Concurrent Validity of a Custom Method for Markerless 3D Full-Body Motion Tracking of Children and Young Adults Based on a Single RGB-D Camera.

Low-cost, portable RGB-D cameras with integrated body tracking functionality enable easy-to-use 3D motion analysis without requiring expensive facilities and specialized personnel. However, the accuracy of existing systems is insufficient for most clinical applications. In this study, we investigated the concurrent validity of our custom tracking method based on RGB-D images with respect to a gold-standard marker-based system. Additionally, we analyzed the validity of the publicly available Microsoft Azure Kinect Body Tracking (K4ABT). We recorded 23 typically developing children and healthy young adults (aged 5 to 29 years) performing five different movement tasks using a Microsoft Azure Kinect RGB-D camera and a marker-based multi-camera Vicon system simultaneously. Our method achieved a mean per joint position error over all joints of 11.7 mm compared to the Vicon system, and 98.4% of the estimated joint positions had an error of less than 50 mm. Pearson's correlation coefficients r ranged from strong ( r =0.64) to almost perfect ( 0.99). K4ABT demonstrated satisfactory accuracy most of the time but showed short periods of tracking failures in nearly two-thirds of all sequences limiting its use for clinical motion analysis. In conclusion, our tracking method highly agrees with the gold standard system. It paves the way towards a low-cost, easy-to-use, portable 3D motion analysis system for children and young adults.

The Variable Influence of Orthotic Management on Hip and Pelvic Rotation in Children with Unilateral Neurogenic Equinus Deformity.

BACKGROUND: Equinus deformity with or without concomitant drop foot is a common finding in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy and spastic hemiplegia of other causes. Hypothetically, these deformities may lead to pelvic retraction and hip internal rotation during gait. Orthoses are used to reduce pes equinus during gait and to restore hindfoot first contact. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate whether the use of orthotic equinus correction reduces rotational hip and pelvic asymmetries. METHODS: In a retrospective study, 34 children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy or spastic hemiplegia of other causes underwent standardized instrumented 3D gait analysis with and without orthotic equinus management. We analyzed the differences in the torsional profile during barefoot walking and while wearing orthoses, as well as investigated the influence of ankle dorsiflexion and femoral anteversion on pelvic and hip kinematics and hip kinetics. RESULTS: Wearing orthoses corrected pes equinus and pelvic internal rotation at the end of the stance phase and in the swing phase compared to barefoot walking. Hip rotation and the rotational moment did not significantly change with orthoses. Orthotic management or femoral anteversion did not correlate to pelvic and hip asymmetry. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the correction of the equinus by using orthoses had a variable effect on the asymmetry of the hip and pelvis and internal rotation; both appear to have a multifactorial cause that is not primarily driven by the equinus component.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns and Wild-Type MIC Distributions of Anaerobic Bacteria at a German University Hospital: A Five-Year Retrospective Study (2015-2019).

Local antimicrobial susceptibility surveys are crucial for optimal empirical therapy guidelines and for aiding in antibiotic stewardship and treatment decisions. For many laboratories, a comprehensive overview of local antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of anaerobic bacteria is still lacking due to the long incubation time and effort involved. The present study investigates the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and related clinical and demographic data of 2856 clinical isolates of anaerobic bacteria that were submitted for analysis to the Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene of the Freiburg University Medical Center (a tertiary university medical center in Southern Germany) between 2015 and 2019. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing has been carried out according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) guideline. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)50 and MIC90 for penicillin, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, and clindamycin were established for Gram-positive anaerobes and for ampicillin-sulbactam, meropenem, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, and clindamycin for Gram-negative anaerobes. The distribution of MIC-values for various antibiotics against anaerobic bacteria was also established, especially for those having no specific breakpoints according to EUCAST guidelines. Most clinically relevant anaerobic bacteria originated from general surgery, neurological, and orthopedic wards. A high proportion of isolates were resistant to moxifloxacin and clindamycin indicating the importance of their susceptibility testing before administration. Based on our study metronidazole and other ß-lactam/ß-lactamase inhibitor combinations such as ampicillin-sulbactam remain suitable for empirical treatment of infections with anaerobic bacteria.

Application of a chiral metal-organic framework in enantioselective separation.

A modular approach for the synthesis of highly ordered porous and chiral auxiliary (Evans auxiliary) decorated metal-organic frameworks is developed. Our synthesis strategy, which uses known porous structures as model materials for incorporation of chirality via linker modification, can provide access to a wide range of porous materials suitable for enantioselective separation and catalysis. Chiral analogues of UMCM-1 have been synthesized and investigated for the enantioseparation of chiral compounds in the liquid phase and first promising results are reported.

A Rare Case of Radiologically Not Distinguishable Coexistent Meningioma and Vestibular Schwannoma in the Cerebellopontine Angle - Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: The simultaneous occurrence of cerebellopontine angle (CPA) meningioma and vestibular schwannoma (VS) in the absence of neurofibromatosis type 2 or history of irradiation is very rare. We report a case with coexistent CPA meningioma and VS, which were radiologically not distinguishable in preoperative imaging. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 46-year-old female presented with acute hearing loss, tinnitus and gait ataxia. Otorhinolaryngological diagnostic workup and imaging studies showed an intra- and extrameatal homogenous contrast enhancing lesion. The neuroradiological diagnosis was VS. The patient was operated via the retrosigmoid approach. INTRAOPERATIVELY TWO DISTINCT TUMORS WERE FOUND: a small, mainly intrameatally located VS and a larger meningioma originating from the dura of the petrous bone. Both tumors were completely microsurgically removed. The patient experienced no new neurological deficit after surgery; particularly facial nerve function was completely preserved. Histopathological examination revealed a fibromatous meningioma and a VS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The coincidental occurrence of CPA meningioma and VS is very rare. Careful interpretation of imaging studies before surgery is crucial. Even such rare cases should be kept in mind when discussing the therapeutic options with the patient. More studies are needed for a better understanding of mechanisms leading to multiple tumor growth.