BACKGROUND:The stiffness of muscle fibers and tendons within skeletal muscles is regulated by the neuromuscular system and remains variable.However,observing the mechanical properties of muscle fibers and tendons during complex multi-joint movements is challenging,and the real-time variation patterns of their stiffness are not yet clear.OBJECTIVE:Taking the open-access simulation data of triceps surae at different running speeds and gait phases as an example,to explore the real-time stiffness change rules of muscle fiber stiffness and tendon stiffness.METHODS:OpenSim simulation results of muscle fiber activation,length,velocity parameters,and tendon length parameters of the triceps surae in five long-distance runners at different running speeds were collected from the Website of Stanford University.The instantaneous slope of the force-length relationship curve of muscle fibers and tendons in the Hill-Zajac muscle model used in the simulation was extracted as the real-time stiffness of the triceps surae muscle fibers and tendons.The temporal changes of stiffness indicators of muscle fibers and tendons during gait were analyzed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The regulation of muscle fiber activation-length-velocity status and tendon strain resulted in the stiffness of muscle fibers and tendons changing in the same trend as the applied force.Compared with lower running speeds,the stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle fibers was higher in the early support phase at higher running speeds(P ≤ 0.01),and the tendon stiffness of the medial head of the gastrocnemius was higher in the early support phase(P≤ 0.02).The stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle fibers and tendons was lower from the mid-support to the mid-swing phase(P≤ 0.03),and the stiffness of the soleus muscle fibers was higher during the support phase(P ≤ 0.02).Under all running speeds,the stiffness of the triceps surae muscle fibers and tendons showed a trend of being higher during the support phase than during the pre-swing phase(P ≤ 0.03),and the stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle fibers and tendons increased again in the late swing phase(P ≤ 0.05).These findings indicate that increasing running speed can increase the stiffness of triceps surae muscle fibers and tendons during the stance phase;when running speed and gait phase change,gastrocnemius and soleus muscles have different patterns of muscle fiber and tendon stiffness changes,whereas gastrocnemius can increase its muscle fiber stiffness and tendon stiffness in the late swing phase through pre-activation phenomenon.

Objective:To study the risk and pattern of deaths caused by various diseases in the population and in the case of long-term occupational X-ray exposure.Methods:Using a combination of retrospective and prospective cohort research methods, an exposure group of medical X-ray diagnostic workers who worked in the radiology department of Jiangsu Provincial Hospital between 1950 and 1980 and a control group of medical workers from other departments who did not work with radiolog during the same period in the same hospital were selected to form a study cohort. The cumulative number of person years of observation in the cohort during 1950-2011 was calculated, and the Cox regression model was used to calculate the risk of deaths of medical X-ray diagnostic workers for various diseases through adjusting sex, attained age, birth age, and starting working age.Results:A total of 6 953 follow-up visits was completed to the cohort, including 3 649 in the radiation group and 3 304 in the control group, with a total of 347 362 person years of observation. There were 2 099 deaths in the cohort as of December 31, 2021. Cox regression results showed that diseases with a significantly higher risk of death in the radiation group compared with the control group were: all-cancer ( RR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.39, Z=2.56, P<0.05, including lung cancer RR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.17-1.98, Z=3.10, P<0.01, and pancreatic cancer RR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.11-3.46, Z=2.31, P<0.05); diseases of the circulatory system ( RR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.06-1.57, Z=2.58, P<0.01); endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases ( RR=1.90, 95% CI: 1.06-3.42, Z=2.14, P<0.05). Stratified analyses showed that, of male workers, the radiation group had an increased risk of death caused by all-cancer and lung cancer ( Z=3.50, 2.92, P<0.01); of the age group at starting ages 26 to 30, the radiation group had an increased risk of death distributed to circulatory diseases ( Z=2.06, P<0.05); and in the age group at attained ages elder than 61 years, the radiation group had an increased risk of death distributed to all cancers, lung cancer, and circulatory diseases ( Z=2.90-4.31, P<0.01). Conclusions:As has been shown, threre is an increasing risk of death distributed to lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and circulatory diseases in medical X-ray diagnostic workers in Jiangsu province. Further in-depth research in related areas may be conducted in the future.

