Azure Kinect performance evaluation for human motion and upper limb biomechanical analysis.

Human motion tracking is a valuable task for many medical applications. Marker-based optoelectronic systems are considered the gold standard in human motion tracking. However, their use is not always feasible in clinics and industrial environments. On the other hand, marker-less sensors became valuable tools, as they are inexpensive, noninvasive and easy to use. However, their accuracy can depend on many factors including sensor positioning, light conditions and body occlusions. In this study, following previous works on the feasibility of marker-less systems for human motion monitoring, we investigate the performance of the Microsoft Azure Kinect sensor in computing kinematic and dynamic measurements of static postures and dynamic movements. According to our knowledge, it is the first time that this sensor is compared with a Vicon marker-based system to assess the best camera positioning while observing the upper body part movements of people performing several tasks. Twenty-five healthy volunteers were monitored to evaluate the effects of the several testing conditions, including the Azure Kinect positions, the light conditions, and lower limbs occlusions, on the tracking accuracy of kinematic, dynamic, and motor control parameters. From the statistical analysis of the performed measurements, the camera in the frontal position was the most reliable, the lighting conditions had almost no effects on the tracking accuracy, while the lower limbs occlusion worsened the accuracy of the upper limbs. The assessment of human static postures and dynamic movements based on experimental data proves the feasibility of applying the Azure Kinect to the biomechanical monitoring of human motion in several fields.

The HA4M dataset: Multi-Modal Monitoring of an assembly task for Human Action recognition in Manufacturing.

This paper introduces the Human Action Multi-Modal Monitoring in Manufacturing (HA4M) dataset, a collection of multi-modal data relative to actions performed by different subjects building an Epicyclic Gear Train (EGT). In particular, 41 subjects executed several trials of the assembly task, which consists of 12 actions. Data were collected in a laboratory scenario using a Microsoft® Azure Kinect which integrates a depth camera, an RGB camera, and InfraRed (IR) emitters. To the best of authors' knowledge, the HA4M dataset is the first multi-modal dataset about an assembly task containing six types of data: RGB images, Depth maps, IR images, RGB-to-Depth-Aligned images, Point Clouds and Skeleton data. These data represent a good foundation to develop and test advanced action recognition systems in several fields, including Computer Vision and Machine Learning, and application domains such as smart manufacturing and human-robot collaboration.

Microsoft Azure Kinect Calibration for Three-Dimensional Dense Point Clouds and Reliable Skeletons.

Nowadays, the need for reliable and low-cost multi-camera systems is increasing for many potential applications, such as localization and mapping, human activity recognition, hand and gesture analysis, and object detection and localization. However, a precise camera calibration approach is mandatory for enabling further applications that require high precision. This paper analyzes the available two-camera calibration approaches to propose a guideline for calibrating multiple Azure Kinect RGB-D sensors to achieve the best alignment of point clouds in both color and infrared resolutions, and skeletal joints returned by the Microsoft Azure Body Tracking library. Different calibration methodologies using 2D and 3D approaches, all exploiting the functionalities within the Azure Kinect devices, are presented. Experiments demonstrate that the best results are returned by applying 3D calibration procedures, which give an average distance between all couples of corresponding points of point clouds in color or an infrared resolution of 21.426 mm and 9.872 mm for a static experiment and of 20.868 mm and 7.429 mm while framing a dynamic scene. At the same time, the best results in body joint alignment are achieved by three-dimensional procedures on images captured by the infrared sensors, resulting in an average error of 35.410 mm.

The relationship between body image and emotional and cognitive impairment after brain damage: A preliminary study.

INTRODUCTION: The image of one's own body derives from experimentation of one's own body pattern. The emotional experience can lead to a real or distorted self-representation. After brain damage, a disorder of body image is frequent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of body image following acquired brain injury (ABI). METHODS: Forty-six hospitalized patients were enrolled and subdivided into two groups depending on the etiology of the damage: traumatic or vascular. For each group, we considered their cognitive level and mood. Patients underwent a broad battery of tests to investigate different domains: Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II); Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A); Clinical Insight Rating Scale (CIRS); Body Image Scale (BIS); Human Figure Drawing (HFD). The latter was used to assess the implicit body image of each patient. RESULTS: Both groups showed a significant relationship between BDI-II and BIS. A positive correlation was found between BIS and HAM-A, but only in the traumatic group. We showed a positive correlation between MoCA and HFD. In addition, we observed some subitems of MoCA as predictive variables in HFD, which differ in the two groups. In a traumatic group, the visuospatial domain is predictive in HFD, as well as age of patients' and education. In the vascular groups, orientation, naming, abstraction, and language domains are instead predictive. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the crucial role of the cognitive level and mood on self-perception.

