Technology and Health Care - Volume 31, issue S1

Authors: Gómez, Carlos | Liu, Feng

Article Type: Editorial

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236000

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 1-1, 2023

Authors: Kim, Kyu-Beom | Jung, Jin-Ju | Lee, Je-Hyeop | Kim, Ye-Jin | Kim, Ji-Su | Choi, Mi-Hyun | Kim, Hyung-Sik | Yi, Jeong-Han | Min, Byung-Chan | Chung, Soon-Cheol

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Several studies have continuously investigated FFRs using binaural beat (BB) stimulations and their related effects. However, only a few studies have investigated the differences in BB stimulation effects according to basic demographic characteristics, such as gender and age. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the alpha wave activity after a 10-Hz BB stimulation and subsequently identify differences according to gender across all brain areas (frontal, central, parietal, temporal, and occipital areas). METHODS: A total of 23 healthy adults (11 male and 12 female), aged 20–29, participated in the study. For the 10-Hz …BB stimulation, pure tone auditory stimuli of 250 and 260 Hz were given to the left and right ear, respectively. Through a power spectrum analysis of the phase-excluding BBs (non-BBs) and phase-including 10-Hz BBs (α -BBs), the alpha power at each brain area was estimated. These values were compared using a mixed-design ANOVA. RESULTS: With the exception of the temporal area, all other brain areas showed a significant increase in alpha power for α -BBs compared to those of non-BBs. However, the difference according to gender was not significant. CONCLUSION: The results indicated the lack of gender effects in alpha wave generation through a 10-Hz BB stimulation. Show more

Keywords: Binaural beats, frequency-following response, electroencephalogram, alpha power, gender

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236001

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 3-8, 2023

Authors: An, Li | Xia, Hong | Zheng, Weiying | Hua, Lin

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Currently, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and survival as it has a high morbidity and mortality rate. COPD progression is associated with infiltration of adaptive inflammatory immune cells that form lymphatic follicles into the lung. OBJECTIVE: The rapid development of single-cell RNA sequencing technology (scRNA-seq) provided us with powerful tools for studying the classification of cell subtypes. Additionally, it is known that COPD is closely related to the abnormal function of long-chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and scRNA-seq can help to study the expression of lncRNA from a single cell …level. METHODS: We reanalyzed the scRNA-seq data of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of COPD patients downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and performed the mRNA-based and lncRNA-based single cell clustering to compare the cell subsets in COPD and controls without COPD. Furthermore, we performed Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis for the top ranked differentially expressed genes and target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs in different cell subtypes for COPD and controls respectively. RESULTS: Differences in cell subtypes were found between COPD and controls. CONCLUSION: This study may help us to further understand the mechanism of the human adaptive immune cell response of COPD. Show more

Keywords: Single-cell, COPD, immune, lncRNAs

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236002

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 9-24, 2023

Authors: Wang, Zou | Hu, Chen | Zhang, Yanli | Wang, Linlin | Shao, Longquan | You, Jie

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In the absence of contraindications to implants, implant repair is the preferred method to treat mandibular second molar loss. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effects of a traditional implant guide and digital implant guide in the early implant restoration of second molars. METHODS: The study included 35 patients with second molar loss randomly divided into two groups. Eighteen patients in the experimental group had an implant procedure using a computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) digital implant guide, and 17 patients in the control group had the procedure using a traditional film pressing implantation …guide. Then, the surgical procedure was completed using the two different implant guides. At 3 months after surgery, four parameters including screw hole exit position, coronal deviation of the implant site, disease improvement rate, and clinical effects, which included marginal adaptation, anatomic form, marginal discoloration, postoperative sensitivity, surface roughness, and secondary caries of the upper prosthesis were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The screw hole exit position in the experimental group was directed to the functional cusp of the opposite jaw, and there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of disease improvement and the clinical effect of the upper prosthesis between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the bilateral coronal deviation and deviation direction of implants in the two groups. The bilateral coronal deviation of the experimental group was smaller than that of the control group. CONCLUSION: The digital implant guide can effectively reduce the deviation of the screw hole and the upper prosthesis in the restoration of the second molar. The prosthesis used in the experimental group had a good clinical outcome, which provides a theoretical basis for the restoration of the posterior molar. Show more

