Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a universal integrated pointing device apparatus (IPDA), which can integrate numerous commercial pointing devices and can be controlled by various combinations of available movements, for people with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) who cannot operate standard computer pointing devices.
Design: An exploratory quasi-experimental design. All subjects were required to perform specific mouse-operating (continuous-clicking, target-acquisition, drag-and-drop) tasks. People with SCI received clinical assessments and were classified into 2 groups based on pointing device used: group A, who used standard mouse devices, and group B (IPDA combinations), who were unable to use standard mouse devices. The measures of group A and group B were compared.
Setting: Rehabilitation science center of a medical institution.
Participants: Thirty-seven people with high cervical SCI and 30 able-bodied subjects.
Intervention: The IPDA.
Main Outcome Measures: The efficiency of the people with SCI in each mouse-operation task was expressed as a percentage of that for able-bodied subjects (%NL).
Results: Group B displayed similar operational efficiency in performing the drag-and-drop tasks ( approximately 30% NL) to group A, although they exhibited worse efficiency than group A in performing the other tasks (P<.05). Operational efficiencies of all tasks had negative relationships with age by using linear regression analysis (adjusted r(2)>.36, P<.001). The use of pointing devices was associated with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (P<.001), completeness (P<.001), and muscle strength (P<.01), particularly finger flexor muscle strength, but not with neurologic level or muscle tone.
Conclusions: The IPDA could help most people with high cervical SCI who could not use commercial mouse devices to achieve acceptable operational efficiencies. Pointing devices were assigned based on the underlying SCI severity and muscle strength, particularly finger flexor muscle strength.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2006.02.025 | DOI Listing |
J Med Internet Res
January 2025
Research Centre Jülich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Jülich, Germany.
Background: Traditional in-clinic methods of collecting self-reported information are costly, time-consuming, subjective, and often limited in the quality and quantity of observation. However, smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) provide complementary information to in-clinic visits by collecting real-time, frequent, and longitudinal data that are ecologically valid. While these methods are promising, they are often prone to various technical obstacles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteract J Med Res
January 2025
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Although uroflowmetry and bladder diaries are widely used for noninvasive evaluation of lower urinary tract symptoms, they still have limitations in diagnostic capability and users' convenience. The aim of this paper is to discuss potential solutions by reviewing (1) the evolution and current clinical use of uroflowmetry and bladder diary, including clinical guidelines, daily practice applications, and their historical development; (2) a growing trend toward using home devices with various technologies; and (3) a comprehensive comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of these home devices. In our opinion, the following points can be highlighted: (1) the emerging trend of using home devices can enhance diagnostic capabilities through repeated measurements and the convenience of at-home testing and (2) home devices, which provide both frequency-volume and uroflowmetry information, have the potential to transform the management of lower urinary tract symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Urogynecol J
January 2025
Division of Health Services Research & Implementation Science, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Diego, CA, USA.
Introduction And Hypothesis: This manuscript is part of the International Urogynecological Consultation (IUC) on Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), Chapter 3, Committee 1 focusing on pessary management of POP.
Methods: A narrative review was conducted by an international, multi-disciplinary group of clinicians working in the field of pelvic health following a search of the literature using the MeSH terms "pelvic organ prolapse" OR "urogenital prolapse" OR "vaginal prolapse" OR "uterovaginal prolapse" AND "pessary" OR "support device" OR "intravaginal device." Relevant studies, as determined after review using the Covidence manuscript review platform, were included.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol
January 2025
Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, 18003, Granada, Spain.
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has received increased interest as a suitable approach for treating wastewater while producing electricity. However, there remains a lack of studies investigating the impact of inoculum type and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the efficiency of MFCs in treating industrial saline wastewater. The effect of three different inocula (activated sludge from a fish-canning industry and two domestic wastewater treatment plants, WWTPs) on electrochemical and physicochemical parameters and the anodic microbiome of a two-chambered continuous-flow MFC was studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis
August 2024
In the pinhole point diffraction interferometer (PPDI), proper alignment between the reflection spot of the tested component and the pinhole is critical to obtain accurate interferograms. At present, adjusting for tilt error requires manual manipulation, and defocus error cannot be corrected. These limitations impede the instrumentation process of PPDI.
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