Search Results (5,970)

Background/Objectives: Inclusion body myositis (IBM) causes progressive, quadriceps-predominant weakness that impairs mobility and increases fall risk, yet outcomes most relevant to independence remain unsynthesized for IBM. This review compiles direct IBM evidence across five domains (A1–A5): natural history, motor performance, falls and balance, sensory/peripheral-nerve function, and interventions. Methods: Eight databases and two trial registers were searched without date or language limits. Eligible studies enrolled adults with IBM based on recognized criteria reporting lower-limb strength or function, gait, transitional tasks, balance, falls, or intervention outcomes; mixed-myopathy cohorts required extractable IBM-specific data. Two reviewers independently screened, extracted, and appraised risk of bias, following PRISMA 2020. Results: Sixty-four studies were included; per-domain totals (A1: 16, A2: 9, A3: 6, A4: 2, and A5: 38) exceed 64 because studies may span domains. Quadriceps strength was the most sensitive progression marker, detected earlier by quantitative testing. Falls were near-universal and insufficiently managed. No drug showed convincing functional benefit in controlled trials, whereas exercise and orthotic/robotic assistance appeared to be safe in small studies. Sensory and peripheral-nerve dysfunction were common, but proprioceptive acuity and postural balance were unmeasured. Conclusions: IBM progression is best measured by quantitative quadriceps strength and function. Intervention evidence derives largely from small, uncontrolled and neutral trials. Primary myopathy is likely the principal driver of decline, but its downstream consequences—for balance, proprioception, and falls—remain underexplored and are the priority for future study. Full article

The performance of physical workers is significantly influenced by the extent and quality of their motions. However, accurately measuring and assessing these motions remains a challenge due to the limitations in conventional instrumentation; wearable sensors require calibration and restrict mobility, while marker-based motion capture systems are costly and impractical for field deployment. Recent advancements have enabled in situ video analysis for the real-time observation of worker behaviors. To address these measurement constraints, this paper introduces a novel framework for tracking and quantifying upper and lower limb motions, issuing alerts when critical thresholds are reached. Using joint position data from posture estimation, the framework employs Hotelling’s $T^2$ statistic to quantify and monitor motion amounts. A significant positive correlation was noted between motion warnings and the overall NASA Task Load Index (TLX) workload rating (r = 0.218, p < 0.005). A supervised Random Forest model trained on the collected motion data was benchmarked across multiple datasets, including the in-house assembly dataset, G-AI-HMS, UCF Sports Action, UCF50, and PE-USGC. The proposed framework identified motion anomaly patterns with a maximum accuracy of 94% on the in-house assembly dataset, while performance varied across the external benchmark datasets. Full article

In the small and medium industries producing red bricks in Indonesia, the production process still uses traditional tools. At the workstation, operators in bent postures, which increases the potential for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to occur and requires corrective actions at the workstation. This research aims to reduce the risk of unhealthy operator work postures by designing red-brick molding tools that are more ergonomic and efficient, thereby speeding up the production process. The research uses the axiomatic design method and integrates it with the Ulrich and Eppinger’s product design and development stages. At the product concept development stage, five alternative design solutions were generated, and the second solution was determined as the selected concept. The solution was design and tested virtually. The research results show that the REBA method test score is one, which means that the red-brick molding work using this tool carries a negligible level of risk and does not require corrective action. Based on the designed specifications, this tool can reduce molding time by 92.5% compared to the molding time of traditional tools. Full article

As population aging intensifies, older adults who are bedridden or have limited mobility often experience strong restraint and poor comfort during defecation nursing; therefore, an unrestrained defecation-assisting device is urgently required. This study aims to design a novel unrestrained defecation-assisting posture transformation mechanism and defecation-receiving protective cover mechanism to improve the defecation experience of older adults. Firstly, a posture adjustment mechanism composed of a translation module and a back-elevation, leg-flexion, and leg-abduction module is proposed. The degrees of freedom of the system are calculated to ensure proper and coordinated motion. Furthermore, the human body slip displacement during the posture transformation process is analyzed. Secondly, a defecation-assisting coordinated docking mechanism is developed. Inspired by the pangolin model, a protective cover mechanism is designed. Through kinematic and workspace analyses, the driving lengths of the four-section keel are determined as 34 mm, 19 mm, 38 mm, and 40 mm, respectively. Thirdly, the control system for the entire nursing device is established, the control method of human body translation motion based on visual sensing is analyzed, and the control method of the protective cover mechanism based on the fuzzy adaptive control algorithm is conducted. Lastly, experiments are conducted and the results show that the motion error of the translation module is ≤7.6 mm. The posture transformation mechanism demonstrates excellent operational performance, the back-slip compensation effect is significant, the working trajectory of the mechanism meets human body requirements, and the protective cover accurately conforms to the human body with a reasonable contact pressure distribution. The results indicate that the proposed device effectively alleviates the sense of restraint associated with a conventional wearable excretion-care device, and provides a feasible solution for the application of intelligent nursing device. Full article

