Amelioration of inflammation in young men with cardiovascular risks participating pedometer-based walking programme.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events. The lack of exercise among Malaysians and the increasing cardiovascular diseases among young men are of concern. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reducing of inflammation by measuring C-Reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 70 young men (20 - 40 years) who were sedentary, achieving less than 5,000 steps/day in casual walking with 2 or more cardiovascular risk factors were recruited in Institute of Vocational Skills for Youth (IKBN Hulu Langat). Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group (CG) (n=34; no change in walking) and pedometer group (PG) (n=36; minimum target: 8,000 steps/day). All parameter was measured at baseline, at 6 weeks and after 12 weeks. RESULTS: At post intervention, the CG step counts were similar (4983 ± 366vs 5697 ± 407steps/day). The PG significant increased step count from 4996 ± 805 to 10,128 ±511 steps/day (p<0.001). The PG showed significant improvement in anthropometric variables and lipid (time and group effect p<0.001). After intervention, CRP, IL-6 and TNF- α were significantly reduced for time and group effect (p<0.001). However, no changes were seen in CG. CONCLUSION: The pedometer-based walking programme improved health status in terms of improving inflammation and arterial stiffness.

A Novel AMARS Technique for Baseline Wander Removal Applied to Photoplethysmogram.

A new digital filter, AMARS (aligning minima of alternating random signal) has been derived using trigonometry to regulate signal pulsations inline. The pulses are randomly presented in continuous signals comprising frequency band lower than the signal's mean rate. Frequency selective filters are conventionally employed to reject frequencies undesired by specific applications. However, these conventional filters only reduce the effects of the rejected range producing a signal superimposed by some baseline wander (BW). In this work, filters of different ranges and techniques were independently configured to preprocess a photoplethysmogram, an optical biosignal of blood volume dynamics, producing wave shapes with several BWs. The AMARS application effectively removed the encountered BWs to assemble similarly aligned trends. The removal implementation was found repeatable in both ear and finger photoplethysmograms, emphasizing the importance of BW removal in biosignal processing in retaining its structural, functional and physiological properties. We also believe that AMARS may be relevant to other biological and continuous signals modulated by similar types of baseline volatility.

Surface electromyography signal processing and classification techniques.

Electromyography (EMG) signals are becoming increasingly important in many applications, including clinical/biomedical, prosthesis or rehabilitation devices, human machine interactions, and more. However, noisy EMG signals are the major hurdles to be overcome in order to achieve improved performance in the above applications. Detection, processing and classification analysis in electromyography (EMG) is very desirable because it allows a more standardized and precise evaluation of the neurophysiological, rehabitational and assistive technological findings. This paper reviews two prominent areas; first: the pre-processing method for eliminating possible artifacts via appropriate preparation at the time of recording EMG signals, and second: a brief explanation of the different methods for processing and classifying EMG signals. This study then compares the numerous methods of analyzing EMG signals, in terms of their performance. The crux of this paper is to review the most recent developments and research studies related to the issues mentioned above.

Expanding nail or expanding femur? An adverse event with the expandable intramedullary nail.

The expandable intramedullary nail is self-locking and has the advantage of reducing operating time and exposure to ionizing radiation. The nail is recommended for simple diaphyseal fractures involving the middle third of long bones, where the nail can bypass the fracture site by at least 5 cm. We encountered a unique complication with the expandable nail in a simple transverse shaft fracture at the junction of the middle and distal third of the left femur in an otherwise healthy 57-year-old man. The fracture was reduced and a 12-mm expandable nail was inserted. Following full expansion, intraoperative radiographs were obtained prior to closure. After six postoperative weeks, it was noted that the nail expanded the femoral canal, converting a simple fracture to a distally progressing comminuted fracture with a butterfly fragment. A review of the intraoperative radiographs showed slight widening of the medullary canal at the level of the fracture. As the alignment was satisfactory and callus was present, no further surgical intervention was considered. The patient was advised not to bear weight and was provided with a locked knee brace in extension to wear for six weeks. Radiographs at 12 weeks demonstrated good progress of healing with adequate callus and the patient was permitted to bear weight as tolerated and commence knee flexion. The fracture united satisfactorily at four months. This adverse experience emphasizes that caution should be exercised when expanding the nail, with close observation of the medullary canal diameter during the later stages of expansion.