Real-World Gait Detection Using a Wrist-Worn Inertial Sensor: Validation Study.

Background: Wrist-worn inertial sensors are used in digital health for evaluating mobility in real-world environments. Preceding the estimation of spatiotemporal gait parameters within long-term recordings, gait detection is an important step to identify regions of interest where gait occurs, which requires robust algorithms due to the complexity of arm movements. While algorithms exist for other sensor positions, a comparative validation of algorithms applied to the wrist position on real-world data sets across different disease populations is missing.

Laboratory and free-living gait performance in adults with COPD and healthy controls.

Background: Gait characteristics are important risk factors for falls, hospitalisations and mortality in older adults, but the impact of COPD on gait performance remains unclear. We aimed to identify differences in gait characteristics between adults with COPD and healthy age-matched controls during 1) laboratory tests that included complex movements and obstacles, 2) simulated daily-life activities (supervised) and 3) free-living daily-life activities (unsupervised).

Methods: This case-control study used a multi-sensor wearable system (INDIP) to obtain seven gait characteristics for each walking bout performed by adults with mild-to-severe COPD (n=17; forced expiratory volume in 1 s 57±19% predicted) and controls (n=20) during laboratory tests, and during simulated and free-living daily-life activities.

Assessing real-world gait with digital technology? Validation, insights and recommendations from the Mobilise-D consortium.

Background: Although digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) can be readily calculated from real-world data collected with wearable devices and ad-hoc algorithms, technical validation is still required. The aim of this paper is to comparatively assess and validate DMOs estimated using real-world gait data from six different cohorts, focusing on gait sequence detection, foot initial contact detection (ICD), cadence (CAD) and stride length (SL) estimates.

Methods: Twenty healthy older adults, 20 people with Parkinson's disease, 20 with multiple sclerosis, 19 with proximal femoral fracture, 17 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 12 with congestive heart failure were monitored for 2.

A multi-sensor wearable system for the assessment of diseased gait in real-world conditions.

Accurately assessing people's gait, especially in real-world conditions and in case of impaired mobility, is still a challenge due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors resulting in gait complexity. To improve the estimation of gait-related digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) in real-world scenarios, this study presents a wearable multi-sensor system (INDIP), integrating complementary sensing approaches (two plantar pressure insoles, three inertial units and two distance sensors). The INDIP technical validity was assessed against stereophotogrammetry during a laboratory experimental protocol comprising structured tests (including continuous curvilinear and rectilinear walking and steps) and a simulation of daily-life activities (including intermittent gait and short walking bouts).

Base of Support, Step Length and Stride Width Estimation during Walking Using an Inertial and Infrared Wearable System.

The analysis of the stability of human gait may be effectively performed when estimates of the base of support are available. The base of support area is defined by the relative position of the feet when they are in contact with the ground and it is closely related to additional parameters such as step length and stride width. These parameters may be determined in the laboratory using either a stereophotogrammetric system or an instrumented mat.

Mobility recorded by wearable devices and gold standards: the Mobilise-D procedure for data standardization.

Wearable devices are used in movement analysis and physical activity research to extract clinically relevant information about an individual's mobility. Still, heterogeneity in protocols, sensor characteristics, data formats, and gold standards represent a barrier for data sharing, reproducibility, and external validation. In this study, we aim at providing an example of how movement data (from the real-world and the laboratory) recorded from different wearables and gold standard technologies can be organized, integrated, and stored.

Design and validation of a multi-task, multi-context protocol for real-world gait simulation.

Background: Measuring mobility in daily life entails dealing with confounding factors arising from multiple sources, including pathological characteristics, patient specific walking strategies, environment/context, and purpose of the task. The primary aim of this study is to propose and validate a protocol for simulating real-world gait accounting for all these factors within a single set of observations, while ensuring minimisation of participant burden and safety.

Methods: The protocol included eight motor tasks at varying speed, incline/steps, surface, path shape, cognitive demand, and included postures that may abruptly alter the participants' strategy of walking.

Functional Characterization and Synthetic Application of Is2-SDR, a Novel Thermostable and Promiscuous Ketoreductase from a Hot Spring Metagenome.

In a metagenome mining-based search of novel thermostable hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDHs), enzymes that are able to selectively oxidize/reduce steroidal compounds, a novel short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR), named Is2-SDR, was recently discovered. This enzyme, found in an Icelandic hot spring metagenome, shared a high sequence similarity with HSDHs, but, unexpectedly, showed no activity in the oxidation of the tested steroid substrates, e.g.

