Background: The characterization of limb biomechanics has broad implications for analyzing and managing motion in aging, sports, and disease. Motion capture videography and on-body wearable sensors are powerful tools for characterizing linear and angular motions of the body, though are often cumbersome, limited in detection, and largely non-portable. Here we examine the feasibility of utilizing an advanced wearable sensor, fabricated with stretchable electronics, to characterize linear and angular movements of the human arm for clinical feedback. A wearable skin-adhesive patch with embedded accelerometer and gyroscope (BioStampRC, MC10 Inc.) was applied to the volar surface of the forearm of healthy volunteers. Arms were extended/flexed for the range of motion of three different regimes: 1) horizontal adduction/abduction 2) flexion/extension 3) vertical abduction. Data were streamed and recorded revealing the signal "pattern" of movement in three separate axes. Additional signal processing and filtering afforded the ability to visualize these motions in each plane of the body; and the 3dimensional motion envelope of the arm. Results: Each of the three motion regimes studied had a distinct patternwith identifiable qualitative and quantitative differences. Integration of all three movement regimes allowed construction of a "motion envelope," defining and quantifying motion (range and shapeincluding the outer perimeter of the extreme of motioni.e. the envelope) of the upper extremity. The linear and rotational motion results from multiple arm motions match measurements taken with videography and benchtop goniometer.Conclusions: A conformal, stretchable electronic motion sensor effectively captures limb motion in multiple degrees of freedom, allowing generation of characteristic signatures which may be readily recorded, stored, and analyzed. Wearable conformal skin adherent sensor patchs allow on-body, mobile, personalized determination of motion and flexibility parameters. These sensors allow motion assessment while mobile, free of a fixed laboratory environment, with utility in the field, home, or hospital. These sensors and mode of analysis hold promise for providing digital "motion biomarkers" of health and disease.
Platelet activation by mechanical means such as shear stress, is a vital driver of thrombotic risk in implantable blood-contacting devices used in treatment of heart failure. Lipids are essential in platelets activation and have been studied following biochemical activation. However, little is known regarding lipid alterations occurring with mechanical – shear mediated platelet activation. Here, we determined if shear-activation of platelets induced lipidome changes that differ from those associated with biochemically-mediated platelet activation. We performed high-resolution lipidomic analysis on purified platelets from four healthy human donors. For each donor, we compared the lipidome of platelets that were non-activated or activated by shear, ADP, or thrombin treatment. We found that shear activation altered cell-associated lipids and led to the release of lipids into the extracellular environment. Shear-activated platelets released 21 phospholipids and sphingomyelins at levels statistically higher than platelets activated by biochemical stimulation. Many of the released phospholipids contained an arachidonic acid tail or were phosphatidylserine lipids, which have procoagulant properties. We conclude that shear-mediated activation of platelets alters the basal platelet lipidome. Further, these alterations differ and are unique in comparison to the lipidome of biochemically activated platelets. Our findings suggest that lipids released by shear-activated platelets may contribute to altered thrombosis in patients with implanted cardiovascular therapeutic devices.
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