Nurses encounter difficulties evaluating constipation in elderly people with physical and cognitive impairment. Transabdominal ultrasonography (US) has been used to evaluate fecal impaction or fecal quality. However, it is unclear whether colorectal US can evaluate constipation symptoms in older people. Using colorectal US, we continuously observed the elderly and clarified the relationship between patterns of fecal distribution changes and constipation symptoms in older people with physical and cognitive impairment at long-term care facilities. This study included patients aged ≥65 years with oral intake. US was performed once a day until the next defecation, and fecal hardness was assessed. US images were extracted and categorized. Then, patterns of fecal distribution changes in the colorectum were classified. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine related factors associated with a constipation pattern. Among 101 patients, US images of 95 patients were analyzed. In 74.4% of the patients, US showed continuation of reflection with acoustic shadow in the rectum, which was significantly associated with defecation on the bed. Of the patients with a continuous crescent-shaped reflection pattern (R3), 92.9% had hard stool. R3 was found to be significantly associated with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≤10. In most of the patients, US detected a continuation of reflection with acoustic shadow in rectal patterns, indicating fecal retention in the rectum. Point-of-care US can be used by nurses to visualize rectal fecal retention as constipation patterns in the older people with physical and cognitive impairment at long-term care facilities.

Artificial intelligence (AI) enhances thermal image analysis by providing advanced pattern recognition and improving the accuracy of diabetic foot condition detection. AI-driven thermography systems support clinicians, but research on AI for diabetic foot thermography is fragmented, with diverse algorithms and existing reviews focusing mainly on statistical performance. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive review of AI-based diabetic foot thermography, with a focus on condition detection, performance metrics, clinical implications, and existing research gaps. A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar, with keywords "diabetic foot temperature," "thermal imaging," and "artificial intelligence," including related MeSH terms. Eligible studies included original research and conference proceedings on AI-based foot thermography for diagnosing or monitoring diabetic adults. Literature reviews and meta-analyses were excluded. Sixty articles were reviewed. Most studies addressed increased temperature, followed by decreased temperature, and DFU severity classification pattern. AI performance ranged from 61% to 100%. Study environments were 46.67% controlled, 6.67% uncontrolled, and 46.67% unreported. AI applications included clinical decision support, remote monitoring, and reducing clinician workload. AI has advanced diabetic foot detection; however, additional studies in uncontrolled environments are needed to improve accuracy and enhance generalizability under real-world conditions.

Prevention for aspiration pneumonia requires assessment of aspiration and adequate swallowing care. This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ultrasound examination and recommendations for swallowing care for the reduction of aspiration and pharyngeal post-swallow residue as compared with standard swallowing care. Twenty-three participants were randomized to the intervention group and 23 to the control group. The intervention consisted of four ultrasound examinations during mealtimes and recommendations for swallowing care every 2 weeks during an 8 week period. No recommendations concerning swallowing care based on ultrasound examinations were provided to the control group. The frequency of aspiration or residue was defined as x/y × 100% when aspiration or residue were detected x times from y times concerning the total ultrasound measurements. The proportion of the residents with reduced frequency of aspiration which was detected by ultrasonography at eight weeks were 4.3% in the intervention group and 0% in the control group. The median reduction in the frequency of aspiration and residue in the intervention group was 31%, and that in the control group was 11%. In conclusion, swallowing care guided by frequent ultrasound examinations during mealtimes had a trend of reducing the frequency of aspiration and residue during an 8-week period in individuals relative to standard swallowing care alone.