المؤلفون: Cristina Brambilla, Roberto Marani, Laura Romeo, Matteo Lavit Nicora, Fabio A. Storm, Gianluigi Reni, Matteo Malosio, Tiziana D'Orazio, Alessandro Scano

المصدر: Heliyon, Vol 9, Iss 11, Pp e21606- (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: Azure Kinect, Biomechanics, Human tracking, Kinematics, Upper limb, Vicon, Science (General), Q1-390, Social sciences (General), H1-99

الوصف: Human motion tracking is a valuable task for many medical applications. Marker-based optoelectronic systems are considered the gold standard in human motion tracking. However, their use is not always feasible in clinics and industrial environments. On the other hand, marker-less sensors became valuable tools, as they are inexpensive, noninvasive and easy to use. However, their accuracy can depend on many factors including sensor positioning, light conditions and body occlusions. In this study, following previous works on the feasibility of marker-less systems for human motion monitoring, we investigate the performance of the Microsoft Azure Kinect sensor in computing kinematic and dynamic measurements of static postures and dynamic movements. According to our knowledge, it is the first time that this sensor is compared with a Vicon marker-based system to assess the best camera positioning while observing the upper body part movements of people performing several tasks. Twenty-five healthy volunteers were monitored to evaluate the effects of the several testing conditions, including the Azure Kinect positions, the light conditions, and lower limbs occlusions, on the tracking accuracy of kinematic, dynamic, and motor control parameters. From the statistical analysis of the performed measurements, the camera in the frontal position was the most reliable, the lighting conditions had almost no effects on the tracking accuracy, while the lower limbs occlusion worsened the accuracy of the upper limbs. The assessment of human static postures and dynamic movements based on experimental data proves the feasibility of applying the Azure Kinect to the biomechanical monitoring of human motion in several fields.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402308814XTest; https://doaj.org/toc/2405-8440Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/594b16627b074ded86dc9899e16d8ddbTest

المؤلفون: Walaa Karazi, Renata S. Scalco, Mads G. Stemmerik, Nicoline Løkken, Alejandro Lucia, Alfredo Santalla, Andrea Martinuzzi, Marinela Vavla, Gianluigi Reni, Antonio Toscano, Olimpia Musumeci, Carlyn V. Kouwenberg, Pascal Laforêt, Beatriz San Millán, Irene Vieitez, Gabriele Siciliano, Enrico Kühnle, Rebecca Trost, Sabrina Sacconi, Hacer Durmus, Biruta Kierdaszuk, Andrew Wakelin, Antoni L. Andreu, Tomàs Pinós, Ramon Marti, Ros Quinlivan, John Vissing, Nicol C. Voermans, EUROMAC Consortium

المصدر: Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, Vol 18, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: McArdle disease, Glycogen storage disease V, Rare diseases, International registry, Health care, Medicine

الوصف: Abstract Background The European registry for individuals with GSD5 and other muscle glycogenosis (EUROMAC) was launched to register rare muscle glycogenosis in Europe, to facilitate recruitment for research trials and to learn about the phenotypes and disseminate knowledge about the diseases. A network of twenty collaborating partners from eight European countries and the US contributed data on rare muscle glycogenosis in the EUROMAC registry. Methods Following the initial report on demographics, neuromuscular features and comorbidity (2020), we here present the data on social participation, previous and current treatments (medication, supplements, diet and rehabilitation) and limitations. Furthermore, the following questionnaires were used: Fatigue severity scale (FSS), WHO Disability Assessment Scale (DAS 2.0), health related quality of life (SF36) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results Of 282 participants with confirmed diagnoses of muscle glycogenosis, 269 had GSD5. Of them 196 (73%) completed all questionnaires; for the others, the data were incomplete. The majority, 180 (67%) were currently working. Previous medical treatments included pain medication (23%) and rehabilitation treatment (60%). The carbohydrate-rich diet was reported to be beneficial for 68%, the low sucrose diet for 76% and the ketogenic diet for 88%. Almost all participants (93%) reported difficulties climbing stairs. The median FSS score was 5.22, indicating severe fatigue. The data from the WHODAS and IPAQ was not of sufficient quality to be interpreted. Conclusions The EUROMAC registry have provided insight into the functional and social status of participants with GSD5: most participants are socially active despite limitations in physical and daily life activities. Regular physical activity and different dietary approaches may alleviate fatigue and pain.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://doaj.org/toc/1750-1172Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/36d94750141a4f249b7874ba6c6e46e8Test

المؤلفون: Cristina Brambilla, Matteo Lavit Nicora, Fabio Storm, Gianluigi Reni, Matteo Malosio, Alessandro Scano