An Algorithm for Accurate Marker-Based Gait Event Detection in Healthy and Pathological Populations During Complex Motor Tasks.

There is growing interest in the quantification of gait as part of complex motor tasks. This requires gait events (GEs) to be detected under conditions different from straight walking. This study aimed to propose and validate a new marker-based GE detection method, which is also suitable for curvilinear walking and step negotiation.

Stereoselective Biocatalyzed Reductions of Ginger Active Components Recovered from Industrial Wastes.

Ginger is among the most widespread and widely consumed traditional medicinal plants around the world. Its beneficial effects, which comprise e. g.

A wearable multi-sensor system for real world gait analysis.

Gait analysis is commonly performed in standardized environments, but there is a growing interest in assessing gait also in ecological conditions. In this regard, an important limitation is the lack of an accurate mobile gold standard for validating any wearable system, such as continuous monitoring devices mounted on the trunk or wrist. This study therefore deals with the development and validation of a new wearable multi-sensor-based system for digital gait assessment in free-living conditions.

Technical validation of real-world monitoring of gait: a multicentric observational study.

Introduction: Existing mobility endpoints based on functional performance, physical assessments and patient self-reporting are often affected by lack of sensitivity, limiting their utility in clinical practice. Wearable devices including inertial measurement units (IMUs) can overcome these limitations by quantifying digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) both during supervised structured assessments and in real-world conditions. The validity of IMU-based methods in the real-world, however, is still limited in patient populations.

A method for gait events detection based on low spatial resolution pressure insoles data.

The accurate identification of initial and final foot contacts is a crucial prerequisite for obtaining a reliable estimation of spatio-temporal parameters of gait. Well-accepted gold standard techniques in this field are force platforms and instrumented walkways, which provide a direct measure of the foot-ground reaction forces. Nonetheless, these tools are expensive, non-portable and restrict the analysis to laboratory settings.

DoMoMEA: a Home-Based Telerehabilitation System for Stroke Patients.

After a cerebral stroke, survivors need to follow a neurorehabilitation program including exercises to be executed under a therapist's supervision or autonomously. Technological solutions are needed to support the early discharge of the patients just after the primary hospital treatments, by still providing an adequate level of rehabilitation. The DoMoMEA Project proposes a fully-wearable m-health solution able to administer a neurorehabilitation therapy in the patient's home or every other place established by the patient for a rehabilitation session.

Inter-leg Distance Measurement as a Tool for Accurate Step Counting in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Step detection is commonly performed using wearable inertial devices. However, methods based on the extraction of signals features may deteriorate their accuracy when applied to very slow walkers with abnormal gait patterns. The aim of this study is to test and validate an innovative step counter method (DiSC) based on the direct measurement of inter-leg distance.

A wearable solution for accurate step detection based on the direct measurement of the inter-foot distance.

Accurate step detection is crucial for the estimation of gait spatio-temporal parameters. Although several step detection methods based on the use of inertial measurement units (IMUs) have been successfully proposed, they may not perform adequately when the foot is dragged while walking, when walking aids are used, or when walking at low speed. The aim of this study was to test an original step-detection method, the inter-foot distance step counter (IFOD), based on the direct measurement of the distance between feet.

Static and Dynamic Accuracy of an Innovative Miniaturized Wearable Platform for Short Range Distance Measurements for Human Movement Applications.

Magneto-inertial measurement units (MIMU) are a suitable solution to assess human motor performance both indoors and outdoors. However, relevant quantities such as step width and base of support, which play an important role in gait stability, cannot be directly measured using MIMU alone. To overcome this limitation, we developed a wearable platform specifically designed for human movement analysis applications, which integrates a MIMU and an Infrared Time-of-Flight proximity sensor (IR-ToF), allowing for the estimate of inter-object distance.

Efficacy of Whole-Body Vibration Board Training on Strength in Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: To evaluate whether an 8-week whole-body vibration training program may improve recovery of knee flexion/extension muscular strength in athletes after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Single outpatient rehabilitation center.

Long term effect of selective muscle strengthening in athletes with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Background And Aim Of The Work: The purpose of the study was to examine the long term effects of a selective muscle strengthening program in reducing pain and improving knee function and strength in athletes with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.

Methods: A total of one hundred and thirty four athletes were enrolled in the study. All patients were evaluated with Isokinetic Test, Cincinnati Knee Rating System and Visual Analogue Scale.