Volume 4 Issue 1
Research Article: Are Wrist Worn Activity Trackers Accurate in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease?
Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue1,4*, Shaylyn Tuite2, Sana Hassan2, Joel Pineda3, Alex Aksanov,3 and Veronica Southard PT3
Introduction: Many activity trackers are worn on the wrists and calculate steps by arm swing and by stride length. This could be problematic in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD) as they exhibit abnormal gait patterns, arm tremors, and smaller movements than a normal population.
Purpose: This study examined the reliability between two popular activity trackers in a PD population under laboratory conditions and in free living conditions.
Methods: Twenty-seven participants diagnosed with PD participated in this study conducted at the NYIT campus, Old Westbury, NY. The Fitbit FlexTM and the Jawbone UP3TM were compared under a controlled 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and in free living conditions for 3 days/ 2 nights. During the 6MWT step count was recorded manually and a pedometer was attached to the hip. Each night the participants were asked to record how many hours they slept.
Results: Under the controlled 6MWT there were no significant differences found between the activity trackers and the manual counting, however there were differences when comparing the hip worn pedometer (p < 0.05). Under free living conditions there were no differences found between the two trackers step count and no differences were found between sleep and manual sleep records (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Both the Jawbone UP3TMand Fitbit FlexTM devices proved to be comparably accurate in individuals with PD.
Keywords: Fitbit; Jawbone; Activity tracker; PD
Cite this Article: DiFrancisco-Donoghue J, Tuite S, Hassan S, Pineda J, Aksanov A, et al. Are Wrist Worn Activity Trackers Accurate in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease? Alzheimers Parkinsons Dis Open Access. 2018;4(1): 001-008.
Published: 02 june 2018
Research Article: Heat Shock Transcription Factor (HSF) is Down-Regulated in a Drosophila Model of Parkinson's Disease
Pokrzywa M1#, Pawelek K1 and Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede2*#
Alpha-Synuclein (aS) aggregation and deposition into Lewy bodies is involved in Parkinson's disease (PD) progression, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Therefore, animal models such as Drosophila with high genetic power are of interest. Here we show that protein levels of the fly heat shock transcription factor HSF (corresponding to HSF-1 in humans) are reduced as a function of increased human aS levels in a Drosophila PD model. This result implies that PD like Huntington's disease involves HSF-1 degradation and, moreover, that fruit flies can act as a model system for further studies dissecting the pathways connecting HSF, aS and PD.
Cite this Article: Pokrzywa M, Pawelek K, Wittung-Stafshede P. Heat Shock Transcription Factor (HSF) is Down-Regulated in a Drosophila Model of Parkinson's Disease. Alzheimers Parkinsons Dis Open Access. 2018;4(1): 001-004.
Published: 17 April 2018
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