Residual effects of combined vibratory and plantar stimulation while seated influences plantar pressure and spatiotemporal gait measures in individuals with Parkinson's disease exhibiting freezing of gait.

Introduction: Combined plantar pressure and vibratory stimulation has been shown to decrease freezing of gait (FOG) episodes and improve spatiotemporal gait parameters compared to single stimulation in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with FOG. However, the effect of combined plantar stimulations on plantar pressure analysis has never been explored.

Methods: Forty PD patients with frequent FOG were allocated to either FOG shoes embedded with a 100 Hz vibratory stimulation at the Achilles tendons and a soft thickened silicone pad at the hallux and sole, or sham shoes with a non-working vibratory motor and a flat non-pressure silicone pad (20 patients per arm) while seated for 96 s.

Association of Generation and Group Size With the Usage of a Mobile Health App in Thailand: Secondary Analysis of the ThaiSook Cohort Study.

Background: In Thailand, The National Science and Technology Development Agency developed ThaiSook, a behavior-tracking app, to promote healthy lifestyles. The Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University (MED PSU)×ThaiSook Healthier Challenge encouraged employees to use the app over a 28-day period (from July 11 to August 7, 2022). Until recently, no previous studies have examined the association of generations and group sizes with mobile health (mHealth) app use.

Workout Logging Through an mHealth App for Weight Reduction Among Different Generations: Secondary Analysis of the MED PSU×ThaiSook Healthier Challenge.

Background: Being overweight or obese presents a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders. These problems are preventable and solvable via weight reduction and increased physical activity and exercise. The number of adults who are overweight or affected by obesity has tripled in the last 4 decades.

Vibratory and plantar pressure stimulation: Steps to improve freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a devastating symptom that develops in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) and is often unresponsive to pharmacological treatment. Recent research suggests that FOG may result from dysfunctional plantar peripheral sensory systems. The impact of combined plantar pressure and vibratory stimulation over vibratory or pressure alone on FOG remains unexplored.

Classification of Parkinson's disease from smartphone recording data using time-frequency analysis and convolutional neural network.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a long-term neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. The current diagnosis is dependent on clinical observation and the abilities and experience of a trained specialist. One of the symptoms that affects most patients is voice impairment.

Non-destructive measurement technique for water content in organic solvents based on a thermal approach.

The water content of organic solvents is one of the crucial properties that affect the quality of the products and the efficiency of the manufacturing processes. The established water determination methods such as Karl Fischer titration and gas chromatography require skilled operators, specific reagents, and prolonged measurement time. Thus, they are not suitable for both on-line and in-line applications.

Parkinson's disease severity clustering based on tapping activity on mobile device.

In this study, we investigated the relationship between finger tapping tasks on the smartphone and the MDS-UPDRS I-II and PDQ-8 using the mPower dataset. mPower is a mobile application-based study for monitoring key indicators of PD progression and diagnosis. Currently, it is one of the largest, open access, mobile Parkinson's Disease studies.

Classification of 41 Hand and Wrist Movements via Surface Electromyogram Using Deep Neural Network.

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive and straightforward way to allow the user to actively control the prosthesis. However, results reported by previous studies on using sEMG for hand and wrist movement classification vary by a large margin, due to several factors including but not limited to the number of classes and the acquisition protocol. The objective of this paper is to investigate the deep neural network approach on the classification of 41 hand and wrist movements based on the sEMG signal.

Support vector machine classification of Parkinson's disease and essential tremor subjects based on temporal fluctuation.

Tremor is a common symptom shared in both Parkinson's disease (PD) and Essential tremor (ET) subjects. The differential diagnosis of PD and ET tremor is important since the realization of treatment depends on specific medication. A novel feature is developed based on a hypothesis that tremor of PD subject has a larger fluctuation during resting than action task.

A customized simulation system with computer integrated auto-evaluation function for upper endoscopy training.

Competence in performing endoscopy requires a considerable amount of hands-on practice for a physician to master. In an effort to reduce the involvement of patients in the training process, simulation has become an important part of endoscopic training. This paper presents a low-cost training and evaluation system for upper endoscopy that serves as an additional or alternative tool, particularly for entry-level gastroenterology fellows.