Non-contact body weight (BW) estimation provides a low-stress and low-cost approach for precision beef cattle management, but single-view RGB images may not fully capture body-shape information. This study proposed a practical dual-view RGB framework for cattle BW estimation. A total of 3210 paired top-view and side-view RGB images were collected from 107 Simmental beef cattle with BW ranging from 169 to 980 kg. An EMA-enhanced YOLO11n-seg model was adopted to improve cattle foreground extraction, and a two-stream CBAM-ResNet50-SE network was constructed to learn dorsal and lateral morphological features for BW regression. The EMA-YOLO11n-seg model achieved mAP@0.5 values of 99.18% and 98.35% for top-view and side-view images, respectively. On the test set, the proposed BW estimation model achieved an MAE of 14.96 kg, an RMSE of 17.86 kg, and an R² of 0.85. The model also showed stable performance across different growth stages and posture conditions. Adaptation experiments using a Sanhe cattle dataset further demonstrated the adaptability of the proposed framework. These results suggest that the practical dual-view RGB framework developed in this study provides an effective solution for non-contact beef cattle BW estimation under fixed image-acquisition conditions. Full article

Fatigue and balance disorders are common in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), but the neural mechanisms linking them during postural control remain unclear. This cross-sectional study aims to examine associations between fatigue, balance impairment, and task-evoked cortical hemodynamics/connectivity. Sixteen PwMS (relapsing-remitting MS; EDSS < 3.5) and 19 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Based on the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), PwMS were classified as fatigued (f_PwMS, MFIS ≥ 38; n = 10) or non-fatigued (nf_PwMS, n = 6). Participants performed five 30 s trials of static stance on foam with eyes closed. fNIRS recorded frontal, temporal, and occipital cortical activity, while stabilometry measured center-of-pressure sway. In PwMS, MFIS showed a trend toward association with sway (r = 0.49; p = 0.06). Sway was higher in f_PwMS than nf_PwMS and HC but not significantly different (ANOVA p = 0.341). Compared with HC, PwMS showed increased bilateral prefrontal and reduced occipital HR. Stratified analyses showed greater HR in f_PwMS versus HC and nf_PwMS in bilateral BA10 and in temporo-parietal regions, with a right-hemisphere predominance. Global coherence did not differ across groups, but exploratory BA10 analysis showed higher prefrontal coherence in f_PwMS than nf_PwMS (p = 0.02). Fatigued PwMS exhibit amplified, right prefrontal and temporo-parietal activation and focal prefrontal hyper-connectivity, consistent with compensatory top–down control to maintain balance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Walking-induced fatigue disrupts postural balance, but the differentiated effects of walking uphill and downhill remain unclear. The aim was to compare the impact of two walking sequences, either uphill (+10%) or downhill (−20%), with an identical number of steps (7000 steps) on a treadmill at 5.5 km·h⁻¹ on postural balance. Methods: Nineteen healthy young participants performed the two walking sequence sessions (56 and 57 min) eight days apart. Eyes-closed bipedal postural balance (in three randomized conditions: an unmanipulated condition, a tendon vibration manipulation condition—TV—and a galvanic vestibular stimulation manipulation condition—GVS), maximal voluntary contraction and central activation ratio were assessed before (PRE), immediately after (POST) and 20 min after (POST20) each walking sequence. Results: Walking uphill and walking downhill sequences generated similar muscular and central fatigue in the POST and POST20 conditions. In the unmanipulated postural condition, postural balance was disrupted after both walking sequences in the POST condition, with no difference between walking downhill and walking uphill. In the manipulated postural conditions, postural balance was modified by the walking sequences. It was disrupted in the presence of GVS in the POST condition with no difference between walking downhill and uphill, whereas it was not disrupted in the presence of TV and was even improved after walking uphill. Conclusions: Although the postural alteration was broadly similar between the two walking sequences, their disruptive factors would differ at the muscular, metabolic and sensory levels. Full article

