Derivation of Respiratory Metrics in Health and Asthma.

Unlabelled: The ability to continuously monitor breathing metrics may have indications for general health as well as respiratory conditions such as asthma. However, few studies have focused on breathing due to a lack of available wearable technologies. To examine the performance of two machine learning algorithms in extracting breathing metrics from a finger-based pulse oximeter, which is amenable to long-term monitoring.

Derivation of Breathing Metrics From a Photoplethysmogram at Rest: Machine Learning Methodology.

Background: There has been a recent increased interest in monitoring health using wearable sensor technologies; however, few have focused on breathing. The ability to monitor breathing metrics may have indications both for general health as well as respiratory conditions such as asthma, where long-term monitoring of lung function has shown promising utility.

Objective: In this paper, we explore a long short-term memory (LSTM) architecture and predict measures of interbreath intervals, respiratory rate, and the inspiration-expiration ratio from a photoplethysmogram signal.

Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of establishing a mechanical thrombectomy (MT) program for acute ischemic stroke in a community hospital using interventional cardiologists working closely with neurologists.

Background: American Heart Association/American Stroke Association 2018 guidelines give a Class I (Level of Evidence: A) recommendation for MT in eligible patients with large vessel occlusion stroke. Improvement in neurological outcomes with MT is highly time sensitive.

Behavioral Modification Enhances the Benefits from Structured Aerobic and Resistance Training.

Behavioral modification (BM) is a strategy designed to sustain or restore well-being through effects such as enhanced relaxation, reduced stress, and improved sleep. Few studies have explored the role of BM delivered in the context of fitness programs for healthy adults. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine whether BM combined with aerobic and resistance training programs would improve health and fitness measures more than the exercise training alone.

The Impact of Behavioral and Psychological Factors on Physical Fitness in Medical and Nursing Students.

Physical activity improves general health and quality of life. A stressful academic environment can increase both physical and mental health disruptions in medical and nursing students, negatively impacting physical activity and fitness. We explored the relationship between the fitness profiles of 202 medical and graduate nursing students with self-reported levels of general and emotional health to elucidate the role of the psychosocial factors involved in choosing to exercise.

Hardware-efficient signal generation of layered/enhanced ACO-OFDM for short-haul fiber-optic links.

Layered/enhanced ACO-OFDM is a promising candidate for intensity modulation and direct-detection based short-haul fiber-optic links due to its both power and spectral efficiency. In this paper, we firstly demonstrate a hardware-efficient real-time 9.375 Gb/s QPSK-encoded layered/enhanced asymmetrical clipped optical OFDM (L/E-ACO-OFDM) transmitter using a Virtex-6 FPGA.

Interrelationship between Sleep and Exercise: A Systematic Review.

Although a substantial body of literature has explored the relationship between sleep and exercise, comprehensive reviews and definitive conclusions about the impact of exercise interventions on sleep are lacking. Electronic databases were searched for articles published between January 2013 and March 2017. Studies were included if they possessed either objective or subjective measures of sleep and an exercise intervention that followed the guidelines recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Inter- and intra-rater agreement of static posture analysis using a mobile application.

[Purpose] To determine the intra- and inter-rater agreement of a mobile application, PostureScreen Mobile (PSM), that assesses static standing posture. [Subjects and Methods] Three examiners with different levels of experience of assessing posture, one licensed physical therapist and two untrained undergraduate students, performed repeated postural assessments of 10 subjects, fully clothed or minimally clothed, using PSM on two nonconsecutive days. Anterior and right lateral images were captured and seventeen landmarks were identified on them.

Exploratory Study of Heart Rate Variability and Sleep among Emergency Medical Services Shift Workers.

Objectives: To characterize the continuity and duration of sleep, and to measure nocturnal cardiac autonomic balance via heart rate variability (HRV) in a group of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) on and off duty.

Methods: Fourteen EMTs completed an online, daily sleep log that recorded total sleep duration, bedtime, rise time, and the number of alarms that caused awakening. HRV was captured using a physiological status monitor (PSM) affixed to a chest strap during sleep.

How patient beliefs affect adherence to prescribed medication regimens.

This article analyses the evidence relating to patients' beliefs and adherence to prescribed medication regimens. Between 30% and 50% of patients question the appropriateness and effectiveness of their prescribed medication and often do not comply with their regimens, which means significant amounts of NHS cash is wasted on unused medications. A critical analysis of published literature from several electronic databases and professional journals was undertaken.