A Wireless Sensorized Insole Design for Spatio-Temporal Gait Analysis

xlomafota.13 shared this article with you from Inoreader A Wireless Sensorized Insole Design for Spatio-Temporal Gait Analysis Via Latest Results for Neurophysiology Gait disorders significantly affect the quality of life and limit individual freedom of the subjects affected. Our knowledge of the spatio-temporal gait parameters provides great insight into the musculoskeletal biology, especially into the foot pathology during gait. The aim of our study was to develop a wireless insole system for both feet and to quantify the gait parameters along with the center of pressure (CP) trajectory. Force-sensitive resistors (FSRs) were used as the pressure sensing elements for experimental study on a total of 10 healthy subjects (28 ± 2.7 years). The subjects were asked to walk with the instrumented insoles on three different terrain lengths of 12, 16, or 20 m. The gait parameters (number of strides, stride length, % swing, % stance, etc.), and the CP trajectory for each step of both feet was calculated. It was statistically established that the stance percentage of each foot is generally greater, on average, than the swing perc entage. Continuous evaluation of the foot trajectory revealed new insights into the intratrial characteristics of the subjects. The reproducibility of the device has been tested by repeating the experiment for three trials for each path length, and the results demonstrated that the gait parameters, including CP positions, are consistent with each other. An indigenous device has been developed to quantify various gait parameters. The CP trajectories were compared for each trial of a subject, and the results led to the conclusion that the gait of a subject remains constant, irrespectively of the number of trials and path distance. The parameters and CP characteristics provide beneficial knowledge of the appropriate gait performance evaluation and foot functions for clinical rehabilitation. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Does Perceived Quality of Care Moderate Postpartum Depression? A Secondary Analysis of a Two-Stage Survey

xlomafota.13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Does Perceived Quality of Care Moderate Postpartum Depression? A Secondary Analysis of a Two-Stage Survey Via Latest Results for Maternal and Child Health Journal Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to examine if women's perceptions of the quality of hospital care during childbirth moderate their risks for symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD). Methods This cross-sectional secondary analysis analyzed data from the Listening to Mothers III (2013) series surveys with a weighted sample size of 1057 of women surveyed from across the United States. PPD symptoms were defined according the Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Associations between risk factors and PPD symptoms were tested using logistic regressions with the moderating variable of perceived quality of care then added to models with significant risk factors. Results Of the 22 potential risk factors for PPD symptoms, 10 were found to be significantly associated with PPD symptoms in this sample of women. Very good perceived quality of care moderated the following risk factors for PPD symptoms in a protective direction: relationship status (p = 0.01), pre-pregnancy BMI (p = 0.02), and pain that interfered with routine activities 2 months postpartum (p = 0.003). Conclusions These findings suggest risk factors for PPD symptoms are moderated by perceived quality of care and therefore, maternity providers can influence women's psychological wellbeing postpartum by providing very good perceived quality of care during the hospital stay for birth. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to a lack of a direct, proven relationship between provider action and women's perceived quality of care. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Is effector visibility critical for performance asymmetries in the Simon task? Evidence from hand- and foot-press responses

xlomafota.13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Is effector visibility critical for performance asymmetries in the Simon task? Evidence from hand- and foot-press responses Via Latest Results for Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics Abstract The Simon effect is a stimulus-response compatibility effect in which the spatial dimension of the stimulus is task-irrelevant. This effect is often larger in reaction time (RT) for the stimulus located on the dominant-hand side of participants, for most of which it is the right hand, due to dominant-hand keypress responses being faster than non-dominant-hand responses. Experiment 1 demonstrated that pedal-press responses with the left and right feet show a similar asymmetry, favoring the right response for right-footed persons. The asymmetric pattern for keypress responses was absent in results of Wallace (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 93, 163–168, 1972) when participants were not permitted to see the response keys or their hands placed on the keys at any time during the experiment, whereas we found the asymmetric pattern in a recent study when participants placed their hands on the keys prior to their being covere d up. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that the Simon effect asymmetry for RT was evident even when participants were prevented from seeing the response device and their responding hands or feet. Although both hands and feet showed a Simon effect asymmetry in RT, consideration of incorrect responses suggested that whereas the asymmetry for hands is not due to a response bias, that for the feet may be due at least in part to such bias. Regardless, our results suggest that the Simon effect asymmetry is mainly an artifact of comparing conditions for which one response is made by the faster dominant right effector and the other with the slower non-dominant left effector. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Statistical regularities cause attentional suppression with target-matching distractors