Keywords: Digital guide, implant, restoration, second molar

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236003

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 25-34, 2023

Authors: Tune, Minjune | Xie, Juncheng | Chen, Jie | Liu, Tangyi | Li, Shaoxiong | Xu, Gang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In the present scenario, there is no unified measurement standard for the five basic requirements of the Tuina manipulation, such as “lasting, uniform, gentle, powerful and penetrating”, and the descriptions that are solely based on the words are difficult to interpret. As a result, a quantitative study of the Tuina manipulation can aid in the development of a unified standard for Tuina manipulation, thereby assisting the transmission and advancement of the Tuina science. OBJECTIVE: Using the Tuina manipulation data gloves and data collection system, and taking Ding’s rolling manipulation as the research object, the present …study explored the necessity and significance of quantitative research on the inheritance and development of traditional Tuina manipulation. METHODS: Using the Tuina experts as the research object, the manipulation characteristics and parameter signs of Ding’s rolling manipulation were collected and analyzed by employing the “Tuina manipulation data gloves and data collecting system”. RESULTS: ⟀ The force waveforms, peaks and minima of each detection point altered regularly, and the force values of the front and back pendulum waveforms varied significantly with small differences in the waveform height. ⟁ The Tuina force values of the experts were concentrated in 0.70–0.85 kg, the frequency was concentrated at 120–160 times/min, and the period was about 0.4 s. ⟂ The peak, minimum, and mean of the ai1 channel was greater than ai4, all of which were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The ai6 peak, minimum, and mean were greater than ai3 and statistically significant (P < 0.05). The ai2 peak was greater than ai5, which was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The ai2 minimum was greater than ai5, and the ai2 mean was less than ai5, all of which were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It was found that the objectification studies of the experts performing Tuina practices should be based on real clinical process. Furthermore, the results of the quantitative study can present the quantitative characteristics of the expert’s parameters, as well as the details of the manipulation process. Thus, the quantitative study of the parameters is of great significance in the transmission and development of the expert’s manipulation. Show more

Keywords: Tuina manipulation, quantitative research, data collection and analysis

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236004

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 35-44, 2023

Authors: Li, Shengkai | Yuan, Xiaodan | Yi, Zhijun | Dai, Haiyang | Yang, Lin | Dai, Zhuozhi | Yan, Gen

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Abdominal wall desmoid-type fibromatoses (AWDF) are occasionally encountered in clinical work, but related CT reports are rare, and most cases were misdiagnosed as malignant tumors. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the diagnostic value of multislice computed tomography (MSCT) in relation to the clinical diagnosis of AWDF. METHODS: The medical records of 14 patients whose pathology results provided initial confirmation of AWDF were reviewed, and data describing their clinical characteristics, tumors’ MSCT characteristics, and the condition of the surrounding tissues were analyzed and summarized retrospectively. Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibilities were evaluated. …RESULTS: AWDF tended to occur in women of childbearing age (24–32 years). They occurred more frequently during the first year following pregnancy. The mean disease duration was 5.64 ± 3.78 months. All isolated tumors were growing along the musculoaponeurotic layer, and their maximum diameters were between 32 and 76 mm. Tumors’ capsules were incomplete, and although the tumors infiltrated the surrounding muscles, the surrounding fat tissue and vessels were not infiltrated. None of the patients’ tumors showed cystic degeneration, calcification, necrosis, or peritumoral edema. The tumors had slightly lower densities on the pre-contrast enhancement scans and mild-to-moderate enhancement after contrast enhancement. All tumors contained ribbon-like structures, and approximately 65% of the tumors encircled vascular structures. CONCLUSION: Dual-phase contrast-enhanced MSCT scans were associated with a high level of diagnostic efficacy for AWDF. The abdominal wall masses grew along the musculoaponeurotic layer, which, together with the ribbon-like structures within the tumors, should prompt clinicians to consider the presence of AWDF. Show more

