Slow Walking Research Articles

Combined handgrip strength and walking pace, genetic susceptibility, and incident hypertension: A prospective study in UK Biobank.

We aimed to investigate the relations of handgrip strength, walking pace and the combination of handgrip strength and walking pace with incident hypertension, and to explore whether this association was modified by the genetic risk of hypertension. 214 214 participants without prior hypertension in the UK Biobank were included. Handgrip strength was assessed by dynamometer. Walking pace was self-defined as slow, average, or brisk. The study outcome was incident hypertension. A genetic risk score for hypertension was generated using a Bayesian approach applied to meta-analyzed summary statistics GWAS data. Over a median follow-up of 11.9 years, 13 344 (6.2%) participants developed incident hypertension. When handgrip strength was assessed as sex-specific quartiles, compared with those with the lowest handgrip strength (quartile 1), the adjusted HRs (95% CI) of incident hypertension in quartile 2, quartile 3, and quartile 4 were 0.80 (0.69, 0.93), 0.74 (0.64, 0.86), and 0.72 (0.61, 0.84), respectively. Compared with those with slow walking pace, participants with average (HR, 0.52; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.67) or brisk (HR, 0.43; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.56) walking pace had significantly lower risks of hypertension. Moreover, compared with those with both lower handgrip strength (quartile 1) and slow walking pace, the lowest risk of incident hypertension was observed in participants with both high handgrip strength (quartiles 2-4) and fast (average or brisk) walking pace (HR, 0.36; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.52). Genetic risks of hypertension did not significantly modify the association (p-interaction=0.300). Both higher handgrip strength and faster walking pace were significantly associated with a lower risk of incident hypertension, independent of genetic risks of hypertension.

Analysis of Diabetic Foot Deformation and Plantar Pressure Distribution of Women at Different Walking Speeds.

Official guidelines state that suitable physical activity is recommended for patients with diabetes mellitus. However, since walking at a rapid pace could be associated with increased plantar pressure and potential foot pain, the footwear condition is particularly important for optimal foot protection in order to reduce the risk of tissue injury and ulceration of diabetic patients. This study aims to analyze foot deformation and plantar pressure distribution at three different walking speeds (slow, normal, and fast walking) in dynamic situations. The dynamic foot shape of 19 female diabetic patients at three walking speeds is obtained by using a novel 4D foot scanning system. Their plantar pressure distributions at the three walking speeds are also measured by using the Pedar in-shoe system. The pressure changes in the toes, metatarsal heads, medial and lateral midfoot, and heel areas are systematically investigated. Although a faster walking speed shows slightly larger foot measurements than the two other walking speeds, the difference is insignificant. The foot measurement changes at the forefoot and heel areas, such as the toe angles and heel width, are found to increase more readily than the measurements at the midfoot. The mean peak plantar pressure shows a significant increase at a faster walking speed with the exception of the midfoot, especially at the forefoot and heel areas. However, the pressure time integral decreases for all of the foot regions with an increase in walking speed. Suitable offloading devices are essential for diabetic patients, particularly during brisk walking. Design features such as medial arch support, wide toe box, and suitable insole material for specific area of the foot (such as polyurethane for forefoot area and ethylene-vinyl acetate for heel area) are essential for diabetic insole/footwear to provide optimal fit and offloading. The findings contribute to enhancing the understanding of foot shape deformation and plantar pressure changes during dynamic situations, thus facilitating the design of footwear/insoles with optimal fit, wear comfort, and foot protection for diabetic patients.

Ground reaction force and electromyograms of lower limb muscles during fast walking.

