EFFECT OF SHORT MEDIALSIDE STUDS OM FOOT BIOMECHANICS IN COLLEGIATE SOCCER PLAYERS

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of modified stud on ankle and foot kinematics, ground reaction force and forefoot force and pressure during sidestep cut (SC) and change direction (CD) movement 6 male collegiate soccer players wore original and medial-side 2mm cut stud shoes and performed SC and CD on the artificial grass. Non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare difference between the original and modified studs. The modified stud of non-dominant leg show less inversion than the original stud in SC and CD. The modified stud of non-dominant leg show more force peak form and pressure and that of nondominant legs show more pressure an the original stud during SC and CD. The short medial-side studs with 2mm length can decrease the force inversion of the nondmiiant leg during SC and CD movement and increase the force production of the lower extremities in recreational soccer players

Neoadjuvant Carboplatin/Paclitaxel versus 5-Fluorouracil/Cisplatin in Combination with Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma:A Multicenter Comparative Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The most beneficial neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for Asian patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma remains uncertain. Using propensity score matching by inverse probability of treatment weighting to balance the baseline variables, the neoadjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel (CROSS) regimen versus the cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (PF) regimen in combination with 41.4–50.4 Gy of radiotherapy were compared. We found that Taiwanese patients treated with the CROSS regimen (Carboplatin + Paclitaxel + 41.4–45.0 Gy) had less treatment-related complications and more favorable survival figures. Collectively, these results suggest that CROSS is safe and effective. ABSTRACT: Background: The most beneficial neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) combination for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Asia remains uncertain. Herein, we compared the neoadjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel (CROSS) regimen versus the cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (PF) regimen in combination with 41.4–50.4 Gy of radiotherapy. Methods: Patients were stratified according to their nCRT regimen: CROSS + 41.4–45.0 Gy (CROSS), PF + 45.0 Gy (PF4500) or PF + 50.4 Gy (PF5040). Propensity score matching by inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance the baseline variables. Results: Before IPTW, a total of 334 patients were included. The lowest chemotherapy completion rate was observed in the PF5040 group (76.2% versus 89.4% and 92.0% in the remaining two groups, respectively). Compared with CROSS, both PF groups showed more severe weight loss during nCRT and a higher frequency of post-esophagectomy anastomotic leaks. The use of PF5040 was associated with the highest rate of pathological complete response (45.3%). While CROSS conferred a significant overall survival benefit over PF4500 (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.62, p = 0.018), similar survival figures were observed when compared with PF5040 (HR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.94 to 1.45, p = 0.166). Conclusions: The CROSS regimen conferred a significant survival benefit over PF4500, although the similar survival figures were similar to those observed with PF5040. Considering the lower incidences of severe weight loss and post-esophagectomy anastomotic leaks, CROSS represents a safe and effective neoadjuvant treatment for Taiwanese patients with ESCC

3D Chip-level Broadband Measurement Technique for Radiated EM Emission

This paper proposes a novel broadband 3D chip-level radiated EM emission measurement technique. Two different test carriers with the embedded CPW and coil conductors respectively are designed and realized by the integrated passive device (IPD) process, which allow collecting the EM emission via near-field coupling. Using an in-house designed 0.18-μm CMOS VCO as the DUT, the emission spectrum obtained using the CPW conductor demonstrates a broadband characteristic up to above 20 GHz with an excellent agreement of the direct measurements. Compared to the traditional IEC standard approaches typically limited below 3 GHz, the proposed high sensitivity and broadband technique is suitable for evaluating EM interference of high-frequency ICs in advanced 3D packaging

Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents, Taiwan, 1996–2003

Analysis of data from Taiwan’s National Tuberculosis (TB) Registry showed that incidence of TB in persons <20 years of age was 9.61/100,000 person-years, biphasic, and age-relevant, with a major peak in persons slightly >12 years. Aboriginal children were 8.1–17.4× more likely to have TB than non-Aboriginal children

Interoceptive awareness: MBSR training alters information processing of salience network

Mindfulness refers to a mental state of awareness of internal experience without judgment. Studies have suggested that each mindfulness practice may involve a unique mental state, but the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. Here we examined how distinct mindfulness practices after mindfulness-based intervention alter brain functionality. Specifically, we investigated the functional alterations of the salience network (SN) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) among the two interoceptive mindfulness practices—breathing and body scan—associated with interoceptive awareness in fixed attention and shifted attention, respectively. Long-distance functional connectivity (FC) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) approaches were applied to measure distant and local neural information processing across various mental states. We hypothesized that mindful breathing and body scan would yield a unique information processing pattern in terms of long-range and local functional connectivity (FC). A total of 18 meditation-naïve participants were enrolled in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program alongside a waitlist control group (n = 14), with both groups undergoing multiple fMRI sessions during breathing, body scan and resting state for comparison. We demonstrated that two mindfulness practices affect both the long-distance FCSN and the local ReHo, only apparent after the MBSR program. Three functional distinctions between the mindfulness practices and the resting state are noted: (1) distant SN connectivity to occipital regions increased during the breathing practice (fixed attention), whereas the SN increased connection with the frontal/central gyri during the body scan (shifting attention); (2) local ReHo increased only in the parietal lobe during the body scan (shifting attention); (3) distant and local connections turned into a positive correlation only during the mindfulness practices after the MBSR training, indicating a global enhancement of the SN information processing during mindfulness practices. Though with limited sample size, the functional specificity of mindfulness practices offers a potential research direction on neuroimaging of mindfulness, awaiting further studies for verification

