Objective To investigate the test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability of the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA),Wolf's motor function test (WMFT),the box-block test (BBT) and the nine-hole peg test (NHPT) in assessing the upper limb motor function of stroke patients.Methods Eighteen stroke patients participated in the study.Each patient was assessed twice within 2 hours with the U-FMA,WMFT,the BBT and the NHPT.Two raters recorded each session separately.Test-retest reliability was investigated by comparing the assessment results of different sessions; interrater reliability was identified by analyzing the assessment results of different raters.Results The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for the U-FMA were 0.988 on test-retest reliability and 0.959 on inter-rater reliability.The ICC of WMFT by mean and median time were respectively 0.996 and 0.393 on test-retest reliability and both 1.000 on inter-rater reliability.The ICC of WMFT by score mean was O.989 for test-retest reliability and 0.977 for inter-rater reliability.The ICC for test-retest reliability of the BBT using affected hand counts and the difference in counts between the affected and un-affected hand were respectively 0.975 and 0.982.The ICC of the NHPT using affected hand times and the difference between the affected hand and unaffected hand times were respectively 0.937 and 0.936 for test-retest reliability,and both 1.000 for inter-rater reliability.Conclusion The U-FMA,WMFT,the BBT and the NHPT are all measurements with good test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability.They are reliable for assessing the upper extremity motor function of stroke patients.

Objective To investigate the criterion validity of Wolf motor function test (WMFT), BOX-BLOCK TEST (BBT), Nine-Hole Peg Test for assessing upper limb motor function in stroke patients with hemiplegia, as well as the correlation between them. Methods 21 stroke patients participated in the study. 21 stroke patients were assessed once with WMFT, BBT, Nine-Hole Peg Test and U-FMA by one rater. All the 4 tests were assessed on the same day for each patient. The total time of WMFT, the total score of WMFT, the counts of BBT, the time of Nine-Hole Peg Test and the sore of U-FMA were recorded. The Spearman correlation was used to analyze the criterion validity and the correlation. Results and Conclusion Both the total score of WMFT and the BBT counts correlated with U-FMA score (P<0.01). The time of Nine-Hole Peg Test and the total time of the WMFT were not correlated with U-FMA score (P>0.05). The total time of the WMFT and the total score of the WMFT were not correlated (P>0.05). The BBT counts and the total score of the WMFT were correlated (P<0.01). The time of Nine-Hole Peg Test and the total time of WMFT were correlated (P<0.01).

BACKGROUND: Although angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease, it cannot be used widely because of its traumatotaxis. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) and MRA are both non-invasive examinations, which can be used to evaluate intracranial large artery vascular trunks and hemodynamics.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability of diagnosis with TCD on hemodynamic changes of ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) and the relativity between TCD and MRA.DESIGN: Case analysis based on patients.SETTING: Neurological Department of the First Affiliated Clinical Hos-pital, Harbin Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: From April 2001 to February 2002,totally 45 patients with stroke,selected from outpatients and inpatients of Neurological Department of First Affiliated Clinical Hospital of Harbin Medical University,examined by CT, to be told the fact and accepted, were taken part in the study.METHODS: Patients were examined with TC-2021 TCD instrument produced by German EME Corporation and VISART1.5T superconduct MR instrument produced by Toshiba. Totally 45 patients had TCD and MRI examinations, and the alternation between two examinations was 1 to 15 days. The hemodynamics and morphological changes were observed including middle cerebral artery (MCA), end of internal carotid artery (ICA),anterior cerebral artery (ACA), posterior cerebral artery (PCA), basal artery (BA), and vertebral artery (VA).large artery vascular trunks and hemodynamic results with TCD and MRA;ty, false positive and false negative with TCD with those of MRA.TCD and MRA: Theory data was Tmin=9.91; χ2=107.92, P ＜ 0.005, it was considered that the results with the rate of TCD were related with that of MRA. The detection rate of TCD was 19.06%, and that of MRA was 15.25%. There were significant differences between the detection rate of standard, the sensibility of diagnosing abnormal vessels by TCD was 78.10%, specificity 94.22%, false positive 7.46%, false negative 23.31%,and the coincidence rate 89.36%.CONCLUSION: TCD can assess exactly the functional status of the vessels. It can also reflect early and sensitively the change of hemodynamics of cerebral blood flow. While MRA can display the change of vascular appearance directly so that the combination of TCD and MRA will be improve sensibility and specificity of diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the situation and progress in technology of brain computer interfaces (BCI) by using the bibliometric approach.Methods Literature searching was done in China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) database using keyword brain computer interface.Subsequent results were analyzed by using softwares concerning the periodical distribution,subjects' distribution,foundations,authors,institutes,journal types and key words.Results Overall 425 publications from 160 journals were included.The amount of the relevant articles showed an increasing trend in 2002 to 2012.The research in BCI in China was supported by a large amount of funds.There were a lot of Chinese authors and institutions participating in BCI study,and they were widely distributed across the country.However,only 32.56％ of all authors and 51.85％ of all institutions published more than 1 article.Moreover,research on BCI mainly was focused on the biomedical engineering aspect.Conclusions Research on BCI developed rapidly in the past 12 years in China and will continue to develop in the following decades.In the future studies,the focus should shift to clinical research instead of biomedical engineering,and to make this technology a useful clinical practice is the first priority.

