No abstract

Muscle thickness, measured by ultrasonography, has been investigated for nutritional assessment in older adults, however the associations between muscle ultrasound parameters in the lower limb and nutritional status have not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between muscle thickness echo intensity (EI), and nutritional status in home care residents. A cross sectional study was conducted involving 19 older adults from a home care in Malaga (Spain). We evaluated lower leg muscles by ultrasound, anthropometric data, physical function (measured by gait speed and the Short Physical Performance Battery), strength (handgrip and knee extensors strength) and nutritional status across the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF). We found that muscle thickness assessed by ultrasonography independently predicts nutritional status by MNA-SF and after adjusting for handgrip strength or age and sex. As secondary findings, we found relations between strength, functional capacity and the MNA-SF test. These results suggest that lower leg muscle ultrasound parameters could be used as a low-cost objective method for muscle evaluation in nutritional assessment in older adults.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations between muscle thickness and echo intensity with cognitive and physical dimensions like functional capacity measured in older people. This cross-sectional study involved 20 older adults (15 women and 5 men, mean age ± SD: 85 ± 7 years, body mass index: 25 ± 3 kg/m2) from a geriatric centre in Malaga (Spain). Anthropometric measurements, cognitive assessment with Pfeiffer Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire and Motor Memory test, Physical Performance with Short Physical Performance Battery, and muscle strength were tested. Additionally, using B-mode ultrasonography, images of wrist flexors, biceps brachii, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, medial gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior were captured, and muscle thickness and echo intensity variables were extracted. An association between muscle parameters assessed by ultrasonography and cognitive and physical dimensions were found in older people. Echo intensity was the best predictor in a set of regression models with different muscle parameters and a battery of cognitive and physical tests in older people. Echo intensity adjusted by handgrip strength could be a low cost and ambulatory index and an indirect and reversible indicator of functional capacity.

BackgroundVertical jump tests are used in athletics and rehabilitation to measure physical performance in people of different age ranges and fitness. Jumping ability can be analyzed through different variables, and the most commonly used are fly time and jump height. They can be obtained by a variety of measuring devices, but most are limited to laboratory use only. The current generation of smartphones contains inertial sensors that are able to record kinematic variables for human motion analysis, since they are tools for easy access and portability for clinical use.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to describe and analyze the kinematics characteristics using the inertial sensor incorporated in the iPhone 4S, the lower limbs strength through a manual dynamometer, and the jump variables obtained with a contact mat in the squat jump and countermovement jump tests (fly time and jump height) from a cohort of healthy people.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted on a population of healthy young adults. Twenty-seven participants performed three trials (n=81 jumps) of squat jump and countermovement jump tests. Acceleration variables were measured through a smartphone’s inertial sensor. Additionally, jump variables from a contact mat and lower limbs dynamometry were collected.ResultsIn the present study, the kinematic variables derived from acceleration through the inertial sensor of a smartphone iPhone 4S, dynamometry of lower limbs with a handheld dynamometer, and the height and flight time with a contact mat have been described in vertical jump tests from a cohort of young healthy subjects. The development of the execution has been described, examined and identified in a squat jump test and countermovement jump test under acceleration variables that were obtained with the smartphone.ConclusionsThe built-in iPhone 4S inertial sensor is able to measure acceleration variables while performing vertical jump tests for the squat jump and countermovement jump in healthy young adults. The acceleration kinematics variables derived from the smartphone’s inertial sensor are higher in the countermovement jump test than the squat jump test.

