Repeatability, Reproducibility, and Concurrent Validity of a Stethoscope and Health App System for the Quantification of Breath Rate in Healthy Adults: Repeatability and Validity Study.

BACKGROUND: Apps for smartphones that can measure the breathing rate easily can be downloaded. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate agreement in measuring breath rates between the stethoscope and Breath Counter health app. METHODS: We performed a repeatability study with 56 healthy volunteers. The patient's demographic data and breathing rates per minute were collected. Breathing rates were measured via two methods: (1) using a stethoscope placed in the upper area of the right lung and (2) a Breath Counter app developed by Vadion on a Samsung Fold smartphone. RESULTS: This study demonstrated high repeatability and validity with respect to the breathing rate parameter of healthy adults using the aforementioned 2 systems. Intrasession repeatability measure using the intraclass correlation coefficient was >0.962, indicating excellent repeatability. Moreover, the intraclass correlation coefficient between methods was 0.793, indicating good repeatability, and coefficients of variation of method errors values were 1.83% with very low values in terms of other repeatability parameters. We found significant correlation coefficients and no systematic differences between the app and stethoscope methods. CONCLUSIONS: The app method may be attractive to individuals who require repeatability in a recreational setting.

Non-Contact Video-Based Assessment of the Respiratory Function Using a RGB-D Camera.

A fully automatic, non-contact method for the assessment of the respiratory function is proposed using an RGB-D camera-based technology. The proposed algorithm relies on the depth channel of the camera to estimate the movements of the body's trunk during breathing. It solves in fixed-time complexity, O(1), as the acquisition relies on the mean depth value of the target regions only using the color channels to automatically locate them. This simplicity allows the extraction of real-time values of the respiration, as well as the synchronous assessment on multiple body parts. Two different experiments have been performed: a first one conducted on 10 users in a single region and with a fixed breathing frequency, and a second one conducted on 20 users considering a simultaneous acquisition in two regions. The breath rate has then been computed and compared with a reference measurement. The results show a non-statistically significant bias of 0.11 breaths/min and 96% limits of agreement of -2.21/2.34 breaths/min regarding the breath-by-breath assessment. The overall real-time assessment shows a RMSE of 0.21 breaths/min. We have shown that this method is suitable for applications where respiration needs to be monitored in non-ambulatory and static environments.

Peak expiratory flow, breath rate and blood pressure in adults with changes in particulate matter air pollution during the Beijing Olympics: a panel study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine whether changes in short-term exposures to particulate matter are associated with changes in lung function, breath rate, and blood pressure among healthy adults and whether smoking status modifies the association. METHODS: We took advantage of the artificially controlled changes in air pollution levels that occurred during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China and conducted a panel study of 201 Beijing residents. Data were collected before, during, and after the Olympics, respectively. Linear mixed-effect models and generalized estimating equation models were used to compare measurements of peak expiratory flow, breath rate and blood pressure across three time points. RESULTS: The mean values of peak expiratory flow were 346.0 L/min, 399.3 L/min, and 364.1L/min over the three study periods. Peak expiratory flow levels increased in 78% of the participants when comparing the during- with pre- Olympics time points, while peak expiratory flow levels decreased in 80% of participants for the post- and during-Olympic periods comparison. In subgroup analyses comparing the during-Olympic to pre-Olympic time points, we found a larger percentage change in peak expiratory flow (+17%) among female, younger and non-smoking participants than among male, elderly and smoking participants (+12%). The percentage of participants with a fast breath rate (>20/min) changed from 9.7% to 4.9% to 30.1% among females, and from 7.9% to 2.6% to 27.3% among males over the three time points. The changes in blood pressure over the three study periods were not very clear, although there is an increase in diastolic pressure and a decrease in pulse pressure among males during the games. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that exposure to different air pollution levels has significant effects on respiratory function. Smoking, age and gender appear to modify participants' biological response to changes in air quality.

The effect of acupressure on pain levels and physiologic indicator in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative shoulder-tip pain (STP) is a common complication following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The study seeks to determine whether acupressure can be used as an alternative to medication for pain relief, as medications often come with side effects. This study aims to evaluate the effect of acupressure on pain levels and physiological indicators in patients undergoing LC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 81 patients who underwent LC at Al-Zahra Hospital of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, in 2022. The patients were divided into two groups: the intervention group, which received acupressure (42 participants), and the control group (39 participants). The selected pressure points were LI11, LI4, SJ5, HT7, P6, and K1. Demographic and clinical data were collected, and the pain level was evaluated using the visual analogue score (VAS). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 software with a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: The intervention and control groups were homogeneous in terms of age, gender, duration of surgery, and pethidine consumption (p > 0.05). The average VAS significantly decreased in both the intervention and control groups (p < 0.001). The intervention group had a significantly higher reduced score compared to the control group, 30 min and 72 h after applying acupressure (p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and breath rate (BR) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: acupressure can effectively improve STP and physiological indicators in patients undergoing LC. TRIAL REGISTRATION NO: IRCT20150715023216N14 (Registration date: 2023-01-22, https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/user/trial/68111/view).

