A mobile health app for the collection of functional outcomes after inpatient stroke rehabilitation: Pilot randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Monitoring the functional status of poststroke patients after they transition home is significant for rehabilitation. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies may provide an opportunity to reach and follow patients post discharge. However, the feasibility and validity of functional assessments administered by mHealth technologies are unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, validity, and reliability of functional assessments administered through the videoconference function of a mobile phone-based app compared with administration through the telephone function in poststroke patients after rehabilitation hospitalization. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a rehabilitation hospital in Southeast China. Participants were randomly assigned to either a videoconference follow-up (n=60) or a telephone follow-up (n=60) group. We measured the functional status of participants in each group at 2-week and 3-month follow-up periods. Half the participants in each group were followed by face-to-face home visit assessments as the gold standard. Validity was assessed by comparing any score differences between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments, as well as telephone follow-up and home visit assessments. Reliability was assessed by computing agreements between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments, as well as telephone follow-up and home visit assessments. Feasibility was evaluated by the levels of completion, satisfaction, comfort, and confidence in the 2 groups. RESULTS: Scores obtained from the videoconference follow-up were similar to those of the home visit assessment. However, most scores collected from telephone administration were higher than those of the home visit assessment. The agreement between videoconference follow-up and home visit assessments was higher than that between telephone follow-up and home visit assessments at all follow-up periods. In the telephone follow-up group, completion rates were 95% and 82% at 2-week and 3-month follow-up points, respectively. In the videoconference follow-up group, completion rates were 95% and 80% at 2-week and 3-month follow-up points, respectively. There were no differences in the completion rates between the 2 groups at all follow-up periods (X CONCLUSIONS: The videoconference follow-up assessment of functional status demonstrates higher validity and reliability, as well as higher confidence and satisfaction perceived by patients, than the telephone assessment. The videoconference assessment provides an efficient means of assessing functional outcomes of patients after hospital discharge. This method provides a novel solution for clinical trials requiring longitudinal assessments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR1900027626; http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=44831&htm=4

Investigation on Comprehensive Multi-point GPS-based Traffic Information Treatment

GPS data sets of several vehicles on the road are obtained via wireless network, from which specific sections of data are picked up by filtering algorithm. Then, a variety of fusion algorithms are applied to the several sets of specific sections of data to remove the error data, to guarantee the veracity of the fused result. On the basis of valid data, traffic conditions of this section can be acquired through the smart identification algorithm, which will provide the real-time traffic information. The method presented in this paper is simple and reliable. With good performance on the experimental data, it opens a new door for information collection of urban road

Revealing the selective mechanisms of inhibitors to PARP-1 and PARP-2 via multiple computational methods

Background Research has shown that Poly-ADP-ribose polymerases 1 (PARP-1) is a potential therapeutic target in the clinical treatment of breast cancer. An increasing number of studies have focused on the development of highly selective inhibitors that target PARP-1 over PARP-2, its closest isoform, to mitigate potential side effects. However, due to the highly conserved and similar binding sites of PARP-1 and PARP-2, there is a huge challenge for the discovery and design of PARP-1 inhibitors. Recently, it was reported that a potent PARP-1 inhibitor named NMS-P118 exhibited greater selectivity to PARP-1 over PARP-2 compared with a previously reported drug (Niraparib). However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of this inhibitor remains unclear. Methods In the present study, classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) simulations combined with structural and energetic analysis were used to investigate the structural dynamics and selective mechanisms of PARP-1 and PARP-2 that are bound to NMS-P118 and Niraparib with distinct selectivity. Results The results from classical MD simulations indicated that the selectivity of inhibitors may be controlled by electrostatic interactions, which were mainly due to the residues of Gln-322, Ser-328, Glu-335, and Tyr-455 in helix αF. The energetic differences were corroborated by the results from aMD simulations. Conclusion This study provides new insights about how inhibitors specifically bind to PARP-1 over PARP-2, which may help facilitate the design of highly selective PARP-1 inhibitors in the future

