[Treatment of recurrent dislocation of the temporomandibular joint with botulinum toxin: an alternative approach]. / Toistuvan leukaluksaation hoito botuliinitoksiinilla: vaihtoehtoinen lähestymistapa.

Repeated injections of botulinum toxin carried out at regular intervals are an effective means to treat otherwise treatment-resistant recurrent dislocation of the temporomandibular joint. The treatment can be performed simply and safely without electromyography (EMG) or imaging control by a specialist having expertise in the anatomy of the region. In a patient described by us, a previously treatment-resistant condition has been successfully treated in this way for three years.

Compliance and technical feasibility of long-term health monitoring with wearable and ambient technologies.

We developed a system consisting of both wearable and ambient technologies designed to monitor personal wellbeing for several months during daily life. The variables monitored included bodyweight, blood pressure, heart-rate variability and air temperature. Two different user groups were studied: there were 17 working-age subjects participating in a vocational rehabilitation programme and 19 elderly people living in an assisted living facility. The working-age subjects collected data for a total of 1406 days; the average participation period was 83 days (range 43-99). The elderly subjects collected data for a total of 1593 days; the average participation period was 84 days (range 19-107). Usage, technical feasibility and usability of the system were also studied. Some technical and practical problems appeared which we had not expected such as thunder storm damage to equipment in homes and scheduling differences between staff and the subjects. The users gave positive feedback in almost all their responses in a questionnaire. The study suggests that the data-collection rate is likely be 70-90% for typical health monitoring data.

Relationship of psychological and physiological variables in long-term self-monitored data during work ability rehabilitation program.

Individual wellness comprises both psychological and physiological wellbeing, which are interrelated. In long-term monitoring of wellness, both components should be included. Work-related stress and burnout are persistent problems in industrial countries. Early identification of work-related stress symptoms and early intervention could reduce individual suffering and improve the working productivity and creativity. The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between physiological and psychological variables measured at home by the users themselves or automatically. In all, 17 (3 males and 14 females, age 40-62) people participating in a work ability rehabilitation program (due to work overload) were monitored for three months. Physiological and behavioral variables (activity, bed occupancy, heart rate (HR) and respiration during night, HR during day, blood pressure, steps, weight, room illumination, and temperature) were measured with different unobtrusive wireless sensors. Daily self-assessment of stress, mood, and behaviors (exercise, sleep) were collected using a mobile phone diary. The daily self-assessment of stress and the Derogatis stress profile questionnaire were used as reference for stress status. Results show modest, but significant pooled overall correlations between self-assessed stress level, and physiological and behavioral variables (e.g., sleep length measured with wrist-worn activity monitor: rho = -0.22, p < 0.001, and variance of nightly bedroom illumination: rho = 0.13, p < 0.001). Strong, but sometimes conflicting correlations can be found at individual level, suggesting individual reactions to stress in daily life.

Long-term subjective and objective sleep analysis of total sleep time and sleep quality in real life settings.

Sleep quality is one of the key elements of the human health status. By observing sleep patterns we can gain information about personal wellbeing. Consumer electronic sleep analysis solutions are now available for use in long-term conditions. In this study we compare different measures for total sleep time and sleep quality. We analyzed visually long- term sleep data collected with actigraphy, sleep logs and ambient sensors to gain more reliable results and compared these results to each single method's output. Correlations of visually analyzed total sleep time between actigraphy total sleep time (correlation coefficient (r) = 0.662, p <0.01) and sleep log total sleep time (r = 0.787, p <0.01) were high. Also comparison between subjective and objective sleep quality was analyzed and small, but significant correlation was found (r = 0.270, p < 0.01).

Human balance estimation using a wireless 3D acceleration sensor network.

Balance and gait are a consequence of complex coordination between muscles, nerves, and central nervous system structures. The impairment of these functions can pose serious threats to independent living, especially in the elderly. This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of a wireless acceleration sensor network and its capability in balance estimation. The test has been carried out in eight patients and seven healthy controls. The Patients group had larger values in lateral amplitudes of the sensor displacement and smaller values in vertical displacement amplitudes of the sensor. The step time variations for the Patients were larger than those for the controls. A fuzzy logic and clustering classifiers were implemented, which gave promising results suggesting that a person with balance deficits can be recognized with this system. We conclude that a wireless system is easier to use than a wired one and more unobtrusive to the user.