Effective fall detection and post-fall breath rate tracking using a low-cost CW Doppler radar sensor.

Existing low-cost Doppler radar-based fall detection systems encounter challenges due to false alarms and the absence of post-fall health tracking, significantly impacting their accuracy and overall compatibility for fall detection. This paper presents a cost-effective, robust solution for a fall detection system with the post-fall health tracking facility using a 3.18 GHz continuous-wave Doppler radar sensor. The experimental data acquisition is conducted in-house under the guidance of a healthcare expert, involving various activities such as standing, sitting, sleeping, running, walking, falling, sit-to-stand, and stand-to-sit transitions. We propose an algorithm comprising four hierarchical stages, each with specific objectives. Considering the complexity, the model is trained differently for each stage to optimize the classification accuracy. The system architecture is designed to minimize computational costs and power consumption through modular implementation in stages, utilizing low-power equipment and incorporating traditional machine-learning algorithms. Experimental results demonstrate a fall detection accuracy of 93.24% and breath rate measurement error of 2.26%, which is competitive with recent state-of-the-art approaches. Obtained results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed system in addressing the challenges of false alarms and post-fall health tracking while maintaining cost-efficiency and accuracy in fall detection.

Comprehensive detrimental effects of a simulated frequently shifting schedule on diurnal rhythms and vigilance.

Accumulating data have demonstrated that shift work causes a disturbance in circadian rhythms, which is detrimental to physiology and performance. However, the detailed effects of shift work and especially the underlying mechanisms remain to be further investigated. Frequently shifting schedules are widely used in industries, e.g., maritime tasks, oil mining, and aviation. In this work, we investigated the physiological changes and vigilance of 12 subjects who lived on a 30-day frequent shift working schedule in a confined environment, which mimics the common maritime schedules. Elevated and decreased cortisol levels were observed at different stages during the shift, suggesting the occurrence of stress and fatigue. The results of the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) indicate increased sleepiness and a changed pattern of the rhythmicity of sleepiness during the shift. The tests of the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) reveal that the shift led to a continuously decreasing alertness as the shift working schedule progressed, which is prevalently due to the increasingly slower reaction speed. The PVT time-out errors were significantly increased in the early period but decreased in the late period. In addition, we found recoupling of the correlations between multiple physiological and cognitive variables. For instance, heartbeat rate (HR) and breath rate (BR) showed moderate correlations in the control and early periods but little in the late period. Together, these results reveal substantial alterations in diurnal rhythms, affected vigilance and changed coupling of the correlations of diurnal rhythms, physiology and cognition caused by a shift schedule. Our findings may help in the recognition of the detrimental effects of such working schedules and provide clues for the development of potential mitigations.

The behavioural and physiological stress responses are linked to plumage coloration in the rock pigeon (Columbia livia).

In wild vertebrates, conspicuousness often signals a high phenotypic quality and is therefore associated with fitness benefits ("the handicap principle hypothesis"). However, conspicuous individuals usually face a higher risk of predation because they are easier to detect. Therefore, conspicuous individuals are expected to modify their behavioural and their physiological stress responses to limit the negative effect of their conspicuousness on survival. We examined the link between plumage coloration and the stress response in a bird species (the rock pigeon, Columbia livia) by comparing two groups of pigeons with different plumage characteristics: 'blue-bar' birds (lighter birds) and 'checker' birds (darker birds). Specifically, we measured several behavioural and physiological components of the stress response (breath rate, corticosterone, and tonic immobility). Although breath rate did not differ between 'checker' and 'blue bar' birds, the corticosterone stress response of 'blue-bar' birds was greater relative to that of 'checker' birds. Moreover, 'checker' birds were more likely to initiate tonic immobility relative to 'blue bar' birds. Therefore, this study suggests that the behavioural and physiological stress responses of wild birds may differ according to their plumage coloration. To conclude, our results suggest that plumage colorations may be functionally linked to specific behavioural and physiological sensitivities to stressors.

Stability of a behavioural syndrome vs. plasticity in individual behaviours over the breeding cycle: Ultimate and proximate explanations.

Animals often show correlated suites of consistent behavioural traits, i.e., personality or behavioural syndromes. Does this conflict with potential phenotypic plasticity which should be adaptive for animals facing various contexts and situations? This fundamental question has been tested predominantly in studies which were done in non-breeding contexts and under laboratory conditions. Therefore, in the present study we examined the temporal stability of behavioural correlations in a breeding context and under natural conditions. We found that in the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) females, the intensity of their nest defence formed a behavioural syndrome with two other traits: their aggression during handling (self-defence) and stress responses during handling (breath rate). This syndrome was stable across the nesting cycle: each of the three behavioural traits was highly statistically repeatable between egg and nestling stages and the traits were strongly correlated with each other during both the egg stage and the nestling stage. Despite this consistency (i.e., rank order between stages) the individual behaviours changed their absolute values significantly during the same period. This shows that stable behavioural syndromes might be based on behaviours that are themselves unstable. Thus, syndromes do not inevitably constrain phenotypic plasticity. We suggest that the observed behavioural syndrome is the product of interactions between behavioural and life history trade-offs and that crucial proximate mechanisms for the plasticity and correlations between individual behaviours are hormonally-regulated.