Cognitive impairment in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a descriptive review.

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a clinical sleep disorder defined by total or partial airflow restraint during sleep that results in fragmented sleep and hypoxemia, impacting negatively with cognitive functioning. This review was conducted on studies investigating structural brain alteration and cognitive impairment in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. METHOD: We searched on PubMed databases and screening references of included studies and review articles for additional citations. From initial 190 publications, only 17 met search criteria and described the cognitive impairment in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. RESULTS: Findings showed that patients with this syndrome had worse performance than healthy controls in attention, memory, and executive functions, showing specific neuroanathomical features. Cognitive impairment is also related to the severity of pathology. Treatment could improve certain cognitive aspects. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive deficits seem to be mainly attributable to decreased daytime vigilance and nocturnal hypoxemia.

Neurophysiological assessment in a patient affected by Marfan syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Marfan syndrome (MS) is a hereditary connective tissue disorder characterized by different multiorgan patterns. The guidelines for MS diagnosis do not highlight the usefulness-or even the use-of any neurophysiological techniques for diagnosing this disease. Moreover, few neurophysiological studies assessing the central and peripheral nervous systems in MS subjects have been reported to date.Case presentation: We describe a male patient affected by MS. To assess sensory and nociceptive pathways in this patient, a neurophysiological assessment was performed using electroencephalogram, nerve conduction studies, and somatosensory and laser-evoked potentials. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published case report to evaluate the role of evoked potential assessments for the study of sensory and nociceptive pathways in MS. CONCLUSION: Future studies should investigate the use of a complete neurophysiological approach for the clinical and therapeutic management of MS patients in a large sample.

Role of functional pharmacological therapy in post-stroke depression: a narrative review.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a narrative review to investigate whether antidepressant therapy, including the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) or the use of supportive drugs (i.e., citicoline or choline alfoscerate) as a substitute for antidepressant therapy, reduces depression in patients with cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: A systematic search of the PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed, including review articles and other studies to identify additional citations. Only 4 of 1566 publications met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were selected. RESULTS: Studies showed that post-stroke depression (PSD) could be treated with antidepressant therapy, as well as supportive drugs such as citicoline or choline alfoscerate, which may have antidepressant effects. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the efficacy of citicoline as a treatment for depression. Studies aimed to discover the characteristics of these psychostimulants in relation to PSD treatment should be performed.

Assessment of insight in hospitalized neurological patient: Cognitive profile and mood disorder.

PURPOSE: Many studies have evaluated the characteristics of insight, especially in psychiatric patient populations. However, this construct has been poorly examined within neurological disorders. We explored the relationship between altered insight, mood disorders and neurocognitive functioning in a sample of patients admitted to a neurological rehabilitation unit. METHOD: Each patient, at the time of hospitalization (T0), underwent an evaluation of the overall cognitive profile, of the frontal functions, and the compilation of scales aimed at investigating the 4 domains under examination of insight and anxiety-depressive symptomatology. After 3 months (T1), at the end of the rehabilitative and supportive treatment, the patients underwent the same evaluation performed at T0. RESULTS: Our results showed significant differences between T0 and T1 in the variables examined related to insight. In particular, there was a correlation between the global cognitive profile, including executive functions, and all insight domains. This confirms how the degree of cognitive deficit, especially of executive type, affects all levels of awareness of the individual. We have also found correlations between mood disorders and insight. In particular, our results show that depression versus anxiety plays a fundamental role in a person's awareness. CONCLUSIONS: The study of insight is fundamental not only for the relapses it could have on the patient, but also on those to health care professionals. In fact, having an adequate insight could lead to a greater motivation of the patient to be more complimentary to pharmacological and rehabilitative therapies, also favoring social reintegration.

