The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a high-dose omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids supplementation, in combination with antioxidant vitamins, on cognitive function and functional capacity of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), over a 6-month period in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Forty-six older adults with MCI (age: 78.8 ± 7.3 years) were randomized 1:1 to receive either a 20 mL dose of a formula containing a mixture of omega-3 (810 mg Eicosapentaenoic acid and 4140 mg Docosahexaenoic acid) and omega-6 fatty acids (1800 mg gamma-Linolenic acid and 3150 mg Linoleic acid) (1:1 w/w), with 0.6 mg vitamin A, vitamin E (22 mg) plus pure γ-tocopherol (760 mg), or 20 mL placebo containing olive oil. Participants completed assessments of cognitive function, functional capacity, body composition and various aspects of quality of life at baseline and following three and six months of supplementation. Thirty-six participants completed the study (eighteen from each group). A significant interaction between supplementation and time was found on cognitive function (Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination -Revised (ACE-R), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Stroop Color and Word Test (STROOP) color test; p < 0.001, p = 0.011 and p = 0.037, respectively), functional capacity (6-min walk test and sit-to-stand-60; p = 0.028 and p = 0.032, respectively), fatigue (p < 0.001), physical health (p = 0.007), and daily sleepiness (p = 0.007)—showing a favorable improvement for the participants receiving the supplement. The results indicate that this nutritional modality could be promising for reducing cognitive and functional decline in the elderly with MCI.

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are characterized by, among other symptoms, impaired functional capacity and walking difficulties. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been found to improve MS patients’ clinical outcomes; however, their effect on other parameters associated with daily living activities need further investigation. The current study aimed to examine the effect of a 24-month supplementation with a cocktail dietary supplement formula, the Neuroaspis^TM PLP10, containing specific omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs and specific antioxidant vitamins on gait and functional capacity parameters of patients with MS. Fifty-one relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients with low disability scores (age: 38.4 ± 7.1 years; 30 female) were randomized 1:1 to receive either a 20 mL daily dose of the dietary formula containing a mixture of omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs (12,150 mg), vitamin A (0.6 mg), vitamin E (22 mg), and γ-tocopherol (760 mg), the OMEGA group (n = 27; age: 39 ± 8.3 years), or 20 mL placebo containing virgin olive oil, the placebo group (n = 24; age: 37.8 ± 5.3 years). The mean ± SD (standard deviation) Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score for the placebo group was 2.36 and for the OMEGA group 2.22. All enrolled patients in the study were on Interferon-β treatment. Spatiotemporal gait parameters and gait deviation index (GDI) were assessed using a motion capture system. Functional capacity was examined using various functional tests such as the six-minute walk test (6MWT), two sit-to-stand tests (STS-5 and STS-60), and the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). Isometric handgrip strength was assessed by a dynamometer. Leg strength was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. All assessments were performed at baseline and at 12 and 24 months of supplementation. A total of 36 patients completed the study (18 from each group). Six patients from the placebo group and 9 patients from the OMEGA group dropped out from the study or were lost to follow-up. The dietary supplement significantly improved the single support time and the step and stride time (p < 0.05), both spatiotemporal gait parameters. In addition, while GDI of the placebo group decreased by about 10% at 24 months, it increased by about 4% in the OMEGA group (p < 0.05). Moreover, performance in the STS-60 test improved in the OMEGA group (p < 0.05) and there was a tendency for improvement in the 6MWT and TUG tests. Long-term supplementation with high dosages of omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs (compared to previous published clinical studies using PUFAs) and specific antioxidant vitamins improved some functional capacity and gait parameters in RRMS patients.

Video compression is the core technology in mobile (mHealth) and electronic (eHealth) health video streaming applications. With global video traffic projected to reach 82% of all Internet traffic by 2022, there is a strong need to develop efficient compression algorithms to accommodate expected future growth. For the first time in decades, and especially since ISO/IEC MPEG and ITU-T VCEG expert groups strategically joined forces to develop the highly successful H.264/AVC standard, we have two distinct initiatives competing for the best performing video codec. On the one hand, we have the Alliance for Open Media (AOM) that support a new, royalty free video codec generation, termed AV1, based on VP8 and VP9 efforts. On the other hand, the Joint Video Exploration Team (JVET) has been developing the Versatile Video Codec (VVC) as the successor of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. At the same time, the breadth of applications utilizing video codecs, involving significant content variability and moving across the video resolution ladder, to satisfy different constraints, have resulted in mixed literature results, with respect to the best performing codec. In this paper, we compare the performance of emerging VVC and AV1 codecs, along with popular HEVC implementations, namely the HEVC Test Model (HM) and x265, as well as earlier, VP9 codec, and investigate their suitability for medical applications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first performance comparison of emerging VVC and AV1 video codecs for use in the healthcare domain. Experimental evaluation based on three datasets (ultrasound, emergency scenery, and general-purpose videos) demonstrate that VVC outperforms all rival codecs while AV1 achieves better compression efficiency than HEVC in all cases but low-resolution (560x448@40Hz) ultrasound videos of the common carotid artery. Furthermore, the use of video despeckling prior to ultrasound video compression can provide significant bitrate savings.

Background: The present study aimed to explore the associations between functional capacity and global cognition, executive function and well-being in older adults. Methods: Ninety-seven older adults (age 80.6 ± 8.2 years) were examined for global cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination), executive function (symbol cancellation test), functional capacity (sit-to-stand tests, 6 min walk test, timed up-and-go test and handgrip strength test) and well-being (quality of life, fatigue levels, sleep quality and daily sleepiness). Adjusted partial correlations were computed to examine the associations between variables. Mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate whether functional capacity would mediate the relationships between age and cognitive or executive function. Results: Greater levels of functional capacity were associated with better performance in cognitive and executive function tests (p < 0.05). Mediation analyses revealed that functional capacity partially mediated the effects of age on global cognition and executive function (indirect effect: β = −0.11, 95% CI = −0.20 to −0.03; β = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.57, respectively). Increased levels of functional capacity were also associated with higher quality of life (p < 0.05, r = 0.32 to 0.41), lower fatigue levels (p < 0.05, r = 0.23 to 0.37), and better sleep quality (p < 0.05, r = 0.23 to 0.24). Conclusions: Functional capacity can mediate the effects of age on global cognition and executive function in older adults and greater levels of functional capacity are associated with improved quality of life, better sleep quality, and lower fatigue levels.