Photopatternable PEDOT:PSS/PEG hybrid thin film with moisture stability and sensitivity.

Degradation and delamination resulting from environmental humidity have been technically challenging for poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin-film processing. To overcome this problem, we introduced a one-step photolithographic method to both pattern and link a PEDOT:PSS film onto a poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) layer as a hybrid thin film structure on a flexible substrate. This film exhibited excellent long-term moisture stability (more than 10 days) and lithographic resolution (as low as 2 µm). Mechanical characterizations were performed, including both stretching and bending tests, which illustrated the strong adhesion present between the PEDOT:PSS and PEG layers as well as between the hybrid thin film and substrate. Moreover, the hybrid moisture-absorbable film showed a quick response of its permittivity to environmental humidity variations, in which the patterned PEDOT:PSS layer served as an electrode and the PEG layer as a moisture-sensing element. Perspiration tracking over various parts of the body surface as well as breath rate measurement under the nose were successfully carried out as demonstrations, which illustrated the potential utility of this stable hybrid thin film for emerging flexible and wearable electronic applications.

The influence of different operative approaches on perioperative respiratory and cardiac function of patients with gastric cardia carcinoma / 中国综合临床

Objective To investigate the effect of different operative approaches on perioperative respiratory and cardiac function of patients with gastric cardia carcinoma. Methods The perioperative changes of SpO2 ,Breath Rate (BR) and Heart Rate(HR) of patients with gastric cardia carcinoma underwent surgical therapies through transthoracic ( n = 30 ), transabdominal ( n = 37 ) or trans-thoracoabdominal ( n = 10 )approaches were compared respectively. Results On the postoperative 1st,2nd,4th and 7th day,the changes of BR in transthoracic (5. 20 ± 0. 96,5. 17 ± 1. 58,3.93 ± 1.53,2. 63 ± 1.25 )/min and trans-thoracoabdominal (5.80 ±0. 79,6. 10 ± 1.20,4. 80 ± 1.32,3.00 ± 1.49)/min approach groups were significantly greater than that of transabdominal group (4. 35 ± 1.06,3.89 ±0. 99,2. 24 ± 1.30,1.16 ±0. 65)/min (Ps ＜0. 05). At the meanwhile, the changes of SpO2 at 2nd, 4th postoperative day of transthoracic ( [ 8. 30 ± 1.95 ] %, [ 7.23 ±2. 01 ] % ) and trans-thoracoabdominal ( [ 8.60 ± 1.43 ] %, [ 7. 70 ± 2. 11 ] % ) approach groups were significantly greater than that of transabdominal group ( [ 7. 08 ± 1.82 ] %, [ 6.24 ± 1.88 ] % ) ( Ps ＜ 0. 05 ), but there were no significant differences observed among three groups on the postoperative 1st,7th day. On the postoperative 1 st,2nd and 4th day, the changes of HR of transthoracic ( 18.00 ± 3.79,13.47 ± 4. 42,8. 60 ±4. 13 )/min and trans-thoracoabdominal ( 19. 80 ± 4. 96,14. 80 ± 3.33,8.70 ± 3.47)/min approach groups were significantly greater than that of transabdominal group ( 13.62 ± 4. 00,10. 84 ± 4. 16,6. 32 ± 2. 53 )/min, too (Ps ＜0. 05) ,but no differences were observed among three groups on the postoperative 7th day (Ps ＞0. 05).Coniclusion Transthoracic,transabdominal and trans-thoracoabdominal approachs resulted in different effects on respiratory and cardiac function in patients with gastric cardia carcinoma.

The First Step of Lunching Biological Rocket Experiment in China——The Integral Results on Four Physiological Parameters of Dog / 航天医学与医学工程

Objective The effects of flight factors on dog and rats are observed to acumulate the elementary data and experiences for space biology research and development of life support systems.It will be the first basic step for manned space flight in future.Methods Female dogs,Xiao-Bao and Shan-Shan were on board of two Model T-7A(S2)rockets separately.Duration of flight was about 25 min and height about 70 km.Four physiological parameters:electrocardiogram,blood pressure,breath and skin temperature were recorded.Results Both of two dogs returned safely and healthy.The physiological parameters of Xiao-Bao were successfully recorded on the first rocket.On the second one,partial data of Shan-Shan were interfered by the strong vibration during the separation of rocket body and cone.The obvious changes of heart rate,ECG and blood pressure were recorded for Xio-Bao to be affected by the effects of hyper-gravity and microgravity factors.These changes were normal,temporal and reversible physiological stress responses.Conclusion The dog can tolerate the action of variable factors during the T-7A(S2)flight and no pathological after-effects were observed.