Physically active status is an important contributor to individual health. Walking is regarded as commonly accepted exercise for exercise promotion. Particularly, interval fast walking (FW), consisting of alternating between fast and slow walking speeds, has gained popularity from practical viewpoints. Although previous studies have determined the short- and long-term effects of FW programs on endurance capacity and cardiovascular variables, factors affecting these outcomes have not been clarified. In addition to physiological variables, understanding of mechanical variables and muscle activity during FW would be a help to understand characteristics of FW. In the present study, we compared the ground reaction force (GRF) and lower limb muscle activity between fast walking (FW) and running at equivalent speeds. Eight healthy men performed slow walking (45% of the maximum walking speed; SW, 3.9 ± 0.2 km/h), FW (85% of the maximum walking speed, 7.4 ± 0.4 km/h), and running at equivalent speeds (Run) for 4 min each. GRF and average muscle activity (aEMG) were evaluated during the contact, braking, and propulsive phases. Muscle activities were determined for seven lower limb muscles: gluteus maximus (GM), biceps femoris (BF), rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), gastrocnemius medialis (MG), soleus (SOL), and tibialis anterior (TA). The anteroposterior GRF was greater in FW than in Run during the propulsive phase (p < 0.001), whereas the impact load (peak and average vertical GRF) was lower in FW than in Run (p < 0.001). In the braking phase, lower leg muscle aEMGs were higher during Run than during SW and FW (p < 0.001). However, in the propulsive phase, soleus muscle activity was greater during FW than during Run (p < 0.001). aEMG of tibialis anterior was higher during FW than during SW and Run in the contact phase (p < 0.001). No significant difference between FW and Run was observed for HR and RPE. These results suggest that the average muscle activities of lower limbs (e.g., gluteus maximus, rectus femoris, and soleus) during the contact phase were comparable between FW and running, however, the activity patterns of lower limb muscles differed between FW and running, even at equivalent speeds. During running, muscles were mainly activated in the braking phase related to impact. In contrast, during FW, soleus muscle activity during the propulsive phase was increased. Although cardiopulmonary response was not different between FW and running, exercise using FW might be useful for health promotion among individuals who cannot exercise at high-intensity.

Self-reported walking pace: A simple screening tool with lowest risk of all-cause mortality in those that ‘walk the talk’

ABSTRACT To determine whether the association between self-reported walking pace and all-cause mortality (ACM) persists across categories of accelerometer-assessed physical activity status. Data from 93,709 UK Biobank participants were included. Physical activity was assessed using wrist-worn accelerometers for 7-days. Participants accumulating <150 min/week moderate-to-vigorous- activity were classed as “inactive”, ≥150 min/week moderate (≥3 METs) activity as “somewhat active” excluding those with ≥150 min/week upper-moderate-to-vigorous activity (≥4.3 METs), who were classed as “high-active”. Over a 6.3 y (median) follow-up, 2,173 deaths occurred. More than half of slow walkers were “inactive”, but only 26% of steady and 12% of brisk walkers. Associations between walking pace and ACM were consistent with those for activity. “High active” brisk walkers had the lowest risk of ACM (Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.22; 95% CI: 0.17,0.28), relative to “inactive” slow walkers. Within those classed as “inactive”, steady (HR 0.54; 0.46,0.64) and brisk walkers (HR 0.42; 0.34,0.52) had lower risk than slow walkers. In conclusion, self-reported walking pace was associated with accelerometer-assessed physical activity with both exposures having similar associations with ACM. “inactive”, steady, and brisk walkers had lower ACM risk than slow walkers. The pattern was similar for “High active” participants. Overall, “High active” brisk walkers had lowest risk.

Biomechanical Properties of Bionic Collum Femoris Preserving Hip Prosthesis: A Finite Element Analysis.

Compared with total hip replacement, conventional collum femoris preserving prosthesis has a better bone retention effect. However, damage to the trabecular bone of the proximal femur leads to inevitable abnormal stress distribution, which leads to increased risks of femoral neck bone absorption, periprosthetic fracture, prosthesis loosening, rotation, and sinking. Thus, we compare the biomechanical properties of collum femoris preserving (CFP) and bionic collum femoris preserving (BCFP) hip prostheses. The Sawbone digital model (#3503, left, medium) was selected as the research object. We used the Mimics 21.0 software to reconstruct the digital model of the femur and the SolidWorks 2019 software to build and assemble the three-dimensional models of CFP and BCFP prostheses. With the ANSYS Workbench 2021R1 software, the models were meshed and assigned values to simulate the load of a single foot under slow walking. We measured the mechanical distribution of the whole model and obtained the stress nephogram. For CFP prosthesis, the peak stresses of the medial interface of the stem neck, the lateral interface of the stem neck, and the end of the stem were 64.894, 32.199, and 8.578 MPa, respectively; the peak stresses of the medial surface of the femoral shaft, the lateral surface of femoral shaft, the medial femoral neck bone-prosthesis interface (osteotomy interface), the lateral femoral neck bone-prosthesis interface (basal area), the lateral femoral neck bone-prosthesis interface (osteotomy interface), and the greater trochanter area were 28.093, 24.790, 14.388, 5.118, 4.179, and 8.245 MPa, respectively; the valley stress of the greater trochanter area was 1.134 MPa. For BCFP prosthesis, the peak stresses of the medial interface of the stem neck, the lateral interface of the stem neck, and the end of the stem were 47.015, 26.771, and 47.593 MPa, respectively; the peak stress of tension screw was 15.739 MPa; the peak stresses of the medial surface of the femoral shaft, the lateral surface of femoral shaft, the medial femoral neck bone-prosthesis interface (osteotomy interface), the lateral femoral neck bone-prosthesis interface (basal area), the lateral femoral neck bone-prosthesis interface (osteotomy interface) and the greater trochanter area were 28.581, 25.364, 15.624, 6.434, 4.986, and 8.796 MPa, respectively; the valley stress of the greater trochanter area was 1.419 MPa; the peak stress of bone-metal interface between the tension screw and the lateral surface of the femur was 5.858 MPa. Compared with the CFP prosthesis, the design of the BCFP prosthesis is based on the lever balance theory. With the bionic reconstruction of tension trabeculae, BCFP prosthesis makes up for the defects of CFP prosthesis design, optimizes the stress distribution, and reduces the stress shelter effect of the proximal femur, which has better biomechanical properties.

