Objective To evaluate the feasibility of using a microsensor motion capture unit (MCU) to assess the reaching characteristics of hemiplegic stroke patients. Methods Twenty-three hemiplegic stroke patients with an average age of (61 ± 11) years and ten normal subjects of matching age were asked to sit on a chair and use the affected arm (for the patients) or the right arm (for the normal subjects) to reach for a cup on a table just in front of the shoulder at arm's length away.Four small sensor boxes which could detect movement and its speed and smoothness in three dimensions were fixed to the subject's spine,upper arm,forearm and hand.The test was repeated four times after two trial runs.The average velocity,peak velocity,degree of joint dispersion,entropy of acceleration,joint coordination and active range of motion ( AROM ) of the shoulder were analyzed.The patients and normal subjects were statistically compared.The results were correlated with Fugl-Meyer upper extremity scores using Spearman correlation analysis. Results All of the measured variables showed significant differences between the patients and normal subjects.In the correlation study,the average velocity,peak velocity,AROM of the shoulder and joint coordination showed significant correlation with the Fugl-Meyer scores.There was,however,no significant correlation between degree of dispersion of the shoulder or elbow joints or the entropy of acceleration ( which represented the quality of movement) and Fugl-Meyer upper extremity scores. Conclusions The results suggest that microsensor MCUs can quantitatively assess the kinematics of reaching among hemiplegic stroke patients.They can provide valuable and objective data about the functional quality of multiple joint movements in three dimensions.

We identified and characterized the full-length genome of a GI.8 norovirus strain CHN/Huzhou/N10 isolated in an outbreak in Huzhou,China.The full-length genome of CHN/Huzhou/N10 was amplified using five pairs of primers which were designed according to the full-length GI norovirus genome sequences published in GenBank database.Multiple alignments were performed using DNAStar,the phylogenetic relationship of CHN/Huzhou/N10 and the representative NoV (Norovirus) strains from each genogroup were assessed using the software MEGA version 6.0.The viral genome of CHN/Huzhou/N10 was 7 740 nucleotides in length,which was consist of three ORFs spanning 5-5 404 nt (ORF1),5 388-7 019 nt(ORF2),and 7 019-7 660 nt (ORF3),respectively.Phylogenetic analysis based on polymerase and capsid sequences VP1 and VP2 region indicated that CHN/Huzhou/N10 belonged to GI.8 genotype.The amino acid sequence analysis of the VP1 region showed that CHN/Huzhou/N10 had 16 mutations compared with the representative strain Boxer/2001/US,12 of these variations were located in the P2 subregion.Moreover,a single amino acid change (T347S) occurred at histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) binding site Ⅱ and another single amino acid change (T397E) occurred at HBGA binding site Ⅲ.In this study,the first full genome of norovirus GI.8 isolated in Huzhou,China was extensively characterized.The data would be helpful not only for the epidemiology study,but also for the diagnostic tool development and effective vaccine design in the future.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of ZHU Lian's acupuncture-activatingmethod in treating deglutition disorder due to pseudobulbar palsy after cerebral stroke.Method Sixty patients with deglutition disorder due to pseudobulbar palsy after cerebral stroke in acute stage were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. The two groups both received symptomatic neurological treatment. In the two groups, acupoints including Lianquan (CV23), Huiyan (Extra), Baihui (GV20), and bilateral Shuaigu (GB8), Wangu (GB12), Zhaohai (KI6), Lieque (LU7),and Yinlingquan (SP9) were selected. The observation group was intervened by ZHU Lian's acupuncture-activating method; the control group was intervened by ordinary needling method plus G6805 therapeutic appliance with sparse-dense wave for 20 min. Prior tothe treatment and after 10 treatment courses, the two groups were evaluated by using Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) and Kubota's water drinking test for swallowing function.Result After 10 treatment courses, the total effective rate was 96.7%in the observation group versus 83.3% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05); the VFSS score in the observation group was significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.01); the water drinking test score in the observation group was significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.01). The results indicated that the therapeutic efficacy was more significant in the observation group compared to that in the control group.Conclusion ZHU Lian's acupuncture-activating method can produce a more significant efficacy in treating deglutition disorder due to pseudobulbar palsy after cerebral stroke in acute stage compared with sparse-dense-wave electroacupuncture.

