Assessing the Acceptability and Effectiveness of a Novel Therapeutic Footwear in Reducing Foot Pain and Improving Function Among Older Adults: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction Nearly a quarter of older adults suffer from frequent foot pain, impacting their quality of life. While proper footwear can alleviate this, design issues often hinder regular use. This study evaluated novel therapeutic footwear, designed for aesthetics and custom fit, to reduce foot pain. We hypothesized that older adults would experience less foot pain and favor the new footwear over their own. Methods This 12-week cross-over randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of OrthoFeet therapeutic footwear on reducing foot pain in older adults (n=50, age=65±5, 18% male) with moderate to severe pain. Participants were assigned to either the AB or BA sequence. In AB, they wore OrthoFeet shoes for 6 weeks and then their own shoes for another 6 weeks; BA followed the reverse order. Pain and function were measured using the Foot Function Index. Acceptability was assessed through a technology acceptance mode (TAM) questionnaire. Data collected at baseline, six, and twelve weeks were analyzed using t-tests, Chi-squared tests, and generalized linear model. Results Compared to participants' own shoes, OrthoFeet shoes significantly reduced foot pain and disability. Notable improvements were observed in 'foot pain at its worst,' 'foot pain at the end of the day,' 'overall pain score,' and 'overall Foot Function Index score,' all showing statistically significant reductions (p<0.050). Participants reported high adherence to wearing the OrthoFeet shoes, averaging 8 hours per day and 5.8 days per week. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) scores favored OrthoFeet shoes over participants' own shoes in terms of ease of use, perceived benefit, and intention to recommend. Significant differences were noted in components representing perceived joint pain relief (p<0.001, χ^2=21.228) and the intention of use as determined by the likelihood of recommending the shoes to a friend with a similar condition (p<0.001, χ^2=29.465). Additionally, a majority of participants valued the appearance of the shoes, with 66% prioritizing shoe appearance and 96% finding the study shoes more stylish than their previous ones. Conclusion This study underscores the significance of design and custom fit in promoting continuous wear for effective foot pain reduction in older adults. More research is needed on the intervention's long-term impacts.

Objective assessment of postural ergonomics in neurosurgery: integrating wearable technology in the operating room.

OBJECTIVE: Physical stress associated with the static posture of neurosurgeons over prolonged periods can result in fatigue and musculoskeletal disorders. Objective assessment of surgical ergonomics may contribute to postural awareness and prevent further complications. This pilot study examined the feasibility of using wearable technology as a biofeedback tool to address this gap. METHODS: Ten neurosurgeons, including 5 attendings (all faculty) and 5 trainees (1 fellow, 4 residents), were recruited and equipped with two wearable sensors attached to the back of their head and their upper back. The sensors collected the average time spent in extended (≤ -10°), neutral (> -10° and < 10°), and flexed (≥ 10°) static postures (undetected activity for more than 10 seconds) during spine and cranial procedures. Feasibility outcomes aimed for more than 70% of accurate data collection. Exploratory outcomes included the comparison of postural variability within and between participants adjusted to their demographics excluding nonrelated surgical activities, and postoperative self-assessment surveys. RESULTS: Sixteen (80%) of 20 possible recordings were successfully collected and analyzed from 11 procedures (8 spine, 3 cranial). Surgeons maintained a static posture during 52.7% of the active surgical time (mean 1.58 hrs). During spine procedures, all surgeons used an exoscope while standing, leading to a significantly longer time spent in a neutral static posture (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.14): attendings remained longer in a neutral static posture (36.4% ± 15.3%) than in the extended (9% ± 6.3%) and flexed (5.7% ± 3.4%) static postures; trainees also remained longer in a neutral static posture (30.2% ± 13.8%) than in the extended (11.1% ± 6.3%) and flexed (11.9% ± 6.6%) static postures. During cranial procedures, surgeons intermittently transitioned between standing/exoscope use and sitting/microscope use, with trainees spending a shorter time in a neutral static posture (16.3% vs 48.5%, p < 0.001) and a longer time in a flexed static posture (18.5% vs 2.7%, p < 0.001) compared with attendings. Additionally, longer cranial procedures correlated with surgeons spending a longer time (r = 0.94) in any static posture (extended, flexed, and neutral), with taller surgeons exhibiting longer periods in flexed and extended static postures (r = 0.86). Postoperative self-assessment revealed that attendings perceived spine procedures as more difficult than trainees (p = 0.029), while trainees found cranial procedures to be of greater difficulty than spine procedures (p = 0.012). Attendings felt more stressed (p = 0.048), less calmed (p = 0.024), less relaxed (p = 0.048), and experienced greater stiffness in their upper body (p = 0.048) and more shoulder pain (p = 0.024) during cranial versus spine procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Wearable technology is feasible to assess postural ergonomics and provide objective biofeedback to neurosurgeons during spine and cranial procedures. This study showed reproducibility for future comparative protocols focused on correcting posture and surgical ergonomic education.

