Beyond center-based testing: Understanding and improving functioning with wearable technology in MS

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1402-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giampaolo Brichetto ◽  
Ludovico Pedullà ◽  
Jessica Podda ◽  
Andrea Tacchino
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Daily Life Activities ◽  
Appropriate Care ◽  
Objective Outcomes

Wearable sensors are designed to be worn on the body or embedded into portable devices (e.g. smartphones and smartwatches), allowing continuous patient-based monitoring, objective outcomes measuring, and feedback delivering on daily-life activities. Within the medicine domain, there has been a rapid increase in the development, testing, and use of wearable technologies especially in the context of neurological diseases. Although wearables represent promising tools also in multiple sclerosis (MS), the research on their application in MS is still ongoing, and further studies are required to assess their reliability and accuracy to monitor body functions and disability in people with MS (pwMS). Here, we provided a comprehensive overview of the opportunities, potential challenges, and limitations of the wearable technology use in MS. In particular, we classified previous findings within this field into macro-categories, considered crucial for disease management: assessment, monitoring, intervention, advice, and education. Given the increasing pivotal role played by wearables, current literature suggests that for pwMS, the time is right to shift from a center-based traditional therapeutic paradigm toward a personalized patient-based disease self-management. On this way, we present two ongoing initiatives aimed at implementing a continuous monitoring of pwMS and, consequently, providing timely and appropriate care interventions.

scholarly journals Time-Frequency Characteristics of In-Home Radio Channels Influenced by Activities of the Home Occupant

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
pp. 3557
Author(s):  
Alireza Borhani ◽  
Matthias Pätzold ◽  
Kun Yang
Keyword(s):  
Radio Channel ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Fall Detection ◽  
The Body ◽  
Home Healthcare ◽  
Radio Waves ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Daily Life Activities ◽  
Data Files ◽  
The Impact

While aging is a serious global concern, in-home healthcare monitoring solutions are limited to context-aware systems and wearable sensors, which may easily be forgotten or ignored for privacy and comfort reasons. An emerging non-wearable fall detection approach is based on processing radio waves reflected off the body, who has no active interaction with the system. This paper reports on an indoor radio channel measurement campaign at 5.9 GHz, which has been conducted to study the impact of fall incidents and some daily life activities on the temporal and spectral properties of the indoor channel under both line-of-sight (LOS) and obstructed-LOS (OLOS) propagation conditions. The time-frequency characteristic of the channel has been thoroughly investigated by spectrogram analysis. Studying the instantaneous Doppler characteristics shows that the Doppler spread ignores small variations of the channel (especially under OLOS conditions), but highlights coarse ones caused by falls. The channel properties studied in this paper can be considered to be new useful metrics for the design of reliable fall detection algorithms. We share all measured data files with the community through Code Ocean. The data can be used for validating a new class of channel models aiming at the design of smart activity recognition systems via a software-based approach.

scholarly journals Bridging the gap between military prolonged field care monitoring and exploration spaceflight: the compensatory reserve

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor E. Schlotman ◽  
Kris R. Lehnhardt ◽  
Andrew F. Abercromby ◽  
Benjamin D. Easter ◽  
Meghan E. Downs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physiological Status ◽  
Us Army ◽  
Medical Evacuation ◽  
Compensatory Reserve ◽  
Combat Medics ◽  
Time Changes

AbstractThe concept of prolonged field care (PFC), or medical care applied beyond doctrinal planning timelines, is the top priority capability gap across the US Army. PFC is the idea that combat medics must be prepared to provide medical care to serious casualties in the field without the support of robust medical infrastructure or resources in the event of delayed medical evacuation. With limited resources, significant distances to travel before definitive care, and an inability to evacuate in a timely fashion, medical care during exploration spaceflight constitutes the ultimate example PFC. One of the main capability gaps for PFC in both military and spaceflight settings is the need for technologies for individualized monitoring of a patient’s physiological status. A monitoring capability known as the compensatory reserve measurement (CRM) meets such a requirement. CRM is a small, portable, wearable technology that uses a machine learning and feature extraction-based algorithm to assess real-time changes in hundreds of specific features of arterial waveforms. Future development and advancement of CRM still faces engineering challenges to develop ruggedized wearable sensors that can measure waveforms for determining CRM from multiple sites on the body and account for less than optimal conditions (sweat, water, dirt, blood, movement, etc.). We show here the utility of a military wearable technology, CRM, which can be translated to space exploration.

scholarly journals Wearable Skin Sensors and Their Challenges: A Review of Transdermal, Optical, and Mechanical Sensors

Biosensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Ahmad Tarar ◽  
Umair Mohammad ◽  
Soumya K. Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Glucose Monitoring ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Mechanical Sensors ◽  
Remote Health

