Differences in Risk Factors for Rotator Cuff Tears between Elderly Patients and Young Patients

It has been unclear whether the risk factors for rotator cuff tears are the same at all ages or differ between young and older populations. In this study, we examined the risk factors for rotator cuff tears using classification and regression tree analysis as methods of nonlinear regression analysis. There were 65 patients in the rotator cuff tears group and 45 patients in the intact rotator cuff group. Classification and regression tree analysis was performed to predict rotator cuff tears. The target factor was rotator cuff tears; explanatory variables were age, sex, trauma, and critical shoulder angle≥35°. In the results of classification and regression tree analysis, the tree was divided at age 64. For patients aged≥64, the tree was divided at trauma. For patients aged<64, the tree was divided at critical shoulder angle≥35°. The odds ratio for critical shoulder angle≥35° was significant for all ages (5.89), and for patients aged<64 (10.3) while trauma was only a significant factor for patients aged≥64 (5.13). Age, trauma, and critical shoulder angle≥35° were related to rotator cuff tears in this study. However, these risk factors showed different trends according to age group, not a linear relationship

International Gas Union Research Conference

ABSTRACT Demand of natural gas continues to increase in the recent years due to the rise of environmental issues and the drastic increase of crude oil price. These events led to the increase of constructions of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage tanks worldwide. The inner tank material for above ground LNG storage tanks have mostly been made of 9% nickel steel plate over the last 50 years as it has excellent mechanical properties under the cryogenic temperature of -160deg-C. During this period, the LNG storage tanks made of 9%Ni steel plate have been operated safely at the many LNG export and import terminals in the world. Meanwhile, technologies of steel making, refinement, design, analysis, welding and inspection have been improved significantly and enabled to enlarge volumetric capacity of the tank 2-3 times. There was a tendency for nickel price to increase in recent years. In such a circumstance lowering Ni content has focused attention on the 9%Ni steel as nickel is an expensive and valuable rare metal and

Near-wall rheotaxis of the ciliate Tetrahymena induced by the kinesthetic sensing of cilia

泳ぐ微生物が海まで流されない理由 --SDGsに欠かせない小さな生物たちの振る舞いを解明--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-10-21.To survive in harsh environments, single-celled microorganisms autonomously respond to external stimuli, such as light, heat, and flow. Here, we elucidate the flow response of Tetrahymena, a well-known single-celled freshwater microorganism. Tetrahymena moves upstream against an external flow via a behavior called rheotaxis. While micrometer-sized particles are swept away downstream in a viscous flow, what dynamics underlie the rheotaxis of the ciliate? Our experiments reveal that Tetrahymena slides along walls during upstream movement, which indicates that the cells receive rotational torque from shear flow to control cell orientation. To evaluate the effects of the shear torque and propelling speed, we perform a numerical simulation with a hydrodynamic model swimmer adopting cilia dynamics in a shear flow. The swimmer orientations converge to an upstream alignment, and the swimmer slides upstream along a boundary wall. The results suggest that Tetrahymena automatically responds to shear flow by performing rheotaxis using cilia-stalling mechanics

Attenuation and scattering tomography of the deep plumbing system of Mount St. Helens

Acknowledgments We thank Edoardo Del Pezzo, Ludovic Margerin, Christoph Sens‐Schönefelder, Michael Becken, David Hill, Matt Haney, Willie Scott, Alicia Hotovec‐Ellis, Jonathan Lees, and two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and critical reviews. Steve Hicks, Carina Häger, and Laura Schmidt helped in the data processing. The facilities of the IRIS Data Management System, and specifically the IRIS Data Management Center, were used for access to waveform and metadata required in this study and provided by the Cascades Volcano Observatory ‐ USGS. The MuRAT code with two sample applications is freely available at http://earth.uni‐muenster.de/~ldesi_01/publications/publications.html under free license. The methods for the 2‐D and 3‐D scattering tomographies are based on the ones described in Tramelli et al. [2006] and Calvet et al. [2013]. Supporting information accompanies this paper. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to Luca De Siena.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Identifying participants with knee osteoarthritis likely to benefit from physical therapy education and exercise: A hypothesis-generating study

Background: The purpose of this investigation was to undertake a hypothesis generating study to identify candidate variables that characterize people with knee osteoarthritis who are most likely to experience a positive response to exercise. Methods: One hundred and fifty participants with knee osteoarthritis participated in this observational, longitudinal study. All participants received a standard exercise intervention that consisted of 20-min sessions two to three times a week for three months. The classification and regression tree methodology (CART) was used to develop prediction of positive clinical outcome. Positive pain and disability outcomes (dependent variables) were defined as an improvement in pain intensity by \u3e50% or an improvement of five or more on the Oxford knee score, respectively. The predictor variables considered included age, sex, body mass index, knee osteoarthritis severity (Kellgren/Lawrence grade), pain duration, use of medication, range of knee motion, pain catastrophizing, self-efficacy and knee self-perception. Results: Fifty-five participants (36.6%) were classified as responders for pain intensity and 36.6% were classified as responders for disability. The CART model identified impairments in knee self-perception and knee osteoarthritis severity as the discriminators for pain intensity reduction following exercise. No variables predicted reduction of disability level following exercise. Conclusions: Such findings suggest that both body perception and osteoarthritis severity may play a role in treatment outcome with exercise. It also raises the possibility that those with higher levels of disrupted body perception may need additional treatment targeted at restoring body perception prior to undertaking exercise. Significance: Regardless age, sex, body mass index, pain duration, use of medication, knee range of motion, pain catastrophizing and self-efficacy, participants with knee osteoarthritis who report low levels of body perception disruption (a FreKAQ score ≦ 17) and minimal structural changes (KL grade I) demonstrate significantly better outcomes from exercise therapy than other participants

