BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF BACK-SOMERSAULT KICKS IN TAEKWONDO

This study was purposed to investigate biomechanical differences between best and worst trials in performing back-somersault kicks in Taekwondo. Six elite members of college Taekwondo demonstration team participated in this study and executed each ten trials of single back-somersault kick and double back-somersault kick, respectively. High speed motion capturing system collected positions of 21 markers on major anatomical locations to obtain motion data of full body segments. After post-processing procedure, results showed that the best trial of back-somersault kicks indicated longer preparation time (countermovement), larger range of motions of hip joint, and higher peak angular velocities of knee and hip joints prior to take-off than those of the worst trial. We concluded that athletes should avoid a quick countermovement before take-off, which induces insufficient strain energy of lower extremities and ground reaction impulse. Therefore, a sufficient time for muscle contractions are required to develop high power

Electro-acupuncture at acupoint ST36 reduces inflammation and regulates immune activity in Collagen-Induced Arthritic Mice

This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and immuno-regulatory effects of electro-acupuncture (EA) at ST36 on Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Male DBA/1J mice were divided into five groups: Normal, Control, NR (needle retention), EAI and EAII. All mice except those in the normal group were immunized with Collagen II for arthritis induction. Acupuncture needles were inserted into mice ST36 and electrical currents at a frequency of 2 Hz in a continuous rectangular wave form were conducted through the needles for 15 min, 3 times a week. EA treatments were administered for 5 weeks in the EAI group and for 9 weeks in the EAII group. The mice in the NR group were acupunctured in the same manner as the EA groups and the needles were retained for 15 min without electrical stimulation. CIA incidence analysis, ELISA, histological analysis and FACS analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of EA on CIA. EA at ST36 significantly reduced CIA incidence, IL-6, TNF-a, INF-γ, collagen II antibody, IgG and IgM levels in CIA mice serum and prevented knee joint destruction. EA at ST36 also reduced CD69+/CD3e+ cells and CD11a+/CD19+ cells in CIA mice lymph nodes, and CD11b+/Gr1+ cells in CIA mice knee joints. The ratios of CD3e+ cells to CD19+ cells, and CD8+ cells to CD4+ cells were maintained closer to the normal range in the EA groups as compared with the control group or the NR group. EAII was more effective than EAI throughout all the measurements. The NR was effective as well, though less effective than EA. EA at ST36 may have an anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and immuno-regulatory effects on CIA in mice. The effectiveness is stronger when EA starts earlier and is applied longer. Needle retention without electrical stimulation may be effective on CIA as well, however less effective than EA. Electrical stimulation and acupoint ST36 may have synergistic effects on CIA

Disruption of zebrafish cyclin G-associated kinase (GAK) function impairs the expression of Notch-dependent genes during neurogenesis and causes defects in neuronal development

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The J-domain-containing protein auxilin, a critical regulator in clathrin-mediated transport, has been implicated in <it>Drosophila </it>Notch signaling. To ask if this role of auxilin is conserved and whether auxilin has additional roles in development, we have investigated the functions of auxilin orthologs in zebrafish.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Like mammals, zebrafish has two distinct auxilin-like molecules, auxilin and cyclin <b>G-a</b>ssociated <b>k</b>inase (GAK), differing in their domain structures and expression patterns. Both zebrafish auxilin and GAK can functionally substitute for the <it>Drosophila </it>auxilin, suggesting that they have overlapping molecular functions. Still, they are not completely redundant, as morpholino-mediated knockdown of the ubiquitously expressed GAK alone can increase the specification of neuronal cells, a known Notch-dependent process, and decrease the expression of <it>Her4</it>, a Notch target gene. Furthermore, inhibition of GAK function caused an elevated level of apoptosis in neural tissues, resulting in severe degeneration of neural structures.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In support of the notion that endocytosis plays important roles in Notch signaling, inhibition of zebrafish GAK function affects embryonic neuronal cell specification and <it>Her4 </it>expression. In addition, our analysis suggests that zebrafish GAK has at least two functions during the development of neural tissues: an early Notch-dependent role in neuronal patterning and a late role in maintaining the survival of neural cells.</p

Deep learning computer-aided detection system for pneumonia in febrile neutropenia patients: a diagnostic cohort study

