New Optimized Dynamic Calibration Proposition for Discretized Sensorized Insoles With Resistive Force Sensor: A Descriptive and Comparative Study.

Sensorized insoles (SIs) have been used as a wearable instrument to study human gait and have the potential to identify and predict pathologies and injuries. However, most of these sensorized insoles are only statically calibrated, relying on a scale and known weights to establish a relationship between electrical signals and the load applied on laboratory benches while ignoring the dynamic interaction between person and instrument. This study proposes and verifies a calibration method complementary to static calibration to compensate for different dynamic interactions between the insole and the individual during gait. In order to perform this comparison, a laboratory test was proposed with 32 volunteers (18 men and 14 women). Each volunteer walked on a double-belt instrumented treadmill (Bertec at 1000 Hz, Bertec Corp, Columbus, OH) while wearing an experimental resistive sensorized insole (SI). The SI data were compared with the instrumented treadmill and adjusted using an optimization algorithm to create a dynamic coefficient to complement and optimize the results. This study also verifies the impact of the method considering three different types of gait: pronated, neutral, and supinated. After using this technique and considering static calibration, the Pearson correlation coefficient between the SI and the instrumented treadmill improved by 12%.

The effect of whole-body vibration on public transportation passenger performance while typing on smartphones.

This study verified typing performance on smartphones of public transportation passengers using subjective assessments of comfort and difficulty and objective assessments of the number of errors and typing speed. Three frequency values (5, 10, and 15 Hz), two magnitudes (0.6 and 1.2 m/s2) and two types of operating systems (Android and IOS) were adopted. Tests without vibration were applied to analyse the residual effect of vibration. The results showed that vibration significantly influences comfort. The higher the frequency, the less errors and the faster the typing speed. In the magnitude analysis, the increase caused a greater number of errors and greater difficulty. In both assessments, the discomfort was proportional to the increase in frequency or magnitude and the number of errors was inversely proportional to the typing speed. Finally, the IOS operating system showed worse comfort when compared to Android, although no significant differences were observed for the objective assessment. Practitioner summary: Public transportation passengers are exposed to WBV while typing on smartphones. The results showed that vibration influences comfort, the number of errors and the typing speed. Therefore, manufacturers should be aware of the level of vibration that vehicles are exposed to in order to provide more performance to the user. Abbreviations: WBV: whole-body vibration; PID: proportional-integral-derivative; RMS: root mean square; HLM: hierarchical linear modeling; OLS: ordinary least squares; STH: seat-to-head.

Effects of vehicular whole-body vibration on focus measured by a mobile app for brain training: A pilot study on the influence of gender and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Students, as well as other professional drivers, must have focus to adequately perform their tasks. However, they are subjected to whole-body vibration (WBV) in their journey to school or work. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of in-loco WBV exposure on focus, both instantaneously, as well as residually. Analysis is performed for both genders, as well as for the presence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Using a tablet computer, 20 volunteers played a focus game available on an app for brain training while exposed or not exposed to WBV. The exposure was that of a car travelling on a stone paved route. The performance measure was the score provided at the end of each game. Subjective comfort and difficulty evaluations were also investigated. RESULTS: The results suggest that WBV had a negative effect on the focus performance. However, it proved positive three minutes after the exposure (residual effect). The mean scores of females were higher than for males for most of the tests, apart from the one under WBV although at the expense of getting more discomfort. The difficulty level was not different within the gender groups. CONCLUSION: It could be concluded that the group with ADHD had a small but positive influence on the results for most of the tests, indicating that they are less affected by the presence of WBV. Since many students and workers have ADHD, this may be considered an important finding. It was shown that objective results should not be the only measures to use, as the subjective evaluation may explain the results better.

A low cost stereophotogrammetric system for the evaluation of tridimensional head translations during visual tasks.

A simple, low cost and easy-to-operate 3D stereophotogrammetry system was developed to measure the kinematic pattern of head stabilisation during visual tasks. The system differs from commercially available ones since it: (a) takes into account the gaze motor coordination characteristics and measures the head translations quantified at the point that best represents the translations caused by the eyes' movement during visual tasks, that is, the midpoint between the eyes; (b) offers minimum restriction to the head movement and minimum interference with it; (c) innovates when using the position coordinates produced by a free-online tracker software. The system was effective in recording the head movements and its RMS total error was 0.705 mm with ±0.808 mm standard deviation. This represents an RMS total error of 3.5%, considered satisfactory because it provided results with a confidence level higher than 95%. The system was effective to record differences in head movements of 11 individuals in open and closed eyes conditions and revealed the direction-specific feature of the head displacements size. The results showed that the system is a cost-effective and accurate alternative for studies needing to accurately measure head movements during visual tasks.

