Is an ellipsoid surface suitable to model the scapulothoracic sliding plane?

Closed loop kinematic chain approaches are commonly used to assess scapular kinematics but with heterogeneous ellipsoid calibration procedures. This study aimed to assess whether an ellipsoid surface can model the scapulothoracic sliding plane and determine the optimal number of static poses to calibrate the ellipsoid parameters. An intracortical pin with a rigid cluster of four reflective markers was inserted into the left scapular spine of two healthy males (P1 and P2). They performed arm elevations, internal rotations, ball throwing, hockey shooting, and eating movements. Ellipsoid radii and center location were functionally calibrated for each participant and each movement, either based on all frames of a movement or based on a reduced number of frames (from 3 to 200 equally position-distributed frames). Across both participants and all movements, ellipsoid radii varied up to 10.2 cm, 3.9 cm, and 18.4 cm in the antero-posterior, medio-lateral, and cranio-caudal directions, respectively. When all frames of a movement were considered for calibration, the median scapula-to-ellipsoid distance was, on average, 0.52 mm and 0.38 mm for P1 and P2, respectively. When only five frames were considered for ellipsoid calibration, the scapula-to-ellipsoid median distance slightly increased with 0.57 mm and 0.47 mm for P1 and P2, respectively. To conclude, this study highlights that an ellipsoid surface may effectively be appropriate to model the scapulothoracic sliding plane, especially when the calibration is functional, participant- and movement-specific. Furthermore, the number of poses required for the ellipsoid calibration can be reduced to five, minimizing the experimental cost.

The interplay of fatigue dynamics and task achievement using optimal control predictive simulation.

Predictive simulation of human motion could provide insight into optimal techniques. In repetitive or long-duration tasks, these simulations must predict fatigue-induced adaptation. However, most studies minimize cost function terms related to actuator activations, assuming it minimizes fatigue. An additional modeling layer is needed to consider the previous use of muscles to reveal adaptive strategies to the decreased force production capability. Here, we propose interfacing Xia's three-compartment fatigue dynamics model with rigid-body dynamics. A stabilization invariant was added to Xia's model. We simulated the maximum repetition of dumbbell biceps curls as an optimal control problem (OCP) using direct multiple shooting. We explored three cost functions (minimizing torque, fatigue, or both) and two OCP formulations (full-horizon and sliding-horizon approaches). We adapted Xia's model by adding a stabilization invariant coefficients S=105 for direct multiple shooting. Sliding-horizon OCPs achieved 20 to 21 repetitions. The kinematic strategy slowly deviated from a plausible dumbbell lifting task to a swinging strategy as fatigue onset increasingly compromised the humerus to remain vertical. In full-horizon OCPs, the latter kinematic strategy was used over the whole motion, resulting in 32 repetitions. We showed that sliding-horizon OCPs revealed a reactive strategy to fatigue when only torque was included in the cost function, whereas an anticipatory strategy was revealed when the fatigue term was included in the cost function. Overall, the proposed approach has the potential to be a valuable tool in optimizing performance and helping reduce fatigue-related injuries in a variety of fields.

Demographic drivers of Norway rat populations from urban slums in Brazil.

The Norway rat is a globally distributed pest, known for its resilience to eradication and control programs. Efficient population control, especially in urban settings, is dependent on knowledge of rat demography and population ecology. We analyzed the relationship between four demographic outcomes, estimated by live-trapping data, and fine-scale environmental features measured at the capture site. Wounds, a proxy for agonistic interactions, were associated with mature individuals. Areas with environmental features favorable to rats, such as open sewers and unpaved earth, were associated with more mature individuals with a better body condition index. The control measures (environmental stressors) are likely to be disrupting the social structure of rat colonies, increasing the frequency and distribution of agonistic interactions, which were common in both sexes and maturity states. The relationship between the favorable environmental conditions and the demographic markers analyzed indicate possible targets for infestation control through environmental manipulation, and could be incorporated into current pest management programs to achieve long-term success. Our study indicate that urban interventions focused on removal of potential resources for rats could be potential long-term solutions by reducing the carrying capacity of the environment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11252-020-01075-2.

