Latest recommendations
| Id | Title * | Authors * | Abstract * | Picture * ▲ | Thematic fields * | Recommender | Reviewers | Submission date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
09 Jan 2025
Improved accuracy of the whole body Center of Mass position through Kalman filteringImproved estimation of the whole-body center of mass, a step ahead in biomechanical analyses of balance control.Recommended by Jaap van Dieen based on reviews by Maarten Afschrift, Guillaume Durandeau and 1 anonymous reviewer
Estimation of the whole-body center of mass (CoM) is crucial in many biomechanical studies of human and animal movement. It is especially important in studies on the control of balance. For example, it has been assumed that sensory information is used to correct the horizontal position and velocity of the CoM (van Dieën et al., 2024; Wang and Srinivasan, 2014; Welch and Ting, 2008), to stabilize standing and walking against gravity. The studies cited have used more-or-less sophisticated estimates of the CoM, derived from kinematic, in some cases combined with anthropometric data, to predict motor outputs. These studies have provided support for the notion that the position and velocity of the CoM are controlled. This holds promise for the diagnosis of the quality of such feedback control as a cause of balance impairments and fall risk. However, such applications will suffer from errors in outcomes at the individual level, for example due to a poor fit of the anthropometrical model to a certain individual.
Le Mouel (Le Mouel, 2025) presents a novel approach to estimate the position of the CoM. The author proposes that CoM estimation can be improved by optimally combining kinematic and kinetic data through a Kalman filter. The Kalman-filter-based method was indeed shown to effectively addresses the inherent limitations of both kinematic and kinetic methods used in isolation. The author used an innovative approach to validate CoM estimates, based on incorrect CoM estimates violating Newton's laws of motion. The new method substantially reduced errors compared to conventional approaches based on kinematic (and anthropometric) or kinetic data only. The paper presents a clear and comprehensive description of the method and code implementation is provided such that the method can be easily adopted by colleagues in the field. The author also shows how the new method improves the analysis of stabilizing feedback control of walking, demonstrating the promise it holds for the analysis of balance control.
The method was tested on a small data set and further testing, preferably with participant pool showing large variance in anthropometrical properties, seems warranted. This may also lead to further improvement of the approach. For example, the anthropometrical model used could be refined by using regression equations that take into account segment circumferences of the individual tested (Zatsiorsky, 2002) or even by using individual imaging data. However, the proposed optimal combination of kinematic and kinetic data is likely to become a cornerstone of future methods for accurate CoM estimation.
References - Le Mouel, C., 2025. Improved accuracy of the whole body Center of Mass position through Kalman filtering. bioRxiv, ver.3 peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Health & Movement Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.24.604923 - van Dieën, J.H., Bruijn, S.M., Afschrift, M., 2024. Assessment of stabilizing feedback control of walking: a tutorial. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 78, 102915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2024.102915 - Wang, Y., Srinivasan, M., 2014. Stepping in the direction of the fall: the next foot placement can be predicted from current upper body state in steady-state walking. Biol Lett 10(9), 20140405. https://doi.org/ 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0405 - Welch, T.D., Ting, L.H., 2008. A feedback model reproduces muscle activity during human postural responses to support-surface translations. J Neurophysiol 99, 1032-1038. https://doi.org/ 10.1152/jn.01110.2007 - Zatsiorsky, V., 2002. Kinetics of Human Motion. Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois. | Improved accuracy of the whole body Center of Mass position through Kalman filtering | Charlotte Le Mouel | <p>The trajectory of the body center of mass (CoM) is critical for evaluating balance. The position of the CoM can be calculated using either kinematic or kinetic methods. Each of these methods has its limitations, and it is difficult to evaluate ... | | Biomechanics | Jaap van Dieen | 2024-07-25 10:58:37 | ||
17 Nov 2024
Change in exercise capacity, physical activity and motivation for physical activity at 12 months after a cardiac rehabilitation program in coronary heart disease patients: a prospective, monocentric and observational studyA prospective observational study examining changes in exercise capacity, physical activity, and motivation for physical activity 12 months after a cardiac rehabilitation programme in patients with coronary heart diseaseRecommended by Franco Milko Impellizzeri based on reviews by Géraldine Escriva-Boulley, Baraa Al-Khazraji and 1 anonymous reviewer