The Stress of Measuring Plantar Tissue Stress in People with Diabetes-Related Foot Ulcers: Biomechanical and Feasibility Findings from Two Prospective Cohort Studies.

Reducing high mechanical stress is imperative to heal diabetes-related foot ulcers. We explored the association of cumulative plantar tissue stress (CPTS) and plantar foot ulcer healing, and the feasibility of measuring CPTS, in two prospective cohort studies (Australia (AU) and The Netherlands (NL)). Both studies used multiple sensors to measure factors to determine CPTS: plantar pressures, weight-bearing activities, and adherence to offloading treatments, with thermal stress response also measured to estimate shear stress in the AU-study. The primary outcome was ulcer healing at 12 weeks. Twenty-five participants were recruited: 13 in the AU-study and 12 in the NL-study. CPTS data were complete for five participants (38%) at baseline and one (8%) during follow-up in the AU-study, and one (8%) at baseline and zero (0%) during follow-up in the NL-study. Reasons for low completion at baseline were technical issues (AU-study: 31%, NL-study: 50%), non-adherent participants (15% and 8%) or combinations (15% and 33%); and at follow-up refusal of participants (62% and 25%). These underpowered findings showed that CPTS was non-significantly lower in people who healed compared with non-healed people (457 [117; 727], 679 [312; 1327] MPa·s/day). Current feasibility of CPTS seems low, given technical challenges and non-adherence, which may reflect the burden of treating diabetes-related foot ulcers.

Dawn-to-dusk dry fasting decreases circulating inflammatory cytokines in subjects with increased body mass index.

Background: The circadian rhythm involves numerous metabolic processes, including sleep/awakening, body temperature regulation, hormone secretion, hepatic function, cellular plasticity, and cytokine release (inflammation), that appear to have a dynamic relationship with all the processes above. Studies have linked various cytokines to the chronic state of low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress in obesity. Dawn-to-dusk dry fasting (DDDF) could alleviate the adverse effects of obesity by decreasing inflammation. This study examined the effects of DDDF on circulating inflammatory cytokines in subjects with increased body mass index (BMI). Methods: The current observational prospective study included adult subjects with a BMI equal to or greater than 25 kg/m2 who practiced the annual religious 30-day DDDF. Individuals with significant underlying medical conditions were excluded to limit confounding factors. All subjects were evaluated within two weeks before 30-day DDDF, within the fourth week of 30-day DDDF, and within two weeks after 30-day DDDF. Multiple cytokines and clinical health indicators were measured at each evaluation. Results: Thirteen subjects (10 men and three women) with a mean age of 32.9 years (SD = 9.7 years) and a mean BMI of 32 kg/m2 (SD = 4.6 kg/m2) were included. An overall associated decrease in the levels of multiple cytokines with DDDF was observed. A significant decrease in the mean interleukin 1 beta level was observed within the fourth week of 30-day DDDF (P = 0.045), which persisted even after the fasting period (P = 0.024). There was also a significant decrease in the mean levels of interleukin 15 (IL-15) (P = 0.014), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (P = 0.041), macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) (P = 0.013), and monokine induced by interferon gamma/chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9 (P = 0.027) within the fourth week of 30-day DDDF and in the mean levels of fibroblast growth factor 2 (P = 0.010), interleukin 12 p40 subunit (P = 0.038), interleukin 22 (P = 0.025) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (P = 0.046) within two weeks after 30-DDDF. In terms of anthropometric parameters, there was a decrease in mean body weight (P = 0.032), BMI (P = 0.028), and hip circumference (P = 0.007) within the fourth week of 30-day DDDF and a decrease in mean weight (P = 0.026), BMI (P = 0.033) and hip circumference (P = 0.016) within two weeks after 30-day DDDF compared with the levels measured within two weeks before 30-day DDDF. Although there was no significant correlation between changes in weight and changes in circulating inflammatory cytokines, there was a significant positive correlation between changes in waist circumference and changes in specific inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-15, MDC, platelet-derived growth factor, soluble CD40L, vascular endothelial growth factor A) within the fourth week of 30-day DDDF and/or two weeks after 30-day DDDF. A significant decrease in mean average resting heart rate within the fourth week of 30-day DDDF was also observed (P = 0.023), and changes between average resting heart rate and changes in interleukin-8 levels within the fourth week of 30-day DDDF compared with baseline levels were positively correlated (r = 0.57, P = 0.042). Conclusion: DDDF appears to be a unique and potent treatment to reduce low-grade chronic inflammation caused by obesity and visceral adiposity. Further studies with more extended follow-up periods are warranted to investigate the long-term anti-inflammatory benefits of DDDF in individuals with increased BMI.

