ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of disease burden globally and chronic stress is associated with increased risk of CVD. Recognition of chronic occupational stressors as a potential contributor to CVD highlights the need to recognize and prevent stress during work. The ubiquity of wearable technology devices to monitor health provides a new opportunity to noninvasively examine the cardiovascular system throughout a work shift. In the current study, we examined changes in heart rate (HR) during a work shift in a retail store setting using 23 healthy female and male subjects that differed in their physical fitness status. Subjects had their HR tracked via an Apple Watch during three typical work shifts. The results demonstrated an increase in HR during a work shift to a level observed during a moderate stressor (resting HR = 83.2 BPM ± 7.8; highest HR mean = 109.1 BPM ± 11.7; p < .0001). Female subjects demonstrated a significantly elevated maximum HR, a larger change in HR, and a larger percent change in HR compared with males (all p < .05). Physical activity status did not influence the observed changes in HR for females or males. Neither the time of day the work shift occurred nor the length of the shift modulated the observed pattern of HR changes. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the potential for wearables in biomedical research and personalized health.
Subject(s)
Heart Rate/physiology , Occupational Stress/physiopathology , Adult , Cardiovascular Diseases , Exercise , Female , Humans , Male , Monitoring, Physiologic , Sex Factors , Wearable Electronic DevicesABSTRACT
Lesions of the tibialis anterior muscle and tendon are not frequently reported in international literature although pathology is not rare. Pathology can be spontaneous, associated with arthropathy or more generalized conditions. Clinical assessment may not be sufficient for distinguishing conditions like tendinopathy, tears, bursitis, etc. Therefore, imaging studies are necessary to plan appropriate therapy. US has a number of advantages, including widespread availability, absence of contraindications and low cost. It can also be used for dynamic studies of the muscle during contraction and relaxation. This article reviews the anatomy of the tibialis anterior, normal variants, the technique used for standard US examination of this muscle and tendon, its normal appearance on US and the sonographic characteristics of the most common lesions that affect it including tips on US-guided injections used for treatment.
ABSTRACT
We report a case of epididymal microlithiasis that was diagnosed sonographically in a 75-year-old man undergoing scrotal sonographic examination to investigate right groin pain associated with an inguinal hernia. The sonographic appearance was that of multiple comet-shaped foci of microcalcification throughout both epididymides, with associated comet-tail artifacts. The testes had normal appearance with no evidence of testicular microlithiasis. The patient subsequently remained well after hernia repair. To our knowledge, epididymal microlithiasis has only previously been reported in a cadaveric study; the authors of that study hypothesized that the condition is caused by aging, with ischemia likely implicated in the pathogenesis. There are many other patterns of extratesticular calcification, including sperm granuloma, hematoma, and chronic epididymitis. We discuss how these differ in appearance from epididymal microlithiasis. Epididymal microlithiasis is a completely separate entity from testicular microlithiasis and should be recognized and dismissed by sonographers and radiologists.
Subject(s)
Calculi/diagnosis , Epididymis/diagnostic imaging , Genital Diseases, Male/diagnosis , Lithiasis/diagnosis , Aged , Calculi/complications , Follow-Up Studies , Genital Diseases, Male/complications , Hernia, Inguinal/complications , Humans , Lithiasis/complications , Male , Rare Diseases , Ultrasonography, Doppler, ColorABSTRACT
Horner's syndrome is uncommon in the paediatric population, but is seen more in infancy, and most cases are either congenital or related to birth trauma, head and neck tumours or thoracic surgery. We report an unusual cause of Horner's syndrome in a healthy adolescent boy secondary to a large, spontaneous, but asymptomatic, primary pneumothorax.