Introduction: Vertical jump tests can be used as estimators of muscular power, physical capacity, motor development and functional capacity. The ability to jump can be analyzed with different methods, including the use of inertial sensors. Objective: To describe and analyze kinematic characteristics using the inertial sensor integrated into the iPhone 4S ® and jump contact mat variables in the squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) tests, and to determine the interaction between kinetic and kinematic variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 27 healthy young adults. The primary outcome measures were linear acceleration, flight time, contact time, jump height and dynamometry of the knee extensors. Spearman's rho was used to investigate the correlation between variables. The Mann-Whitney U rank-sum test was used for the analysis of intergender variance. Results: The greatest difference between groups (gender) was in the dynamometry variables (p<0.001) and contact mat variables (p<0.001). Between the jump tests, the greatest difference between groups (gender) was in the CMJ test (p<0.001). Conclusion: The inertial sensor embedded in the smartphone demonstrated a correlation with the jump mat and the dynamometry. Finally, the higher kinetic and kinematic scores observed in the jumps performed by male participants than in those performed by female participants suggest that they can be used to better characterize their jumping profile. Level of Evidence IV; Diagnostic Studies -Investigating a Diagnostic Test. RESUMOIntrodução: testes de saltos verticais podem ser utilizados como estimadores de potência muscular, capacidade física, desenvolvimento motor e capacidade funcional. A capacidade de pular pode ser analisada através de diferentes métodos, incluindo o uso de sensores inerciais Objetivo: descrever e analizar características cinemáticas, usando o sensor inercial integrado no iPhone 4S ® , e variáveis de contato no tapete de saltos, nos testes de salto com agachamento (SA) e salto de contraposição (SCP), e determinar a interação entre variáveis cinéticas e cinemáticas. Método: foi realizado um estudo de corte transversal, envolvendo 27 adultos jovens saudáveis. As principais medidas de resultados foram aceleração linear, tempo de vôo, tempo de contato, altura de salto e dinamometria do joelho. Foi utilizado o Rho de Spearman para a investigação da correlação entre variáveis. O teste Mann-Whitney U de soma de classificação foi utilizado para a análise de variância entre gênero. Resultados: a maior diferença entre os grupos (gênero) estava nas variáveis de dinamometria (p <0,001) e variáveis de contato (p<0,001). Entre o teste de saltos, a maior diferença entre grupos (gênero) estava no teste SCP (p <0,001). Conclusão: O sensor inercial embutido no smartphone demonstrou uma correlação com o tapete de saltos e a dinamometria. Por fim, os scores mais altos (cinéticos e cinemáticos), observados nos saltos dos individuos do gênero masculino em comparação com o feminino, sugerem que podem ser ...

There is no specific designed diagnostic test for post-poliomyelitis syndrome. The most important symptoms of this syndrome are new loss of muscle strength and more fatigue. Previous studies have investigated muscle ultrasound parameters to distinguish neuromuscular disease patients from healthy controls. The aim of this study was to investigate if muscle thickness and echo intensity measured by ultrasound can discriminate post-poliomyelitis syndrome patients from healthy controls. A total of 29 post-polio patients and 27 healthy controls participated in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measures, muscle thickness, echo intensity using B-mode ultrasound in rectus femoris and biceps brachii muscles, and muscle strength test data were collected. Muscle thickness in rectus femoris was significantly lower in post-poliomyelitis patients than in healthy controls, but not in biceps brachii. Echo intensity in rectus femoris and biceps brachii was higher in post-poliomyelitis syndrome patients than in healthy controls. Correlations were found between muscle thickness and strength in the upper and lower limbs. The results of the present study showed that muscle thickness in rectus femoris and echo intensity in rectus femoris and biceps brachii can discriminate post-poliomyelitis syndrome patients from healthy controls. A better assessment is possible because it can observe differences and relevant parameters in this clinical population.

The purpose of this study was to describe the acceleration variables in a plyometric jump test using the inertial sensor built into an iPhone 4S® smartphone, and the jumping variables from a contact mat. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 16 healthy young adults. Linear acceleration, flight time, contact time and jump height were measured in a drop jump test from 60 cm and from 30 cm. Greater acceleration values were found in the drop jump test from 60 cm; the same was observed for the values from the contact mat. Multiple regression analysis was performed for each drop jump test: jump height was used as the dependent variable, and the most relevant variables were used as predictor variables (weight and maximum angular velocity in the Y axis for analysis of the drop jump from 60 cm, and weight and maximum acceleration in the Z axis for the drop jump from 30 cm). We found a significant regression model for the drop jump test from 60 cm (R2 = 0.515, p “ 0.001) and for the test from 30 cm (R2 = 0.460, p “ 0.01). According to the results obtained in this study, the built-in iPhone 4S® inertial sensor is able to measure acceleration for healthy young adults performing a vertical drop jump test. The acceleration kinematic variables are higher in the drop jump test from 60 cm than from 30 cm.