Accidental Fall Research Articles

Epidemiological study of Mandibular Fractures Aetiology and Site Using computed tomography in AL Kut city

The mandible is the largest and only moveable facial bone. It begins as 2 separatebones and unites anteriorly when a child approaches 1 year of age. Being a prominent bone of the facial skeleton, it is fractured most commonly among maxillofacial injuries.This epidemiological study was conducted to evaluate the etiology of mandibular fractures and anatomical site of the fracture in 115 patients treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial department ALZhraa hospital in ALKut city from 2012 to 2014. These patients were examined both clinically and radio-graphically for mandibular fractures. Records related to age, sex, and etiologies of fracture and sites of fracture were evaluated and reviewed. The most common age group affected was 21-30 years (26,08% ). Only 17.39% of patients were less than 10 years of age, and 1.7% was more than 60 years of age. Male to female ratio was 4:1. The most common cause of mandibular fractures was road traffic accidents (52.1%) followed by accidental fall (26.08%), while the least involved group was industrial accidents (1.7%), A total of 146 fractures were sustained by 115 patients at different sites there were multipl fractures in the same person .The most common site of mandibular fracture was parasymphysis (30.43%). All over the world, mandibular fractures have continued to generate discussion among researcher due to their important fuction .The male to female ratio shows 4:1 this is also in agreement with most of the studies due to their freqent participation in high risk activity such as driving vehicles sport that involve physical and active social life .

Upright trunk and lateral or slight anterior rotation of the pelvis cause the highest proximal femur forces during sideways falls.

Whole-body models are historically developed for traffic injury prevention, and they are positioned accordingly in the standing or sitting configuration representing pedestrian or occupant postures. Those configurations are appropriate for vehicle accidents or pedestrian-vehicle accidents; however, they are uncommon body posture during a fall accident to the ground. This study aims to investigate the influence of trunk and pelvis angles on the proximal femur forces during sideways falls. For this purpose, a previously developed whole-body model was positioned into different fall configurations varying the trunk and pelvis angles. The trunk angle was varied in steps of 10° from 10 to 80°, and the pelvis rotation was changed every 5° from -20° (rotation toward posterior) to +20° (rotation toward anterior). The simulations were performed on a medium-size male (177cm, 76kg) and a small-size female (156cm, 55kg), representative for elderly men and women, respectively. The results demonstrated that the highest proximal femur force measured on the femoral head was reached when either male or female model had a 10-degree trunk angle and +10° anterior pelvis rotation.

Traumatic dental injuries in adults attending a London-based trauma clinic in the UK: a seven-year survey

Introduction This survey reports the incidence of traumatic dental injuries in an adult population attending an adult dental trauma clinic in a London teaching hospital.Materials and methods Retrospective data were collected from patients attending an adult dental trauma clinic between 2012 and 2018.Results In total, 1,769 patients attended, with more men seen (1,030; 58.2%) compared to women (739; 41.8%) and this was statistically significant (p <0.05). The most common aetiological factor was an accidental fall (728; 41.15%), followed by assaults (413; 23.35%), bicycle accidents (253; 14.3%), sports injuries (132; 7.46%) and road traffic accidents (84; 4.75%). Lateral luxation (833) was the most common traumatic injury and this was followed by avulsions (362; 17%). Enamel-dentine fractures were the most common type of fracture injury (1,273; 64%).Discussion This retrospective survey attempts to report on the incidence of traumatic dental injuries in a London-based cohort of patients attending a specialised dental trauma clinic. In line with other reports, there were more men than women affected, which is probably attributed to behavioural activities.Conclusion(s) Accidental falls are the most common cause of a traumatic dental injury, lateral luxation was the most common type of displacement injury and enamel-dentine fractures were the most common type of fracture injury.

