Effects of dance therapy on balance, gait and neuro-psychological performances in patients with Parkinson's disease and postural instability

Postural Instability (PI) is a core feature of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and a major cause of falls and disabilities. Impairment of executive functions has been called as an aggravating factor on motor performances. Dance therapy has been shown effective for improving gait and has been suggested as an alternative rehabilitative method. To evaluate gait performance, spatial-temporal (S-T) gait parameters and cognitive performances in a cohort of patients with PD and PI modifications in balance after a cycle of dance therapy

Modelling and Experimental Evaluation of a Static Balancing Technique for a new Horizontally Mounted 3-UPU Parallel Mechanism

This paper presents the modelling and experimental evaluation of the gravity compensation of a horizontal 3-UPU parallel mechanism. The conventional Newton-Euler method for static analysis and balancing of mechanisms works for serial robots; however, it can become computationally expensive when applied to the analysis of parallel manipulators. To overcome this difficulty, in this paper we propose an approach, based on a Lagrangian method, that is more efficient in terms of computation time. The derivation of the gravity compensation model is based on the analytical computation of the total potential energy of the system at each position of the end-effector. In order to satisfy the gravity compensation condition, the total potential energy of the system should remain constant for all of the manipulator's configurations. Analytical and mechanical gravity compensation is taken into account, and the set of conditions and the system of springs are defined. Finally, employing a virtual reality environment, some experiments are carried out and the reliability and feasibility of the proposed model are evaluated in the presence and absence of the elastic components

A comprehensive approach to lung function in bronchiectasis

Background: International guidelines recommend simple spirometry for bronchiectasis patients. However, pulmonary pathophysiology of bronchiectasis is very complex and still poorly understood. Our objective was to characterize lung function in bronchiectasis and identify specific functional sub-groups. Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study enrolling consecutive adults with bronchiectasis during stable sate. Patients underwent body-plethysmography before and after acute bronchodilation testing, diffusing lung capacity (DLCO) with a 3-year follow up. Air trapping and hyperinflation were a residual volume (RV) > 120%predicted and a total lung capacity>120%predicted. Acute reversibility was: \u394FEV1 6512% and 200 mL from baseline (FEV1rev) and \u394RV 6510% reduction from baseline (RVrev). Sensitivity analyses included different reversibility cutoffs and excluded patients with concomitant asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results: 187 patients were enrolled (median age: 68 years; 29.4% males). Pathophysiological abnormalities often overlapped and were distributed as follows: air trapping (70.2%), impaired DLCO (55.7%), airflow obstruction (41.1%), hyperinflation (15.7%) and restriction (8.0%). 9.7% of patients had normal lung function. RVrev (17.6%) was more frequent than FEV1rev (4.3%). Similar proportions were found after multiple sensitivity analyses. Compared with non-reversible patients, patients with RVrev had more severe obstruction (mean(SD) FEV1%pred: 83.0% (24.4) vs 68.9% (26.2); P = 0.02) and air trapping (RV%pred, 151.9% (26.6) vs 166.2% (39.9); P = 0.028). Conclusions: Spirometry alone does not encompass the variety of pathophysiological characteristics in bronchiectasis. Air trapping and diffusion impairment, not airflow obstruction, represent the most common functional abnormalities. RVrev is related to worse lung function and might be considered in bronchiectasis\u2019 workup and for patients\u2019 functional stratification

Comparison of different sets of immunological tests to identify treatable immunodeficiencies in adult bronchiectasis patients

BACKGROUND: The reported prevalence of immunodeficiencies in bronchiectasis patients is variable depending on the frequency and extent of immunological tests performed. European Respiratory Society guidelines recommend a minimum bundle of tests. Broadening the spectrum of immunological tests could increase the number of patients diagnosed with an immunodeficiency and those who could receive specific therapy. The primary objective of the present study was to assess the performance of different sets of immunological tests in diagnosing any, primary, secondary or treatable immunodeficiencies in adults with bronchiectasis. METHODS: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Bronchiectasis Program of the Policlinico University Hospital in Milan, Italy, from September 2016 to June 2019. Adult outpatients with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of bronchiectasis underwent the same immunological screening during the first visit when clinically stable consisting of: complete blood count; immunoglobulin (Ig) subclass tests for IgA, IgG, IgM and IgG; total IgE; lymphocyte subsets; and HIV antibodies. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of patients with any immunodeficiencies using five different sets of immunological tests. RESULTS: A total of 401 bronchiectasis patients underwent the immunological screening. A significantly different prevalence of bronchiectasis patients diagnosed with any, primary or secondary immunodeficiencies was found across different bundles. 44.6% of bronchiectasis patients had a diagnosis of immunodeficiency when IgG subclasses and lymphocyte subsets were added to the minimum bundle suggested by the guidelines. CONCLUSION: A four-fold increase in the diagnosis of immunodeficiencies can be found in adults with bronchiectasis when IgG subclasses and lymphocyte subsets are added to the bundle of tests recommended by guidelines

Predicting needlestick and sharps injuries in nursing students: Development of the SNNIP scale

© 2020 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Aim: To develop an instrument to investigate knowledge and predictive factors of needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) in nursing students during clinical placements. Design: Instrument development and cross-sectional study for psychometric testing. Methods: A self-administered instrument including demographic data, injury epidemiology and predictive factors of NSIs was developed between October 2018–January 2019. Content validity was assessed by a panel of experts. The instrument's factor structure and discriminant validity were explored using principal components analysis. The STROBE guidelines were followed. Results: Evidence of content validity was found (S-CVI 0.75; I-CVI 0.50–1.00). A three-factor structure was shown by exploratory factor analysis. Of the 238 participants, 39% had been injured at least once, of which 67.3% in the second year. Higher perceptions of “personal exposure” (4.06, SD 3.78) were reported by third-year students. Higher scores for “perceived benefits” of preventive behaviours (13.6, SD 1.46) were reported by second-year students

Pyroelectrically Charged Flexible Ferroelectret-Based Tactile Sensor for Surface Texture Detection

Texture detection is one of the essential features requested for artificial tactile sensing to push the demand for flexible low-cost tactile sensors in the robotics sector. In this manuscript, we demonstrate the ability of a ferroelectret-based pressure sensor together with a patterned elastomer layer to detect surface textures. The ferroelectret sensor was fabricated using fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) sheets bonded with a patterned adhesive layer to create cavities, integrated with the elastomer bumped surface, and finally charged using a pyroelectric method developed by our group. The ferroelectret-based sensor showed a linear response to the applied force in the range of 0.5 to 2 N, a piezoelectric coefficient of 150.1 ± 3.2 pC/N in the range of 10–80 Hz, and a flat dynamic response in the range of 10–1000 Hz. The tactile sensing characterization of the sensor, performed at different scanning speeds (10 to 30 mm/s) and gratings with different periodicities (0 to 0.8 mm), showed that the fundamental frequencies observed ranged from 12 Hz to 75 Hz, as expected from the model. These results lay the foundation for the adoption of such sensors in different applications that need fine tactile information, such as an autonomous or teleoperated robotic hand, prostheses, and wearable devices

Pedestrian Indoor Navigation System Using Inertial Measurement Unit

This paper presents a method for an indoor pedestrian localization, based on the data that solely are measured by a foot-mounted Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). To locate the user accurately, a comprehensive Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) with five states is developed. Five different error reduction methods are employed to estimate the errors of all five states. These error reduction methods feed EKF independently, at stance phases or different time intervals of swing phases. The navigation system is developed using the accelerometer and gyroscope measurements and without magnetometer, thus it is insensitive to the presence of metal and magnetic fields, and it is able to estimate the user’s tracked trajectory with the same accuracy in both indoor and outdoor environments. The system does not rely on the measurement from external infrastructure (e.g., RFID). To evaluate the accuracy of the system, several experimental tests are carried out over the known trajectories. Results demonstrate that the error of the estimated tracked trajectory is less than 1% of the total traveled distance

\u201cChanges\u201d: An Immersive Spatial Audio Project Based on Low-Cost Open Tools

An immersive multimedia project, namely "Changes", is presented to show the potential and effectiveness of an immersive experience based on spatial audio narration. The experience allows the listener to live an experience that begins by immersing him in a natural environment, then taking him to a war scenario and then back again to nature. The purpose of the paper is to explain the importance of the audio component in a multi-sensory storytelling.Also, the will of the experience is to use free or low cost tools, in order that other people can easily take up the work and continue it or modify it