Evaluation of a New Mobile Virtual Reality Setup to Alter Pain Perception: Pilot Development and Usability Study in Healthy Participants.

Background: Chronic pain presents a significant treatment challenge, often leading to frustration for both patients and therapists due to the limitations of traditional methods. Research has shown that synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation, as used in the rubber hand experiment, can induce a sense of ownership over a fake body part and reduces pain perception when ownership of the fake body part is reported. The effect of the rubber hand experiment can be extended to the full body, for example, during the full-body illusion, using both visuo-tactile and cardiovisual signals.

Improvements in executive functions by domain-specific cognitive training in youth elite soccer players.

This study examined the impact of sport-specific cognitive training (CT) on executive functions (EFs) in youth soccer players. Thirty-one athletes (13-15 years) participated, 13 in the intervention group (IG) and 18 in the control group (CG). The IG underwent an 8-week soccer-focused CT program, while the CG maintained regular training.

Scaling of cell and gene therapies to population.

Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) are intended to address many different diseases, including widespread diseases with millions of patients. The success of CGTs thus depends on the practicability of scaling cell manufacturing to population. It is obvious that process integration and automation are key for the reproducibility, quality, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of cell manufacturing.

Does sex matter in the cheetah? Insights into the skeletal muscle of the fastest land animal.

The cheetah is considered the fastest land animal, but studies on their skeletal muscle properties are scarce. Vastus lateralis biopsies, obtained from male and female cheetahs as well as humans, were analysed and compared for fibre type and size, and metabolism. Overall, cheetah muscle had predominantly type IIX fibres, which was confirmed by the myosin heavy chain isoform content (mean±s.

Energy expenditure estimation during activities of daily living in middle-aged and older adults using an accelerometer integrated into a hearing aid.

Background: Accelerometers were traditionally worn on the hip to estimate energy expenditure (EE) during physical activity but are increasingly replaced by products worn on the wrist to enhance wear compliance, despite potential compromises in EE estimation accuracy. In the older population, where the prevalence of hearing loss is higher, a new, integrated option may arise. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the accuracy and precision of EE estimates using an accelerometer integrated into a hearing aid and compare its performance with sensors simultaneously worn on the wrist and hip.

The impact of soccer-specific psychophysiological stress on inhibition and cognitive flexibility in elite youth players.

While researchers and practitioners attribute an essential role to executive functions (EFs) for soccer performance, the usefulness of respective diagnostics and the predictive value remain unclear. One limitation restricting the translation and relevance of study results to improve actual game performance is the insufficient consideration of competitive conditions. Thus, this study aimed to conduct soccer-specific cognitive diagnostics under a soccer-specific psychophysiological stress condition, mimicing the demands of a competitive game.

The interaction between acute emotional states and executive functions in youth elite soccer players.

Introduction: Executive functions (EFs) are relevant for game performance in soccer and have been investigated in previous research. However, emotions are a well-known performance factor in sport competitions, which may affect performance by means of EFs. The diagnostic of EFs has mainly been performed disregarding the potential impact of emotional states.

The phenomenology of pareidolia in healthy subjects and patients with left- or right-hemispheric stroke.

Pareidolia are perceptions of recognizable images or meaningful patterns where none exist. In recent years, this phenomenon has been increasingly studied in healthy subjects and patients with neurological or psychiatric diseases. The current study examined pareidolia production in a group of 53 stroke patients and 82 neurologically healthy controls who performed a natural images task.

Comparison of uni- and multimodal motion stimulation on visual neglect: A proof-of-concept study.

Spatial neglect is characterized by the failure to attend stimuli presented in the contralesional space. Typically, the visual modality is more severely impaired than the auditory one. This dissociation offers the possibility of cross-modal interactions, whereby auditory stimuli may have beneficial effects on the visual modality.

Transferability of a Sensing Mattress for Posture Classification from Research into Clinics.

Sleep is crucial in rehabilitation processes, promoting neural plasticity and immune functions. Nocturnal body postures can indicate sleep quality and frequent repositioning is required to prevent bedsores for bedridden patients after a stroke or spinal cord injury. Polysomnography (PSG) is considered the gold standard for sleep assessment.

Eyelid Closure Behavior of Patients with Idiopathic and Nonorganic Hypersomnia, Narcolepsy-Cataplexy, and Healthy Controls in the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test.

Purpose: Differential diagnosis of central disorders of hypersomnolence remains challenging, particularly between idiopathic (IH) and nonorganic hypersomnia (NOH). We hypothesized that eyelid closure behavior in the maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) could be a valuable biomarker.

Patients And Methods: MWT recordings of patients with IH, NOH, narcolepsy-cataplexy (NC), and healthy sleep-deprived controls (H) were retrospectively analyzed (15 individuals per group).

An assist for cognitive diagnostics in soccer (Part II): Development and validation of a task to measure working memory in a soccer-specific setting.

Cognitive diagnostics is of increasing interest to researchers and practitioners in the context of talent identification and performance enhancement in professional soccer. Research addressing the relevance of cognitive skills for sports performance has been based on the cognitive component approach (i.e.

Perceived sounds and their reported level of disturbance in intensive care units: A multinational survey among healthcare professionals.

Purpose: The noise levels in intensive care units have been repeatedly reported to exceed the recommended guidelines and yield negative health outcomes among healthcare professionals. However, it is unclear which sound sources within this environment are perceived as disturbing. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how healthcare professionals in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria perceive the sound levels and the associated sound sources within their work environment and explore sound reduction strategies.

