Chest X-ray (CXR) is widely used to diagnose conditions affecting the chest, its contents, and its nearby structures. In this study, we used a private data set containing 1630 CXR images with disease labels; most of the images were disease-free, but the others contained multiple sites of abnormalities. Here, we used deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models to extract feature representations and to identify possible diseases in these images. We also used transfer learning combined with large open-source image data sets to resolve the problems of insufficient training data and optimize the classification model. The effects of different approaches of reusing pretrained weights (model finetuning and layer transfer), source data sets of different sizes and similarity levels to the target data (ImageNet, ChestX-ray, and CheXpert), methods integrating source data sets into transfer learning (initiating, concatenating, and co-training), and backbone CNN models (ResNet50 and DenseNet121) on transfer learning were also assessed. The results demonstrated that transfer learning applied with the model finetuning approach typically afforded better prediction models. When only one source data set was adopted, ChestX-ray performed better than CheXpert; however, after ImageNet initials were attached, CheXpert performed better. ResNet50 performed better in initiating transfer learning, whereas DenseNet121 performed better in concatenating and co-training transfer learning. Transfer learning with multiple source data sets was preferable to that with a source data set. Overall, transfer learning can further enhance prediction capabilities and reduce computing costs for CXR images.

Background/Objectives: Breast cancer is a leading cause of mortality among women in Taiwan and globally. Non-invasive imaging methods, such as mammography and ultrasound, are critical for early detection, yet standalone modalities have limitations in regard to their diagnostic accuracy. This study aims to enhance breast cancer detection through a cross-modality fusion approach combining mammography and ultrasound imaging, using advanced convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. Materials and Methods: Breast images were sourced from public datasets, including the RSNA, the PAS, and Kaggle, and categorized into malignant and benign groups. Data augmentation techniques were used to address imbalances in the ultrasound dataset. Three models were developed: (1) pre-trained CNNs integrated with machine learning classifiers, (2) transfer learning-based CNNs, and (3) a custom-designed 17-layer CNN for direct classification. The performance of the models was evaluated using metrics such as accuracy and the Kappa score. Results: The custom 17-layer CNN outperformed the other models, achieving an accuracy of 0.964 and a Kappa score of 0.927. The transfer learning model achieved moderate performance (accuracy 0.846, Kappa 0.694), while the pre-trained CNNs with machine learning classifiers yielded the lowest results (accuracy 0.780, Kappa 0.559). Cross-modality fusion proved effective in leveraging the complementary strengths of mammography and ultrasound imaging. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential of cross-modality imaging and tailored CNN architectures to significantly improve diagnostic accuracy and reliability in breast cancer detection. The custom-designed model offers a practical solution for early detection, potentially reducing false positives and false negatives, and improving patient outcomes through timely and accurate diagnosis.

Background and Objectives: Chest X-ray (CXR) images are commonly used to diagnose respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. However, traditional manual interpretation is often subjective, time-consuming, and prone to errors, leading to inconsistent detection accuracy and poor generalization. In this paper, we present deep learning-based object detection methods for automatically identifying and annotating abnormal regions in CXR images. Methods: We developed and tested our models using disease-labeled CXR images and location-bounding boxes from E-Da Hospital. Given the prevalence of normal images over diseased ones in clinical settings, we created various training datasets and approaches to assess how different proportions of background images impact model performance. To address the issue of limited examples for certain diseases, we also investigated few-shot object detection techniques. We compared convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and Transformer-based models to determine the most effective architecture for medical image analysis. Results: The findings show that background image proportions greatly influenced model inference. Moreover, schemes incorporating binary classification consistently improved performance, and CNN-based models outperformed Transformer-based models across all scenarios. Conclusions: We have developed a more efficient and reliable system for the automated detection of disease labels and location bounding boxes in CXR images.

This study focuses on overcoming challenges in classifying eye diseases using color fundus photographs by leveraging deep learning techniques, aiming to enhance early detection and diagnosis accuracy. We utilized a dataset of 6392 color fundus photographs across eight disease categories, which was later augmented to 17,766 images. Five well-known convolutional neural networks (CNNs)—efficientnetb0, mobilenetv2, shufflenet, resnet50, and resnet101—and a custom-built CNN were integrated and trained on this dataset. Image sizes were standardized, and model performance was evaluated via accuracy, Kappa coefficient, and precision metrics. Shufflenet and efficientnetb0demonstrated strong performances, while our custom 17-layer CNN outperformed all with an accuracy of 0.930 and a Kappa coefficient of 0.920. Furthermore, we found that the fusion of image features with classical machine learning classifiers increased the performance, with Logistic Regression showcasing the best results. Our study highlights the potential of AI and deep learning models in accurately classifying eye diseases and demonstrates the efficacy of custom-built models and the fusion of deep learning and classical methods. Future work should focus on validating these methods across larger datasets and assessing their real-world applicability.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown promise in accurately diagnosing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and bacterial pneumonia using chest X-ray images. However, determining the optimal feature extraction approach is challenging. This study investigates the use of fusion-extracted features by deep networks to improve the accuracy of COVID-19 and bacterial pneumonia classification with chest X-ray radiography. A Fusion CNN method was developed using five different deep learning models after transferred learning to extract image features (Fusion CNN). The combined features were used to build a support vector machine (SVM) classifier with a RBF kernel. The performance of the model was evaluated using accuracy, Kappa values, recall rate, and precision scores. The Fusion CNN model achieved an accuracy and Kappa value of 0.994 and 0.991, with precision scores for normal, COVID-19, and bacterial groups of 0.991, 0.998, and 0.994, respectively. The results indicate that the Fusion CNN models with the SVM classifier provided reliable and accurate classification performance, with Kappa values no less than 0.990. Using a Fusion CNN approach could be a possible solution to enhance accuracy further. Therefore, the study demonstrates the potential of deep learning and fusion-extracted features for accurate COVID-19 and bacterial pneumonia classification with chest X-ray radiography.

According to the Health Promotion Administration in the Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics in Taiwan, over ten thousand women have breast cancer every year. Mammography is widely used to detect breast cancer. However, it is limited by the operator’s technique, the cooperation of the subjects, and the subjective interpretation by the physician. It results in inconsistent identification. Therefore, this study explores the use of a deep neural network algorithm for the classification of mammography images. In the experimental design, a retrospective study was used to collect imaging data from actual clinical cases. The mammography images were collected and classified according to the breast image reporting and data-analyzing system (BI-RADS). In terms of model building, a fully convolutional dense connection network (FC-DCN) is used for the network backbone. All the images were obtained through image preprocessing, a data augmentation method, and transfer learning technology to build a mammography image classification model. The research results show the model’s accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 86.37%, 100%, and 72.73%, respectively. Based on the FC-DCN model framework, it can effectively reduce the number of training parameters and successfully obtain a reasonable image classification model for mammography.