The influence of whole-body vibration, media, and artificial lighting on eye-movement during reading / A influência da vibração de corpo inteiro, da mídia e da iluminação artificial no movimento dos olhos durante tarefas de leitura

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate if participants, subjected to whole-body vibration, two different types of media (paper versus tablet) and two lighting environments (fluorescent versus LED), present a difference in eye-movement parameters during reading tasks. Methods: Fourteen adults silently read two different texts in each one of the eight randomized testing conditions (whole-body vibration versus media versus lighting), resulting in 16 different texts read per individual. Whole-body vibration was applied in the vertical direction, 5Hz and 0.8 m/s2 root-mean-square amplitude, a condition similar to those experienced by forklift truck drivers. Participants were in a sitting position with a backrest. An eye-tracker evaluated the eye-movements during the reading task. Results: Whole-body vibration significantly reduced the number of ocular fixations, and cross-correlation; and increased the reading efficiency, fixation duration, directional attack, and binocular anomalies. Neither the type of media nor the lighting environment interfered significantly with the eye-movements, both in situations with and without vibration. Conclusion: The results indicate that whole-body vibration interfered in the eye-movements during the reading task. This may impose a difficulty to process the visual information and to synchronously coordinate the binocular movements under vibration environments.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar se participantes submetidos à vibração de corpo inteiro, a dois tipos diferentes de mídia (papel versus tablet) e a dois ambientes de iluminação (fluorescente versus LED) apresentam diferença nos parâmetros de movimento dos olhos durante tarefas de leitura. Métodos: Quatorze adultos leram silenciosamente dois textos diferentes em cada uma das oito condições de teste (vibração de corpo inteiro versus mídia versus iluminação), de forma aleatória, resultando em 16 textos diferentes lidos por indivíduo. A vibração de corpo inteiro foi aplicada no sentido vertical, com amplitude de 5Hz e 0,8m/s² da raiz do valor quadrático médio, em condição semelhante às vivenciadas pelos motoristas de empilhadeiras. Os participantes permaneceram em postura sentada com encosto. Um rastreador ocular avaliou os movimentos oculares durante a leitura. Resultados: A vibração de corpo inteiro reduziu significativamente o número de fixações oculares e a correlação cruzada entre os olhos e aumentou a eficiência de leitura, duração da fixação, ataque direcional e anomalias binoculares. Nem o tipo de mídia nem as condições de ambientes de iluminação interferiram significativamente nos movimentos oculares, tanto em situações com ou sem vibração. Conclusão: Os resultados indicam que a Vibração de Corpo Inteiro pode interferir nos movimentos oculares durante a leitura. Isso pode impor uma dificuldade no processamento da informação visual e na coordenação síncrona dos movimentos binoculares em ambientes de vibração.

Embolia coronariana associada a prolapso de valva mitral / Coronary embolism associated with mitral valve prolapse

Embolia coronariana é um evento raro. Neste trabalho, relatamos caso de pacientes, sexo masculino, de 64 anos, com um evento embólico coronariano associado a prolapso e rotura de valva mitral mixomatosa, situação essa extremamente incomum.

Efeito das vibrações de corpo inteiro na audição / Effect of whole body vibrations on hearing

Objetivo: pesquisar o que existe na literatura sobre o efeito das Vibrações de Corpo Inteiro (VCI) naaudição dos trabalhadores expostos a esse risco, presente em muitos ambientes ocupacionais.Métodos: pesquisa bibliográfica em sites de busca de artigos e periódicos como Pubmed, PeriódicosCapes e Lilacs, além de consultas em bibliotecas. Resultados: estudos analisados apresentaram, deforma geral, grande concordância no que diz respeito ao efeito das VCI na audição. Pode-se afirmarque a VCI atua de forma sinérgica com o ruído, ou seja, potencializa os danos auditivos causados peloruído. Conclusões: a pesquisa envolvendo perdas auditivas ocupacionais é muito rica e deve ser maisaprofundada. A associação de riscos ocupacionais é muito comum e diversa. Combinações de ruídocom produtos químicos, vibrações ou calor se apresentaram danosas à audição segundo a literatura.Uma vez que na maioria dos postos de trabalho reais existe associação entre ruído e VCI (o objetivodeste trabalho), isto se torna um fato preocupante a ser pesquisado em maiores detalhes.

Purpose: to search articles and papers available in the literature and related to the effects of Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) on hearing of workers exposed to this occupational risk, present in severalworking environments. Methods: bibliographic review of the available literature using searching sitessuch as Pubmed, CAPES bibliographic website and Lilacs, besides searches on libraries. Results:The analyzed results show, in general, a great concordance regarding the effects of WBV on hearing.It can be affirmed that WBV acts synergistically with noise, in other words, it increases the auditorydamages caused by noise. Conclusions: the research involving occupational hearing loss is very richand should be better explored. The association between occupational risks is very wide and common.Combinations of noise with chemical products, vibration or heat are shown to be harmful to hearingaccording to the literature. Since most of the real working environments have an association betweennoise and WVB (the objective of this work), that makes a concerning fact to be studied in more detail.

