An alternative approach to describing agility in sports through establishment of a relationship between velocity and radius of curvature

Agility is an essential part of many athletic activities. Currently, agility drill duration is the sole criterion used for evaluation of agility performance. The relationship between drill duration and factors such as acceleration, deceleration and change of direction, however, has not been fully explored. This paper provides a mathematical description of the relationship between velocity and radius of curvatures in an agility drill through implementation of a power law (PL). Two groups of skilled and unskilled participants performed a cyclic forward/backward shuttle agility test. Kinematic data was recorded using motion capture system at a sampling rate of 200 Hz. The logarithmic relationship between tangential velocity and radius of curvature of participant trajectories in both groups was established using the PL. The slope of the regression line was found to be 0.26 and 0.36, for the skilled and unskilled groups, respectively. The magnitudes of regression line slope for both groups were approximately 0.3 which is close to the expected 1/3 value. Results are an indication of how the PL could be implemented in an agility drill thus opening the way for establishment of a more representative measure of agility performance instead of drill duration

Trans-Tibial Amputee Gait Correction through Real-Time Visual Feedback

Objective: The present paper reports on program of work undertaken to evaluate the effect of real time visual feedback on kinematics of prosthetic gait. Methods: A total of 6 below-knee male amputees were included in the study. Each individual underwent three trials of self-selected speed treadmill walking, in which real time visual feedback was provided from forward, backward, and lateral views, together with a control trial without any visual feedback. Kinematic reference values were captured via VICON motion analysis system, and one-minute slots of data sets were processed by its Workstation software (Plug in Gait), which were than statistically analyzed running Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Results: Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in stance phase (Z=0.923, p=0.031) and stride length (Z=-1.807, p=0.043) between normal and affected sides in front visual feedback mode. Stance phase was generally extended on normal legs, and there appeared to be reductions in hip joint range of motion on affected limbs. Stride time followed relatively comparable patterns in both sides across all trials. Conclusion: The results suggest that providing visualization in the context of amputee gait rehabilitation may provide an effective way to help subjects correct gait patterns and thereby it may improve the outcome of rehabilitation

Concurrent validity of human pose tracking in video for measuring gait parameters in older adults: a preliminary analysis with multiple trackers, viewing angles, and walking directions

Abstract Background Many of the available gait monitoring technologies are expensive, require specialized expertise, are time consuming to use, and are not widely available for clinical use. The advent of video-based pose tracking provides an opportunity for inexpensive automated analysis of human walking in older adults using video cameras. However, there is a need to validate gait parameters calculated by these algorithms against gold standard methods for measuring human gait data in this population. Methods We compared quantitative gait variables of 11 older adults (mean age = 85.2) calculated from video recordings using three pose trackers (AlphaPose, OpenPose, Detectron) to those calculated from a 3D motion capture system. We performed comparisons for videos captured by two cameras at two different viewing angles, and viewed from the front or back. We also analyzed the data when including gait variables of individual steps of each participant or each participant’s averaged gait variables. Results Our findings revealed that, i) temporal (cadence and step time), but not spatial and variability gait measures (step width, estimated margin of stability, coefficient of variation of step time and width), calculated from the video pose tracking algorithms correlate significantly to that of motion capture system, and ii) there are minimal differences between the two camera heights, and walks viewed from the front or back in terms of correlation of gait variables, and iii) gait variables extracted from AlphaPose and Detectron had the highest agreement while OpenPose had the lowest agreement. Conclusions There are important opportunities to evaluate models capable of 3D pose estimation in video data, improve the training of pose-tracking algorithms for older adult and clinical populations, and develop video-based 3D pose trackers specifically optimized for quantitative gait measurement