Keywords: Abdominal, desmoid-type fibromatoses, computed tomography, diagnosis

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236005

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 45-54, 2023

Authors: Choi, Hojong | Shin, Seung-Hyeok

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Patient data in current computed tomography scanner machines are transferred through several communication channels, such as WiFi, to the mobile channel platform. Therefore, patient information is an important security concern. Medical imaging must be protected using various methods. OBJECTIVE: The current hardware-dependent method for generating random bits exhibits predictable or inconvenient physical characteristics. Therefore, a more flexible random-bit generation technique is to be devised. METHODS: We propose a deterministic random bit generation algorithm that uses a mathematical periodic function. RESULTS: After randomizing the image using the proposed random bit, …the performance is analyzed and compared with that of the processed image. CONCLUSION: The random bit generation method using a mathematical algorithm shows higher entropy than the random bit generated by hardware. Show more

Keywords: Computed tomography scanner, random bit, digital periodic function

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236006

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 55-59, 2023

Authors: Yu, Xia | Dong, Mengchao | Yang, Dongzhu | Wang, Lianfang | Wang, Hongjie | Ma, Liyong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Breast diseases are a significant health threat for women. With the fast-growing BSGI data, it is becoming increasingly critical for physicians to accurately diagnose benign as well as malignant breast tumors. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to diagnose benign and malignant breast tumors utilizing the deep learning model, with the input of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI). METHODS: A benchmark dataset including 144 patients with benign tumors and 87 patients with malignant tumors was collected and divided into a training dataset and a test dataset according to the ratio of 8:2. …The convolutional neural network ResNet18 was employed to develop a new deep learning model. The model proposed was compared with neural network and autoencoder models. Accuracy, specificity, sensitivity and ROC were used to evaluate the performance of different models. RESULTS: The accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of the model proposed are 99.1%, 98.8% and 99.3% respectively, which achieves the best performance among all methods. Additionally, the Grad-CAM method is used to analyze the interpretability of the diagnostic results based on the deep learning model. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the proposed deep learning method could help physicians diagnose benign and malignant breast tumors quickly as well as reliably. Show more

Keywords: Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI), deep learning, convolutional neural network, breast tumor

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236007

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 61-67, 2023

Authors: Huang, Shih-Hsun | Peng, Bing-Ru | Lin, Chih-Sheng | Tsai, Hui-Chieh | Pan, Lung-Fa | Pan, Lung-Kwang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The inverse problem algorithm (IPA) uses mathematical calculations to estimate the expectation value of a specific index according to patient risk factor groups. The contributions of particular risk factors or their cross-interactions can be evaluated and ranked by their importance. OBJECTIVE: This paper quantified the potential risks from multiple biological factors by integrated case studies in clinical diagnosis via the IPA technique. Acting as artificial intelligence field component, this technique constructs a quantified expectation value from multiple patients’ biological index series, e.g., the optimal trigger timing for CTA, a particular drug in blood concentration data, …the risk for patients with clinical syndromes. METHODS: Common biological indices such as age, body surface area, mean artery pressure, and others are treated as risk factors upon their normalization to the range from - 1.0 to + 1.0, with a non-dimensional zero point 0.0 corresponding to the average risk factor index. The patients’ quantified indices are re-arranged into a large data matrix. Next, the inverse and column matrices of the compromised numerical solution are constructed. RESULTS: This paper discusses quasi-Newton and Rosenbrock analyses performed via the STATISTICA program to solve the above inverse problem, yielding the specific expectation value in the form of a multiple-term nonlinear semi-empirical equation. The extensive background, including six previous publications of these authors’ team on IPA, was comprehensively re-addressed and scrutinized, focusing on limitations, stumbling blocks, and validity range of the IPA approach as applied to various tasks of preventive medicine. Other key contributions of this study are detailed estimations of the effect of risk factors’ coupling/cross-interactions on the IPA computations and the convergence rate of the derived semi-empirical equation viz. the final constant term. CONCLUSION: The main findings and practical recommendations are considered useful for preventive medicine tasks concerning potential risks of patients with various clinical syndromes. Show more