Wearable technology and mobile healthcare systems are both increasingly popular solutions to traditional healthcare due to their ease of implementation and cost-effectiveness for remote health monitoring. Recent advances in research, especially the miniaturization of sensors, have significantly contributed to commercializing the wearable technology. Most of the traditional commercially available sensors are either mechanical or optical, but nowadays transdermal microneedles are also being used for micro-sensing such as continuous glucose monitoring. However, there remain certain challenges that need to be addressed before the possibility of large-scale deployment. The biggest challenge faced by all these wearable sensors is our skin, which has an inherent property to resist and protect the body from the outside world. On the other hand, biosensing is not possible without overcoming this resistance. Consequently, understanding the skin structure and its response to different types of sensing is necessary to remove the scientific barriers that are hindering our ability to design more efficient and robust skin sensors. In this article, we review research reports related to three different biosensing modalities that are commonly used along with the challenges faced in their implementation for detection. We believe this review will be of significant use to researchers looking to solve existing problems within the ongoing research in wearable sensors.

scholarly journals An Integrated Multi-Sensor Approach for the Remote Monitoring of Parkinson’s Disease

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 4764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Albani ◽  
Claudia Ferraris ◽  
Roberto Nerino ◽  
Antonio Chimienti ◽  
Giuseppe Pettiti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Remote Monitoring ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The Body

The increment of the prevalence of neurological diseases due to the trend in population aging demands for new strategies in disease management. In Parkinson’s disease (PD), these strategies should aim at improving diagnosis accuracy and frequency of the clinical follow-up by means of decentralized cost-effective solutions. In this context, a system suitable for the remote monitoring of PD subjects is presented. It consists of the integration of two approaches investigated in our previous works, each one appropriate for the movement analysis of specific parts of the body: low-cost optical devices for the upper limbs and wearable sensors for the lower ones. The system performs the automated assessments of six motor tasks of the unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale, and it is equipped with a gesture-based human machine interface designed to facilitate the user interaction and the system management. The usability of the system has been evaluated by means of standard questionnaires, and the accuracy of the automated assessment has been verified experimentally. The results demonstrate that the proposed solution represents a substantial improvement in PD assessment respect to the former two approaches treated separately, and a new example of an accurate, feasible and cost-effective mean for the decentralized management of PD.

scholarly journals Use of wearable sensors for pregnancy health and environmental monitoring: Descriptive findings from the perspective of patients and providers

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 205520761982822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Runkle ◽  
Maggie Sugg ◽  
Danielle Boase ◽  
Shelley L. Galvin ◽  
Carol C. Coulson
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Prenatal Care ◽  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Rural Health ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Smart Technology

Background Wearable sensors and other smart technology may be especially beneficial in providing remote monitoring of sub-clinical changes in pregnancy health status. Yet, limited research has examined perceptions among pregnant patients and providers in incorporating smart technology into their daily routine and clinical practice. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of pregnant women and their providers at a rural health clinic on the use of wearable technology to monitor health and environmental exposures during pregnancy. Methods An anonymous 21-item e-survey was administered to family medicine or obstetrics and gynecology ( n=28) providers at a rural health clinic; while a 21-item paper survey was administered to pregnant women ( n=103) attending the clinic for prenatal care. Results Smartphone and digital technology use was high among patients and providers. Patients would consider wearing a mobile sensor during pregnancy, reported no privacy concerns, and felt comfortable sharing information from these devices with their physician. About seven out of 10 women expressed willingness to change their behavior during pregnancy in response to receiving personalized recommendations from a smartphone. While most providers did not currently use smart technologies in their medical practice, about half felt it will be used more often in the future to diagnose and remotely monitor patients. Patients ranked fetal heart rate and blood pressure as their top preference for health monitoring compared to physicians who ranked blood pressure and blood glucose. Patients and providers demonstrated similar preferences for environmental monitoring, but patients as a whole expressed more interests in tracking environmental measures compared to their providers. Conclusions Patients and providers responded positively to the use of wearable sensor technology in prenatal care. More research is needed to understand what factors might motivate provider use and implementation of wearable technology to improve the delivery of prenatal care.

scholarly journals Smart Wearable Sensors Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Personal Healthcare Monitoring

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Ruonan Li ◽  
Xuelian Wei ◽  
Jiahui Xu ◽  
Junhuan Chen ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Monitoring ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Body ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽  
Personal Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Monitoring ◽  
Smart Wearable

Accurate monitoring of motion and sleep states is critical for human health assessment, especially for a healthy life, early diagnosis of diseases, and medical care. In this work, a smart wearable sensor (SWS) based on a dual-channel triboelectric nanogenerator was presented for a real-time health monitoring system. The SWS can be worn on wrists, ankles, shoes, or other parts of the body and cloth, converting mechanical triggers into electrical output. By analyzing these signals, the SWS can precisely and constantly monitor and distinguish various motion states, including stepping, walking, running, and jumping. Based on the SWS, a fall-down alarm system and a sleep quality assessment system were constructed to provide personal healthcare monitoring and alert family members or doctors via communication devices. It is important for the healthy growth of the young and special patient groups, as well as for the health monitoring and medical care of the elderly and recovered patients. This work aimed to broaden the paths for remote biological movement status analysis and provide diversified perspectives for true-time and long-term health monitoring, simultaneously.

scholarly journals Recent Impact of Microfluidics on Skin Models for Perspiration Simulation