Development of a Portable Device for Surface Traction Characterization at the Shoe–Floor Interface

Slip and fall accidents are widespread in workplaces and on walkways. Slipping is generally initiated by a sudden change in the flooring properties or due to a low available traction at the shoe–floor interface. To measure shoe-floor traction, mechanical slip and fall risk estimation devices are typically employed. However, to date, such existing devices are lab-based, bulky, and are unable to simulate realistic slip biomechanics and measure whole footwear traction in realistic contaminated floorings at the same time. Moreover, these devices are expensive and not available in low- or lower-middle-income countries with limited awareness regarding slip testing. To overcome these challenges, in this work, a biofidelic, portable, and low-cost slip testing device was developed. A strategic three-part subassembly was designed for the application of normal load, slipping speed, and heel strike angle for its modularity. The developed slip tester was extensively tested and validated for its performance using 10 formal footwears and two floorings, under dry and wet conditions. The results indicated that the slip tester was accurate, repeatable, and reliable in differentiating traction measurements across varying combinations of shoes, contaminants, and floorings. The instrumentation performance of the slip tester was found to also capture the differences between different shoe tread patterns in the presence of fluid films. The developed device is anticipated to significantly impact the clinical, industrial, and commercial performance testing of footwear traction in realistic slippery flooring conditions, especially in the low- or middle-income countries.

Human Fall Detection Using 3D Multi-Stream Convolutional Neural Networks with Fusion.

Human falls, especially for elderly people, can cause serious injuries that might lead to permanent disability. Approximately 20-30% of the aged people in the United States who experienced fall accidents suffer from head trauma, injuries, or bruises. Fall detection is becoming an important public healthcare problem. Timely and accurate fall incident detection could enable the instant delivery of medical services to the injured. New advances in vision-based technologies, including deep learning, have shown significant results in action recognition, where some focus on the detection of fall actions. In this paper, we propose an automatic human fall detection system using multi-stream convolutional neural networks with fusion. The system is based on a multi-level image-fusion approach of every 16 frames of an input video to highlight movement differences within this range. This results of four consecutive preprocessed images are fed to a new proposed and efficient lightweight multi-stream CNN model that is based on a four-branch architecture (4S-3DCNN) that classifies whether there is an incident of a human fall. The evaluation included the use of more than 6392 generated sequences from the Le2i fall detection dataset, which is a publicly available fall video dataset. The proposed method, using three-fold cross-validation to validate generalization and susceptibility to overfitting, achieved a 99.03%, 99.00%, 99.68%, and 99.00% accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and precision, respectively. The experimental results prove that the proposed model outperforms state-of-the-art models, including GoogleNet, SqueezeNet, ResNet18, and DarkNet19, for fall incident detection.

Implementation of a major trauma team. Analysis of activation and care times in patients admitted to the ICU

ObjectiveTo analyze the factors associated with the activation of the severe trauma care team (STAT) in patients admitted to the ICU, to measure its impact on care times, and to analyze the groups of patients according to activation and level of anatomical involvement. DesignProspective cohort study of severe trauma admitted to the ICU. From June 2017 to May 2019. Risk factors for the activation of the STAT analysed with logistic regression and CART type classification tree. SettingSecond level hospital ICU. PatientsPatients admitted consecutively. InterventionsNo. Main variables of interestSTAT activation. Demographic variables. Injury severity (ISS), intentionality, mechanism, assistance times, evolutionary complications, and mortality. ResultsA total of 188 patients were admitted (46.8% of STAT activation), median age of 52 (37−64) years (activated 47 (27−62) vs not activated 55 (42−67) P = 0.023), males 84.0%. No difference in mortality according to activation. The logistic model finds as factors: care (16.6 (2.1−13.2)) and prehospital intubation (4.2 (1.8−9.8)) and severe lower extremity injury (4.4 (1.6−12.3)). Accidental fall (0.2 (0.1−0.6)) makes activation less likely. The CART model selects the type of trauma mechanism and can separate high and low energy trauma. ConclusionsFactors associated with STAT activation were prehospital care, requiring prior intubation, high-energy mechanisms, and severe lower extremity injuries. Shorter care times if activated without influencing mortality. We must improve activation in older patients with low-energy trauma and without prehospital care.

Drowning Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): A Case Report

Introduction: Drowning is still one of the leading causes of accidental deaths worldwide while Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is the main component of drowning pathophysiology. During drowning which often leads to aspiration, pneumonitis may develop an inflammatory response and release of inflammatory mediators and activation of immune mediated responses. This cascade of events causes the development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, (ARDS). Case: We received a case of a male patient in the emergency room having a history of an accidental fall in the well and drowning for 5 minutes. When rescued he was conscious and after an hour, he developed cough and breathlessness. On arrival, his routine clinical examination and laboratory and radiological investigation were performed and in view of Acute Respiratory failure patient was shifted to the intensive care unit for further managementas. As per his chest radiogram with clinical signs of hypoxia he immediately required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Result and Conclusion: Appropriate invasive mechanical ventilation and sound intensive care with judicial use of antibiotics can benefit such cases of drowning and ARDS.

