Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) represent a growing global health burden, affecting nearly one in ten adults worldwide. CKD is associated with high morbidity, premature mortality, reduced quality of life and enormous healthcare costs, and is primarily driven by dialysis and kidney transplantation. The silent and progressive nature of CKD means that most patients are diagnosed late, when irreversible damage has already occurred and costly kidney replacement therapies (KRT) become necessary. Dialysis services are resource-intensive, requiring significant infrastructure, specialized staff, and consumables, which makes them especially challenging to sustain in low- and middle-income countries. Traditional models of nephrology, care center-based dialysis and fragmented follow-up are increasingly inadequate in meeting the demands of a rising CKD population. These challenges highlight the urgent need for innovative approaches that enhance efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and expand access. Objective: This review aims to analyze the current landscape of information and communication technology (ICT) applications in nephrology and to evaluate how digital innovations are reconfiguring kidney therapy. Specifically, it seeks to identify the major ICT tools that are currently in use, assess their clinical and operational impact, and discuss their role in creating more sustainable, patient-centered kidney care models. This study reviews and analyzes ICT tools that are reconfiguring nephrology, including remote monitoring, AI, wearables, patient engagement apps and data dashboards. Methods: Narrative and scoping review of recent innovations in nephrology, including remote patient monitoring (RPM), telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI) analytics, wearable sensors, and clinical decision support platforms. Results: ICT tools such as Sharesource, Versia, telenephrology platforms, medical assistant for Chronic Care Service (MACCS), AI-based predictive analytics, wearable devices and patient engagement apps have improved patient outcomes, adherence, and early detection of complications. Key metrics include technique survival, hospitalization rate, patient-reported outcomes, workflow efficiency, and prediction accuracy. The relevant literature describing the potential of digital health technologies, including ICT platforms, artificial intelligence tools, and remote monitoring systems, to transform nephrology care was retrieved and screened for inclusion in this narrative review. Conclusions: ICT has shifted nephrology from reactive to proactive care, enhancing accessibility, patient empowerment and clinical efficiency. Future directions include precision nephrology, fully wearable kidneys, AI integration and large language models for education and triage. Challenges include digital divide, regulatory heterogeneity, cost and the need for long-term evidence.

Diffuse gliomas are currently challenging to classify in the field of brain tumours due to their clinical and imaging characteristics. This study aims to develop and train a patient classification system based on the study of various parameters to support personalized treatment planning. The use of MATLAB allows us to analyse, segment, and process all data to extract relevant features associated with glioma characteristics. Classification was performed by considering Radiomics (such as texture and shape), biomolecular makers, and clinical information from the patient, in order to predict therapeutic response. Experimental results show that the system is able to distinguish subgroups of patients with moderate but consistent accuracy, demonstrating the feasibility of applying computational image analysis in combination with clinical and molecular variables. The integration of radiomics, biomolecular, and clinical information underscores the potential of such an approach as a decision-support tool in neuro-oncology. Overall, the findings suggest that multimodal classification systems represent a promising pathway toward improving the accuracy of glioma diagnosis and advancing personalized treatment planning, ultimately contributing to better patient outcomes.

In year 2023, around 2.2 billion people globally have near or distance visual impairment. Previous systems lacked comprehensive functionality, focusing only on basic obstacle detection or standalone features like fall detection. Moreover, the studies struggled with bulky designs, poor low-light performance, and limited environmental awareness. To address these challenges, the study develops ObstaSense, a wearable Electronic-Travel-Aid (ETA) for obstacle detection and navigation assistance. The system employed TensorFlow Lite, a Raspberry Pi-5, and a Pi-Camera Module-V3 to detect objects (e.g., people, potholes, vehicles) and relay avoidance instructions via Bluetooth earbuds. Its Real-Time Navigation (RTN) feature combined Global Positioning System (GPS), a compass sensor, and Plus Codes for precise guidance, enhanced by Google's Speech-To-Text (STT) and Text-to-Speech (TTS). Operating at 4-10 Frames Per Second (FPS), ObstaSense further integrated the Gemini Application programming interface (API) for multilingual (50-languages) image-to-text conversion. The system achieved consistent results by leveraging precise RTN functionality, which uses compass sensor data and vibration feedback to guide users accurately. Offline dataset training and evaluation were conducted solely to support the deployment of a real-time embedded assistive system on Raspberry Pi 5. Obstacle avoidance performance varied across rows, with the highest accuracy (100%) in the first row, followed by 66.7% in the third row and 50% in the second row. ObstaSense aids visually impaired, elderly, and cognitively impaired users, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 10 for inclusive well-being.