Keywords: Clinical syndrome, inverse problem algorithm, biological index series, risk factors, column matrix, nonlinear semi-empirical equation, artificial intelligence

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236008

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 69-79, 2023

Authors: Wang, Monan | Jing, Juntong | Gao, Su | Bian, Puyang | Ma, Yuzhen | Zhou, Naifa

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The human body model in the virtual surgery system is generally nested by multiple complex models and each model has quite complex tangent and curvature change. In actual rendering, if all details of the human body model are rendered with high performance, it may cause the stutter due to insufficient hardware performance. If the human body model is roughly rendered, the details of the model cannot be well represented. OBJECTIVE: In order to realize the real-time rendering of complex models in virtual surgical systems, this paper proposes an improved adaptive tessellation rendering algorithm, which includes …offline and online parts. METHODS: The offline part mainly completes data reading and data structure constructing. The online part performs the surface subdivision operation in-real time for each frame, which includes the subdivision operation of the control points and surface evaluation. The offline part simplifies the subdivision step by recording the surface subdivision hierarchy using a quadtree and using control templates to record control point information. RESULTS: The online part reduces computation time by using a matrix to record topological relationships between vertices and vertex weights. The online part can compress the time complexity of traversing the quadtree of different subdivision levels to O ⁢ ( n ⁢ log ⁡ n ) by establishing an association with the quadtree of each subdivision level and using the greedy algorithm to complete the traversal of the quadtree. Finally, the adaptive tessellation rendering algorithm proposed in this paper is compared with other commonly used tessellation algorithms. CONCLUSION: The algorithm has advantages in computational efficiency and graphical display. Show more

Keywords: Virtual surgery, real-time rendering, surface subdivision, computational efficiency

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236009

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 81-95, 2023

Authors: Du, Mengxuan | Li, Yanqiu | Gu, Heng | Gao, Mengge | Xu, Hang | Zhong, Wenyao | Liu, Xiaohua | Zhong, Xingming

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) is difficult to diagnose and treat clinically due to its unknown cause OBJECTIVE: Changes in natural killer (NK) cells, T lymphocytes, and Th1(IFNγ )/Th2(IL-4) cytokines were investigated in the peripheral blood of patients with URSA to examine the pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis, and inform potential treatment strategies for this condition. METHODS: For this study, we selected patients with URSA as the case group and included normal women in the control group. Flow cytometry was performed to detect lymphocytes and cytokines in the peripheral blood of all subjects. …RESULTS: The proportion of NK cells, Th1 cells, and the Th1/Th2 ratio were significantly higher in the URSA group compared to the control group; whereas the proportion of CD3+T cells was lower. Pairwise correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between the percentage of NK cells and CD3+T cells, as well as CD3+CD4+T cells. Canonical correlation analysis indicated a significant correlation between NK cells and T cells, including their subgroups. CONCLUSION: Patients with URSA have immune balance disorders, characterised by an increased proportion of peripheral blood NK cells, Th1, and Th1/Th2 ratio along with a decreased proportion of CD3+T cells. The proportion of NK cells and CD3+T may serve as predictive factors for URSA, while NK cells are closely related to the regulation of CD3+T cells and their subsets. By regulating the level of IFN-γ , NK cells can influence the proportion of CD3+T cells and induce a Th1 (IFNγ )/Th2 (IL-4) imbalance. Show more