Outcomes of MRD-Adapted Treatment Modulation in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Receiving Daratumumab, Carfilzomib, Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone (Dara-KRd) and Autologous Transplantation: Extended Follow up of the Master Trial

Background: Quadruplet induction and consolidation therapy in the setting of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) leads to high rates of minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity in patients (pts) with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM), enabling MRD response-adapted therapy. The outcomes of patients ceasing therapy guided by MRD assessment have not been described. Methods: Eligible pts in the MASTER trial had NDMM requiring treatment, CrCl≥40 ml/min, adequate liver and heart function, ECOG performance status 0-2 with no age limit. There was a planned enrichment for pts with high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities (HRCA). Pts received 4 cycles of Dara-KRd as induction, AHCT, and received 0, 4 or 8 cycles of Dara-KRd consolidation, according to MRD status as previously reported. MRD was evaluated by next generation sequencing (NGS, ClonoSEQ®) in all pts at end of induction, post-AHCT, and during each 4-cycle block of Dara-KRd consolidation. Primary endpoint was achievement of MRD negativity (<10-5 as defined by IMWG) in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Pts received therapy until achievement of two consecutive MRD <10-5 (i.e., post-induction and post-AHCT or post-AHCT and during consolidation). Pts with 2 consecutive MRD negative assessments entered treatment-free observation and MRD surveillance ("MRD-SURE") with MRD testing 6 months after treatment cessation and yearly thereafter. Pts completing consolidation without 2 consecutive MRD-negative assessments received lenalidomide maintenance. Results are reported by risk profile based on the presence of 0, 1 or 2+ HRCA [gain/amp 1q, t(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20) or del(17p)]. Results: The study accrued 123 participants. Fifty-three (43%) had no HRCA, 46 (37%) had 1 and 24 (20%) had 2+ HRCA. Median age was 60 y (36-79), 23% of pts were non-white, 20% had ECOG 2, 21% had high LDH, and 20% R-ISS3. Median follow up is 34.1 mo. Overall (N=123) 3-year PFS was 91%, 87% and 51% (Panel A, P<0.001) and 3-year OS 96%, 91% and 75% (P=0.004) for patients with 0, 1 and 2+ HRCA respectively. Disease was trackable by NGS-MRD in 118 (96%) pts. Of these, 81% achieved MRD negativity, and 71 % MRD < 10-6. Among these 118 pts, 8% discontinued therapy prematurely (death, progression or withdraw of consent), 20% completed treatment and transitioned to lenalidomide maintenance and 71% reached 2 consecutive MRD negative assessments and entered MRD-SURE. Odds of reaching MRD-SURE was 66%, 82% and 63% for patients with 0, 1 or 2+ HR abnormalities respectively. Among the 84 patients who reached MRD-SURE, after median follow up post treatment cessation of 24.8 mo, 7 (8%) initiated lenalidomide-based therapy for MRD resurgence and 11 (13%) started treatment for disease progression. Sixty-six pts (79%) have remained off therapy, including 88%, 83% and 47% of patients with 0, 1 and 2+ HRCA. Four patients died after entering MRD-SURE, 2 from MM (21 and 24 mo. after progression) and 2 from unrelated causes (COVID-19 pneumonia and accidental fall). Two-year PFS from treatment cessation is 91%, 89% and 54% (Panel B, P=0.008) and 2-year OS 100%, 92% and 100% (P=0.51) for patients with 0, 1 or 2+ HRCA, respectively. Conclusion: MM pts. with 0 or 1 HRCA reaching confirmed MRD negativity after quadruplet induction, AHCT and MRD-adapted consolidation have excellent PFS and OS in absence of maintenance therapy. Although the odds of achieving MRD-SURE were similar across risk strata, the risk of progression was higher among patients with ultra-high-risk MM (2+ HRCA) indicating the need for novel consolidation strategies. For the majority of patients with NDMM, quadruplet therapy, AHCT and MRD response-adapted treatment modulation provides the opportunity of durable treatment cessation without compromising disease control. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Mechanical Characteristics Analysis and Structural Optimization of Key Component of Self-Moving Temporary Support