Amiodarone versus lidocaine for the prevention of reperfusion ventricular fibrillation: A randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Reperfusion ventricular fibrillation after aortic cross clamp is one of the important complications of open cardiac surgery and its prevention could reduce myocardial injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of single dose of amiodarone or lidocaine by the way of pump circuit three minutes before aortic cross clamp release and compare the results with normal saline as placebo in a randomized double blinded controlled trial. METHODS: One hundred fifty patients scheduled for first time elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomly assigned to receive either single dose of amiodarone (150 mg), lidocaine (100 mg), or normal saline (5 ml) three minutes before aortic cross clamp release. The incidence of ventricular fibrillation and the need for reuse of drug were compared between these groups by chi-square, Student&rsquo;s t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and One-way ANOVA. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of ventricular fibrillation is higher in the placebo group (15.9%) compare to lidocaine (11.8%) and amiodarone (8.9%) groups; however, there was no statistical difference among the three groups (P = 0.41). Moreover, the reuse of amiodarone (22.7%) was statistically higher (P &lt; 0.05) than lidocaine (5.9%). CONCLUSION: This study showed no difference among lidocaine, amiodarone, and placebo in preventing ventricular fibrillation after aortic cross clamp release. &nbsp; Keywords: Amiodarone, Lidocaine, Ischemia Reperfusion Injury, Ventricular Fibrilation, Randomized Controlled Trial&nbsp;</div

The Effect of Standard and Beveled Heels of Orthopedic Shoe on Vertical Ground Reaction Forces during Walking in Healthy Subjects

Objective: in normal walking, repetitive vertical ground reaction forces are tansformed on musculo-skeletal system. Magnitude of force during impact is major contributor to overuse injuries. Purpose of this study was the evaluate to effect of standard and beveled heel at orthopedic shoe on vertical ground reaction forces during walking in healthy subjects. Materials & Methods: 30 healthy adults (12 male, 18 female) participated in this study by simple impossible sampling. Subjects walked along an 8-m walkway in three different conditions: barefoot, orthopedic shoe with standard heel and orthopedic shoe with beveled heel. Vertical ground reaction force data collected in initial stance phases of walking using Kistler force plate. Results: Results of this study showed significant increasing in impact force in barefoot compared with orthopedic shoe with standard and beveled heels (P˂0.0001). First peak of vertical force and loading rate showed significant reduction in orthopedic shoe with beveled heel compared with orthopedic shoe with standard heel (P˂0.05). Conclusion: using the beveled heel by changing the location of the ground reaction force from the ankle joint axis, facilitated first rocker and reduce first peak of vertical force and loading rate. because of complication of deleterious loads on lower limb during walking, we could use of this type of heel for some of the patient with special orthopedic disease

Indoor Location Data for Tracking Human Behaviours: A Scoping Review

Real-time location systems (RTLS) record locations of individuals over time and are valuable sources of spatiotemporal data that can be used to understand patterns of human behaviour. Location data are used in a wide breadth of applications, from locating individuals to contact tracing or monitoring health markers. To support the use of RTLS in many applications, the varied ways location data can describe patterns of human behaviour should be examined. The objective of this review is to investigate behaviours described using indoor location data, and particularly the types of features extracted from RTLS data to describe behaviours. Four major applications were identified: health status monitoring, consumer behaviours, developmental behaviour, and workplace safety/efficiency. RTLS data features used to analyse behaviours were categorized into four groups: dwell time, activity level, trajectory, and proximity. Passive sensors that provide non-uniform data streams and features with lower complexity were common. Few studies analysed social behaviours between more than one individual at once. Less than half the health status monitoring studies examined clinical validity against gold-standard measures. Overall, spatiotemporal data from RTLS technologies are useful to identify behaviour patterns, provided there is sufficient richness in location data, the behaviour of interest is well-characterized, and a detailed feature analysis is undertaken

The incidence of complications of vaccination in children and infants of Semnan, Iran

