Purpose The aim of the study was to analyze whether current aircraft seat testing procedures provide sufficient information to determine if passengers will be able to safely and independently evacuate the aircraft after an emergency landing - with a particular focus on the risk of loss of consciousness resulting from head injuries. Methods The study was based on 17 dynamic laboratory tests of economy-class aircraft seats using anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs - Hybrid II). Two test configurations were analyzed: impact against a bulkhead and impact against the seat in the row ahead (row-to-row, R2R). Head Injury Criterion (HIC) values, head accelerations, and impact zones were measured to assess the risk of brain injury and potential loss of consciousness. Results Bulkhead-type tests more frequently exceeded the acceptable HIC threshold (>1000), indicating a higher risk of severe neurological injury and loss of consciousness. R2R configurations showed lower risk levels. A particularly significant protective factor was greater seat pitch - HIC values dropped considerably for pitch values >35”. The most frequently impacted head region was the frontal area (91.3% of cases). Conclusions Although current testing procedures comply with FAA and EASA regulations, they do not fully reflect real clinical risks. It is recommended to supplement the tests with criteria that include rotational accelerations (e.g., BrIC, HIRC), analyze diverse passenger populations (e.g., children and elderly), and revise regulatory standards to include seat pitch as a critical safety parameter.

Purpose: Increased physical load on the body of American football players, especially in the lower limbs, may be associated with increased risk of foot deformities and injuries, potentially influencing players' overall fitness and performance. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between American football training, training duration and anthropometric features, and foot posture in Polish players. Methods: 70 athletes training American football in Poland and 35 non-training. The study used a questionnaire and the Foot Posture Index - 6 to assess foot shape. An analysis of the relationship between age, Body Mass Index and training experience with foot posture was conducted. Results: The average BMI value between the studied groups of athletes and non-training was significantly different ( p < 0.01). The athletes and non-training participants showed good foot posture according to the total Foot Posture Index - 6, but a statistically significant difference between the groups was found in all partial values of the Foot Posture Index measurements 1-6, except for Foot Posture Index 2, left foot. In the group of athletes, no statistically significant relationship was found between anthropometric parameters and Body Mass Index and Foot Posture Index - 6. In the non-training participants, a significant relationship ( p < 0.02) was found between the shape of the left foot and BMI. Conclusions: Monitoring foot posture and BMI in athletes practicing American football may be beneficial. Based on the observed tendency toward foot pronation, football players may benefit from individually selected footwear, including anti-pronation options when indicated.