In order to prevent a roof fall accident of a coal mine roadway mining face, temporary support must be provided before the permanent support of the roadway. At present, the commonly used forepoling bar support has poor reliability and low efficiency, and other machine-mounted or self-moving temporary supports are also difficult to use widely due to the complex geological conditions and limited working space at the heading face. On the basis of the mechanical characteristics analysis and numerical simulation of the wall rock support system, we propose a temporary support scheme that can adapt to the uneven roof of the roadway and the complex geological conditions on site, and that can ensure the cooperative operation of multiple equipment on site. A self-moving temporary support (SmTS) is designed, and its mechanical characteristics are analyzed to meet the mechanical requirements of the wall rock support system on the mining face. The multiobjective optimization of the main beam structure based on response surface methodology (RSM) is carried out to eliminate the design redundancy on the premise of meeting the support requirements of the main beam. Our research provides a novel method and corresponding equipment for the temporary support of a mining face. Applications of the proposed approach in the 7900 mining area of a mine proves the effectiveness of the method and equipment.

Case report: Primary intracranial EWs/PNET in adults: Clinical experience and literature review

IntroductionAdult primary intracranial Ewing sarcomas (EWs)/primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are extremely rare, with only 30 patients published before us. The imaging features and treatment strategies of primary intracranial EWs/PNETs are unclear due to its rarity. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features, imaging findings, treatment, survival analysis, and prognosis of adult EWs/PNETs, and a systematic review was conducted based on the patient we treated and published literature.Case descriptionA 19-year-old male patient suffered from head pain due to an accidental fall on a motorcycle that occurred more than 10 days before going to the hospital, and underwent computed tomography (CT) examination; it was found that the left temporo-occipital fossa was occupied. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was recommended to understand the nature of the lesion, and the result showed that it has a high probability of being a meningioma. He underwent surgical removal of the mass under general anesthesia, and surprisingly, postoperative pathology revealed EWs/PNET. The disease has a high degree of malignancy, and the patient developed multiple metastases throughout the body 5 years after surgery.ConclusionPrimary intracranial EWs/PNETs in adult patients are rare, of which imaging findings should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of meningioma, hemangiopericytoma, and malignant triton tumor. Larger solid-cystic masses with septum-like enhancement may be relatively specific imaging findings of intracranial EWs/PNETs. The prognosis of primary adult intracranial EWs/PNETs is poor. Radical tumor resection combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is currently the main and possibly the most effective treatment method.

Multi-hazard risk characterization and collaborative control oriented to space in non-coal underground mines

In order to realize accurate risk assessment and collaborative control of multi-hazard risk in non-coal underground mines, a space-oriented risk characterization and collaborative control model of multi-hazard risk in non-coal underground mines is proposed. Statistical analysis of non-coal underground mine accidents from 2000 to 2022, revealing the characteristics of non-coal underground mine accidents and 5 risk types were identified, including cage fall accident, powered haulage accident, fire accident, mine water inrush accident, and roof fall and rib spalling accident. A multi-hazard risk analysis and assessment framework for non-coal underground mines based on the inherent risk of the system, the vulnerability of the disaster-bearing body and the adaptability of the disaster-bearing area is proposed. The multi-hazard inherent risks in non-coal underground mines are comprehensively identified and evaluated in five aspects, including hazardous equipment and facilities, hazardous materials, hazardous processes, hazardous operations and hazardous places, and the characterization and unified measurement of multi-hazard risk is realized by combining the vulnerability index of disaster-bearing body and the adaptability index of disaster-bearing area. Regional multi-hazard risk aggregation is achieved through the Nemerow pollution index and space-oriented multi-hazard risk is obtained. Constructed a multi-hazard safety risk collaborative control system of source identification, classification and control, process control, continuous improvement, and full participation. Finally, the validity and rationality of the risk characterization model and the risk collaborative control system are verified. The research can both support the formulation of macro policies for non-coal underground mines and provide guidance for the specific spatial layout.