High-Efficiency 3D DNA Walker Immobilized by a DNA Tetrahedral Nanostructure for Fast and Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection of MiRNA.

Herein, by directly limiting the reaction space, an ingenious three-dimensional (3D) DNA walker (IDW) with high walking efficiency is developed for rapid and sensitive detection of miRNA. Compared with the traditional DNA walker, the IDW immobilized by the DNA tetrahedral nanostructure (DTN) brings stronger kinetic and thermodynamic favorability resulting from its improved local concentration and space confinement effect, accompanied by a quite faster reaction speed and much better walking efficiency. Once traces of target miRNA-21 react with the prelocked IDW, the IDW could be largely activated and walk on the interface of the electrode to trigger the cleavage of H2 with the assistance of Mg2+, resulting in the release of amounts of methylene blue (MB) labeled on H2 from the electrode surface and the obvious decrease of the electrode signal. Impressively, the IDW reveals a conversion efficiency as high as 9.33 × 108 in 30 min with a much fast reaction speed, which is at least five times beyond that of typical DNA walkers. Therefore, the IDW could address the inherent challenges of the traditional DNA walker easily: slow walking speed and low efficiency. Notably, the IDW as a DNA nanomachine was utilized to construct a sensitive sensing platform for rapid miRNA-21 detection with a limit of detection (LOD) of 19.8 aM and realize the highly sensitive assay of biomarker miRNA-21 in the total RNA lysates of cancer cell. The strategy thus helps in the design of a versatile nucleic acid conversion and signal amplification approach for practical applications in the areas of biosensing assay, DNA nanotechnology, and clinical diagnosis.

Behavioural synchronization and social referencing of dogs and humans: walking in dyad vs in group.

Recent studies have demonstrated that dogs synchronize their locomotor behaviour with that of their owners. The present study aims to improve our understanding of the sensorimotor processes underlying interspecific behavioural synchronization by testing the influence of the number of humans on dogs' behavioural synchronization. We used Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in an outdoor environment to measure dogs' behavioural synchronization to humans during a locomotor activity involving three speeds (static, slow walking and fast walking). For half of the dogs, only their owner was walking, while for the other half, the owner walked with two familiar people. We also tested the effect of dog breeds by involving 30 shepherd dogs and 30 molossoids. Our results showed that dogs exhibited the same level of behavioural synchronization with their owner if alone or if surrounded by two familiar people. Though the presence of a group of humans did not strengthen the dogs' locomotor synchronization, it did produce another effect: dogs gazed at their owners more frequently in the presence of a group compared to their owner alone. This result suggests the same level of locomotor social entrainment but a difference in social referencing depending on the number of humans.

Gender Differences in Determinants of the Components of the Frailty Phenotype among Older Adults in India: Findings from LASI Wave-1.

This study examines the gender-specific determinants of the components of frailty in a community-dwelling setting in India. Using data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave-1, this study employed 30,978 (14,885 male and 16,093 female) older adults (aged 60+) to fulfil the study objective. The modified Fried frailty phenotype criteria defines frailty by the five components: exhaustion, weak grip strength, slow walking speed, unintentional weight loss, and low physical activity. The result showed grip strength (79.1%) as the most discriminant component among males, and physical activity (81.6%) as the most discriminant component among females. The results also indicated that grip strength (male: 98.0%, female: 93.5%) and physical activity (male: 94.8%, female: 96.9%) showed a sensitivity of more than 90%, which appears to be a good indicator of frailty. Combining this dual marker increased the accuracy to 99.97% among male and 99.98% among female samples. The findings suggested adding grip strength and physical activity as a proxy measure of frailty, which can increase the precision of screening without a large additional investment of time, training, or cost.

Abstract 131: Brain Mri Biomarkers Of Impaired Balance And Slow Walk Speed: Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities And UK Biobank Studies

Background and Objectives: Vascular brain injury (VBI) may contribute to imbalance and slow walk speed, but this is uncertain. We hypothesize that MRI biomarkers of VBI associate with impaired balance and slow walk speed. Methods: We performed separate, cross-sectional analyses in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) and UK Biobank (UKB) studies. Eligible participants had no prior clinical stroke and underwent a brain MRI and balance and walk speed ascertainment. MRI biomarkers of VBI analyzed were: ventricular volume, white matter hyperintensity volume (WMH), non-lacunar infarction, lacunar infarction, microhemorrhage in ARIC; ventricular volume, brain volume, WMH, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), intra-cellular volume fraction, isotropic free water volume fraction in UKB. Quantitative biomarker levels were classified into tertiles, the unhealthiest tertile designated as the exposure. Our outcomes were poor balance and slow walk speed. We constructed multivariable logistic regression models to examine the associations between each MRI biomarker and the outcomes, adjusting for demographics and clinical history. Results: We included 1,626 ARIC participants (mean age 76.2 years; 23.4% impaired balance, 25.0% slow walk speed) and 40,098 UKB participants (mean age 55 years; 15.8% impaired balance, 2.8% slow walk speed). In ARIC, impaired balance was associated with 4 of 5 MRI measures of VBI in adjusted analysis (all p-values &lt;0.05). The strongest association was with WMH (OR 1.36; 95% C.I. 1.04-1.76). Slow walk speed in ARIC was significantly associated with 4 of 5 MRI measures; the strongest association was with silent lacunar infarcts (OR 2.17; 95% C.I. 1.61-2.93). In UKB, poor balance was associated with all MRI biomarkers except WMH. The strongest association was with FA (OR 1.16; 95% C.I. 1.08-1.24). Slow walking speed was associated with WMH, FA, and MD. The strongest association was with FA (OR 1.42; 95% C.I. 1.21-1.67). Conclusions: We demonstrate that MRI measures of VBI are independently associated with impaired balance and slow walk speed in two studies of community-dwelling adults with no history of clinical stroke. Consequences of VBI may extend beyond clinically apparent stroke to also include mobility.

Association of handgrip strength and/or walking pace with incident chronic kidney disease: A UK biobank observational study.

The individual and combined relations of handgrip strength and walking pace with the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain uncertain. We aimed to investigate the relationship of handgrip strength and/or walking pace with incident CKD, using data from the large-scale, observational UK Biobank. A total of 417504 participants free of prior kidney diseases were included from UK Biobank. Handgrip strength was assessed by dynamometer. The walking pace was self-reported as slow, average, or brisk. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident CKD. The average age of the study population was 56.3 (SD, 8.1) years. 192012 (46.0%) of the participants were male. The mean handgrip strength was 23.5 (SD, 6.2) and 40.0 (SD, 8.8) kg for females and males, respectively. Over a median follow-up duration of 12.1years, 11064 (2.7%) participants developed incident CKD. Handgrip strength was significantly inversely associated with the risk of incident CKD in both males and females (both P for trend <0.001). When handgrip strength was assessed as sex-specific quartiles, compared with those in the first quartile, the adjusted HRs (95% CI) of incident CKD in participants in the second, third and fourth quartiles were 0.84 (0.79, 0.89), 0.76 (0.71, 0.81) and 0.72 (0.67, 0.77), respectively. Compared with those with slow walking pace, participants with average (HR, 0.64; 95% CI: 0.60-0.68) or brisk (HR, 0.53; 95% CI: 0.49-0.57) walking pace had significantly lower risks of incident CKD. Compared with those with both lower handgrip strength (the first quartile) and slow walking pace, the lowest risk of incident CKD was observed in participants with both higher handgrip strength (the 2-4 quartiles) and average or brisk walking pace (HR, 0.51; 95% CI: 0.46-0.55). Handgrip strength and walking pace were significantly inversely associated with incident CKD in the general population.

