Non-pharmaceutical interventions and epigenetic aging in adults: Protocol for a scoping review.

Introduction: Aging is the strongest risk factor for most chronic diseases. The rising burden of an aging population and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), contributes to escalating costs for society. Several non-pharmaceutical interventions can lower the risk of NCDs, including common mental disorders (CMDs), and may slow down biological aging, as evidenced by outcome markers such as epigenetic clocks.

The social factors shaping community microgrid operation.

When extreme weather events result in power blackouts, the critical electricity needs of a community can continue to be met by utilizing localized energy resources. The collective setup of these resources is referred to as a microgrid. Here, we carry out a survey to study the preferences of 1021 US residents on how the finite energy stored in a community microgrid should be rationed amongst various participating households during prolonged blackouts.

Influence of virtual reality and task complexity on digital health metrics assessing upper limb function.

Background: Technology-based assessments using 2D virtual reality (VR) environments and goal-directed instrumented tasks can deliver digital health metrics describing upper limb sensorimotor function that are expected to provide sensitive endpoints for clinical studies. Open questions remain about the influence of the VR environment and task complexity on such metrics and their clinimetric properties.

Methods: We aim to investigate the influence of VR and task complexity on the clinimetric properties of digital health metrics describing upper limb function.

Enhancing protein extraction from heterotrophic Auxenochlorella protothecoides microalgae through emerging cell disruption technologies combined with incubation.

This study evaluated pulsed electric fields (PEF) and ultrasonication (US) combined with incubation to enhance cell disruption and protein extraction from Auxenochlorella protothecoides, comparing them to conventional high-pressure homogenization (HPH). A 5 h incubation enhanced protein yield by 79.4 % for PEF- and 27.

A holistic lifestyle mobile health intervention for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and common mental disorders in Asian women with a history of gestational diabetes: a randomised control trial with 3-year follow-up protocol.

Background: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are 12-fold more likely to develop type 2 diabetes (T2D) 4-6 years after delivery than women without GDM. Similarly, GDM is associated with the development of common mental disorders (CMDs) (e.g.

Resilience indices from a family of recovery functions.

Defining and measuring resilience using a unified framework has been a topic of intense research. This article presents a perspective on how resilience could be quantitatively assessed through a set of indices. It starts with a brief explanation of resilience in the context of supply chain and a quick summary of existing quantitative measures of resilience.

Inferring occluded projectile motion changes connectivity within a visuo-fronto-parietal network.

Anticipating the behaviour of moving objects in the physical environment is essential for a wide range of daily actions. This ability is thought to rely on mental simulations and has been shown to involve frontoparietal and early visual areas. Yet, the connectivity patterns between these regions during intuitive physical inference remain largely unknown.

Combining muscle-computer interface guided training with bihemispheric tDCS improves upper limb function in patients with chronic stroke.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may facilitate neuroplasticity but with a limited effect when administered while patients with stroke are at rest. Muscle-computer interface (MCI) training is a promising approach for training patients with stroke even if they cannot produce overt movements. However, using tDCS to enhance MCI training has not been investigated.

Refracture and mortality risk in the elderly with osteoporotic fractures: the AGES-Reykjavik study.

Unlabelled: There is imminent refracture risk in elderly individuals for up to six years, with a decline thereafter except in women below 75 who face a constant elevated risk. Elderly men with fractures face the highest mortality risk, particularly those with hip and vertebral fractures. Targeted monitoring and treatment strategies are recommended.

Unsupervised robot-assisted rehabilitation after stroke: feasibility, effect on therapy dose, and user experience.

Background: Unsupervised robot-assisted rehabilitation is a promising approach to increase the dose of therapy after stroke, which may help promote sensorimotor recovery without requiring significant additional resources and manpower. However, the unsupervised use of robotic technologies is not yet a standard, as rehabilitation robots often show low usability or are considered unsafe to be used by patients independently. In this paper we explore the feasibility of unsupervised therapy with an upper limb rehabilitation robot in a clinical setting, evaluate the effect on the overall therapy dose, and assess user experience during unsupervised use of the robot and its usability.

Effects of the interplay between topology and function of an integrated urban development on patterns of user movement.

With the advent of distributed multi-sensory networks of devices, vast troves of real-time data can be gathered about our interactions with the built environment. These rich data sets can be mined to achieve improved and informed data-driven designs of buildings, neighborhoods, and potentially entire cities. Among those, integrated developments have the peculiarity of combining multiple functions within a compact space and, as such, behave as microcosms of a city that can help address the problem of urban sprawl and density.

A usability study on mobile EMG-guided wrist extension training in subacute stroke patients-MyoGuide.

Background: Effective stroke rehabilitation requires high-dose, repetitive-task training, especially during the early recovery phase. However, the usability of upper-limb rehabilitation technology in acute and subacute stroke survivors remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we introduce subacute stroke survivors to MyoGuide, a mobile training platform that employs surface electromyography (sEMG)-guided neurofeedback training that specifically targets wrist extension.

