Enhancing walking performance in patients with peripheral arterial disease: An intervention with ankle-foot orthosis.

Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular condition manifesting from narrowed or blocked arteries supplying the legs. Gait is impaired in patients with PAD. Recent evidence suggests that walking with carbon fiber ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) can improve patient mobility and delay claudication time.

Running biomechanics differ during and after pregnancy compared to females who have never been pregnant.

Background: Perinatal running participation has increased recently; however, pregnancy related symptoms can limit activity. Perinatal running biomechanics could inform interventions to help perinatal individuals maintain an active lifestyle.

Research Question: Are perinatal running biomaechanics and muscle activation different compared to nulligravida females?

Methods: Sixteen pregnant participants completed self-selected velocity running during second trimester (2 T), third trimester (3 T), and postpartum (PP) and 16 matched controls completed these procedures once in this case control study.

Can a passive unilateral hip exosuit diminish walking asymmetry? A randomized trial.

Background: Asymmetric walking gait impairs activities of daily living in neurological patient populations, increases their fall risk, and leads to comorbidities. Accessible, long-term rehabilitation methods are needed to help neurological patients restore symmetrical walking patterns. This study aimed to determine if a passive unilateral hip exosuit can modify an induced asymmetric walking gait pattern.

Running gait produces long range correlations: A systematic review.

Background: Walking and running are common forms of locomotion, both of which exhibit variability over many gait cycles. Many studies have investigated the patterns generated from that ebb and flow, and a large proportion suggests human gait exhibits Long Range Correlations (LRCs). LRCs refer to the observation that healthy gait characteristic, like stride times, are positively correlated to themselves over time.

A new marker cluster anchored to the iliotibial band improves tracking of hip and thigh axial rotations.

Tracking hip and thigh axial rotation has limited accuracy due to the large soft tissue artifact. We proposed a tracking-markers cluster anchored to the prominent distal part of the iliotibial band (ITB) to improve thigh tracking. We investigated if the ITB cluster improves accuracy compared with a traditionally used thigh cluster.

Stride-to-Stride Fluctuations of Human Gait Are Affected By Chronobiology: An Exploratory Study.

Physiological processes present daily oscillations of ≈24 h, called circadian rhythms. Motor performance, for example, reaches its peak in the afternoon, although this can be affected by chronotype. Certain motor activities, for example, walking, can also be affected by circadian rhythms.

High-efficiency retention of ultrafine aerosols by electrospun nanofibers.

The versatility of nanofibrous polymeric materials makes them attractive for developing respiratory protective equipment. Ultrafine nanofibers effectively trap the most penetrating aerosols and exhibit consistent performance compared to conventional electret filters. Advanced nanofiber manufacturing technologies such as electrospinning can functionalize filter materials, enhancing them with unique antibacterial, catalytic, sensory, and other properties.

Long-term use of an ankle-foot orthosis intervention in patients with peripheral artery disease using the integrated promoting action on research implementation in health services (i-PARIHS) framework.

Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular disease that limits patients' walking ability. Persistent ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) use may increase the distance patients can walk as well as physical activity.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the implementation and patients' perspectives related to the use or disuse of the AFO intervention six months post-intervention.

New Optimized Dynamic Calibration Proposition for Discretized Sensorized Insoles With Resistive Force Sensor: A Descriptive and Comparative Study.

Sensorized insoles (SIs) have been used as a wearable instrument to study human gait and have the potential to identify and predict pathologies and injuries. However, most of these sensorized insoles are only statically calibrated, relying on a scale and known weights to establish a relationship between electrical signals and the load applied on laboratory benches while ignoring the dynamic interaction between person and instrument. This study proposes and verifies a calibration method complementary to static calibration to compensate for different dynamic interactions between the insole and the individual during gait.

Stride-to-stride time intervals are independently affected by the temporal pattern and probability distribution of visual cues.

The temporal structure of the variability of the stride-to-stride time intervals during paced walking is affected by the underlying autocorrelation function (ACF) of the pacing signal. This effect could be accounted for by differences in the underlying probability distribution function (PDF) of the pacing signal. We investigated the isolated and combined effect of the ACF and PDF of the pacing signals on the temporal structure of the stride-to-stride time intervals during visually guided paced overground walking.

Metabolically efficient walking assistance using optimized timed forces at the waist.

The metabolic rate of walking can be reduced by applying a constant forward force at the center of mass. It has been shown that the metabolically optimal constant force magnitude minimizes propulsion ground reaction force at the expense of increased braking. This led to the hypothesis that selectively assisting propulsion could lead to greater benefits.

Balance on different unstable supports: a complementary approach based on linear and non-linear analyses.

Maintenance of postural control is a complex task that requires the integration of different sensory-motor processes. To improve postural control, balance training is often implemented using unstable surfaces. Little is known, however, about how different surfaces compare in terms of postural control strategy.

The temporal pattern and the probability distribution of visual cueing can alter the structure of stride-to-stride variability.

