INFLUENCE OF ARCH INSERTS ON PLANTAR PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION WHEN WALKING IN HIGH-HEELED SHOES: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

This study investigated the effects of arch inserts on the plantar pressure of adult females standing and walking on shoes with different heel heights. Four healthy adult females between 22 and 24 years old participated in the study. The Novel Pedar insole measurement system (Germany, Munich) was used to determine plantar pressure. Results indicated that during standing, arch inserts reduced the peak plantar pressure in the total foot in both shoes. The arch inserts reduced the peak plantar pressure under the first toe and the metatarsal head regions during normal walking, and increased in the arch regions for both shoes

COMPARISON OF PLANTAR LOAD WHEN RUNNING ON TREADMILL AND ON CEMENT AND GRASS OVERGROUND SURFACES

The objective of this study was to compare plantar loads during running on a treadmill and on concrete and grass surfaces. Sixteen experienced heel-to-toe runners participated in the study. Plantar loads were collected using a Novel Pedar insole sensor system during running at 3.8 m/s. Compared with running on the two other surfaces, treadmill running showed a lower magnitude of maximum plantar pressure and maximum plantar force for the total foot, maximum plantar pressure for the two toe regions, maximum plantar force for the medial forefoot and the two toe regions, and longer absolute contact time at the two toe regions (

Pattern recognition receptors in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and progression to hepatocellular carcinoma: An emerging therapeutic strategy

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by excessive lipid accumulation and has become the leading chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD is viewed as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, ranging from simple steatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) to advanced fibrosis, eventually leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pathogenesis of NAFLD progression is still not clear. Pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated innate immune responses play a critical role in the initiation of NAFLD and the progression of NAFLD-related HCC. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) are the two major PRRs in hepatocytes and resident innate immune cells in the liver. Increasing evidence indicates that the overactivation of TLRs and the cGAS signaling pathways may contribute to the development of liver disorders, including NAFLD progression. However, induction of PRRs is critical for the release of type I interferons (IFN-I) and the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), which prime systemic antitumor immunity in HCC therapy. In this review, we will summarize the emerging evidence regarding the molecular mechanisms of TLRs and cGAS in the development of NAFLD and HCC. The dysfunction of PRR-mediated innate immune response is a critical determinant of NAFLD pathology; targeting and selectively inhibiting TLRs and cGAS signaling provides therapeutic potential for treating NALF-associated diseases in humans

Guideline adherence of β-blocker initiating dose and its consequence in hospitalized patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Background: We aim to investigate the guideline adherence of β-blocker (BB) initiating dose in Chinese hospitalized patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and whether the adherence affected the in-hospital outcomes.Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients hospitalized with HFrEF who had initiated BBs during their hospitalization. We defined adherence to clinical practice guidelines as initiating BB with standard dose and non-adherence to guidelines if otherwise, and examined the association between adherence to guidelines and in-hospital BB-related adverse events. Subgroup analyses based on sex, age, coronary heart disease, and hypertension were performed.Results: Among 1,104 patients with HFrEF initiating BBs during hospitalization (median length of hospitalization, 12 days), 304 (27.5%) patients received BB with non-adherent initiating dose. This non-adherence was related to a higher risk (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]) of BB dose reduction or withdrawal (1.78 [1.42 to 2.22], P < 0.001), but not significantly associated with risks of profound bradycardia, hypotension, cardiogenic shock requiring intravenous inotropes, and severe bronchospasm requiring intravenous steroid during hospitalization.Conclusion: This study identified that over a fourth of patients had received BBs with an initiating dose that was not adherent to guidelines in Chinese hospitalized patients with HFrEF, and this non-adherence was associated with BB dose reduction or withdrawal during hospitalization

Microbial Intervention as a Novel Target in Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Progression

Background/Aims: Emerging evidence suggests a close link between gut microbiota and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between gut microbiota and the DNA methylation of adiponectin (an adipocyte-specific adipocytokine) in rats, following diet-induced NAFLD. Methods: 50 male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups with or without a high fat diet (HFD), antibiotics, and probiotics, in order to establish an imbalanced gut microbiota and probiotic treatment model in NAFLD rats. After 13 weeks of treatment, blood, liver, and cecal tissue samples were collected. Serum lipids, liver function indexes by biochemical analyzers, and changes in liver pathology with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and masson staining were detected. Furthermore, the serum adiponectin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and liver adiponectin methylation levels in the promoter regions by pyrophosphate sequencing were determined. High throughput Illumina sequencing targeted microbial 16S genes, bioinformatics and statistical analysis identified cecal-associated gut microbiota. Results: HFD with antibiotic exposure showed the most severe steatohepatitis and a severe gut microbiota alteration. Reduced bacterial diversity was also seen and the abundances of Firmicutes, Lactobacillus, Cyanobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chlamydiae, Chlamydiales, Rubrobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Blautia, Shewanella, Bacteroides, Bacteroides acidifaciens, and Bacteroides uniformis, were shown to be partly reversed by probiotic treatment. Decreased serum adiponectin levels and increased DNA methylation levels of adiponectin promoter regions were also markedly associated with the NAFLD progression during gut microbiota alteration. Conclusion: Our results suggested that both gut microbiota alteration and adiponectin variability may be drivers of NAFLD progression and that targeting the gut microbiota, such as via administration of a probiotic, may delay NAFLD progression via adiponectin

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Knowledge of Symptoms Among Vietnamese Americans

BACKGROUND: There are few population-based studies of cardiovascular risk factors, knowledge, and related behaviors among Vietnamese Americans. OBJECTIVE: To describe cardiovascular risk factors, knowledge, and related behaviors among Vietnamese Americans and compare the results to non-Hispanic whites. DESIGN: Comparison of data from two populationbased, cross-sectional telephone surveys

Humic Substance-based Binder In Iron Ore Pelletization: A Review

© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Due to the reducing ability and bonding effect, a humic substance-based binder has been added into iron ore pellets, both as a reductant and a binder. However, humic substance-based binders were not commonly used in pelletization since some pelletizing results indicated they were not as good asbentonite or other binders. Thus, there were few detailed investigations using humic substance-based binders in pelletization before the 1980s. Funa, which is a type of humic substance-based binder extracted from lignite, was successfully invented and applied in cold-bonded pellets in China. Since the organic fraction in the humic substance-based binder is burnt away during heating, leaving no contaminant in pellets and improving the iron content of the pellets, humic substance-based binders were also gradually utilized in oxidized pellets. On the basis of Funa binder research, the extracting procedure of a humic substance-based binder was modified, and a composite binder named Modified Humic Acid (MHA)was prepared for oxidized pellets, especially for making Vanadium-Titanium (V-Ti) magnetite pellets, and achieved qualified V-Ti magnetite oxidized pellets in industrial testing. The behaviors of humic substance-based binders in wet balls, dry balls and fired balls were well investigated. Moreover, MHA binder was gradually tested in a lab for pelletization of several other types of iron ore concentrates, such as magnetite from different districts, specularite and fluxed hematite, and good quality pellets were obtained. A review of the development of a humic substance-based binder and its characteristics, preparing method, and behaviors in pelletizing were considered in this paper

Pelletization Using Humic Substance-based Binder

© 2017 Taylor & Francis. Humic substances exist widely in lignite coal as high molecular weight organic molecules. They can be used as binders in iron ore pelletization mostly in the form of salt, such as sodium humate and amine humate via extraction from lignite coal. It is worth determining if lignite can be used as a binder without extraction. As a composite binder of organic and inorganics, due to the combustion of humic substance, the strength of fired pellets made with humic substance-based binder decreases slightly. To compensate for this defect and make stronger pellets, cheap calcium bentonite was added into humic substance binder. In this study, a fluxed hematite concentrate was pelletized with various types of binders: lignite plus sodium hydroxide, calcium bentonite activated with modified humic acid (MHA), and MHA binder. Good quality pellets were obtained at optimal parameters. The results show that without extraction procedure, lignite plus sodium hydroxide can be directly used as a binder in pelletization of fluxed hematite; that calcium bentonite improves pellet strength when added to MHA; and that humic substance can partly replace calcium bentonite, reducing the dose of calcium bentonite

Application of Modified Humic Acid (MHA) Binder in the Pelletizing Of Fluxed Hematite Concentrate

© 2017 Taylor & Francis. Modified humic acid (MHA) binder consists of high molecular weight organic molecules and inorganic part. It is extracted from lignite coal with sodium hydroxide and used in pelletization of iron ore concentrates. Our previous study shows that MHA binder is also a potential binder instead of bentonite for pelletizing of fluxed hematite. For evaluating the use of MHA binder in pelletization of fluxed hematite, pelletizing tests were conducted to optimize parameters, such as dose, firing temperature and time. The results show that the qualities of green/dried balls with 0.6 wt% MHA binder are equal to or even better than that of 0.66 wt% bentonite pellets, and that both are much higher than the minimum requirements of the pellets’ strengths. The compression strength of fired pellets also suggested that MHA binder is promising to completely replace bentonite in pelletizing of fluxed hematite concentrate. However, the abrasion rate of the fired pellets with MHA binder is slightly higher than that of bentonite pellets