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This study aimed to analyze vital sign characteristics of adult patients admitted at the Tertiary Hospital, and to define fever threshold and average body temperature by examining the tympanic temperatures of all patients. Retrospective medical data were extracted from 9195 patients aged > 21 years admitted to a tertiary hospital for elective surgeries between 2016 and 2020. Data regarding the patients' vital signs during their hospital stay, including tympanic body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate, were analyzed according to age, sex, and circadian rhythm. A normal-distribution graph was obtained when all the body temperature results were aligned. The average body temperature measured was 36.91 ± 0.45 °C (average ± standard deviation), indicating a potential fever threshold of 37.81 °C. When the participants were divided into age groups, the average temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate exhibited parabolic trends. Patients in their 60s exhibited the lowest average temperature (36.88 °C), whereas those in their 50s had the lowest average heart rate (75.82/min) and lowest respiratory rate (19.08/min). Heart rate and respiratory rate tended to increase in elderly people older than 81 years. The average body temperature was greater in women than in men (36.94 ± 0.42 °C vs. 36.89 ± 0.47 °C), while the average heart (75.53 ± 10.04/min vs. 77.31 ± 11.52/min) and respiratory rates (19.13 ± 1.39/min vs. 19.29 ± 2.24/min) were lower in women than in men respectively. According to the time of measurement, the average temperature and heart rate appeared to follow a sinusoidal pattern, suggesting that the circadian rhythm was highest at 1 a.m. and lowest at 8 a.m. Tympanic temperature is a convenient measurement method preferred in hospital settings because it is noninvasive and easier to measure compared to other body parts. To develop an improved device and measurement method in the future, it is necessary to analyze tympanic temperature big data and compare it with past vital sign data or biometric information from other body parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep, notably active sleep (AS) and quiet sleep (QS), plays a pivotal role in the brain development and gradual maturation of (pre) term infants. Monitoring their sleep patterns is imperative, as it can serve as a tool in promoting neurological maturation and well-being, particularly important in preterm infants who are at an increased risk of immature brain development. An accurate classification of neonatal sleep states can contribute to optimizing treatments for high-risk infants, with respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) serving as key components in sleep assessment systems for neonates. Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of extracting both RR and HR using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in neonates. This study introduces a comprehensive sleep classification approach leveraging high-frequency NIRS signals recorded at a sampling rate of 100 Hz from a cohort of nine preterm infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. Eight distinct features were extracted from the raw NIRS signals, including HR, RR, motion-related parameters, and proxies for neural activity. These features served as inputs for a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model designed for the classification of AS and QS sleep states. The performance of the proposed CNN model was evaluated using two cross-validation approaches: ten-fold cross-validation of data pooling and five-fold cross-validation, where each fold contains two independently recorded NIRS data. The accuracy, balanced accuracy, F1-score, Kappa, and AUC-ROC (Area Under the Curve of the Receiver Operating Characteristic) were employed to assess the classifier performance. In addition, comparative analyses against six benchmark classifiers, comprising K-Nearest Neighbors, Naive Bayes, Support Vector Machines, Random Forest (RF), AdaBoost, and XGBoost (XGB), were conducted. Our results reveal the CNN model's superior performance, achieving an average accuracy of 88%, a balanced accuracy of 94%, an F1-score of 91%, Kappa of 95%, and an AUC-ROC of 96% in data pooling cross-validation. Furthermore, in both cross-validation methods, RF and XGB demonstrated accuracy levels closely comparable to the CNN classifier. These findings underscore the feasibility of leveraging high-frequency NIRS data, coupled with NIRS-based HR and RR extraction, for assessing sleep states in neonates, even in an intensive care setting. The user-friendliness, portability, and reduced sensor complexity of the approach suggest its potential applications in various less-demanding settings. This research thus presents a promising avenue for advancing neonatal sleep assessment and its implications for infant health and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normal respiratory rates (RR) for children under five in the tropics are well-documented, but data for older children are limited. This study tracked RR changes with age and examined associations with nutritional status and environmental factors. We monitored rural Gambian children aged 6 months to 14 years, recording RR during home visits twice weekly over two rainy seasons. Using a generalized additive model, we constructed RR reference curves, and a linear mixed-effect model identified factors influencing RR. A total of 830 children provided 67,512 RR measurements. Their median age was 6.07 years (interquartile range 4.21–8.55) and 400 (48.2%) were female. Age, stunting, ambient temperature, and time of RR measurement were independent predictors of respiratory rate. Strikingly, children showing signs of illness had greater variability in repeat RR measurements. We constructed a RR reference chart for children aged one to 13 years and proposed a cutoff of > 26 breaths/min for raised RR among children aged > 5 years bridging an important gap in this age group. Although the time of data collection, nutritional status, and ambient temperature were predictors of RR, their effect size is not clinically significant enough to warrant a change in the current WHO guidelines owing to the prevailing uncertainty in the measurement of RR. The finding that RRs between repeat measurements were more variable among children with signs of illness suggests that a single RR measurement may be inadequate to reliably assess the status of sick children—a population in which accurate diagnosis is essential to enable targeted interventions with lifesaving treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Respiratory rate (RR) is a crucial vital sign in patient monitoring and is often the best marker of the deterioration of a sick patient. It can be used to help diagnose numerous medical conditions and has been demonstrated to be an independent predictor of patient outcomes in various critical care settings and is incorporated in many clinical early warning scores. Here, we report on the performance of depth-camera-based system for the noncontact monitoring of RR during a ramped RR protocol. The ramped breathing protocol was developed specifically to test the relatively rapid changes in rates, which include clinically important low and high ranges of RRs. Materials and Methods We performed a series of experimental runs with healthy volunteers who were instructed to breathe over a wide range of RRs, where the rates were ramped up from 4 breaths/min to 50 breaths/min then back down to 4 breaths/min in a series of ramped steps. Depth information was acquired from the scene and used to determine a respiratory rate (RRdepth), and this was compared to