Objective To study the correlation between isokinetic parameters and modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) in ankle spasticity as-sessment. Methods 18 stroke patients (spasticity group) and 16 healthy subjects (control group) in our hospitals from August 2014 to March 2015 were included. MAS was used to assess the ankle muscular tension. The ankle passive movement of both groups was measured with BIODEX isokinetic motor assessment system under 10 °/s, 60 °/s, 120 °/s, 180 °/s, 240 °/s. The peak torque (PT), peak torque/body weight (PT/BW), average torque (AT), and slopes of the linear regression curve of torque-velocity (SLOPE) were recorded. The correlation of the isokinetic paramenters and the MAS were tested with Spearman correlation analysis. Results The PT, PT/BW and AT were higher in the spasticity group than in the control group (P<0.05). And they increased as the angular velocity increased, and slowed after 120 °/s. The corre-lation coefficient of MAS and PT, PT/BW, AT, SLOPE were from 0.3043 to 0.7632 (P<0.01). Conclusion The isokinetic parameters were speed-dependent and closely related to MAS. 120 °/s was of the highest sensitivity, and the SLOPE under this anglular velocity was highly correlated with MAS.

The aim of this paper is to apply Raman spectroscopy technique to develop rapid quantitative models for five kinds of Traditional Chinese Medicine containing CaCO3. In the experiment, Raman spectras of 67 batch of sample including Otolithum Sciaenae, Galaxeae Os, Ophicalcitum, Calcite, Stalactite and their mixture which had different content of CaCO3 were collected, and the quantitative models were established by using an improved siPLS to optimize the characteristic spectral bands and using the CaCO3 contents which were measured by EDTA titration method as references. Compared with the results by EDTA titration, the established quantitative model for CaCO, content showed a prediction result that the average relative deviation of the prediction results is 2. 71% and the average recovery rate was 100.46%, when the content is between 0.465 4-0.999 7, and when the characteristic spectral bands of 1 290-1 280, 730-714, 700-690, 660-650, 465-460, 455-445, 405-385 cm(-1) had been optimized. The result also showed that the model using Raman spectroscopy and based on an improved siPLS can get a rapid determination for contents of 5 kinds of Traditional Chinese Medicine containing CaCO3.
Calcium Carbonate ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Models, Statistical ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Spectrum Analysis, Raman ; methods

The aim of this paper is to apply near infrared spectroscopy techniques to construct a rapid identification method for 8 kinds of mineral Chinese Medicines containing carbonates. The qualitative model using clustering analysis method in OPUS software can identify accurately 8 kinds of carbonate-containing mineral Chinese medicines. The near-infrared quantitative model was established by using partial least squares method (PLS) for 7 mineral Chinese Medicines in which main component is calcium carbonate. Compared with the results by EDTA titration, the established quantitative analysis model for calcium carbonate content showed a good prediction result that when the content is between 47.61% -99.17%, the average relative deviation of the prediction result is 0.24% and the average recovery rate was 100.3%. The results also showed that the model using near infrared spectroscopy can get not only a rapid identification of the 8 mineral Chinese medicines containing carbonates, but also an accurate and reliabe content determination of calcium carbonate for the 7 mineral Chinese medicines which contain the component.
Carbonates ; analysis ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Minerals ; chemistry ; Software ; Spectrophotometry, Infrared ; methods ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of length of tibial stump on proprioceptive recovery after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

METHODSFrom March 2011 to December 2011,42 patients with ACL tear were performed with reconstruction. The patients were divided randomly into three groups: group A, the patients with remained length of tibial stump ranging from 15 to 20 mm, including 8 males and 6 females, with an average age of (28.2 ± 6.6) years old; group B, the patients with remained length of tibial stump ranging from 5 to 10 mm, including 9 males and 5 females, with an average age of (27.9 ± 6.4) years old; group C, the patients with remained length of tibial stump less than 2 mm, including 9 males and 5 females, with an average age of (28.6 ± 6.8) years, old. The stability of knee were assessed by Lanchman test and anterior drawer test. The function of knee was assessed by Lysholm score and Tegner activity rating. The proprioceptive recovery was evaluated by assessing the passive reproduction of the angles with limb movement into flexion and extension in no weight bearing position.

