{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:35:05Z","timestamp":1787027705082,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,3]],"date-time":"2023-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1691020800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003448","name":"European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["T2EDK-03721"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["T2EDK-03721"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003448","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioengineering"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Epicutaneous patch testing is a well-established diagnostic method for identifying substances that may cause Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD), a common skin condition caused by exposure to environmental allergens. While the patch test remains the gold standard for identifying allergens, it is prone to observer bias and consumes valuable human resources. Deep learning models can be employed to address this challenge. In this study, we collected a dataset of 1579 multi-modal skin images from 200 patients using the Antera 3D\u00ae camera. We then investigated the feasibility of using a deep learning classifier for automating the identification of the allergens causing ACD. We propose a deep learning approach that utilizes a context-retaining pre-processing technique to improve the accuracy of the classifier. In addition, we find promise in the combination of the color image and false-color map of hemoglobin concentration to improve diagnostic accuracy. Our results showed that this approach can potentially achieve more than 86% recall and 94% specificity in identifying skin reactions, and contribute to faster and more accurate diagnosis while reducing clinician workload.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering10080924","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,3]],"date-time":"2023-08-03T11:35:21Z","timestamp":1691062521000},"page":"924","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":21,"title":["Detecting Skin Reactions in Epicutaneous Patch Testing with Deep Learning: An Evaluation of Pre-Processing and Modality Performance"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4976-4901","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis A.","family":"Vezakis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou St., 15780 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8389-1360","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George I.","family":"Lambrou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou St., 15780 Athens, Greece"},{"name":"Choremeio Research Laboratory, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 8 Thivon & Levadeias St., 11527 Athens, Greece"},{"name":"University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health & Precision Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 8 Thivon & Levadeias St., 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0605-9084","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aikaterini","family":"Kyritsi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Dermatology and Venereology, \u201cAndreas Syggros\u201d Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 5 Ionos Dragoumi St., 11621 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3307-6522","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Tagka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Dermatology and Venereology, \u201cAndreas Syggros\u201d Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 5 Ionos Dragoumi St., 11621 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9202-9107","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Argyro","family":"Chatziioannou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Dermatology and Venereology, \u201cAndreas Syggros\u201d Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 5 Ionos Dragoumi St., 11621 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2600-9914","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George K.","family":"Matsopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou St., 15780 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1016\/S1567-5769(01)00173-4","article-title":"Allergic Contact Dermatitis","volume":"2","author":"Kimber","year":"2002","journal-title":"Int. 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