Closed-loop multibody kinematic optimization coupled with double calibration improves scapular kinematic estimates in asymptomatic population.

Non-invasive methods still need to better estimate scapular kinematics because of soft tissue artifact issue. This study aimed to develop and assess new procedures to estimate scapular kinematics by combining closed kinematic chain optimization and double calibration. Sixteen healthy volunteers performed static postures mimicking analytical and daily living movements. Scapulo-thoracic angles were computed either with a scapula locator (Ref), or with a closed-loop multibody kinematic optimization (Ell) or with double calibration involving linear (DClin), exponential (DCexp) or logarithmic (DClog) correction. Double calibration corrections enforced scapulo-thoracic angles to be the same than those measured with Ref at the end of the movement performed. DClin and DClog significantly (p < 0.01) reduced scapulo-thoracic misorientation for at least the second third of the movement with averaged improvement ranging from 9° to 32°. Moreover, for arm elevation in the sagittal plane, internal rotations and mimicking hair combing, the beneficial effect of DClin and DClog propagates up to half of the movement. To conclude, when a kinematic chain is required, coupling double calibration (using either linear or logarithmic correction), to a closed-loop multibody kinematic optimization is an efficient and fast method in regard with improvement in scapular kinematic estimates in healthy population.

Prevalence of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) and Salmonella spp. with zoonotic potential in urban rats in Salvador, Brazil.

Studies evaluating the occurrence of enteropathogenic bacteria in urban rats (Rattus spp.) are scarce worldwide, specifically in the urban environments of tropical countries. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) and Salmonella spp. with zoonotic potential in urban slum environments. We trapped rats between April and June 2018 in Salvador, Brazil. We collected rectal swabs from Rattus spp., and cultured for E. coli and Salmonella spp., and screened E. coli isolates by polymerase chain reaction to identify pathotypes. E. coli were found in 70% of Rattus norvegicus and were found in four Rattus rattus. DEC were isolated in 31.3% of the 67 brown rats (R. norvegicus). The pathotypes detected more frequently were shiga toxin E. coli in 11.9%, followed by atypical enteropathogenic E. coli in 10.4% and enteroinvasive E. coli in 4.5%. From the five black rats (R. rattus), two presented DEC. Salmonella enterica was found in only one (1.4%) of 67 R. norvegicus. Our findings indicate that both R. norvegicus and R. rattus are host of DEC and, at lower prevalence, S. enterica, highlighting the importance of rodents as potential sources of pathogenic agents for humans.

Influence of glenohumeral joint muscle insertion on moment arms using a finite element model.

Accurate muscle geometry is essential to estimate moment arms in musculoskeletal models. Given the complex interactions between shoulder structures, we hypothesized that finite element (FE) modelling is suitable to obtain physiological muscle trajectory. A FE glenohumeral joint model was developed based on medical imaging. Moment arms were computed and compared to literature and MRI-based estimation. Our FE model produces moment arms consistent with the literature and with MRI data (max 17 mm differences). The inferior and superior fibres of a same muscle can have opposite action; predictions of moment arms are sensitive to muscle insertion (up to 20 mm variation).

Deterministic processes structure bacterial genetic communities across an urban landscape.

Land-use change is predicted to act as a driver of zoonotic disease emergence through human exposure to novel microbial diversity, but evidence for the effects of environmental change on microbial communities in vertebrates is lacking. We sample wild birds at 99 wildlife-livestock-human interfaces across Nairobi, Kenya, and use whole genome sequencing to characterise bacterial genes known to be carried on mobile genetic elements (MGEs) within avian-borne Escherichia coli (n = 241). By modelling the diversity of bacterial genes encoding virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) against ecological and anthropogenic forms of urban environmental change, we demonstrate that communities of avian-borne bacterial genes are shaped by the assemblage of co-existing avian, livestock and human communities, and the habitat within which they exist. In showing that non-random processes structure bacterial genetic communities in urban wildlife, these findings suggest that it should be possible to forecast the effects of urban land-use change on microbial diversity.

Sensitivity of Shoulder Musculoskeletal Model Predictions to Muscle-Tendon Properties.

OBJECTIVE: While the sensitivity of estimated muscle forces to muscle-tendon properties is well documented for the lower limbs, little is known about the shoulder and upper limbs. The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity of estimated shoulder muscle forces and scapulohumeral joint force to muscle-tendon properties. METHODS: One healthy male participant performed arm flexions and simulated throwing maneuvers. Kinematics were recorded using intra-cortical pins. Muscle forces were estimated using static optimization with the generic delft shoulder and elbow in OpenSim, and scapulohumeral joint forces were calculated from the estimated forces. Then, variations from -25% to +25% of the nominal values of the tendon slack length, the optimal fiber length, the maximal isometric force, and the pennation angle were applied to the musculoskeletal model to compute affected muscle forces and scapulohumeral joint force. RESULTS: The variations in muscle-tendon properties led to changes up to 9.6 N or 174% in the muscle nominal forces. The more sensitive muscles were those that produced the greatest force: the rotator cuff muscles and the prime movers specific to the task. Among the four muscle-tendon properties, the maximal isometric force and the optimal fiber length had the greatest influence on the muscle force variability. Glenohumeral force was slightly influenced by muscle-tendon properties (<8%). CONCLUSION: Generic models (i.e., those without personalization of muscle-tendon properties) can lead to misinterpretations of muscle force. Efforts should focus on the maximal isometric force and the optimal fiber length of the rotator cuff muscles and prime movers.

Evidence of multiple intraspecific transmission routes for Leptospira acquisition in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Infectious diseases frequently have multiple potential routes of intraspecific transmission of pathogens within wildlife and other populations. For pathogens causing zoonotic diseases, knowing whether these transmission routes occur in the wild and their relative importance, is critical for understanding maintenance, improving control measures and ultimately preventing human disease. The Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) is the primary reservoir of leptospirosis in the urban slums of Salvador, Brazil. There is biological evidence for potentially three different transmission routes of leptospire infection occurring in the rodent population. Using newly obtained prevalence data from rodents trapped at an urban slum field site, we present changes in cumulative risk of infection in relation to age-dependent transmission routes to infer which intra-specific transmission routes occur in the wild. We found that a significant proportion of animals leave the nest with infection and that the risk of infection increases throughout the lifetime of Norway rats. We did not observe a significant effect of sexual maturity on the risk of infection. In conclusion, our results suggest that vertical and environmental transmission of leptospirosis both occur in wild populations of Norway rats.

Factors affecting carriage and intensity of infection of Calodium hepaticum within Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from an urban slum environment in Salvador, Brazil.

Urban slum environments in the tropics are conducive to the proliferation and the spread of rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens to humans. Calodium hepaticum (Brancroft, 1893) is a zoonotic nematode known to infect a variety of mammalian hosts, including humans. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are considered the most important mammalian host of C. hepaticum and are therefore a potentially useful species to inform estimates of the risk to humans living in urban slum environments. There is a lack of studies systematically evaluating the role of demographic and environmental factors that influence both carriage and intensity of infection of C. hepaticum in rodents from urban slum areas within tropical regions. Carriage and the intensity of infection of C. hepaticum were studied in 402 Norway rats over a 2-year period in an urban slum in Salvador, Brazil. Overall, prevalence in Norway rats was 83% (337/402). Independent risk factors for C. hepaticum carriage in R. norvegicus were age and valley of capture. Of those infected the proportion with gross liver involvement (i.e. >75% of the liver affected, a proxy for a high level intensity of infection), was low (8%, 26/337). Sixty soil samples were collected from ten locations to estimate levels of environmental contamination and provide information on the potential risk to humans of contracting C. hepaticum from the environment. Sixty percent (6/10) of the sites were contaminated with C. hepaticum. High carriage levels of C. hepaticum within Norway rats and sub-standard living conditions within slum areas may increase the risk to humans of exposure to the infective eggs of C. hepaticum. This study supports the need for further studies to assess whether humans are becoming infected within this community and whether C. hepaticum is posing a significant risk to human health.