capnograph or spirometer respiratory rate reference (RRref). A total of 9,482 contemporaneous data pairs (RRdepth, RRref) were collected during the study for comparison. Results A Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.995 was achieved and a line of best fit given by RRdepth = 0.99 × RRref + 0.36 breaths/min. The overall root mean squared difference (RMSD) across the runs was 1.29 breaths/min with a corresponding bias of 0.16 breaths/min, respectively. The associated Bland–Altman analysis found limits of agreement of −2.45 and 2.75 breaths/min. When the data were subdivided according to low, medium, and high RRs, corresponding to ≤10, >10 to 20, and >20 breaths/min, the RMSD accuracies were found to be 0.94, 1.34, and 1.55 breaths/min, respectively. Conclusions The technology performed well, exhibiting an RMSD accuracy well within our target of 3 breaths/min, both across the whole range and across each individual subrange. In summary, our results indicate the potential viability of continuous noncontact monitoring for the determination of RR over a clinically relevant range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Battlefield trauma necessitates prompt hemostatic intervention to mitigate fatalities resulting from critical blood loss. Insights from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom emphasize the limitations of conventional methods, such as tourniquets, especially in noncompressible torso hemorrhage. Despite advancements in hemostatic agents, the evolving dynamics of multidomain operations necessitate novel, lightweight strategies for hemorrhage control. This study investigates the Silicone-Based Polymer (SBP) Universal Combat Matrix (UCM) by SiOxMed, a multimodal matrix exhibiting efficacy in lethal hemorrhage models. The study evaluates UCM's multiday hemostatic capabilities in a noncompressible torso hemorrhage model, offering pivotal insights for potential deployment in battlefield trauma. Materials and Methods This research was performed under Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval and was designed to replicate austere conditions in an off-site enclosed facility. Yorkshire Hampshire swine underwent baseline assessments and anesthesia induction (n  = 3). A Grade IV liver injury was made by incising X-shaped lesions, each measuring 4 cm × 2.5 cm, into the diaphragmatic surface of the left and right middle lobes using a scalpel blade, resulting in a lesion region of approximately 3 cm × 6 cm × 3 cm, followed by 30 seconds of uncontrolled bleeding. The injuries were then treated with SBP. Intensive care unit monitoring for 1 hour ensured sustained hemostasis, followed by 48 hours of postanesthesia monitoring and then a return to the operating table to visualize sustained hemostasis. Posteuthanasia, liver tissue underwent histological assessments to evaluate the hemorrhagic interface and liver tissue reactivity. Results The average time to hemostatic control was 247.3 ± 71.3 seconds. Stable heart rate (81.3 ± 10.0) and respiratory rate (31.7 ± 16.5) were maintained during intensive care unit monitoring. All swine survived the 1-hour anesthesia monitoring period and the subsequent 48-hour monitoring (average survival time, 48.0 hours ± 0.0, n  = 3). Visualization of the abdominal cavity at 48 hours revealed no hemorrhage. Histological assessment demonstrated aligned red blood cells and stratified layers of fibrin at the hemorrhagic interface. Masson's Trichrome analysis demonstrated a reactive and regenerative scenario 48 hours postinjury, with a collagen membrane demarcating uninjured and exposed liver regions, along with a comprehensive stromal response. Conclusions In conclusion, our investigation into the SBP UCM hemostatic efficacy in a grade IV liver laceration model demonstrates its rapid and reliable action in controlling bleeding, showcasing practicality with an average mass of 4.0 ± 1.0 g. Silicone-Based Polymer sustained hemostasis without adverse physiological effects, as evidenced by stable parameters and the survival of all swine during and after anesthesia. Macroscopic examination at 48 hours revealed durable adherence with no indications of hemorrhage. Histological evaluations highlighted SBP's role in stable clot formation, fibrinogenesis, and tissue regeneration, indicating its potential as a multimodal wound dressing. Although promising, the study has limitations, emphasizing the need for future research with larger samples and controls. This work sets the stage for exploring SBP's clinical implications, particularly in scenarios where lightweight, multimodal technologies are crucial for addressing traumatic injuries and enhancing military medical capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress and anxiety being the major contributors of morbidity, leads to many chronic diseases and is known to invariably decrease the quality of life and even life span. Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), a part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the visceral system, functioning largely under the level of consciousness, capable of being influenced by the psychological factors and influences the physiological processes happening in the body. Meditation practices mainly change functions through autonomous nervous systems, which links brain and body. Meditation is a technique of yoga practiced in India over thousands of years. Long term yogic practices have shown improvement in cardiovascular functions. Meditation is a concentrative type of meditation involving focusing of attention on breath. This was a cross sectional, comparative study. 50 subjects between 18-45 years were included for the study. 50 meditators and 50 non-meditators (control group). The meditators used to practice meditation every morning for at least 30 minutes, for 1 or more years. There was decrease in Heart rate,SBP and DBP, MAP, RR in meditation group. This difference between 2 groups is satistically highly significant(p<0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Basic vital signs correlated with consciousness status in PBH. • DOC patients had higher body temperature and heart rate. • Monitoring basic vital signs aids consciousness evaluation. The objective of the study was to explore the association between basic vital signs and consciousness status in patients with primary brainstem hemorrhage (PBH). Patients with PBH were categorized into two groups based on Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores: disturbance of consciousness (DOC) group (GCS=3-8) and non-DOC group (GCS=15). Within DOC group, patients were further divided into behavioral (GCS=4-8) and non-behavioral (GCS=3) subgroups. Basic vital signs, such as body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate, were monitored every 3 hours during the acute bleeding phase (1st day) and the bleeding stable phase (7th day) of hospitalization. The findings revealed a negative correlation between body temperature and heart rate with GCS scores in DOC group at both time points. Moreover, basic vital signs were notably higher in the DOC group compared to non-DOC group. Specifically, the non-behavioral subgroup within DOC group exhibited significantly elevated heart rates on the 1st day of hospitalization and moderately increased respiratory rates on the 7th day compared to the control group. Scatter plots illustrated a significant relationship between body temperature and heart rate with consciousness status, while no significant correlation was observed with respiratory rate. In conclusion, the study suggests that monitoring basic vital signs, particularly body temperature and heart rate, can serve as valuable indicators for evaluating consciousness status in PBH patients. These