Yolov5-based fall detection algorithm for homebound people

According to the statistics from the official website of the National Bureau of Statistics, the population over 60 years old in China is close to 260 million, accounting for about 18.7% of the total population. As society moves towards aging, the safety problem of the elder people alone is gradually highlighted, and the accidental fall of the elderly at home has become a problem that cannot be ignored, and developing fall detection technology to mitigate the danger of falls of the elderly is imperative. So, this paper proposes a fall detection method which is based on deep learning. Specifically, the method is based on the Yolov3 method, and to enhance the accuracy and speed, the Yolov3 algorithm is updated to Yolov5s. The final experimental results also confirm that the above method has achieved the purpose.

Pediatric spinal cord injury with radiographic abnormality: the Beijing experience

BACKGROUND CONTEXTSpinal cord injury (SCI) without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is a syndrome that usually occurs in children primarily because of the unique biomechanics of the pediatric spine. We recently found that the histopathological and behavioral effects of SCI with radiographic abnormality (SCIWRA) and SCIWORA are very different from each other in animal models. Although numerous studies were conducted to understand the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the overall pediatric SCI population and the pediatric SCIWORA population, the characteristics of the pediatric SCIWRA population and their differences from those of the SCIWORA population are poorly understood. PURPOSETo describe the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of pediatric patients with SCIWRA and their differences from those with SCIWORA. STUDY DESIGN/SETTINGRetrospective study. PATIENT SAMPLEA total of 47 pediatric SCIWRA patients. OUTCOME MEASURESEpidemiological characteristics, injury severities, functional deficits, and management and recovery outcomes. METHODSReview of all cases with SCIWRA at Beijing Children's Hospital between July 2007 and December 2019 and comparison between the present data and our previous SCIWORA data. RESULTSOf the 187 pediatric SCI patients, 47 had SCIWRA (age: 7.06 ± 3.75 years, male-to-female ratio: 3:2). Main causes of SCIWRA were fall (38%) and traffic accidents (38%). Lesions were often located at multiple levels (62%). Incubation period was 3 ± 18 hours. According to the American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS), many SCIWRA patients had incomplete impairment (AIS B, 9%; AIS C, 9%; AIS D, 32%). Specifically, many of them had abnormal upper and lower limb muscle powers (55% and 60%), upper and lower limb muscle tones (34% and 49%), sensation (38%), and knee, ankle, and abdominal reflexes (47%, 34%, and 36%). 72% of SCIWRA patients were treated with methylprednisolone, dexamethasone, or both. 81% of them showed neurological improvement before discharge. There was no association between corticosteroid therapy and neurological improvement. Moreover, functional outcomes of their upper and lower limb muscle powers were significantly associated with functional outcomes of their upper and lower limb muscle tones (p < 0.01), respectively. In comparison to the SCIWRA population, the SCIWORA population had a higher ratio of younger and female patients of sports-related thoracic injuries with long incubation period leading to lower-body deficits and complete impairment (p<0.05 or p<0.01). Despite all the differences, their neurological improvement was similar (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONSDemographic differences exist in the SCIWRA population. Corticosteroids do not appear to be effective in the different types of pediatric SCI. Limb muscle tone may be used to evaluate the functional status of limb muscle power. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of SCIWRA and SCIWORA are very different from each other. It is important to formulate tailor-made prevention, evaluation, and management strategies for the pediatric population to optimize the SCI outcomes.