Background and Objectives: Home dialysis has re-emerged as a key modality in the management of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), offering improved patient autonomy, quality of life, and potential system-level sustainability. Yet, its roots extend deep into the early history of renal replacement therapy (RRT), when home-based care was the norm rather than the exception. By leveraging the lessons of the past patient empowerment, training models, and community-based care we may define a sustainable and person-centered future for kidney replacement therapy.To review historical evolution of home dialysis, assess current innovations and barriers, and propose a structured framework for its future implementation.Methods: Narrative review of literature (1960-2025) including registry data, policy reports, and studies on technological innovation and implementation.Results: Home dialysis was widely used in early renal replacement therapy but declined due to structural and policy-related factors. Current uptake remains low in many regions, particularly in Europe, despite evidence of cost-effectiveness and improved outcomes. Technological advances and telehealth have enhanced feasibility, but barriers persist.Conclusion: A four-pillar framework - education, policy alignment, technological innovation, and integrated support systems - provides a practical pathway to expand home dialysis and support sustainable, patient-centered renal care.

Magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) is a cancer treatment modality that employs magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to generate localized heat upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF), typically operating within the 100 kHz–1 MHz frequency range. Recent advances have identified trapezoidal pulsed AMFs (TPAMFs) as a compelling alternative to traditional sinusoidal waveforms, demonstrating enhanced heating performance and more efficient thermal responses in nanoparticle-mediated MHT. The objective of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of TPAMF-driven MHT relative to the conventional sinusoidal approach using an in vivo murine glioblastoma model. It is important to note that neither MNP administration nor AMF exposure alone is sufficient to slow tumor progression or reduce the final tumor size. In contrast, treatment with non-sinusoidal waveforms, particularly trapezoidal pulses, significantly enhanced tumor ablation in vivo. These findings demonstrate that waveform optimization can markedly improve the therapeutic performance of MHT and support the development of more effective magnetic hyperthermia-based cancer therapies.

Background and Aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) constitutes a significant global health burden due to its association with kidney failure, cardiovascular morbidity, and premature mortality. Despite incremental advancements in nephrology, technological innovation has progressed more slowly than in other clinical fields. Information and communication technology (ICT) offers the potential to address inefficiencies in hemodialysis (HD) care through enhanced monitoring, communication, and data management. This study examines current ICT interventions in HD, evaluates their effectiveness, and identifies limitations and opportunities for further development. Results: Findings from the systematic review indicate that ICT integration including telehealth, remote surveillance systems, electronic documentation platforms, and mobile-based self-management tools provides measurable benefits in HD care. These interventions are associated with improved clinical outcomes, optimized treatment delivery, greater patient satisfaction, and reduced healthcare expenditure. In the context of home hemodialysis (HHD), ICT enhances patient autonomy, fosters continuous connectivity with healthcare teams, and supports adherence. The incorporation of ICT aligns with the principles of 4P medicine by enabling predictive analytics, precision dosing, and preventive risk monitoring, and personalized treatment strategies. Conclusion: ICT is poised to play an increasingly central role in the evolution of HD and HHD. While current evidence underscores its value, significant gaps remain in interoperability, standardization, and the integration of real-time clinical decision support. Continued research and technological advancement are essential to fully realize the transformative potential of ICT in nephrology.

The synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using traditional physical and chemical methods often involves toxic reagents, high energy consumption, and poor biocompatibility, making them unsuitable for many biomedical applications. Moreover, existing green synthesis approaches frequently lack control over nanoparticle size, shape, and stability, limiting their reproducibility and scalability. To address these limitations, this study employed a green synthesis route using Azadirachta indica (Neem) leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. Silver nitrate (AgNO₃) solutions of varying concentrations (1 mM, 5 mM, and 10 mM) were reacted with the Neem extract under ambient conditions. UV–Visible spectroscopy confirmed the formation of AgNPs with a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 402 nm. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed that the 5 mM AgNO₃ concentration produced the most desirable morphology, uniformly spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 98 nm. Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis further confirmed the presence of pure elemental silver with no silver compounds. Moreover, antibacterial testing, conducted against Total Coliform bacteria and Propionibacterium acnes, revealed that the synthesized AgNPs, particularly in powder form, effectively inhibited bacterial growth over extended incubation periods. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Neem-mediated synthesis is a viable, sustainable, and efficient approach for producing biologically active silver nanoparticles.

There are 2.2 billion visually impaired individuals and 285 million blind people worldwide. The vestibular system plays a fundamental role in the balance of a person related to sight and hearing, and thus blind people require physical therapy to improve their balance. Several clinical tests have been developed to evaluate balance, such as the mini-BESTest. This test has been used to evaluate the balance of people with neurological diseases, but there have been no studies that evaluate the balance of blind individuals before. Furthermore, despite the scoring of these tests being not subjective, the performance of some activities are subject to the physiotherapist’s bias. Tele-rehabilitation is a growing field that aims to provide physical therapy to people with disabilities. Among the technologies used in tele-rehabilitation are inertial measurement units that can be used to monitor the balance of individuals. The amount of data collected by these devices is large and the use of deep learning models can help in analyzing these data. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze for the first time the balance of blind individuals using the mini-BESTest and inertial measurement units and to identify the activities that best differentiate between blind and sighted individuals. We use the OpenSense RT monitoring device to collect data from the inertial measurement unit, and we develop machine learning and deep learning models to predict the score of the most relevant mini-BESTest activities. In this study 29 blind and sighted individuals participated. The one-legged stance is the activity that best differentiates between blind and sighted individuals. An analysis on the acceleration data suggests that the evaluation of physiotherapists is not completely adjusted to the test criterion. Cluster analysis suggests that inertial data are not able to distinguish between three levels of evaluation. However, the performance of our models shows an F1-score of 85.6% in predicting the score evaluated by the mini-BESTest in a binary classification problem. The results of this study can help physiotherapists have a more objective evaluation of the balance of their patients and to develop tele-rehabilitation systems for blind individuals.

OBJECTIVES:Contaminated apparatus and surgical tools pose serious health risks. For such purpose, disinfection chambers are employed. However, these systems rely on mercury-based UV lamps which comes with various drawbacks. These limitations have driven interest in Ultraviolet-C Light Emitting Diode (UV-C LED) technology as a safer and more efficient alternative. However, existing studies have not thoroughly explored the impact of varying intensities of pulse width modulation (PWM) on disinfection efficacy. METHODS:To addess this, the present study designed and tested a LED-based disinfection chamber by employing 4-W 275 nm Surface Mount Device (SMD) LEDs against frequently isolated bacteria. By following prior approach, irradiation time was alternated at 30-s intervals and antibacterial efficacy was assessed through various parameters. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to examine the morphological changes. RESULTS:Results indicated that the reduction was significantly influenced (p<0.05) with varying PWM levels (60-100 %), achieving 2.05-log10 and 1.54-log10 inactivation against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively, upon exposure to 51.24 mJ/cm2 under maximum exposure settings. Moreover, complete cellular damage leading to bleb protrusion and cell-leakage confirmed the disruption of bacterial DNA. CONCLUSIONS:In conclusion, UV-LEDs show great potential for disinfection, with efficiency influenced by PWM and dosage.