Perceived body distortion rather than actual body distortion is associated with chronic low back pain in adults with cerebral palsy: A preliminary investigation

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether distorted body perception is a feature of the low back pain experience in people with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and whether any distortions noted are confounded by the presence of motor and postural impairments commonly seen in CP. Methods: Forty‐five individuals participated in this study: fifteen adults with CP with LBP (CP_Pain group), fifteen adults with CP without LBP (CP_noPain group), and fifteen age‐matched adults with LBP but no CP (Pain group). Body perception was evaluated using the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) and by assessing two‐point discrimination (TPD) thresholds over the low back. A comprehensive assessment of motor function was also undertaken in the CP population and postural function was assessed in all three groups. Results: Significant differences between the three groups were found for FreBAQ scores (p \u3c 0.0001). The TPD threshold in the low back of the CP_Pain group was significantly larger than that of the CP_noPain group (p = 0.01), though we found no difference between the CP_noPain group and the Pain group (p = 0.21). We found no difference in motor or postural function between the two CP groups. Discussion: The present results suggest that body image is disrupted in people with CP who experience low back pain. The disruptions in perception were similar to those seen in people with LBP and no CP suggesting the distortions maybe more related to the presence of pain than the presence of CP. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Development and psychometric properties of knee-specific body-perception questionnaire in people with knee osteoarthritis: The Fremantle Knee Awareness Questionnaire

Background: Recent systematic reviews have demonstrated that pain associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex phenomenon that involves various contributors. People with knee OA exhibit symptoms of impaired body-perception, including reduced tactile acuity, impairments in limb laterality recognition, and degraded proprioceptive acuity. The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) was developed to assess body-perception specific to the back in people with chronic low back pain. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of a knee-specific version of the FreBAQ-J (FreKAQ-J), determine whether people with knee pain experience perceptual impairments and investigate the relationship between disturbed self-perception and clinical status. Methods: Sixty-five people with knee OA completed the FreKAQ-J. A subset of the participants completed the FreKAQ-J again two-weeks later. Rasch analysis was used to assess item order, targeting, category ordering, unidimensionality, person fit, internal consistency, and differential item functioning. Validity was investigated by examining the relationship between the FreKAQ-J and clinical valuables. Results: The FreKAQ-J had acceptable internal consistency, unidimensionality, good test-retest reliability, and was functional on the category rating scale. The FreKAQ-J was significantly correlated with pain in motion, disability, pain-related catastrophizing, fear of movement, and anxiety symptomatology. Conclusions: We developed FreKAQ-J by modifying the FreBAQ-J. The FreKAQ-J fits the Rasch measurement model well and is suitable for use in people with knee OA. Altered body perception may be worth evaluating when managing people with knee OA

Validation of the Japanese version of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire in patients with low back pain

Background: There is a growing interest in the role of disturbed body perception in people with persistent pain problems such as chronic low back pain (CLBP). A questionnaire, the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ), was recently developed as a simple and quick way of assessing disturbed perceptual awareness of the back in people with CLBP and appears to have acceptable psychometric properties. The aim of the present study was to develop a Japanese version of the FreBAQ (FreBAQ-J) and evaluate its psychometric properties in a sample of Japanese people with low back pain (LBP). Methods: Translation of the FreBAQ into Japanese was conducted using a forward-backward method. One hundred participants with LBP completed the resultant FreBAQ-J. A subset of the participants completed the FreBAQ-J again 2 weeks later. Validity was investigated by examining the relationship between the FreBAQ-J and clinical valuables. Rasch analysis was used to assess targeting, category ordering, unidimensionality, person fit, internal consistency, and differential item functioning. Results: The FreBAQ-J was significantly correlated with pain in motion, disability, pain-related catastrophizing, fear of movement, and anxiety symptomatology. The FreBAQ-J had acceptable internal consistency, a minor departure from unidimensionality, and good test-retest reliability, and was functional on the category rating scale. Conclusions: The FreBAQ-J has acceptable psychometric properties and is suitable for use in people with LBP. Participants with high levels of disturbed body perception are well targeted by the scale. The functioning of one item (item 8) was poor. Further study is warranted to confirm if this item should be exclude

Embodying the illusion of a strong, fit back in people with chronic low back pain. A pilot proof-of-concept study

Objective: This proof-of-concept pilot study aimed to investigate if a visual illusion that altered the size and muscularity of the back could be embodied and alter perception of the back. Methods: The back visual illusions were created using the MIRAGE multisensory illusion system. Participants watched real-time footage of a modified version of their own back from behind. Participants undertook one experimental condition, in which the image portrayed a muscled, fit-looking back (Strong), and two control conditions (Reshaped and Normal) during a lifting task. Embodiment, back perception as well as pain intensity and beliefs about the back during lifting were assessed. Results: Two participants with low back pain were recruited for this study: one with altered body perception and negative back beliefs (Participant A) and one with normal perception and beliefs (Participant B). Participant A embodied the Strong condition and pain and fear were less and both perceived strength and confidence were more than for the Normal or the Reshaped condition. Participant B did not embody the Strong condition and reported similar levels of pain, fear strength and confidence across all three conditions. Discussion: An illusion that makes the back look strong successfully induced embodiment of a visually modified back during a lifting task in a low back pain patient with altered body perception. Both participants tolerated the illusion, there were no adverse effects, and we gained preliminary evidence that the approach may have therapeutic potential