Main component of soft tissue artifact of the upper-limbs with respect to different functional, daily life and sports movements.

Soft tissue artifact (STA) is the main source of error in kinematic estimation of human movements based on skin markers. Our objective was to determine the components of marker displacements that best describe STA of the shoulder and arm (i.e. clavicle, scapula and humerus). Four participants performed arm flexion and rotation, a daily-life and a sports movement. Three pins with reflective markers were inserted into the clavicle, scapula and humerus. In addition, up to seven skin markers were stuck on each segment. STA was described with a modal approach: individual marker displacements or marker-cluster (i.e. translations, rotations, homotheties and stretches) relative to the local segment coordinate system defined by markers secured to the pins. The modes were then ranked according to the percentage of total STA energy that they explained. Both individual skin marker displacements and marker-cluster geometrical transformations were task-, location-, segment- and subject-specific. However, 85% of the total STA energy was systematically explained by the rigid transformations (i.e. translations and rotations of the marker-cluster). In conclusion, large joint dislocations and limited efficiency of least squares bone pose estimators are expected for the computation of upper limb joint kinematics from skin markers. Future developments shall consider the rigid transformations of marker-clusters in the implementation of an STA model to reduce its effects on kinematics estimation.

Determining in vivo sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular and glenohumeral joint centre locations from skin markers, CT-scans and intracortical pins: A comparison study.

To describe shoulder motion the sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular and glenohumeral joint centres must be accurately located. Within the literature various methods to estimate joint centres of rotation location are proposed, with no agreement of the method best suited to the shoulder. The objective of this study was to determine the most reliable non-invasive method for locating joint centre locations of the shoulder complex. Functional methods using pin mounted markers were compared to anatomical methods, functional methods using skin mounted markers, imaging-based methods using CT-scan data, and regression equations. Three participants took part in the study, that involved insertion of intracortical pins into the clavicle, scapula and humerus, a CT-scan of the shoulder, and finally data collection using a motion analysis system. The various methods to estimate joint centre location did not all agree, however suggestions about the most reliable non-invasive methods could be made. For the sternoclavicular joint, the authors suggest the anatomical method using the most ventral landmark on the sternoclavicular joint, as recommended by the International Society of Biomechanics. For the acromioclavicular joint, the authors suggest the anatomical method using the landmark defined as the most dorsal point on the acromioclavicular joint, as proposed by van der Helm. For the glenohumeral joint, the simple regression equation of Rab is recommended.

A chain kinematic model to assess the movement of lower-limb including wobbling masses.

Computer simulation models have shown that wobbling mass on the lower limb affects the joint kinetics. Our objective was to propose a non-invasive method to estimate bones and wobbling mass kinematics in the lower limb during hopping. The chain kinematic model has set degrees of freedom at the joints and free wobbling bodies. By comparison to a model without wobbling bodies, the marker residual was reduced by 20% but the joint kinematics remains unchanged. Wobbling bodies' displacements reached 6.9 ± 3.5° and 6.9 ± 2.4 mm relative to the modelled bones. This original method is a first step to assess wobbling mass effect on joint kinetics.

Stress-host-parasite interactions: a vicious triangle?