BACKGROUND:The stiffness of muscle fibers and tendons within skeletal muscles is regulated by the neuromuscular system and remains variable.However,observing the mechanical properties of muscle fibers and tendons during complex multi-joint movements is challenging,and the real-time variation patterns of their stiffness are not yet clear.OBJECTIVE:Taking the open-access simulation data of triceps surae at different running speeds and gait phases as an example,to explore the real-time stiffness change rules of muscle fiber stiffness and tendon stiffness.METHODS:OpenSim simulation results of muscle fiber activation,length,velocity parameters,and tendon length parameters of the triceps surae in five long-distance runners at different running speeds were collected from the Website of Stanford University.The instantaneous slope of the force-length relationship curve of muscle fibers and tendons in the Hill-Zajac muscle model used in the simulation was extracted as the real-time stiffness of the triceps surae muscle fibers and tendons.The temporal changes of stiffness indicators of muscle fibers and tendons during gait were analyzed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The regulation of muscle fiber activation-length-velocity status and tendon strain resulted in the stiffness of muscle fibers and tendons changing in the same trend as the applied force.Compared with lower running speeds,the stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle fibers was higher in the early support phase at higher running speeds(P ≤ 0.01),and the tendon stiffness of the medial head of the gastrocnemius was higher in the early support phase(P≤ 0.02).The stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle fibers and tendons was lower from the mid-support to the mid-swing phase(P≤ 0.03),and the stiffness of the soleus muscle fibers was higher during the support phase(P ≤ 0.02).Under all running speeds,the stiffness of the triceps surae muscle fibers and tendons showed a trend of being higher during the support phase than during the pre-swing phase(P ≤ 0.03),and the stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle fibers and tendons increased again in the late swing phase(P ≤ 0.05).These findings indicate that increasing running speed can increase the stiffness of triceps surae muscle fibers and tendons during the stance phase;when running speed and gait phase change,gastrocnemius and soleus muscles have different patterns of muscle fiber and tendon stiffness changes,whereas gastrocnemius can increase its muscle fiber stiffness and tendon stiffness in the late swing phase through pre-activation phenomenon.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exerts integrative effects on complex diseases owing to the characteristics of multiple components with multiple targets. However, the syndrome-based system of diagnosis and treatment in TCM can easily lead to bias because of varying medication preferences among physicians, which has been a major challenge in the global acceptance and application of TCM. Therefore, a standardized TCM prescription system needs to be explored to promote its clinical application. In this study, we first developed a gradient weighted disease-target-herbal ingredient-herb network to aid TCM formulation. We tested its efficacy against intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). First, the top 100 ICH targets in the GeneCards database were screened according to their relevance scores. Then, SymMap and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) databases were applied to find out the target-related ingredients and ingredient-containing herbs, respectively. The relevance of the resulting ingredients and herbs to ICH was determined by adding the relevance scores of the corresponding targets. The top five ICH therapeutic herbs were combined to form a tailored TCM prescriptions. The absorbed components in the serum were detected. In a mouse model of ICH, the new prescription exerted multifaceted effects, including improved neurological function, as well as attenuated neuronal damage, cell apoptosis, vascular leakage, and neuroinflammation. These effects matched well with the core pathological changes in ICH. The multi-targets-directed gradient-weighting strategy presents a promising avenue for tailoring precise, multipronged, unbiased, and standardized TCM prescriptions for complex diseases. This study provides a paradigm for advanced achievements-driven modern innovation in TCM concepts.

