A Remote Monitoring Platform for the Management of Lower Limb Vascular Diseases.

This short paper describes a remote monitoring platform proposed in the Inno4health project. The platform aims to guide patients and clinicians during the treatment of lower limb vascular disorders, namely, to correct abnormal foot pressure and temperature to prevent diabetic foot ulcers and to monitor interface pressure, leg position and elevation for venous ulcers patients.

Physical Rehabilitation Programs for Bedridden Patients with Prolonged Immobility: A Scoping Review.

Bedridden patients usually stay in bed for long periods, presenting several problems caused by immobility, leading to a long recovery process. Thus, identifying physical rehabilitation programs for bedridden patients with prolonged immobility requires urgent research. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to map existing physical rehabilitation programs for bedridden patients with prolonged immobility, the rehabilitation domains, the devices used, the parameters accessed, and the context in which these programs were performed. This scoping review, guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) methodology and conducted in different databases (including grey literature), identified 475 articles, of which 27 were included in this review. The observed contexts included research institutes, hospitals, rehabilitation units, nursing homes, long-term units, and palliative care units. Most of the programs were directed to the musculoskeletal domain, predominantly toward the lower limbs. The devices used included lower limb mobilization, electrical stimulation, inclined planes, and cycle ergometers. Most of the evaluated parameters were musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, or vital signs. The variability of the programs, domains, devices and parameters found in this scoping review revealed no uniformity, a consequence of the personalization and individualization of care, which makes the development of a standard intervention program challenging.

On the Development of a Wearable Animal Monitor.

Animal monitoring is a task traditionally performed by pastoralists, as a way of ensuring the safety and well-being of animals; a tremendously arduous and lonely task, it requires long walks and extended periods of contact with the animals. The Internet of Things and the possibility of applying sensors to different kinds of devices, in particular the use of wearable sensors, has proven not only to be less invasive to the animals, but also to have a low cost and to be quite efficient. The present work analyses the most impactful monitored features in the behavior learning process and their learning results. It especially addresses the impact of a gyroscope, which heavily influences the cost of the collar. Based on the chosen set of sensors, a learning model is subsequently established, and the learning outcomes are analyzed. Finally, the animal behavior prediction capability of the learning model (which was based on the sensed data of adult animals) is additionally subjected and evaluated in a scenario featuring younger animals. Results suggest that not only is it possible to accurately classify these behaviors (with a balanced accuracy around 91%), but that removing the gyroscope can be advantageous. Results additionally show a positive contribution of the thermometer in behavior identification but evidences the need for further confirmation in future work, considering different seasons of different years and scenarios including more diverse animals' behavior.

Phytase Supplementation under Commercially Intensive Rearing Conditions: Impacts on Nile Tilapia Growth Performance and Nutrient Digestibility.

This study evaluated the effects of phytase supplementation on growth performance and apparent digestibility of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in a commercial fish farm setting. Nile tilapia (6300 male, 57.48 ± 1.04 g) were randomly stocked into 42 floating cages. The experimental design was completely randomized, comprising six treatments and seven replications. Fish were fed five phosphorus deficient plant-based diets with graded levels of phytase supplementation (0, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 UF kg-1) and an additional diet containing phosphorus supplementation to meet the requirement of this fish species (positive control). After 97 days of feeding, growth performance data were collected and 900 fish (500 ± 10 g) were relocated to 6 floating cages for the digestibility assessment. Quadratic polynomial regression analysis indicated 1537.5 and 1593.2 UF kg-1 as the optimum dietary levels for daily weight gain and feed conversion rate, respectively. Including 2000 UF kg-1 resulted in the higher dry matter, crude protein, energy, and ash apparent digestibility coefficient values. Therefore, phytase supplementation from 1500 to 2000 UF kg-1 is recommended to enhance growth performance and nutrient bioavailability of Nile tilapia reared according to industry practices.

Efeitos da magnetoterapia no tratamento da dor na osteoartrose de joelho / Effects of magnetotherapy no pain treatment in knee osteoarthrosis

Introdução: A osteoartrose de joelho é caracterizada pela presença de dor. A magnetoterapia é um recurso utilizado para alívio de dor. Objetivo: O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar os efeitos da magnetoterapia no tratamento da dor em pacientes com osteoartrose de joelho. Métodos: Trata-se de uma pesquisa experimental, na qual foram selecionados 2 grupos de 10 voluntários, com diagnóstico clínico de OA. Foram submetidos à 7 semanas de intervenção, G1 associado a um programa de exercícios terapêuticos e G2 com o programa de exercícios associados a magnetoterapia. A avaliação foi realizada através "Western Ontario and McMaster Universities" (WOMAC), do "Timed up and go" (TUG) e da escala analógica (EVA). Resultados: Observou-se que o estudo apresentou diferença estática significativa entre as variáveis *p<0,05 e **p<0,01 para diminuição da dor, rigidez e melhoria da capacidade funcional dos pacientes. Conclusão: A magnetoterapia promove redução da dor e melhora da capacidade funcional de pacientes com osteartrose de joelho.

Introduction: The knee osteoarthritis is characterized by the presence of pain. The magneto therapy is a resource used for pain relief. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of magnetic therapy in the treatment of pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Methods: This is a clinical trial, which were selected two groups of 10 volunteers with a clinical diagnosis of osteoarthristis. They underwent seven weeks of intervention, G1 with a therapeutic exercise program and G2 with the exercise program associated with magnet therapy. The evaluation was conducted by "Western Ontario and McMaster Universities" (WOMAC), the "Timed up and go" (TUG) and analog scale (VAS). Results: It was observed that the study showed significant static difference between the variables * p <0.05 and ** p <0.01 for decrease in pain, stiffness and improving the functional capacity of patients. Conclusion: the magnetic therapy promotes reducing pain and improving functional capacity of patients with osteoarthrosis of knee.