A Mass-Producible Washable Smart Garment with Embedded Textile EMG Electrodes for Control of Myoelectric Prostheses: A Pilot Study

Electromyography (EMG) is the resulting electrical signal from muscle activity, commonly used as a proxy for users’ intent in voluntary control of prosthetic devices. EMG signals are recorded with gold standard Ag/AgCl gel electrodes, though there are limitations in continuous use applications, with potential skin irritations and discomfort. Alternative dry solid metallic electrodes also face long-term usability and comfort challenges due to their inflexible and non-breathable structures. This is critical when the anatomy of the targeted body region is variable (e.g., residual limbs of individuals with amputation), and conformal contact is essential. In this study, textile electrodes were developed, and their performance in recording EMG signals was compared to gel electrodes. Additionally, to assess the reusability and robustness of the textile electrodes, the effect of 30 consumer washes was investigated. Comparisons were made between the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), with no statistically significant difference, and with the power spectral density (PSD), showing a high correlation. Subsequently, a fully textile sleeve was fabricated covering the forearm, with 14 textile electrodes. For three individuals, an artificial neural network model was trained, capturing the EMG of 7 distinct finger movements. The personalized models were then used to successfully control a myoelectric prosthetic hand.

Pretreatment Alveolar Nitric Oxide Levels Predict Improvement of Pulmonary Function 1 Year Following Anti-Asthma Treatments in Patients with Inhaled Corticosteroid-Naïve Asthma

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are fundamental agents to subside airway inflammation and improve forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) among asthmatics. Alveolar concentrations of nitric oxide (CANO), as well as the classical fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO50), are associated with the pathophysiology of asthma. However, the association between pretreatment CANO levels and response to anti-asthma treatments, including ICS, remains unknown. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We retrospectively analyzed 107 patients newly diagnosed with asthma. ICS in combination with long-acting β₂-agonists (ICS/LABA) was initiated. FEV₁ and FeNO levels were evaluated at diagnosis and were followed up at 6 and 12 months after the treatment intervention. CANO levels were estimated using various expiratory flows of FeNO measurements. Factors associated with annual changes in FEV₁ (ΔFEV₁) were analyzed. Patients with a ΔFEV₁ &#x3c;–20 mL were defined as “poor-responders.” <b><i>Results:</i></b> FEV₁, FeNO50, and CANO levels significantly improved by anti-asthma treatments. The average ΔFEV₁ was 85 (176) mL. Eighty-two patients continuously took ICS/LABA treatment. Higher pretreatment CANO levels and continuous use of LABA were independent predictive factors for the improvement of FEV₁ on multivariate analysis. The decline in FeNO50 and CANO levels by the anti-asthma treatments was significantly greater in 81 responders than in 26 poor-responders. CANO, but not FeNO50, levels at 12 months were significantly higher in poor-responders than in responders (<i>p</i> = 0.009). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Levels of CANO, but not FeNO50, predict changes in pulmonary function in ICS-naïve asthmatics. Meanwhile, persistently high levels of CANO may be related to poor responsiveness to treatments assessed by ΔFEV₁.

Evidence on Human Exposure to Pesticides and the Occurrence of Health Hazards in the Brazilian Population: A Systematic Review

Brazil is among the biggest pesticide consumers in the world, with its population severely exposed to tons of such substances, both because of environmental contamination and occupational use. The health consequences of pesticide exposure are well-documented, but still sparse regarding Brazilian population. This study systematically reviewed the Brazilian studies published that address the relationship between exposure to pesticides and health problems in the Brazilian population. Also, information about pesticide use in Brazil is provided. The included studies showed that exposure to pesticides has a relevant impact on the health of the Brazilian population, regardless of age and gender, and on workers in rural areas or not. Most poisoning events seem to result from the continuous use of pesticides, whether occupationally or environmentally, characterizing a public health problem. The major consequences reported in literature were damage to the central nervous system, cancer, deleterious effects on rural workers' health, intoxications, malformations, and endocrine changes. These findings point out the need to understand the impact of chronic exposure to pesticides on severely exposed people and highlight the importance of creating public policies to protect them and avoid disease occurrence.

