No abstract

Electrical stimulation (ES) is a modality used to increase skin blood flow (SBF) and to aid in wound healing. A greater SBF in non wounded skin is induced if ES is used in a warm environment compared to a thermoneutral environment, where ES is usually applied. Therefore, in this paper, a method to investigate the effect of local heating and ES on the SBF is developed. A total of 33 males (18-40 years) were divided into group G (n = 15) who received the ES during a global heating protocol and group L (n = 18) who received ES during a local heating protocol. In the global heating protocol, ES (30 Hz, 250 micros) was applied for 15 min on the subject's thigh in thermoneutral (25 +/- 0.5 degrees C) and warm (35 +/- 0.5 degrees C) environments. In the local heating protocol, ES was applied for 15 minutes at 25 degrees C, 35 degrees C and 40 degrees C local skin temperatures. A laser Doppler imager measured the SBF in both protocols pre, during, and post ES. The results of the experiment showed the significant differences in the SBFs were found at pre, during, and post ES in a thermoneutral environment or when the skin was locally cooled to 25 degrees C. The SBFs were significantly increased during and post ES after global heating or during local heating at 35 degrees C and 40 degrees C. There were no significant differences in SBFs between the warm environment and at 35 degrees C of local heating. However, the SBF response to ES was the highest at 40 degrees C of local heating. Thus, ES during local heating of the skin, as well as during global heating is an effective method to increase SBF.

Sleep is crucial for human health from metabolic, mental, emotional, and social points of view; obtaining good sleep in terms of quality and duration is fundamental for maintaining a good life quality. Over the years, several systems have been proposed in the scientific literature and on the market to derive metrics used to quantify sleep quality as well as detect sleep disturbances and disorders. In this field, wearable systems have an important role in the discreet, accurate, and long-term detection of biophysical markers useful to determine sleep quality. This paper presents the current state-of-the-art wearable systems and software tools for sleep staging and detecting sleep disorders and dysfunctions. At first, the paper discusses sleep’s functions and the importance of monitoring sleep to detect eventual sleep disturbance and disorders. Afterward, an overview of prototype and commercial headband-like wearable devices to monitor sleep is presented, both reported in the scientific literature and on the market, allowing unobtrusive and accurate detection of sleep quality markers. Furthermore, a survey of scientific works related the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep functions, attributable to both infection and lifestyle changes. In addition, a survey of algorithms for sleep staging and detecting sleep disorders is introduced based on an analysis of single or multiple biosignals (EEG—electroencephalography, ECG—electrocardiography, EMG—electromyography, EOG—electrooculography, etc.). Lastly, comparative analyses and insights are provided to determine the future trends related to sleep monitoring systems.

Recently, there has been an evolution toward a science-supported medicine, which uses replicable results from comprehensive studies to assist clinical decision-making. Reliable techniques are required to improve the consistency and replicability of studies assessing the effectiveness of clinical guidelines, mostly in muscular and therapeutic healthcare. In scientific research, surface electromyography (sEMG) is prevalent but underutilized as a valuable tool for physical medicine and rehabilitation. Other electrophysiological signals (e.g., from electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), and needle EMG) are regularly monitored by medical specialists; nevertheless, the sEMG technique has not yet been effectively implemented in practical medical settings. However, sEMG has considerable clinical promise in evaluating muscle condition and operation; nevertheless, precise data extraction requires the definition of the procedures for tracking and interpreting sEMG and understanding the fundamental biophysics. This review is centered around the application of sEMG in rehabilitation and health monitoring systems, evaluating their technical specifications, including wearability. At first, this study examines methods and systems for tele-rehabilitation applications (i.e., neuromuscular, post-stroke, and sports) based on detecting EMG signals. Then, the fundamentals of EMG signal processing techniques and architectures commonly used to acquire and elaborate EMG signals are discussed. Afterward, a comprehensive and updated survey of wearable devices for sEMG detection, both reported in the scientific literature and on the market, is provided, mainly applied in rehabilitation training and physiological tracking. Discussions and comparisons about the examined solutions are presented to emphasize how rehabilitation professionals can reap the aid of neurobiological detection systems and identify perspectives in this field. These analyses contribute to identifying the key requirements of the next generation of wearable or portable sEMG devices employed in the healthcare field.