basic vital signs demonstrated variations corresponding to lower GCS scores. Furthermore, integrating basic vital sign monitoring with behavioral assessment could enhance the assessment of consciousness status in PBH patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a dangerous heavy metal that is non-degradable in the environment. Many organs can accumulate Cd and adversely affect organ function and health. Cd is considered as a teratogenic and embryotoxic agent. This study aims to evaluate the teratogenicity of Cd at concentrations lesser than the permissible and its effects on the heart during chick embryogenesis. Fertilized eggs of the chick Gallus domesticus were divided into; control, saline injected and four experimental groups injected with single doses of 5, 25, 50 or 75 µM of CdCl2. Histological observations of the heart before hatching and the cardiomyocytes after hatching were recorded. Morphometric measurements of heart chambers were achieved at 3, 4 and 6 days of incubation. Electrocardiograph and respiratory rate were recorded at tenth day. Different cardiac problems had been brought on by Cd. In comparison to controls, the heart looked much larger, and in certain cases, growth retardation was seen. Degeneration in heart walls and malformations of dorsal aorta were noticed. Morphometrically, the width and wall thickness of heart chambers showed significant changes. Heart beats and respiratory rate significantly decreased compared to control. The cardiotoxic effect of Cd on heart compartments structure and function was dose dependent. One of Cd toxicity is its ability to induce cellular oxidative stress. The heart in particular is sensitive to oxidative stress. Cardiac oxidative stress might intensify heart failure and promote disease progression. Calcium is one of the components that is needed for normal heart work. Cd might interfere with calcium metabolism by removing it from the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study aimed to analyze vital sign characteristics of adult patients admitted at the Tertiary Hospital, and to define fever threshold and average body temperature by examining the tympanic temperatures of all patients. Retrospective medical data were extracted from 9195 patients aged > 21 years admitted to a tertiary hospital for elective surgeries between 2016 and 2020. Data regarding the patients’ vital signs during their hospital stay, including tympanic body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate, were analyzed according to age, sex, and circadian rhythm. A normal-distribution graph was obtained when all the body temperature results were aligned. The average body temperature measured was 36.91 ± 0.45 °C (average ± standard deviation), indicating a potential fever threshold of 37.81 °C. When the participants were divided into age groups, the average temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate exhibited parabolic trends. Patients in their 60s exhibited the lowest average temperature (36.88 °C), whereas those in their 50s had the lowest average heart rate (75.82/min) and lowest respiratory rate (19.08/min). Heart rate and respiratory rate tended to increase in elderly people older than 81 years. The average body temperature was greater in women than in men (36.94 ± 0.42 °C vs. 36.89 ± 0.47 °C), while the average heart (75.53 ± 10.04/min vs. 77.31 ± 11.52/min) and respiratory rates (19.13 ± 1.39/min vs. 19.29 ± 2.24/min) were lower in women than in men respectively. According to the time of measurement, the average temperature and heart rate appeared to follow a sinusoidal pattern, suggesting that the circadian rhythm was highest at 1 a.m. and lowest at 8 a.m. Tympanic temperature is a convenient measurement method preferred in hospital settings because it is noninvasive and easier to measure compared to other body parts. To develop an improved device and measurement method in the future, it is necessary to analyze tympanic temperature big data and compare it with past vital sign data or biometric information from other body parts.

Abstract Normal respiratory rates (RR) for children under five in the tropics are well-documented, but data for older children are limited. This study tracked RR changes with age and examined associations with nutritional status and environmental factors. We monitored rural Gambian children aged 6 months to 14 years, recording RR during home visits twice weekly over two rainy seasons. Using a generalized additive model, we constructed RR reference curves, and a linear mixed-effect model identified factors influencing RR. A total of 830 children provided 67,512 RR measurements. Their median age was 6.07 years (interquartile range 4.21–8.55) and 400 (48.2%) were female. Age, stunting, ambient temperature, and time of RR measurement were independent predictors of respiratory rate. Strikingly, children showing signs of illness had greater variability in repeat RR measurements. We constructed a RR reference chart for children aged one to 13 years and proposed a cutoff of > 26 breaths/min for raised RR among children aged > 5 years bridging an important gap in this age group. Although the time of data collection, nutritional status, and ambient temperature were predictors of RR, their effect size is not clinically significant enough to warrant a change in the current WHO guidelines owing to the prevailing uncertainty in the measurement of RR. The finding that RRs between repeat measurements were more variable among children with signs of illness suggests that a single RR measurement may be inadequate to reliably assess the status of sick children—a population in which accurate diagnosis is essential to enable targeted interventions with lifesaving treatment.

The accurate estimation of respiratory rate (RR) is crucial for assessing the respiratory system's health in humans, particularly during auscultation processes. Despite the numerous automated RR estimation approaches proposed in the literature, challenges persist in accurately estimating RR in noisy environments, typical of real-life situations. This becomes especially critical when periodic noise patterns interfere with the target signal. In this study, we present a parallel driver designed to address the challenges of RR estimation in real-world environments, combining multi-core architectures with parallel and high-performance techniques. The proposed system employs a nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) approach to mitigate the impact of noise interference in the input signal. This NMF approach is guided by pre-trained bases of respiratory sounds and incorporates an orthogonal constraint to enhance accuracy. The proposed solution is tailored for real-time processing on low-power hardware. Experimental results across various scenarios demonstrate promising outcomes in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A study was carried out to determine the predictive value of respiratory rate in the clinical diagnosis of pneumonia in 101 children with respiratory symptoms of 50/minute, while 43 (83 percent) had respiratory rate >40/min. When all age groups are considered, subjects with pneumonia had significantly higher respiratory rates. Respiratory rate was found to be least reliable as an indicator of pneumonia in children aged 2-11 months in whom the widest variation of respiratory rate was identified. For children aged 12-35 months, a respiratory rate of >50/min was a good predictor of pneumonia while a respiratory rate of 235/min was highly sensitive in children 236 months old. The current data suggest that the age specific respiratory rate cut off recommended by WHO programme for the control of acute respiratory infections need to be reviewed.