RESULTSLanchman test and anterior drawer test of all patients were negative at 6 months postoperatively., and there was one case of positive outcome in each group at 12 month and 18 month postoperatively. Lysholm score and Tegner activity score of all patients at 18 month postoperatively were significantly better than that preoperatively, and there were no significant difference among three groups at 18 month postoperatively. There were no significant difference in the production of the angles at flexion to 20° and extention to 80° and 20° among these groups before and after operation. The reproduction of the angles of group A and B at flexion to 50° and extention to 50° at 6 month postoperatively were significantly better than that of group A and B preoperatively and that of group C at 6 month postoperatively, and there were no significant difference among three groups at 18 month postoperatively. The reproduction of the angles of group A and B at flexion to 80° at 12 month postoperatively were significantly better than that of group A and B preoperatively and that of group C at 12 month postoperatively, and there were no significant difference among three groups at 18 month postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONPreservation of tibial stump in ACL reconstruction has benefit in proprioceptive recovery at early stage postoperatively and the length of tibial stump should be reserved with a range from 5 to 10 mm.

Adult ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Male ; Proprioception ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Tibia ; chemistry ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Young Adult

Objective To find the plantar pressure readings which best indicate foot inversion during the stance phase of walking among hemiplegic stroke survivors.Methods Twenty-two hemiplegic stroke survivors who were able to walk without extra aid were recruited as the experimental group, while 17 healthy elderly men of similar age and body weight were selected as the control group.Those in both groups were asked to walk at their preferred speed over a Footscan device which measured medio-lateral pressure ratios, maximum plantar pressures and the contact areas of both feet.The Clinical Spasticity Index (CSI) was used to evaluate the affected feet.Results The average medial forefoot pressure of the affected side in the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group, but their average mesopodium and heel pressure was significantly higher.The average pressure applied by the great toe on the uninjured side in the experimental group was significantly smaller than that of the control group, but the average mesopodium and heel pressure of both feet among the hemiplegics were significantly higher than those of the control group.Among the experimental group, the average medial forefoot pressure of the affected foot was significantly greater than that of the healthy foot.The average contact area of the great toe on the affected side was significantly bigger than was observed in the control group.That of the medial forefoot was, however, significantly smaller than in the control group.There was no significant difference in the contact area between the healthy and affected feet in the experimental group, though the maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios of their full feet and forefeet on the affected side were significantly lower than those in the healthy group.No significant differences in the maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios of the heel were observed between the two groups, nor of the full feet, forefeet and heels of the affected and unaffected sides in the experimental group.The patients demonstrated consistently reduced joint mobility on both sides during the stance phase, coinciding with increased inversion.A significant negative correlation was found between the maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios of the full foot and the maximum pressure of the lateral part of forefoot in the experimental group, but there was no significant correlation with contact area or CSI.Conclusions Plantar pressure data can be used to describe the amount of foot inversion in the stance phase of walking with hemiplegic patients after stroke.The maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios can effectively reflect their foot inversion.

A method was developed for determination of thirteen amines including seven aliphatic amines, two heterocyclic amines and four aromatic amines in atmospheric particulate matter (PM) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Samples were ultrasonically extracted with ultra-pure water and derivatized with benzenesulfonyl chloride (BSC) under alkaline conditions. The derivatives were extracted with dichloromethane and then detected by GC-MS using DB-5MS chromatographic column. The method detection limit (S/N=3) and quantitation limit (S/N=10) were 0.00008-0.017 μg/mL and 0.00026-0.0565 μg/mL respectively, and the correlation coefficients were 0.9903-0.9996, which indicated that the standard curve had good linear correlation. In addition, the relative standard deviation was less than 30％ and the average recovery was 54.4％-159.7％ except for methylamine and benzylamine at spiked level of 1.0 μg/mL, showing high precision and accuracy. 9 kinds of amines were detected in the PM2.5 samples collected in Guangzhou city by this method, among which dimethylamine and butylamine accounted for 90％ of the total nine amines, which indicated that they were primary amines in PM2.5; while propylamine exhibited the lowest level in PM2.5 with the concentration less than 1.0 ng/m3.