Diabetes Technology Meeting 2023.

Diabetes Technology Society hosted its annual Diabetes Technology Meeting from November 1 to November 4, 2023. Meeting topics included digital health; metrics of glycemia; the integration of glucose and insulin data into the electronic health record; technologies for insulin pumps, blood glucose monitors, and continuous glucose monitors; diabetes drugs and analytes; skin physiology; regulation of diabetes devices and drugs; and data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. A live demonstration of a personalized carbohydrate dispenser for people with diabetes was presented.

Offloading and adherence through technological advancements: Modern approaches for better foot care in diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: This manuscript aims to provide a review and synthesis of contemporary advancements in footwear, sensor technology for remote monitoring, and digital health, with a focus on improving offloading and measuring and enhancing adherence to offloading in diabetic foot care. METHODS: A narrative literature review was conducted by sourcing peer-reviewed articles, clinical studies, and technological innovations. This paper includes a review of various strategies, from specifically designed footwear, smart insoles and boots to using digital health interventions, which aim to offload plantar pressure and help prevent and manage wounds more effectively by improving the adherence to such offloading. RESULTS: In-house specially made footwear, sensor technologies remotely measuring pressure and weight-bearing activity, exemplified for example, through applications like smart insoles and SmartBoot, and other digital health technologies, show promise in improving offloading and changing patient behaviour towards improving adherence to offloading and facilitating personalised care. This paper introduces the concept of gamification and emotive visual indicators as novel methods to enhance patient engagement. It further discusses the transformative role of digital health technologies in the modern era. CONCLUSIONS: The integration of technology with footwear and offloading devices offers unparallelled opportunities for improving diabetic foot disease management not only through better offloading but also through improved adherence to offloading. These advancements allow healthcare providers to personalise treatment plans more effectively, thereby promising a major improvement in patient outcomes in diabetic foot ulcer healing and prevention.

Near-infrared spectroscopy data for foot skin oxygen saturation in healthy subjects.

Our objective was to evaluate normative data for near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in 110 healthy volunteers by Fitzpatrick skin type (FST) and region of the foot. We obtained measurements of the dorsum and plantar foot using a commercially available device (SnapshotNIR, Kent Imaging, Calgary Canada). On the dorsum of the foot, people with FST6 had significantly lower oxygen saturation compared to FST1-5 (p < 0.001), lower oxyhaemoglobin compared to FST2-5 (p = 0.001), but there was no difference in deoxyhaemoglobin. No differences were found on the plantar foot. When comparing dorsal and plantar foot, there was higher oxyhaemoglobin (0.40 ± 0.09 vs. 0.51 ± 0.12, p < 0.001) and deoxyhaemoglobin (0.16 ± 0.05 vs. 0.21 ± 0.05, p < 0.001) on the plantar foot, but no differences in oxygen saturation (dorsal 70.7 ± 10.8, plantar 70.0 ± 9.5, p = 0.414). In 6.4% of feet, there were black areas, for which no NIRS measurements could be generated. All areas with no data were on the dorsal foot and only found in FST 5-6. People with FST6 had significantly larger areas with no data compared to FST 5 (22.2 cm2 ± 20.4 vs. 1.9 cm2 ± 0.90, p = 0.007). These findings should be considered when using NIRS technology. Skin pigmentation should be evaluated in future NIRS studies.

