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2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazda Farshad ◽  
Pascal Raffael Furrer ◽  
Florian Wanivenhaus ◽  
Lukas Urbanschitz ◽  
Marco Senteler

Abstract Study design A retrospective, single center, case-control study was performed. Objective The present study employed patient-specific biomechanical modeling to find potential biomechanical differences after spinal fusion at L4/5 in patients with and without subsequent development of adjacent segment disease (ASD). Methods The study population comprised patients who underwent primary spinal fusion at L4/5 and were either asymptomatic during > 4 years of follow-up (CTRL; n = 18) or underwent revision surgery for ASD at L3/4 (n = 20). Landmarks were annotated on preoperative and follow-up lateral radiographs, and specific musculoskeletal models were created using a custom-built modeling pipeline. Simulated spinal muscle activation and lumbar intervertebral shear loads in unfused segments were analyzed in upright standing and forward flexion. Differences between the pre- and postoperative conditions were computed for each patient. Results The average postoperative muscle activity in the upright standing posture was 88.4% of the preoperative activity in the CTRL group (p <  0.0001), but did not significantly change from pre- to postoperatively in the ASD group (98.0%). The average shear load magnitude at the epifusional joint L3/4 during upright standing increased from pre- to postoperatively in the ASD group (+ 3.9 N, +/− 17.4 (n = 18)), but decreased in the CTRL group (− 4.6 N, +/− 23.3 (n = 20); p <  0.001). Conclusion Patient-specific biomechanical simulation revealed that spinal fusion surgery resulted in greater shear load magnitude and muscle activation and therefore greater forces at the epifusional segment in those with ASD compared with those without ASD. This is a first report of patient-specific disc load and muscle force calculation with predictive merits for ASD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yuhui Liu ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Rulei Cheng

The study was intended to explore the risk factors of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their influence on perinatal outcomes through deep neural network (DNN)-based Doppler color ultrasound (B-mode ultrasound) images. Specifically, 75 women with GDM were selected as the experimental group, and 75 healthy pregnant women were selected as the control (Ctrl) group. DNN uses the unsupervised method to pretrain layer by layer and then uses the supervised method to accumulate parameters of each layer, which can obtain good performance. In this study, the risk factors of GDM and their influence on the perinatal outcomes were analyzed by DNN-based B-mode ultrasound images. It was found that pregnancy age was a risk factor for GDM (OR = 2.566), preference for sweets was a risk factor for GDM (OR = 1.678, P < 0.001 ), and family history of DM was also a risk factor for GDM (OR = 12.789, P < 0.001 ). The incidence of complications in the experimental group was higher than that in the Ctrl group ( P < 0.05 ). Therefore, the true positive recognition (TPR) rate of DNN was significantly higher than that of the traditional method, and the pregnancy age, the preference for sweets before pregnancy, and the family history of DM may be risk factors for GDM; also, GDM was an influencing factor for pregnancy outcome, neonatal outcome, and complications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Qingyan Zhao ◽  
Shuai Yuan

This study was aimed to explore the efficacy of dexmedetomidine combined with modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT) and continuous nursing on first episode schizophrenia (FES), as well as the continuous monitoring effect of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the FES patients under machine learning algorithms. In this study, 48 schizophrenia patients who received the combined treatment of MECT and dexmedetomidine were selected, and they were divided into the routine group (RG) and observation group (OG), with routine nursing and continuous nursing, respectively. Besides, another 30 healthy people were included as the control group (Ctrl group). Based on MRI characteristics, the machine learning algorithm designed for FES patients was used to analyze the changes in the amplitude low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the static state brain MRI; the positive and negative score scale (PANSS) was used to evaluate the mental symptoms of patients. The Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) score, treatment compliance rate, follow-up rate, and recurrence rate of patients were also compared. The results showed that the image quality of the weakened and enhanced areas of brain MRI was significantly improved under the machine learning algorithm. After treatment, the total score of PANSS and the scores of all dimensions were greatly reduced ( P < 0.05 ). For the FES patients, the ALFF value of the frontal right lower lobe before treatment was higher than that of the Ctrl group ( P < 0.05 ), while the ALFF value of the right insula and right superior frontal gyrus after treatment was lower than that of the Ctrl group ( P < 0.01 ), and the ALFF value of the left inferior frontal gyrus opercular part was lower than that of the Ctrl group ( P < − 0.05 ). The SQLS score, treatment compliance rate, follow-up rate, and recurrence rate of OG after nursing intervention were all much higher than those of the Ctrl group ( P < − 0.05 ). In summary, MRI based on machine learning algorithms could be applied to monitor the effect of dexmedetomidine combined with MECT, and continuous nursing made an effective improvement in SQLS score of FES patients, though which the risk of recurrence was reduced.


Author(s):  
Wei Guan ◽  
Shuguo Yang ◽  
Yanqing Zhao ◽  
Weijia Cheng ◽  
Xiaonan Song ◽  
...  

The genus of Plasmodium parasites can cause malaria, which is a prevalent infectious disease worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. C57BL/6 mice infected with P. berghei ANKA (PbA) will suffer from experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). However, the gut microbiota in C57BL/6 mice has rarely been investigated, especially regarding changes in the intestinal environment caused by infectious parasites. P. berghei ANKA-infected (PbA group) and uninfected C57BL/6 (Ctrl group) mice were used in this study. C57BL/6 mice were infected with PbA via intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 106 infected red blood cells. Fecal samples of two groups were collected. The microbiota of feces obtained from both uninfected and infected mice was characterized by targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA through the Illumina MiSeq platform. The variations in the total gut microbiota composition were determined based on alpha and beta diversity analyses of 16S rRNA sequencing. The raw sequences from all samples were generated and clustered using ≥ 97% sequence identity into many microbial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The typical microbiota composition in the gut was dominated by Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia at the phylum level. Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia were considerably decreased after PbA infection compared with the control group (Ctrl), while Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were increased substantially after PbA infection compared with Ctrl. The alpha diversity index showed that the observed OTU number was increased in the PbA group compared with the Ctrl group. Moreover, the discreteness of the beta diversity revealed that the PbA group samples had a higher number of OTUs than the Ctrl group. LEfSe analysis revealed that several potential bacterial biomarkers were clearly related to the PbA-infected mice at the phylogenetic level. Several bacterial genera, such as Acinetobacter, Lactobacillus, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, were overrepresented in the PbA-infected fecal microbiota. Meanwhile, a method similar to gene coexpression network construction was used to generate the OTU co-abundance units. These results indicated that P. berghei ANKA infection could alter the gut microbiota composition of C57BL/6 mice. In addition, potential biomarkers should offer insight into malaria pathogenesis and antimalarial drug and malaria vaccine studies.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3684
Author(s):  
Zheying Liu ◽  
Shih-Kuan Li ◽  
Chih-Kang Huang ◽  
Ching-Feng Huang

Mounting evidence demonstrates that a high-salt diet (HSD) not only affects hemodynamic changes but also disrupts immune homeostasis. The T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) are susceptible to hypersalinity. However, research on the influence of sodium on Th2-mediated food allergies remains scarce. We aimed to investigate the effect of dietary sodium on the immune response to food allergies. Mice maintained on an HSD (4% NaCl), low-salt diet (LSD; 0.4% NaCl), or control diet (CTRL; 1.0% NaCl) were orally sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and a cholera toxin (CT) adjuvant, and then subjected to an intragastric OVA challenge. OVA-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1, IgG2a, and IgE antibodies were significantly higher in the HSD group than in the CTRL group (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively). Mice on HSD had significantly higher interleukin (IL)-4 levels than the CTRL group (p < 0.01). The IL-10 levels were significantly lower in the HSD group than in the CTRL group (p < 0.05). The serum levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), sodium, and chloride did not differ among the three groups. This study indicates that excessive salt intake promotes Th2 responses in a mouse model of food allergy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Pertusa ◽  
Juan J. Tarín ◽  
Antonio Cano ◽  
Miguel Ángel García-Pérez ◽  
Damián Mifsut