Causes and Outcomes of Childhood Trauma with GCS Below 9

Background: Trauma, as one of the major public health challenges, was the leading cause of death and disability in most countries. Trauma was considered as the most common reason for emergency department admission. Children are the most susceptible group of society to trauma, so we designed a study to investigate the epidemiologic feature and outcomes of trauma in children under 18 years old. In light of these findings, we might be able to prevent trauma in children. &#x0D; Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study during the spring season of 2019 (for 3 months). The study population was all children under eighteen years old with GCS below 9 (1814cases), referring to the emergency department of Tabriz Emam-Reza Hospital. Among 1814 patients, 1786 patients were included. For each included patient, the outcomes of the 24-hour follow-up have been recorded. &#x0D; Result: In this study, 62.1% percent (n=1109) were males. The mean age of patients was 5.47 ± 3.1. There were 1271 (71.1%) head and neck trauma, 276 (15.5%) extremities trauma. Abdominal trauma (n=66, 3.7%) and spinal trauma (n=57, 3.2%) were the rarest types of mechanism. It was revealed that falling had the most incidence frequency (40.4%). Eventually, out of the entire study population, 1361 patients were discharged from the emergency department (75%), 5 patients transferred to the trauma ward (0.2%), 1 patient hospitalized in the intensive care unit (0.05%), 250 patients left the hospital against physician permission (14%), 110 patients referred to another center (6%), 59 patients escaped from the hospital (3%) and zero deaths. &#x0D; Conclusion: Our study suggests that the head and neck were the most injured anatomic locations in children. Males were more susceptible to being exposed to trauma. Falling and traffic accidents were the most frequent mechanism of trauma that occurred in under eighteen-year-old children. Awareness of patterns of pediatric trauma may help the adoption of safety policies and develop prevention strategies. In this regard, training prevention strategies for parents and improving playground safety will be effective.

Safe and Efficient Recovery Technique of Horizontal Isolated Pillar under Loose Tailings Backfill; A Case Study in a Zinc-Lead Mine

The presence of loose medium backfill above the horizontal pillar will technically hinder the efficient recovery of the pillar since the improper design and preserved roof protection layer height will potentially lead to casualties and equipment damage caused by large area collapse of filled tailings as well as roof fall accidents. In this study, a safe and efficient technique for the recovery of isolated pillars under loose tailings backfill was carried out via field investigation, theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and analytic hierarchy process using the isolated pillars in the 855 middle sublevel of Hongling Zinc-Lead Mine, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, as a practical engineering background. Current studies have revealed that the optimal scheme for an isolated horizontal pillar recovered via the cut-and-fill stoping of a drift vertical to ore body strike involves preserving a 1.0-m roof protection layer above the crown pillar combined with a spaced mining extraction sequence. This design minimizes ore dilution and losses during the pillar extraction process under safe operation. Our research results provide theoretical and technical support for the safe and efficient recovery of isolated pillars under loose tailings backfill in similar mines.

A Combination of Web-based and In-Person Training Reduced Fall Accidents in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background Fall accidents in older adults are associated with reduced quality of life, personal health issues, and earlier deaths. Previous studies have found that both physical and cognitive parameters influence the risk of falling in older adults. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (2020-2021) in Denmark, web-based training was the safest option for training, although its effectiveness was uncertain. Objective The purpose of this stratified, block randomized trial was to examine the effect of two types of web-based and in-person training—salsa dance and regular fitness circuit—in two training groups in comparison with a control group. Methods A total of 78 older adults (9 male and 69 female; mean age 70.4, SD 4.4 years; mean height 165.2, SD 6.8 cm; and mean weight 65.7, SD 11.9 kg) completed the 6-months training period: dance (n=25), fitness (n=23), and control group (n=30). Accidental falls were registered during the follow-up test. Participants in the two training groups were assigned to 1-hour training sessions twice a week for 6 months. Prior to the pandemic, training was administered by a skilled instructor at an activity center in the municipality or a dance studio. Following the pandemic, dance training was administered through a web-based meeting platform, whereas fitness training was guided by a video. Adherence to the training was collected weekly. Participants in the control group were encouraged to continue their everyday life. Results Both intervention groups had fewer accidental falls during the 6 months intervention compared with the control group (control group: 9 falls; dance: 4 falls, fitness: 0 falls; chi-square: P&lt;.05). In total, adherence to fitness training was 72.6%, and it was 86.9% for dance. However, adherence to the web-based dance training was 95% (342 dance training hours of possible 360 dance training hours). Conclusions A combination of a 6-months web-based and in-person training (for dance and fitness) reduced the number of accidental falls in older adults. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03683849; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03683849