cir-ITCH plays an inhibitory role in colorectal cancer by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are the dominant product of eukaryotic transcription. These products range from short microRNAs (miRNAs) to long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs). Circular RNAs composed of exonic sequences represent an understudied form of ncRNA that was discovered more than 20 years ago. Using a TaqMan-based reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay, we analyzed the relationship between cir-ITCH expression and colorectal cancer (CRC) in a total of 45 CRCs and paired adjacent non-tumor tissue samples. We found that cir-ITCH expression was typically down-regulated in CRC compared to the peritumoral tissue. This result, as well as several follow-up experiments, showed that cir-ITCH could increase the level of ITCH, which is involved in the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Therefore, our results showed that cir-ITCH plays a role in CRC by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Taste Compound Generation and Variation in Chinese Water Chestnut (<i>Eleocharis dulcis (Burm.f.) Trin. ex Hensch.</i>) Processed with Different Methods by UPLC-MS/MS and Electronic Tongue System

Chinese water chestnut (CWC) is popular among consumers due to its unique flavor and crisp and sweet taste. Thus far, the key substances affecting the taste compound of CWC are still unclear. In this study, we used UPLC-MS/MS and an electronic tongue system to study the effects of four typical steaming and cooking methods, cooking without peel for 10 min (PC), steaming without peel for 15 min (PS), cooking with peel for 30 min (WPC), steaming with peel for 30 min (WPS), on the taste compound generation and variation of CWC, and revealed the secret of its crisp and sweet taste. The results show that the electronic tongue can effectively identify the taste profile of CWC, and the effective tastes of CWC were umami, bitterness, saltiness, and sweetness. We screened 371 differential compounds from 640 metabolic species. Among them, nucleotides and their derivatives, carbohydrates, organic acids and their derivatives, and amino acids and their derivatives are closely related to the key taste of CWC, and these compounds affected the taste of CWC through six related metabolic pathways: oxidative phosphorylation and purine metabolism; alanine, aspartate, and glutamate; bile secretion; amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism; the phenylpropane pathway; and toluene degradation. This study reveals the potential metabolic causes of taste compound generation and variation in the taste of CWC

The sequence of the predicted miRNA binding sites on the the 3'-UTR region of <i>ITCH</i> and <i>cir-ITCH</i>.

<p>The sequence of the predicted miRNA binding sites on the the 3'-UTR region of <i>ITCH</i> and <i>cir-ITCH</i>.</p

<i>cir-ITCH</i> is correlated with CRC.

<p>(A) Convergent primers can amplify circular RNAs and linear RNAs. Divergent primers amplify circular RNAs only in cDNA compared with genomic DNA (gDNA). GAPDH is linear control. (B) The <i>cir-ITCH</i> was expressed at a higher level in approximately 75.6% of the CRC adjacent tissues compared to match CRC tissues. The expression level of <i>cir-ITCH</i> was analyzed by qRT-PCR based on Taq-man and normalized to <i>GAPDH</i>. Data are represented as mean±SEM from three independent experiments. (C) Random primers and oligodT primers were used respectively in the reverse transcription experiments. The predicted <i>cir-ITCH</i> is absent in poly (A) enriched samples. (D) The predicted <i>cir-ITCH</i> is react against to RNase R treatment. 2-tailed student’s t-test were used in test the differences between groups *p < 0.05 compared to control.</p

<i>cir-ITCH</i> involves in the regulation Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway in vivo.

<p>(A) The linear correlations between the <i>cir-ITCH</i> expression levels and linear <i>ITCH</i> were tested. The relative expression value was normalized by <i>GAPDH</i> expression level. (B) A TCF luciferase reporter assay was performed. The luciferase activity was normalized to the Renilla luciferase activity. (C) The protein levels of Wnt3a and β-catenin was assessed in CRC cells (HCT116 cells and SW480 cells) by Western blot. (D) The mRNA level of <i>c-myc</i> and <i>cyclinD1</i>was detected by quantitative RT-PCR after transfected with <i>cir-ITCH</i> or Control cells in CRC cells. (the upper is <i>c-myc</i> and the lower is <i>cyclinD1</i>) Data are mean±SEM and representative of three independent experiments. (E) HCT116 and SW480 cells were seeded in 96-well plates after been transfected, and cell proliferation was performed daily for 3 days using the CCK-8 assay. Six replicates for each group and the experiment repeated three times. Data are mean±SEM. *<i>P</i><0.05 compared with controls.</p