AbstractThe rising incidence of bone pathologies such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis is negatively affecting the functional status of millions of patients worldwide. The genetic component of these multifactorial pathologies is far from being fully understood, but in recent years several epigenetic mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of these bone diseases have been identified. The aim of the present study was to compare the serum expression of four miRNAs in women with hip fragility fracture (OF group), osteoarthritis requiring hip replacement (OA group) and control women (Ctrl group). Serum expression of miR-497-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-423-5p and miR-365-3p was determined in a sample of 23 OA women, 25 OF women and 52 Ctrl women. Data shown that women with bone pathologies have higher expression of miR-497 and miR-423 and lower expression of miR-155 and miR-365 than control subjects. Most importantly, miR-497 was identified as an excellent discriminator between OA group and control group (AUC: 0.89, p < 0.000) and acceptable in distinguishing from the OF group (AUC: 0.76, p = 0.002). Our data suggest that circulating miR-497 may represent a significant biomarker of OA, a promising finding that could contribute towards future early-stage diagnosis of this disease. Further studies are required to establish the role of miR-155, miR-423 and miR-365 in bone pathologies.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1048
Author(s):  
Ivonete Sena dos Santos ◽  
Igor da Silva Brum ◽  
Victor Hugo Vieira de Oliveira ◽  
Ana Lucia Rosa Nascimento ◽  
Lucio Frigo ◽  
...  

The development of new bone substitutes has become an area of great interest in materials science. In fact, hydroxyapatite is the most commonly used biomaterial in defects that require bone reconstruction, and that is certainly why the discovery of new products with its formulation has been increasing continuously. The aim of this study was to analyze the biological behavior of a xenogeneic hydroxyapatite widely disclosed in the literature and a synthetic nano-hydroxyapatite/Beta tricalcium phosphate in critical defects in the calvaria of Wistar rats. For this, the groups were divided as follows: 24 adult male Wistar rats were used, weighing between 300 and 350 g, in three groups with eight animals each. In the CTRL group (control), only the clot was kept, without material insertion; in the Bioss group (bovine hydroxyapatite), Bio Oss®—Gleistlich® was introduced; and in the Blue Bone group (REG), the defect was filled in with synthetic nano-hydroxyapatite associated with betatriphosphate of calcium, Blue Bone®—Regener®. According to the results in Goldner’s Trichromics, we can observe a higher percentage of newly formed bone matrix in the REG group than in the CTRL and Bioss groups; in the VEGF, we had a more adequate cell modulation for blood vessel formation in the Blue Bone group (REG) compared to the Bioss and CTRL groups, while in osteopontin, a higher percentage of bone formation was observed in the Blue Bone group (REG) and Bioss group when compared to the CTRL group. We conclude that bone formation, mitosis-inducing cell modulation and main osteoblast activity were higher in the Blue Bone group (REG) than in the CTRL and Bioss groups.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 3253
Author(s):  
Heeju Lee ◽  
Bora Lee ◽  
Yeonhee Kim ◽  
Sohyun Min ◽  
Eunjoo Yang ◽  
...  

In our previous study, intravenous (IV) injection of selenium alleviated breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). This secondary analysis aimed to explore the metabolic effects of selenium on patients with BCRL. Serum samples of the selenium-treated (SE, n = 15) or the placebo-controlled (CTRL, n = 14) groups were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with Q-Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS). The SE group showed a lower ratio of extracellular water to segmental water (ECW/SW) in the affected arm to ECW/SW in the unaffected arm (arm ECW/SW ratio) than the CTRL group. Metabolomics analysis showed a valid classification at 2-weeks and 107 differential metabolites were identified. Among them, the levels of corticosterone, LTB4-DMA, and PGE3—which are known anti-inflammatory compounds—were elevated in the SE group. Pathway analysis demonstrated that lipid metabolism (glycerophospholipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, or arachidonic acid metabolism), nucleotide metabolism (pyrimidine or purine metabolism), and vitamin metabolism (pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, vitamin B6 metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism) were altered in the SE group compared to the CTRL group. In addition, xanthurenic acid levels were negatively associated with whole blood selenium level (WBSe) and positively associated with the arm ECW/SW. In conclusion, selenium IV injection improved the arm ECW/SW ratio and altered the serum metabolic profiles in patients with BCRL, and improved the anti-inflammatory process in lipid, nucleotide and vitamin pathways, which might alleviate the symptoms of BCRL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jun Xue ◽  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Ping Zang

