Gait Difficulty, Postural Instability, and Muscle Weakness Are Associated with Fear of Falling in People with Parkinson's Disease

The present study aimed to examine the contribution of gait impairment, postural stability and muscle weakness to the level of fear of falling in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Fifty-seven community-dwelling individuals with PD completed the study. Fear of falling was assessed by the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale. Postural stability and gait difficulty were determined by the posture and gait subscores of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-PG). A Cybex dynamometer was used to measure isokinetic knee muscle strength. Individuals with PD achieved a mean ABC score of 73.6 ± 19.3. In the multiple regression analysis, after accounting for basic demographics, fall history and disease severity, the UPDRS-PG score remained independently associated with the ABC score, accounting for 13.4% of the variance (P < 0.001). The addition of knee muscle strength significantly improved the prediction model and accounted for an additional 7.3% of the variance in the ABC score (P < 0.05). This is the first study to demonstrate that the UPDRS-PG score and knee muscle strength are important and independent determinants of the level of fear of falling in individuals with PD. Improving balance, gait stability and knee muscle strength could be crucial in promoting balance confidence in the appropriately targeted PD population

A KINETIC COMPARISON OF RUNNING ON TREADMILL AND OVERGROUND SURFACES: AN ANALYSIS OF PLANTAR PRESSURE

The purpose of this study was to compare the plantar pressure in treadmill and overground running. It aimed to investigate whether treadmill is a suitable surface to carry out running shoe cushioning test. Fourteen male volunteers were recruited to run on four different running conditions i.e. treadmill, tartan, grass, and concrete with controlled running speed. A mobile plantar pressure measuring system was employed and peak pressure was measured. The results showed that the plantar pressure of treadmill running was different to that of overground running in total foot, medial midfoot, lateral midfoot and lesser toes

ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS ON LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCLES DURING OVERGROUND AND TREADMILL RUNNING

The goal of this study was to compare treadmill running with overground running, so as to investigate if the shoe testing and training on treadmill can reflect the overground performance. Thirteen Chinese male subjects were instructed to run on the four conditions (1.Treadmill, 2.Tartan, 3.Grass, 4.Concrete). Comparisons between running conditions were made for muscle activity. The electromyography (EMG) signals from rectus femoris, tibialis anterior, biceps fermoris and medial gastrocnemius in one stride were evaluated. Results of the root mean square of EMG signal in rectus femoris, biceps femoris and gastrocnemius were found to be significantly different between overground and treadmill running during stance phase and the time point of toe off

Preliminary Observations on the Effects In Vivo and In Vitro of Low Dose Laser on the Epithelia of the Bladder, Trachea and Tongue of the Mouse

The effects of low dose CW laser were studied by in vivo and in vitro systems. The experimental tissues that were used included bladders, tracheas and tongues as experimental tissues. Buddings (round surface projections) from the transitional epithelium of bladder were frequently observed 3 days after laser treatment in both in vivo and in vitro systems. The trachea and tongue were less affected. In both the in vivo and in vitro systems, some epithelial cells of the trachea showed decreased microvilli and cilia 3 days after treatment whereas the epithelial cells of the tongue revealed no response to laser treatment in both systems. Low dose laser, however, appeared to promote the rate of healing of experimental tongue ulcer: healing was about 1 day earlier in the laser treated than non-treated animals and vessel infiltration and epithelialization were detected earlier in the treated

Antiphospholipid (aPL) antibody profiles in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

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Stimulation of Collagen Formation in the Intestinal Anastomosis by Low Dose He-Ne Laser

The effect of low dose He-Ne laser on the healing of intestinal anastomosis was studied in the albino rat. A small piece of jejunum was removed from each rat and the ends sutured back with a simple interrupted pattern. In the experimental animal, the anastomosis was Irradiated through an optic fiber with a He-Ne laser (1 mW) for 15 minutes whereas in the control animal, the anastomosis was not irradiated. The differences between the two groups were compared by histology, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and autoradiography 3 and 7 days after operation. The laser treated experimental animals demonstrated thicker collagen fibers and an increased quantity of collagen at the junction of the anastomosis compared to control animals. Increased uptake of labelled proline was also evident in the laser treated animals. These observations all point to a possible enhancement of collagen synthesis triggered by laser irradiation

Development of Shear Modulus Reduction Curves Based on Lotung Downhole Ground Motion Data

In this study, equivalent shear moduli (or shear-wave velocities) and their variations with shearing strain at the Lotung seismic experiment site were back-calculated from recorded downhole array ground motions. Ground motion data for various levels of shaking (peak ground surface accelerations ranging from 0.03g to 0.21g) recorded during seven earthquakes were used in the analyses. Results show that downhole array ground motion data can be used to infer in-situ dynamic soil properties over a wide strain range

Identification of genetic risk factors in the Chinese population implicates a role of immune system in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a leading cause of mortality among the elderly. We performed a whole-genome sequencing study of AD in the Chinese population. In addition to the variants identified in or around the APOE locus (sentinel variant rs73052335, P = 1.44 × 10−14), two common variants, GCH1 (rs72713460, P = 4.36 × 10−5 ) and KCNJ15 (rs928771, P = 3.60 × 10−6 ), were identified and further verified for their possible risk effects for AD in three small non-Asian AD cohorts. Genotype–phenotype analysis showed that KCNJ15 variant rs928771 affects the onset age of AD, with earlier disease onset in minor allele carriers. In addition, altered expression level of the KCNJ15 transcript can be observed in the blood of AD subjects. Moreover, the risk variants of GCH1 and KCNJ15 are associated with changes in their transcript levels in specific tissues, as well as changes of plasma biomarkers levels in AD subjects. Importantly, network analysis of hippocampus and blood transcriptome datasets suggests that the risk variants in the APOE, GCH1, and KCNJ15 loci might exert their functions through their regulatory effects on immune-related pathways. Taking these data together, we identified common variants of GCH1 and KCNJ15 in the Chinese population that contribute to AD risk. These variants may exert their functional effects through the immune system

Genetic and polygenic risk score analysis for Alzheimer's disease in the Chinese population

Introduction: Dozens of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated loci have been identified in European-descent populations, but their effects have not been thoroughly investigated in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Methods: TaqMan array genotyping was performed for known AD-associated variants in a Hong Kong Chinese cohort. Regression analysis was conducted to study the associations of variants with AD-associated traits and biomarkers. Lasso regression was applied to establish a polygenic risk score (PRS) model for AD risk prediction. Results: SORL1 is associated with AD in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Meta-analysis corroborates the AD-protective effect of the SORL1 rs11218343 C allele. The PRS is developed and associated with AD risk, cognitive status, and AD-related endophenotypes. TREM2 H157Y might influence the amyloid beta 42/40 ratio and levels of immune-associated proteins in plasma. Discussion: SORL1 is associated with AD in the Hong Kong Chinese population. The PRS model can predict AD risk and cognitive status in this population