Chronic pain and spinal cord stimulation.

Chronic pain can have a devastating impact and lead to patient isolation. Many people with chronic pain are predisposed to anxiety-depressant symptoms, due to a lower quality life. The aim of the study is to demonstrate how neuromodulation methods, can encourage the reduction of chronic pain and an improvement in the quality of life, therefore advancing the restoration of psychological well-being.We involved 50 patients with a diagnosis of pain that not respond to traditional pharmacological therapies. Interventions: All subject had depression and anxiety symptoms and a low-quality life. We used the spinal cord stimulation treatment and a psychological evaluation for assessment of depression-anxiety symptomatology and the level of quality life.We observed a significant difference in physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems and mental health.Our study affirms that the perception of chronic pain has a great impact on the perception of psychological well-being, quality of life, and the performance of normal daily social and professional activities.

Internet of Robotic Things in Smart Domains: Applications and Challenges.

With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Internet of Things (IoT) and robotic systems are closely cooperating, reshaping their relations and managing to develop new-generation devices. Such disruptive technology corresponds to the backbone of the so-called Industry 4.0. The integration of robotic agents and IoT leads to the concept of the Internet of Robotic Things, in which innovation in digital systems is drawing new possibilities in both industrial and research fields, covering several domains such as manufacturing, agriculture, health, surveillance, and education, to name but a few. In this manuscript, the state-of-the-art of IoRT applications is outlined, aiming to mark their impact on several research fields, and focusing on the main open challenges of the integration of robotic technologies into smart spaces. IoRT technologies and applications are also discussed to underline their influence in everyday life, inducing the need for more research into remote and automated applications.

Role of visual P300 in cognitive assessment of subacute stroke patients: a longitudinal study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess if pre- and post- event related potentials (ERPs) components after visual stimulation training admitted differences exist in subacute stroke patients and to observe the outcome markers of cognitive functions recovery by using Neurowave system.Materials and Methods: Eighteen ischemic subacute stroke patients were enrolled and underwent to neuropsychological evaluation and ERPs recording at two time points, at baseline (T0) and after 3 months from (T1). All patients were stimulated with customized images for three days a week.Findings: Intra group analysis showed a significance difference in ERPs parameters and neuropsychological tests. Correlation analysis showed a significant relation between neuropsychological and ERP values.Conclusion: Our findings confirm that P300 ERPs' component could be a predictive marker for cognitive recovery of ischemic subacute stroke patients. Intensive programs of neurosensory stimulation could facilitate recovery of cognitive and attentive functions in subacute cerebrovascular disease.

Olfactory dysfunction as a prognostic marker for disability progression in Multiple Sclerosis: An olfactory event related potential study.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease and one of the leading causes of disability in young adults. Functional markers able to predict MS progression are still lacking. It is recognized that olfactory dysfunction may be an early symptom in MS. The aim of this study was to investigate whether alterations in olfactory event-related potentials could play a prognostic role in MS. Thirty patients affected by MS relapsing-remitting underwent an olfactory potential examination (T0). Three years after baseline (T1), 28 of 30 patients were clinically evaluated by expanded disability status scale. In addition, the number of Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) and the total number of relapses occurred in the last 3 years were collected. At T1, we observed a negative correlation between presence/absence of olfactory potentials and expanded disability status scale scores (rpb = -0.48; p = 0.009). A significant trend for a negative correlation between presence/absence of olfactory potentials and disease duration (rpb = -0.36; p = 0.06) and total number of relapses (rpb = -0.34; p = 0.08) was found. Only patients with olfactory potential absence showed a significant trend in the difference of the disability status scale (p = 0.06) between T0 and T1. In the sub-group of patients with reduced olfactory potential amplitude, we detected a trend for a negative correlation between the disability status scale and the amplitude of N1-P2 components more marked at T1 (r = -0.52; p = 0.06) than T0 (r = -0.47; p = 0.09). This is the first study that evaluated the prognostic role of olfactory event-related potentials in MS. Our results highlighted that olfactory alterations of MS patients were related to disability progression and, to a lesser extent, disease activity. The analysis of olfactory potential parameters confirmed the involvement in olfactory network damage of inflammatory and/or neurodegeneration processes which could predict the progressive course of the disease.