To explore the application value of the reconstruction algorithm based on an iterative algorithm in the analysis of CT image and analyze the therapeutic effect of honey-fried Herba Ephedrae combined with Western medicine on acute exacerbation chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), a total of 96 AECOPD patients admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected as research subjects. According to a different treatment method, the subjects were divided into a control group (Ctrl group, conventional therapy) and an observation group (OG, conventional therapy + honey-fried Herba Ephedrae), with 48 in each group. The CT image algorithm was established based on the iterative algorithm, and the CT dose indexes of the reconstruction algorithm and the Filtered Back Projection (FBP) algorithm under the same conditions were compared ( P < 0.05 ). After using CT to confirm the diagnosis of the subjects, the difference in indicators of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity ratio (FEV1%), and forced vital capacity (FVC), inflammatory factors of serum interleukin-8 (IL-8), serum interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), the bronchial wall area, and the total treatment efficiency before and after different treatment was analyzed. The results suggested that the Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) of iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithm when scanning different parts was higher than that of the FBP algorithm. The pulmonary function indexes and the expression of IL-8 and TNF-α in the OG were higher than those in the Ctrl group ( P < 0.05 ); the bronchial wall area, bronchial wall area percentage, and IL-10 expression in the OG were all lower than those in the Ctrl group ( P < 0.05 ). The effectiveness and improvement rates of the Ctrl group were 47.92% and 25%, respectively, significantly lower than those in the OG group, 56.25% and 31.25% ( P < 0.05 ), and the total efficiency of the observation group was 87.5%, which was significantly higher than that in the Ctrl group (72.92%) ( P < 0.05 ). In conclusion, based on the iterative algorithm, a CT reconstruction algorithm with better noise reduction performance was established, and the use of honey-fried Herba Ephedrae combined with Western medicine can improve the effective rate of treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanvi Bhatt ◽  
Yiru Wang ◽  
Shuaijie Wang ◽  
Lakshmi Kannan

This study examined the effects of perturbation training on the contextual interference and generalization of encountering a novel opposing perturbation. One hundred and sixty-nine community-dwelling healthy older adults (69.6 ± 6.4 years) were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: slip-perturbation training (St, n = 67) group received 24 slips, trip-perturbation training (Tt, n = 67) group received 24 trips, and control (Ctrl: n = 31) group received only non-perturbed walking trials (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03199729; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03199729). After training, all groups had 30 min of rest and three post-training non-perturbed walking trials, followed by a reslip and a novel trip trial for St, a retrip and a novel slip trial for Tt, and randomized novel slip and trip trials for Ctrl. The margin of stability (MOS), step length, and toe clearance of post-training walking trials were compared among three groups to examine interferences in proactive adjustment. Falls, MOS at the instant of recovery foot touchdown, and hip height of post-training perturbation trials were investigated to detect interferences and generalization in reactive responses. Results indicated that prior adaptation to slip perturbation training, resulting in walking with a greater MOS (more anterior) and a shorter step length (p &lt; 0.01) than that of the Ctrl group, would be associated with a greater likelihood to forward balance loss if encountered with a trip. The trip adaptation training mainly induced a higher toe clearance during walking (p &lt; 0.01) than the Ctrl group, which could lead to reduced effectiveness of the reactive response when encountered with a novel slip. However, there was no difference in the reactive MOS, limb support, and falls between the control group and the slip and trip training groups on their respective opposing novel perturbation post-training (MOS, limb support, and falls for novel slip: Tt = Ctrl; for the novel trip: St = Ctrl, both p &gt; 0.05). Current findings suggested that, although perturbation training results in proactive adjustments that could worsen the reactive response (interference) when exposed to an unexpected opposing perturbation, older adults demonstrated the ability to immediately generalize the training-induced adaptive reactive control to maintain MOS, to preserve limb support control, and to reduce fall risk.


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