bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spreading of multiple Listeria monocytogenes abscesses via central nervous system fiber tracts: case report
Authors: Bojanowski Michel W. , Seizeur Romuald , Effendi Khaled , Bourgouin Patrick , Magro Elsa , Letourneau-Guillon Laurent 
Published: June 2015

Animal studies have shown that Listeria monocytogenes can probably access the brain through a peripheral intraneural route, and it has been suggested that a similar process may occur in humans. However, thus far, its spreading through the central nervous system (CNS) has not been completely elucidated. The authors present a case of multiple L. monocytogenes cerebral abscesses characterized by a pattern of distribution that suggested spread along white matter fiber tracts and reviewed the literature to identify other cases for analysis. They elected to include only those cases with 3 or more cerebral abscesses to make sure that the distribution was not random, but rather followed a pattern. In addition, they included those cases with abscesses in both the brainstem and the cerebral hemispheres, but excluded cases in which abscesses were located solely in the brainstem.
Of 77 cases of L. monocytogenes CNS abscesses found in the literature, 17 involved multiple abscesses. Of those, 6 were excluded for lack of imaging and 3 because they involved only the brainstem. Of the 8 remaining cases from the literature, one was a case of bilateral abscesses that did not follow a fiber tract; another was also bilateral, but with lesions appearing to follow fiber tracts on one side; and in the remaining 6, to which the authors added their own case for a total of 7, all the abscesses were located exclusively in the same hemisphere and distributed along white matter fiber tracts.
The findings suggest that after entering the CNS, L. monocytogenes travels within the axons, resulting in a characteristic pattern of distribution of multiple abscesses along the white matter fiber tracts in the brain. This report is the first description suggesting intraaxonal CNS spread of L. monocytogenes infection in humans following its entry into the brain. This distinct pattern is clearly seen on imaging and its recognition may be valuable in the diagnosis of listeriosis. This finding may allow for earlier diagnosis, which may improve outcome.
A preliminary investigation into concurrent aerobic and resistance training in youth runners
Authors: Bluett Kelly A. , Croix Mark B.A. De Ste , Lloyd Rhodri S. 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Studies in adults have shown benefits in endurance performance by combining aerobic and resistance training. However, whether concurrent strength and aerobic training is beneficial in children remains to be identified. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 10 week aerobic training programme compared to a concurrent aerobic and resistance training programme on leg strength, fat free mass (%FFM), forced vital capacity (FVC) and 3 km-running performance in youth athletes. METHODS: Twelve trained youth competitive runners were pair matched into either an aerobic (AT) or concurrent (CT) training group based on maturational status and initial 3 km-running performance. The aerobic training consisted of continuous and interval training twice weekly for all participants. The CT group additionally performed resistance training twice weekly. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups for any parameters pre-training. Significant correlations were found between 3 km-running performance and leg strength, FVC and %FFM. No significant interaction or main effects for any of the key outcome variables were found. There was however, a 38 s group difference in 3 km-running time post intervention indicating some interference of the resistance training on ERP. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that concurrent endurance and resistance training should be avoided in trained youth athletes.
Reproducibility and validity of the PowerCal device for estimating power output during sprints in well-trained cyclists
Authors: Costa Vitor P. , Guglielmo Luiz Guilherme A. , Paton Carl D. 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: The PowerCal device purports to effectively estimate power output (PO) using an algorithm computed from the HR response recorded during exercise. OBJECTIVE: To assess the reproducibility and validity of PO estimation using the PowerCal during sprints. METHODS: Ten well-trained male cyclists (maximal oxygen uptake-62.7 ± 5.9 ml ⋅ kg-1⋅ min-1) performed four separate experimental trials over a two-week period. Cyclists completed an incremental exercise test until volitional exhaustion followed by three maximal sprint sessions on separate days. Each sprint session consisted of 3 repeated maximal-effort sprints (15, 30, and 45 s) formatted with an effort/recovery duration ratio of 1:5. RESULTS: Peak power output (PPO) and mean power output (MPO) of the PowerCal showed high within-subject variation (6.7 to 21.5%) and low to high intra-class coefficient of correlation (ICC = 0.39 to 0.85). Furthermore, the PPO from PowerCal was underestimated by 6.6 to 13.9% and the MPO by 14.9 to 27.6% when compared to the Velotron. Furthermore, the data exhibited high bias (32 W to 129 W) and large confidence limits (-236 to 315 W) between the PO derived from the Powercal and the Velotron. CONCLUSION: We do not recommend competitive cyclists or sport scientists to use the PowerCal if reliable and valid PO information is required during maximal sprints.