المصدر: Bioengineering, Vol 10, Iss 4, p 445 (2023)

مصطلحات موضوعية: upper limb, industrial, fatigue, strain, effort, evaluation, Technology, Biology (General), QH301-705.5

الوصف: Recent human-centered developments in the industrial field (Industry 5.0) lead companies and stakeholders to ensure the wellbeing of their workers with assessments of upper limb performance in the workplace, with the aim of reducing work-related diseases and improving awareness of the physical status of workers, by assessing motor performance, fatigue, strain and effort. Such approaches are usually developed in laboratories and only at times they are translated to on-field applications; few studies summarized common practices for the assessments. Therefore, our aim is to review the current state-of-the-art approaches used for the assessment of fatigue, strain and effort in working scenarios and to analyze in detail the differences between studies that take place in the laboratory and in the workplace, in order to give insights on future trends and directions. A systematic review of the studies aimed at evaluating the motor performance, fatigue, strain and effort of the upper limb targeting working scenarios is presented. A total of 1375 articles were found in scientific databases and 288 were analyzed. About half of the scientific articles are focused on laboratory pilot studies investigating effort and fatigue in laboratories, while the other half are set in working places. Our results showed that assessing upper limb biomechanics is quite common in the field, but it is mostly performed with instrumental assessments in laboratory studies, while questionnaires and scales are preferred in working places. Future directions may be oriented towards multi-domain approaches able to exploit the potential of combined analyses, exploitation of instrumental approaches in workplace, targeting a wider range of people and implementing more structured trials to translate pilot studies to real practice.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/10/4/445Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2306-5354Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/163c4ac8c66c4e7fbca1ee2573272531Test

المؤلفون: Roberta Nossa, Emilia Biffi, Giovanna Colnago, Giovanna De Gregorio, Laura Saudelli, Gianluigi Reni, Christian Caruso

المصدر: Frontiers in Psychology, Vol 12 (2021)

مصطلحات موضوعية: COVID-19, school closure, childhood services, family engagement, child development, child well-being, Psychology, BF1-990

الوصف: During the COVID-19 outbreak, we experienced the suspension of both work-related and spare activities, with the closure of shops, companies, services, as well as schools. Children probably are the ones who have suffered the most from this situation, due to the limited socialization with peers and boredom experienced at home. In this context, schools and childhood services tried to relieve the negative effects brought by the pandemic through actions aimed at actively engaging students and their parents in promoting child development and wellbeing. Therefore, several worldwide actions have been implemented to guarantee educational continuity. However, most of these actions targeted 3–18years old children/adolescents, while the subgroup 0–3 was rarely included. Cooperativa Sociale Aeris, a social enterprise based in northern Italy that deals with socio-educational and welfare services, took several measures to overcome problems resulting from the closure of its services dedicated to 0–3 aged children. In this manuscript, we depict how Aeris kept engaged children and their parents, reporting families’ evaluation on the actions taken. For assessing their proposed activities, Aeris promptly distributed an on-line survey to the families in May 2020. The answers showed that the organized activities had a positive impact on both children and parents, diminishing the sense of loneliness and boredom for the former, and acting as an important support for the latter. Therefore, this manuscript could work as a reference for policy-makers and managers of educational services in implementing activities and initiatives during home schooling.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.722834/fullTest; https://doaj.org/toc/1664-1078Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/756aa93110844952820a3a868c015656Test

المؤلفون: Niccolò Butti, Emilia Biffi, Chiara Genova, Romina Romaniello, Davide Felice Redaelli, Gianluigi Reni, Renato Borgatti, Cosimo Urgesi

المصدر: Trials, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2020)

مصطلحات موضوعية: Virtual reality, Social cognition training, Cerebellum, Paediatric patients, Rehabilitation, GRAIL, Medicine (General), R5-920