Fatores prognósticos da estenose mitral reumática durante o período da gravidez e puerpério / Prognostic factors of rheumatic mitral stenosis during pregnancy and puerperium

OBJECTIVE: To identifity characteristics associated with complications during pregnancy and puerperium in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis. METHODS: Forty-one pregnant women (forty-five pregnancies) with mitral stenosis, followed-up from 1991 to 1999 were retrospectively evaluated. Predictor variables: the mitral valve area (MVA), measured by echocardiogram, and functional class (FC) before pregnancy (NYHA criteria).Maternal events: progression of heart failure, need for cardiac surgery or balloon mitral valvulotomy, death, and thromboembolism. Fetal/neonatal events: abortion, fetal or neonatal death, prematurity or low birth weight (<2,500g), and extended stay in the nursery or hospitalization in newborn ICU. RESULTS: The mean + or - SD of age of the patients was 28.8 + or - 4.6 years. The eventful and uneventful patients were similar in age and percentage of first pregnancies. As compared with the level 1 MVA, the relative risk (RR) of maternal events was 5.5 (95 per cent confidence interval (CI) =0.8-39.7) for level 2 MVA and 11.4 (95 per cent CI=1.7-74.5) for level 3 MVA. The prepregnancy FC (FC > or = II and III versus I) was also associated with a risk for maternal events (RR=2.7; 95 per cent CI=1.4-5.3).MVA and FC were not importantly associated with these events, although a smaller frequency of fetal/neonatal events was observed in patients who had undergone balloon valvulotomy. CONCLUSION: In pregnant women with mitral stenosis, the MVA and the FC are strongly associated with maternal complications but are not associated with fetal/neonatal events. Balloon mitral valvulotomy could have contributed to reducing the risks of fetal/neonatal events in the more symptomatic patients who had to undergo this procedure during pregnancy.

Valvuloplastia mitral com cateter-baläo de Inoue: análise de 112 casos / Mitral Valvuloplasty With Inoue Balloon. Results in 112 Patients

PURPOSE--To present immediate results of percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PVM) with Inoue balloon for the treatment of mitral stenosis. METHODS--One hundred and twelve consecutive patients mean age 31.26 +/- 9.5 years, 82 per cent females, the majority in functional class III/IV (69 per cent ) underwent percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PVM) with Inoue balloon. The procedure was undertaken by the transseptal technique. RESULTS--PMV achieved significant reduction in mean left atrial pressure pre 24.57 +/- 5.37 post 12.36 +/- 4.82, mitral gradient pre 15.31 +/- 4.28 post 3.48 +/- 2.09 and increased mitral valve area pre 0.88 +/- 0.12 post 2.0 +/- 0.28 (P < 0.001). An increase of at least 25 per cent of the mitral valve area with a final result greater than 1.5 cm2 was obtained in 96 per cent of the cases. Cardiac tamponade occurred in five cases (4.4 per cent ). In 4 a successful treatment was accomplished in the catheterization laboratory. Significant mitral regurgitation was seen in one case (0.9 per cent ) and there was one death (0.9 per cent ). CONCLUSION--The results of this series attest to the effectiveness of the PMV with Inoue balloon in selected cases of mitral stenosis

Objetivo - Analisar os resultados imediatos em portadores de estenose da válvala mitral, submetidos a valvuloplastia com cateter-balão de Inoue. Métodos - Cento e doze pacientes consecutivos, com idade média de 31,26±9,5 anos, 82% do sexo feminino, a maioria em classe funcional III e IV (69%), foram submetidos a valvuloplastia mitral por balão (VMB). Os casos foram selecionados pelo escore ecocardiográfico proposto por Wilkins. O procedimento foi realizado por via transeptal segundo a técnica de Inoue. Resultados - Após VMB foi observada significativa redução da pressão média do átrio esquerdo pré 24,57±5,37/ pós 12,36±4,82, do gradiente transvalvar mitral pré 15,31±4,28/ pós 3,48±2,09 e aumento significativo da área valvar mitral (AVM) média pré 0,88±0,12/pós 2,0±0,28 (P<0,001). O sucesso definido como aumento pelo menos de 25% da AVM com resultado final maior que 1,5cm2 na ausência de insuficiência mitral significativa (3/4+), cirurgia de emergência ou óbito, foi alcançado em 96% dos casos. Como complicações, ocorreram 5 tamponamentos cardíacos (TC), 4 deles tratados na sala de hemodinâmica com sucesso; 1 paciente desenvolveu insuficiência mitral importante (3/4+), sendo operado eletivamente; ocorreu 1 óbito, devido a TC seguido de embolia pulmonar. Conclusão - Os resultados observados nesta série, comprovam a efetividade e segurança da técnica de valvuloplastia com cateter-balão Inoue, em casos selecionados de portadores de estenose mitra