Keywords: Recurrent spontaneous abortion, immune balance, peripheral blood, leukocyte, natural killer cell, T cell

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236010

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 97-109, 2023

Authors: Li, Meijing | Yang, Hao | Liu, Yuxin

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: With the exponential increase in the volume of biomedical literature, text mining tasks are becoming increasingly important in the medical domain. Named entities are the primary identification tasks in text mining, prerequisites and critical parts for building medical domain knowledge graphs, medical question and answer systems, medical text classification. OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to recognize biomedical entities effectively by fusing multi-feature embedding. Multiple features provide more comprehensive information so that better predictions can be obtained. METHODS: Firstly, three different kinds of features are generated, including deep contextual word-level features, local char-level …features, and part-of-speech features at the word representation layer. The word representation vectors are inputs into BiLSTM as features to obtain the dependency information. Finally, the CRF algorithm is used to learn the features of the state sequences to obtain the global optimal tagging sequences. RESULTS: The experimental results showed that the model outperformed other state-of-the-art methods for all-around performance in six datasets among eight of four biomedical entity types. CONCLUSION: The proposed method has a positive effect on the prediction results. It comprehensively considers the relevant factors of named entity recognition because the semantic information is enhanced by fusing multi-features embedding. Show more

Keywords: Biomedical named entity recognition, BioBERT, BiLSTM-CRF, multi-feature embedding

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236011

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 111-121, 2023

Authors: Chen, Xi | Sun, Lijuan | Wang, Shuang | Wang, Yilin | Zhou, Yue | Li, Yan | Cheng, Zihao | Wang, Yingying | Jiang, Yanan | Zhao, Zihan | Xv, Yawei | Zhang, Chengyi

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a slow in taking effect systemic autoimmune disease. Prunus Tomentosa Thumb Total Flavones (PTTTF) has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to the PTTTF on adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats and to explore the mechanism of autophagy. METHODS: Adjuvant arthritis model was established in rats. The cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), interleukin-1β (IL-1β ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-17 (IL-17), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α ) of rat synovial tissue were determined by RT-PCR. The histopathological varieties …of knee joints in AA rats were observed by HE staining. The expressions of autophagy-related proteins ATG5, ATG7, ATG12, Beclin1, Lc3II and Bcl-2 in rat synovial tissue were determined by Western Blotting. RESULTS: PTTTF (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) significantly inhibited inflammation in rats (P < 0.01). PTTTF significantly inhibited inflammatory factor COX in rat synovial tissue. COX-2, IL-1β , IL-6, IL-17, TNF-α expression (P < 0.05); PTTTF can significantly improve the pathological damage of rat knee joint PTTTF and can significantly inhibited the expression of autophagy-related proteins in rat synovium (P < 0.05 ). CONCLUSION: PTTTF can inhibit adjuvant arthritis in rats and can inhibit the expression of autophagy-related proteins ATG5, ATG7, ATG12, Beclin1, Lc3II and Bcl-2. Show more

Keywords: Prunus Tomentosa Thumb Total Flavones, autophagy, inflammatory factors

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236012

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 123-136, 2023

Authors: Park, Chanhee | Kim, Kyoungtae | Yoon, Samwon | Park, Ilbong | Cha, Youngjoo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Although the biomechanical features of the golf swing are extremely determined, multiple joint movements with limited pelvic and thoracic rotation movement can cause injury to the golfer and are linked with low back pain (LBP). We have developed the Pulley Master machine (PM), which is designed to offer active movement evaluation and monitoring as well as repetitive and task-specific training. OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of the present research was to analyze the effects of PM and Transfer of Electricity-Capacitive and Resistive (TECAR) therapy on the lumbar pain scale and thoracic and pelvic mobility in amateur …golfers with LBP. METHODS: Twenty-one amateur golfers with LBP (six females, mean age = 23.43 ± 2.36 years) were randomly assigned to either PM or TECAR groups for five days per week over one week. Clinical outcome measurements included pelvic and thoracic mobility as well as a pain rating scale. Statistical analyses were presented using the analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the statistical significance level was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: ANOVA showed that PM outperformed TECAR in terms of pelvic and thoracic mobility as well as a pain rating scale. CONCLUSION: The results provide novel and encouraging clinical evidence that PM improves pain control and mobility in amateur golfers with LBP. Show more