Abstract Background Diagnosis of pneumonia is critical in managing patients with febrile neutropenia (FN), however, chest X-ray (CXR) has limited performance in the detection of pneumonia. We aimed to evaluate the performance of a deep learning-based computer-aided detection (CAD) system in pneumonia detection in the CXRs of consecutive FN patients and investigated whether CAD could improve radiologists diagnostic performance when used as a second reader. Methods CXRs of patients with FN (a body temperature ≥ 38.3°C, or a sustained body temperature ≥ 38.0°C for an hour; absolute neutrophil count < 500/mm3) obtained between January and December 2017 were consecutively included, from a single tertiary referral hospital. Reference standards for the diagnosis of pneumonia were defined by consensus of two thoracic radiologists after reviewing medical records and CXRs. A commercialized, deep learning-based CAD system was retrospectively applied to detect pulmonary infiltrates on CXRs. For comparing performance, five radiologists independently interpreted CXRs initially without the CAD results (radiologist-alone interpretation), followed by the interpretation with CAD. The sensitivities and specificities for detection of pneumonia were compared between radiologist-alone interpretation and interpretation with CAD. The standalone performance of the CAD was also evaluated, using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. Moreover, sensitivity and specificity of standalone CAD were compared with those of radiologist-alone interpretation. Results Among 525 CXRs from 413 patients (52.3% men; median age 59years), pneumonia was diagnosed in 128 (24.4%) CXRs. In the interpretation with CAD, average sensitivity of radiologists was significantly improved (75.4% to 79.4%, P = 0.003) while their specificity remained similar (75.4% to 76.8%, P = 0.101), compared to radiologist-alone interpretation. The CAD exhibited AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.895, 88.3%, and 68.3%, respectively. The standalone CAD exhibited higher sensitivity (86.6% vs. 75.2%, P < 0.001) and lower specificity (64.8% vs. 75.4%, P < 0.001) compared to radiologist-alone interpretation. Conclusions In patients with FN, the deep learning-based CAD system exhibited radiologist-level performance in detecting pneumonia on CXRs and enhanced radiologists performance

The Use of Tenaculum During Intrauterine Insemination May Not Affect the Pregnancy Outcome

Purpose: The association between tenaculum application to the cervix just before embryo transfer and lower pregnancy rate has been reported. However, studies on the use of tenaculum in intrauterine insemination (IUT) cycles are not available. This study attempted to investigate whether the use of tenaculum affects the clinical outcomes of IUI. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and thirty three CC/hMG/IUI cycles of one hundred and forty three couples were recruited at Seoul National University Hospital from October 2006 to December 2008. Mock insemination and IUI with or without tenaculum application to the cervix were also performed, and clinical pregnancy rate was compared. Results: The incidence of difficult mock insemination at the beginning of cycle was higher in the tenaculum use group (p < 0.001). No significant statistical difference in the clinical pregnancy rate was observed between the groups with or without tenaculum application (12.1% vs. 18.5%; p = 0.175), which was not influenced by the difficulty of mock insemination. Conclusion: The use of tenaculum during IUI may not affect the pregnancy outcome. Our results need to be confirmed by a prospective study in a larger population.Merviel P, 2010, FERTIL STERIL, V93, P79, DOI 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.09.058Badawy A, 2009, FERTIL STERIL, V92, P1355, DOI 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.06.013Andersen AN, 2009, HUM REPROD, V24, P1267, DOI 10.1093/humrep/dep035STRAWN E, 2005, FERTIL STERIL, V84, pS159Van Voorhis BJ, 2001, FERTIL STERIL, V75, P661Lesny P, 1999, HUM REPROD, V14, P2367Nuojua-Huttunen S, 1999, HUM REPROD, V14, P698Fanchin R, 1998, HUM REPROD, V13, P1968Lesny P, 1998, HUM REPROD UPDATE, V4, P440Lesny P, 1998, HUM REPROD, V13, P1540Hughes EG, 1997, HUM REPROD, V12, P1865Manganiello PD, 1997, FERTIL STERIL, V68, P405Ombelet W, 1997, HUM REPROD, V12, P1458Campana A, 1996, HUM REPROD, V11, P732SILVERBERG KM, 1991, FERTIL STERIL, V56, P296

Gliosarcoma of the Cerebellar Hemisphere: a Case Report and Review of the Literature

Gliosarcoma is a rare central nervous system tumor usually located in the supratentorial area. Here we report a rare case of a gliosarcoma that developed in the cerebellar hemisphere in a 70-year-old woman. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed an infratentorial mass of which radiological features were similar to those of glioblastoma. The tumor was diagnosed by pathology as a gliosarcoma. Though rare, gliosarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infratentorial tumors with radiological features of glioblastoma or metastasis in elderly patients

Human Metapneumovirus Infection in Hospitalized Children with Acute Respiratory Disease in Korea

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a recently isolated virus, mostly associated with acute lower respiratory infection in children, of which symptoms are similar to those of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of hMPV in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract disease in Korea. Nasal aspirates from hospitalized children with respiratory infections under 15 yr old between December 2003 and February 2005 were included in the study. Each sample was analyzed for RSV, adenovirus, influenza virus A and B, and parainfluenza virus by indirect fluorescent assay (IFA). F-gene sequences were used for PCR for the detection and sequencing of hMPV. In total 381 samples, negative samples in which any viral pathogen could not be identified by IFA were 231 cases. hMPV was detected using reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) in 28 of 231 (12.1%) children who were not infected with another respiratory viruses. The hMPV-infected children were diagnosed as having pneumonia, bronchiolitis, bronchial asthma exacerbation, croup, and upper respiratory tract infection. Most of the RT-PCR positive samples for hMPV were collected in winter season. These results suggest that hMPV may be a responsible pathogen causing acute respiratory tract infection in Korean children