Validation of Wearable Device Consisting of a Smart Shirt with Built-In Bioelectrodes and a Wireless Transmitter for Heart Rate Monitoring in Light to Moderate Physical Work.

Real-time monitoring of heart rate is useful for monitoring workers. Wearable heart rate monitors worn on the upper body are less susceptible to artefacts caused by arm and wrist movements than popular wristband-type sensors using the photoplethysmography method. Therefore, they are considered suitable for stable and accurate measurement for various movements. In this study, we conducted an experiment to verify the accuracy of our developed and commercially available wearable heart rate monitor consisting of a smart shirt with bioelectrodes and a transmitter, assuming a real-world work environment with physical loads. An exercise protocol was designed to light to moderate intensity according to international standards because no standard exercise protocol for the validation simulating these works has been reported. This protocol includes worker-specific movements such as applying external vibration and lifting and lowering loads. In the experiment, we simultaneously measured the instantaneous heart rate with the above wearable device and a Holter monitor as a reference to evaluate mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The MAPE was 0.92% or less for all exercise protocols conducted. This value indicates that the accuracy of the wearable device is high enough for use in real-world cases of physical load in light to moderate intensity tasks such as those in our experimental protocol. In addition, the experimental protocol and measurement data devised in this study can be used as a benchmark for other wearable heart rate monitors for use for similar purposes.

Wearable Microfluidic Sensor for the Simultaneous and Continuous Monitoring of Local Sweat Rates and Electrolyte Concentrations.

Temperature elevation due to global warming increases the risks of dehydration, which can induce heat-related illness. Proper rehydration with appropriate amounts of water and electrolytes is essential to aid body fluid homeostasis. Wearable sweat sensors which can monitor both the sweat rate and sweat electrolyte concentration may be an effective tool for determining appropriate rehydration. Here, we developed a novel potentially wearable sensor that can monitor both the local sweat rate and sweat electrolyte concentration continuously. The new device includes a system with a short microfluidic pathway that guides the sweat appearing on the skin to a small space in the device to form a quantifiable droplet. The sweat rate is assessed from the time for the droplet to appear and droplet volume, while an integrated electric sensor detects the sodium chloride concentration in each sweat droplet. We demonstrated that this new device could record both the flow rates of artificial sweat and its sodium chloride concentration in ranges of human sweating with an accuracy within ±10%. This is equivalent to the accuracy of commercially available sweat rate meters and sweat ion sensors. The present study provides a new perspective for the design of wearable sensors that can continuously monitor sweat rates and sweat electrolyte concentrations for potential application to a healthcare device.

New Wearable Heart Rate Monitor for Contact Sports and Its Potential to Change Training Load Management.

Athletes in all sports face injury or illness if they train too much. Therefore, it is crucial for them to manage their training load. Monitoring the heart rate is one way to estimate training load. However, there are limitations to a monitor's measurement ability in contact sports like rugby. Another method to estimate training load in contact sports is the rating of perceived exertion of a player, which is based on a questionnaire. It however takes a long time to obtain answers to questionnaires in team sports. As a solution to this problem, we developed a wearable heart rate monitor for rugby players. The garment-type monitor with flank electrodes can measure the heart rate even in rugby training situations. We also propose a method to estimate the training load from the measured heart rate. The method can be used instead of a questionnaire administered to the players and can reduce the labor in the estimation of the training load.

[Factors associated with smoking continuation or cessation in men upon learning of their partner's pregnancy].

OBJECTIVES: Factors associated with smoking continuation or cessation were analyzed among parents of 4-month-old infants, in order to prepare the basic materials for a smoking cessation support program for pregnant women and their partners. The study focused on the changes in partners' smoking activities upon learning of their partner's pregnancy. METHODS: An anonymous self-completed questionnaire was given to parents of 1,198 infants during a 4-month medical checkup in City A of Hyogo prefecture (776 couples) and City B of Gifu prefecture (422 couples). The questionnaire items collected information on age, education, smoking history, current smoking status, and awareness about smoking. The additional items for fathers were occupation, workplace smoking environment, and attitude toward smoking; and the additional items for women were number of children, family composition, and partners' attitudes and behaviors regarding smoking upon learning of their pregnancy. The number of valid answers (for pairs) was 558 (71.9%) in City A and 395 (93.6%) in City B. The data on men who had been smokers before learning of their partner's pregnancy were analyzed. For each area, a comparative item-by-item analysis was performed on data from men who ceased smoking upon learning of the pregnancy (smoking cessation group) and those who continued smoking (smoking continuation group). For logistic regression analysis, the objective variables were the 2 groups, and the explanatory variables were the items showing statistical differences between the groups and the items related to the survey areas. RESULTS: Of the men whose data were included in the analysis, 210 (37.6%) in City A and 204 (51.6%) in City B had been smokers before learning of their partner's pregnancy. Among these, 16 (7.6%) in City A and 26 (12.7%) in City B ceased smoking after learning of the pregnancy. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio for continuing smoking was 2.77 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17-6.57] for men with at least 2 children, 0.05 (95% CI: 0.01-0.18) for those who decided to cease smoking immediately, and 0.19 (95% CI: 0.08-0.44) for those who were strongly encouraged to cease smoking by their pregnant partner upon learning of the pregnancy. CONCLUSION: In male smokers who learned of their partner's pregnancy, men with 2 or more children were more likely to continue smoking, while men who considered quitting smoking immediately upon learning of the women's pregnancy, and those whose pregnant partners strongly encouraged them to do so, were more likely to cease smoking.

[Public health nurse support at initial community DOTS meetings with non-hospitalized tuberculosis patients--comparison of patients who did and did not complete treatment].

PURPOSE: This study focused on the initial meeting between public health nurses and TB patients to investigate the detection of patients' needs and the support provided by public health nurses during the meeting, with the aim of successfully implementing a directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) strategy for the community. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to nurses responsible for community DOTS strategy for TB in Aichi, Gifu, Mie, and Shizuoka prefectures in the Tokai region in order to collect the following information concerning the initial meeting between public health nurses and TB patients: nurses' characteristics, patient characteristics, information collected by the nurses, concerns expressed by patients, and specific support provided by the nurses. Data collected were compared between patients who completed TB treatment (complete treatment group) and those who did not (incomplete treatment group). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Valid responses were obtained from 42 public health nurses regarding 158 TB patients. The incomplete treatment group had a high proportion of patients who received no support from their families, had irregular lifestyles, or had financial problems. There were discrepancies between the information collected by public health nurses and patients' concerns. It was also revealed that public health nurses provided more specific support and a wider range of support to the incomplete treatment group, suggesting that public health nurses give specific support in the initial meeting to patients who were likely to discontinue TB treatment, thereby motivating them to complete the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to arrange initial public health nurse-patient meetings at an early stage to build patients awareness of the disease and the importance of treatment adherence. Continuous support is crucial until the patients complete treatment.