A large number of short sprints is required to avoid practice based improvement effect during the assessment of cycling peak power
Authors: Pekünlü Ekim 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Practice based improvement (PBI) should be minimized in studies associated with evaluation and interpretation of tests intended for measuring cycling peak power (PP). OBJECTIVE: To assess the required number of 5-second Wingate All-out Test (5 s WAT) trials to obtain a stabilized PP in a single test session and to find out whether a single session is enough to avoid any PBI. METHODS: Twenty-four well-trained male athletes (PP: 14.2 ± 1.6 W ⋅ kg - 1) participated in two testing sessions separated by 5-8 days. In each session, participants performed nine 5 s WAT trials. The highest PP in the first ``n'' trials (1 ≤ n ≤ 9) was regarded as the representative PP. RESULTS: Only eight participants (≈ 33.3%) reached their real PP in the first five trials both in the first and second session. No statistically significant difference was found in the highest PP between sessions (p = 0.35, Hedge's d = -0.07, difference of 1.04%). Therefore, a single familiarization session including extensive number of short sprints seemed to be sufficient for avoiding the effect of PBI on PP. Based on comparison of mean values, sequential estimation procedure, and number of participants having performance improvement greater than the smallest worthwhile change score, ≥ 5 trials were required in both sessions to have a stabilized PP. CONCLUSIONS: Trainers and researchers should use ≥ 5 trials of 5-second sprints to assess accurate cycling PP of their athletes/participants whether they are familiarized with short cycling sprints or not.
Impact-induced soft-tissue vibrations associate with muscle activation in human landing movements: An accelerometry and EMG evaluation
Authors: Fu Weijie , Wang Xi , Liu Yu 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have not used neurophysiological methodology to explore the damping effects on induced soft-tissue vibrations and muscle responses. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the changes in activation of the musculoskeletal system in response to soft-tissue vibrations with different applied compression conditions in a drop-jump landing task. METHODS: Twelve trained male participants were instructed to perform drop-jump landings in compression shorts (CS) and regular shorts without compression (control condition, CC). Soft-tissue vibrations and EMG amplitudes of the leg within 50 ms before and after touchdown were collected synchronously. RESULTS: Peak acceleration of the thigh muscles was significantly lower in CS than in CC during landings from 45 or 60 cm and 30 cm heights(p < 0.05), respectively. However, the damping coefficient was higher in CS than in CC at the thigh muscles during landings from 60 cm height (p < 0.05). Significant decrease in EMG amplitude of the rectus femoris and biceps femoris muscles was also observed in CS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Externally induced soft-tissue vibration damping was associated with a decrease in muscular activity of the rectus femoris and biceps femoris muscles during drop-jump landings from different heights.
A passively safe cable driven upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton
Authors: Chen Yanyan , Fan Jizhuang , Zhu Yanhe , Zhao Jie , Cai Hegao 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: When using upper limb exoskeletons that assist the movement of physically weak people, safety should be the most important index. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, a passively safe, cable-driven upper limb exoskeleton with parallel actuated joints, which perfectly mimics human motions, is proposed. METHODS: Compared with the existing upper limb exoskeletons which are mostly designed only considering the realization of functional properties, and having poor wearabity, a passively safe prototype for motion assistance based on human anatomy structure has been developed in our design. This design is based on the prior exoskeleton structure with the adoption of a gravity balanced device. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The gravity balanced mechanism was confirmed in theory and simulation, showing it has a positive effect on balance.