In the quest to uncover biological cues that help explain organic changes brought on by an external stimulus, like stress, new technologies have become necessary. The Laser Speckle Contrast Analysis (LASCA) approach is one of these technologies that may be used to analyze biological data, including respiratory rate (RR) intervals, and then use the results to determine heart rate variability (HRV Thus, to evaluate the stress brought on by physical activity, this study used the LASCA approach. A stress induction procedure involving physical exertion was employed, and the results were compared to other established techniques (cortisol analysis and ECG signal) to verify the LASCA methodology as a tool for measuring HRV and stress. The study sample comprised 27 willing participants. The technique involving LASCA allowed for the non-invasive (non-contact) acquisition of HRV and the study of stress. Furthermore, it made it possible to gather pertinent data, such as recognizing modifications to the thermoregulation, peripheral vasomotor tonus, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone systems that were brought on by elevated stress and, as a result, variations in HRV readings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wearable technologies have been developed to measure physiological parameters conveniently. To consider the new measurement device valid, the crucial point is to assess its reliability with the gold standard. The study aimed to assess the validity of the Pneumonitor (PM, fs = 250 Hz) for acquisition of 5 min RR intervals (RRi) for analysis of heart rate asymmetry (HRA) in relation to the electrocardiography (ECG, fs = 1000 Hz) in a group of 19 pediatric cardiac patients. Association between HRA and respiratory rate (RespRate) was verified. Methods: The validation comprised Bland–Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficient, and Student's t-test. Results: Sufficient agreement between 10 from 16 HRA parameters was observed. Different HRA parameters values calculated based on RRi from both devices were related to different results of correlation analysis between two parameters and RespRate. Conclusions: The PM might be considered valid for recording RRi, which are then processed to calculate selected HRA parameters in a group of pediatric cardiac patients in rest condition. However, RRi recorded using devices with fs < 250 Hz may be not adequate for reliable HRA analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately obtaining a patient's respiratory rate is crucial for promptly identifying any sudden changes in their condition during emergencies. Typically, the respiratory rate is assessed through a combination of impedance change measurements and electrocardiography (ECG). However, impedance measurements are prone to interference from body movements. Conversely, a capnometer coupled with a ventilator offers a method of measuring the respiratory rate that is unaffected by body movements. However, capnometers are mainly used to evaluate respiration when using a ventilator or an Ambu bag by measuring the CO2 concentration at the breathing circuit, and they are not used only to measure the respiratory rate. Furthermore, capnometers are not suitable as wearable devices because they require intubation or a mask that covers the nose and mouth to prevent air leaks during the measurement. In this study, we developed a reliable system for measuring the respiratory rate utilizing a small wearable MOx sensor that is unaffected by body movements and not connected to the breathing circuit. Subsequently, we conducted experimental assessments to gauge the accuracy of the rate estimation achieved by the system. In order to avoid the effects of abnormal states on the estimation accuracy, we also evaluated the classification performance for distinguishing between normal and abnormal respiration using a one-class SVM-based approach. The developed system achieved 80% for both true positive and true negative rates. Our experimental findings reveal that the respiratory rate can be precisely determined without being influenced by body movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidence suggests that respiratory frequency (fR) is a valid marker of effort during high-intensity exercise, including sports of an intermittent nature, like soccer. However, very few attempts have been made so far to monitor fR in soccer with unobtrusive devices. This study assessed the validity of three strain-based commercial wearable devices measuring fR during soccer-specific movements. On two separate visits to the soccer pitch, 15 players performed a 30 min validation protocol wearing either a ComfTech® (CT) vest or a BioharnessTM (BH) 3.0 strap and a Tyme WearTM (TW) vest. fR was extracted from the respiratory waveform of the three commercial devices with custom-made algorithms and compared with that recorded with a reference face mask. The fR time course of the commercial devices generally resembled that of the reference system. The mean absolute percentage error was, on average, 7.03% for CT, 8.65% for TW, and 14.60% for BH for the breath-by-breath comparison and 1.85% for CT, 3.27% for TW, and 7.30% for BH when comparison with the reference system was made in 30 s windows. Despite the challenging measurement scenario, our findings show that some of the currently available wearable sensors are indeed suitable to unobtrusively measure fR in soccer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the application of the controlled respiratory persistence monitor designed based on the principle of rhythmic temperature variations in artificial airways among different populations and in various artificial airways, and to discuss the feasibility and efficacy of monitoring controlled respiration persistence, and to provide a new method for the clinical respiratory monitoring. Methods: A total of 60 adult patients scheduled for general anesthesia, and 30 pediatric patients aged from 1 to 3 years old, classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)Ⅰ-Ⅱ, were selected. A total of 60 adult patients were randomly divided into adult tracheal intubation (ATI) group and adult laryngeal mask(ALM) group, and there were 30 cases in each group. Additionally, 30 pediatric patients aged from 1 to 3 years old were regarded as pediatric tracheal intubation (CTI) group. After induction of general anesthesia, the patients in CTI and ATI groups were underwent tracheal intubation, while the patients in ALM group were given a laryngeal mask inserted and were connected to the anesthesia machine for mechanical ventilation. Whether or not the device could detect the respiratory rate (RR)of the patients in various groups was observed; the RR detected by the device and the frequency set on the anesthesia machine in various groups were compared. All the patients in three groups were simulated three common clinical scenarios of continuous respiration changes before surgery: disconnection of the breathing circuit, failure to switch from manual to mechanical control on the anesthesia machine, and slow air leakage in the breathing circuit. The ways to report the alert and start time of the atarm by the monitors were compared. Results: The controlled respiratory persistence monitor was able to detect the RR of the patients in three groups, and there was no significantly difference between the RR detected by the device and the frequency set on the anesthesia machine (P>0. 05). In the simulated scenarios of common respiratory persistence changes, all the patients in three groups received an artificial voice alarm signaling “Attention, breathing has stopped. ”, which was acknowledged. There was no significant difference in the start time of alarm of the controlled respiratory persistence monitor between ATI group and ALM group (P>0. 05). Compared with the start time of alarm of the patients in the same group across different scenarios, compared with slow air leakage in the breathing circuit, the start time to alarm for circuit disconnection and failure to switch from manual to mechanical control was shorter (P<0. 