Pseudopterygium in a Rabbit - Treatment with Tracolinus

Background: Pseudopterygium, also known as aberrant conjunctival growth, is poorly described in the literature, although it is known that this abnormality is uncommon and affects dwarf rabbits and their crossbreeds. The etiology of this disease is unknown, but there are hypotheses that the conjunctival growth cause may have its origins in immunological factors, inflammation, traumatic conditions, or cartilage dysplasias. Thus, this study reports the treatment efficacy applied in a rabbit, through the continuous use of tracolimus eye drops, after surgical procedure of conjunctival fold resection, as a way of controlling the pseudopterygium in rabbits.Case: This case report discusses the positive results from the surgical and therapeutic conduct of a clinical case attended by the Ophthalmology and Microsurgical Veterinary Service at the Hospital Veterinário Universitário (HVU) of the UFSM. The patient was a male rabbit, sterilized cunicle, approximately 2-year-old, crossed with a dwarf rabbit. The owner's main complaint was the change in the aspect of the left eye, with progressive worsening in the previous four weeks. In the ophthalmological examination, the animal did not present impaired vision or discomfort, however, a vascularized pink membrane was noted, which consisted of a fold of the bulbar conjunctiva, that grew centripetally and covered 90% of the cornea in 360 degrees. The diagnosis was confirmed through visual inspection and the patient's history. The eye alteration had a characteristic aspect, described as proliferation of the bulbar conjunctiva over the cornea, in a centripetal manner and without signs of inflammation. In addition, other ophthalmological alterations were ruled out during the patient's physical and specific examination. The patient was referred for anesthetic evaluation and, in addition, pre-surgical blood tests were performed, which were normal, according to the expected ranges for the species. Subsequently, the animal was submitted to surgical treatment, which consisted of dividing the exuberant conjunctiva, followed by three radial incisions in equal portions. Next, the conjunctival fold was completely incised to the edge of the limbus, without the need of sutures. Anterior lamellar keratectomy was performed on the portion where the membrane was attached to the cornea. For home care, tobramycin-based eye drops (QID, for 7 days) and 0.02% aqueous tacrolimus eye drops (BID - continuous use) were prescribed. The animal was reevaluated 7, 14, 30, 60, 120 and 180 days after surgical correction, and no recurrence of pseudopterygium was observed during the follow-up period. The prognosis of patients with pseudopterygium is reserved, as it is known that the disease may recur after surgical treatment. Therefore, the continuous use of the chosen immunomodulating eye drops was recommended as well as periodic follow-up of the patient.Discussion: In the current study, it was not possible to increase knowledge regarding about the pseudopterygium etiology. Although the condition is not serious, it can cause partial impairment of vision and chronic discomfort. However, the vision field described in the rabbit in this current case remained unchanged, in accordance with other cases described in the literature. Furthermore, no signs of patient discomfort were detected. Some surgical techniques described in the literature for correction of pseudopterygium, shows membrane’s growth recurrence. The use of immunomodulatory drugs is suggested for relapses controlling. In this study, the tracolimus eye drops efficacy was tested, and presented good results in the patient's evaluations for a long period after surgery. The use of immunomodulators is an option for adjuvant topical treatment for controlling pseudopterygium growth, which, associated with corrective surgical treatment, has shown positive results.Keywords: conjunctiva, aberrant, immunomodulator, treatment, bunny.Título: Pseudopterígio em coelho - tratamento com tracolimusDescritores: conjuntiva, aberrante, imunomodulador, tratamento, coelho.