Keywords: Mobility exercise, golf swing, pain control, golf motion

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236013

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 137-144, 2023

Authors: Jiang, Wei | He, Zhiyan | Zhang, Youmeng | Ran, Shujun | Sun, Zhe | Chen, Weixu

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Differential protein expression of the oral microbiome is related to human diseases, including cancer. OBJECTIVE: In order to reveal the potential relationship between oral bacterial protein expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we designed this study. METHODS: We obtained samples of the same patient from cancer lesion and anatomically matched normal site. Then, we used the label free quantitative technique based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to analyze the bacteria in the samples of oral squamous cell carcinoma at the protein level, so as to detect the functional proteins. …RESULTS: Protein diversity in the cancer samples was significantly greater than in the normal samples. We identified a substantially higher number of the taxa than those detected in previous studies, demonstrating the presence of a remarkable number of proteins in the groups. In particular, proteins involved in energy production and conversion, proton transport, hydrogen transport and hydrogen ion transmembrane transport, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, PTS system, and L-serine dehydratase were enriched significantly in the experimental group. Moreover, some proteins associated with Actinomyces and Fusobacterium were highly associated with OSCC and provided a good diagnostic outcome. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed considerable changes in the expression of bacterial proteins in OSCC and enrich our understanding in this point. Show more

Keywords: OSCC, LC-MS/MS, protein expression, energy production, proton transport

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236014

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 145-167, 2023

Authors: Zeng, Zirui

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) since early 2020 is one of the most significant global health issues in history. Although there is currently no specific treatment for COVID-19, researchers have provided a whole array of potential treatments, both from the Western medicine approach, which is molecular target and pathogenesis based, and from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) approach, which is based on the exposure to toxins/pathogens and the balance of the body to combat them for recovery. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research is to find combinations of Western medicine and …TCM that may offer better therapeutic efficacy synergystically with a better adverse events profile. The findings of the research may provide a new insight in the development of the treatment of COVID-19. METHODS: From the Western medicine perspective, drugs target the mechanisms of viral infection, including the stages of viral entry (Arbidol, Camostat Mesylate, Convalescent Plasma therapy) and viral replication (Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Redemsivir, Ribavirin). Additional therapies target host defenses, preventing cytokine storms (Tocilizumab) and stimulating the immune system (Interferons). On the other hand, TCM also proposed a number of treatment methods for COVID-19 with new scientific approaches identifying their antiviral and immunomodulatory activities. The novel combination of Western medicine and TCM can be proposed by analyzing their respective molecular targets. RESULTS: Although TCM is not generally accepted in the Western community because of the general lack of knowledge on their detailed mechanisms, studies and clinical trials suggest that TCM could be beneficial in combating COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Based on the principle of combining TCM and Western medicine, two combinations are tested effective in clinical trials, and three possible combinations that might be effective are proposed in the paper. Show more

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, traditional Chinese medicine, therapies

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236015

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 169-184, 2023

Authors: Xie, Juncheng | Fu, Meihong | Liu, Tangyi | Li, Shaoxiong | Liu, Guangtao | Wang, Junliang | Ji, Chaoning | Zhang, Tao

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Acute sports fatigue impairs athletes’ performance and causes other health issues; therefore, an effective method of relieving acute sports fatigue is being researched. Objective: The present study was envisaged to evaluate the effect of electric auto-massage therapy and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitated (PNF) stretching method on the recovery of acute exercise fatigue using the heart rate variability-based multi-physiological index and RPE scale, and to explore the underlying principle and mechanism. METHOD: Sixty volunteers were divided into the stretching group, massage group and control group (20 subjects each) using the complete randomization method. The massage group chose …the kneading, pressing, tapping and patting techniques using the intelligent massage chair to intervene on the volunteers, the stretching group chose the PNF stretching method to intervene on the volunteers, while the control group did not adopt any of these techniques. The Rating Of Perceived Exertion (RPE) score, heart rate (HR), grip strength, skin electrical activity, heart rate variability (HRV) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) of the three groups were recorded before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the values of heart rate variability (HRV) in the three groups (P > 0.05), while after the intervention, there was a statistically significant difference between the values of heart rate variability – low frequency/high frequency (HRV (LF/HF)) and HRV (HF) in the three groups as: HRV (HF): η H 2 = 0.10; P = 0.022; HRV (LF/HF): η H 2 = 0.44; P = 0.001. The results indicated that the different intervention methods presented substantial effects on the values of HRV (HF) and HRV (LF/HF) in the volunteers. The HRV (HF) values of massage group, stretching group and control group were compared, and the difference between the massage group and control group was statistically significant (P = 0.019). Further, the HRV (HF) values of massage group rose more significantly than control group after the intervention, and the difference between HRV (HF) values of massage group and stretching group was not statistically significant. When comparing the HRV (LF/HF) values of massage group, stretching group and control group, the differences between the massage group and stretching group and control group were statistically significant (P = 0.001, P < 0.05), and it was observed that the HRV (LF/HF) values of massage group decreased more significantly than those of stretching group and control group after the intervention. The difference in HRV (LF) values between the three groups after the intervention was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: 1. It was observed that the electric automatic massage therapy played a vital role in the rapid relief of exercise fatigue by soothing and regulating the human phototropic system, reducing vagal tone, and accelerating the excretion of metabolites; while PNF stretching relieved the exercise fatigue by providing physical and verbal communication to transfer the perception of fatigue, and by promoting the excretion of metabolites through muscle isometric contraction. 2. The effect of electric auto-massage therapy was marginally stronger than the commonly used PNF stretching exercise method. Show more

Keywords: Acute exercise fatigue, heart rate variability, electro-auto massage therapy

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236016

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 185-197, 2023

Authors: Zhang, Nan | Zhang, Wenjing | Wang, Maoli | Li, Guojun | Ning, Junyu | Nie, Yanmin | Xian, Bo | Huang, Zhihang | Chen, Weiyang | Gao, Shan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The survival rate of experimental animals is a very important index in chemical toxicity evaluation experiments. The calculation of nematode survival rate is used in many experiments. OBJECTIVE: Traditional survival rate quantification methods require manual counting. This is a time-consuming and laborious work when using 384-well plate for high-throughput chemical toxicity assessment experiments. At present, there is a great need for an automatic method to identify the survival rate of nematodes in the experiment of chemical toxicity evaluation. METHODS: We designed an automatic nematode survival rate recognition method by combining the bright …field experimental image of nematodes and the dark field image of nematodes which is captured after adding Propidium Iodide dye, and used it to calculate the nematode survival rate in different chemical environments. Experiment results show that the survival rate obtained by our automatic counting method is very similar to the survival rate obtained by manual counting. RESULTS: Through several different chemical experiments, we can see that chemicals with different toxicity have different effects on the survival rate of nematodes. And the survival rate of nematodes under different chemical concentrations has an obvious gradient trend from high concentration to low concentration. In addition, our method can quantify the motility of nematodes. There are also significant differences in the motility of nematodes cultured in different chemical environments. Moreover, the nematode motility under different chemical concentrations showed an obvious gradient change trend from high concentration to low concentration. CONCLUSION: Our study provides an accurate and efficient nematode survival rate recognition method for chemical toxicology research. Show more