Body mass index, waist circumference and pre-frailty/frailty: the Tromsø study 1994−2016

ObjectiveThis study investigated the association between obesity, assessed using body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), and pre-frailty/frailty among older adults over 21 years of follow-up.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingPopulation-based study...

Central obesity and elevated blood pressure in middle life are associated with physical and cognitive impairment in later life: A retrospective design with repeated measures

Background and aimsPhysical and cognitive function decline indicates the prestage of disability and is associated with mortality among older adults. We investigated the association of metabolic disorders in midlife with physical and cognitive function decline in later life in a retrospective cohort. Material and methodsA total of 618 older adults aged ≥60 years in wave-6 (2014–2017) were enrolled in the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Two-Township Study to evaluate physical (hand grip strength and 4-m walking speed) and cognitive function (Mine–Mental State Examination [MMSE] score). Repeated metabolic disorder measures in wave-2, wave-3, and wave-5 were obtained to identify three trajectory pattern groups according to each metabolic disorder through group-based trajectory modeling. Linear and logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the association of metabolic disorders in middle life with physical and cognitive function decline in later life. ResultsThe prevalence rates of a weak hand grip (<28 kg for men and <18 kg for women), slow walking speed (<0.8 m/s), and poor cognitive function (MMSE <25) were 24.43 %, 16.83 % and 10.5 %, respectively, among the older adults. In the retrospective cohort with 15-year follow-up, those with a waist circumference of ≥95 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women in middle life exhibited a significantly weak hand grip (odds ratio: 2.78 [95 % confidence interval: 1.26, 6.11]) and slow walking speed (2.26 [1.15, 4.43]) in later life compared with those with a smaller waist circumference (<85 cm for men and <75 cm for women). Elevated blood pressure (systolic blood pressure [BP] ≥130 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥80 mmHg) was significantly associated with a higher risk of cognitive function decline in later life. Furthermore, the high-trajectory and middle-trajectory groups' body mass index (3.17 [1.25, 8.04] and 2.27 [1.28, 4.00], respectively) and waist circumference (4.39 [2.07, 9.31] and 2.54 [1.39, 4.67], respectively) were significantly associated with a weak hand grip and slow walking speed, respectively, compared with those of the low-trajectory group. The high-trajectory diastolic BP group was significantly associated with a higher risk of cognitive function decline compared with the low-trajectory diastolic BP group. ConclusionWaist circumference and BP in middle life were associated with physical function decline and poor cognitive function in later life. The management of central obesity and BP in midlife may slow the decline of physical and cognitive function in later life.

Surfactin Mitigates Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis and Behavioral Disorders in Mice by Mediating Gut-Brain-Axis Balance.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with brain neurotransmitter disorders and intestinal dysbiosis. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fmb50 produces the lipopeptide surfactin, which has a wide range of biological activities. However, the effects of surfactin on DSS-induced colitis have not been reported. In the present study, oral surfactin significantly ameliorated colitis in a mouse model and reduced depression-like behavior, such as slowed walking speed, shortened movement distance in the open field test, and weakened exploration ability in the light-dark shuttle test. Surfactin noticeably improved gut microbial dysbiosis, intestinal barrier dysfunction in the colon, and blood-brain barrier dysfunction in the brain. Furthermore, the colon levels of occludin were upregulated by 68.51%, and the brain levels of occludin and ZO-1 were upregulated by 77.81% and 36.42%, respectively. Surfactin supplementation also inhibited inflammatory responses by inactivating the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), and NLRP3 signaling pathways in the colon and brain. Thus, we believe that surfactin improved the behavioral disorders by upregulating the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), norepinephrine (NE), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), suppressing the inflammatory responses, and improving the blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Surfactin also reduced the abundances of gut microbes that are related to colitis, especially targeting facultative anaerobes of the phylum Proteobacteria, and it increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and unidentified Prevotella. Combined with its nontoxic nature observed in this long-term study in mice, oral surfactin might be a promising intervention strategy for preventing colitis by acting on the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Walking pace, handgrip strength, age, APOE genotypes, and new-onset dementia: the UK Biobank prospective cohort study