Purpose: Joint angle analysis during gait is crucial for identifying pathological conditions and estimating joint loading, thereby supporting clinical decision-making for injury prevention. Although various methods are available for analyzing joint angles, webcam-based motion capture systems (MoCap) are gaining attention due to their affordability and user-friendliness. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the inter-rater and intra-trial reliability of a webcam-based MoCap with that of a conventional inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based system. Methods: Gait analysis was conducted on 15 participants (6 males, 9 females; mean age: 28.1 ± 5.26 years). While participants walked a 3-meter distance, hip and knee joint angles in the sagittal plane were simultaneously recorded using both inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors and a webcam-based MoCap. Inter-rater and intra-trial reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and agreement between the two systems was evaluated using Bland-Altman analysis. Results: For intra-trial reliability, most IMU-based systems demonstrated excellent reliability (ICC > 0.8). Although slightly lower, the webcam-based MoCap also achieved substantial to almost perfect reliability (ICC = 0.652 - 0.838). Inter-rater reliability between the IMU and webcam-based MoCap generally showed moderate to substantial agreement (ICC = 0.466 - 0.696). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the webcam-based MoCap may serve as a viable alternative in settings where IMU systems are unavailable or impractical. Future studies should aim to refine webcam-based tracking algorithms to improve event detection, assess reliability across diverse populations and movement tasks, and further validate such systems against gold-standard marker-based 3D optical MoCap.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether unilateral low-volume, high-intensity isometric strength activation (ISA) can enhance jump performance and bilateral isokinetic flexion and extension strength within 24 and 48 hours post-intervention. Methods: A total of 68 participants (40 males and 28 females) were included, all free from muscle, ligament or skeletal disorders that could affect physical performance, and none had undergone lower limb surgery due to injury in the past year. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group using a balanced randomization scheme. Athletic performance was assessed using unloaded countermovement jump (CMJ), unloaded squat jump (SJ), and isokinetic knee flexion and extension strength tests. The experimental group received an isometric activation protocol, while the control group maintained their regular exercise routines. Results: The isometric activation protocol led to varying degrees of improvement across genders in the experimental group. Among male participants, there were significant increases in CMJ performance 24 hours post-activation, with flight time ((FT): +5%) and jump height ((JH): +9%) both showing statistical significance ( p < 0.05). SJ performance also improved significantly, with FT ( p < 0.01, ES = 1.101) and JH ( p < 0.01, ES = 1.335) demonstrating large effect sizes. Furthermore, SJ performance remained significantly elevated 48 hours post-intervention compared to baseline ( p < 0.05, JH: ES = 0.829). For female participants, SJ performance showed significant improvement 24 hours after activation ( p < 0.05, FT: ES = 1.847; JH: ES = 1.789), although no other significant changes were observed. Regarding knee flexion and extension strength, at an angular velocity of 60°/s, the male group exhibited significantly greater strength at 48 hours post-intervention compared to 24 hours ( p < 0.05, ES = 1.791). In the female group, bilateral knee strength significantly improved at both 24 and 48 hours post-intervention ( p < 0.05, ES = 0.152). Conclusions: ISA interventions can enhance knee joint strength in both male and female participants within 24 and 48 hours post-intervention, and also induce a cross-activation effect. Therefore, when coaches aim to improve athletes' performance in subsequent training sessions or competition days, ISA can be considered as an effective method to activate lower limb strength.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate a novel data mining approach for early and effective diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Methods: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) data contains two classes (healthy and diabetic), 15 features and 3525 instances. In the first stage, the widely used and effective KNN and regression methods were employed for the filling of missing data. Then, the data source transformed into grayscale images as primary images and multiplexed images. Finally, both original data and transformed data are classified with KNN, SVM and CNN using k-fold cross validation technique. Performance metrics were compared to extract the best suitable system. Results: The original GDM source and the missing values replacement of GDM are classified with KNN and SVM methods. Also, primary images of this dataset and multiplexed images are classified with CNN 50%-50% and 70%-30% train-test respectively. The results of classification performance demonstrated that reaching up to 97.91% with CNN, recall of 97.61%, specificity of 97.61%, precision of 97.97% and F1-score of 97.79%. This result outperformed all previous studies conducted on the same dataset in the literature. Conclusions: This work is demonstrated a new approach that the best results of classification accuracy when compared with previous studies related to proposed methods to identify GDM disease. It can be clearly stated that applying a data mining method to impute missing values, followed by converting the dataset into images based on certain criteria and classifying with CNN, is the most effective approach for predicting GDM.

Purpose: The aim of this study was an exploration of the multiscale vibratory response of the spine following orthopedic surgery in patients with idiopathic scoliosis and postoperative traumatic fatigue injury. Methods: In this paper, the postoperative macroscopic spine model in the modal, time and frequency domains to obtain the vibration response of the patient's entire spine were analyzed. Subsequently, the stresses in the cortical bone mesoscopic bone units around the surgically damaged interface were calculated using submodeling algorithms. The pore stresses and pore flow velocities of the osteocytes were then derived from the stresses of the mesoscopic bone units to predict fatigue damage at the fusion surface. Results: The findings indicated that the first three orders of intrinsic frequency exerted the most significant influence on the spine model. The maximum stress of the bone unit was observed at the X3 bone plate on the left side of the fusion surface, and the maximum pore pressure and flow velocity of the bone cells occurred at the X4 on the right side of the fusion surface. The medical implants used in spinal orthopedics, titanium cages and pedicle nails, change the mobility of the adjacent segments and also create a stress shielding effect that impacts the fusion of bone tissues. Conclusions: Microscopic bone cell synapses experience greater pore pressures and pore flow velocities in the vibration environment compared to those under the static environment, which may promote cell growth. Vibration at low loads typically does not induce fatigue damage to cancellous bone at the fusion surface of medical implants.