To reduce the stress and anxiety that blind people experience when moving through an unfamiliar environment, a series of virtual and augmented reality applications have been developed at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid to allow these people to familiarize themselves with the new environment. This study measured the cognitive load of fourteen blind people navigating a test maze using augmented reality applications. An auditory task was added during traversal to determine the delayed recall achieved by the participants. The applications were designed with two cognitive interfaces that reported objects and structures in the environment as well as the location of the target point. The evidence supports a 4.3

Inducing magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) involves locally raising the temperature to 39–45 °C, which increases the susceptibility of tumor cells to therapeutic agents without damaging healthy tissues. Recent studies on trapezoidal pulsed alternating magnetic fields (TP-AMFs) have proven their considerable efficacy in increasing the temperature of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) compared to sinusoidal fields. Thermal therapies have been known to incorporate multiple combinations of therapeutic approaches to optimize the medical procedure for healing cancer patients such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The combination of MHT with chemotherapy aims to enhance the therapeutic effects against cancer due to the synergistic interaction in tumor cells. In this study, we aim to exploit the synergistic effects of combining MHT produced by TP-AMFs with a low concentration of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) to optimize the therapeutic outcomes in comparison to TP-AMFs MHT alone. Hence, we exposed a glioblastoma cell line (CT2A) incubated with iron oxide nanoparticles at 1 mg/mL to two cycles of MHT employing a trapezoidal-square waveform at 200 kHz and 2 mT for 30 min for each cycle, separated by a 45 min break, both as a single treatment and in combination with 0.1 μg/mL of 5-FU. Our findings demonstrated the efficacy of the synergistic effect between MHT treatment via TP-AMFs and the 5-FU, increasing the cell death to 58.9 ± 2%, compared to 31.4 ± 3% with MHT treatment alone. Cell death was primarily driven by the necrosis pathway (47.3 ± 2%) compared to apoptosis (11.6 ± 2). The addition of 5-FU enhanced the cytotoxic effect of MHT on CT2A cells, increasing the calreticulin (CRT) positive cells to 17 ± 1% compared to 10 ± 1% as produced by MHT treatment alone. Furthermore, this combination suggests that the employed treatment approach can promote immune system activation due to the exposure of CRT in the treated cells.

Blind people suffer from stress and anxiety when they must go to an unfamiliar place. Using virtual reality applications allowed these people to become familiar with the new environment. In this study four virtual reality applications with different cognitive interfaces were developed to walk through a test maze and an auditory deferred memory task was added to establish the cognitive load required by the participants. The evidence supports a 4.3% decrease in cognitive load for participants using interface 2 compared to those using interface 1. The time taken to go through the maze was statistically significant when using the application built with interface 2, with a p-value of 0.04. The success in completing the maze was 21.43% higher when participants used interface 2 compared to interface 1.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health problem, with adverse outcomes of kidney failure, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and premature death. According to European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA) currently, 1 in 10 Europeans has chronic kidney disease (CKD) and it is predicted to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide by 2040. The COVID-19, pandemic has further worsened the situation, with CKD being the number one risk factor for CKD mortality, ahead of lung and heart disease. In addition to rising mortality figures, treatments for kidney disease have not improved substantially over the past 50 years, leaving too many kidney patients with a poor quality of life and reduced life expectancy. This situation is associated with staggering aggregate annual costs amounting to €140 billion per year in Europe, more than the annual healthcare costs of cancer or diabetes.Many studies confirm that Information and Communication Technology intervention (ICT) in nephrology can be way to tackles this issue. The increased daily use of information and communication technologies (ICT) may lead to the need for healthcare professionals to monitoring patient remotely. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) have the potential to improve care for patients with kidney disease.RPM may provide a means to overcome some of the aforementioned barriers. RPM is a framework for monitoring patients at home by digital, wireless technology and extends the interactive contact of conventional clinical settings to include the patient's home. The hope is that these technologies would improve clinical outcomes through earlier recognition and correction of problems. Although few studies on telehealth in the dialysis population exist, studies do support its technical feasibility, which patient acceptance of this technology is very high, and that RPM may be able to improve outcomes in other co-morbid states shared by the ESKD population.According to Pan American Health Organization, CKD, also called kidney failure, describes the gradual loss of kidney function and is a worldwide public health problem, with adverse outcomes of kidney failure, CVD, and premature death.This study collects the papers concerning RPM and renal patient management using ICT intervention to analyze the results from considering the bioengineer's point of view. Our focus was on technology contribution.The aim of this study was to review and synthesize the available literature on the role of RPM in healthcare in nephrology. This systematic review was conducted to examine the content and results of publications on using RPM to improve the health care of patients with kidney disease, available to health care professionals (HCPs) and/or patients. The literature and our results confirm that in this field, RPM can allow cost reduction, improve the efficiency of healthcare resources, reduce human error, and overall improve the quality of life of kidney patients.

UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been regarded as feasible alternatives for traditional UV lamps since the early 2000s, owing to their improved safety features, environmental advantages, and efficiency. Because of the inherent challenges associated with lower intensity of LEDs over extended distances, our findings demonstrated the optimized disinfection efficiency using various LED setups. This study evaluated the antimicrobial effectiveness of single, six, and eight-LED configurations against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), specifically emphasizing attaining the utmost disinfection efficiency within an extended range of up to 60 cm. With an 8-LED configuration, the study achieved a substantial reduction of 6.10×104 CFU/mL from an initial level of 5.20×109 CFU/mL, corresponding to 4.9-log10 inactivation, requiring a dose of 264 µJ-cm−2. 2.9-log10 inactivation was achieved using a 6-LED, yielding lower yet comparable efficiency requiring 192 µJ-cm−2 of dose. However, with 60 µJ-cm−2 of dose, a single LED could only reduce the bacterial burden from the initial level to merely 0.2-log10 inactivation, corresponding to 2.9 × 109 CFU/mL, under similar exposure settings. In conclusion, UV-LEDs show promise for disinfection, with LED configuration and distance significantly impacting their efficiency, holding perspective for various applications, particularly within healthcare facilities.

Background and purpose: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common chronic disease usually associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and premature death and millions of people are at increased risk for CKD. As this disease is extremely complex, multidisciplinary care (MDC) is needed to provide complete and continuous care. Usually, the nephrology units need coopera-tion from several other Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) such as cardiologists, nutritionists, ob-stetricians, and so forth. All modalities of treatments, peritoneal dialysis (PD) and Hemodialysis (HD) require HCPs and patients to develop a variety of skills to effectively deliver and manage dialysis tasks in the center or at home. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in-terventions can offer tools that provide HCPs and patients with tools that facilitate the manage-ment of kidney patients in centers or at home. ICT interventions can allow to automate registra-tions, videoconferencing, minimize the geographic burden and resource cost savings. ICT can be the best way to promote cost saving on health spending and ensure the sustainability of the health system and, the environment as well. In the Iberian Peninsula, kidney patients consume about 3% of the total cost of healthcare. The cost of kidney transplants and dialysis is around 1.8 billion euros annually, and 75 % of this amount goes to dialysis treatment. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate and analyze the opinion of Healthcare Professionals (HCP) in Nephrology units about the Intervention of ICT in nephrology care and the Clinical benefits results from the use of ICT in Nephrology Services and dialysis Units in Portugal and Spain. Thus we collected the opinion of Health care professionals concerning the role of ICT intervention in nephrology. Understanding HCPs' feelings and attitudes is essential to understand if such technologies are correctly adjusted to the workflow and really bring huge benefits for the clinical practice of nephrology and also what features need improvement and what should be implemented in the future. ICT intervention has been implemented to promote better healthcare in nephrology units and improve patient outcomes. In the Survey, we intended to evaluate nephrology HCPs' opinions concerning the ICT interventions, in nephrology, represented by several tools that al-low the HCPs to implement solutions such as Remote Patient Monitoring(RPM); Remote Moni-toring of Treatment (RMT); Tele homecare; Telehealth (Tele-nephrology); Home Dialysis; mHealth; mobile App; Web Portal, Telemedicine, and so forth. Key Points: In many countries particularly in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) the incidence of CKD is substantially high. The “treatments” for kidney disease have not improved substantially over the past 50 years, leaving too many kidney patients with a poor quality of life and reduced life expectancy. This situation is associated with staggering aggregate annual costs amounting to €140 billion per year in Europe, more than the annual healthcare costs of cancer or diabetes [1]. The increased daily use of information and communication technologies may lead to the need for healthcare professionals to incorporate technology use competencies into practice.

Magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) is an oncological therapy that uses magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to generate localized heat under a low-frequency alternating magnetic field (AMF). Recently, trapezoidal pulsed alternating magnetic fields (TPAMFs) have proven their efficacy in enhancing the efficiency of heating in MHT as compared to the sinusoidal one. Our study aims to compare the TPAMF waveform’s killing effect against the sinusoidal waveform in B16F10 and CT2A cell lines to determine more efficient waveforms in causing cell death. For that purpose, we used MNPs and different AMF waveforms: trapezoidal (TP), almost-square (TS), triangular (TR), and sinusoidal signal (SN). MNPs at 1 and 4 mg/mL did not affect cell viability during treatment. The exposition of B16F10 and CT2A cells to only AMF showed nonsignificant mortality. Hence, the synergetic effect of the AMF and MNPs causes the observed cell death. Among the explored cases, the nonharmonic signals demonstrated better efficacy than the SN one as an MHT treatment. This study has revealed that the application of TP, TS, or TR waveforms is more efficient and has considerable capability to increase cancer cell death compared to the traditional sinusoidal treatment. Overall, we can conclude that the application of nonharmonic signals enhances MHT treatment efficiency against tumor cells.

Vending machines are widely known for their convenient accessibility to a wide range of products, eliminating the need for human assistance. However, visually impaired individuals often encounter difficulties when it comes to independently selecting, paying for, and retrieving items from these machines due to their heavy reliance on visual cues. This project aimed to address this issue by developing a computer vision-based model that would aid visually impaired individuals in acquiring products from vending machines. The research involved curating a comprehensive dataset, which consisted of images depicting various types of vending machines and the objects they dispense such as beverages and snacks, also labels for beverages. This dataset served as the foundation for training a custom object detection models using the state-of-the-art framework from YOLO family, applying supervised learning and semi supervised learning. By leveraging these models, the aim was to enable the system to accurately identify and locate products within vending machines. To evaluate the performance of the developed model, a series of tests were conducted. The results obtained from these assessments showcased the potential of the model in facilitating a system that could significantly enhance accessibility and independence for visually impaired individuals who interact with vending machines. The positive outcomes indicated that the model had the ability to successfully identify and track products within the vending machines, thus enabling users to navigate the purchasing process more effectively. The model demonstrated promising performance and exhibited potential for integration into a larger system aimed at improving accessibility and independence for visually impaired individuals when interacting with vending machines.

In rehabilitating orientation and mobility (O&M) for visually impaired people (VIP), the measurement of spatio-temporal gait and postural parameters is of specific interest for rehabilitators to assess performance and improvements in independent mobility. In the current practice of rehabilitation worldwide, this assessment is carried out in people with estimates made visually. The objective of this research was to propose a simple architecture based on the use of wearable inertial sensors for quantitative estimation of distance traveled, step detection, gait velocity, step length and postural stability. These parameters were calculated using absolute orientation angles. Two different sensing architectures were tested for gait according to a selected biomechanical model. The validation tests included five different walking tasks. There were nine visually impaired volunteers in real-time acquisitions, where the volunteers walked indoor and outdoor distances at different gait velocities in their residences. The ground truth gait characteristics of the volunteers in five walking tasks and an assessment of the natural posture during the walking tasks are also presented in this article. One of the proposed methods was selected for presenting the lowest absolute error of the calculated parameters in all of the traveling experimentations: 45 walking tasks between 7 and 45 m representing a total of 1039 m walked and 2068 steps; the step length measurement was 4.6 ± 6.7 cm with a mean of 56 cm (11.59 Std) and 1.5 ± 1.6 relative error in step count, which compromised the distance traveled and gait velocity measurements, presenting an absolute error of 1.78 ± 1.80 m and 7.1 ± 7.2 cm/s, respectively. The results suggest that the proposed method and its architecture could be used as a tool for assistive technology designed for O&M training to assess gait parameters and/or navigation, and that a sensor placed in the dorsal area is sufficient to detect noticeable postural changes that compromise heading, inclinations and balancing in walking tasks.

