Acute effect of engineered thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer knockoff running footwear on foot loading and comfort during heel-to-toe running

BackgroundBetter midsole materials and comfort have been incorporated into more expensive shoes and are popular with runners. Consequently, knockoff running shoes are currently widely distributed in the Chinese market and and cost only 30%–50% of the total price of genuine branded products.Research questionUncertainty exists concerning the beneficial effects of advanced shoe material application in decreasing foot loading or impact force during running. Additionally, using comfort as a criterion to identify genuine branded running shoes may exclude brand factor.MethodsFifteen healthy male volunteers were asked to perform two different tests, including running and a comfort evaluation. Each participant was asked to identify which footwear was the Adidas brand shoe based on their perception of comfort.ResultsTime to the first peak of the vertical ground reaction force occurred significantly later when subjects wore the genuine branded shoe compared to knockoff shoe 1 (p = 0.003) and knockoff shoe 2 (p = 0.015) footwea. The genuine branded shoe (p = 0.005) and knockoff shoe 1 (p = 0.029) were significantly more comfortable compared to the knockoff shoe 2. Only four subjects selected the genuine branded shoe, whereas six subjects selected both the genuine branded shoe and knockoff shoe 1.SignificanceKnockoff running footwear significantly increases impact loading compared to the genuine branded product, thereby posing greater risk of running injury.     

The behavior of neuronal cells on tendon-derived collagen sheets as potential substrates for nerve regeneration

Peripheral nervous system injuries result in a decreased quality of life, and generally require surgical intervention for repair. Currently, the gold standard of nerve autografting, based on the use of host tissue such as sensory nerves is suboptimal as it results in donor-site loss of function and requires a secondary surgery. Nerve guidance conduits fabricated from natural polymers such as collagen are a common alternative to bridge nerve defects. In the present work, tendon sections derived through a process named bioskiving were studied for their potential for use as a substrate to fabricate nerve guidance conduits. We show that cells such as rat Schwann cells adhere, proliferate, and align along the fibrous tendon substrate which has been shown to result in a more mature phenotype. Additionally we demonstrate that chick dorsal root ganglia explants cultured on the tendon grow to similar lengths compared to dorsal root ganglia cultured on collagen gels, but also grow in a more oriented manner on the tendon sections. These results show that tendon sections produced through bioskiving can support directional nerve growth and may be of use as a substrate for the fabrication of nerve guidance conduits.     

Advanced silk material spun by a transgenic silkworm promotes cell proliferation for biomedical application

Natural silk fiber spun by the silkworm Bombyx mori is widely used not only for textile materials, but also for biofunctional materials. In the present study, we genetically engineered an advanced silk material, named hSFSV, using a transgenic silkworm, in which the recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF1) protein was specifically synthesized in the middle silk gland and secreted into the sericin layer to surround the silk fiber using our previously optimized sericin1 expression system. The content of the recombinant hFGF1 in the hSFSV silk was estimated to be approximate 0.07% of the cocoon shell weight. The mechanical properties of hSFSV raw silk fiber were enhanced slightly compared to those of the wild-type raw silk fiber, probably due to the presence of the recombinant of hFGF1 in the sericin layer. Remarkably, the hSFSV raw silk significantly stimulated the cell growth and proliferation of NIH/3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblast cells, suggesting that the mitogenic activity of recombinant hFGF1 was well maintained and functioned in the sericin layer of hSFSV raw silk. These results show that the genetically engineered raw silk hSFSV could be used directly as a fine biomedical material for mass application. In addition, the strategy whereby functional recombinant proteins are expressed in the sericin layer of silk might be used to create more genetically engineered silks with various biofunctions and applications.     

药物疾病语义关系语料库构建方法研究

以BioCreative V CDR语料库为例,选定现有的领域标注体系作为参照,通过数据质量控制工作流,采用半自动化标注方法实现药物疾病语义关系语料库的标准化构建,总结该语料库的质量及其应用。     

国际生物医学大数据研究可视化分析

以WOS数据库为数据源,全面采集生物医学大数据相关文献,以CiteSpace和VOSViewer软件绘制科学知识图谱,对当前生物医学大数据研究力量、研究热点及演进趋势进行分析。     

生物医学工程专业Matlab课程教学改革探索

针对生物医学工程专业中Matlab课程教学的主要问题,给出教学改革的主要措施,包括课程学时、教学内容、教材等方面的调整,以及授课方式、考核方式的改革,通过部分调查得出改革对学生学习质量的提高具有积极意义。     

Is asthma a protective factor for dengue fever? In vitro experiment and nationwide population-based cohort analysis

BackgroundDengue fever (DF) is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease. Practical vaccines or specific therapeutics are still expected. Environmental factors and genetic factors affect the susceptibility of Dengue virus (DV) infection. Asthma is a common allergic disease, with house dust mites (HDMs) being the most important allergens. Asthmatic patients are susceptible to several microorganism infections.MethodsA nationwide population-based cohort analysis was designed to assess whether to determine whether asthma can be a risk factor for DF.ResultsUnexpectedly, our data from a nationwide population-based cohort revealed asthmatic patients are at a decreased risk of DF. Compared to patients without asthma, the hazard ratio (HR) for DF in patients with asthma was 0.166 (95% CI: 0.118–0.233) after adjustment for possible confounding factors. In the age stratification, the adjusted HR for DF in young adult patients with asthma was 0.063. Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) of dendritic cells (DCs) is an important entry for DV. Through another in vitro experiment, we found that HDM can diminish surface expression of DC-SIGN in monocyte-derived DCs and further decrease the cellular entry of DV.ConclusionsDecreased DC-SIGN expression in DCs of allergic asthmatic patient may be one of many factors for them to be protected against DF. This could implicate the potential for DC-SIGN modulation as a candidate target for designing therapeutic strategies for DF.     

不离断颈前肌群的小切口甲状腺次全切除术36例体会

目的:探讨不离断颈前肌群对甲状腺次全切除手术操作的影响,不放置引流物对甲状腺次全切除术后的影响。方法:回顾性分析本院近2年来选择对36例甲状腺腺瘤等患者采用不离断颈前肌群,次全切除腺体后创面应用生物蛋白胶并不放置引流物的治疗效果。结果:36例患者均获痊愈,手术时间均未超过1小时45分钟,仅1例因术中牵拉过度,术后出现暂时性声嘶,3个月余后恢复,术后平均住院时间为6.5d。结论:大部分甲状腺次全切除手术可以不离断颈前肌群,医用生物蛋白胶在甲状腺次全切除术中应用具有明显止血、止渗出的作用,可不放置引流物,能减少因引流物引起的并发症。     

生物蛋白胶联合大网膜包肾在门静脉高压症手术治疗中的应用

目的:评价医用生物蛋白胶(BFG)联合大网膜包肾(ORP)对门静脉高压症患者断流术后近期和远期疗效的影响。方法:将我院3年内(2003年11月～2006年5月)收治的118例门静脉高压症接受选择性贲门周围血管离断术(sPCDV)患者分成两组,即应用BFG联合ORP组(A组,n=72)和对照组(B组,n=46),比较两组手术后近期(一月)脾窝渗液、发热和远期上消化道再出血、肝性脑病和胃病等并发症的发生率。结果:A组手术近期脾窝渗液和发热率明显低于B组(P<0.05);A组和B组随访期间上消化道再出血率分别为1.3%和10.8%(P<0.05)、门静脉高压性胃病发生率分别为30.6%和65.2%(P<0.05);A组肝性脑病发生率与B组无明显差异(P>0.05)。结论:BFG联合ORP可有效降低选择性断流术后近期和远期并发症的发生,提高门静脉高压症患者断流术的疗效。