Duane B. Corbett

ROAMM: A software infrastructure for real-time monitoring of personal health

Mobile health (mHealth) based on smartphone and smartwatch technology is changing the landscape for how patients and research participants communicate about their health in real time. Flexible control of the different interconnected and frequently communicating mobile devices can provide a rich set of health care applications that can adapt dynamically to their environment. In this paper, we propose a real-time online activity and mobility monitoring (ROAMM) framework consisting of a smart-watch application for data collection, a server for data storage and retrieval as well as online monitoring and administrative tasks. We evaluated this framework to collect actigraphy data on the wrist and used it for feature detection and classification of different tasks of daily living conducted by participants. The information retrieved from the smartwatches yielded high accuracy for sedentary behavior prediction (accuracy = 97.44%) and acceptable performance for activity intensity level estimation (rMSE = 0.67 and R2 = 0.52).

Effects of Repeated Bouts of Segmental Vibration Therapy on Balance in Parkinsons Disease

Background: One of the cardinal features of Parkinson’s disease is postural instability. This instability is believed to be due to abnormalities in processing afferent information from the vestibular, somatosensory and visual systems. Whole body vibration has been shown to improve balance in older adults. The goals of this study were to determine how sensory information affects balance and to examine if multiple sessions of segmental vibration therapy improved balance in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Methods: Balance in healthy older adults and in individuals with Parkinson’s disease was assessed using the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance. After initial assessment, individuals with Parkinson’s disease were randomized into a control or segmental vibration therapy group. The segmental vibration therapy group completed twelve sessions, over four weeks, and was re-tested after that period. Results: Subjects with Parkinson’s disease showed the highest overall level of sway in the eyes closed soft surface condition, when compared to healthy older adults. However, repeated bouts of segmental vibration did not result in significant improvement in the sway scores. Conclusion: Although these individuals showed significant balance deficits, segmental vibration therapy did not promote improvements in balance, as measured with the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance test.

Metabolic costs of daily activity in older adults (Chores XL) study: Design and methods

Background For over 20 years, normative data has guided the prescription of physical activity. This data has since been applied to research and used to plan interventions. While this data seemingly provides accurate estimates of the metabolic cost of daily activities in young adults, the accuracy of use among older adults is less clear. As such, a thorough evaluation of the metabolic cost of daily activities in community dwelling adults across the lifespan is needed. Methods The Metabolic Costs of Daily Activity in Older Adults Study is a cross-sectional study designed to compare the metabolic cost of daily activities in 250 community dwelling adults across the lifespan. Participants (20 + years) performed 38 common daily activities while expiratory gases were measured using a portable indirect calorimeter (Cosmed K4b2). The metabolic cost was examined as a metabolic equivalent value (O2 uptake relative to 3.5 mL min−1 kg−1), a function of work rate – metabolic economy, and a relative value of resting and peak oxygen uptake. Results The primary objective is to determine age-related differences in the metabolic cost of common lifestyle and exercise activities. Secondary objectives include (a) investigating the effect of functional impairment on the metabolic cost of daily activities, (b) evaluating the validity of perception-based measurement of exertion across the lifespan, and (c) validating activity sensors for estimating the type and intensity of physical activity. Conclusion Results of this study are expected to improve the effectiveness by which physical activity and nutrition is recommended for adults across the lifespan.

Effects of an Exercise Intervention on Body Composition in Older AdultMales Diagnosed with Parkinsons disease: A Brief Report

The investigation examined the value of a multifaceted exercise intervention on body composition and strength, in those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD). 8 males subjects diagnosed with PD (69.13 ± 6.20 years) completed a previously introduced, 8-week, 24-session exercise intervention. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated improvements in body composition and muscular strength following the exercise intervention. The data suggests the multifaceted exercise intervention is an effective tool for improving strength and body composition in males diagnosed with PD.

Movement-evoked pain: transforming the way we understand and measure pain

Movement-evoked pain: transforming the way we understand and measure pain Duane Corbett;Corey Simon;Todd Manini;Steven George;Joseph Riley;Roger Fillingim; PAIN

Adaptive walk detection algorithm using activity counts

Accelerometers have been the dominant device used for physical activity assessment studies. They are comfortable to wear at different locations and can accurately measure acceleration. Although, accurate methods for detecting walking in the lab and free-living condition using raw acceleration data exist, these algorithms are not useful for determining indoor movements that correspond to short walking bouts (< 2 minutes). In this paper, we present a new method that is adaptive to a small window of activity count data (10–15 seconds) and robust to within and between subject variability. The adaptive walking detection algorithm is evaluated using 22 adults and walks with a variety of durations ranging from 10 seconds to 8 minutes. The proposed algorithm showed high accuracy for all the walking periods and was significantly better for intervals shorter than 2 minutes.