Objective To assess the reaching ability of hemiplegic stroke survivors using a motion capture unit (MCU) combined with surface electromyography (sEMG).Methods Sixteen stroke survivors with hemiplegia formed the experimental group,while healthy counterparts were selected as the control group.Both groups were asked to sit on a chair and reach for a cup on a table in front of their shoulder at arm's length using their affected arms in the experimental group and their right arms in the control group.MCUs were fixed on their spines and arms to obtain kinematic signals,and the sEMG signals of the trapezius,the anterior deltoids,biceps and triceps of the tested limb were recorded.Each subject repeated the test 3 times,and the best result was retained for further analysis.After signal processing,the range of movement of the shoulders and elbows was extracted along with the time used to reach the cup,peak angular velocity,time to peak velocity of the shoulders and elbows,work of the muscles and work ratios of the trapezius/deltoid and biceps/triceps.The upper limb section of the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) was also administered to evaluate the patients' upper limb function.Independent sample rank sum tests compared the patients with the controls in terms of kinematics and sEMG parameters.Spearman analysis was used to explore the correlation between the FMA scores and the kinematics and sEMG characteristics.Results Significant differences in the kinematic and myoelectric indicators were found between the patients and the controls.The average FMA score of the patients was correlated with the peak velocity of the shoulder joint.Moreover,the ROM of the shoulder was closely related to the work of the trapezius,while the time for the shoulder joint to reach peak velocity was closely related to the work ratio of the biceps and triceps.Conclusion An MCU integrated with synchronous sEMG can quantitatively assess the kinematics and kinetics of hemiplegic stroke survivors,at least in reaching.This can provide objective guidance to optimize clinical rehabilitation.

The construction of featured specialties is the current development strategy of community health service institutions to improve the service scope and to meet the health needs of residents. The rehabilitation medicine has undergone 12 years of development and become a relatively mature featured specialty in Fenglin Community Health Service Center. Based on the Fenglin′s experience, this article discusses the development status and restriction bottlenecks of general practice, and the development status and trend of rehabilitation medicine in the community; and also explores the integrated development model of community-featured specialty with general practice.

Community health institutions have entered a new development stage of featured specialty construction. After 12 years of development, rehabilitation medicine now is the featured specialty of Fenglin Community Health Service Center. This article presents the train of thought and key points of specialty construction in primary care institutions based on the Fenglin′s experience. The positioning of featured specialty should be based on the community. The construction process should include 7 elements, namely, the standard operation procedure(SOP)of service system construction, the detailed publicity and implementation of the collaboration of specialists, prevention and control knowledge promotion for general practitioners, prevention and control knowledge education for community residents, service list, clinical efficacy evaluation, and clinical database. In the later iterations, the head of the department should always focus on the service system construction SOP and clinical database construction, and the rest parts can be assigned to the relevant team members.

Objective To investigate gene pathways associated with severe acne.Methods Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG)-based pathway analysis was conducted using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) data on 1 056 patients with severe acne and 1 056 healthy controls,and each testee was tested for 900 015 SNPs.A hypergeometric distribution test was used to analyze the relationship between each pathway and severe acne,and the false discovery rate (FDR) to correct for multiple testing.Any pathway with an adjusted P value of ＜ 0.05 was considered to be associated with severe acne.Results Twelve genes were identified to be associated with severe acne (P ＜ 0.001),including TMPRSS11E,DDB2,RIC1,CLLU1OS,IL3,PLA2G4B,SLC16A14,SOX17,FAHD2A,ENTPD7,MRPL50 and TXLNB.Pathway analysis revealed 5 pathways associated with severe acne (adjusted P ＜ 0.05),including the prolactin signaling pathway,hepatitis C,renal cell carcinoma,high affinity receptor for immunoglobulin E (Fc epsilon RI) signaling pathway,and tyrosine metabolism.Conclusion The 5 identified pathways are associated with severe acne,which affect the endocrine,immune and metabolic processes in the human body.

