scholarly journals Wearable Monitoring Devices for Biomechanical Risk Assessment at Work: Current Status and Future Challenges—A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Ranavolo ◽  
Francesco Draicchio ◽  
Tiwana Varrecchia ◽  
Alessio Silvetti ◽  
Sergio Iavicoli
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Industrial Manufacturing ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Measurement Units ◽  
Fatigue Estimation ◽  
Instrumental Approaches

Background: In order to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) several methods have been developed, accepted by the international literature and used in the workplace. The purpose of this systematic review was to describe recent implementations of wearable sensors for quantitative instrumental-based biomechanical risk assessments in prevention of WMSDs. Methods: Articles written until 7 May 2018 were selected from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science using specific keywords. Results: Instrumental approaches based on inertial measurement units and sEMG sensors have been used for direct evaluations to classify lifting tasks into low and high risk categories. Wearable sensors have also been used for direct instrumental evaluations in handling of low loads at high frequency activities by using the local myoelectric manifestation of muscle fatigue estimation. In the field of the rating of standard methods, on-body wireless sensors network-based approaches for real-time ergonomic assessment in industrial manufacturing have been proposed. Conclusions: Few studies foresee the use of wearable technologies for biomechanical risk assessment although the requirement to obtain increasingly quantitative evaluations, the recent miniaturization process and the need to follow a constantly evolving manual handling scenario is prompting their use.

scholarly journals Erratum: Alberto, R. et al., Wearable Monitoring Devices for Biomechanical Risk Assessment at Work: Current Status and Future Challenges—A Systematic Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 2001

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Ranavolo ◽  
Francesco Draicchio ◽  
Tiwana Varrecchia ◽  
Alessio Silvetti ◽  
Sergio Iavicoli
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Monitoring Devices ◽  
Published Paper

Due to an error during production, the first author’s name of the published paper [...]

scholarly journals Reliability of activity monitors for physical activity assessment in patients with musculoskeletal disorders: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Francesco Negrini ◽  
Alessandro de Sire ◽  
Stefano Giuseppe Lazzarini ◽  
Federico Pennestrì ◽  
Salvatore Sorce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Activity Monitors ◽  
Activity Assessment ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Measurement Units ◽  
Full Text Screening

BACKGROUND: Activity monitors have been introduced in the last years to objectively measure physical activity to help physicians in the management of musculoskeletal patients. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed at describing the assessment of physical activity by commercially available portable activity monitors in patients with musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, PEDro, Web of Science, Scopus and CENTRAL databases were systematically searched from inception to June 11th, 2020. We considered as eligible observational studies with: musculoskeletal patients; physical activity measured by wearable sensors based on inertial measurement units; comparisons performed with other tools; outcomes consisting of number of steps/day, activity/inactivity time, or activity counts/day. RESULTS: Out of 595 records, after removing duplicates, title/abstract and full text screening, 10 articles were included. We noticed a wide heterogeneity in the wearable devices, that resulted to be 10 different types. Patients included suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, and fibromyalgia. Only 3 studies compared portable activity trackers with objective measurement tools. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, this systematic review showed that activity monitors might be considered as useful to assess physical activity in patients with musculoskeletal disorders, albeit, to date, the high device heterogeneity and the different algorithms still prevent their standardization.

scholarly journals BIOLOGICAL THERAPY PENETRATION FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN LATIN AMERICA: CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abel Botelho QUARESMA ◽  
Claudio Saddy Rodrigues COY ◽  
Aderson Omar Mourão Cintra DAMIÃO ◽  
Gilaad G KAPLAN ◽  
Paulo Gustavo KOTZE
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Biological Agents ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Bowel Diseases ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Different Characteristics

