smart phones

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of physical disability during childhood, occurring at a rate of 2.1 per 1000 live births. Early diagnosis is key to improving functional outcomes for children with CP. The General Movements (GMs) Assessment has high predictive validity for the detection of CP and is routinely used in high-risk infants but only 50% of infants with CP have overt risk factors when they are born. The implementation of CP screening programs represents an important endeavour, but feasibility is limited by access to trained GMs assessors...

BACKGROUND: Due to spread of smart phones, opportunity to train patients with diabetes and communicate with them using social media is rising. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of training through two popular social networks in Iran ("Telegram" and "Soroush") and the metabolic control of people with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, we recruited 134 patients with type 2 diabetes, which randomly allocated into two groups: the intervention and the control group on a 1:1 basis...

Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a progressive neurologic disorder (fluid build-up in the brain) that affects 0.2-5% of the UK population aged over 65. Mobility problems, dementia and urinary incontinence are symptoms of iNPH but often these are not properly evaluated, and patients receive the wrong diagnosis. Here, we describe the development and testing of a wearable device that records and analyses a patient's gait. The movement patterns, expressed as quantitative data, allow clinicians to improve the non-invasive diagnosis of iNPH as well as monitor the management of patients undergoing treatment...

This letter to the editor with reference to Mahalakshmi et al. (2023) provides two additional views. In a tech-savvy world study in this field is of importance yet there is a huge gap. Such study should also consider screen time engagement of hospitalized patients given their predisposed physical condition in addition to student survey. Genetic analysis should also be included along with the questionnaire and counselling-based surveys. Thus, considering the known study pipeline and focusing on the two afore-mentioned aspects such research should be considered as a "High Priority" area...

In this paper, a highly conductive alkali-activated graphitized carbon (a-GC) was prepared using tilapia fish scales as precursors through enzymolysis, activation and pyrolytic carbonization methods. The prepared a-GC was modified on the surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode to construct a flexible portable electrochemical sensing platform, which was applied to the differential pulse voltametric detection of dopamine (DA) using a U-disk electrochemical workstation combined with a smart phone and Bluetooth...

BACKGROUND: Wellinks is a remote disease management solution that provides novel chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care delivery. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the satisfaction, engagement, and clinical outcomes of Wellinks participants. This study also investigated the cadence of health coaching for patients with COPD. METHODS: A 24-week interventional study was conducted by Wellinks and the COPD Foundation in 2022. Adults with COPD were recruited by the COPD Foundation in the United States and determined to be eligible if they had phone and internet access, owned a smartphone, and were not currently participating in pulmonary rehabilitation...

Glucose is an important biomarker for diagnosing and prognosing various diseases, including diabetes and hypoglycemia, which can have severe side effects, symptoms, and even lead to death in patients. As a result, there is a need for quick and economical glucose level measurements to help identify those at potential risk. With the increase in smartphone users, portable smartphone glucose sensors are becoming popular. In this paper, we present a disposable microfluidic glucose sensor that accurately and rapidly quantifies glucose levels in human urine using a combination of colorimetric analysis and computer vision...

BACKGROUND: As mobile health (mHealth) studies become increasingly productive owing to the advancements in wearable and mobile sensor technology, our ability to monitor and model human behavior will be constrained by participant receptivity. Many health constructs are dependent on subjective responses, and without such responses, researchers are left with little to no ground truth to accompany our ever-growing biobehavioral data. This issue can significantly impact the quality of a study, particularly for populations known to exhibit lower compliance rates...

BACKGROUND: Despite the ever-increasing offering of SMART technologies (ie, computer-controlled devices acting intelligently and capable of monitoring, analyzing or reporting), a wide gap exists between the development of new technological innovations and their adoption in everyday care for older adults. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the barriers and concerns related to the adoption of SMART technologies among different groups of stakeholders. METHODS: Data from 4 sources were used: semistructured in-person or internet-based interviews with professional caregivers (n=12), structured email interviews with experts in the area of aging (n=9), a web-based survey of older adults (>55 years) attending the Virtual University of the Third Age (n=369), and a case study on the adoption of new technology by an older adult care facility...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe and evaluate a smart-phone based method to rapidly generate subject-specific finite element method (FEM) meshes. More accurate FEM meshes should lead to more accurate thoracic electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images. APPROACH: The method was evaluated on an iPhone® that utilized an app called Heges, to obtain 3D scans (colored, surface triangulations), a custom belt, and custom open-source software developed to produce the subject-specific meshes...

