ESTIMATION OF GROUND REACTION FORCES DURING RUNNING USING INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNITS AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

The purpose of this study was to develop a system to estimate ground reaction forces during running using inertial measurement units and artificial neural networks. Kinematics of the pelvis and feet and ground reaction forces were measured using an inertial measurement system developed by Casio and Kistler force plates from seventy-nine runners (57 males and 22 females). Two long short-term memory based neural networks were used to estimate the instants of foot-strike and toe-off, and anteroposterior and vertical ground reaction forces from the triaxial accelerations and angular velocities measured by inertial measurement units fixed to the pelvis and foot of support leg. Although there are some limitations due to the small sample size, the results of this study showed the potential of estimating the ground reaction forces during running using a small number of inertial measurement units and artificial neural networks

The Effect Of Education On Oral Health Students’ Attitudes In Australia And New Zealand

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral health attitudes and behavior of students in the oral health curriculum in Australia and New Zealand. Materials and Methods: The Hiroshima University ‑ Dental Behavioral Inventory was administered to students in the first (year 1) and final years (year 3) of the oral health curriculum at Charles Sturt University in Australia and the University of Otago in New Zealand. A total of fifty‑two year 1 students and forty‑five year 3 students completed English version of the questionnaire in 2013. The responses were statistically analyzed by Fisher’s exact tests and exact logistic regression models. Results: The responses of students in years 1 and 3 differed significantly for “I worry about the color of my teeth” at Charles Sturt University and at the University Otago, for “I think my teeth are getting worse despite my daily brushing,” “I put off going to the dentist until I have a toothache,” and “I don’t feel I’ve brushed well unless I brush with strong strokes.” The estimated odds ratios from the exact logistic regression models showed that year 1 students were more likely to agree with above‑mentioned four questions. Conclusions: Oral Health students who had been educated in a 3‑year oral health curriculum in Australia and New Zealand had more positive attitudes and behaviors related oral health than did students at the beginning of their curriculum

Resting-state functional connectivity-based biomarkers and functional MRI-based neurofeedback for psychiatric disorders: a challenge for developing theranostic biomarkers

Psychiatric research has been hampered by an explanatory gap between psychiatric symptoms and their neural underpinnings, which has resulted in poor treatment outcomes. This situation has prompted us to shift from symptom-based diagnosis to data-driven diagnosis, aiming to redefine psychiatric disorders as disorders of neural circuitry. Promising candidates for data-driven diagnosis include resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI)-based biomarkers. Although biomarkers have been developed with the aim of diagnosing patients and predicting the efficacy of therapy, the focus has shifted to the identification of biomarkers that represent therapeutic targets, which would allow for more personalized treatment approaches. This type of biomarker (i.e., theranostic biomarker) is expected to elucidate the disease mechanism of psychiatric conditions and to offer an individualized neural circuit-based therapeutic target based on the neural cause of a condition. To this end, researchers have developed rs-fcMRI-based biomarkers and investigated a causal relationship between potential biomarkers and disease-specific behavior using functional MRI (fMRI)-based neurofeedback on functional connectivity. In this review, we introduce recent approach for creating a theranostic biomarker, which consists mainly of two parts: (i) developing an rs-fcMRI-based biomarker that can predict diagnosis and/or symptoms with high accuracy, and (ii) the introduction of a proof-of-concept study investigating the relationship between normalizing the biomarker and symptom changes using fMRI-based neurofeedback. In parallel with the introduction of recent studies, we review rs-fcMRI-based biomarker and fMRI-based neurofeedback, focusing on the technological improvements and limitations associated with clinical use.Comment: 46 pages, 5 figure

Delta-like 4 is indispensable in thymic environment specific for T cell development