Background and Purpose: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common chronic disease usually associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and premature death, and millions of people are at increased risk for CKD. As this disease is extremely complex, multidisciplinary care (MDC) is needed to provide complete and continuous care. Usually, the nephrology units need cooperation from several other Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) such as cardiologists, nutritionists, obstetricians, and so forth. All modalities of treatments, peritoneal dialysis (PD) and Hemodialysis (HD) require HCPs and patients to develop a variety of skills to effectively deliver and manage dialysis tasks in the center or at home. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) interventions can offer tools that provide HCPs and patients with tools that facilitate the management of kidney patients in centers or at home. ICT interventions can allow to automate registrations, videoconferencing, minimize the geographic burden and resource cost savings. ICT can be the best way to promote cost saving on health spending and ensure the sustainability of the health system and, the environment as well.In the Iberian Peninsula, kidney patients consume about 3% of the total cost of healthcare. The cost of kidney transplants and dialysis is around 1.8 billion euros annually, and 75% of this amount goes to dialysis treatment.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate and analyze the opinion of Healthcare Professionals (HCP) in Nephrology units about the Intervention of ICT in nephrology care and the Clinical benefits results from the use of ICT in Nephrology Services and dialysis Units in Portugal and Spain.Thus we collected the opinion of Health care professionals concerning the role of ICT intervention in nephrology. Understanding HCPs' feelings and attitudes is essential to understand if such technologies are correctly adjusted to the workflow and really bring huge benefits for the clinical practice of nephrology and also what features need improvement and what should be implemented in the future.ICT intervention has been implemented to promote better healthcare in nephrology units and improve patient outcomes. In the Survey, we intended to evaluate nephrology HCPs' opinions concerning the ICT interventions, in nephrology, represented by several tools that allow the HCPs to implement solutions such as Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM); Remote Monitoring of Treatment (RMT); Tele homecare; Telehealth (Tele-nephrology); Home Dialysis; mHealth; mobile App; Web Portal, Telemedicine, and so forth.Funding: The authors did not receive financial support for the research, authorship, and /or publication of this article.Declaration of Interest: The author(s) declared that there is (are) no potential conflict of interest concerning the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.Ethical Approval: This study accomplishes all principles of good ethical research and does not use participants/respondents' data. Therefore, this study does not require official approval from the ethics committee. To avoid the need for informed consent for ethical approval and accomplishment with personal data protection, we insert informed consent as the first, mandatory, and required answer to proceed with the other questions of the survey.

Chronic back pain can present a serious health concern, with symptoms that can significantly affect an individual's well-being, mobility, and overall quality of life over an extended period. While chronic back pain may manifest suddenly in some cases, it often develops gradually and persists for weeks, and in untreated cases, it can linger for years. Hence, the utilization of assistive devices such as wearable posture-monitoring vests can offer valuable assistance and guidance to users. This research paper is dedicated to the development of a system for detecting, diagnosing, and correcting poor posture, specifically leaning posture. The vest is designed to provide users with visual, auditory, and tactile cues to help them address this issue, thereby reducing the risk associated with leaning. Additionally, an integrated electrical box has been designed to consolidate all components directly onto the main board in a secure enclosure. This box also displays the daily count of instances where the user has leaned. This system is characterized by its electrical safety, portability, compactness, comfort, and affordability. A comprehensive analysis of the system's performance has been conducted with a meticulous evaluation of accuracy. Each component of the system has undergone successful testing, and the system as a whole is currently in the testing phase. The results of these tests have indicated a lack of faulty errors and have demonstrated outstanding accuracy and detection rates. Over 100 individuals of varying ages, genders, and BMI categories were involved in testing, with each person wearing the device for an average of six hours. The accuracy rate achieved was 98.85%, with an average of 54.35 instances of poor posture detected per participant.