الوصف: Abstract Background Patients with cerebellar malformations exhibit not only movement problems, but also important deficits in social cognition. Thus, rehabilitation approaches should not only involve the recovery of motor function but also of higher-order abilities such as processing of social stimuli. In keeping with the general role of the cerebellum in anticipating and predicting events, we used a VR-based rehabilitation system to implement a social cognition intensive training specifically tailored to improve predictive abilities in social scenarios (VR-Spirit). Methods/design The study is an interventional randomised controlled trial that aims to recruit 42 children, adolescents and young adults with congenital cerebellar malformations, randomly allocated to the experimental group or the active control group. The experimental group is administered the VR-Spirit, requiring the participants to compete with different avatars in the reaching of recreational equipment and implicitly prompting them to form expectations about their playing preference. The active control group participates in a VR-training with standard games currently adopted for motor rehabilitation. Both trainings are composed by eight 45-min sessions and are administered in the GRAIL VR laboratory (Motekforce Link, Netherlands), an integrated platform that allows patients to move in natural and attractive VR environments. An evaluation session in VR with the same paradigm used in the VR-Spirit but implemented in a different scenario is administered at the beginning (T0) of the two trainings (T1) and at the end (T2). Moreover, a battery of neurocognitive tests spanning different domains is administered to all participants at T0, T2 and in a follow-up session after 2 months from the end of the two trainings (T3). Discussion This study offers a novel approach for rehabilitation based on specific neural mechanisms of the cerebellum. We aim to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of a new, intensive, social cognition training in a sample of Italian patients aged 7–25 years with congenital cerebellar malformations. We expect that VR-Spirit could enhance social prediction ability and indirectly improve cognitive performance in diverse domains. Moreover, through the comparison with a VR-active control training we aim to verify the specificity of VR-Spirit in improving social perception skills. Trial registration ISRCTN, ID: ISRCTN 22332873. Retrospectively registered on 12 March 2018.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://doaj.org/toc/1745-6215Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/8cd3cfcc577c4902aa9bb5ffdd9ffbc1Test

المؤلفون: Fabio Alexander Storm, Davide Felice Redaelli, Emilia Biffi, Gianluigi Reni, Paolo Fraschini

المصدر: Materials, Vol 15, Iss 18, p 6221 (2022)

مصطلحات موضوعية: additive manufacturing, scoliosis, spinal orthoses, postural stability, production process, Technology, Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering, TK1-9971, Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General), TA1-2040, Microscopy, QH201-278.5, Descriptive and experimental mechanics, QC120-168.85

الوصف: Spinal orthoses produced using additive manufacturing show great potential for obtaining patient-specific solutions in clinical applications, reducing manual operations, time consumption, and material waste. This study was conducted to evaluate the production process of spinal orthoses produced by additive manufacturing, and to test the effects of 3D-printed braces on postural stability in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and osteogenesis imperfecta. Ten patients were recruited consecutively and were asked to wear a spinal orthosis produced by additive manufacturing for 2 weeks. The four phases of the production process for each brace were evaluated separately on a scale from 0 (not acceptable) to 3 (optimal). Postural stability in the unbraced and the two braced conditions (3D-printed and conventional) was assessed using validated metrics obtained from a wearable inertial sensor. The production process was evaluated as good in four cases, acceptable in five cases, and not acceptable in one case, due to problems in the printing phase. No statistically significant differences were observed in any of the postural balance metrics between the 3D-printed and conventional brace. On the other hand, postural balance metrics improved significantly with both types of braces with respect to the unbraced condition. Spinal orthoses produced with an innovative production process based on digital scans, CAD, and 3D printing are valid alternatives to conventionally produced orthoses, providing equivalent postural stability.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/18/6221Test; https://doaj.org/toc/1996-1944Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/236ea07a11ac42989cc0379aae221efdTest

المؤلفون: Cristina Brambilla, Matteo Malosio, Gianluigi Reni, Alessandro Scano

المصدر: Biology, Vol 11, Iss 3, p 391 (2022)

مصطلحات موضوعية: power, energy, torque, upper limb, industry, fatigue, Biology (General), QH301-705.5

الوصف: In the last few years, there has been increased interest in the preservation of physical and mental health of workers that cooperate with robots in industrial contexts, such as in the framework of the European H2020 Mindbot Project. Since biomechanical analysis contributes to the characterization of the subject interacting with a robotic setup and platform, we tested different speed and loading conditions in a simulated environment to determine upper-limb optimal performance. The simulations were performed starting from laboratory data of people executing upper-limb frontal reaching movements, by scaling the motion law and imposing various carried loads at the hand. The simulated velocity ranged from 20% to 200% of the original natural speed, with step increments of 10%, while the hand loads were 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 kg, simulating carried objects. A 3D inverse kinematic and dynamic model was used to compute upper-limb kinematics and dynamics, including shoulder flexion, shoulder abduction, and elbow flexion. An optimal range of velocities was found in which the expended energy was lower. Interestingly, the optimal speed corresponding to lower exerted torque and energy decreased when the load applied increased. Lastly, we introduced a preliminary movement inefficiency index to evaluate the deviation of the power and expended energy for the shoulder flexion degree of freedom when not coinciding with the minimum energy condition. These results can be useful in human–robot collaboration to design minimum-fatigue collaborative tasks, tune setup parameters and robot behavior, and support physical and mental health for workers.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/3/391Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2079-7737Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/b7e4ad2251244dca8cc0a272d49fe630Test

المؤلفون: Caterina Piazza, Chiara Cantiani, Makoto Miyakoshi, Valentina Riva, Massimo Molteni, Gianluigi Reni, Scott Makeig