The thymic microenvironment is required for T cell development in vivo. However, in vitro studies have shown that when hematopoietic progenitors acquire Notch signaling via Delta-like (Dll)1 or Dll4, they differentiate into the T cell lineage in the absence of a thymic microenvironment. It is not clear, however, whether the thymus supports T cell development specifically by providing Notch signaling. To address this issue, we generated mice with a loxP-flanked allele of Dll4 and induced gene deletion specifically in thymic epithelial cells (TECs). In the thymus of mutant mice, the expression of Dll4 was abrogated on the epithelium, and the proportion of hematopoietic cells bearing the intracellular fragment of Notch1 (ICN1) was markedly decreased. Corresponding to this, CD4 CD8 double-positive or single-positive T cells were not detected in the thymus. Further analysis showed that the double-negative cell fraction was lacking T cell progenitors. The enforced expression of ICN1 in hematopoietic progenitors restored thymic T cell differentiation, even when the TECs were deficient in Dll4. These results indicate that the thymus-specific environment for determining T cell fate indispensably requires Dll4 expression to induce Notch signaling in the thymic immigrant cells

Predicting the outcome of chronic kidney disease by the estimated nephron number: The rationale and design of PRONEP, a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The nephron number is thought to be associated with the outcome of chronic kidney disease (CKD). If the nephron number can be estimated in the clinical setting, it could become a strong tool to predict renal outcome. This study was designed to estimate the nephron number in CKD patients and to establish a method to predict the outcome by using the estimated nephron number.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The hypothesis of this study is that the estimated nephron number can predict the outcome of a CKD patient. This will be a multicenter, prospective (minimum 3 and maximum 5 years follow-up) study. The subjects will comprise CKD patients aged over 14 years who have undergone a kidney biopsy. From January 2011 to March 2013, we will recruit 600 CKD patients from 10 hospitals belonging to the National Hospital Organization of Japan. The primary parameter for assessment is the composite of total mortality, renal death, cerebro-cardiovascular events, and a 50% reduction in the eGFR. The secondary parameter is the rate of eGFR decline per year. The nephron number will be estimated by the glomerular density in biopsy specimens and the renal cortex volume. This study includes one sub-cohort study to establish the equation to calculate the renal cortex volume. Enrollment will be performed at the time of the kidney biopsy, and the data will consist of a medical interview, ultrasound for measurement of the kidney size, blood or urine test, and the pathological findings of the kidney biopsy. Patients will continue to have medical consultations and receive examinations and/or treatment as usual. The data from the patients will be collected once a year after the kidney biopsy until March 2016. All data using this study are easily obtained in routine clinical practice.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study includes the first trials to estimate the renal cortex volume and nephron number in the general clinical setting. Furthermore, this is the first prospective study to examine whether the nephron number predicts the outcome of CKD patients. The results from this study should provide powerful new tools for nephrologists in routine clinical practice.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>UMIN-Clinical Trial Registration, UMIN000004784.</p

Factors Associated With Discharge Destination in Advanced Cancer Patients With Bone Metastasis in a Japanese Hospital

Objective To analyze patient characteristics of cancer rehabilitation and outcomes at our hospital. Methods This retrospective study analyzed 580 patients, who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital and rehabilitation outcome after therapy were investigated. The relationship between the initial Barthel index and discharge outcomes was investigated, with a special focus on cancer patients with bone metastasis. The Barthel index and performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) before and after rehabilitation were analyzed, and threshold value of home discharge was calculated from a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). General criteria for home discharge from our hospital included independence in performing basic activities of daily living such as bathing, feeding, and toileting or availability of home support from a family member/caregiver. Results The outcomes after rehabilitation among all the patients were as follows: discharge home 59%, death 13%, and others 27%. Statistical differences were observed between the initial and final values of the Barthel index in patients with bone metastasis, who could be discharged home (p=0.012). ROC analysis of the initial Barthel index for predicting home discharge revealed a threshold value of 60, sensitivity of 0.76, and specificity of 0.72. Conclusion The patients with bone metastasis had a lower rate of home discharge and a higher rate of mortality than all the study patients who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital. It is proposed that at the time of initiation of rehabilitation for patients with bone metastasis, an initial Barthel index lower than 60 might predict a worse outcome than home discharge