The potential for synergy between host physiological condition and infection has recently been recognised. Here we review the evidence to support the idea that stress may play a key role in the interplay between host and parasite, integrating a three-way circular synergistic interaction between stressors, infections and host response: chronic stress can elicit responses that impoverish the host's physiological condition (including its immune function), which predisposes to infection, which results in more stress, and so on. We argue that this introduces additional explanatory power to previous ideas posited by the authors, by including stress as a third interacting factor that intervenes in the synergy between condition and infection. This in turn, may have important implications. In nature, evolutionary forces appear to select against stress-related disease or exacerbated parasite virulence. Nonetheless, under certain circumstances, parasites and (other) stressors interact generating a vicious spiral that may affect host fitness and survival. At high host densities, this becomes a mechanism of population regulation. Also, anthropogenic stressors may cause this mechanism to misfire, with significant implications for biological conservation and public health.

El potencial sinergismo entre la condición fisiológica del hospedador y la infección ha sido recientemente reconocido. Aquí revisamos la evidencia que da sustento a la noción que el estrés puede jugar un papel clave en la interacción entre el hospedador y el parásito, integrando una interacción circular sinérgica de tres vías que comprende al factor estresante, las infecciones y la respuesta del hospedador: el estrés crónico desencadena respuestas que empobrecen la condición fisiológica del hospedador (incluyendo su función inmune), lo cual predispone a infecciones, lo cual resulta en más estrés, y así sucesivamente. Sostenemos que esta noción introduce capacidad adicional para explicar las ideas previas propuestas por los autores, mediante la incorporación del estrés como un tercer factor interactuante que interviene en el sinergismo entre condición e infección. A su vez, esto puede tener importantes implicancias. En la naturaleza, fuerzas evolutivas parecen remover a enfermedades relacionadas al estrés o a la virulencia exacerbada. No obstante, bajo ciertas circunstancias, los parásitos y (otros) factores estresantes interactúan generando círculos viciosos que pueden afectar la sobrevida del hospedador. A altas densidades, este se vuelve un mecanismo de regulación poblacional. Asimismo, factores estresantes antropogénicos pueden causar que este mecanismo se dispare en falso, con implicancias significativas paraa la conservación de la biodiversidad y la salud pública.

Effects of height and load weight on shoulder muscle work during overhead lifting task.

Few musculoskeletal models are available to assess shoulder deeper muscle demand during overhead lifting tasks. Our objective was to implement a musculoskeletal model to assess the effect of lifting height and load on shoulder muscle work. A musculoskeletal model scaled from 15 male subjects was used to calculate shoulder muscle work during six lifting tasks. Boxes containing three different loads (6, 12 and 18 kg) were lifted by the subjects from the waist to shoulder or eye level. After optimisation of the maximal isometric force of the model's muscles, the bio-fidelity of the model was improved by 19%. The latter was able to reproduce the subjects' lifting movements. Mechanical work of the rotator cuff muscles, upper trapezius and anterior deltoid was increased with lifting load and height augmentation. In conclusion, the use of a musculoskeletal model validated by electromyography enabled to evaluate the muscle demand of deep muscles during lifting tasks.

Superficial shoulder muscle co-activations during lifting tasks: Influence of lifting height, weight and phase.

This study aimed to assess the level of co-activation of the superficial shoulder muscles during lifting movement. Boxes containing three different loads (6, 12, and 18 kg) were lifted by fourteen subjects from the waist to shoulder or eye level. The 3D kinematics and electromyograms of the three deltoids, latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major were recorded. A musculoskeletal model was used to determine direction of the moment arm of these muscles. Finally an index of muscle co-activation named the muscle focus was used to evaluate the effects of lifting height, weight lifted and phase (pulling, lifting and dropping phases) on superficial shoulder muscle coactivation. The muscle focus was lower (more co-contraction) during the dropping phase compared to the two other phases (-13%, p<0.001). This was explained by greater muscle activations and by a change in the direction of the muscle moment arm as a function of glenohumeral joint position. Consequently, the function of the shoulder superficial muscles varied with respect to the glenohumeral joint position. To increase the superficial muscle coactivation during the dropping phase may be a solution to increase glenohumeral joint stiffness.