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Genís Rabost-Garcia ◽  
Josep Farré-Lladós ◽  
Jasmina Casals-Terré
Keyword(s):  
Sweat Gland ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Surface Characteristics ◽  
Skin Surface ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
Alternative Strategies ◽  
Accurate Model ◽  
Key Features

Skin models offer an in vitro alternative to human trials without their high costs, variability, and ethical issues. Perspiration models, in particular, have gained relevance lately due to the rise of sweat analysis and wearable technology. The predominant approach to replicate the key features of perspiration (sweat gland dimensions, sweat rates, and skin surface characteristics) is to use laser-machined membranes. Although they work effectively, they present some limitations at the time of replicating sweat gland dimensions. Alternative strategies in terms of fabrication and materials have also showed similar challenges. Additional research is necessary to implement a standardized, simple, and accurate model representing sweating for wearable sensors testing.

scholarly journals Epigenetic Regulation of Cannabinoid-Mediated Attenuation of Inflammation and Its Impact on the Use of Cannabinoids to Treat Autoimmune Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7302
Author(s):  
Bryan Latrell Holloman ◽  
Mitzi Nagarkatti ◽  
Prakash Nagarkatti
Keyword(s):  
Autoimmune Diseases ◽  
Chronic Inflammation ◽  
Cannabinoid Receptors ◽  
T Regulatory Cells ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Suppressor Cells ◽  
The Body ◽  
New Class ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Clinical Disorders

Chronic inflammation is considered to be a silent killer because it is the underlying cause of a wide range of clinical disorders, from cardiovascular to neurological diseases, and from cancer to obesity. In addition, there are over 80 different types of debilitating autoimmune diseases for which there are no cure. Currently, the drugs that are available to suppress chronic inflammation are either ineffective or overtly suppress the inflammation, thereby causing increased susceptibility to infections and cancer. Thus, the development of a new class of drugs that can suppress chronic inflammation is imperative. Cannabinoids are a group of compounds produced in the body (endocannabinoids) or found in cannabis (phytocannabinoids) that act through cannabinoid receptors and various other receptors expressed widely in the brain and immune system. In the last decade, cannabinoids have been well established experimentally to mediate anti-inflammatory properties. Research has shown that they suppress inflammation through multiple pathways, including apoptosis and inducing immunosuppressive T regulatory cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Interestingly, cannabinoids also mediate epigenetic alterations in genes that regulate inflammation. In the current review, we highlight how the epigenetic modulations caused by cannabinoids lead to the suppression of inflammation and help identify novel pathways that can be used to target autoimmune diseases.

scholarly journals User agreements and makerspaces: a content analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 116 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 358-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Michele Moorefield-Lang
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
The Body ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Qualitative Data Analysis Software

Abstract – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the user agreements of makerspaces in public and academic libraries. User agreements, also known as maker agreements, user forms and liability forms, can be very important documents between library patrons, staff and faculty. User agreements are similar to the earlier creation of acceptable use policies for technology use in libraries. The author of this study will delve into the user agreements created for public and academic libraries across the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The researcher used content analysis to investigate 24 different user agreements written for public and academic library makerspaces. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was integrated into this research to aid in the breakdown of commonalities across terms, themes and purpose within the user agreements. Findings – Although makerspaces are a very exciting topic in the field of library science at this time, the implementation of a maker learning space is still new to many libraries. Creating a user agreement for a makerspace is newer still. Most user agreements in this study were six months to a year old. Some consistencies found across makerspace user agreements include liability waivers, permissions for minors, safety, copyright and technology replacement costs. Originality/value – At this time, most publications on makerspaces are held in the realm of popular publications (blogs, magazines, zines, etc.). The body of peer-reviewed and scholarly research on makerspaces is growing. Makerspace user agreements are new to this growing field of interest, and a content analysis of these documents will pave the way for the writing of future forms.

The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Philosophy

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Queer Theory ◽  
Postcolonial Theory ◽  
The Body ◽  
Feminist Philosophy ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Trans Studies ◽  
Feminist Perspectives ◽  
The Rich

This exciting new Handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the contemporary state of the field. The editors’ introduction and forty-five essays cover feminist critical engagements with philosophy and adjacent scholarly fields, as well as feminist approaches to current debates and crises across the world. Authors cover topics ranging from the ways in which feminist philosophy attends to other systems of oppression, and the gendered, racialized, and classed assumptions embedded in philosophical concepts, to feminist perspectives on prominent subfields of philosophy. The first section contains chapters that explore feminist philosophical engagement with mainstream and marginalized histories and traditions, while the second section parses feminist philosophy’s contributions to with numerous philosophical subfields, for example metaphysics and bioethics. A third section explores what feminist philosophy can illuminate about crucial moral and political issues of identity, gender, the body, autonomy, prisons, among numerous others. The Handbook concludes with the field’s engagement with other theories and movements, including trans studies, queer theory, critical race, theory, postcolonial theory, and decolonial theory. The volume provides a rigorous but accessible resource for students and scholars who are interested in feminist philosophy, and how feminist philosophers situate their work in relation to the philosophical mainstream and other disciplines. Above all it aims to showcase the rich diversity of subject matter, approach, and method among feminist philosophers.

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