05). Conclusion: The clinical application of the controlled respiratory persistence monitor device designed based on the principle of detecting rhythmic temperature variations within artificial airways is feasible and effective in different populations and artificial airways. This device offers a new method for monitoring the respiratory continuity and ensuring the respiratory safety during surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the feasibility of a wearable system to monitor vital signs during sleep. The system incorporates five inertial measurement units (IMUs) located on the waist, the arms, and the legs. To evaluate the performance of a novel framework, twenty-three participants underwent a sleep study, and vital signs, including respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR), were monitored via polysomnography (PSG). The dataset comprises individuals with varying severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Using a single IMU sensor positioned at the waist, strong correlations of more than 0.95 with the PSG-derived vital signs were obtained. Low inter-participant mean absolute errors of about 0.66 breaths/min and 1.32 beats/min were achieved, for RR and HR, respectively. The percentage of data available for analysis, representing the time coverage, was 98.3% for RR estimation and 78.3% for HR estimation. Nevertheless, the fusion of data from IMUs positioned at the arms and legs enhanced the inter-participant time coverage of HR estimation by over 15%. These findings imply that the proposed methodology can be used for vital sign monitoring during sleep, paving the way for a comprehensive understanding of sleep quality in individuals with SDB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigates the correlation between the consumption of vitamins and specific health markers---hemoglobin levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate--in adolescent basketball players. Methods: A cohort of adolescent basketball players (aged 13-15 yrs, females 200; males 200) was assessed for their dietary intake of key vitamins using a detailed food frequency questionnaire. Blood samples were collected to measure hemoglobin levels, and clinical evaluations were conducted to record blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate. Statistical analyses were performed to identify correlations between micronutrient intake and the health markers. Results: The study found significant correlations between the intake of certain vitamins and the health markers measured. Higher folate intake was positively correlated with hemoglobin levels (p<0.01), indicating better oxygen transport capacity. Additionally, thiamine, riboflavin, beta carotene and vitamin C showed significant correlations with improved pulse and respiratory rates and blood pressure (p<0.01), reflecting enhanced cardiovascular and respiratory function. Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of adequate vitamin intake in maintaining optimal hemoglobin levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate in adolescent basketball players. These correlations highlight the need for targeted nutritional strategies to support the health and athletic performance of young athletes. Further research is recommended to explore the causal relationships and potential benefits of dietary interventions in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food Research & Development is the property of Food Research & Development Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate (RR), and resting heart rate (RHR) are common variables measured by wrist-worn activity trackers to monitor health, fitness, and recovery in athletes. Variations in RR are observed in lower-respiratory infections, and preliminary data suggest changes in HRV and RR are linked to early detection of COVID-19 infection in nonathletes. Hypothesis: Wearable technology measuring HRV, RR, RHR, and recovery will be successful for early detection of COVID-19 in NCAA Division I female athletes. Study Design: Cohort study. Level of Evidence: Level 2. Methods: Female athletes wore WHOOP, Inc. bands through the 2020 to 2021 competitive season. Of the athletes who tested positive for COVID (n = 33), 14 had enough data to be assessed (N = 14; 20.0 ± 1.3 years; 69.8 ± 7.2 kg; 172.0 ± 8.3 cm). Roughly 2 weeks of noninfected days were used to set baseline levels of HRV, RR, recovery, and RHR to compare with -3, -2, and -1 days before a positive COVID-19 result. Results: Increases in RR (P = 0.02) were detected on day -3. RHR (P < 0.01) and RR increased (P < 0.01), while HRV decreased (P < 0.05) on day -1, compared with baseline. Differences were noted in all variables on the day of the positive COVID-19 result: decreased HRV (P < 0.05) and recovery scores (P < 0.01), and increased RHR (P < 0.01) and RR (P < 0.01). Conclusion: In female athletes, wearable technology was successful in predicting COVID-19 infection through changes in RR 3 days before a positive test, and also HRV and RHR the day before a positive test. Clinical Relevance: Wearable technology may be used, as part of a multifaceted approach, for the early detection of COVID-19 in elite athletes through monitoring of HRV, RR, and RHR for overall team health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Physical Culture: Upbringing, Education, Training is the property of National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

BACKGROUND: The transition from alertness to drowsiness can cause considerable changes in the respiratory system, providing an opportunity to detect driver drowsiness. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine which respiratory features indicate driver drowsiness and then use these features to classify the level of drowsiness and alertness. METHODS: Twenty male students (mean age 25.6±2.41 years) participated in the study using a driving simulator, and eight features, including expiration duration (ED), inspiration duration (ID), peak-to-peak amplitude (PA), inspiration-to-expiration time ratio (I/E ratio), driving, timing, respiration rate (RR), and yawning, were extracted from the respiratory signal generated by abdominal motions using a belt equipped with a force sensor. RESULTS: All eight features were statistically significant at the significance level of 0.05. Drowsiness can be detected using respiratory features with 88% accuracy, 82% precision, 86% recall, and an 90% F1 score. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may be useful in the development of driver drowsiness monitoring systems based on less intrusive respiratory signal analysis, particularly for specific process automation applications when vehicle control is not in the hands of the driver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory rate (RR) is a vital indicator for assessing the bodily functions and health status of patients. RR is a prominent parameter in the field of biomedical signal processing and is strongly associated with other vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability. Various physiological signals, such as photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals, are used to extract respiratory information. RR is also estimated by detecting peak patterns and cycles in the signals through signal processing and deep-learning approaches. In this study, we propose an end-to-end RR estimation approach based on a third-generation artificial neural network model—spiking neural network. The proposed model employs PPG segments as inputs, and directly converts them into sequential spike events. This design aims to reduce information loss during the conversion of the input data into spike events. In addition, we use feedback-based integrate-and-fire neurons as the activation functions, which effectively transmit temporal information. The network is evaluated using the BIDMC respiratory dataset with three different window sizes (16, 32, and 64 s). The proposed model achieves mean absolute errors of 1.37 ± 0.04, 1.23 ± 0.03, and 1.15 ± 0.07 for the 16, 32, and 64 s window sizes, respectively. Furthermore, it demonstrates superior energy efficiency compared with other deep learning models. This study demonstrates the potential of the spiking neural networks for RR monitoring, offering a novel approach for RR estimation from the PPG signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vital signs are crucial for assessing the condition of a patient and detecting early symptom deterioration. Noncontact sensor technology has been developed to take vital measurements with minimal burden. This study evaluated the accuracy of a mat-type noncontact sensor in measuring respiratory and pulse rates in patients with cardiovascular diseases compared to conventional methods. Forty-eight hospitalized patients were included; a mat-type sensor was used to measure their respiratory and pulse rates during bed rest. Differences between mat-type sensors and conventional methods were assessed using the Bland–Altman analysis. The mean difference in respiratory rate was 1.9 breaths/min (limits of agreement (LOA): −4.5 to 8.3 breaths/min), and proportional bias existed with significance (r = 0.63, p < 0.05). For pulse rate, the mean difference was −2.0 beats/min (LOA: −23.0 to 19.0 beats/min) when compared to blood pressure devices and 0.01 beats/min (LOA: −11.4 to 11.4 beats/min) when compared to 24-h Holter electrocardiography. The proportional bias was significant for both comparisons (r = 0.49, p < 0.05; r = 0.52, p < 0.05). These were considered clinically acceptable because there was no tendency to misjudge abnormal values as normal. The mat-type noncontact sensor demonstrated sufficient accuracy to serve as an alternative to conventional assessments, providing long-term monitoring of vital signs in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method of identifying the direction of the coupling between oscillators based on the simulation of phase dynamics of weakly coupled and weakly noisy periodic processes is used to determine the direction of the coupling between time series extracted from biological signals. Neuronal activity, arterial pressure and respiratory rate of anesthetized rats were used as initial data. Various options for the direction of the coupling between the analyzed time series were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taurine is a nonessential amino acid that has been increasingly consumed due to its various beneficial biological effects. Excessive taurine intake has been linked to the positive regulation of inflammatory responses and endoplasmic reticulum stress through the modulation of intracellular calcium levels. However, research on the potential adverse effects of taurine consumption on the respiratory system is limited. To address this, we investigated the respiratory responses of 6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats to taurine administered orally at 0, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg. Respiratory rate, tidal volume, and minute volume were monitored in accordance with the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Harmonized Tripartite Guideline S7A for Safety Pharmacology Studies for Human Pharmaceuticals. We found that taurine administration did not significantly alter respiratory rate or tidal volume; however, a significant increase in minute volume was observed 6 h after administration of 200 mg/kg taurine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress has threatened dairy cows during periods of high temperatures. Dairy farms can often assess the respiratory rate (breahts per minute, bpm) of dairy cows, and then implement timely environmental control measures to mitigate the heat stress, thus enhancing the welfare of animals and production performance. However, previous empirical or numerical models cannot accurately predict the respiratory rate of individual dairy cows in real environments. Data-driven machine learning models can be expected to provide a better representation of the relationship between various variables, particularly on the actual respiratory rate. In this study, a random forest-based prediction model was introduced for the cow respiration rate. Five hyperparameters were fine-tuned using genetic algorithm (GA), differential evolution algorithm (DE), particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO), and Bayesian optimization (BO). These random forest-based models were compared with the artificial neural network (ANN) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models under grid search (GS). The training data was obtained from a commercial dairy farm in North China. The thermal environment parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation) were integrated with the sampling time blocks and cattlerelated variables. The thermal environment variables were utilized as the input features to construct four heat stress indices, namely the temperature-humidity index (THI), adjusted temperature-humidity index (ATHI), equivalent temperature index for cattle (STIC), and skin temperature index (STIC). The dataset was comprised of 3005 records, with 80% allocated for training and 20% for testing. Hyperparameter optimization was conducted on the training set using 5-fold cross-validation. The correlation analysis revealed that there was a highly significant correlation (P<0.01) between all thermal environment variables, heat stress indices, and the respiratory rate of cows. Additionally, significant correlations (P<0.01) were observed between the thermal environment variables and heat stress indices. In feature collinearity, the overall dataset was partitioned into five subdatasets: EP, THI, ATHI, ETIC, and STIC dataset. The differentiation among these subsets was combined with the distinct environmental variables. Specifically, the EP dataset comprised four environmental parameters, while the rest dataset's features were the corresponding indices. Results indicated that the baseline random forest model achieved the highest prediction accuracy, when utilizing the adjusted temperature-humidity index, time block, milk production of the cows, days of lactation, body posture, and the number of calving as inputs. On the test set of the ATHI feature, the performance of the RF-based model was better than those of the GS-ANN and GS-XGBoost under the four intelligent optimizations. The random forest model was optimized by the differential evolution algorithm (DE-RF), indicating the highest accuracy, with a coefficient of determination (R2 ), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE) on the testing set of 0.614, 7.708 bpm, 14.4%, and 9.730 bpm, respectively. After that, the Bayesian-optimized random forest model (BO-RF) was achieved in a coefficient of determination, mean absolute error, mean absolute percentage error, and root mean square error on the testing set of 0.614, 7.723, 14.4%, and 9.737, respectively. Notably, the BO-RF was only required 1/200 of the time taken by the DE-RF. As a result, the BO-RF displayed the most favourable overall performance, in terms of prediction accuracy and computational time. Subsequently, the relative importance (RI) of the input features was determined using the BO-RF. The feature importance analysis revealed that the adjusted temperature-humidity index held the highest importance in the model prediction (RI value = 0.73), followed by time block (RI value = 0.09), milk production of cattle (RI value = 0.07), and days of lactation (RI value = 0.06). The body posture of the cattle (RI value = 0.03) and the number of calving (RI value = 0.02) shared a marginal impact on the model predictions. This finding can offer valuable insights into the precise and intelligent control system in dairy barns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the thermal comfort of Nelore cattle (Bos indicus) managed in silvopastoral and traditional systems associated with rumination behavior in a humid tropical environment in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil. The thermoregulatory responses of 20 uncastrated male Nelore cattle in silvopastoral and traditional systems from June to July 2023 were evaluated. Physiological variables were measured, including respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT) and body surface temperature (BST). The RR was higher in the traditional system and RT showed significant variations over the collection periods. The black globe temperature and humidity index (BGHI) indicated mild to moderate stress. The silvopastoral system showed advantages in RR, RT and in rumination behavior. The results suggest that air temperature (AT) significantly influenced RR and thermal comfort in both systems, and that the SP system offers more thermal comfort advantages compared to the TS system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the thermal comfort of Nelore cattle (Bos indicus) managed in silvopastoral and traditional systems associated with rumination behavior in a humid tropical environment in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil. The study was carried out on a rural property in Mojuí dos Campos, Pará, Brazil, during the transition period of the year, from June to July 2023. Over these two months, six consecutive data collection days were held. We selected 20 clinically healthy non-castrated male Nelore cattle, aged between 18 and 20 months, with an average weight of 250 kg and body condition score of 3.5 (1–5). These animals were randomly divided into two groups: traditional system (TS) and silvopastoral system (SS). The physiological variables evaluated included RR, RT and BST. The variables were analyzed using the linear mixed model. For agrometeorological variables, higher values were observed between 10:00 a.m. (33 °C) and 6:00 p.m. (30 °C), with the highest temperature observed at 4:00 p.m. (40 °C). The RR showed interactions (p = 0.0214) between systems and times; in general, higher RR were obtained in the Traditional. The animals' RT showed no significant difference (p < 0.05) between the