xlomafota.13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Statistical regularities cause attentional suppression with target-matching distractors Via Latest Results for Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics Abstract Visual search may be disrupted by the presentation of salient, but irrelevant stimuli. To reduce the impact of salient distractors, attention may suppress their processing below baseline level. While there are many studies on the attentional suppression of distractors with features distinct from the target (e.g., a color distractor with a shape target), there is little and inconsistent evidence for attentional suppression with distractors sharing the target feature. In this study, distractor and target were temporally separated in a cue–target paradigm, where the cue was shown briefly before the target display. With target-matching cues, RTs were shorter when the cue appeared at the target location (valid cues) compared with when it appeared at a nontarget location (invalid cues). To induce attentional suppression, we presented the cue more frequently at one out of four possible target positions. We found that invalid cues appearing at the high-frequency cue po sition produced less interference than invalid cues appearing at a low-frequency cue position. Crucially, target processing was also impaired at the high-frequency cue position, providing strong evidence for attentional suppression of the cued location. Overall, attentional suppression of the frequent distractor location could be established through feature-based attention, suggesting that feature-based attention may guide attentional suppression just as it guides attentional enhancement. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Long term comparative evaluation of two types of absorbable meshes in partial abdominal wall defects: an experimental study in rabbits

xlomafota.13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Long term comparative evaluation of two types of absorbable meshes in partial abdominal wall defects: an experimental study in rabbits Via Latest Results for Hernia Abstract Purpose Synthetic prosthetic materials that are fully absorbable seek to reduce the host foreign body reaction and promote host tissue regeneration. This preclinical trial was designed to analyse, in the long term, the behaviour of two prosthetic meshes, one synthetic and one composed of porcine collagen, in abdominal wall reconstruction. Methods Partial defects were created in the abdominal walls of New Zealand rabbits and repaired using a synthetic absorbable mesh (Phasix™) or a non-crosslinked collagen bioprosthesis (Protexa™). After 3, 6, 12 and 18 months, specimens were recovered for light microscopy and collagen expression analysis to examine new host tissue incorporation, macrophage response and biomechanical strength. Results Both materials showed good host tissue incorporation in line with their spatial structure. At 18 months postimplant, Protexa™ was highly reabsorbed while the biodegradation of Phasix™ was still incomplete. Collagenization of both materials was good. Macrophage counts steadily decreased over time in response to Phasix™, yet persisted in the collagen meshes. At 18 months, zones of loose tissue were observed at the implant site in the absence of herniation in both implant types. The stress–stretch behaviour of Phasix™ implants decreased over time, being more pronounced during the period of 12–18 months. Nevertheless, the abdominal wall repaired with Protexa™ became stiffer over time. Conclusion Eighteen months after the implant both materials showed good compatibility but the biodegradation of Phasix™ and Protexa™ was incomplete. No signs of hernia were observed at 18 months with the stress–stretch relations being similar for both implants, regardless of the more compliant abdominal wall repaired with Protexa™ at short term. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Could we reduce adhesions to the intra-abdominal mesh in the first week? Experimental study with different methods of fixation

