THE EFFECTS OF KINESIO TAPING ON MUSCULAR ENDURANCE OF DEEP NECK FLEXORS FOR SUBJECTS WITH FORWARD HEAD POSTURE?A PILOT STUDY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Kinesio taping on head posture and muscular endurance of deep neck flexors for subjects with forward head posture. The subjects were two males (mean age 19.0 ± 1.4 years, mean body height 172.0 ± 5.6 cm, mean body weight 72.0 ± 18.3 kg) and three females (mean age 19.7 ± 2.0 years, mean body height 162.0± 2.0 cm, mean body weight 55.3 ± 6.6 kg) who agreed to participate in this study. The forward head posture was measured by postural assessment system, meanwhile the muscular endurance of deep neck flexors was measured by using the neck strength measure instrument while two taping methods applied to the subjects. The placebo taping method resulted in more improvement on neck flexor muscles endurance and head posture than traditional taping method. Placebo taping method may be better than the traditional taping method for correcting forward head posture and improving muscular endurance of deep neck flexors

Smart Object Reminders with RFID and Mobile Technologies

[[abstract]]In this paper, we present a reminder system that sends a reminder list to the user's mobile device based on the history data collected from the same user and the events in the user's calendar on that day. The system provides an individualized service. The list is to remind the user with objects he/she might have forgotten at home. The objects that the user brings along with are detected by passive RFID technology. Objects are classified into three different levels based on their frequencies in the history data. Rules of the three levels are then followed to decide if a certain object should be in the reminder list or not. A feedback mechanism is also designed to lower the possibility of unnecessary reminding.[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]電子

Search for new physics from B→πϕB\to\pi \phi

We investigate the pure penguin process $B^-\to \pi^-\phi$ using QCD factorization approach to calculate hadronic matrix elements to the $\alpha_s$ order in some well-known NP models. It is shown that the NP contributions in R-parity conserved SUSY models and 2HDMs are not enough to saturate the experimental upper bounds for $B\to \phi \pi$. We have shown that the flavor changing $Z^\prime$ models can make the branching ratios of $B\to \phi \pi$ to saturate the bound under all relevant experimental constraints.Comment: No figure

Comparison of the mismatch-specific endonuclease method and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography for the identification of HBB gene mutations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Beta-thalassemia is a common autosomal recessive hereditary disease in the Meditertanean, Asia and African areas. Over 600 mutations have been described in the beta-globin (<it>HBB</it>), of which more than 200 are associated with a beta-thalassemia phenotype.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used two highly-specific mutation screening methods, mismatch-specific endonuclease and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography, to identify mutations in the <it>HBB </it>gene. The sensitivity and specificity of these two methods were compared. We successfully distinguished mutations in the <it>HBB </it>gene by the mismatch-specific endonuclease method without need for further assay. This technique had 100% sensitivity and specificity for the study sample.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Compared to the DHPLC approach, the mismatch-specific endonuclease method allows mutational screening of a large number of samples because of its speed, sensitivity and adaptability to semi-automated systems. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using the mismatch-specific endonuclease method as a tool for mutation screening.</p

Second-trimester Maternal Serum Quadruple Test for Down Syndrome Screening: A Taiwanese Population-based Study

SummaryObjectiveTo assess the usefulness of quadruple test screening for Down syndrome in Taiwan.Materials and MethodsMaternal serum concentrations of a-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, unconjugated estriol, and inhibin A were measured in 21,481 pregnant women from 15 to 20 weeks of gestation.ResultsOf the 21,481 women, 977 returned values greater than the high-risk cut-off value (1 in 270). Most of these women (86.2%) decided to have an invasive procedure for genetic diagnosis. Nine cases of Down syndrome and 19 cases of other chromosomal anomalies were detected prenatally. Two children with Down syndrome were diagnosed after delivery even though a low estimated risk was determined following the quadruple test. The detection rate was 81.8% (nine out of 11 cases), with a 4.4% false-positive rate. The median multiple of the median value for a-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, unconjugated estriol and inhibin A were 0.87, 2.34, 0.77 and 2.16, respectively, in affected cases.ConclusionThis is the first study of the quadruple test for Down syndrome in a Chinese population. Our findings suggested that the second-trimester quadruple test provides an effective screening tool for Down syndrome in Taiwan