BackgroundThe independent and additive associations of walking pace and grip strength on dementia risk and the potential modifying effects of age, APOE phenotypes, and other dementia risk factors on the walking pace and dementia relationships demand further clarification. We aimed to investigate the independent and additive relationships of walking pace and handgrip strength on the risk of new-onset dementia and examine the potentially modifying effects of age, APOE phenotypes, lifestyle factors, and family history of dementia in the relationships.MethodsA total of 495,700 participants from the UK Biobank, who were free of dementia at baseline, were included in this study. Walking pace was self-defined as slow, average, or brisk. Handgrip strength was assessed by dynamometer and was divided into sex-specific quartiles. The APOE genotypes were determined by a combination variant of rs429358 and rs7412. Other dementia risk factors, including education, physical activity, hypertension, depression, diabetes, and family history of dementia, were also collected. The primary outcome was new-onset all-cause dementia.ResultsOver a median follow-up duration of 12.0 years, 3986 (0.8%) participants developed new-onset all-cause dementia. Compared with those with slow walking pace, participants with average (HR, 0.61; 95%CI: 0.55–0.68) or brisk (HR, 0.59; 95%CI: 0.52–0.67) walking pace had a significantly lower risk of new-onset all-cause dementia. Moreover, compared with those with both slow walking pace and lower handgrip strength (the first quartile), the lowest risk of new-onset all-cause dementia was observed in participants with both average or brisk walking pace and higher handgrip strength (the 2–4 quartiles) (HR, 0.45; 95%CI: 0.40–0.52). Notably, the negative relationship between walking pace and the risk of new-onset all-cause dementia was significantly reduced as APOE ε4 dosage increased (APOE ε4 dosages = 0 or 1: brisk vs. slow: HR, 0.55; 95%CI: 0.48–0.63; vs. APOE ε4 dosages = 2: brisk vs. slow: HR, 1.14; 95%CI: 0.77–1.68; P for interaction = 0.001) or age increased (< 58 [median]: brisk vs. slow: HR, 0.27; 95%CI: 0.18–0.41; vs. ≥ 58 years: brisk vs. slow: HR, 0.55; 95%CI: 0.48–0.63; P for interaction = 0.007).ConclusionsWalking pace was inversely associated with new-onset dementia in the general population, especially in younger participants and those with lower APOE ε4 dosage. Participants with both faster walking pace and higher handgrip strength had the lowest risk of dementia, suggesting that maintaining both high handgrip strength and fast walking pace may be a more comprehensive strategy for preventing dementia risk.

The relationship between physical activity and oxidative stress biomarkers in older adults

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between physical activity and oxidative stress biomarkers in adults over 65 years of age. Material and Methods: A total of 176 older people were included in the study. Physical activity was determined using a DynaPort triaxial accelerometer measuring time in 6 activities, namely brisk walking, slow walking, lying down, sitting, standing, and moving. Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), Malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TRAP), and superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD) levels, as well as glycemic level, body mass index (BMI), and abdominal circumference were determined. Results: SOD was found to correlate with brisk walking and moving. There was a correlation between AOPP and brisk walking, slow walking, standing, moving, and lying down. Blood glucose level correlated with brisk walking time, standing, moving, slow walking, and lying down. Conclusions: Increased duration of physical activity in everyday life is associated with higher antioxidant capacity, lower oxidative stress, glycemic level, and BMI.

Risk Management: A Slow Walk on a Tight Rope…

Risk Management: A Slow Walk on a Tight Rope…

Rehabilitation in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive - experience Report

