 72.4% mAP@50:95; the system achieved high accuracy in recognizing operator intentions (92.5%); it promptly classified ergonomic risks with minimal latency (0.57 seconds); and it dynamically managed robotic interventions with exceptionally responsive decision-making capabilities (0.07 seconds), representing a 56% improvement over benchmark systems. This comprehensive solution provides a robust platform for enhancing human-robot collaboration in industrial environments by prioritizing ergonomic safety, operational efficiency, and real-time adaptability.