Investigating the role of auditory and visual sensory inputs for inducing relaxation during virtual reality stimulation.

Stress is a part of everyday life which can be counteracted by evoking the relaxation response via nature scenes presented using immersive virtual reality (VR). The aim of this study was to determine which sensory aspect of immersive VR intervention is responsible for the greatest relaxation response. We compared four conditions: auditory and visual combined (audiovisual), auditory only, visual only, and no artificial sensory input.

Usability of Two New Interactive Game Sensor-Based Hand Training Devices in Parkinson's Disease.

This pilot cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the usability of two new interactive game sensor-based hand devices (GripAble and Smart Sensor Egg) in both healthy adults as well as in persons with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Eight healthy adults and eight persons with PD participated in this study. Besides a standardised usability measure, the state of flow after one training session and the effect of cognitive abilities on flow were evaluated.

A systems approach towards remote health-monitoring in older adults: Introducing a zero-interaction digital exhaust.

Using connected sensing devices to remotely monitor health is a promising way to help transition healthcare from a rather reactive to a more precision medicine oriented proactive approach, which could be particularly relevant in the face of rapid population ageing and the challenges it poses to healthcare systems. Sensor derived digital measures of health, such as digital biomarkers or digital clinical outcome assessments, may be used to monitor health status or the risk of adverse events like falls. Current research around such digital measures has largely focused on exploring the use of few individual measures obtained through mobile devices.

Methods for Measuring and Identifying Sounds in the Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Despite many studies in the field examining excessive noise in the intensive care unit, this issue remains an ongoing problem. A limiting factor in the progress of the field is the inability to draw conclusions across studies due to the different and poorly reported approaches used. Therefore, the first goal is to present a method for the general measurement of sound pressure levels and sound sources, with precise details and reasoning, such that future studies can use these procedures as a guideline.

Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Multimodal Audio-Tactile Cueing in Patients With Spatial Attention Deficits: Pilot Usability Study.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) devices are increasingly being used in medicine and other areas for a broad spectrum of applications. One of the possible applications of VR involves the creation of an environment manipulated in a way that helps patients with disturbances in the spatial allocation of visual attention (so-called hemispatial neglect). One approach to ameliorate neglect is to apply cross-modal cues (ie, cues in sensory modalities other than the visual one, eg, auditory and tactile) to guide visual attention toward the neglected space.

An Assist for Cognitive Diagnostics in Soccer: Two Valid Tasks Measuring Inhibition and Cognitive Flexibility in a Soccer-Specific Setting With a Soccer-Specific Motor Response.

In professional soccer, players, coaches, and researchers alike recognize the importance of cognitive skills. Research addressing the relevance of cognitive skills has been based on the cognitive component skills approach (i.e.

Development of a Community Coalition to Influence Nutrition and Physical Activity in Early Childhood Education.

Background: Recognizing insufficient support for healthy eating and physical activity in early childhood education centers in Greenville, South Carolina, a group of stakeholders formed a workgroup as an organizing structure. Members developed and implemented a 2-year community-based participatory research initiative aimed at nutrition and physical activity policy, systems and environment change in 10 early childhood education centers.

Objectives: This article 1) describes engagement efforts and partnerships leading to formation of the workgroup and initiative, 2) presents data on Workgroup members' knowledge and engagement, and 3) shares lessons learned.

An Instrumented Apartment to Monitor Human Behavior: A Pilot Case Study in the NeuroTec Loft.

For patients suffering from neurodegenerative disorders, the behavior and activities of daily living are an indicator of a change in health status, and home-monitoring over a prolonged period of time by unobtrusive sensors is a promising technology to foster independent living and maintain quality of life. The aim of this pilot case study was the development of a multi-sensor system in an apartment to unobtrusively monitor patients at home during the day and night. The developed system is based on unobtrusive sensors using basic technologies and gold-standard medical devices measuring physiological (e.

Auditory spatial cueing reduces neglect after right-hemispheric stroke: A proof of concept study.

Spatial neglect after right-hemispheric stroke, characterized by the failure to attend or respond to the contralesional space, is a strong negative outcome predictor. Neglect is a supramodal syndrome affecting not only the visual but also the auditory modality. Preliminary studies used this audio-visual cross-modal effect to show short-lasting effects on attention towards the neglected space.

Influence of noise manipulation on retention in a simulated ICU ward round: an experimental pilot study.

Background: Noise exposure leads to a reduction in cognitive abilities in diverse settings, however, only limited data exist examining the effects of environmental ICU noise on the cognitive performance of ICU professionals. A frequently occurring and demanding retention task in ICUs are ward rounds, which are considered key for the provision of medical care. Here, we investigate the influence of noise on information retention in a simulated ward round.

Development of a Search Task Using Immersive Virtual Reality: Proof-of-Concept Study.

Background: Serious games are gaining increasing importance in neurorehabilitation since they increase motivation and adherence to therapy, thereby potentially improving its outcome. The benefits of serious games, such as the possibility to implement adaptive feedback and the calculation of comparable performance measures, can be even further improved by using immersive virtual reality (iVR), allowing a more intuitive interaction with training devices and higher ecological validity.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a visual search task embedded in a serious game setting for iVR, including self-adapting difficulty scaling, thus being able to adjust to the needs and ability levels of different groups of individuals.