Introduction: Vaccination has achieved significant and cost effective success in prevention ofinfectious disease. Although the current vaccines used are very effective and their side effects areminimal, generally no vaccine is not free from side effects. Incidence of adverse reactions afterimmunization may discourage people for further immunization of their children. The aim of this workwas to determine the incidence of complications of vaccination in children and infants of Semnan, Iran.Materials and methods: In a longitudinal study (prospective), all vaccinated children betweenSeptember 2006 and March 2007 in 11 vaccination centers were studied. A specific questionnaire,including vaccine recipient profile, type of vaccine, birth weight, feeding and 46 adverse reactions werecompleted immediately after and 2,4,6,12,18 months later.Results: 5776 children were studied. 29% of the children showed at least one adverse reaction ofvaccination. The most common adverse reactions were: fever (24%), pain at injection site (3.8%),swelling (2.5%), erythema (2.5%), induration (2.1%), and ulceration at injection site (2.1%). Incidence ofother complications was below 1%. The most dangerous complication of the vaccine was encephalitis(one case) and two cases had febrile seizures. The most cause of hospitalization was adverse reaction ofMMR vaccine. Finally, of every four children, one child showed at least one complication that fever wasthe most common.Conclusion: In general, routine immunization program of Iran country against nine common infectiousdiseases has lower complications. This complication is mainly mild and transient and do not need anyintervention by drugs. However, among these may be rare and dangerous complications such as seizuresand encephalitis occur. Hence, a careful follow-up program is required to report complications ofimmunizatio

Significance of microbiota in obesity and metabolic diseases and the modulatory potential by medicinal plant and food ingredients

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of three or more metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, obesity, and hyperlipidemia. Obesity has become the epidemic of the twenty-first century with more than 1.6 billion overweight adults. Due to the strong connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes, obesity has received wide attention with subsequent coining of the term "diabesity." Recent studies have identified unique contributions of the immensely diverse gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of obesity and diabetes. Several mechanisms have been proposed including altered glucose and fatty acid metabolism, hepatic fatty acid storage, and modulation of glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1. Importantly, the relationship between unhealthy diet and a modified gut microbiota composition observed in diabetic or obese subjects has been recognized. Similarly, the role of diet rich in polyphenols and plant polysaccharides in modulating gut bacteria and its impact on diabetes and obesity have been the subject of investigation by several research groups. Gut microbiota are also responsible for the extensive metabolism of polyphenols thus modulating their biological activities. The aim of this review is to shed light on the composition of gut microbes, their health importance and how they can contribute to diseases as well as their modulation by polyphenols and polysaccharides to control obesity and diabetes. In addition, the role of microbiota in improving the oral bioavailability of polyphenols and hence in shaping their antidiabetic and antiobesity activities will be discussed

Assessment of an APOBEC3B truncating mutation, c.783delG, in patients with breast cancer.

APOBEC3B belongs to the family of DNA-editing enzymes. A copy number variant targeting the genomic APOBEC3A-APOBEC3B locus has a significant impact on breast cancer risk, but the relative contribution of APOBEC3B is uncertain. In this study, we investigate a loss-of-function mutation that selectively targets APOBEC3B, for its association with breast cancer risk

Late-onset multiple sclerosis in Iran: A report on demographic and disease characteristics

Background: Today, it is estimated that around 5% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are in the late-onset category (age at disease onset ≥ 50). Diagnosis and treatment in this group could be challenging. Here, we report the latest update on the characteristics of Iranian patients with late-onset MS (LOMS). Methods: This cross-sectional study used the information provided by the nationwide MS registry of Iran (NMSRI). The registrars from 14 provinces entered data of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MS by neurologists. Patients with disease onset at or later than 50 years of age were considered LOMS. Results: Of 20,036 records, the late-onset category included 321 patients (1.6%). The age-standardized LOMS prevalence was around 75 per 100,000 people. 215 patients (67%) were female. Median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was 3 (interquartile range: 1.5–5). The majority of the cases (56%) suffered from relapsing-remitting (RR) course while 20% were diagnosed with primary progressive (PP) MS. Significantly higher proportion of male sex, PPMS, and higher EDSS were seen in the late-onset group compared with early-onset and adult-onset cases (p-value < 0.05). Seventy-five (23%) patients did not receive any disease-modifying treatment. Discussion: The more prominent degenerative pathology of LOMS may be the underlying mechanism of the observed differences in comparison to non-LOMS. Conclusion: There are substantial differences and knowledge gaps regarding LOMS which could be the subject of further research