Early layout decisions in in vitro diagnostic devices can affect operators’ viewing, reaching, and sample-loading actions. This study examined a concept-stage workflow that combined a low-fidelity bench with single-smartphone markerless motion capture before a complete engineering prototype was available. Interviews with seven engineers and task analysis were used to define posture-risk criteria, which were prioritized using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Twenty-five design students served as proxy operators. OpenCap-derived trajectories were processed in Python to calculate sagittal-plane joint angles and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA)-oriented screening indicators. In the primary near-sagittal subgroup (β = 0°, n = 14), the mean raw 99th percentile of neck flexion was 52.53° ± 7.55°, and all 14 participants exceeded the predefined 45° RULA-oriented threshold. The primary AHP–RULA analysis was restricted to this subgroup and provided a directional internal cross-check; the full-sample analysis was retained only as a sensitivity analysis. The workflow may support early layout screening and formative-evaluation documentation. Because no concurrent reference measurement system was used, the angle values should be interpreted as screening estimates rather than validated absolute measurements. The workflow does not replace usability validation conducted with intended clinical users and an engineering prototype. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to compare structural and functional parameters between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and healthy controls, assess associations with pulmonary function, and identify factors independently associated with COPD status. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 89 participants (COPD: n = 45; controls: n = 44). Structural parameters included forward shoulder posture (FSP), scapular rotation, scapular distance (SD), and pectoralis minor index, measured bilaterally. Functional parameters included maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP/MEP), chest expansion at three thoracic levels, spinal angles, and spirometry (%FVC, %FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF_25–75%, PEFR). Univariate and stepwise multivariate logistic regression identified variables independently associated with COPD. Results: COPD patients were older and exhibited lower anthropometric measures. Scapular rotation was greater in COPD (p < 0.05 bilaterally), while SD was significantly reduced (p < 0.001 bilaterally). MIP, MEP, and chest expansion at all three levels were significantly impaired in COPD (p < 0.05). All spirometric parameters were markedly lower in COPD (all p < 0.001). SD was positively associated with spirometric indices on both sides (p < 0.01). FSP was inversely associated with MIP, MEP, and chest expansion (p < 0.05). In multivariate logistic regression, age (OR 1.280, p = 0.018), %FVC (OR 0.875, p = 0.029), and FEF_25–75% (OR 0.909, p < 0.001) were independently associated with COPD status. Conclusions: Patients with COPD demonstrated reduced SD and increased scapular rotation. SD was significantly associated with pulmonary function, whereas FEF_25–75% and %FVC emerged as independently associated variables of COPD status. Collectively, these findings underscore the clinical relevance of integrating targeted scapulothoracic and respiratory rehabilitation strategies to optimize functional outcomes and support overall respiratory health and well-being. Full article

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) remain one of the most prevalent occupational health problems worldwide. To prevent the development of these WMSDs in an office space, a chair designed for office monitoring capable of accurately identifying ten representative seated postures and measuring environmental factors was developed and validated. Methods: To evaluate office working conditions, the chair has three embedded Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs): one directed towards seat pressure management, one directed towards environmental measurements and one PCB to manage the entire system. Machine learning approaches were then applied to establish a model that effectively predicts the seated position. The environmental data were also analyzed. Results: The seated position classification presented an accuracy of 80.99% in controlled conditions, while in a real-world context the accuracy was 65.98%. The environmental management showed low errors, except for the PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, with relative errors above 30%. Conclusions: This work presents an initial promising first step for an ergonomic office management solution. Full article

Wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) offer an accessible alternative to optical motion capture (MoCap) gait analysis, but their performance in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) requires validation. We assessed the concurrent validity of IMU-derived versus MoCap-derived gait metrics and static postural sway in 30 patients with PSP using Bland–Altman analysis, Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), and Spearman rank correlations. Finally, we assessed equivalence using the Two one-sided tests (TOST) procedure. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine whether clinical severity, as measured by the PSP Rating Scale (PSPRS), independently predicted absolute IMU measurement error while controlling for patient age and gait velocity. IMUs demonstrated excellent between-system agreement for parameters such as cadence (100.76 ± 11.42 vs. 100.52 ± 11.59) and cycle time (1.21 ± 0.15 vs. 1.22 ± 0.15; ICC > 0.98), despite a systematic underestimation of gait velocity (p < 0.05). Agreement significantly diminished for micro-phases (e.g., single/double support times) and spatial asymmetry. Interestingly, the TOST procedure revealed that only sagittal and transverse trunk kinematics were equivalent between systems, with all other measures failing to find equivalency. For static sway, the IMU demonstrated strong rank-order correspondence for tracking relative postural instability (ρ = 0.82, p < 0.05). Multivariable analysis revealed that higher PSPRS scores are independently associated with greater between-system discrepancies in support phases and pelvic and trunk kinematics (p < 0.05), irrespective of reduced gait speed. These findings highlight the need to develop disease-specific algorithms, rather than relying on normative commercial models, to establish reliable digital biomarkers for monitoring progressive motor decline. Full article

Background: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD), bruxism, and occlusal dysfunction have traditionally been managed as localized orofacial conditions. Emerging evidence suggests, however, that the stomatognathic system may interact with broader neuromusculoskeletal and central pain-processing networks, with potential systemic and neurological implications. Methods: A structured narrative literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, with the final targeted search performed in June 2026. Original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and relevant pilot studies were considered. No formal risk-of-bias or certainty-of-evidence assessment was performed. Results: The reviewed literature indicates that TMD and bruxism are associated with musculoskeletal pain beyond the orofacial region, cervical musculoskeletal dysfunction, and headache comorbidity, with relatively stronger evidence derived from systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Emerging neuroimaging evidence suggests alterations in central pain-modulatory networks, including the default mode network, which may be relevant to central sensitization, although this evidence remains preliminary. Clinically accessible parafunctional signs may prompt further orofacial assessment, and individualized intraoral splint therapy has been investigated for effects beyond local symptom relief, although the evidence remains heterogeneous across domains. Conclusions: TMD and occlusal dysfunction may be better understood within a broader neuromusculoskeletal framework. Multidisciplinary assessment and management may warrant consideration in selected patients. Future research should incorporate standardized TMD diagnostic criteria and, where relevant, neuroimaging and posturographic outcomes. Full article

Background: This study aims to evaluate the effect of postoperative posturing on graft detachment and rebubbling rates following Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK). Methods: This was an interventional comparative cohort study, assessing patients with and without posturing. All consecutive eyes requiring DMEK or phaco-DMEK were included in two chronological cohorts. The first cohort received strict 48 h postoperative posturing instructions, while the subsequent cohort received no posturing advice. Primary outcomes were graft detachment and rebubbling rates. Secondary outcomes were other adverse events and 6 months functionality. Results: A total of 119 eyes were included: 29 eyes in the posturing cohort (PC) and 90 eyes in the no-posturing cohort (no-PC). Forty-five eyes developed a graft detachment and rebubbling was performed in 38 eyes (37.8% resp. 31.9%). There was no significant difference in detachments (37.9% PC vs. 37.8% no-PC, p = 0.99) or rebubbling (31.0% PC vs. 32.2% no-PC, p = 0.91) between cohorts. Graft failure occurred twice in both cohorts (6.9% PC vs. 2.2% no-PC, p = 0.23). Conclusions: Abstaining from postoperative posturing did not impact the clinical outcomes of DMEK surgery. Eliminating posturing could reduce patient discomfort, health risks, and broaden eligibility for endothelial keratoplasty. Full article

This study presents an iconographic analysis of cylinder seals from the British Museum’s collection belonging to ancient Near Eastern cultures that depict big cats. A total of 542 cylinder seals were examined, from which 171 big cat representations on 101 seals were selected as the sample. The sample was analyzed using the visual analysis method. Data obtained from the analyses were coded with the MAXQDA 2024, version 24.7 software, thematic and sub-thematic categories were established, and content analysis was conducted. The results indicate that only one of the big cat figures can be identified as a leopard, while the remainder represent lions. In terms of formal characteristics, lion figures predominate, followed by hybrid forms such as griffin-lions. Most of the big cats are depicted standing upright on their hind legs with open mouths in aggressive or attacking postures, emphasizing the lion’s ferocity. The figures are generally highly stylized and possess strong representational qualities. Lions also appear in protective forms, such as sphinxes and griffins, symbolizing strength and guardianship. Additionally, heroes and rulers shown defeating lions function as visual expressions of political authority. Overall, big cat imagery on cylinder seals served as a symbolic medium conveying power, authority, protection, and sacredness within ancient societies. Full article

Skeletal muscle is a core component of the motor system, responsible for movement, posture maintenance, and energy metabolism. It plays a vital role in physiological stress, injury repair, and metabolic homeostasis. In recent years, with the advancement of epigenetic research, RNA modification has become a hot topic in skeletal muscle biology. This article systematically reviews the progress in the study of RNA modification in regulating the fate of skeletal muscle, focusing on the dynamic regulatory mechanisms and pathophysiological significance of N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification in muscle differentiation, regeneration, and atrophy. It also briefly introduces the existing evidence for 5-methylcytidine (m⁵C), adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing, and pseudouridine (Ψ) in skeletal muscle. A comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms is crucial for elucidating the physiological regulation of skeletal muscle and the pathogenesis of related diseases and also provides a new direction for the development of intervention strategies. Full article