xlomafota.13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Could we reduce adhesions to the intra-abdominal mesh in the first week? Experimental study with different methods of fixation Via Latest Results for Hernia Abstract Background Adhesion formation is a major problem when a mesh is exposed to intraabodminal viscera, with potential severe complications (bowel occlusion, fistulas or abscesses). New methods for preventing adhesions from a polypropylene mesh placed intra-abdominally or to solve difficult situations, such as when the peritoneum cannot be closed during a TAPP repair for an inguinal hernia, are still being seeked. This study mimics in an animal model a situation that can be found in clinical practice during laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty. A polypropylene mesh could be exposed to the intra-abdominal cavity even when the peritoneum is closed due to different circumstances, with no options to guarantee the prosthetic material of being exposed to the intrabdominal viscera. Different options have been suggested to solve these situations, being proposed in this study to cover the visceral surface of the mesh with an absorbable sponge containing thrombin, fibrinogen, and clotti ng factors (Tachosil®, Nycomed, Takeda, Osaka, Japan), to assess its use as a barrier to prevent postoperative adhesion formation. Material and methods Thirty Wistar white rats (300–450 mg) were included in this study as experimental animals, being randomized into three groups (A, B, and C). We performed a bilateral prosthetic repair with conventional polypropylene mesh (2 × 2 cm, 82 kD). Prosthesis fixation was performed as follows. Group A: absorbable suture; group B: metal staples; group C: metal tackers. A piece of insulating absorbable sponge (Tachosil® 5 × 5 cm) was placed to cover the visceral surface of mesh placed at the right side of each animal. After 10 days, we performed a gross examination (by laparoscopy and laparotomy), measuring the quantity and the quality of the adhesions. Samples were taken for histopathological analysis. Results Tachosil®-treated prostheses showed a statistically significant decrease in the quality of the adhesion found (p < 0.05). In addition, a smaller quantity of adhesions was identified in barrier-treated animals, although this lacked statistical significance. The histologic analysis showed no significant differences: more edema with the untreated mesh and increased angiogenesis and a lower degree of necrosis in mesh covered with Tachosil®. Conclusions The use of Tachosil® as a barrier material led to the absence of strong adhesions as it prevented direct contact between the mesh and the internal organs, preventing major problems associated with strong adhesions. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Induction of amyloid-β deposits from serially transmitted, histologically silent, Aβ seeds issued from human brains

xlomafota.13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Induction of amyloid-β deposits from serially transmitted, histologically silent, Aβ seeds issued from human brains Via Latest Results for Acta Neuropathologica Communications Abstract In humans, iatrogenic transmission of cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ)-amyloidosis is suspected following inoculation of pituitary-derived hormones or dural grafts presumably contaminated with Aβ proteins as well as after cerebral surgeries. Experimentally, intracerebral inoculation of brain homogenate extracts containing misfolded Aβ can seed Aβ deposition in transgenic mouse models of amyloidosis or in non-human primates. The transmission of cerebral Aβ is governed by the host and by the inoculated samples. It is critical to better characterize the propensities of different hosts to develop Aβ deposition after contamination by an Aβ-positive sample as well as to better assess which biological samples can transmit this lesion. Aβ precursor protein (huAPPwt) mice express humanized non-mutated forms of Aβ precursor protein and do not spontaneously develop Aβ or amyloid deposits. We found that inoculation of Aβ-positive brain extracts from Alzheimer patients in these mice leads to a sparse Aβ deposition close to the alveus 18 months post-inoculation. However, it does not induce cortical or hippocampal Aβ deposition. Secondary inoculation of apparently amyloid deposit-free hippocampal extracts from these huAPPwt mice to APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse models of amyloidosis enhanced Aβ deposition in the alveus 9 months post-inoculation. This suggests that Aβ seeds issued from human brain samples can persist in furtive forms in brain tissues while maintaining their ability to foster Aβ deposition in receptive hosts that overexpress endogenous Aβ. This work emphasizes the need for high-level preventive measures, especially in the context of neurosurgery, to prevent the risk of iatrogenic transmission of Aβ lesions from samples with sparse amyloid markers. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.