Exercise capacity is recognised as a strong predictor of mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in both healthy individuals and patients with coronary heart disease (Novaković et al., 2022). Accordingly, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation is recommended as an effective secondary preventive intervention (Task Force Members et al., 2016; Anderson et al., 2016). While earlier studies generally focused on changes in exercise capacity during or immediately after rehabilitation (Uddin et al., 2016), recent research has emphasised the importance of physical activity trajectories on mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (Gonzalez-Jaramillo et al., 2022). This highlights the need to understand changes in exercise capacity and physical activity following the rehabilitation phase. This study specifically explored changes in exercise capacity (assessed using the six-minute walking test) and physical activity (assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form) one year after a cardiac rehabilitation programme in patients with coronary heart disease. Additionally, the authors examined changes in motivation for physical activity over the 12 months following rehabilitation. Within the limitations of its observational and monocentric nature, the study presents important findings that can inform future research, generate hypotheses, and guide the design of targeted trials aimed at improving or maintaining exercise capacity and physical activity levels after rehabilitation. The exploration of potential barriers to physical activity 12 months after rehabilitation could inform strategies to increase participation in physical activity post-rehabilitation, thereby improving survival (Moholdt et al., 2018). This study is well-conducted and clearly presented. The authors' interpretation is balanced and consistent with the study's design and analysis. As noted by one of the reviewers, retention in cardiac rehabilitation studies is challenging, and the authors have done a commendable job in retaining participants. They have also addressed all the reviewers' concerns properly and accurately. I am pleased to recommend this preprint. References
- Novaković M, Novak T, Vižintin Cuderman T, Krevel B, Tasič J, Rajkovič U, Fras Z, Jug B. Exercise capacity improvement after cardiac rehabilitation following myocardial infarction and its association with long-term cardiovascular events. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2022;21(1):76-84. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjcn/zvab015
- Task Force Members, Piepoli MF, Hoes AW, et al. 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice: The Sixth Joint Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and Other Societies on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice (constituted by representatives of 10 societies and by invited experts): Developed with the special contribution of the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation (EACPR). Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2016;23(11):NP1-NP96. https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487316653709
- Anderson L, Oldridge N, Thompson DR, et al. Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation for Coronary Heart Disease: Cochrane Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2015.10.044
- Uddin J, Zwisler AD, Lewinter C, et al. Predictors of exercise capacity following exercise-based rehabilitation in patients with coronary heart disease and heart failure: A meta-regression analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2016;23(7):683-693. https://doi.org/10.1177/204748731560431
- Gonzalez-Jaramillo N, Wilhelm M, Arango-Rivas AM, Gonzalez-Jaramillo V, Mesa-Vieira C, Minder B, Franco OH, Bano A. Systematic review of physical activity trajectories and mortality in patients with coronary artery disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;79:1690-1700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.02.036
- Moholdt T, Lavie CJ, Nauman J. Sustained physical activity, not weight loss, associated with improved survival in coronary heart disease [published correction appears in J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;71(13):1499. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.03.013]. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;71(10):1094-1101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.01.011
- Da Ros Vettoretto P, Bouffart AA, Gourronc Y, Baron AC, Gaumé M, Congnard F, Noury-Desvaux B, de Müllenheim PY (2024) Change in exercise capacity, physical activity and motivation for physical activity at 12 months after a cardiac rehabilitation program in coronary heart disease patients: a prospective, monocentric and observational study. HAL, ver.3, peer-reviewed and recommended by PCI Health & Movement Sciences. https://hal.science/hal-04510104v3
| Change in exercise capacity, physical activity and motivation for physical activity at 12 months after a cardiac rehabilitation program in coronary heart disease patients: a prospective, monocentric and observational study | Paul Da Ros Vettoretto, Anne-Armelle Bouffart, Youna Gourronc, Anne-Charlotte Baron, Marie Gaumé, Florian Congnard, Bénédicte Noury-Desvaux, Pierre-Yves de Müllenheim | <p>Exercise capacity (EC) and physical activity (PA) are relevant predictors of mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) but the CHD-specific long-term trajectories of these outcomes after a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program are n... | | Health & Disease, Physical Activity, Rehabilitation | Franco Milko Impellizzeri | 2024-03-22 10:59:07 |