Adaptive gait responses to varying weight-bearing conditions: Inferences from gait dynamics and H-reflex magnitude.

This study investigates the effects of varying loading conditions on excitability in neural pathways and gait dynamics. We focussed on evaluating the magnitude of the Hoffman reflex (H-reflex), a neurophysiological measure representing the capability to activate motor neurons and the timing and placement of the foot during walking. We hypothesized that weight manipulation would alter H-reflex magnitude, footfall and lower body kinematics.

Validity of resting heart rate derived from contact-based smartphone photoplethysmography compared with electrocardiography: a scoping review and checklist for optimal acquisition and reporting.

Background: With the rise of smartphone ownership and increasing evidence to support the suitability of smartphone usage in healthcare, the light source and smartphone camera could be utilized to perform photoplethysmography (PPG) for the assessment of vital signs, such as heart rate (HR). However, until rigorous validity assessment has been conducted, PPG will have limited use in clinical settings.

Objective: We aimed to conduct a scoping review assessing the validity of resting heart rate (RHR) acquisition from PPG utilizing contact-based smartphone devices.

Performance of digital technologies in assessing fall risks among older adults with cognitive impairment: a systematic review.

Older adults with cognitive impairment (CI) are twice as likely to fall compared to the general older adult population. Traditional fall risk assessments may not be suitable for older adults with CI due to their reliance on attention and recall. Hence, there is an interest in using objective technology-based fall risk assessment tools to assess falls within this population.

Towards a validated glossary of usability attributes for the evaluation of wearable robotic devices.

Background: Despite technical advances in the field of wearable robotic devices (WRD), there is still limited user acceptance of these technologies. While usability often comes as a key factor influencing acceptance, there is a scattered landscape of definitions and scopes for the term. To advance usability evaluation, and to integrate usability features as design requirements during technology development, there is a need for benchmarks and shared terminology.

Attrition in Conversational Agent-Delivered Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Conversational agents (CAs) or chatbots are computer programs that mimic human conversation. They have the potential to improve access to mental health interventions through automated, scalable, and personalized delivery of psychotherapeutic content. However, digital health interventions, including those delivered by CAs, often have high attrition rates.

Bone remodelling prediction using mechanical stimulus with bone connectivity theory in porous implants.

Strain energy density (SED) is considered to be the primary remodelling stimulus influencing the process of bone growth into porous implants. A bone remodelling algorithm incorporating the concept of bone connectivity, that newly formed bone should only grow from existing bone, was developed to provide a more biologically realistic simulation of bone growth. Results showed that the new algorithm prevented the occurrence of unconnected mature bone within porous implants, an unrealistic phenomenon observed using conventional adaptive elasticity theories.

The loading direction dramatically affects the mechanical properties of the mouse tibia.

The tibial loading mouse model has been extensively used to evaluate bone adaptation in the tibia after mechanical loading treatment. However, there is a prevailing assumption that the load is applied axially to the tibia. The aim of this study was to evaluate how much the apparent mechanical properties of the mouse tibia are affected by the loading direction, by using a validated micro-finite element (micro-FE) model of mice which have been ovariectomized and exposed to external mechanical loading over a two-week period.

CT image-based biomarkers for opportunistic screening of osteoporotic fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The use of opportunistic computed tomography (CT) image-based biomarkers may be a low-cost strategy for screening older individuals at high risk for osteoporotic fractures and populations that are not sufficiently targeted. This review aimed to assess the discriminative ability of image-based biomarkers derived from existing clinical routine CT scans for hip, vertebral, and major osteoporotic fracture prediction. A systematic search in PubMed MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science was conducted from the earliest indexing date until July 2023.

Serum Brevican as a Biomarker of Cerebrovascular Disease in an Elderly Cognitively Impaired Cohort.

In the brain, the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition shapes the neuronal microenvironment and can undergo substantial changes with cerebral pathology. Brevican is integral to the formation of the ECM's neuroprotective perineuronal nets (PNNs). Decreased brevican levels were reported in vascular dementia (VaD) but not in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Modulating Consciousness through Awareness Training Program and Its Impacts on Psychological Stress and Age-Related Gamma Waves.

Aging often leads to awareness decline and psychological stress. Meditation, a method of modulating consciousness, may help individuals improve overall awareness and increase emotional resilience toward stress. This study explored the potential influence of the Awareness Training Program (ATP), a form of consciousness modulation, on age-related brain wave changes and psychological stress in middle-aged adults.

The influence of upward social comparison on retail trading behaviour.

Online investing is often facilitated by digital platforms, where the information of peer top performers can be widely accessible and distributed. However, the influence of such information on retail investors' psychology, their trading behaviour and potential risks they may be prone to is poorly understood. We investigate the impact of upward social comparison on risk-taking, trading activity and investor satisfaction using a tailored experiment with 807 experienced retail investors trading on a dynamically evolving simulated stock market, designed to systematically measure various facets of trading activity.