Direct biomechanical manipulation of human gait stability: A systematic review.

People fall more often when their gait stability is reduced. Gait stability can be directly manipulated by exerting forces or moments onto a person, ranging from simple walking sticks to complex wearable robotics. A systematic review of the literature was performed to determine: What is the level of evidence for different types of mechanical manipulations on improving gait stability? The study was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42020180631).

Reaction moments matter when designing lower-extremity robots for tripping recovery.

Balance recovery after tripping often requires an active adaptation of foot placement. Thus far, few attempts have been made to actively assist forward foot placement for balance recovery employing wearable devices. This study aims to explore the possibilities of active forward foot placement through two paradigms of actuation: assistive moments exerted with the reaction moments either internal or external to the human body, namely 'joint' moments and 'free' moments, respectively.

Probiotics for induction of remission in ulcerative colitis.

Background: Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the colon, with an annual incidence of approximately 10 to 20 per 100,000 people. The majority of people with ulcerative colitis can be put into remission, leaving a group who do not respond to first- or second-line therapies. There is a significant proportion of people who experience adverse effects with current therapies.

Probiotics for maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.

Background: Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the colon, with an annual incidence of approximately 10 to 20 per 100,000 people. The majority of people with ulcerative colitis can be put into remission, leaving a group who do not respond to first- or second-line therapies. There is a significant proportion of people who experience adverse effects with current therapies.

Experimental estimation of energy absorption during heel strike in human barefoot walking.

Metabolic energy expenditure during human gait is poorly understood. Mechanical energy loss during heel strike contributes to this energy expenditure. Previous work has estimated the energy absorption during heel strike as 0.

Short range stiffness elastic limit depends on joint velocity.

Muscles behave as elastic springs during the initial strain phase, indicated as short range stiffness (SRS). Beyond a certain amount of strain the muscle demonstrates a more viscous behavior. The strain at which the muscle transits from elastic- to viscous-like behavior is called the elastic limit and is believed to be the result of breakage of cross-bridges between the contractile filaments.