Objective:To study the risk and pattern of deaths caused by various diseases in the population and in the case of long-term occupational X-ray exposure.Methods:Using a combination of retrospective and prospective cohort research methods, an exposure group of medical X-ray diagnostic workers who worked in the radiology department of Jiangsu Provincial Hospital between 1950 and 1980 and a control group of medical workers from other departments who did not work with radiolog during the same period in the same hospital were selected to form a study cohort. The cumulative number of person years of observation in the cohort during 1950-2011 was calculated, and the Cox regression model was used to calculate the risk of deaths of medical X-ray diagnostic workers for various diseases through adjusting sex, attained age, birth age, and starting working age.Results:A total of 6 953 follow-up visits was completed to the cohort, including 3 649 in the radiation group and 3 304 in the control group, with a total of 347 362 person years of observation. There were 2 099 deaths in the cohort as of December 31, 2021. Cox regression results showed that diseases with a significantly higher risk of death in the radiation group compared with the control group were: all-cancer ( RR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.39, Z=2.56, P<0.05, including lung cancer RR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.17-1.98, Z=3.10, P<0.01, and pancreatic cancer RR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.11-3.46, Z=2.31, P<0.05); diseases of the circulatory system ( RR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.06-1.57, Z=2.58, P<0.01); endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases ( RR=1.90, 95% CI: 1.06-3.42, Z=2.14, P<0.05). Stratified analyses showed that, of male workers, the radiation group had an increased risk of death caused by all-cancer and lung cancer ( Z=3.50, 2.92, P<0.01); of the age group at starting ages 26 to 30, the radiation group had an increased risk of death distributed to circulatory diseases ( Z=2.06, P<0.05); and in the age group at attained ages elder than 61 years, the radiation group had an increased risk of death distributed to all cancers, lung cancer, and circulatory diseases ( Z=2.90-4.31, P<0.01). Conclusions:As has been shown, threre is an increasing risk of death distributed to lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and circulatory diseases in medical X-ray diagnostic workers in Jiangsu province. Further in-depth research in related areas may be conducted in the future.

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)exerts integrative effects on complex diseases owing to the char-acteristics of multiple components with multiple targets.However,the syndrome-based system of diagnosis and treatment in TCM can easily lead to bias because of varying medication preferences among physicians,which has been a major challenge in the global acceptance and application of TCM.Therefore,a standardized TCM prescription system needs to be explored to promote its clinical application.In this study,we first developed a gradient weighted disease-target-herbal ingredient-herb network to aid TCM formulation.We tested its efficacy against intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH).First,the top 100 ICH targets in the GeneCards database were screened according to their relevance scores.Then,SymMap and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology(TCMSP)databases were applied to find out the target-related ingredients and ingredient-containing herbs,respectively.The relevance of the resulting ingredients and herbs to ICH was determined by adding the relevance scores of the corresponding targets.The top five ICH therapeutic herbs were combined to form a tailored TCM prescriptions.The absorbed components in the serum were detected.In a mouse model of ICH,the new prescription exerted multifaceted effects,including improved neurological function,as well as attenuated neuronal damage,cell apoptosis,vascular leakage,and neuroinflammation.These effects matched well with the core pathological changes in ICH.The multi-targets-directed gradient-weighting strategy presents a promising avenue for tailoring precise,multipronged,unbiased,and standardized TCM prescriptions for complex diseases.This study provides a paradigm for advanced achievements-driven modern innovation in TCM concepts.

Objective:To investigate WS 582-2017 Specifications for testing of quality control in X and γ ray stereotactic radiotherapy system (hereinafter referred to as WS 582-2017) with respect to its current status, existing problems and evaluation since its implementation in Beijing, Chongqing, Jiangsu and Sichuan. Methods:The evaluation of this standard was carried out by means of field survey, questionnaire survey and expert seminar. In accordance with the WS 582-2017 implementation assessment programme, a total of 153 professionals involved in the implementation of WS 582-2017 from 80 radiological health technical service institutions, health supervision institutions and medical institutions of two municipalities and two provinces were surveyed in 2023. The investigation was carried out by using a combination of cluster sampling and stratified sampling and through sampling professionals with of different institution characteristics and different technical titles. The general survey method was used for Jiangsu province, while the cluster sampling method was used for others, with 153 individulas from 80 institutions being sampled for the investigation.Results:The awareness rate of WS 582-2017 was 80.39%, of which 90.85% considered it to be scientific and rigorous, 81.05% considered it to be operational and 97.39% considered it to be in consistency with the relevant regulatory standards, 90.20% considerd it to have played an important role in promoting radiological protection optimization for radiotherapy, 90.85% considered the implementation of it to have played a significant role in the quality control of standarded testing of radiotherapy equipment, and 86.93% considered the implementation of it to have played a significant role in enhancing the professional competence of relevant technicians.Conclusions:The overall implementation of WS 582-2017 in two municipalities and two provinces is good, with scientific and operable technical contents and the remarkable effect achieved in its implementation. However, the WS 582-2017 needs to be further improved in some areas, and training on the standard needs to be strengthened to improve the awareness rate of it.