Purpose: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat pain, but they have side effects, including the inhibition of bone healing. Diclofenac (DF), a member of the NSAID group, affects bone health adversely. One potential approach to protect bones from the effects of NSAIDs involves the administration of short nucleic acids, such as microRNAs (miRNAs). This study aimed to determine whether two specific miRNAs, miR-15b and miR-365, could mitigate the effects of DF on bone. Methods: We used the C57BL/6J mouse strain and the MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cell line derived from this mouse strain. Female C57BL/6J mice were treated with DF and miR-15b or miR-365 mimics. After euthanising the mice, we analysed their femurs using micro-computed tomography (μCT) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). In addition, we performed experiments in cultured MC3T3-E1 cells, which were transfected with either miR- 15b or miR-365. We assessed the relative mRNA levels of osteoblast differentiation markers using real-time PCR. Results: Our findings indicated that miR-15b and miR-365 were effective in reversing the detrimental effects of DF on bone mineral density. DF decreased the bone's storage modulus (E'), while miR-15b and miR-365 ameliorated this effect. In the preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells, DF did not significantly regulate marker genes; however, the administration of miR-15b and miR-365 reduced the gene expression of Runx2, Alp, and Satb2. Conclusions: In summary, the impact of DF on the structural and mechanical properties of bone was not mediated by gene regulation in osteoblasts. However, osteoblasts were responsive to the administration of miR-15b and miR-365.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the change in psychophysical performance of patients after lumbar discectomy in relation to the postoperative rehabilitation programme. Methods: The study involved 60 participants randomly divided into two groups of 30 individuals. Both groups participated in a basic version of the rehabilitation programme, and individuals in the study group additionally received manual therapy. The evaluation was performed twice, before the start and after the completion of the 3-month rehabilitation programme. The tests were carried out to measure static balance, functional status using Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), lumbar spine range of motion using the original Schober's test and the intensity of pain using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results: Both groups showed significant improvement in most of the psychophysical parameters assessed (study versus control p < 0.01, p < 0.05), except for the parameters of balance. In the study group, significant changes occurred in all parameters except X average, Area circular and average velocity in trials with eyes closed and left leg stance after rehabilitation ( p < 0.05). The findings showed significant differences in the reduced pain intensity on the VAS (p = 0.0001), improved functional status in ODI and improved static balance ( p < 0.01), in favour of the study group. Conclusions: The protocol which additionally included manual therapy was found to be more effective than the basic programme. Its superiority was reflected by greater pain reduction, more visibly improved functional status as well as improved static balance.

Purpose: The fluid shear stress (FSS) generated by fluid flow after scaffold implantation is an important factor affecting the osteogenic ability of scaffolds and the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts are also affected by FSS. When the bone injury occurs, the blood flow at the defect changes from laminar flow to turbulent flow. Consequently, it is essential to employ a numerical simulation method that accurately reflects the actual conditions to study and analyze the surface FSS experienced by scaffolds and cells, thereby enhancing the osteogenic properties of the scaffolds. Methods: In this research, nine scaffolds with different structures and pore sizes were designed. The two-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method was used to evaluate scaffolds' internal flow field velocity and the surface FSS of scaffolds and cells. Results: The results show that the velocity distribution of different scaffolds is basically the same. FSS on the scaffold surface and FSS on cell surface decreased with the increase of scaffold pore size. FSS accepted by cells was much larger than that received by scaffolds, and FSS was distributed in a stepped pattern on the cell surface. Conclusions: Based on the FSS of the scaffold and cell surface, the triangle-600 and triangle-800 scaffolds have better osteogenic differentiation ability. This provides a more practical strategy for tissue engineering to design better scaffolds.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of substrate - polycaprolactone (PCL)-based porous membrane modified with rosmarinic acid (RA), (PCL-RA) and to determine the optimal values of low field laser irradiation (LLLT) as stimulators of biological response of RAW 264.7 macrophages. Methods: The porous polymer membrane was obtained by the phase inversion method, the addition of rosmarinic acid was 1%wt. The reference material was pure polymer membrane. RAW 264.7 were deposited on the material and then irradiated with a laser with a wavelength of 808 nm, a power of 100 mW, an irradiation dose of 2 J/cm2/cell well, applied continuously (C), (100/2/C) or pulsed (I), (100/2/I). Results: Macrophage irradiation resulted in an increase in their adhesion. Modifying the PCL membranes with rosmarinic acid had no effect on cell viability on day 3 of the cell culture. Irradiation of macrophages cultured on PCL-RA material increased their viability. Irradiation of macrophages cultured on PCL-RA material decreased macrophage secretion of NO and protein and the increase in TNF and MCP-1 secretion was only transient on day 3 of culture. Conclusions: Macrophage irradiation had a positive effect on macrophage attachment. Modification of PCL membranes with rosmarinic acid influenced the biological activity of macrophages. Culture of macrophages on rosmarinic acid-modified PCL membranes and simultaneous irradiation of LLLT cells resulted in anti-inflammatory effects.