Quantifying Asymmetric Gait Pattern Changes Using a Hidden Markov Model Similarity Measure (HMM-SM) on Inertial Sensor Signals.

Wearable gait analysis systems using inertial sensors offer the potential for easy-to-use gait assessment in lab and free-living environments. This can enable objective long-term monitoring and decision making for individuals with gait disabilities. This study explores a novel approach that applies a hidden Markov model-based similarity measure (HMM-SM) to assess changes in gait patterns based on the gyroscope and accelerometer signals from just one or two inertial sensors.

Convolutional Neural Network for Estimating Spatiotemporal and Kinematic Gait Parameters using a Single Inertial Sensor.

Lower limb disability severely impacts gait, thus requiring clinical interventions. Inertial sensor systems offer the potential for objective monitoring and assessment of gait in and out of the clinic. However, it is imperative such systems are capable of measuring important gait parameters while being minimally obtrusive (requiring few sensors).

Selective Collection of Exhaled Breath Condensate for Noninvasive Screening of Breath Glucose.

Background: Although exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a promising noninvasive sample for detecting respiratory analytes such as glucose, current EBC collection methods yield inconsistent results.

Methods: We developed a custom EBC collection device with a temperature-based algorithm to selectively condense alveolar air for reproducible EBC glucose detection. We characterized the condensate volumes and the corresponding glucose concentrations.

Thyroid Cancer Presenting as Neck Pain at a Chiropractic Clinic.

We report an unusual case of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma presenting with progressive neck pain in a 58-year-old female with known bilateral thyroid nodules. Despite initial benign ultrasonographic findings and trials of conservative therapy for over 2 months, the patient's anterior neck pain and unremitting symptoms prompted concern regarding an underlying orthopedic condition. She sought chiropractic consultation, and MRI revealed pathologic vertebral fractures.

Colorectal Cancer Presenting as Sacral Pain at a Chiropractic Clinic.

This case report describes a diagnosis of spinal pain secondary to metastatic colon cancer, highlighting the need for close monitoring and an interdisciplinary approach for this cohort. An 82-year-old female presented with acute exacerbation of chronic low back pain with a rating of 7/10. She had a history of stage III colon cancer diagnosed 17 years previously and was currently in remission.

Sacral Chordoma Presenting as Back Pain in the Chiropractic Clinic: A Case Report.

Cases of lumbar and gluteal pain are commonly encountered in chiropractic clinics, with a broad differential diagnosis primarily centered on musculoskeletal conditions. This report presents the second documented case of sacral chordoma diagnosed at a chiropractic clinic and emphasizes the importance of considering alternative diagnoses and interdisciplinary collaboration in patient care. A 42-year-old man presented to a chiropractic clinic with complaints of lumbar and gluteal pain.

Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic.

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are frequently misdiagnosed or under-recognized in the older population, leading to disease progression and reduced quality of life. This case of an 87-year-old woman with acute back pain highlights the importance of early diagnosis and management of fragility fractures. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, patients with a history of well-managed osteoporosis experienced worsening symptoms of vertebral collapse due to activity limitations and prolonged immobilization.

Pediatric Text Neck Syndrome.

Text neck syndrome is a growing concern in the pediatric population due to the increased use of mobile devices and screens, potentially leading to long-lasting musculoskeletal issues. This case report presents a six-year-old boy with a one-month history of cephalgia and cervicalgia, who initially received insufficient care. After nine months of chiropractic intervention, the patient reported significant improvements in pain relief, neck mobility, and neurological symptoms, supported by radiographic findings.

Delayed Skin Allergy to Glucosamine Chondroitin Supplement.

Glucosamine chondroitin is a popular dietary supplement used for joint health and osteoarthritis pain and is one of the dietary supplements commonly recommended by chiropractors. Herein, we present the case of a 36-year-old woman who developed a skin rash with delayed onset after taking glucosamine and chondroitin pills for lumbar degenerative joint disease. Within 3 hours of taking the supplement, she developed an itchy rash on her torso and legs.

A Central Slip Injury in a Professional Basketball Player.

Hand injuries are extremely prevalent in sports such as ball sports. Delayed diagnosis or improperly managed injuries have the potential to prolong the athlete's return to the competition and permanently damage their abilities. We report the case of a 35-year-old male professional basketball player who presented to a chiropractor with pain and swelling of the right fifth finger two days after a basketball game.

Classifying Changes in Amputee Gait following Physiotherapy Using Machine Learning and Continuous Inertial Sensor Signals.

Wearable sensors allow for the objective analysis of gait and motion both in and outside the clinical setting. However, it remains a challenge to apply such systems to highly diverse patient populations, including individuals with lower-limb amputations (LLA) that present with unique gait deviations and rehabilitation goals. This paper presents the development of a novel method using continuous gyroscope data from a single inertial sensor for person-specific classification of gait changes from a physiotherapist-led gait training session.

Low-pH seawater alters indirect interactions in rocky-shore tidepools.

Ocean acidification is expected to degrade marine ecosystems, yet most studies focus on organismal-level impacts rather than ecological perturbations. Field studies are especially sparse, particularly ones examining shifts in direct and indirect consumer interactions. Here we address such connections within tidepool communities of rocky shores, focusing on a three-level food web involving the keystone sea star predator, , a common herbivorous snail, , and a macroalgal basal resource, .

Binocular Integration of Perceptually Suppressed Visual Information in Amblyopia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess whether motion information from suppressed amblyopic eyes can influence visual perception.

Methods: Participants with normal vision (n = 20) and with amblyopia (n = 20; 11 anisometropic and 9 strabismic/mixed) viewed dichoptic, orthogonal drifting gratings through a mirror stereoscope. Participants continuously reported form and motion percepts as gratings rivaled for 60 seconds.

Derivative Based Gait Event Detection Algorithm Using Unfiltered Accelerometer Signals.

Wearable sensors have been investigated for the purpose of gait analysis, namely gait event detection. Many types of algorithms have been developed specifically using inertial sensor data for detecting gait events. Though much attention has turned toward machine learning algorithms, most of these approaches suffer from large computational requirements and are not yet suitable for real-time applications such as in prostheses or for feedback control.

Visuoauditory Associative Memory Established with Cholecystokinin Under Anesthesia Is Retrieved in Behavioral Contexts.

Plastic change in neuronal connectivity is the foundation of memory encoding. It is not clear whether the changes during anesthesia can alter subsequent behavior. Here, we demonstrated that in male rodents under anesthesia, a visual stimulus (VS) was associated with electrical stimulation of the auditory cortex or natural auditory stimulus in the presence of cholecystokinin (CCK), which guided the animals' behavior in a two-choice auditory task.

Changes on Tendon Stiffness and Clinical Outcomes in Athletes Are Associated With Patellar Tendinopathy After Eccentric Exercise.

Objective: Eccentric exercise is commonly used as a form of loading exercise for individuals with patellar tendinopathy. This study investigated the change of mechanical properties and clinical outcomes and their interrelationships after a 12-week single-legged decline-board exercise with and without extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT).

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Sand Dollar Larvae Show Within-Population Variation in Their Settlement Induction by Turbulence.

Settlement-the generally irreversible transition from a planktonic phase to a benthic phase-is a critical stage in the life history of many shoreline organisms. It is reasonable to expect that larvae are under intense selection pressure to identify appropriate settlement habitat. Several decades of studies have focused mainly on local indicators that larvae use to identify suitable habitat, such as olfactory cues that indicate the presence of conspecifics or a favored food source.

Decreasing Fear of Falling in Chronic Stroke Survivors Through Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Task-Oriented Training.

Background and Purpose- Research has shown that balance training is effective for reducing the fear of falling in individuals with a history of stroke. In this study, we evaluated (1) whether cognitive behavior therapy could augment the beneficial effects of task-oriented balance training (TOBT) in reducing the fear of falling in chronic stroke survivors and (2) whether it could, in turn, reduce fear-avoidance behavior and improve related health outcomes. Methods- Eighty-nine cognitively intact subjects with mildly impaired balance ability were randomized into the following 2 groups that underwent 90-minutes interventions 2 days per week for 8 weeks: (1) cognitive behavior therapy + TOBT or (2) general health education + TOBT (control).

Correction: Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on the tensile biomechanical properties of diabetic wounds at different phases of healing.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Selective Collection and Condensation of Exhaled Breath for Glucose Detection.

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a promising non-invasive sample for the detection of various analytes, such as glucose. However, the methods used to collect EBC are highly inconsistent; the variable dilution factors associated with water vapor and the inclusion of dead space air significantly impact the reliability of reported analyte concentrations in EBC. For example, current EBC glucose measurements have resulted in dilution factors ranging from 1/1000 to 1/50000 [1].

The effect of whole body vibration training on quadriceps voluntary activation level of people with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia): a randomized pilot study.

Background: Whole body vibration was an effective training for improving muscle performance. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of 12-week whole-body vibration training program on voluntary activation of quadriceps muscles of older people with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia).

Methods: Twelve community dwelling seniors with age-related muscle loss were randomly allocated into whole body vibration training group and control group.

Effectiveness of a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and task-oriented balance training in reducing the fear of falling in patients with chronic stroke: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The consequences of falls are devastating for patients with stroke. Balance problems and fear of falling are two major challenges, and recent systematic reviews have revealed that habitual physical exercise training alone cannot reduce the occurrence of falls in stroke survivors. However, recent trials with community-dwelling healthy older adults yielded the promising result that interventions with a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) component can simultaneously promote balance and reduce the fear of falling.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for fear of falling and balance among older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: fear of falling is prevalent among older people and associated with various health outcomes. A growing number of studies have examined the effects of interventions designed to reduce the fear of falling and improve balance among older people, yet our current understanding is restricted to physiological interventions. Psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) have not been reviewed and meta-analysed.