Introduction: Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva causes gradual limitation of joint range of motion by heterotopic osteogenesis in various connective tissue structures. It is a rare autosomal dominant disease and is correlated with the presence of congenital malformation of the bilateral hallux valgus, presence of ossification that appears spontaneously or precipitated by trauma. Method: The search for the respective titles for FOP and Rehabilitation via a bibliographic review in the Pubmed database, the titles and abstracts were discriminated when they did not bring in their content the treatment of this disease. Results and Discussion: The 9-year-old patient comes with complaints of pain in the joints of the shoulders, elbows, cervical and thoracic spine. Slow walking, structural deformities in the axial axis of the cervico-thoracic spine, decreased shoulder abduction up to 15°, limited elbow flexion and extension. The FOP treatment strategy is a comprehensive program of activities to prevent the myriad possibilities of trauma, from avoiding unnecessary surgical procedures, injections and even biopsies. Dry needling or acupuncture techniques are always contraindicated. Hydrotherapy turns out to be another useful tool in the process of preventing and relieving injuries, contributing to physical conditioning in a safe environment with low impact and cardiopulmonary performance. From the clinical observations, there will be indication of orthoses, auxiliary means for locomotion or adapted wheelchairs. Devices with voice command facilitate some daily activities, encouraging music therapy, dance or theater also favors the well-being of these patients. Conclusion: The disease has some striking characteristics that favor early diagnosis. Injury prevention, medical management of acute painful flare-ups, and rehabilitation are pillars of treatment. There is still no curative treatment, however, the determination of a therapeutic plan prevents future trauma and can guarantee an adequate prognosis even though it is difficult and full of functional limitations for patients.

Biomechanical Comparison of Novel Adaptive Swing-Phase Control Mechanical Knee Prostheses with 3R60 and 3R15 in Trans-Femoral Amputees.

The knee joint must adapt to the changes in walking speed to stabilize the stance phase and provide fluency in the swing phase. This study aimed to report a comparison of the gait patterns of transfemoral amputees using a novel mechanical prosthetic knee that can adapt automatically to different walking speeds with 3R60 and 3R15 knee prostheses. In this experimental study, biomechanical data were collected from six unilateral trans-femoral amputees walking with three knee prostheses. Gait data were gathered at slow, normal, and fast walking speeds across a 7-meter walkway using the Vicon motion system. The results revealed a significant difference in knee angular velocity during the swing phase between prosthetic knees across three walking speeds (P-value=0.002). Prosthetic knee flexion decreased significantly by increasing walking speed for the novel mechanical auto-adaptive prosthetic knee (P-value<0.001). A lower value of hip power during early swing was considered when amputees walked with novel knee prosthesis (P-value<0.00). The intact leg ankle plantar flexion angle or vaulting did not significantly change while walking speed increased in the novel knee prostheses compared to walking with the 3R60 and 3R15 knee prostheses (P-value=0.002 and P-value<0.06, respectively). Based on the results, a novel mechanical auto-adaptive knee prosthesis has advantages compared to the other conventional designs for unilateral trans-femoral amputees walking at different speeds.

A Wearable Real-time Kinematic and Kinetic Measurement Sensor Setup for Human Locomotion.

Current laboratory-based setups (optical marker cameras + force plates) for human motion measurement require participants to stay in a constrained capture region which forbids rich movement types. This study established a fully wearable system, based on commercially available sensors (inertial measurement units + pressure insoles) that can measure both kinematic and kinetic motion data simultaneously and support wireless frame-by-frame streaming. In addition, its capability and accuracy were tested against a conventional laboratory-based setup. An experiment was conducted, with 9 participants wearing the wearable measurement system and performing 13 daily motion activities, from slow walking to fast running, together with vertical jump, squat, lunge and single-leg landing, inside the capture space of the laboratory-based motion capture system. The recorded sensor data were post-processed to obtain joint angles, ground reaction forces (GRFs), and joint torques (via multi-body inverse dynamics). Compared to the laboratory-based system, the established wearable measurement system can measure accurate information of all lower limb joint angles (Pearson's r = 0.929), vertical GRFs (Pearson's r = 0.954), and ankle joint torques (Pearson's r = 0.917). Center of pressure (CoP) in the anterior-posterior direction and knee joint torques were fairly matched (Pearson's r = 0.683 and 0.612, respectively). Calculated hip joint torques and measured medial-lateral CoP did not match with the laboratory-based system (Pearson's r = 0.21 and 0.47, respectively). Furthermore, both raw and processed datasets are openly accessible (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6457662). Documentation, data processing codes, and guidelines to establish the real-time wearable kinetic measurement system are also shared (https://github.com/HuaweiWang/WearableMeasurementSystem).

Fast and slow walking driven by chemical fuel.

We demonstrate the fast forward and slow backward motion of a biped on a tetrahedral track using chemical fuel, cooperative binding and kinetic selectivity. Walking of the biped is based on its dibenzyl amine feet that bind to zinc porphyrin units and, upon protonation, to dibenzo 24-crown-8 sites affording pseudorotaxane linkages.