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It has not been fully elucidated that nutritional parameters affect the change of activities of daily living (ADL) during pneumonia treatment. This study assessed the impact of nutritional status, including erector spinae muscle (ESM) size on ADL changes from admission to discharge among older patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We retrospectively included patients (age: ≥65 years) who were admitted to the hospital for CAP and underwent chest computed tomography (CT) on admission. ADL was evaluated using the Barthel index, and patients were divided into the maintained or improved ADL group and the declined ADL group from admission through discharge. The ESM cross-sectional area was measured on a single-slice CT image. Logistic regression models were applied for assessing factors associated with changes in ADL. A total of 523 patients hospitalized for CAP (median age 86 years) were evaluated. The declined group had significantly higher ADL levels on admission, a greater frequency of smoking history and malignancy, and a lower frequency of cerebrovascular disease and dementia. No significant difference in ESM size was observed between the groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that higher ADL levels on admission (odds ratio 1.034, interquartile range 1.026–1.043) and malignancy (3.002, 1.150–7.836) were associated with a decline in ADL, whereas cerebrovascular disease (0.579, 0.373–0.900) was related to improvement or maintenance of ADL. Although nutritional status might not affect the change of ADL among older patients hospitalized with pneumonia, a cerebrovascular disease history may be a good predictor for ADL improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study objective was to verify whether low preoperative radiographic density of erector spinae muscles is associated with poor prognosis after lung transplantation. Preoperative chest computed tomography scans for patients who underwent deceased-donor lung transplantation between 2013 and 2019 at Kyoto University Hospital were retrospectively retrieved. The radiographic density of erector spinae muscles was quantitatively evaluated as the mean attenuation of erector spinae muscles, and low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles was defined as a mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles value below the median value for all patients. Overall survival and chronic lung allograft dysfunction-free survival with high and low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and evaluated by the log-rank test, as well as by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses. Of the 107 adult patients who underwent primary transplantation, 96 underwent at least 1 chest computed tomography scan within 24 hours before lung transplantation. The median mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles in these 96 patients was 49.2 Hounsfield units. A low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles value was significantly associated with decreased overall survival (hazard ratio, 4.50; P =. 030) and chronic lung allograft dysfunction–free survival (hazard ratio, 3.18; P =. 028) in the multivariate analysis. Additionally, patients with preoperative steroid use and a low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles value had a worse overall survival (P <. 001) and chronic lung allograft dysfunction–free survival (P <. 001) than patients with preoperative steroid use and a high mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles value and those without preoperative steroid use. Low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles was closely associated with a poor prognosis after lung transplantation. The prognosis was particularly poor in patients with preoperative steroid use and a low mean radiographic density of the erector spinae muscles. These results may be useful when considering the indications for lung transplantation or preoperative interventions. [Display omitted] Preoperative ESM CT is associated with survival after LTx. Quantitative analysis of antigravity muscles (ESMs) was conducted preoperatively in 96 patients who underwent LTx using quantitative chest CT image analysis. Patients were divided into high or low ESM CT groups according to the median ESM CT of all the included patients. Preoperative low ESM CT was closely associated with poor survival. This result may be useful when considering the indications for LTx or preoperative interventions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background context: Previous studies reported that the erector spinae muscle is more resistant to fatigue in healthy adult women than in men. However, no study has reported changes in back muscle fatigue with aging in healthy men and women. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate age-related changes in muscle fatigue of erector spinae muscle in men and women. Study design/setting: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a laboratory. Patient sample: Fifty-three healthy subjects (11 elderly men, 11 elderly women, 17 young men, and 14 young women) without low back pain history. Outcome measures: The median frequency (MF) and mean power frequency (MPF) during trunk holding test were derived from the raw electromyographic (EMG) signal using Fast Fourier Transform spectrum analysis program. The rates of changes in MF and MPF were calculated. Methods: Subjects performed the unsupported trunk holding test until exhaustion. The results of power spectral analysis of the EMG activity of the left erector spinae muscle were compared in both age groups and sexes. Results: The endurance time in young men was significantly shorter than in young women. The slopes of MF and MPF in young men were significantly higher than in young women. There were no significant differences in MF and MPF slopes of elderly men and elderly women. Furthermore, the MF and MPF slopes were significantly lower in elderly men than young men but similar in the two women groups. Conclusions: Age-related changes in the slopes of MF and MPF of erector spinae muscle occur in healthy men but not in healthy women. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background. Although attention has been paid to the relationship between the changes in blood circulation in erector spinae muscles and back pain, little is known about their hemodynamics in several various comparable postures with and without loading. Studies on hemodynamics of erector spinae muscles using near-infrared spectroscopy have been performed on subjects and patients mainly in forward flexion positions. Methods. Two near-infrared spectroscopes were used to measure oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin, and total hemoglobin in bilateral erector spinae muscles at L2–3 in subjects in 9 postures, and holding no load, 10kg or 20kg in maximum flexed and lateral bending. Those three values in each posture and loading condition were expressed as a percentage of their corresponding values obtained in the standing upright position, and designated and statistically analyzed as %Oxy-Hb, %Deoxy-Hb and %Total-Hb, respectively. Findings. %Total-Hb and %Oxy-Hb in maximum flexion were the most decreased. In maximum lateral bending, %Oxy-Hb only in the contralateral erector spinae muscles was decreased. When the load was 20kg, the decreases in %Oxy-Hb were the largest in maximum flexion and lateral bendings. Interpretation. Using two near-infrared spectroscopes allowed us to measure simultaneously the hemodynamics of bilateral muscles. They demonstrated different responses in each side. Asymmetrical posture and loading were accompanied by asymmetrical changes of the bilateral erector spinae muscles. Stretched muscle had less blood volume and oxygenation, both of which decreased with increasing load. These results showed that these postures and conditions might lead to fatigue of the ES muscles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Surface electromyograms (EMG) of back muscles are often corrupted by electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. This noise in the EMG signals does not allow to appreciate correctly the spectral content of the EMG signals and to follow its evolution during, for example, a fatigue process. Several methods have been proposed to reject the ECG noise from EMG recordings, but seldom taking into account the eventual changes in ECG characteristics during the experiment. In this paper we propose an adaptive filtering algorithm specifically developed for the rejection of the electrocardiogram corrupting surface electromyograms (SEMG). The first step of the study was to choose the ECG electrode position in order to record the ECG with a shape similar to that found in the noised SEMGs. Then, the efficiency of different algorithms were tested on 28 erector spinae SEMG recordings. The best algorithm belongs to the fast recursive least square family (FRLS). More precisely, the best results were obtained with the simplified formulation of a FRLS algorithm. As an application of the adaptive filtering, the paper compares the evolutions of spectral parameters of noised or denoised (after adaptive filtering) surface EMGs recorded on erector spinae muscles during a trunk extension. The fatigue test was analyzed on 16 EMG recordings. After adaptive filtering, mean initial values of energy and of mean power frequency (MPF) were significantly lower and higher respectively. The differences corresponded to the removal of the ECG components. Furthermore, classical fatigue criteria (increase in energy and decrease in MPF values over time during the fatigue test) were better observed on the denoised EMGs. The mean values of the slopes of the energy–time and MPF–time linear relationships differed significantly when established before and after adaptive filtering. These results account for the efficacy of the adaptive filtering method proposed here to denoise electrophysiological signals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background. There is little information about the relationship between the changes of hemodynamics and the morphologic changes of the erector spinae muscle. Methods. Fifty healthy male volunteers participated. Ultrasonography was used to measure muscle thickness, and near-infrared spectroscopy was used to measure tissue blood volume and its oxygenation in the erector spinae muscle at L3 in six different relaxed trunk postures (flexed 20°, flexed 40°, flexed maximum, neutral posture, extended 20°, and extended maximum of the lumbar spine). We also evaluated the reproducibility of the near-infrared spectroscopy measurements. Findings. Near-infrared spectroscopy gave highly reproducible measurements. The thickness of the erector spinae muscle and the total and oxygenated hemoglobin were simultaneously increased during relaxed extension and decreased during relaxed flexion. Changes in the thickness of the erector spinae muscle with various lumbar curvature were similar in pattern to the changes in tissue blood volume and its oxygenation. Interpretation. The erector spinae muscles’ thickness, tissue blood volume, and its oxygenation are simultaneously increased during relaxed extension and decreased during relaxed flexion, as demonstrated by non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy and ultrasonography. These findings might afford a better understanding of the pathomechanics of posture-related back symptoms. Relevance The erector spinae muscles’ thickness, tissue blood volume, and its oxygenation are simultaneously increased during relaxed extension and decreased during relaxed flexion, as shown by non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy and ultrasonography. Changes in hemodynamics and morphology of the erector spinae muscles in asymptomatic subjects are given for further research on the pathomechanism of back pain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• An efficient stress detection method has been developed based on EMG and ECG signals. • A comparison between the performance of EMG and ECG for multi-level stress detection has been represented. • The accuracies of stress recognition for two, three and four levels obtained as 100%, 97.3%, and 95.4 %, respectively. In recent years, stress and mental health have been considered as important worldwide concerns. Stress detection using physiological signals such as electrocardiogram (ECG), skin conductance (SC), electromyogram (EMG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) is a traditional approach. However, the effect of stress on the EMG signal of different muscles and the efficacy of combination of the EMG and other biological signals for stress detection have not been taken into account yet. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the EMG signal of the right and left trapezius and right and left erector spinae muscles for multi-level stress recognition. Also, the ECG signal was employed to evaluate the efficacy of EMG signals for stress detection. Both EMG and ECG signals were acquired simultaneously from 34 healthy students (23 females and 11 males, aged 20-37 years). Mental arithmetic, Stroop color-word test, time pressure, and stressful environment were employed to induce stress in the laboratory. The accuracies of stress recognition in two, three and four levels were 100%, 97.6%, and 96.2%, respectively, obtained from the distinct combination of feature selection and machine learning algorithms. The comparison of stress detection accuracies resulted from EMG and ECG indicators demonstrated the strong ability and the effectiveness of EMG signal for multi-level stress detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]