SWAF: Smart Wheelchair for Fall Risk Assessment

Fall prevention is an important healthcare issue for aged societies because a fall accident usually accompanies with multiple fractures and may cause a life-shortening effect. It is especially difficult for elderly people to get fully recovered from a fall accident. Therefore, fall risk assessment for elderly people is highly desirable. A commonly-used assessment method is to measure the time an older person needs to sit down and stand up. The more time the elderly people spend in sitting down and standing up, the higher risk there will be for them to have a fall. In this work, we focus on elderly people who use wheelchair in their daily lives because those people are the most vulnerable group of people who cannot afford to have a fall accident. For this, we developed SWAF, a smart wheelchair for fall risk assessment, which automatically measures the time a user spends in sitting down and standing up. Pressure sensors are deployed at armrests and a surface area of wheelchair pad where a user’s legs and buttocks may touch. To remove noise induced by pressure sensors, a SVM (Support Vector Machine)-based regression filter is adopted. The filtered signals are then used to determine the time interval of sitting down and standing up. To evaluate the accuracy of SWAF, 30 volunteers were invited to carry out a series of experiment. Our results show that SWAF can achieve an average error less than 150ms in measuring the time a user spends in sitting down and standing up.

Perception and attitudes of dentists regarding the complications of conventional acrylic dentures and overdentures supported by teeth or implants.

This study aimed to assess the perception of dentists on the complications associated with prosthodontic treatments with acrylic dentures and overdentures in partially or complete edentulous patients. The study analyzed the complications of acrylic dentures and overdentures using a questionnaire with 24 open or closed questions, with single or multiple answers. The participants were 63 dentists, mostly women (77.8%), aged between 30 and 39 years old (52.4%), more than half of them with a clinical experience of less than 15 years. The main complications encountered were: lesions of the oral mucosa (52.4%), lack of maintenance (44.4%) or stability of dentures (39.7%), fracture of acrylic bases (14.3%), and detachment of attachment systems (44.4%). The complete maxillary acrylic dentures fractured most often (38.1%), frequently on the midline (58.7%), the main causes being accidental fall, masticatory stress, or lack of stability of the dentures. The most common intervention to correct the complications of dentures was the repair of fractured acrylic bases (33.3%). The study exposed that dentists are aware of the possible complications of acrylic dentures, which they correlate with the peculiarities of oral structures, but also with some deficiencies of prosthodontic restorations, materials and technologies. Maxillary acrylic dentures, overdentures, and partial acrylic dentures have a high risk and fracture rate, but the use of new technologies and materials can reduce the complications rate of acrylic dentures and overdentures.

A Tethered Façade Cleaning Robot Based on a Dual Rope Windlass Climbing Mechanism: Design and Experiments

Cleaning tasks for vertical structures, such as building façades and walls on construction sites, are dangerous; there is a high risk of fall accidents among workers engaged in such tasks. Hence, research on the automation of wall-cleaning tasks based on robotics technology has been actively conducted in recent years. However, existing wall-cleaning robots have limitations, such as poor mobility performance or the need for additional infrastructure for operation. In this article, we designed a novel rope-driven wall-cleaning robot Edelstro-M2 with two innovative characteristics. First, both vertical and horizontal movements on the wall are possible by implementing a dual rope climbing mechanism and parallel kinematics. Second, except for a rope fixing arrangement, additional infrastructure, such as winch and building management unit systems, is not required for operation. A prototype model was developed, and real-world experiments were conducted to verify the mobility and cleaning performance of the robot. In the experiment, the robot was controlled by manual remote control. We plan to study automatic control of the robot in the future works.

Fatal fall incidents in the Indian construction industry: a case study analysis

The fall from height fatal accident rate is higher than those of other accidents in the construction sector because of work-related causes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the causal factors of fatal fall incidents in the Indian construction industry. This study adopted a three-level accident causation model developed by Loughborough University researchers, aiming to identify immediate circumstances, shaping factors and originating influences in selected incidents. The accident cases were retrieved from police records and government documents. Accident data from 2019 to 2020 were studied, and specific emphasis was placed on fatal fall events. These events were subjected to content review to determine causal factors. In total, ten fatal fall cases were analysed in which immediate circumstances were established for all the cases that involved the use of unsafe methods of work. In some cases, shaping factors were identified as possible contributors to the events, such as the work process nature and team members’ communication. Originating influences could not be established in any of the cases. The study findings could give a more comprehensive qualitative insight into the causal factors of fatal fall accidents, which could alert stakeholders in developing safety programmes and providing effective fall preventive measures.