Identification of Enantiomeric Byproducts During Microalgae-Mediated Transformation of Metoprolol by MS/MS Spectrum Based Networking

Metoprolol (MPL) is a chiral beta-blocker ubiquitously detected in various environments due to its low to moderate removal in wastewater treatment plants. This study was conducted to test the potential of using microalgae to degrade emerging contaminant MPL and to characterize the enantiomeric enrichment during MPL degradation by microalgae. The results showed that PO43--P, NO3--N and MPL could be simultaneously removed in the synthetic effluent by the targeted microalgae species, indicating microalgae were promising in wastewater treatment. Stereoselectivity was observed during MPL degradation by microalgae, with R-form enrichment. A marginal linear relationship between MPL degradation and enantiomeric enrichment was observed, implying that the enantiomeric tool, used as a quantitative indicator of biodegradation, could possibly be applied in MPL degradation by microalgae. An efficient liquid chromatograph tandem high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) chiral analytical method was developed to identify transformation products (TPs). The results showed that MS/MS spectral similarity networking could be used as a powerful tool to quickly identify unknown TPs. A total of 6 pairs of chiral TPs were identified, among which two new TPs of MPL including hydroxy{4-[2-hydroxy-3-(isopropylamino)propoxy]phenyl}acetic acid (alpha-HMPLA) and 4-[2-Hydroxy-3-(isopropylamino)propoxy]benzaldehyde (DMPLD) were firstly reported, and proposed transformation pathways of MPL by microalgae were given. Considering the paired TPs detected and that the degradation of the two enantiomers followed first order kinetics, the two enantiomers likely had the same degradation mechanism

Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) for the Subaru Telescope: Overview, recent progress, and future perspectives

PFS (Prime Focus Spectrograph), a next generation facility instrument on the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope, is a very wide-field, massively multiplexed, optical and near-infrared spectrograph. Exploiting the Subaru prime focus, 2394 reconfigurable fibers will be distributed over the 1.3 deg field of view. The spectrograph has been designed with 3 arms of blue, red, and near-infrared cameras to simultaneously observe spectra from 380nm to 1260nm in one exposure at a resolution of ~1.6-2.7A. An international collaboration is developing this instrument under the initiative of Kavli IPMU. The project is now going into the construction phase aiming at undertaking system integration in 2017-2018 and subsequently carrying out engineering operations in 2018-2019. This article gives an overview of the instrument, current project status and future paths forward.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Proceeding of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 201

Broad targeting of resistance to apoptosis in cancer

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is natural way of removing aged cells from the body. Most of the anti-cancer therapies trigger apoptosis induction and related cell death networks to eliminate malignant cells. However, in cancer, de-regulated apoptotic signaling, particularly the activation of an anti-apoptotic systems, allows cancer cells to escape this program leading to uncontrolled proliferation resulting in tumor survival, therapeutic resistance and recurrence of cancer. This resistance is a complicated phenomenon that emanates from the interactions of various molecules and signaling pathways. In this comprehensive review we discuss the various factors contributing to apoptosis resistance in cancers. The key resistance targets that are discussed include (1) Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 proteins; (2) autophagy processes; (3) necrosis and necroptosis; (4) heat shock protein signaling; (5) the proteasome pathway; (6) epigenetic mechanisms; and (7) aberrant nuclear export signaling. The shortcomings of current therapeutic modalities are highlighted and a broad spectrum strategy using approaches including (a) gossypol; (b) epigallocatechin-3-gallate; (c) UMI-77 (d) triptolide and (e) selinexor that can be used to overcome cell death resistance is presented. This review provides a roadmap for the design of successful anti-cancer strategies that overcome resistance to apoptosis for better therapeutic outcome in patients with cancer

Pathway-Based Association Analyses Identified TRAIL Pathway for Osteoporotic Fractures

) pathway were associated with bone metabolism. This study aims to verify the potential association between hip OF and TRAIL pathway.Using genome-wide genotype data from Affymetrix 500 K SNP arrays, we performed novel pathway-based association analyses for hip OF in 700 elderly Chinese Han subjects (350 with hip OF and 350 healthy matched controls).) of the pathway had minor alleles (A) that are associated with an increased risk of hip OF, with the ORs (odds ratios) of 16.51 (95%CI:3.83–71.24) and 1.37 (95%CI:1.08–1.74), respectively.Our study supports the potential role of the TRAIL pathway in the pathogenesis of hip OF in Chinese Han population. Further functional study of this pathway will be pursued to determine the mechanism by which it confers risk to hip OF