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The introduction of anti-TNF agents represented a landmark in the management of both Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), with improved efficacy and safety when compared with conventional treatment. However, significant challenges still exist in Latin America to facilitate the access of biological agents for physicians and patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to summarize current evidence on penetration of biological agents for CD and UC in Latin America. METHODS: Data are derived from a previous complete systematic review that explored different characteristics of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in Latin America. The studies fully included in this previous systematic review which contained detailed descriptions of the percentage of use of biological agents in different cohorts throughout Latin American and Caribbean countries were included, and descriptive findings were compiled, describing CD and UC penetration of these drugs in different patient cohorts from different countries. RESULTS: From the 61 studies included in the original systematic review, only 19 included data of the percentage of patients treated with biological agents. Anti-TNF use in CD varied from 1.51% in Mexico up to 46.9% in Colombia, with most of the studies describing anti-TNF use in approximately 20%-40% of CD patients. On the other side, the frequency of the use of biologics was clearly lower in UC, varying from 0% in 2009 to up 16.2% in 2018, according to two different Mexican studies. Only two studies described the penetration of anti-TNF agents in IBD overall: 13.4% in a Colombian and 37.93% in a Brazilian study. No studies described percentage of use of new biologic agents (vedolizumab and ustekinumab). CONCLUSION: Penetration of anti-TNF agents in Latin America is comparable to the rest of the world in CD, but lower in UC. With the increase in the incidence and prevalence of IBD, specific strategies to increase access to anti-TNF agents in UC and new biological agents overall are warranted.

scholarly journals Validity of Wearable Sensors at the Shoulder Joint: Combining Wireless Electromyography Sensors and Inertial Measurement Units to Perform Physical Workplace Assessments

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 1885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Poitras ◽  
Mathieu Bielmann ◽  
Alexandre Campeau-Lecours ◽  
Catherine Mercier ◽  
Laurent J. Bouyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
Inertial Measurement Units ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Inertial Measurement ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Measurement Units ◽  
Shoulder Kinematics

Background: Workplace adaptation is the preferred method of intervention to diminish risk factors associated with the development of work-related shoulder disorders. However, the majority of the workplace assessments performed are subjective (e.g., questionnaires). Quantitative assessments are required to support workplace adaptations. The aims of this study are to assess the concurrent validity of inertial measurement units (IMUs; MVN, Xsens) in comparison to a motion capture system (Vicon) during lifting tasks, and establish the discriminative validity of a wireless electromyography (EMG) system for the evaluation of muscle activity. Methods: Sixteen participants performed 12 simple tasks (shoulder flexion, abduction, scaption) and 16 complex lifting tasks (lifting crates of different weights at different heights). A Delsys Trigno EMG system was used to record anterior and middle deltoids’ EMG activity, while the Xsens and Vicon simultaneously recorded shoulder kinematics. Results: For IMUs, correlation coefficients were high (simple task: >0.968; complex task: >0.84) and RMSEs were low (simple task: <6.72°; complex task: <11.5°). For EMG, a significant effect of weight, height and a weight x height interaction (anterior: p < 0.001; middle: p < 0.03) were observed for RMS EMG activity. Conclusions: These results suggest that wireless EMG and IMUs are valid units that can be used to measure physical demand in workplace assessments.

Risk Assessment and Regulation of Plants Modified by Modern Biotechniques: Current Status and Future Challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 699-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Schiemann ◽  
Antje Dietz-Pfeilstetter ◽  
Frank Hartung ◽  
Christian Kohl ◽  
Jörg Romeis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Genetically Modified Plants ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Detection And Identification ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Commercial Applications ◽  
Scientific Value

This review describes the current status and future challenges of risk assessment and regulation of plants modified by modern biotechniques, namely genetic engineering and genome editing. It provides a general overview of the biosafety and regulation of genetically modified plants and details different regulatory frameworks with a focus on the European situation. The environmental risk and safety assessment of genetically modified plants is explained, and aspects of toxicological assessments are discussed, especially the controversial debate in Europe on the added scientific value of untargeted animal feeding studies. Because RNA interference (RNAi) is increasingly explored for commercial applications, the risk and safety assessment of RNAi-based genetically modified plants is also elucidated. The production, detection, and identification of genome-edited plants are described. Recent applications of modern biotechniques, namely synthetic biology and gene drives, are discussed, and a short outlook on the future follows.

scholarly journals Sensor-based fall risk assessment in older adults with or without cognitive impairment: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Bezold ◽  
Janina Krell-Roesch ◽  
Tobias Eckert ◽  
Darko Jekauc ◽  
Alexander Woll
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Sensor Location ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
Fall Risk Assessment ◽  
Fall Risk Factors

Abstract Background Higher age and cognitive impairment are associated with a higher risk of falling. Wearable sensor technology may be useful in objectively assessing motor fall risk factors to improve physical exercise interventions for fall prevention. This systematic review aims at providing an updated overview of the current research on wearable sensors for fall risk assessment in older adults with or without cognitive impairment. Therefore, we addressed two specific research questions: 1) Can wearable sensors provide accurate data on motor performance that may be used to assess risk of falling, e.g., by distinguishing between faller and non-faller in a sample of older adults with or without cognitive impairment?; and 2) Which practical recommendations can be given for the application of sensor-based fall risk assessment in individuals with CI? A systematic literature search (July 2019, update July 2020) was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Community-based studies or studies conducted in a geriatric setting that examine fall risk factors in older adults (aged ≥60 years) with or without cognitive impairment were included. Predefined inclusion criteria yielded 16 cross-sectional, 10 prospective and 2 studies with a mixed design. Results Overall, sensor-based data was mainly collected during walking tests in a lab setting. The main sensor location was the lower back to provide wearing comfort and avoid disturbance of participants. The most accurate fall risk classification model included data from sit-to-walk and walk-to-sit transitions collected over three days of daily life (mean accuracy = 88.0%). Nine out of 28 included studies revealed information about sensor use in older adults with possible cognitive impairment, but classification models performed slightly worse than those for older adults without cognitive impairment (mean accuracy = 79.0%). Conclusion Fall risk assessment using wearable sensors is feasible in older adults regardless of their cognitive status. Accuracy may vary depending on sensor location, sensor attachment and type of assessment chosen for the recording of sensor data. More research on the use of sensors for objective fall risk assessment in older adults is needed, particularly in older adults with cognitive impairment. Trial registration This systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020171118).

scholarly journals Tai Chi and workplace wellness for health care workers: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
B Dorelli ◽  
R A Cocchiara ◽  
G Gholamalishahi ◽  
W Longo ◽  
E Musumeci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Work Related Stress ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Related Stress

Abstract Background Several studies show positive effects of new non-medical therapies known as complementary and alternative medicines, such as the discipline of tai chi. As healthcare professions are among the most vulnerable for work-related stress, this systematic review aims to investigate the relationship between tai chi practice and wellness of healthcare workers. Methods Cinahl, Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed were searched in September 2019. Full-text articles, written in English and published after 1995, were recruited if they focused on positive effects of tai chi on the psychophysical wellbeing of healthcare workers, in comparison with alternative techniques (such as yoga or traditional care). Outcomes were reduced work-related stress, better physical and psychological function, improvement in attention and/or productivity; no restrictions about study design were applied. Quality assessment was performed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale on cohort/cross-sectional studies, the Jadad scale for randomized clinical trial, AMSTAR for systematic reviews and CASE REPORT scale for case study. Results 6/111 papers were included: 3 clinical trials, 1 observational study, 1 systematic review and 1 case report. The methodological quality was of medium level. 2/3 trials found a significant increase in individuals' wellbeing and improvements in stress levels and nursing staff’s motivation in their work. In the observational study tai chi was a prevalent mind-body practice to reduce stress. The systematic review suggested that tai chi could be a useful tool to reduce stress-related chronic pain. In case report the effectiveness was observed in medical students. Conclusions This study highlights the full potential and possible benefits derived from tai chi but its application to improve health professionals' wellbeing is still limited, and the absence of a standardized intervention impacts on the methodological quality and reduces the robustness of the retrieved evidence. Key messages Tai chi can improve many pathological conditions and reduce work-related stress. Further research is needed to gain robust evidence of its efficacy for wellbeing of healthcare workers.

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