Cardiovascular Autonomic Nervous System in a Patient With Hereditary Angioedema Affected by COVID-19.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation in hereditary angioedema (HAE) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown. ANS alterations could be manifested during both the acute and post-acute phases of COVID-19. Implications of acute and chronic inflammation on ANS in HAE need to be addressed.

Cardiac autonomic profile, perceived stress and environmental comfort in healthy employees during remote and in-office work.

Remote work (REMOTE) causes an overlap between working and domestic demands. The study of the cardiac autonomic profile (CAP) by means of heart rate variability (HRV) provides information about the impact of REMOTE on workers' health. The primary aim was to determine whether CAP, self-perceived stress, environmental and workstation comfort are modified during REMOTE.

Movement Sonification Techniques to Improve Balance in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Movement sonification has been recently introduced into the field of neuromotor rehabilitation alongside Neurologic Music Therapy and music-based interventions. This study introduces the use of musical auditory cues encompassing the melodic-harmonic aspect of music.

Methods: Nineteen patients with Parkinson's disease were randomly assigned to the experimental ( = 10) and control ( = 9) groups and underwent thrice-weekly sessions of the same gait training program, with or without sonification.

Day and night heart rate variability using 24-h ECG recordings: a systematic review with meta-analysis using a gender lens.

Purpose: Increasing evidence demonstrates that gender-related factors, and not only biological sex, are relevant in the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of the cardiovascular system, including the cardiac autonomic regulation. Sex and gender may also affect daytime and night-time cardiac autonomic control. This meta-analysis aimed to provide a comparison between healthy women and men on heart rate variability using 24-h ECG recordings pointing out sex- and gender-related factors.

Video-based Goniometer Applications for Measuring Knee Joint Angles during Walking in Neurological Patients: A Validity, Reliability and Usability Study.

Easy-to-use evaluation of Range Of Motion (ROM) during walking is necessary to make decisions during neurological rehabilitation programs and during follow-up visits in clinical and remote settings. This study discussed goniometer applications (DrGoniometer and Angles - Video Goniometer) that measure knee joint ROM during walking through smartphone cameras. The primary aim of the study is to test the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the collected measurements as well as their concurrent validity with an electro-goniometer.

Spiral drawing analysis with a smart ink pen to identify Parkinson's disease fine motor deficits.

Introduction: Since the uptake of digitizers, quantitative spiral drawing assessment allowed gaining insight into motor impairments related to Parkinson's disease. However, the reduced naturalness of the gesture and the poor user-friendliness of the data acquisition hamper the adoption of such technologies in the clinical practice. To overcome such limitations, we present a novel smart ink pen for spiral drawing assessment, intending to better characterize Parkinson's disease motor symptoms.

Validation of Pressure-Sensing Insoles in Patients with Parkinson's Disease during Overground Walking in Single and Cognitive Dual-Task Conditions.

There is a need for unobtrusive and valid tools to collect gait parameters in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The novel promising tools are pressure-sensing insoles connected to a smartphone app; however, few studies investigated their measurement properties during simple or challenging conditions in PD patients. This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of gait parameters computed by pressure-sensing insoles (FeetMe insoles, Paris, France).

Autonomic cardiac profile in male and female healthcare professionals with and without preschoolers: differences evidenced by heart rate variability analysis.

A reduced nocturnal cardiac vagal modulation has been observed in working women with preschoolers. Whether this adaptation also occurs in men remains an open question. The aim of this study was to analyze the cardiac autonomic profile of two groups of healthcare male professionals, one with and one without preschoolers, to be compared to females.

The reliability of gait parameters captured via instrumented walkways: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Electronic pressure-sensitive walkways are commonly available solutions to quantitatively assess gait parameters for clinical and research purposes. Many studies have evaluated their measurement properties in different conditions with variable findings. In order to be informed about the current evidence of their reliability for optimal clinical and scientific decision making, this systematic review provided a quantitative synthesis of the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change of the captured gait parameters across different test conditions (single and cognitive dual-task conditions) and population groups.

A smart ink pen for spiral drawing analysis in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Handwriting skills could be highly impaired in patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD), and for this reason its analysis had always been considered relevant. In handwriting assessment, Archimedes spiral drawing is one of the most proposed tasks, due to its peculiar shape and ease of execution. In the last decades, digitizing tablets had been widely employed for the evaluation of the spiral performance, providing a cheap and non-invasive way to gather quantitative information, to be combined with the classical clinical examination.

Multi-Dimensional Dyspnea-Related Scales Validated in Individuals With Cardio-Respiratory and Cancer Diseases. A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties.

Context: In order to examine the multi-dimensional nature of dyspnea and its impact on the activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with cardio-respiratory and cancer diseases, validated measures are needed.

Objectives: Our aim was to identify all the multi-dimensional clinical scales assessing dyspnea and its impact on ADLs in patients with cardio-respiratory and cancer diseases, and to critically appraise their psychometric properties.

Methods: Five databases were systematically searched up to July 2020.

Lack of association between heart period variability asymmetry and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in healthy and chronic heart failure individuals.

Temporal asymmetry is a peculiar aspect of heart period (HP) variability (HPV). HPV asymmetry (HPVA) is reduced with aging and pathology, but its origin is not fully elucidated. Given the impact of respiration on HPV resulting in the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and the asymmetric shape of the respiratory pattern, a possible link between HPVA and RSA might be expected.

Italian Version of Cancer Dyspnea Scale: Cultural-Linguistic and Clinical Validation in Patients With Advanced Cancer Disease in Palliative Care Settings.

Context: The Cancer Dyspnea Scale (CDS) is a self-reported multidimensional tool used for the assessment of dyspnea, a subjective experience of breathing discomfort, in patients with cancer. The scale describes dyspnea using three distinct factors: physical, psychological, and discomfort at rest.

Objectives: To crossculturally validate the Italian version of CDS (CDS-IT) and examine its content validity, feasibility, internal consistency, and construct validity in patients with advanced cancer.

Does cycling induced by functional electrical stimulation enhance motor recovery in the subacute phase after stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of cycling with functional electrical stimulation on walking, muscle power and tone, balance and activities of daily living in subacute stroke survivors.

Data Sources: Ten electronic databases were searched from inception to February 2020.

Review Methods: Inclusion criteria were: subacute stroke survivors (<6 months since stroke), an experimental group performing any type of cycling training with electrical stimulation, alone or in addition to usual care, and a control group performing usual care alone.

Changes in leg cycling muscle synergies after training augmented by functional electrical stimulation in subacute stroke survivors: a pilot study.

Background: Muscle synergies analysis can provide a deep understanding of motor impairment after stroke and of changes after rehabilitation. In this study, the neuro-mechanical analysis of leg cycling was used to longitudinally investigate the motor recovery process coupled with cycling training augmented by Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in subacute stroke survivors.

Methods: Subjects with ischemic subacute stroke participated in a 3-week training of FES-cycling with visual biofeedback plus usual care.