production systems, but there was a statistically significant difference in relation to the time of collection (p < 0.0001). In the BGHI, it was possible to observe that there was mild stress in the period from 22:00 at night to 6:00 in the morning and moderate stress in the period of greatest increase in temperature, from 10:00 in the morning to 18:00 at night. BST showed no statistical difference between the regions studied or between the SP (35.6 °C) and TS (36.25 °C) systems. RT in the TS showed a positive correlation with AT (r = 0.31507; p = 0.0477). RT in the SP showed a positive correlation with THI (r = 35583; p = 0.0242). On the other hand, RT in the SP (r = 0.42873; p = 0.0058) and ST (r = 0.51015; p = 0.0008) showed a positive correlation with BGHI. RR in the TS showed a positive correlation with BGHI (r = 0.44908; p = 0.0037). The greatest amounts of rumination were carried out by animals in the SP system, generally ruminating lying down (p < 0.05). With regard to rumination behavior in the morning and afternoon, there were higher numbers of WS and LD in the TS (p > 0.05). Most of the time, the cattle were LD during the morning and afternoon shifts, and at night and dawn they were WS in the TS. Therefore, the SP offers more thermal comfort advantages compared to the TS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Use of local anesthesia and conscious sedation with a combination of a sedative and anesthetic drug during a surgical procedure is an approach designed to avoid intubation, which produces fewer adverse events compared to general anesthesia. In the present study, a comparison was made between the efficacy and safety of remimazolam besylate and propofol for facial plastic surgery. Objectives The objective was to evaluate the clinical efficacy, comfort, and incidence of adverse events of remimazolam compared with propofol combined with alfentanil in outpatient facial plastic surgery. Methods In this randomized, single-blind, single-center, comparative study, facial plastic surgery patients were randomly divided into remimazolam-alfentanil (n = 50) and propofol-alfentanil (n = 50) groups for sedation and analgesia. The primary endpoint was the incidence of hypoxemia, while secondary endpoints included efficacy and safety evaluations. Results There were no significant differences regarding the surgical procedure, sedation and induction times, pain and comfort scores, muscle strength recovery, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure, but the dosage of alfentanil administered to the remimazolam group (387.5 μg) was lower than that for the propofol group (600 μg). The incidence of hypoxemia (P =.046) and towing of the mandibular (P =.028), as well as wake-up (P =.027) and injection pain (P =.008), were significantly higher in the propofol group than the remimazolam group. Conclusions Remimazolam and propofol had similar efficacies for sedation and analgesia during facial plastic surgery, but especially the incidence of respiratory depression was significantly lower in patients given remimazolam. Level of Evidence: 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Identifying trauma patients with shock is crucial, as early intervention and prompt treatment improve patient prognosis and survival. To address this, the ratio of Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and Heart Rate (HR), known as the Reverse Shock Index (RSI), is measured. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of RSI calculation in assessing prognosis. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective observational study in which data were retrospectively collected on trauma patients treated in the Emergency Room (ER) at Dhiraj Hospital, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth Deemed to be University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, from January 2021 to December 2022. Patients involved in road traffic accidents, fall from a height of ≥6 m, assault, and machinery injuries were included. Upon arrival, vital signs such as HR, SBP, Respiratory Rate (RR), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), associated injuries, and in-hospital mortality were documented. Any resuscitative procedures required, such as Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), intubation, oxygen therapy, chest tube insertion, and blood transfusion, were also recorded. The RSI was calculated for all trauma patients and divided into two groups (RSI 29), or bradypnoea (RR

Saad A Alhammad Department of Rehabilitation Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Saad A Alhammad, Tel +966 11 4698638, Fax +966 11 4693715, Email shammad@ksu.edu.saAbstract: The emergence of virtual reality (VR) technologies is currently shaping the healthcare system and is now being employed in various healthcare interventions. Pulmonary rehabilitation remains one such area in which VR is currently thriving to ensure overall health and well-being. While the importance of these novel technologies is being primarily researched in pulmonary rehabilitation, especially over passive conventional breathing exercise training, there seems to be a limited number of studies that have comprehensively put together these findings. This study utilizes a scoping review methodology to review VR exercises in clinical settings related to pulmonary rehabilitation. To achieve this objective, three electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library) were searched using a formulated search string related to the research objective. Following the database search, a total of 236 references were retrieved and managed using the reference manager. The screening of references was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 screening process, and their quality was assessed using the JBI checklist. Ultimately, a total of eight publications of high quality were selected for inclusion in the scoping review. The results of the synthesis validate the importance of utilizing VR in the context of breathing exercise in rehabilitation. The effectiveness and rapid development of VR breathing exercises are primarily attributed to the engaging and immersive experience they provide. The use of biofeedback and self-regulation techniques into VR exercise systems was also seen to have a notable impact on the effectiveness of the breathing exercise system.Keywords: virtual reality, breathing exercise, pulmonary rehabilitation, biofeedback, respiratory rate, COPD

Introduction The calculation of energy transfer in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), has multiple interpretations and proposals. The parameters described as safe to minimize mechanical ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI) include only static values in their conception, and dynamic variables have been relegated to a secondary role. Subjects and Methods Analytical, observational, retrospective study of patients hospitalized in a respiratory intensive care unit, with a diagnosis of severe ARDS due to SARS-CoV-2 in whom mechanical ventilator management was guided by the use of esophageal catheter for the calculation of ventilatory variables. Thirty-four patients were included in this study, 23.5 % were women and the mean body mass index was 34.9 kg/m2. The primary objective was to quantify the amount of energy (Mechanical Power MP) transmitted by using multiple known equations and the secondary objective was to find the variables best associated with such energy transfer and with the severity of ARDS using Bayesian analysis. Results A mean of 22.2 days on invasive mechanical ventilation was recorded. Baseline MPGattinoni averaged 21.4 J/min, which did not change significantly at 30 minutes (7.5%) or 24 hours (- 0.4%) from baseline, despite esophageal catheter-guided management. The Bayesian analyses used to calculate the a posteriori inclusion probability showed that respiratory rate was the only variable consistently related to energy transfer, regardless of the equation used for its calculation and the chronological time at which these equations were measured [baseline MPGattinoni: (mean, 0.89; 95% Cred Interval: 0.75 to 1.02), at 30 minutes: (mean, 1.09; 95% Cred Interval: 0.68 to 1.49), at 24 hours: (mean, 0.65; 95% Cred Interval: 0.01 to 1.03)] or [baseline MPModesto: (mean, 0.1; 95% Cred Interval: 0.09 to 0.1), at 30 minutes: (mean, 0.1; 95% Cred Interval: 0.09 to 0.1), at 24 hours: (mean, 0.1; 95% Cred Interval: 0.09 to 0.1)]. Conclusions In severe ARDS, it is essential to minimize VALI. The calculation of energy transfer, regardless of the equation used, should always be a dynamic objective to be measured. Respiratory rate is probably the most relevant dynamic variable in the genesis of VALI.

