Due to the increasing age of the European population, there is a growing interest in performing research that will aid in the timely and unobtrusive detection of emerging diseases. For such tasks, mobile devices have several sensors, facilitating the acquisition of diverse data. This study focuses on the analysis of the data collected from the mobile devices sensors and a pressure sensor connected to a Bitalino device for the measurement of the Timed-Up and Go test. The data acquisition was performed within different environments from multiple individuals with distinct types of diseases. Then this data was analyzed to estimate the various parameters of the Timed-Up and Go test. Firstly, the pressure sensor is used to extract the reaction and total test time. Secondly, the magnetometer sensors are used to identify the total test time and different parameters related to turning around. Finally, the accelerometer sensor is used to extract the reaction time, total test time, duration of turning around, going time, return time, and many other derived metrics. Our experiments showed that these parameters could be automatically and reliably detected with a mobile device. Moreover, we identified that the time to perform the Timed-Up and Go test increases with age and the presence of diseases related to locomotion.

Objectives: To evaluate popliteal vein blood flow during calf muscle contraction in chronic venous disease (CVD) patients and healthy controls using ultrasound imaging and to investigate the relationship between venous blood flow and gastrocnemius muscle (GM) morphology. Methods: Thirty-one subjects participated in this study (mean age: 40.3 [11.8] years), 15 healthy controls and 16 with CVD (clinical classification: C_1–4). Popliteal vein cross-sectional area and venous blood flow velocity (FV) were evaluated by Doppler ultrasound at baseline and during three sets of 10 tip-toe movement repetitions. Muscle thickness, muscle fascicle length and pennation angle of both medial and lateral GM were measured by ultrasound. Measures were repeated a week later in 17 participants in order to assess reproducibility with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Peak FV was lower in CDV group compared with Control group for both first (40.6 [11.8] versus 62.4 (22.1) cm²/second; P = 0.021) and last (30.4 [9.1] versus 49.5 (22.7) cm²/second; P = 0.024) contraction. In CVD group, peak FV during first contraction increased with GM's muscle fascicle length ( r = 0.63; P = 0.041). Popliteal FV also increased with rising range of muscle fascicles pennation change between ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion ( r = 0.70; P = 0.025). No associations were found between haemodynamics and medial or lateral GM thickness. Calf muscular architecture was similar in both CVD and control participants. Test–retest reliability of FV measured in the same session was high (ICC≈0.70) for measures taken in the first contraction of the set but lowered when using the last contraction (ICC <0.50). Reproducibility of ultrasound evaluation of calf pump is acceptable within the same session but is unsatisfactory when testing in separate days. Conclusion: Patients with moderate CVD have lower FV during calf muscles contraction but similar muscle anatomical characteristics compared with healthy controls. Changes in calf muscles flexibility and fatigue resistance may be investigated as possible causes of calf pump dysfunction.

Objectives: To compare the effect of call-up and reabsorption maneuvers of manual lymphatic drainage on blood flow in femoral vein and great saphenous vein in patients with chronic venous disease and healthy controls. Methods: Forty-one subjects participated in this study (mean age: 42.68(15.23)), 23 with chronic venous disease (chronic venous disease group) with clinical classification C_1–5 of clinical-etiological-anatomical-pathological (CEAP) and 18 healthy subjects (control group). Call-up and reabsorption maneuvers were randomly applied in the medial aspect of the thigh. The cross-sectional areas, as well as the peak and the mean blood flow velocity at femoral vein and great saphenous vein, were assessed by Duplex ultrasound at the baseline and during maneuvers. The venous flow volume changes were calculated. Results: The venous flow volume in femoral vein and great saphenous vein increased during both manual lymphatic drainage maneuvers and in both groups ( P < 0.05). The two maneuvers had a similar effect on femoral vein and great saphenous vein hemodynamics, and in both the chronic venous disease and control groups. As a result of the call-up maneuver, the flow volume augmentations, as a result of call-up maneuver, decreased with the severity of chronic venous disease in those patients measured by the clinical classification of CEAP ( r = −0.64; P = 0.03). Conclusions: Manual lymphatic drainage increases the venous blood flow in the lower extremity with a magnitude that is independent from the specific maneuver employed or the presence of chronic venous disease. Therefore, manual lymphatic drainage may be an alternative strategy for the treatment and prevention of venous stasis complications in chronic venous disease.