Application of Nave Bayes Algorithm for SMS Spam Classification Using Orange

Mobile phones have become a necessity for everyone. SMS is a communication service that is used to send and receive short messages in the form of text on mobile phones. Among all the advantages of SMS, there is a very annoying activity called spam (unsolicited commercial advertisements). Spam is the continuous use of electronic devices to send messages. called spammers. Spam messages are sent by advertisers with the lowest operating costs. Therefore, there are a lot of spammers and the number of messages requested is huge. Therefore, many aspects are harmed and disturbed. When SMS enters the user's mobile device, this study aims to classify spam and ham SMS. SMS classification adopts naive Bayes method. By looking at the contents of the SMS, the application of the naive Bayes method in data mining can distinguish unwanted SMS from non-spam. Results The classification accuracy rate is 0.999%. Based on the research that I have done, the Naive Bayes method can classify 1000 SMS spam data contained in the SMS spam data set file correctly.

The Penggunaan Insektisida Rumah Tangga dan Kerentanan Aedes sp terhadap Permetrin di Kelurahan Sorosutan Kota Yogyakarta

The use of household insecticides is an alternative solution to prevent mosquito bites.Most of the household insecticides sold in Indonesia have pyrethroid active ingredients, permethrin,which is available in the aerosol formulation. Inappropriate use of household insecticides can reducemosquito susceptibility. The objectives of this study are to describe the use of household insecticidesand susceptibility of Aedes sp. against permethrin in Sorosutan Yogyakarta. This study used a crosssectionalsurvey design. This study was conducted in December 2018–April 2019 in 354 householdsin Sorosutan which were randomly selected based on proportional sampling. Interviews about thehousehold insecticides were conducted with the owner or resident of the house. The susceptibilitytests used impregnated paper with permethrin 0.75%. The survey results showed that 25.14% ofthe houses use household insecticides. The insecticide used were aerosol, electric mosquito repellents,and mosquito coils containing active ingredients of the pyrethroid group, namely dimefl uthrin,transfl uthrin, prallethrin, cypermethrin, and metofl uthrin. The susceptibility test results showed adecrease in mosquito susceptibility where the population of Aedes sp. in Sorosutan has been resistantagainst permethrin. The continuous use of insecticides with pyrethroid active ingredients can developmosquito resistance against permethrin because all pyrethroids have the same mode of action. Thisstudy concludes that only a small proportion (25,14%) of the households used insecticides with theactive ingredients used mainly in the pyrethroid group (dimefl uthrin, transfl uthrin, prallethrin,cypermethrin, and metofl uthrin) and the population of Aedes sp. in Sorosutan has been resistant topermethrin.

Trasmigrazioni: cultura materiale e sviluppo dell'identità. Alcune riflessioni sulla produzione di San Vincenzo al Volturno

The text analyzes the ornamental culture of the monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno, through the comparison between different classes of materials. Through the analogies between the ornamental motifs, we tried to reconstruct their creative process, on a perceptual basis. The study, in fact, focuses on the relationship between the individual and the environment, exploiting the theories of Gibson, applying them to a particular context such as monasteries. The goal is to demonstrate how the continuous use of space determines the acquisition of visual information, which, stored in memory, is re-proposed during the creative process. Especially, it is the daily journey of the rooms that guarantees the memorization of the signs and, at the same time, their updating, through the change of perspective that occurs with movement. In the last part, we discuss the perceptive effects of the aniconic paintings in the crypt of Joshua.

The effects of virtual reality telemedicine a single pediatric use case patient with PTSD, post COVID-19: Exploratory research method. (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED This paper is an exploratory research comparison between using standard tele psych over 2D devices with HMD ( Head Mounted Device) using the Thera VRTM software. The single case example is with the pediatric mental health subject, and was specifically used to treat PTSD and co morbid symptoms related to the impact of COVID-19. The case usage was all delivered as telemedicine, and was conducted in private practice. Interventions used on all devices were Trauma Focused CBT. Results suggested a positive improvement on both patient engagement and outcome in treatment after continuous use of Virtual Reality as telehealth with avatar technology. Written informed consent was obtained from the minor’s legal guardian under the THERA VR™ agreement, for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article.