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for postoperative multi-drug resistant infection in patients with cerebral hemorrhage and establish a Nomogram prediction model. Methods Clinical materials of 241 patients with surgery for cerebral hemorrhage in the hospital from July 2020 to July 2023 were collected, and they were divided into infection group and non-infection group. Logistic regression models were used to analyze independent influencing factors for the occurrence of postoperative multi-drug resistant infection in patients with cerebral hemorrhage, and a Nomogram prediction model was constructed accordingly. The predictive performance of the Nomogram was evaluated by the consistency index (C-index), the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the calibration curve. Results A total of 241 patients with cerebral hemorrhage were included in this study, among which 56 cases (24.24%) had postoperative multi-drug resistant infection. In the infection group, the preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, ratio of preoperative vomiting, ratio of preoperative antibiotic treatment, ratio of gastric tube indwelling, ratio of tracheotomy, and ratio of intubation were significantly higher than those in the non-infection group (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative GCS score ≤8, preoperative vomiting, preoperative antibiotic treatment, gastric tube indwelling, tracheotomy and intubation were the independent risk factors for postoperative multi-drug resistant infection in patients with cerebral hemorrhage (OR > 1, P < 0.05). Values of area under thecurve (AUC) for preoperative GCS score, preoperative vomiting, preoperative antibiotic treatment, tracheotomy and intubation were all above 0.700, indicating these indicators have good predictive value for the occurrence of postoperative multi-drug resistant infection in such patients. Based on these influencing factors, a Nomogram risk model was established. The C-index value of the calibration curve was 0.798, suggesting the Nomogram model has good discriminatory power. The AUC values for the modeling group and validation group in the ROC curve were 0.798 and 0.722 respectively, indicating that the Nomogram model possesses satisfactory predictive efficacy. Conclusion Nomogram prediction model constructed based on independent risk factors for postoperative multi-drug resistant infection in patients with cerebral hemorrhage can effectively predict the probability of such infections occurring in these patients after surgery.

Objective To compare the effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation(PNF),con-centric-isometric-eccentric fast training(CIEFT),and concentric-isometric-eccentric slow training(CI-EST)in young adults with flexible flatfoot.Methods Forty participants were randomly allocated into a PNF group,a CIEFT group,a CIEST group and a control group,each of 10.The PNF,CIEFT and CIEST groups underwent six weeks of training as their group names indicated.Then the height differ-ence in the navicular drop test(NDt),normalized navicular height truncated(NNHt),muscle strength of ankle joint,plantar pressure distribution characteristics,and dynamic balance of all groups were re-corded before and after the intervention.Results As to the arch morphology,compared with pre-inter-vention,NDt decreased significantly in the dominant side of PNF group(P=0.049)and the non-domi-nant side of CIEFT group(P=0.034),while NNHt increased significantly in the non-dominant side of CIEFT group(P=0.026).Moreover,compared with pre-intervention,the muscle strength of plantar flex-ion increased significantly in all groups except the control group(dominant/non-dominant side:P=0.003/P=0.004,P=0.000/P=0.000,P=0.001/P=0.001),and that of inversion increased significantly in both PNF and CIEFT groups(dominant/non-dominant side:P=0.011/P=0.005,P=0.003/P=0.003).When it comes to the plantar pressure distribution characteristics,after the intervention,in the non-dominant side,the incremental center of pressure(COP)connections decreased significantly in CIEFT group(P=0.037),while the ratio of medial arch load and the contact area of the medial arch in PNF group de-creased significantly(P=0.012,P=0.027).Moreover,in the dominant side,the contact area decreased significantly in CIEST group(P=0.038),but increased significantly in the control group(P=0.015).What's more,after intervention,the Y-balance test score increased significantly in both sides of PNF and CIEST groups and the dominant side of CIEFT group(P=0.006/P=0.023,P=0.001/P=0.035,P=0.011).Conclusion Through a 6-week exercise intervention,PNF can improve the foot arch morphology and enhance dynamic balance ability in young adults with flexible flatfoot,while concentric-isometric-eccen-tric fast and slow training is superior in improving the foot arch morphology and the dynamic balance ability,respectively.