Objective To investigate antimicrobial resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae clinically isolated from 14 teaching hospitals located at different areas in China in 2005-2008 and to give logical guidance for clinical empirical therapy.Methods A total of 1 317 non-repetitive S.pneumoniae isolates in 14 teaching hospitals from 2005-2008 were collected and sent to the central lab for reidentification and susceptibility testing, including 271 isolates collected in 2005, 391 isolates collected in 2006, 363 isolates collected in 2007 and 292 isolates collected in 2008. Most of the isolates were from community-acquired respiratory tract infections, which were isolated from outpatient or emergency department patients with respiratory tract infections or those patients with respiratory tract infections within ≤48 hours hospitalization.The districts where the organisms were isolated include North China, Northeast China, South China, Central and Northwest China and East China.The patients included adults, teenagers and children.The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) or inhibitory zone diameter of 17 antimicrobial agents were determined by Etest method, agar dilution method or disk diffusion method.WHONET5.5 software was used to analyze susceptibility rate, intermediate rate, resistance rate, MIC50 and MIC90.Results Linezolid (100%) and fluoroquinolones (95.2%-99.7%) showed excellent activities against S.pneumoniae.Among β-lactams, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid remained high activities (73.8%-92.1%),followed by penicillin, ceftriaxone and cefepime with year-over-year decrease in activities.The activities of three second-generation cephalosporins were low (36.3%-38.4% in 2008).The activities of erythromycin, azithromycin, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline against S.pneumoniae were poor and decreased year over year.The incidence of penicillin non-susceptible S.pneumoniae (PNSP) was increasing especially for PISP (from 4.4% in 2005 to 20.2% in 2008).The incidence of PNSP in North China was low (6.0%), while this value were high in central China and East China (30.1% and 38.7%, separately).The incidence of PNSP in adults (15.7%) was obviously lower than that in children(≤5 years:33.0%) and teenagers (6-17 years:38.2%).Conclusions linezolid and fluoroquinolones showed excellent in vitro activity against S.pneumoniae, followed by penicillin and cephalosporins with year-over-year decrease of activity. Clinicians should pay more attention when using those antimicrobial agents with poor activity against S.pneumoniae, which include macrolides, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline.

Recent research has demonstrated that advanced liver fibrosis in patients could be reversed, but no approved agents are available for the treatment and prevention of liver fibrosis in humans. Curcumin (CUR) is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric. Inhibitory effects of CUR and its underlying mechanisms in liver fibrogenesis have been explored. In the present study, we hypothesized that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the protective effects of CUR against liver fibrosis. We used CCl4-induced liver injury in BALB/c mice and the rat hepatic stellate cell line HSC-T6 as experimental models. Genomic DNA methylation was analyzed by MeDIP-chip and verified by real-time PCR on MeDIP-enriched DNA. The mRNA and protein expressions of DNMT1, α-SMA, and Col1α1 were determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The methylation statuses of FGFR3, FZD10, Gpx4, and Hoxd3 were further confirmed by quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP). Our results showed that CUR treatment reversed liver injury in vivo and in vitro, possibly through down regulation of DNMT1, α-SMA, and Col1α1 and by demethylation of the key genes. In conclusion, aberrant methylation is closely associated with liver fibrosis and CUR treatment may reverse liver fibrosis by epigenetic mechanisms.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Curcumin ; administration & dosage ; DNA Methylation ; drug effects ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Protective Agents ; administration & dosage ; Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats

Transcranial magneto-acoustic electrical stimulation (TMAES) is a novel method of brain nerve regulation and research, which uses induction current generated by the coupling of ultrasound and magnetic field to regulate neural electrical activity in different brain regions. As the second special envoy of nerve signal, calcium plays a key role in nerve signal transmission. In order to investigate the effect of TMAES on prefrontal cortex electrical activity, 15 mice were divided into control group, ultrasound stimulation (TUS) group and TMAES group. The TMAES group received 2.6 W/cm ² and 0.3 T of magnetic induction intensity, the TUS group received only ultrasound stimulation, and the control group received no ultrasound and magnetic field for one week. The calcium ion concentration in the prefrontal cortex of mice was recorded in real time by optical fiber photometric detection technology. The new object recognition experiment was conducted to compare the behavioral differences and the time-frequency distribution of calcium signal in each group. The results showed that the mean value of calcium transient signal in the TMAES group was (4.84 ± 0.11)% within 10 s after the stimulation, which was higher than that in the TUS group (4.40 ± 0.10)% and the control group (4.22 ± 0.08)%, and the waveform of calcium transient signal was slower, suggesting that calcium metabolism was faster. The main energy band of the TMAES group was 0-20 Hz, that of the TUS group was 0-12 Hz and that of the control group was 0-8 Hz. The cognitive index was 0.71 in the TMAES group, 0.63 in the TUS group, and 0.58 in the control group, indicating that both ultrasonic and magneto-acoustic stimulation could improve the cognitive ability of mice, but the effect of the TMAES group was better than that of the TUS group. These results suggest that TMAES can change the calcium homeostasis of prefrontal cortex nerve clusters, regulate the discharge activity of prefrontal nerve clusters, and promote cognitive function. The results of this study provide data support and reference for further exploration of the deep neural mechanism of TMAES.
Acoustics ; Animals ; Brain ; Calcium ; Electric Stimulation ; Mice ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation