The Feasibility of Using an Intravaginal Intra-Abdominal Pressure Sensor During Running to Evaluate Pelvic Floor Loading and Its Association with Running-Induced Stress Urinary Incontinence: An Observational Cohort Study.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The aim was to investigate the feasibility of using an intravaginal intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) sensor worn by female runners during running to evaluate pelvic floor loading, and the association between IAP and running-induced stress urinary incontinence (RI-SUI).

Methods: Twenty-eight female runners participated in this cross-sectional study (15 with RI-SUI and 13 continent). Participants completed a 37-min treadmill running protocol instrumented with an intravaginal sensor measuring IAP, and a skin-mounted accelerometer measuring pelvic accelerations.

Predicting the Healing of Lower Extremity Fractures Using Wearable Ground Reaction Force Sensors and Machine Learning.

Lower extremity fractures pose challenges due to prolonged healing times and limited assessment methods. Integrating wearable sensors with machine learning can help overcome these challenges by providing objective assessment and predicting fracture healing. In this retrospective study, data from a gait monitoring insole on 25 patients with closed lower extremity fractures were analyzed.

Intraoperative characterization of cardiac tissue: the potential of light scattering spectroscopy.

Significance: Damage to the cardiac conduction system remains one of the most significant risks associated with surgical interventions to correct congenital heart disease. This work demonstrates how light-scattering spectroscopy (LSS) can be used to non-destructively characterize cardiac tissue regions.

Aim: To present an approach for associating tissue composition information with location-specific LSS data and further evaluate an LSS and machine learning system as a method for non-destructive tissue characterization.

Potential role of physical labor and cultural views of menstruation in high incidence of pelvic organ prolapse in Nepalese women: a comparative study across the menstrual cycle.

Introduction: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a significant health concern for young Nepali women, with potential risk factors including pelvic floor trauma from vaginal delivery and heavy lifting. The prevalence of symptomatic POP (SPOP) among nulliparous women in Nepal is 6%, while the general population of Nepali women aged 15-49 years reports a prevalence of 7%. Surprisingly, the average age of SPOP onset in Nepal is 27 years, challenging the assumption that postmenopausal age and vaginal delivery are the sole risk factors.

3D models of the cardiac conduction system in healthy neonatal human hearts.

Iatrogenic damage to the cardiac conduction system (CCS) remains a significant risk during congenital heart surgery. Current surgical best practice involves using superficial anatomical landmarks to locate and avoid damaging the CCS. Prior work indicates inherent variability in the anatomy of the CCS and supporting tissues.

Cost of Pacing in Pediatric Patients With Postoperative Heart Block After Congenital Heart Surgery.

Importance: Surgical correction of congenital heart defects (CHDs) has improved the lifespan and quality of life of pediatric patients. The number of congenital heart surgeries (CHSs) in children has grown continuously since the 1960s. This growth has been accompanied by a rise in the incidence of postoperative heart block requiring permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation.

Erratum to "Optical Detection of Distal Lung Enzyme Activity in Human Inflammatory Lung Disease".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.34133/2021/9834163.].

Early postoperative step count and walking time have greater impact on lower limb fracture outcomes than load-bearing metrics.

Introduction: Weight-bearing protocols for rehabilitation of lower extremity fractures are the gold standard despite not being data-driven. Additionally, current protocols are focused on the amount of weight placed on the limb, negating other patient rehabilitation behaviors that may contribute to outcomes. Wearable sensors can provide insight into multiple aspects of patient behavior through longitudinal monitoring.

Orb-web spider Argiope (Araneidae) as indigenous arrow poison of G/ui and G//ana San hunters in the Kalahari.

Hunting has been crucial in early human evolution. Some San (Bushmen) of southern Africa still practice their indigenous hunting. The use of poisons is one remarkable aspect of their bow-and-arrow hunting but the sources, taxonomic identifications of species used, and recipes, are not well documented.

Intrinsic factors contributing to elevated intra-abdominal pressure.

Pelvic floor disorders affect 24% of US women, and elevated intra-abdominal pressure may cause pelvic injury through musculoskeletal strain. Activity restrictions meant to reduce pelvic strain after traumatic events, such as childbirth, have shown little benefit to patients. Reported high variability in abdominal pressure suggests that technique plays a substantial role in pressure generation.

Systematic Mapping of Conduction Tissue Regions During Congenital Heart Surgery.

Purpose: Damage to the cardiac conduction system is a major risk of congenital cardiac surgery. Localization of the conduction system is commonly based on anatomic landmarks, which are variable in congenital heart diseases. We introduce a novel technique for identification of conduction tissue regions based on real-time fiberoptic confocal microscopy.

Pelvic floor tissue damping during running using an intra-vaginal accelerometry approach.

Background: While cumulative loading of the pelvic floor during exercise appears to increase the risk of developing pelvic floor disorders, the pathophysiologic role of pelvic floor loading is poorly understood. The aim of this exploratory study was to present a method for evaluating vibrational frequency damping of the female pelvic floor and to investigate the potential utility of this approach in a preliminary evaluation.

Methods: Female participants were instrumented with an intravaginal accelerometer and a hip-mounted accelerometer, then ran on a treadmill at 7 km/h and 10 km/h both before and after a 30-min self-selected pace.

Toward cardiac tissue characterization using machine learning and light-scattering spectroscopy.

Significance: The non-destructive characterization of cardiac tissue composition provides essential information for both planning and evaluating the effectiveness of surgical interventions such as ablative procedures. Although several methods of tissue characterization, such as optical coherence tomography and fiber-optic confocal microscopy, show promise, many barriers exist that reduce effectiveness or prevent adoption, such as time delays in analysis, prohibitive costs, and limited scope of application. Developing a rapid, low-cost non-destructive means of characterizing cardiac tissue could improve planning, implementation, and evaluation of cardiac surgical procedures.

Towards Intraoperative Quantification of Atrial Fibrosis Using Light-Scattering Spectroscopy and Convolutional Neural Networks.

Light-scattering spectroscopy (LSS) is an established optical approach for characterization of biological tissues. Here, we investigated the capabilities of LSS and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to quantitatively characterize the composition and arrangement of cardiac tissues. We assembled tissue constructs from fixed myocardium and the aortic wall with a thickness similar to that of the atrial free wall.

Relationship of heart rate, perceived exertion, and intra-abdominal pressure in women.

Background: Exercise increases intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) acutely, which may impact the pelvic floor of women. IAP during exercise demonstrates high variability among women but is not routinely assessed. Assessing less invasive measures related to IAP during exercise may facilitate study of how IAP impacts the pelvic floor.

Relative and Maximal Intra-abdominal Pressure and Postpartum Pelvic Floor Outcomes in Primiparas Delivered Vaginally.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore associations between relative and maximal intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) on pelvic floor outcomes in primiparas delivered vaginally.

Methods: At 5-10 weeks and 1 year postpartum, we measured absolute IAP by vaginal sensor while participants lifted a weighted car seat (IAPLIFT) and performed isometric trunk flexion endurance (IAPTFE) and seated maximal strain (IAPSTRAIN). Primary outcomes, completed 1 year postpartum, included worse pelvic floor support (descent to or beyond the hymen) and positive symptom burden (bothersome symptoms in ≥2 of 6 domains on the Epidemiology of Prolapse and Incontinence Questionnaire).

Optical Detection of Distal Lung Enzyme Activity in Human Inflammatory Lung Disease.

There is a need to develop platforms delineating inflammatory biology of the distal human lung. We describe a platform technology approach to detect enzyme activity and observe drug inhibition in the distal human lung using a combination of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) optical reporters, fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy (FCFM), and a bespoke delivery device. .

Association Between Measures of Trunk Recovery 5 to 10 Weeks Postpartum and Pelvic Floor Support and Symptoms 1 Year Postpartum in Primiparas Delivered Vaginally.

Objective: To determine whether 2 aspects of trunk recovery after childbirth, intraabdominal pressure (IAP) generation and trunk flexor endurance (TFE), predict measures of pelvic floor health 1 year postpartum.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled nulliparas in their third trimester and followed up those delivered vaginally for 1 year. We measured IAP while lifting a weighted car seat (IAPLIFT), IAP during TFE testing (IAPTFE), and TFE duration 5 to 10 weeks postpartum and assessed pelvic floor support and symptoms 1 year postpartum.

Display of Native Antigen on cDC1 That Have Spatial Access to Both T and B Cells Underlies Efficient Humoral Vaccination.

Follicular dendritic cells and macrophages have been strongly implicated in presentation of native Ag to B cells. This property has also occasionally been attributed to conventional dendritic cells (cDC) but is generally masked by their essential role in T cell priming. cDC can be divided into two main subsets, cDC1 and cDC2, with recent evidence suggesting that cDC2 are primarily responsible for initiating B cell and T follicular helper responses.

Toward detection of conduction tissue during cardiac surgery: Light at the end of the tunnel?

Postoperative conduction block requiring lifetime pacemaker placement continues to be a considerable source of morbidity for patients undergoing repair of congenital heart defects. Damage to the cardiac conduction system (CCS) during surgical procedures is thought to be a major cause of conduction block. Intraoperative identification and avoidance of the CCS is thus a key strategy to improve surgical outcomes.

Do Measures of Muscular Fitness Modify the Effect of Intra-abdominal Pressure on Pelvic Floor Support in Postpartum Women?

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether measures of muscular fitness modify the effect of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) during lifting on pelvic floor support.

Methods: Participants, primiparous women 1 year after vaginal delivery, underwent the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification examination, measurement of IAP via a vaginal sensor while lifting a weighted car seat, pelvic floor muscle force assessment using an instrumented speculum, grip strength using a hand dynamometer, and trunk flexor endurance by holding an isometric contraction while maintaining a 60-degree angle to the table. We dichotomized pelvic floor support as worse (greatest descent of the anterior, posterior, or apical vagina during maximal strain at or below the hymen) versus better (all points above the hymen).

Intra-abdominal Pressure and Pelvic Floor Health: Should We Be Thinking About This Relationship Differently?

Objectives: Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) increases during physical activity. Activities with high IAP are often restricted for women because of potential pelvic floor overloading. Researchers categorize high IAP activities using absolute values (in centimeters of water).

Localization of the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodal region in neonatal and juvenile ovine hearts.

Localization of the components of the cardiac conduction system (CCS) is essential for many therapeutic procedures in cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology. While histological studies provided fundamental insights into CCS localization, this information is incomplete and difficult to translate to aid in intraprocedural localization. To advance our understanding of CCS localization, we set out to establish a framework for quantifying nodal region morphology.