The structure of the stride-to-stride time intervals during paced walking can be altered by the temporal pattern of the pacing cues, however, it is unknown if an altered probability distribution of these cues could also affect stride-to-stride time intervals. We investigated the effect of the temporal pattern and probability distribution of visual pacing cues on the temporal structure of the variability of the stride-to-stride time intervals during walking. Participants completed self-paced walking (SPW) and walking paced by visual cueing that had a temporal pattern of either pink noise presented with a normal distribution (PNND), shuffled pink noise presented with a normal distribution (SPNND), white noise presented with a normal distribution (WNND), and white noise presented with a uniform distribution (WNUD).

Inter-limb coupling in individuals with transtibial amputation during bilateral stance is direction dependent.

We investigated the control of upright standing in individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation (TTA) by assessing the inter-limb coupling and the coupling between the center of pressure beneath both limbs combined (COP) and the center of pressure (COP) beneath the prosthetic limb and the intact limb. Twenty-one adults with TTA and eighteen unimpaired adults completed 90 s of standing on two parallel force plates. The inter-limb coupling and the coupling between the COP beneath each limb and the COP were assessed by quantifying the synchronization of the COP signals.

Sampling rate influences the regularity analysis of temporal domain measures of walking more than spatial domain measures.

Background: The spatiotemporal dynamics of stepping can provide useful information about walking performance. Most often, the identification of gait motion is performed using 3-D cinematography. The sampling rate of motion capture systems may influence the accuracy of these measures albeit in varying degrees for measures within the spatial versus temporal domain.

Entropy Analysis in Gait Research: Methodological Considerations and Recommendations.

The usage of entropy analysis in gait research has grown considerably the last two decades. The present paper reviews the application of different entropy analyses in gait research and provides recommendations for future studies. While single-scale entropy analysis such as approximate and sample entropy can be used to quantify regularity/predictability/probability, they do not capture the structural richness and component entanglement characterized by a complex system operating across multiple spatial and temporal scales.

Risk-of-falling related outcomes improved in community-dwelling older adults after a 6-week sideways walking intervention: a feasibility and pilot study.

Background: Aging increases fall risk and alters gait mechanics and control. Our previous work has identified sideways walking as a potential training regimen to decrease fall risk by improving frontal plane control in older adults' gait. The purposes of this pilot study were to test the feasibility of sideways walking as an exercise intervention and to explore its preliminary effects on risk-of-falling related outcomes.

Constitutive modeling using structural information on collagen fiber direction and dispersion in human superficial femoral artery specimens of different ages.

Arterial mechanics plays an important role in vascular pathophysiology and repair, and advanced imaging can inform constitutive models of vascular behavior. We have measured the mechanical properties of 14 human superficial femoral arteries (SFAs) (age 12-70, mean 48±19 years) using planar biaxial extension, and determined the preferred collagen fiber direction and dispersion using multiphoton microscopy. The collagen fiber direction and dispersion were evaluated using second-harmonic generation imaging and modeled using bivariate von Mises distributions.

The use of copper to help prevent transmission of SARS-coronavirus and influenza viruses. A general review.

The SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 disease, a severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Its main transmission pathway is through large respiratory droplets, as well as direct and indirect contact. Copper in different formats has been used in research and clinical settings to reduce the risk of bacterial and viral contamination.

Effect of motor-assisted elliptical training speed and body weight support on center of pressure movement variability.

Background: A motor-assisted elliptical trainer is being used clinically to help individuals with physical disabilities regain and/or retain walking ability and cardiorespiratory fitness. Unknown is how the device's training parameters can be used to optimize movement variability and regularity. This study examined the effect of motor-assisted elliptical training speed as well as body weight support (BWS) on center of pressure (CoP) movement variability and regularity during training.

To walk or to run - a question of movement attractor stability.

During locomotion, humans change gait mode between walking and running as locomotion speed is either increased or decreased. Dynamical systems theory predicts that the self-organization of coordinated motor behaviors dictates the transition from one distinct stable attractor behavior to another distinct attractor behavior (e.g.

Filtering affects the calculation of the largest Lyapunov exponent.

The calculation of the largest Lyapunov exponent (LyE) requires the reconstruction of the time series in an N-dimensional state space. For this, the time delay (Tau) and embedding dimension (EmD) are estimated using the Average Mutual Information and False Nearest Neighbor algorithms. However, the estimation of these variables (LyE, Tau, EmD) could be compromised by prior filtering of the time series evaluated.

Modular footwear that partially offsets downhill or uphill grades minimizes the metabolic cost of human walking.

Walking on different grades becomes challenging on energetic and muscular levels compared to level walking. While it is not possible to eliminate the cost of raising or lowering the centre of mass (COM), it could be possible to minimize the cost of distal joints with shoes that offset downhill or uphill grades. We investigated the effects of shoe outsole geometry in 10 participants walking at 1 m s on downhill, level and uphill grades.

Step width variability as a discriminator of age-related gait changes.

Background: There is scientific evidence that older adults aged 65 and over walk with increased step width variability which has been associated with risk of falling. However, there are presently no threshold levels that define the optimal reference range of step width variability. Thus, the purpose of our study was to estimate the optimal reference range for identifying older adults with normative and excessive step width variability.

Comparison of a portable balance board for measures of persistence in postural sway.

Measuring postural sway is important for determining functional ability or risk of falling. Gathering postural sway measures outside of controlled environments is desirable for reaching populations with limited mobility. Previous studies have confirmed the accuracy of the magnitude of postural sway using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB).