Search Results (43)

This study aimed to explore the occurrence of exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms (ExGIS) in collegiate athletes and identify related self-management practices. A sequential mixed methods design was used, consisting of an online survey followed by semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics (survey) and thematic analysis (interviews). Survey respondents (n = 96) represented various individual and team sports but were primarily female (76%). ExGIS prevented or interrupted training and/or competition in 32%. Female athletes experienced gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) more frequently at rest (60%) and during training (37%), compared to males (22% and 9%, respectively; p < 0.01). Only 12% sought health care for ExGIS. Four (13%) female runners with ExGIS agreed to an interview. Response rates and interview data provided evidence of stigma in discussing GIS. Self-imposed food restriction was a common self-management strategy. In summary, female collegiate athletes may experience a greater burden of GIS and ExGIS than males. The stigmatized topic of ExGIS is a potential barrier to seeking health care and support. Access to a sport dietitian could help to address barriers to ExGIS care and support self-management practices in these athletes. Full article

While moderate exercise supports regular menstrual cycle (MC) function, many female athletes experience MC symptoms that negatively influence their training and performance. Hereby, knowledge and communication about this topic are important to promote an athlete’s health and wellbeing. Hence, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and communication surrounding the MC among Norwegian rhythmic gymnasts, ballerinas, and dancers. In total, 116 rhythmic gymnasts, ballerinas, and dancers aged ≥ 16 years training ≥ 3 days per week completed an electronic questionnaire. Of these, 63% (n = 73) reported a lack of knowledge about the MC’s influence on physical fitness and performance, and 39% (n = 45) rated their coaches’ or pedagogues’ knowledge as low. With only 32% of participants discussing the MC with their coaches/pedagogues, communication was found to be limited. Seventy-three percent felt uncomfortable during training or competition due to their attire and recommended darker colors and more options in size and layering. The study highlights a significant gap in knowledge and communication about the MC among female athletes and coaches/pedagogues in aesthetic sports. It also recommends improving athletes’ choice of attire for greater comfort and confidence. Full article

As online shopping has increased, the business models of online stores have diversified. When consumers cannot experience an actual product, merchants will promote products through a display to attract customers. Virtual reality (VR) provides an immersive platform for consumers to interact with virtual scenarios. Unfortunately, cybersickness remains a problem in VR. The uncomfortable effects of VR hinder its commercial expansion and the broader adoption of 3D virtual stores. Cybersickness has many causes, including personal characteristics, hardware interfaces, and operation behavior. This study develops a fuzzy-control anti-cybersickness intelligent system (FCACIS) with these factors dynamically and actively. The system retrieves the operation value and inferences the cybersickness symptom value (CSSV). When the CSSV exceeds the alarm value, a dialog mode is introduced to remind users to be aware of possible cybersickness. If the CSSV continues to increase, a cybersickness defense mechanism is activated, such as decreasing the field of view and freezing the screen. The experimental results revealed a significant difference in SSQ scores between subjects who navigated a 3D virtual store with and without the FCACIS. The SSQ scores of subjects with the FCACIS (SSQ = 20.570) were significantly lower than those of subjects without the FCACIS (SSQ = 32.880). The FCACIS effectively alleviated cybersickness for subjects over 40 years old. Additionally, the FCACIS effectively slowed the onset of cybersickness in men and women. The anti-cybersickness effect of the FCACIS on flat-panel displays was greater than that on HMDs. The symptoms of cybersickness for a 3DOF controller were also reduced. Full article

While the pet market is continuously rapidly increasing in Korea, pet dog owners feel uncomfortable in coping with pet dog’s health problems in time. In this paper, we propose a pre-diagnosis system based on neuro-fuzzy learning, enabling non-expert users to monitor their pets’ health by inputting observed symptoms. To develop such a system, we form a disease–symptom database based on several textbooks with veterinarians’ guidance and filtering. The system offers likely disease predictions and recommended coping strategies based on fuzzy inference. We evaluated three fuzzy inference algorithms—PFCM-R, FHAL, and MNFL. While PFCM-R achieved high accuracy with clean data, it struggled with noisy inputs. FHAL showed better noise tolerance but lower precision. PFCM-R is a variant of well-known fuzzy unsupervised learner FCM, and FHAL is the hybrid fuzzy inference engine based on Fuzzy Association Memory and a double-layered FCM we developed. To make the system more robust, we propose the multi-layered neuro-fuzzy learner (MNFL) in this paper, which effectively weakens the association strength between the disease and the observed symptoms, less related to the body part on which the abnormal symptoms are observed. In experiments that are designed to examine how the inference system reacts under increasing noisy input from the user, MNFL achieved 98% accuracy even with non-erroneous inputs, demonstrating superior robustness to other inference engines. This system empowers pet owners to detect health issues early, improving the quality of care and fostering more informed interactions with veterinarians, ultimately enhancing the well-being of companion animals. Full article

Background: Flatfoot deformity is a common condition in children and teenagers that may increase the risk of knee, hip, and back pain. Most of the insoles suggested to treat flatfoot symptoms are not designed to adapt to foot temperature during walking, and they are either too soft to provide support or hard enough to be uncomfortable. Purpose: This study aims to develop an advanced solution to diagnose and treat flexible flatfoot (FFT) using infrared thermography measurements and a hybrid insole reinforced by nitinol (NiTiCu) smart-memory-alloy wires (SMAWs), this super-elastic alloy can return back to its pre-deformed shape when heated, which helps to reduce the local high-temperature points caused by the uneven pressure of FFT. This approach achieves a more uniform thermal distribution across the foot, which makes the hybrid insole more comfortable. Methods: The study involved 16 subjects, divided into two groups of eight flat-footed and eight normal. The procedure includes two parts, namely, designing a prototype insole with SMAW properties based on thermography measurement by using SolidWorks, and evaluating this design using Ansys. Second, a hybrid insole reinforced with SMAWs is customized for flatfoot subjects. The thermography measurement differences between the medial and lateral sides of the metatarsophalangeal line are compared for the normal and flatfoot groups before and after wearing the suggested design. Results: The results show that our approach safely diagnosed FFT and significantly improved the thermal distribution in FFT subjects by more than 80% after wearing the suggested design. A paired t-test reported significant (p-value > 0.001) thermal decreases in the high-temperature points after using the SMAW insole, which was closely approximated to the normal subjects. Conclusions: the SMAW-reinforced insole is comfortable and suitable for treating FFT deformity, and infrared thermography is an effective tool to evaluate FFT deformity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Anal incontinence is linked to pelvic floor dysfunction. Diagnosis involves assessing both the function and structure of the anorectal unit. Although transperineal ultrasound has gained attention as a less invasive option, its effectiveness as a diagnostic tool for evaluating the relationship between structure and function is still debated. This study aimed to explore the relationship between quantitative measurements of anal sphincter and pelvic floor structures as well as the subjective symptoms and objective assessments of sphincter function regarding anal incontinence. Methods: 50 women with pelvic floor dysfunction were recruited for the study. The severity of anal incontinence was assessed using the CACP score. Ultrasound imaging was employed to measure anal sphincter area, while sphincter pressures were evaluated through manometry. The relationships between variables were analyzed using Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation tests. Results: The mean anal sphincter area was 5.51 cm² at rest and 4.06 cm² during maximal contraction. Resting anal sphincter pressure had an average of 46.29 mmHg, and contraction pressure averaged 103.25 mmHg. No significant correlation was found between the anal sphincter area and pressure at rest (r = 0.018) or during contraction (r = −0.210). However, a moderate correlation was observed between the change in sphincter pressure and area during contraction (r = 0.312). The CACP score showed no significant correlation with the sphincter area at rest (r = −0.084) but was weakly correlated during contraction (r = −0.270). Conclusions: Conventional diagnostic tools for evaluating anal incontinence can be uncomfortable and are not always readily available. Perineal sonography presents a promising, less invasive alternative for dynamic assessment of the anal sphincter. Full article

This entry reviews the health condition known as Roemheld syndrome, or gastrocardiac syndrome in modern medicine. A pathology of gastrointestinal origin, the syndrome relies on a gut–brain–heart triad, interconnected by the vagus nerve. Pressure from the intestines pushes the stomach into the diaphragm and activates the vagus nerve, which affects the heart rate and gives the perception of cardiac issues. This distressing sensation, which usually comes after meals or with other digestive problems, causes anxiety or panic. Although events not arising from anatomic abnormalities are relatively harmless, hypersensitivity to these uncomfortable sensations may precipitate psychiatric problems (anxiety or depression) that cause repeated gastrocardiac events through sympathetic activation and the disruption of peristalsis. Treatment is usually symptomatic and may include diet, lifestyle changes, probiotics, or prescriptions that increase gut motility, but this specific set of reproducible symptoms may also be caused by hiatal hernia or side effects from medication/surgery and treated with respect to those mechanical causes. This review highlights details from the most current knowledge of the condition and offers suggestions for clinical management based on the literature. Full article

Quarantine policies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prolonged time spent at home, leading to an unintended occurrence of sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SBS symptoms among residents in Suzhou, China, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire survey was conducted online from February to May 2022. A total of 442 adults were included in this study. The prevalence of SBS symptoms was much higher during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the proportions of general, mucosal, and skin symptoms were 59.3%, 45.5% and 49.1%, respectively. The influences of building characteristics, occupant lifestyle, indoor environment and perception of indoor environment were analysed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Neighbourhood pollutant sources, older residences, non-ownership and humidity indicators were significant risk factors for SBS symptoms. Frequent use of air fresheners was significantly associated with general (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.9, 95% confidence interval (CI: 2.4–10.0), mucosal (AOR: 5.3, 95% CI: 2.4–11.5), and skin symptoms (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI: 1.6–13.1), while the use of disinfectants was significantly correlated with skin symptoms (AOR: 4.0, 95% CI: 1.5–10.7). Residents’ perception of an uncomfortable indoor environment was a significant predictor of general (AOR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2–4.0) and mucosal symptoms (AOR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.6–6.0). The use of air cleaners can reduce the prevalence of general symptoms. An important finding of this study is that the psychological impact of staying at home for a long time was associated with general symptoms (AOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.7), which means that attention should also be paid to the mental health of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the quarantine period has now ended, our results can still serve as a reference for the impact of the indoor environment on the health of people with SBS, especially for those who stay at home for a long time, such as the elderly. Full article

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the gut–brain axis with pronounced adverse effects on physical health, psychological health, and overall quality of life. Diagnostic strategies can vary, highlighting a need to synthesize best-practice guidelines. Particularly, the American College of Gastroenterology and the British Society of Gastroenterology both support a positive diagnostic strategy; evaluation with C-reactive protein, fecal calprotectin, and fecal lactoferrin; and evaluation with celiac disease serology. Both guidelines do not support routine colonoscopy, and both differ in recommendations for anorectal physiology testing. Given there is currently no curative treatment available, IBS management focuses on symptomatic relief, and challenges exist in achieving and maintaining this relief. Many treatments, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic, exist to alleviate the uncomfortable, painful symptoms of the disorder; however, stratifying the quality of evidence behind each option is critical for application to clinical management and for tailoring this management to each patient. Lifestyle adjustments, especially in relation to diet, can be effective first-line therapies and supplements to pharmacologic therapy. Pharmacologic treatment is broadly categorized in accordance with the subtypes of IBS, with indications for different populations and mechanisms that work to target components of IBS pathophysiology. The aim of this article is to comprehensively compare updated diagnostic guidelines, review standard treatments, and outline recent pharmacologic advancements. Full article

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus that becomes pathogenic and problematic under certain biological conditions. C. albicans may cause painful and uncomfortable symptoms, as well as deaths in immunocompromised patients. Therefore, early detection of C. albicans is essential. However, conventional detection methods are costly, slow, and inaccessible to women in remote or developing areas. To address these concerns, we have developed a wearable and discrete naked-eye detectable colorimetric platform for C. albicans detection. With some modification, this platform is designed to be directly adhered to existing feminine hygiene pads. Our platform is rapid, inexpensive, user-friendly, and disposable and only requires three steps: (i) the addition of vaginal fluid onto sample pads; (ii) the addition of gold nanoparticle gel and running buffer, and (iii) naked eye detection. Our platform is underpinned by selective thiolated aptamer-based recognition of 1,3-β-D glucan molecules—a hallmark of C. albicans cell walls. In the absence of C. albicans, wearable sample pads turn bright pink. In the presence of C. albicans, the wearable pads turn dark blue due to significant nanoparticle target-induced aggregation. We demonstrate naked-eye colorimetric detection of 4.4 × 10⁶ C. albicans cells per ml and nanoparticle stability over a pH range of 3.0–8.0. We believe that this proof-of-concept platform has the potential to have a significant impact on women’s health globally. Full article

Background/Objectives: ACTION-FRANCE (Awareness, Care, and Treatment In Obesity maNagement in France) aims to identify the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and potential barriers to effective obesity management in France and guide collaborative actions. Methods: ACTION-FRANCE is a cross-sectional survey of people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) in France. The PwO and HCP survey questionnaire periods ran from 27 September 2022 to 1 February 2023 and from 19 December 2022 to 31 March 2023, respectively. Results: The study, encompassing 1226 PwO and 166 HCPs, reveals a shared recognition of obesity as a chronic condition. However, despite being requested by most PwO, weight-related discussions are surprisingly infrequent, leading to delayed diagnosis and care. PwO and HCPs held different views as to why: HCPs often attributed it to PwO’s lack of motivation or disinterest, whereas PwO avoided them because they felt weight management was their own responsibility and were uncomfortable discussing it. When weight was discussed, primarily with general practitioners (GPs), discussions mostly focused on physical activity and diet. However, results identified the strong psychosocial impact of obesity: 42% of respondents reported anxiety/depressive symptoms, and many more hesitated to engage in certain social activities because of their weight. Psychotherapy was only discussed by 55% of HCPs. Pharmaceutical options were also rarely discussed (19.5% of HCPs), though 56.1% of PwO reported they would want to. Conclusions: HCPs’ and PwO’s perceptions differed significantly and need to converge through enhanced communication. A holistic approach, integrating comprehensive training for GPs and recognizing psychological comorbidities, would help to bridge perceptual gaps effectively and foster more empathetic and effective patient care. Full article

Background and Objective: Menopause can be associated with many clinical manifestations: vasomotor symptoms, urogenital problems, and additional psychological disturbances, such as anxiety, mood changes, and sleep alterations. The prolonged lack of hormones also increases the risk of long-term consequences. Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) in menopause consists of the administration of estrogen, alone or associated to progesterone, to relieve these uncomfortable disturbances and to prevent the onset of other pathologic conditions. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of HRT use in a sample of menopausal women and their experience with menopause and HRT. This study also investigates the knowledge of general practitioners (GPs) and gynecologists about HRT and its prescription. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional population survey on 126 women of 50–59 years in an industrial city in the North of Italy, Vercelli (Novara), in Eastern Piedmont. We also presented a questionnaire on the topic to 54 medical doctors (GPs and gynecologists) of the same area. Results: The prevalence of HRT use in our sample was 11.9%. In total, a good percentage of the users affirmed to be satisfied with HRT. Additionally, a minority of women reported being ideally against the use of replacement hormones, were advised against using HRT by doctors, and did not use it because of the fear of side effects. We found a positive association between patient education, health care attitude, and HRT usage. A significant number of women knew about HRT from the media, and most of them were not informed by a health professional. Despite this, the interviewed doctors considered their knowledge about HRT as ‘good’ and would recommend HRT: only 5.6% would not prescribe it. Conclusions: Our results highlight the need for information about HRT among patients and health professionals, along with the need for more effective communication, evaluation, and suggestion of treatment. Full article

Without physically intensive building, modern infrastructure development would be impossible. Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) and other occupational health issues may arise in such a demanding environment. Construction workers often develop MSDs from repeated actions, uncomfortable postures, and heavy lifting. Musculoskeletal disorders may damage muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, etc. The effect of MSDs is well known; occupational health studies increasingly include gender-specific aspects. Despite being in the minority, the number of female construction employees is growing. However, physiological variations and occupational activities and environments may provide distinct obstacles. Thus, identifying gender-specific MSDs in construction is essential for worker safety. This research proposes a gender-specific machine learning (ML)-based musculoskeletal disorder detection framework (GS-ML-MSD2F) in the construction industry. A simple random selection procedure chose 250 female and 250 male rebar workers with at least six months of experience for the dataset. In January and June 2023, face-to-face interviews and ergonomic evaluations were undertaken. The data were analyzed using different machine learning methods, and the effectiveness of the methods was studied. The data showed that 60% of female rebar workers had MSD symptoms. The lower back and shoulders accounted for 40% of cases. Multiple machine learning methods revealed two significant factors related to musculoskeletal disorders: lengthy working hours and uncomfortable postures, and long working hours had an adjusted odds ratio of 8.5%, whereas awkward posture had an adjusted odds ratio of 42.5%. These results emphasize the relevance of working hours and posture in MSD prevention for female rebar workers in the construction sector. Full article

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flare-ups exhibit symptoms that are similar to other diseases and conditions, making diagnosis and treatment complicated. Currently, the gold standard for diagnosing and monitoring IBD is colonoscopy and biopsy, which are invasive and uncomfortable procedures, and the fecal calprotectin test, which is not sufficiently accurate. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an alternative method. In this study, our aim was to provide proof of concept for the application of Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra-Mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS) and machine learning to develop a non-invasive and accurate predictive model using the stool proteome to distinguish between active IBD patients and symptomatic non-IBD patients. Proteome profiles of 123 samples were obtained and data processing procedures were optimized to select an appropriate pipeline. The differentially abundant analysis identified 48 proteins. Utilizing correlation-based feature selection (Cfs), 7 proteins were selected for proceeding steps. To identify the most appropriate predictive machine learning model, five of the most popular methods, including support vector machines (SVMs), random forests, logistic regression, naive Bayes, and k-nearest neighbors (KNN), were assessed. The generated model was validated by implementing the algorithm on 45 prospective unseen datasets; the results showed a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 76%, indicating its performance. In conclusion, this study illustrates the effectiveness of utilizing the stool proteome obtained through SWATH-MS in accurately diagnosing active IBD via a machine learning model. Full article

Depression has been known to adversely influence the working performance of employees. However, compared with physical health, few studies have reported the prevalence of depressive symptoms among employees in workplaces. This study aimed to investigate the current situation and the relationships among the prevalence of depressive symptoms, physical health, social–psychological factors, working conditions, environmental perception, and workplace performance of employees in public utility places in Zhejiang Province, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the fourth quarter of 2019. A total of 1232 individuals responded to the survey. Six types of information—sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions, psychosocial factors, four groups of physical symptoms, working performance, and depressive symptoms—were collected. Logistic regression analysis was performed. The survey results showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms among employees in public utility places in Zhejiang Province was 17.9%. Perceptions of a poor work environment, poor interpersonal relationships, an unfulfilling life, and frequent ocular and general uncomfortable symptoms were associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms. Strong work ability, fulfilment in life, and taking the initiative to wear or use protective equipment at work were associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms. The results of this study will provide valuable guidance for the scientific intervention for depressive symptoms among public utility place employees in the future. Full article