Harnessing Speech-Derived Digital Biomarkers to Detect and Quantify Cognitive Decline Severity in Older Adults.

INTRODUCTION: Current cognitive assessments suffer from floor/ceiling and practice effects, poor psychometric performance in mild cases, and repeated assessment effects. This study explores the use of digital speech analysis as an alternative tool for determining cognitive impairment. The study specifically focuses on identifying the digital speech biomarkers associated with cognitive impairment and its severity. METHODS: We recruited older adults with varying cognitive health. Their speech data, recorded via a wearable microphone during the reading aloud of a standard passage, were processed to derive digital biomarkers such as timing, pitch, and loudness. Cohen's d effect size highlighted group differences, and correlations were drawn to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). A stepwise approach using a Random Forest model was implemented to distinguish cognitive states using speech data and predict MoCA scores based on highly correlated features. RESULTS: The study comprised 59 participants, with 36 demonstrating cognitive impairment and 23 serving as cognitively intact controls. Among all assessed parameters, similarity, as determined by Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), exhibited the most substantial positive correlation (rho = 0.529, p < 0.001), while timing parameters, specifically the ratio of extra words, revealed the strongest negative correlation (rho = -0.441, p < 0.001) with MoCA scores. Optimal discriminative performance was achieved with a combination of four speech parameters: total pause time, speech-to-pause ratio, similarity via DTW, and intelligibility via DTW. Precision and balanced accuracy scores were found to be 88.1 ± 1.2% and 76.3 ± 1.3%, respectively. DISCUSSION: Our research proposes that reading-derived speech data facilitates the differentiation between cognitively impaired individuals and cognitively intact, age-matched older adults. Specifically, parameters based on timing and similarity within speech data provide an effective gauge of cognitive impairment severity. These results suggest speech analysis as a viable digital biomarker for early detection and monitoring of cognitive impairment, offering novel approaches in dementia care.

Harnessing physical activity monitoring and digital biomarkers of frailty from pendant based wearables to predict chemotherapy resilience in veterans with cancer.

This study evaluated the use of pendant-based wearables for monitoring digital biomarkers of frailty in predicting chemotherapy resilience among 27 veteran cancer patients (average age: 64.6 ± 13.4 years), undergoing bi-weekly chemotherapy. Immediately following their first day of chemotherapy cycle, participants wore a water-resistant pendant sensor for 14 days. This device tracked frailty markers like cadence (slowness), daily steps (inactivity), postural transitions (weakness), and metrics such as longest walk duration and energy expenditure (exhaustion). Participants were divided into resilient and non-resilient groups based on adverse events within 6 months post-chemotherapy, including dose reduction, treatment discontinuation, unplanned hospitalization, or death. A Chemotherapy-Resilience-Index (CRI) ranging from 0 to 1, where higher values indicate poorer resilience, was developed using regression analysis. It combined physical activity data with baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) assessments. The protocol showed a 97% feasibility rate, with sensor metrics effectively differentiating between groups as early as day 6 post-therapy. The CRI, calculated using data up to day 6 and baseline ECOG, significantly distinguished resilient (CRI = 0.2 ± 0.27) from non-resilient (CRI = 0.7 ± 0.26) groups (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.67). This confirms the potential of remote monitoring systems in tracking post-chemotherapy functional capacity changes and aiding early non-resilience detection, subject to validation in larger studies.

Development of a Sensor Technology to Objectively Measure Dexterity for Cardiac Surgical Proficiency.

