Remote photoplethysmography imaging (rPPG) is a new solution proposed to measure vital signs, such as respiratory rate (RR) in teleconsultation, by using a webcam. The results, presented here, aim at evaluating the accuracy of such remote measurement methods, compared with existing measurement methods, in a real-life clinical setting. For each patient, measurement of RR, using the standard system (control), has been carried out concomitantly with the experimental system. A 60-s time frame was used for the measurements made by our rPPG system. Age, gender, BMI, and skin phototype were collected. We performed the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plot to analyze the accuracy and precision of the rPPG algorithm readings. Measurements of RR, using the two methods, have been realized on 963 patients. Comparison of the two techniques showed excellent agreement (96.0%), with most of the patients (n = 924—standard patients) being in the confidence interval of 95% in Bland–Altman plotting. There were no significant differences between standard patients and outlier patients for demographic and clinical characteristics. This study indicates a good agreement between the rPPG system and the control, thus allowing clinical use of this remote assessment of the respiratory rate.

Introduction: Physiological signals are essential for assessing human health. The absence of a medical device to carry out these measurements remotely is one of the main limitations of telemedicine. Remote photoplethysmography imaging (rPPG) makes it possible to use a camera video to measure some of the most valuable physiological variables: heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and oxygen saturation (SpO ₂ ). Our objective was to evaluate the value of such remote measurements compared with existing contact point measurements techniques in real-life clinical settings. Methods and analysis: Prospective hospital-based study that will recruit 1045 patients who require a pulmonary function test. For each patient, measurements of HR, RR and SpO ₂ , using a standard acquisition system, will be carried out concomitantly with the measurements made by the rPPG system. 30, 60 and 120 s time frames will be used to take measurements. Age, gender and skin phototype will also be collected. The intraclass coefficient correlation will be performed to determine the accuracy and precision of the rPPG algorithm readings. Ethics and dissemination: The study protocol has been approved by the French Agency for the Safety of Health Products (ANSM registration no. ID RCB 2020-A02428-31) and by a French ethics committee (CPP OUEST I-TOURS-2020T1-30 DM at 30 October 2020). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, at scientific conferences and through press releases. Trial registration number: NCT04660318 .

Remote photoplethysmography imaging (rPPGc) is a new method measuring essential parameters, such as heart rate (HR), which uses a video camera during teleconsultation. Our work aimed to evaluate the accuracy of such remote measurements compared with existing contact point measurement methods in real-life clinical settings. The prospective hospital-based study recruited 1045 patients who required a pulmonary function test. For each patient, measurements of HR using a standard electrocardiogram acquisition system (gold standard) were carried out concomitantly with the measurements made by the rPPGc system (Caducy v1.0.0) taken within a 60 s timeframe. Age, gender, and skin phototype were collected. We performed an intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) and Bland–Altman plotting to determine the accuracy and precision of the rPPGc algorithm readings. We achieved measurement of HR using the two methods in 963 patients. The ICC measured at a 60 s timeframe, and when we compared the rPPGc with the gold standard, it had a 95% confidence interval (CI95) value of 0.886 [0.871:0.899]. In all, 94.6% (n = 911) patients showed promising results with a CI95 in Bland–Altman plotting. Fifty-two measurements were discordant, and further analysis established the method’s accuracy at 96.2%. Our results described a good accuracy and correlation between the rPPGc system and the gold standard, thus paving the way for more precise care via telemedicine.

Background: Numerous studies have been published on alexithymia among athletes in the last decades. The objective, here, is to provide a critical review on alexithymia in sport and identify elements demonstrating that alexithymic athletes can attain a competitive advantage. Methods: The Center for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines were used. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines served as the template for reporting the present systematic review. We searched PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, and PsycINFO, without language or date restrictions. Results: Within 72 eligible studies, 23 articles fulfilling the selection criteria were included in the review. Alexithymia is associated with various pathologies and considered to be counter-performing. However, despite considerable suspicion of an advantageous performance effect of alexithymia, there is a lack of data to quantify this effect. Studies identified are heterogeneous (different scales of measurement of alexithymia used or outcomes, different sports), that do not allow us to conclude on an observed causal relationship, because the studies are mostly observational. Conclusion: This systematic review opens a new search field on alexithymia, as possibly promoting performance.

Background: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study which aimed to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of sport practice (weekly training duration, level of practice) and alexithymia in adults who were officially licensed at a sports club. Methods: From a sample of sports club licensed adults, 188 participants were included. The participants completed computerized questionnaires on anthropometric data and characteristics of sport practice (level and weekly time spent on sport practice) as well as alexithymia (TAS 20), depression (BDI-13) and anxiety traits (STAI-Y form B). Results: In this sample, 91 (48.4%) and 97 (51.6%) athletes engaged in recreational and competitive sport practice, respectively. We observed a prevalence of 31.9% for alexithymia. Moreover, alexithymics were more involved in competitive than recreational practice (40.2% versus 23.1%, respectively; p = 0.019) and they were less anxious (63.9% versus 80.2%, respectively; p = 0.010). Finally, alexithymia was significantly more pronounced than non-alexithymia among sports competition practitioners (OR: 3.57 (95 CI [1.26–10.08]; p = 0.016) and we observed less alexithymia in team sports practice than confrontation sports (OR: 0.20 (95 CI [0.05–0.78]; p = 0.020). Conclusions: Alexithymic athletes were more involved in competition than recreational sports compared to non-alexithymic subjects, whilst there were more alexithymic athletes in confrontation sports than in team sports.