Glycogen synthase kinase 3α and 3β have distinct functions during cardiogenesis of zebrafish embryo

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase, is known to play roles in many biological processes. Two closely related GSK3 isoforms encoded by distinct genes: GSK3α (51 kDa) and GSK3β (47 kDa). In previously studies, most GSK3 inhibitors are not only inhibiting GSK3, but are also affecting many other kinases. In addition, because of highly similarity in amino acid sequence between GSK3α and GSK3β, making it difficult to identify an inhibitor that can be selective against GSK3α or GSK3β. Thus, it is relatively difficult to address the functions of GSK3 isoforms during embryogenesis. At this study, we attempt to specifically inhibit either GSK3α or GSK3β and uncover the isoform-specific roles that GSK3 plays during cardiogenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We blocked <it>gsk3α </it>and <it>gsk3β </it>translations by injection of morpholino antisense oligonucleotides (MO). Both <it>gsk3α</it>- and <it>gsk3β</it>-MO-injected embryos displayed similar morphological defects, with a thin, string-like shaped heart and pericardial edema at 72 hours post-fertilization. However, when detailed analysis of the <it>gsk3α</it>- and <it>gsk3β</it>-MO-induced heart defects, we found that the reduced number of cardiomyocytes in <it>gsk3α </it>morphants during the heart-ring stage was due to apoptosis. On the contrary, <it>gsk3β </it>morphants did not exhibit significant apoptosis in the cardiomyocytes, and the heart developed normally during the heart-ring stage. Later, however, the heart positioning was severely disrupted in <it>gsk3β </it>morphants. <it>bmp4 </it>expression in <it>gsk3β </it>morphants was up-regulated and disrupted the asymmetry pattern in the heart. The cardiac valve defects in <it>gsk3β </it>morphants were similar to those observed in <it>axin1 </it>and <it>apc</it>^{<it>mcr </it>}mutants, suggesting that GSK3β might play a role in cardiac valve development through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Finally, the phenotypes of <it>gsk3α </it>mutant embryos cannot be rescued by <it>gsk3β </it>mRNA, and vice versa, demonstrating that GSK3α and GSK3β are not functionally redundant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that (1) GSK3α, but not GSK3β, is necessary in cardiomyocyte survival; (2) the GSK3β plays important roles in modulating the left-right asymmetry and affecting heart positioning; and (3) GSK3α and GSK3β play distinct roles during zebrafish cardiogenesis.</p

Molecular and clinical analyses of 84 patients with tuberous sclerosis complex

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by the development of multiple hamartomas in many internal organs. Mutations in either one of 2 genes, TSC1 and TSC2, have been attributed to the development of TSC. More than two-thirds of TSC patients are sporadic cases, and a wide variety of mutations in the coding region of the TSC1 and TSC2 genes have been reported. METHODS: Mutational analysis of TSC1 and TSC2 genes was performed in 84 Taiwanese TSC families using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and direct sequencing. RESULTS: Mutations were identified in a total of 64 (76 %) cases, including 9 TSC1 mutations (7 sporadic and 2 familial cases) and 55 TSC2 mutations (47 sporadic and 8 familial cases). Thirty-one of the 64 mutations found have not been described previously. The phenotype association is consistent with findings from other large studies, showing that disease resulting from mutations to TSC1 is less severe than disease due to TSC2 mutation. CONCLUSION: This study provides a representative picture of the distribution of mutations of the TSC1 and TSC2 genes in clinically ascertained TSC cases in the Taiwanese population. Although nearly half of the mutations identified were novel, the kinds and distribution of mutation were not different in this population compared to that seen in larger European and American studies