BACKGROUND: Technical skill is essential for good outcomes in cardiac surgery. However, no objective methods exist to measure dexterity while performing surgery. The purpose of this study was to validate sensor-based hand motion analysis (HMA) of technical dexterity while performing a graft anastomosis within a validated simulator. METHODS: Surgeons at various training levels performed an anastomosis while wearing flexible sensors (BioStamp nPoint, MC10 Inc) with integrated accelerometers and gyroscopes on each hand to quantify HMA kinematics. Groups were stratified as experts (n = 8) or novices (n = 18). The quality of the completed anastomosis was scored using the 10 Point Microsurgical Anastomosis Rating Scale (MARS10). HMA parameters were compared between groups and correlated with quality. Logistic regression was used to develop a predictive model from HMA parameters to distinguish experts from novices. RESULTS: Experts were faster (11 ± 6 minutes vs 21 ± 9 minutes; P = .012) and used fewer movements in both dominant (340 ± 166 moves vs 699 ± 284 moves; P = .003) and nondominant (359 ± 188 moves vs 567 ± 201 moves; P = .02) hands compared with novices. Experts' anastomoses were of higher quality compared with novices (9.0 ± 1.2 MARS10 vs 4.9 ± 3.2 MARS10; P = .002). Higher anastomosis quality correlated with 9 of 10 HMA parameters, including fewer and shorter movements of both hands (dominant, r = -0.65, r = -0.46; nondominant, r = -0.58, r = -0.39, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Sensor-based HMA can distinguish technical dexterity differences between experts and novices, and correlates with quality. Objective quantification of hand dexterity may be a valuable adjunct to training and education in cardiac surgery training programs.

The quest for wellness: How to optimise self-care strategies for diabetic foot management?

Diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) is common and highly recurrent, negatively impacting the individuals' quality of life. The 2023 guidelines of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot emphasise that adherence to foot self-care recommendations is one of the most important factors in DFU prevention. These guidelines also briefly mention that depression and other psychosocial problems can hamper treatment and ulcer healing. Moreover, a new clinical question was added on psychological interventions for ulcer prevention, although the evidence regarding the role of psychological and social factors is still limited. To help the field progress, this narrative overview discusses how a stronger focus on psychological factors by both researchers and clinicians could improve the care for people at high DFU risk. The review starts with a testimony of a person living with DFU, explaining that for him, the absence of shared decision-making has been a key barrier to successful foot self-care implementation. Intervention studies that address patient-reported barriers are still scarce, and are therefore urgently needed. Furthermore, the key elements of psychological interventions found to be successful in managing diabetes are yet to be implemented in DFU risk management. Importantly, research evidence indicates that commonly advocated foot self-care recommendations may be insufficient in preventing DFU recurrence, whereas digital technology appears to effectively reduce recurrent DFU. More research is therefore needed to identify determinants of patient acceptance of digital technology.

Daily Posture Behavior Patterns Derived From Multitime-Scale Topic Models Using Wearable Triaxial Acceleration for Assessment of Concern About Falling.

Concern about falling is prevalent in older population. This condition would cause a series of adverse physical and psychological consequences for older adults' health. Traditional assessment of concern about falling is relied on self-reported questionnaires and thus is too subjective. Therefore, we proposed a novel multi-time-scale topic modelling approach to quantitatively evaluate concern about falling by analyzing triaxial acceleration signals collected from a wearable pendent sensor. Different posture segments were firstly recognized to extract their corresponding feature subsets. Then, each selected feature related to concern about falling was clustered into discrete levels as feature letters of artificial words in different time scales. As a result, all older participants' signal recordings were converted to a collection of artificial documents, which can be processed by natural language processing methodologies. The topic modelling technique was used to discover daily posture behavior patterns from these documents as discriminants between older adults with different levels of concern about falling. The results indicated that there were significant differences in distributions of posture topics between groups of older adults with different levels of concern about falling. Additionally, the transitions of posture topics over daytime and nighttime revealed temporal regularities of posture behavior patterns of older adult's active and inactive status, which were substantially different for older adults with different levels of concern about falling. Finally, the level of concern about falling was accurately determined with accuracy of 71.2% based on the distributions of posture topics combined with the mobility performance metrics of walking behaviors and demographic information.

Potential applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning on diagnosis, treatment, and outcome prediction to address health care disparities of chronic limb-threatening ischemia.

Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is the most advanced form of peripheral artery disease. CLTI has an extremely poor prognosis and is associated with considerable risk of major amputation, cardiac morbidity, mortality, and poor quality of life. Early diagnosis and targeted treatment of CLTI is critical for improving patient's prognosis. However, this objective has proven elusive, time-consuming, and challenging due to existing health care disparities among patients. In this article, we reviewed how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be helpful to accurately diagnose, improve outcome prediction, and identify disparities in the treatment of CLTI. We demonstrate the importance of AI/ML approaches for management of these patients and how available data could be used for computer-guided interventions. Although AI/ML applications to mitigate health care disparities in CLTI are in their infancy, we also highlighted specific AI/ML methods that show potential for addressing health care disparities in CLTI.

Utilizing speech analysis to differentiate progressive supranuclear palsy from Parkinson's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Distinguishing Parkinson's disease (PD) from Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) at early disease stages is important for clinical trial enrollment and clinical care/prognostication. METHODS: We recruited 21 participants with PSP(n = 11) or PD(n = 10) with reliable caregivers. Standardized passage reading, counting, and sustained phonation were recorded on the BioDigit Home tablet (BioSensics LLC, Newton, MA USA), and speech features from the assessments were analyzed using the BioDigit Speech platform (BioSensics LLC, Newton, MA USA). An independent t-test was performed to compare each speech feature between PSP and PD participants. We also performed Spearman's correlations to evaluate associations between speech measures and clinical scores (e.g., PSP rating scales and MoCA). In addition, the model's performance in classifying PSP and PD was evaluated using Rainbow passage reading analysis. RESULTS: During Rainbow passage reading, PSP participants had a significantly slower articulation rate (2.45(0.49) vs 3.60(0.47) words/minute), lower speech-to-pause ratio (2.33(1.08) vs 3.67(1.18)), intelligibility dynamic time warping (DTW, 0.26(0.19) vs 0.53(0.26)), and similarity DTW (0.43(0.27) vs 0.67(0.13)) compared to PD participants. PSP participants also had longer pause times (17.24(5.47) vs 8.45(3.13) sec) and longer total signal times (52.44(6.67) vs (36.67(6.73) sec) when reading the passage. In terms of the phonation 'a', PSP participants showed a significant higher spectral entropy, spectral centroid, and spectral spread compared to PD participants and no differences were found for phonation 'e'. PD participants had more accurate reverse number counts than PSP participants (14.89(3.86) vs 7.36(4.67)). PSP Rating Scale (PSPRS) dysarthria (r = 0.79, p = 0.004) and bulbar item scores (r = 0.803, p = 0.005) were positively correlated with articulation rate in reverse number counts. Correct reverse number counts were positively correlated with total Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores (r = 0.703, p = 0.016). Machine learning models using passage reading-derived measures obtained an AUC of 0.93, and the sensitivity/specificity in correctly classifying PSP and PD participants were 0.95 and 0.90, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates the feasibility of differentiating PSP from PD using a digital health technology platform. Further multi-center studies are needed to expand and validate our initial findings.

Cellular Senescence and Frailty in Transplantation.

Purpose of review: To summarizes the literature on cellular senescence and frailty in solid-organ transplantation and highlight the emerging role of senotherapeutics as a treatment for cellular senescence. Recent findings: Solid-organ transplant patients are aging. Many factors contribute to aging acceleration in this population, including cellular senescence. Senescent cells accumulate in tissues and secrete proinflammatory and profibrotic proteins which result in tissue damage. Cellular senescence contributes to age-related diseases and frailty. Our understanding of the role cellular senescence plays in transplant-specific complications such as allograft immunogenicity and infections is expanding. Promising treatments, including senolytics, senomorphics, cell-based regenerative therapies, and behavioral interventions, may reduce cellular senescence abundance and frailty in patients with solid-organ transplants. Summary: Cellular senescence and frailty contribute to adverse outcomes in solid-organ transplantation. Continued pursuit of understanding the role cellular senescence plays in transplantation may lead to improved senotherapeutic approaches and better graft and patient outcomes.

Optimizing Tissue Oxygenation in Reduction Mammoplasty: The Role of Continuous Diffusion of Oxygen: A Feasibility Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Bilateral reduction mammoplasty (BRM) aims to alleviate macromastia-related symptoms in women. This procedure involves a T-Junction suture at the medial inframammary fold that encompasses 12%-39% of wound breakdowns mainly due to reduced perfusion. Continuous diffusion of oxygen (CDO) may enhance breast tissue oxygenation to prevent such complication. We explored the feasibility of this therapy. METHODS: A 4-wk feasibility-pilot randomized controlled trial of women undergoing BRM was conducted. By internal randomization (left/right side), participants received standard of care (SOC) in one breast using topical skin adhesive, while their other breast received SOC + CDO at the T-junction covered by a silicon sheet (sCDO), or CDO directly to the T-Junction skin (dCDO). Feasibility outcomes included protocol delivery, outcome measurement, device-related adverse events, and device acceptability. Exploratory outcomes were T-Junction SatO2 and deoxyhemoglobin assessed with near-infrared spectroscopy and wound dehiscence. RESULTS: Sixteen participants (age = 33 ± 8 y; body mass index = 34.34 ± 5.85 kg/m2) were recruited, conforming n = 32 breasts (SOC, n = 16; dCDO, n = 10, sCDO, n = 6). At 4 wk, protocol delivery was 93.7%, outcome measuring 100%, and device-related adverse events 0%. Device acceptability showed an 85.4% strong agreement for attitude toward use, 78.2% perceived ease of use, and 77.7% perceived usefulness. Breasts undergoing sCDO showed higher SatO2 (P < 0.001), whereas lower deoxyhemoglobin (P < 0.001) compared to all other breast groups. However, wound dehiscence was not different between groups (P = 0.66). CONCLUSIONS: Self-applied CDO to the T-Junction is feasible, safe, and acceptable, in patients undergoing BRM. In a proper wound environment, CDO may enhance breast tissue oxygenation. However, it is unclear whether CDO leads to decreased wound dehiscence. This study showed reproducibility for larger randomized trials.

Game-based intradialytic non-weight-bearing exercise training on gait speed and balance in older adults with diabetes: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.

Older adults with diabetes receiving hemodialysis have impaired gait speed and balance compared to the general population, which have been associated with increased risks of falls and mortality. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a game-based intradialytic exercise training program (iExergame) on improving gait speed and balance. This was a single-blind randomized controlled trial. The intervention group (IG) received iExergame training using real-time audiovisual feedback with wearable inertial sensors. The control group (CG) received conventional training without any technology. Both trainings were intradialytic, non-weight-bearing, and used ankle range of motion. Gait and balance parameters were collected at baseline and 4-week follow-up. Data from 70 adults (age 64.2 ± 9.0 years) were analyzed. Compared to the CG, the IG showed greater changes between baseline and 4-week follow-up in several parameters. Gait parameters included faster speeds and longer stride lengths, particularly during dual task walking (p < 0.050). Balance parameters included reductions in center of mass (p = 0.004), ankle (p < 0.001), and hip (p = 0.010) sways during semi-tandem stance, particularly in users of assistive devices. iExergame training could improve gait speed and balance in this population and might be an option to increase intradialytic exercise adherence while reducing burdens of exercise administration.

Machine Learning-Based Aggression Detection in Children with ADHD Using Sensor-Based Physical Activity Monitoring.