An induction heating device using planar coil with high amplitude alternating magnetic fields for magnetic hyperthermia
Authors: Wu Zuhe , Zhuo Zihang , Cai Dongyang , Wu Jian'an , Wang Jie , Tang Jintian 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Induction heating devices using the induction coil and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are the way that the magnetic hyperthermia is heading. OBJECTIVE: To facilitate the induction heating of in vivo magnetic nanoparticles in hyperthermia experiments on large animals. METHODS: An induction heating device using a planar coil was designed with a magnetic field frequency of 328 kHz. The coil's magnetic field distribution and the device's induction heating performance on different concentrations of magnetic nanoparticles were measured. RESULTS: The alternating magnetic field produced in the axis position 165 mm away from the coil center is 40 Gs in amplitude; magnetic nanoparticles with a concentration higher than 80 mg. mL-1 can be heated up rapidly. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the device can be applied not only to in vitro and in small animal experiments of magnetic hyperthermia using MNPs, but also in large animal experiments.
Novel ``crowbar effect'' approach to improve success rate of recanalization of coronary chronic total occlusions
Authors: Liu Ruifang , Xu Fangxing , Liu Tongku 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO) are the most challenging lesions to treat percutaneously. Thus, consistent efforts are made to develop new approaches to treat CTO. OBJECTIVE: To explore the key points of a novel ``crowbar effect'' approach to improve the success rate of recanalization of CTOs. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-seven patients with CTO were treated with PCI using the regular antegrade guide wire approach. Of them, 36 patients (22.9%) showed that while the first guide wire was inserted into the CTO lesions, a small balloon had difficulty passing through the CTO lesions. For those patients, the new crowbar effect technique was used to allow the balloon to pass through the lesions. RESULTS: The coronary CTO vessels in 35 patients (97.2%) were completely opened. Coronary perforation occurred in 5 patients (13.8%). This perforation was properly treated and did not lead to serious complications. CONCLUSION: The crowbar effect technique proved successful as an alternative antegrade method for opening CTO. The procedure of this novel method is easy to accomplish and success rates are high.
Psychophysiological classification and experiment study for spontaneous EEG based on two novel mental tasks
Authors: Wang Hui , Song Aiguo , Li Bowei , Xu Baoguo , Li Yangming 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Study of imagination offers a perfect setting for study of a large variety of states of consciousness. OBJECTIVE: Here, we studied the characteristics of two electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns evoked by two different imaginary tasks and evaluated the binary classification performance. METHODS: Fifteen individuals (11 male and 4 female, age range of 22 to 33) participated in five sessions of 32-channel EEG recordings. Only by analyzing the subjects' output EEG signals from the central parieto-occipital region of PZ electrode, under the circumstances of consciousness of relaxation-meditation or tension-imagination, we carried out the experiment of feature extraction for spontaneous EEG, as the subjects were blindfolded but asked to open their eyes all the same. The Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) was utilized to obtain the Hilbert time-frequency amplitude spectrum, and then with the feature vector set extracted, a two-class Fisher linear discriminant analysis classifier was trained for classification of data epochs of those two tasks. RESULTS: The overall result was that about 90% (± 5%) of the epochs could be correctly classified to their originating task. CONCLUSION: This study not only brings new opportunities for consciousness studies, but also provides a new classification paradigm for achieving control of robots based on the brain-computer interface (BCI).
Comparative analysis for evaluating the traceability of interventional devices using blood vessel phantom models made of PVA-H or silicone
Authors: Yu Chang-Ho , Kwon Tae-Kyu , Park Chan Hee , Ohta Makoto , Kim Sung Hoon 
Published: June 2015

OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we investigated the parameters with effective traceability to assess the mechanical properties of interventional devices. METHODS: In our evaluation system, a box-shaped poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA-H) and silicone were prepared with realistic geometry, and the measurement and evaluation of traceability were carried out on devices using load hand force. The phantom models had a total of five curve pathways to reach the aneurysm sac. RESULTS: Traceability depends on the performance of the interventional devices in order to pass through the curved part of the model simulation track. The traceability of the guide wire was found to be much better than that of the balloon and stent loading catheter, as it reached the aneurysm sac in both phantom models. CONCLUSIONS: Observation using the video record is another advantage of our system, because the high transparency of the materials with silicone and PVA-H can allow visualization of the inside of an artery.
Simulation and experimental research on micro-channel for detecting cell status in bio-artificial liver
Authors: Wu Changzhe , Cao Yue , Huo Xiaolin , Li Ming 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Bioartificial liver support system (BALSS) based on culturing hepatocytes is an important research field for the treatment of acute liver failure. It is necessary to monitor the state of liver cell functions during the treatment of BALSS in order to guide clinical treatment. OBJECTIVE: To design a micro-channel chip to achieve flash mixing for timely detection of liver cell status in bioreactors and improving liver cells growth environment to ensure the efficacy of the bio-artificial liver support system. METHODS: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Urea are chosen as detection indicators to reflect the degree of liver cell injury and the detoxification function. A diamond tandem structure micro-channel is designed and optimized to achieve the efficient mixing of serum and ALT or Urea reagent. RESULTS: The simulation and experimental results show that the diamond tandem structure micro-channel can significantly improve the mixing efficiency and meet the online detecting requirements. CONCLUSION: The easily controllable diamond tandem structure micro-channel combines the advantages of active and passive mixer and can effectively mix the serum and ALT or Urea reagent. It lays the foundation for online monitoring of liver cells and will help to improve the viability of liver cell in the bioreactor.
Driver fatigue detection based on eye state
Authors: Lin Lizong , Huang Chao , Ni Xiaopeng , Wang Jiawen , Zhang Hao , Li Xiao , Qian Zhiqin 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, more and more traffic accidents occur because of driver fatigue. OBJECTIVE: In order to reduce and prevent it, in this study, a calculation method using PERCLOS (percentage of eye closure time) parameter characteristics based on machine vision was developed. It determined whether a driver's eyes were in a fatigue state according to the PERCLOS value. METHODS: The overall workflow solutions included face detection and tracking, detection and location of the human eye, human eye tracking, eye state recognition, and driver fatigue testing. The key aspects of the detection system incorporated the detection and location of human eyes and driver fatigue testing. The simplified method of measuring the PERCLOS value of the driver was to calculate the ratio of the eyes being open and closed with the total number of frames for a given period. RESULTS: If the eyes were closed more than the set threshold in the total number of frames, the system would alert the driver. CONCLUSION: Through many experiments, it was shown that besides the simple detection algorithm, the rapid computing speed, and the high detection and recognition accuracies of the system, the system was demonstrated to be in accord with the real-time requirements of a driver fatigue detection system.
A new optical technique to monitor joint motion using position sensitive detector
Authors: Jung Gu-In , Park Byung Kyu , Kim Ji-Sun , Lee Tae-Hee , Choi Ju-Hyeon , Oh Han-Byeol , Kim A-Hee , Goh Bong-Jun , Kim Ji-Won , Lee Ki Sung , Jun Jae-Hoon 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of joint movements is essential to choose an appropriate rehabilitation protocol for a patient. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to suggest an alternative optical technique for measurement of joint angle which is convenient, inexpensive, and can be operated in real time. METHODS: According to the principle of the triangulation method, position sensitive detector (PSD) converts reflected light signals into distance-related voltages. Various parameters were investigated to increase detection range and resolution of joint angle measurements. RESULTS: The accuracy of the suggested optical sensor was verified by comparing with a commercial goniometer and 3D motion capture system. CONCLUSIONS: This method can be applied to monitor recovery progress for the patient in rehabilitation and sport science.
The detection of crackles based on mathematical morphology in spectrogram analysis
Authors: Zhang Kexin , Wang Xuefeng , Han Fangfang , Zhao Hong 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Crackles are very common abnormal breath sounds in the lung and can be used to diagnose pulmonary diseases. OBJECTIVE: In this study, a method is proposed for the detection of adventitious transient sounds from normal breath sounds. METHODS: This method automatically recognizes crackles based on the extraction and analysis of spectral information from digitally recorded lung sounds. Various mathematical morphology feature sets were extracted through wavelet spectrogram analysis on pulmonary signals. In order to evaluate the effects of different wavelets types on crackle detection, different wavelets were tested. RESULTS: The results showed that the proposed method achieved an 86% accuracy in the detection of crackles. CONCLUSIONS: The spectrograms of the crackles in the lung exhibit irregular ellipse image features. For lung sound analysis, this is a useful feature that can be used for the immediate recognition and analysis of crackles.
Multiple fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm in medical diagnosis
Authors: Wu Yanping , Duan Huilong , Du Shufeng 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the use of the fuzzy c-means(FCM) clustering techniques in medical diagnosis has steadily increased, because of its effectiveness in recognizing systems in the medical database to help medical experts diagnosing diseases. However, its performance is highly dependent on the randomly initialized cluster centroids which may allow the diagnosis to be trapped into the problem of the local optimum. OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes a multiple fuzzy c-means (MFCM) algorithm for medical diagnosis. METHODS: The new method optimizes the initial optimizing cluster centers by comparing the Euclidean distance between patient data. Further, this paper assigns a set of weights to the features of a certain disease to equalize their difference influence as a substitute for data normalization. RESULTS: The performance of proposed MFCM algorithm was demonstrated through dividing complex primary headache data into Migraine, Tension-Type Headache (TTH), Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias (TACs) and other primary headache disorders. In addition the superiority of MFCM algorithm was proven by comparing analytical results with other state-of-the-art clustering methods. CONCLUSIONS: This MFCM method has shown a new application in medical diagnosis.
Photomechanical effect on Type I collagen using pulsed diode laser
Authors: Jung Gu-In , Kim Ji-Sun , Lee Tae-Hee , Choi Ju-Hyeon , Oh Han-Byeol , Kim A-Hee , Kim Jun-Sik , Park Jong-Rak , Chung Soon-Cheol , Yeom Dong-Il , Kim Hyung-Sik , Jun Jae-Hoon 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: As the most abundant protein in human tissues, the use of collagen is essential in the fields of biological science and medicine. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanical effect of pulsed laser irradiation on collagen tissue. METHODS: With various laser parameters such as peak power, pulse width, and repetition rate, the induced stresses on samples were measured and analyzed. Monte Carlo simulation was performed to investigate the effect of laser parameters on the collagen sample. RESULTS: The results indicated that the magnitude of mechanical stress could be controlled by various laser parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This study can be used in biostimulation for therapy and mechanoreceptor stimulation for tactile application.
Remotely controlled biking is associated with improved adherence to prescribed cycling speed
Authors: Jeong In Cheol , Finkelstein Joseph 
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND: Individuals with mobility impairment may benefit from passive exercise mode which can be subsequently enhanced by an active exercise program. However, it is unclear which exercise mode promotes higher adherence to prescribed exercise intensity. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was to compare adherence to prescribed speed during passive and active cycling exercise. METHODS: We used cross-over study design in which subjects followed the same cycling intensity prescription for passive and active exercise modes in a random sequence. Coefficient of variation (CV) and speed differences were used to estimate extent of deviation from the prescribed trajectory. RESULTS: CV varied from 5.2% to 20.4% for the active mode and from 2.8% to 4.5% for the passive mode respectively. Though the CV differences did not reach statistical significance, analysis of cycling speed adherence of 120-second periods showed significantly higher cycling adherence during passive mode for each target cycling speed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that the passive mode may promote exercise safety and efficacy by helping patients who have safety concerns such as the frail elderly, patients with cardiovascular conditions or people with other contraindications for excessive exertion during exercise, in following the optimal intensity trajectory prescribed by their provider.