المصدر: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Vol 14 (2020)

مصطلحات موضوعية: EEG, independent component analysis, functional brain organization, development, brain laterality, brain symmetry, Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, RC321-571

الوصف: Although anatomical brain hemispheric asymmetries have been clearly documented in the infant brain, findings concerning functional hemispheric specialization have been inconsistent. The present report aims to assess whether bilaterally symmetric synchronous activity between the two hemispheres is a characteristic of the infant brain. To asses cortical bilateral synchronicity, we used decomposition by independent component analysis (ICA) of high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) data collected in an auditory passive oddball paradigm. Decompositions of concatenated 64-channel EEG data epochs from each of 34 typically developing 6-month-old infants and from 18 healthy young adults participating in the same passive auditory oddball protocol were compared to characterize differences in functional brain organization between early life and adulthood. Our results show that infant EEG decompositions comprised a larger number of independent component (IC) effective source processes compatible with a cortical origin and having bilaterally near-symmetric scalp projections (13.8% of the infant data ICs presented a bilateral pattern vs. 4.3% of the adult data ICs). These IC projections could be modeled as the sum of potentials volume-conducted to the scalp from synchronous locally coherent field activities in corresponding left and right cortical source areas. To conclude, in this paradigm, source-resolved infant brain EEG exhibited more bilateral synchronicity than EEG produced by the adult brain, supporting the hypothesis that more strongly unilateral and likely more functionally specialized unihemispheric cortical field activities are concomitants of brain maturation.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00082/fullTest; https://doaj.org/toc/1662-5161Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/70be2c7a3a4a424c8547cf6a7107dc48Test

المؤلفون: Caterina Piazza, Eleonora Visintin, Gianluigi Reni, Rosario Montirosso

المصدر: Brain Sciences, Vol 11, Iss 9, p 1159 (2021)

مصطلحات موضوعية: baseline, mu-rhythm, EEG, ERD/ERS, pediatric population, Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry, RC321-571

الوصف: Event-related mu-rhythm activity has become a common tool for the investigation of different socio-cognitive processes in pediatric populations. The estimation of the mu-rhythm desynchronization/synchronization (mu-ERD/ERS) in a specific task is usually computed in relation to a baseline condition. In the present study, we investigated the effect that different types of baseline might have on toddler mu-ERD/ERS related to an action observation (AO) and action execution (AE) task. Specifically, we compared mu-ERD/ERS values computed using as a baseline: (1) the observation of a static image (BL1) and (2) a period of stillness (BL2). Our results showed that the majority of the subjects suppressed the mu-rhythm in response to the task and presented a greater mu-ERD for one of the two baselines. In some cases, one of the two baselines was not even able to produce a significant mu-ERD, and the preferred baseline varied among subjects even if most of them were more sensitive to the BL1, thus suggesting that this could be a good baseline to elicit mu-rhythm modulations in toddlers. These results recommended some considerations for the design and analysis of mu-rhythm studies involving pediatric subjects: in particular, the importance of verifying the mu-rhythm activity during baseline, the relevance of single-subject analysis, the possibility of including more than one baseline condition, and caution in the choice of the baseline and in the interpretation of the results of studies investigating mu-rhythm activity in pediatric populations.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/9/1159Test; https://doaj.org/toc/2076-3425Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/9049d6806abc4c46a6444724e5ff4e23Test

المؤلفون: Fabio Alexander Storm, Ambra Cesareo, Gianluigi Reni, Emilia Biffi

المصدر: Sensors, Vol 20, Iss 9, p 2660 (2020)

مصطلحات موضوعية: wearable sensors, MIMUs, 6-minute walk test, gait, Chemical technology, TP1-1185

الوصف: Wearable sensors are becoming increasingly popular for complementing classical clinical assessments of gait deficits. The aim of this review is to examine the existing knowledge by systematically reviewing a large number of papers focusing on the use of wearable inertial sensors for the assessment of gait during the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), a widely recognized, simple, non-invasive, low-cost and reproducible exercise test. After a systematic search on PubMed and Scopus databases, two raters evaluated the quality of 28 full-text articles. Then, the available knowledge was summarized regarding study design, subjects enrolled (number of patients and pathological condition, if any, age, male/female ratio), sensor characteristics (type, number, sampling frequency, range) and body placement, 6MWT protocol and extracted parameters. Results were critically discussed to suggest future directions for the use of inertial sensor devices in the clinics.

وصف الملف: electronic resource

العلاقة: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/9/2660Test; https://doaj.org/toc/1424-8220Test

الوصول الحر: https://doaj.org/article/77a734675e134277b4565ba64577a371Test