Under traditional circumstances, most clinical trials rely on in-person operations to identify, recruit, and enroll study participants and to complete study-related visits. During unusual circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the typical clinical trial model is challenged and forced to explore alternative approaches to implementing study recruitment, participant enrollment, and data collection strategies. One such alternative is a direct-to-participant approach which leverages electronic resources and relevant technological devices ( e...

Biotic and abiotic stresses significantly affect plant fitness, resulting in a serious loss in food production. Biotic and abiotic stresses predominantly affect metabolite biosynthesis, gene and protein expression, and genome variations. However, light doses of stress result in the production of positive attributes in crops, like tolerance to stress and biosynthesis of metabolites, called hormesis. Advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled the development of high-throughput gadgets such as high-resolution imagery sensors and robotic aerial vehicles, i...

BACKGROUND: Despite the massive enhancement in smartphone-cameras, there has not been any real interest within the UK to pursue patient-facing teledermatology within the sphere of skin lesion triage. High-spec dermoscopic images can be generated with smart-phone attachments, but to date, no formal clinical trial has been performed to establish the efficacy and feasibility of these consumer-level dermoscopes in skin lesion triage. OBJECTIVES: To assess the ability of patients to capture dermoscopic images using a smartphone-attachment To identify the safety and diagnostic accuracy of consumer-level dermoscopy in triaging-out benign skin lesions from the 2WW cancer pathway...

In this work, a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) was developed to detect the biopesticide azadirachtin (Aza) through a colorimetric assay. High precision estimation of Aza is classically carried out using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which requires highly skilled personnel. Acidified vanillin is a commonly used colorimetric indicator in thin layer chromatography for detection of various phytochemicals. However, the assay involves concentrated acid, which limits the choice of paper substrates for paper-based sensors and raises safety concerns...

(1) Background: The increasing older population and demographic shifts highlight the need to understand the digital profiles of older adults, a pivotal factor in developing innovative technologies like the e-VITA virtual coach. This personalized coach provides recommendations for sustainable well-being in a smart home environment. (2) Methods: This study focuses on analyzing the characteristics of older individuals categorized as Internet users (onliners) and non-users (offliners). European Social Survey data from 2021 were utilized for European analysis, determining Internet usage based on frequency...

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to be a major public health issue worldwide. Health information-seeking behavior is critical to obtain information about health, diseases such as the Hepatitis B virus, health risks, and health promotion and it has become a major concern of health policymakers. However, there is little evidence of information-seeking behavior on the Hepatitis B virus in Ethiopia. So, this study aimed to assess Hepatitis B virus information-seeking behavior and its associated factors among pregnant women at teaching and Specialized Hospitals, in Northwest Ethiopia...

PURPOSE: This study tested the hypothesis that ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of pelvic pain (PP) and urinary urgency (UU) would reveal unique Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (UCPPS) phenotypes that would be associated with disease specific quality of life (QOL) and illness impact metrics (IIM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A previously validated smart phone app (M-app) was provided to willing Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) participants...

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the process by which microbes evolve mechanisms to survive the medicines designed to destroy them i.e. antimicrobials (AMs). Despite being a natural process, AMR is being hastened by the abuse of AMs. In context of Nepal, there is limited information on drivers of AMR and barriers in addressing it from a community perspective. This study explores the local language and terminology used around AMs in the community, commonly used AMs and reasons for their usage, how these AMs are sourced, and the perceived barriers to addressing AMR via One Health approach...

BACKGROUND: The advancement of communication technology and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increased reliance on online education. However, the effects of the long-term use of smart devices for online learning on students' social anxiety and problematic smartphone use (PSU) and the role of fear of missing out (FoMO) in this process have yet to be fully explored. METHODS: This study analysed longitudinal data from 2,356 high school students (female = 1,137 (48...

Recently, online education has been gaining prominence in university life. Our survey aimed to examine sleep quality and perceived stress levels among students at the University of Pécs Faculty of Health Sciences. A cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive survey was conducted between February and March 2023. The online survey included the Hungarian versions of the internationally validated Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Statistical analysis involved descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests ( p < 0...