Foot orthoses (FOs) have been used to alter lower limb kinematics and kinetics in pronated feet. A clear relationship between FOs' features, e.g., the amount of wedging and support, and the ...corresponding biomechanical responses is vital for the design and prescription of FOs. In this study, we sought to determine if changing the level of the forefoot wedge would cause a linear response in the multi-segment foot kinematics during jogging, and if this effect would be enhanced by an arch support.
Ten pairs of 3D printed FOs with five levels of forefoot wedges and two levels of arch supports were tested on 12 recreational runners with a symptomatic pronated foot. Multi-segment foot kinematic data during jogging was measured using the Oxford Foot Model. Two-way ANOVAs were performed to examine the main effect of the forefoot wedge and arch support, as well as their interaction on peak joint angles. Statistical parametric mapping and paired-t tests were used to identify differences in the foot kinematic traces and the joint range of motion (ROM) between each FO and the control, respectively.
Linear main effects for the forefoot wedge level were found in the forefoot peak dorsiflexion, eversion and rearfoot peak dorsiflexion of jogging. FOs with a medial forefoot wedge caused an average of 2.5° reduction of the forefoot peak abduction during jogging. Furthermore, forefoot wedges showed an opposite effect on the sagittal ROM of the forefoot and rearfoot. Adding an arch support did not improve the kinematic performance of a forefoot wedge during jogging.
This study highlights a linear dose-response effect of a forefoot wedge on forefoot kinematics during jogging, and suggests using a medial forefoot wedge as an anti-pronator component for controlling forefoot motion of a pronated foot.
Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the leading lethal infectious disease with 1.3 million deaths in 2020. Despite significant advances have been made in detection ...techniques and therapeutic approaches for tuberculosis, no suitable diagnostic tools are available for early and precise screening. Many studies have reported that Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a regulatory role in gene expression in the host immune response against Mtb. Dysregulation of lncRNAs expression patterns associated with immunoregulatory pathways arose in mycobacterial infection. Meanwhile, host-induced lncRNAs regulate antibacterial processes such as apoptosis and autophagy to limit bacterial proliferation. In this review, we try to summarize the latest reports on how dysregulated expressed lncRNAs influence host immune response in tuberculosis infection. We also discuss their potential clinical prospects for tuberculosis diagnosis and development as molecular biomarkers.
Highlights • We investigated the effects of heel lifts’ height on plantar pressure and COP. • We investigated the effects of heel lifts’ material on plantar pressure and COP. • Relieving heel peak ...pressure by elevating the heel (within 34 mm) is not practical. • Heel lifts with elastic properties provide reduction in heel peak pressure. • Material and height of heel lifts affect ML-COP during different gait phases.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
We investigate the vibrational sum frequency generation response of liquid CH3CD2OH molecules at fused silica (SiO2) and fluorite (calcium fluoride, CaF2) surfaces. The Fermi resonance doublet ...between the symmetric stretching and deformation overtone vibrational modes of the methyl group is reassigned according to a two-level model. It is discovered that the Fermi resonance coupling in methyl group is stronger at the CaF2/liquid CH3CD2OH interface than that at the SiO2 surface. The polarization-dependent VSFG measurements further reveal that the orientations of interfacial ethanol molecules are sensitive to the changes of local chemical environments at different solid surfaces. The possible mechanisms are discussed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Many estuaries worldwide are subject to significant human interventions, such as dam construction, channel deepening, and land reclamation. However, the impact of these interventions on the ...spatiotemporal river-tide dynamics is insufficiently understood. In this study, we explored the seasonal changes in river-tide dynamics in the Modaomen Estuary of the Pearl River, where a significant increase in tidal range by approximately 0.14 m on average was observed after substantive channel deepening mainly due to human-induced sand excavations. Using the double mass curve approach with regard to the river discharge and the absolute value of tidal damping rate (or residual water level slope), we identified three stepwise phases (i.e. 1960–1990 representing the pre-human intervention period, 1991–2000 representing the transitional period, and 2001–2016 representing the post-human intervention period) corresponding to high to low residual water level slopes, and qualitatively matched the river-tide dynamics shift observed in the Modaomen Estuary. It was shown that the increase in tidal range was primarily due to the reduction in residual water level slope (and thus the weakening of the tidal damping effect) caused by the channel deepening along the Modaomen Estuary (with length of 124 km) where the residual water level slope was decreased by 46% from the pre-human period (1960–1990) to the post-human period (2001–2016), while the absolute value of the tidal damping rate was decreased by 32% due to the overall impacts from human interventions. Based on the regression coefficients obtained from the double mass curve approach, we showed that the river-tide dynamics in terms of tidal damping rate and residual water level slope were more sensitive to human interventions during the dry season than during the wet season, owing to the combined impacts of riverbed deepening and freshwater regulation by dam's operation. The underlying mechanism could be primarily attributed to the considerable seasonal variation in the lateral storage area (such as tidal flats or salt marshes). The results also showed that larger freshwater discharge is required to alter the critical value of maximum tidal damping (indicating the strongest damping effect along the channel) owing to the increase in tidal range due to substantial riverbed deepening and hence significant increase in channel storage. The method proposed in this study to quantify the overall impacts of human interventions on seasonal changes in river-tide dynamics is particularly useful for setting scientific guidelines for sustainable water management and conservation planning for engineering works in the Modaomen Estuary and other estuaries with significant human interventions.
•Seasonal changes in river-tide dynamics were primarily influenced by riverbed deepening and freshwater regulation.•Responses of river-tide dynamics to human interventions were more sensitive in the dry season.•More river discharge was required to change the maximum tidal damping critical value owing to human interventions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Objectives
To identify quantitative imaging features of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) that may be prognostically favorable after resection of smaller (≤ 30 mm) pancreatic ductal ...adenocarcinomas (PDACs) located at head.
Methods
This retrospective study included two independent cohorts (discovery cohort,
n
= 212; test cohort,
n
= 100) of patients who underwent resection of head PDACs ≤ 30 mm and preoperative CE-CT. We examined tumor and surrounding parenchymal attenuation differences (deltas), and tumor attenuation changes across phases (ratios). Semantic features of PDACs were evaluated by two radiologists. Clinicopathologic and imaging features for predicting disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed via multivariate Lasso-penalized Cox proportional-hazards models. Survival rates were derived by Kaplan-Meier method.
Results
Imaging features achieved C-indices of 0.766 (discovery cohort) and 0.739 (test cohort) for DFS, and 0.790 (discovery cohort) and 0.772 (test cohort) for OS estimates through incorporation of clinicopathologic features. The most decisive imaging feature was delta 3, denoting attenuation differences between tumor and surrounding pancreas at pancreatic phase (DFS: HR = 2.122; OS: HR = 2.375; both
p
< 0.001). Compared with inconspicuous (low-delta-3, < 28 HU) tumors, conspicuous (high-delta-3) tumors correlated significantly with more aggressive histologic grades (
p
= 0.014) and less extensive tumor fibrous stromal fractions (
p
< 0.001). Patients with low-delta-3 tumors ≤ 20 mm experienced the most favorable outcomes (DFS, 36 months; OS, 42 months), whereas those with high-delta-3 tumors fared poorly, regardless of tumor size (DFS, 12 months; OS, 19 months).
Conclusions
Quantifiable CT imaging features reflect heterogeneous fibrous stromal fractions and histologic grades of PDAC at head locations that help stratify patients with disparate clinical outcomes.
Key Points
• Quantitative and semantic imaging features achieved promising results for the prognosis of resected PDAC (≤ 30 mm) at head location, through incorporation of clinicopathologic features.
• Attenuation difference at tumor-parenchyma interface (delta 3) emerged as the most decisive imaging feature, enabling further stratification of patients into distinct prognostic subtypes by tumor size.
• High delta 3 signifies sharper contrast between tumor and surrounding pancreas, correlating with more aggressive histologic grades and less extensive tumor fibrous stromal fractions.
Highlights • Larger abductor hallucis is related to smaller COP sway. • Abductor hallucis affects open-loop and closed-loop control mechanisms. • Larger peroneus muscles are related to larger COP ...sway. • Training intrinsic foot muscles may benefit balance.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
In this study, a new experimental method for photon unfolding spectroscopy of protein ions based on a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT ICR) mass spectrometer was developed. The method of ...short-time Fourier transform has been applied here to obtain decay curves of target ions trapped in the cell of the FT ICR mass spectrometer. Based on the decay constants, the collision cross sections (CCSs) of target ions were calculated using the energetic hard-sphere model. By combining a tunable laser to the FT ICR mass spectrometer, the changes of CCSs of the target ions were recorded as a function of the wavelengths; thus, the photon isomerization spectrum was obtained. As one example, the photon isomerization spectrum of Cyt c + 13H
was recorded as the decay constants relative to the applied wavelengths of the laser in the 410-480 nm range. The spectrum shows a maximum at 426 nm, where an unfolded structure induced by a 4 s irradiation can be deduced. The strong peak at 426 nm was also observed for another ion of Cyt c + 15H
, although some difference at 410 nm between the two spectra was found at the same time. This novel method can be expanded to ultraviolet or infrared region, making the experimental study of wavelength-dependent photon-induced structural variation of a variety of organic or biological molecules possible.
Insoles with an arch support have been used to address biomechanical risk factors of running. However, the relationship between the dose of support and running biomechanics remains unclear. The ...purpose of this study was to determine the effects of changing arch support doses on the center of pressure (COP) and pressure mapping using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Nine arch support variations (3 heights * 3 widths) and a flat insole control were tested on fifteen healthy recreational runners using a 1-m Footscan pressure plate. The medial-lateral COP (COP
) coordinates and the total COP velocity (COPV
) were calculated throughout the entirety of stance. One-dimensional and two-dimensional SPM were performed to assess differences between the arch support and control conditions for time series of COP variables and pressure mapping at a pixel level, respectively. Two-way ANOVAs were performed to test the main effect of the arch support height and width, and their interaction on the peak values of the COPV
. The results showed that the COPV
during the forefoot contact and forefoot push off phases was increased by arch supports, while the COP medial-lateral coordinates remained unchanged. There was a dose-response effect of the arch support height on peak values of the COPV
, with a higher support increasing the first and third valleys but decreasing the third peak of the COPV
. Meanwhile, a higher arch support height shifted the peak pressure from the medial forefoot and rearfoot to the medial arch. It is concluded that changing arch support doses, primarily the height, systematically altered the COP velocities and peak plantar pressure at a pixel level during running. When assessing subtle modifications in the arch support, the COP velocity was a more sensitive variable than COP coordinates. SPM provides a high-resolution view of pressure comparisons, and is recommended for future insole/footwear investigations to better understand the underlying mechanisms and improve insole design.
Water soluble protein content (WSPC) is a parameter of great significance to the soybean food industry. So far, genetic studies and breeding practices have been limited by the lack of a rapid ...technique for the evaluation of WSPC. Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) is widely applied for rapid quantification of many traits, including moisture, protein and oil content, and dietary fiber. The present study aimed to establish and evaluate a NIRS regression model for the rapid prediction of WSPC in soybean. Results showed that seed coat color had a profound impact on the accuracy of protein content prediction, whereas the seed coat itself deeply influenced protein determination. We established a partial least squares (PLS) regression model with 167 soybean samples whose seed coat had been removed. Based on multiplicative scatter correction and Savitsky-Golay transformation, the highest determination coefficient (R2) was 0.831, and the relative predictive determinant was 2.417. Further analysis showed that seed roundness correlated negatively with WSPC (r=−0.59, P<0.001) and greatly impacted PLS regression model prediction accuracy. The PLS model was suitable only for intact seeds whose coat had been peeled off, but not for broken seeds, soy powder, and green cotyledon soybean seeds. This study highlights the effect the seed coat has on soybean composition determination by NIRS. Moreover, the established PLS model for soybean WSPC determination could facilitate genetic studies and breeding.
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•Soybean seed coat color impacts the near infrared spectroscopy prediction result.•Seed coat has profound influence on the protein determination.•Defatted soybean powder gained highest and stable water soluble protein content.•A partial least square regression model was constructed for water soluble protein.•The seed physical status is critical for the near infrared spectroscopy prediction.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