Background: Currently there are no established benefits from the continuous monitoring of vital signs, and the optimal time period for respiratory rate measurement is unknown. Setting: Low resource Ugandan hospital, Methods: Prospective observational study. Respiratory rates of acutely ill patients were continuously measured by a piezoelectric device for up to seven hours after admission to hospital. Results: 22 (5.5%) out of 402 patients died within 7 days of hospital admission. The highest c-statistic of discrimination for 7-day mortality (0.737 SE 0.078) was obtained after four hours of continuously measured respiratory rates transformed into a weighted respiratory rate score (wRRS). After seven hours of measurement the c-statistic of the wRRS fell to 0.535 SE 0.078. 20% the patients who died within seven days did not have an elevated National Early Warning Score (NEWS) on admission but were identified by the 4-hour wRRS. None of the 88 patients whose average respiratory rate remained between 12 and 20 bpm throughout four hours of observation died within 7 days of admission. A simple predictive model that included the four-hour wRRS, Shock Index and altered mental status had a c-statistic for 7-day in-hospital mortality of 0.843 SE. 0.057. Conclusion: Four hours of continuously measured respiratory rates was the observation period that best predicted 7-day in-hospital mortality. After four hours the discrimination of a weighted respiratory rate score deteriorated rapidly.

The physiological changes that occur during the growth and development of Mini Jack pumpkins fruits can lead to post-harvest losses, and shorten their shelf life. Thus, this work aimed to characterize the growth and development of the pumpkin cv Mini Jack. For this, fruits were harvested at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 days after anthesis (DAA) and evaluated for respiratory rate, height, diameter, weight, skin color, firmness, skin and pulp thickness, concavity fruit, pH, acidity, total soluble solids, carotene in the skin and pulp, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, and total sugars. During the growth and development of the fruits, there was an increase in the levels of total sugars, total soluble solids, and changes in carotene levels up to 10 DAA. The levels of total carotenoids increased significantly throughout the development of the fruits reaching the highest values at 20 DAA. It was possible to verify that the respiratory rate of the fruits was high at the beginning of development presenting reduction and stabilization at 10 DAA. The weight, height and concavity of the fruits increased up to 10 DAA. Thus, the ideal point for harvesting the fruits of the Mini Jack pumpkin occurred between 10 and 15 DAA.

We tested the hypothesis that dorsal cervical epidural electrical stimulation (CEES) increases respiratory activity in male and female anesthetized rats. Respiratory frequency and minute ventilation were significantly increased when CEES was applied dorsally to the C2-C6 region of the cervical spinal cord. By injecting pseudorabies virus into the diaphragm and using c-Fos activity to identify neurons activated during CEES, we found neurons in the dorsal horn of the cervical spinal cord in which c-Fos and pseudorabies were co-localized, and these neurons expressed somatostatin (SST). Using dual viral infection to express the inhibitory Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD), hM4D(Gi), selectively in SST-positive cells, we inhibited SST-expressing neurons by administering Clozapine N-oxide (CNO). During CNO-mediated inhibition of SST-expressing cervical spinal neurons, the respiratory excitation elicited by CEES was diminished. Thus, dorsal cervical epidural stimulation activated SST-expressing neurons in the cervical spinal cord, likely interneurons, that communicated with the respiratory pattern generating network to effect changes in ventilation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A network of pontomedullary neurons within the brainstem generates respiratory behaviors that are susceptible to modulation by a variety of inputs; spinal sensory and motor circuits modulate and adapt this output to meet the demands placed on the respiratory system. We explored dorsal cervical epidural electrical stimulation (CEES) excitation of spinal circuits to increase ventilation in rats. We identified dorsal somatostatin (SST)-expressing neurons in the cervical spinal cord that were activated (c-Fos-positive) by CEES. CEES no longer stimulated ventilation during inhibition of SST-expressing spinal neuronal activity, thereby demonstrating that spinal SST neurons participate in the activation of respiratory circuits affected by CEES. This work establishes a mechanistic foundation to repurpose a clinically accessible neuromodulatory therapy to activate respiratory circuits and stimulate ventilation.

Breathing, and the motor circuits that control it, is essential for life. At the core of respiratory circuits are Dbx1-derived interneurons, which generate the rhythm and pattern of breathing, and phrenic motor neurons (MNs), which provide the final motor output that drives diaphragm muscle contractions during inspiration. Despite their critical function, the principles that dictate how respiratory circuits assemble are unknown. Here, we show that coordinated activity of a type I cadherin (N-cadherin) and type II cadherins (Cadherin-6, -9, and -10) is required in both MNs and Dbx1-derived neurons to generate robust respiratory motor output. Both MN- and Dbx1-specific cadherin inactivation in mice during a critical developmental window results in perinatal lethality due to respiratory failure and a striking reduction in phrenic MN bursting activity. This combinatorial cadherin code is required to establish phrenic MN cell body and dendritic topography; surprisingly, however, cell body position appears to be dispensable for the targeting of phrenic MNs by descending respiratory inputs. Our findings demonstrate that type I and II cadherins function cooperatively throughout the respiratory circuit to generate a robust breathing output and reveal novel strategies that drive the assembly of motor circuits.

A non-contact-based system for estimating the respiration rate of individuals using a mobile phone camera is presented in this paper. Respiration rate is an important vital sign that indicates the number of breaths a person takes per minute and is commonly used in medical assessments. The method involves recording videos of the pit of the neck region using the mobile phone camera and analyzing the changes in light intensity within the video frames. By processing the obtained signals from the video frames, the system accurately estimates the respiration rate. The effectiveness of the proposed method and the estimated respiration rates are compared with rates obtained using two other methods: a spirometer, which is a device used to measure lung function and manual counting. The evaluation is conducted on a group of 34 participants who are instructed to breathe rapidly to simulate varying respiration rates. The results indicate that the presented method achieves an accuracy of over 80% compared with existing state-of-the-art methods. The standard deviation of ±3% suggests a relatively consistent performance across participants. The calculated error between the estimated respiration rates and the reference rates obtained from the spirometer and manual counting validates the reliability of the proposed approach. Additionally, the paper highlights the advantages of this system, including its cost-effectiveness and suitability for remote monitoring and mass screening. The non-contact nature of the method reduces the need for physical contact with patients, which could be especially beneficial in situations where hygiene and infection control are crucial. The paper also outlines plans for future work, which involve validating the method with larger sample sizes and exploring its potential applications in various clinical scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]