Aggression in children is highly prevalent and can have devastating consequences, yet there is currently no objective method to track its frequency in daily life. This study aims to investigate the use of wearable-sensor-derived physical activity data and machine learning to objectively identify physical-aggressive incidents in children. Participants (n = 39) aged 7 to 16 years, with and without ADHD, wore a waist-worn activity monitor (ActiGraph, GT3X+) for up to one week, three times over 12 months, while demographic, anthropometric, and clinical data were collected. Machine learning techniques, specifically random forest, were used to analyze patterns that identify physical-aggressive incident with 1-min time resolution. A total of 119 aggression episodes, lasting 7.3 ± 13.1 min for a total of 872 1-min epochs including 132 physical aggression epochs, were collected. The model achieved high precision (80.2%), accuracy (82.0%), recall (85.0%), F1 score (82.4%), and area under the curve (89.3%) to distinguish physical aggression epochs. The sensor-derived feature of vector magnitude (faster triaxial acceleration) was the second contributing feature in the model, and significantly distinguished aggression and non-aggression epochs. If validated in larger samples, this model could provide a practical and efficient solution for remotely detecting and managing aggressive incidents in children.

Objective assessment of mobility among adults with diabetes and end-stage renal disease using walking aid: A cross-sectional cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional study aimed to compare physical activity levels, plantar sensation, and fear of falling between individuals with diabetes undergoing hemodialysis, with or without walking aids. METHODS: Sixty-four participants were recruited, with 37 not using walking aids (age = 65.8 ± 0.7 years, 46% female) and 27 using walking aids (age = 69.2 ± 1.2 years, 63% female). Physical activity was measured using validated pendant sensors over two consecutive days. Concern for falling and plantar numbness were assessed using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International and vibration perception threshold test, respectively. FINDINGS: Participants using walking aids exhibited a greater fear of falling (84% vs. 38%, p < 0.01) and fewer walking bouts (p < 0.01, d = 0.67) and stand-to-walk transitions (p < 0.01, d = 0.72) compared to those not using walking aids. The number of walking bouts was negatively correlated with concern for falling scores (ρ = -0.35, p = 0.034) and vibration perception threshold (R = -0.411, p = 0.012) among individuals not using walking aids. However, these correlations were not significant among those using the walking aid. There was no significant group difference in active behavior (walking + standing %) and sedentary behavior (sitting + lying %). INTERPRETATION: Those undergoing hemodialysis often lead sedentary lives, with mobility affected by fear of falling and plantar numbness. Using walking aids can help, but it doesn't guarantee more walking. A combined psychosocial and physical therapy approach is key for managing fall concerns and improving mobility.

Intradialytic plantar electrical nerve stimulation to improve mobility and plantar sensation among adults with diabetes undergoing hemodialysis: a randomized double-blind trial.

BACKGROUND: Impaired mobility is a debilitating consequence of hemodialysis. We examined the efficacy of intradialytic-plantar-electrical-nerve-stimulation (iPENS) to promote mobility among diabetes patients undergoing hemodialysis.. METHODS: Adults with diabetes undergoing hemodialysis received either 1-h active iPENS, (Intervention-Group) or non-functional iPENS (Control-Group) during routine hemodialysis for 12 weeks (3 sessions/week). Participants and care-providers were blinded. Mobility (assessed using a validated pendant-sensor) and neuropathy (quantified by vibration-perception-threshold test) outcomes were assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Among 77 enrolled subjects (56.2 ± 2.6 years old), 39 were randomly assigned to the intervention group, while 38 were assigned to the control group. No study-related adverse events and dropouts were reported in the intervention group. Compared to the control group, significant improvements with medium to large effect sizes were observed in the intervention group at 12 weeks for mobility-performance metrics, including active-behavior, sedentary-behavior, daily step counts, and sit-to-stand duration variability (p < 0.05), Cohen's d effect size (d = 0.63-0.84). The magnitude of improvement in active-behavior was correlated with improvement in the vibration-perception-threshold test in the intervention group (r = - 0.33, p = 0.048). A subgroup with severe-neuropathy (vibration-perception-threshold > 25 V) showed a significant reduction in plantar numbness at 12 weeks compared to baseline (p = 0.03, d = 1.1). CONCLUSIONS: This study supports feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of iPENS to improve mobility and potentially reduce plantar numbness in people with diabetes undergoing hemodialysis. Considering that exercise programs are not widely used in hemodialysis clinical practice, iPENS may serve as a practical, alternative solution to reduce hemodialysis-acquired weakness and promote mobility.