Possibilities of rehabilitation treatment of children with lymphoblastic leukemia (literary review)

According to nowaday protocols of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment, the percentage of recovering patients has increased significantly. This determines the necessity for comlex long-term rehabilitation, as chemotherapeutic drugs are highly toxic and contribute to the development of comorbid diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous and musculosceletal systems. The purpose of the study was to review and analyze data from foreign and domestic literature concerning possibilities for rehabilitative treatment of children with ALL and to reveal informative methods assessing the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Important elements of rehabilitation goals and assessment of its the effectiveness are the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health of Children and Adolescents, and the Quality of Childrens’ Life. Rehabilitation begins at the hospital and includes psychological support for the child with the involvement of psychotherapists and family, as well as the performance of certain physical exercises lasting for 15-30 minutes, which are selected individually, taking into account the functional capabilities and motivation of the child. After the acute period, physical activity is carried out in accordance with an individual plan, which takes into account the peculiarities of the disease and includes active video games, cycling and other activities. Rehabilitation treatment on the basis of sanatorium-resort institutions with the participation of a multidisciplinary team is actual. Such treatment, in addition to physical exercises, includes the use of natural and preformed physical factors in order to influence the manifestations of comorbid pathology, and also contributes to an increase of the social activity and independence of the child. However, the number of such studies is limited, which determines the necessity to develop clear practical recommendations regarding methods of exposure, their duration and intensity.

Physical activity program using active video games with sedentary adolescents

Objective: the aim of our study was to assess the effect of a physical activity that uses active video games in body composition, physical fitness, cardiovascular and biochemical parameters with sedentary adolescents. Methods: a non-controlled clinical trial design with a convenience sample of adolescents, separately, from ages ten to 17, of both genders. The intervention protocol consisted of physical activity with active video games (AVG), lasting two months, in 24 sessions, evolving into three levels (basic, intermediate and advanced) according to the maximum heart rate of the individuals. The adolescents’ body composition, physical fitness, cardiovascular and biochemical parameters were assessed. Data analysis was performed with a 95% confidence interval. Results: among the 14 adolescents that completed the physical training, we observed a improvement of muscle resistance (Δ= 8.26; p= 0.02) and decrease in post-exercise heart rate and systolic blood pressure (p< 0.01). However, were found a non-significant decrease in body fat percentage (Δ= -3.83; p= 0.24) and strength (Δ= 4.26; p= 0.57). A high level of satisfaction with the proposed activity was identified. Conclusion: a physical activity program based on AVG can reduce cardiovascular risk factors and improve muscle resistance in sedentary adolescents.

Efficacy of Virtual Reality and Exergaming in Improving Balance in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common causes of neurological progressive disease and can lead to loss of mobility, walk impairment, and balance disturbance. Among several rehabilitative approaches proposed, exergaming and virtual reality (VR) have been studied in the recent years. Active video game therapy could reduce the boredom of the rehabilitation process, increasing patient motivation, providing direct feedback, and enabling dual-task training. Aim of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy of exergaming and VR for balance recovery in patients with MS. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were systematically searched from the inception until May 14, 2021 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) presenting: patients with MS as participants, exergaming and VR as intervention, conventional rehabilitation as comparator, and balance assessment [Berg Balance Scale (BBS)] as outcome measure. We also performed a meta-analysis of the mean difference in the BBS via the random-effects method. Out of 93 records, this systematic review included and analyzed 7 RCTs, involving a total of 209 patients affected by MS, of which 97 patients performed exergaming or VR and 112 patients underwent conventional rehabilitation. The meta-analysis reported a significant overall ES of 4.25 (p &lt; 0.0001), showing in the subgroup analysis a non-significant ES of 1.85 (p = 0.39) for the VR and a significant ES of 4.49 (p &lt; 0.0001) for the exergames in terms of the BBS improvement. Taken together, these findings suggested that balance rehabilitation using exergames appears to be more effective than conventional rehabilitation in patients affected by MS.

Active Video Game Program for People with Type 2 Diabetes- a Pilot Study

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of an active video game (AVG) program in physiological parameters, fitness levels, motivation to physical activity, and quality of life on people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Eight T2D patients participated in the 8-week AVG program using Xbox Kinect and/or Nintendo Wii. Heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were monitored during exercise. Physiological and fitness assessment included hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), HR, blood pressure (BP), body mass index, body composition, aerobic and muscular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility. Psychological outcome measures included the Physical Activity Measure-Revised (MPAM-R), Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS), and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF. Participants demonstrated a moderate level of exercise intensity during AVG based on average HR and RPE. HbA1c, BP, and lower extremity muscle strength were improved, but were not statistically significant. The changes on psychological assessment were not significant. However, most participants demonstrated positive behavior and attitudes toward health and physical activity at one-month follow-up. This pilot study demonstrated that the AVG program might be an effective and alternative way of exercise for people with T2D. A future RCT is warranted to determine the physical and psychological effects of AVG on T2D population.

Chained Digital Signature for the Improved Video Integrity Verification

The recorded videos from the surveillance cameras can be used as potential evidence in forensic applications. These videos can be easily manipulated or tampered with video editing tools without leaving visible clues. Hence integrity verification is essential before using the videos as evidence. Existing methods mostly depend on the analysis of video data stream and video container for tampering detection. This paper discusses an active video integrity verification method using Elliptic Curve Cryptography and blockchain. The method uses Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm for calculating digital signature for video content and previous block. The digital signature of the encoded video segment (video content with predetermined size) and that of previous block are kept in each block to form an unbreakable chain. Our method does not consider any coding or compression artifacts of the video file and can be used on any video type and is tested on public-available standard videos with varying sizes and types. The proposed integrity verification scheme has better detection capabilities towards different types of alterations like insertion, copy-paste and deletion and can detect any type of forgery. This method is faster and more resistant to brute force and collision attacks in comparison to existing recent blockchain method.