Keywords: chemical toxicity, bright field image, dark field image

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236017

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 199-208, 2023

Authors: Sun, Yuanfang | Wang, Leqi | Du, Lijing | Yu, Huajun | Tian, Yan | Jin, Huizi | Li, Shasha | Yan, Shikai | Xiao, Xue

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Ginkgo Folium has a favorable effect on non-alcoholic fatty live disease (NAFLD), but its mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to reveal the underlying mechanism of Ginkgo Folium in the treatment of NAFLD. METHODS: Ingredients of Ginkgo Folium and ingredients-related genes were collected from TCMSP database and SwissTargetPrediction website, respectively. Genecards database was used to obtain NAFLD-related genes. Next, the protein-protein interaction network and key ingredients-genes network were constructed via Cytoscape3.7.0. Based on the Metascape website, gene ontology function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and …Genomes pathway enrichment analysis were carried out for key genes. Finally, molecular docking was performed to present the interaction between components and genes using AutoDock Vina 1.1.2. RESULTS: Eighteen active ingredients and 10 target genes were screened from Ginkgo Folium . AKT1, TNF, EGFR, PTGS2, MAPK8, PPAγ , APP, ESR1, HIFα and PPAα were considered as potential therapeutic targets. These target genes were mainly enriched in insulin resistance, HIF-1, adipocytokine and AMPK signaling pathways. Molecular docking results suggested that Ginkgo Folium active ingredients including luteolin-4′ -glucoside, sesamin, luteolin, chryseriol, isorhamnetin and laricitrin showed strong binding capacities with AKT1. CONCLUSION: The study showed that multi-components in Ginkgo Folium interacted with AKT1 and regulated AKT-AMPK/HIF pathway to alleviate NAFLD. Our findings provided an essential role and basis for new anti-NAFLD drug discovery and further research on Ginkgo Folium . Show more

Keywords: non-alcoholic fatty live disease, network pharmacology, molecular docking, action mechanism

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236018

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 209-221, 2023

Authors: Kim, Hyeonjong | Bae, Soyeong | Kim, Ye-Jin | Jung, So-Young | Park, Jin-Han | Park, Si-Hyung | Kim, Il-Hwan | Ko, Junghyuk

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is a need for an improved version of the implantable catheter for malignant ascites in the abdominal cavity. OBJECTIVE: New implantable catheters have been developed that drain ascites from the abdominal cavity to the bladder by applying pressure. Based on pigtail catheters, these newly designed catheters have silicone membranes and apertures. METHODS: Experimental instruments controlled flow rates and water level to observe changes of the activation pressure and its cycle time along flow rates and turns of catheters. Furthermore, various normality tests, difference tests and non-parametric tests were investigated to observe …statistical validity. RESULTS: Cycle times were significantly affected by flow rate (3/4 cases of p < 0.05). The effects of flow rate on activation pressure, however, were not significant (1/4 case of p < 0.05). Cycle times were not significantly affected by the number of turns of the catheter (3/8 cases of p < 0.05). In contrast, the effects of the turns on activation pressure were significant (5/8 cases of p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall, there was no significant difference between cycle times for 1.5 turns and 2.0 turns of catheters. In addition, catheters with 1.5 turns have a lower activation pressure than catheters with 2.0 turns. It is possible to customize catheters based on the ascites excretion and urination rates of various terminal patients. Show more

Keywords: Implantable catheter, malignant ascites, terminal cancer, time efficiency

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236019

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 223-234, 2023

Authors: Xie, Juncheng | Wang, Junliang | Xu, Gang | Li, Shaoxiong | Wang, Yongtao | Fu, Meihong | Liu, Guangtao | Ji, Chaoning | Zhang, Tao | Liu, Shicheng | Liu, Tangyi

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that local vibration stimulation therapy was effective in relieving fatigue, and the effects of different modes of vibration stimulation therapy were further investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of different vibration stimulation modes on relieving acute exercise fatigue based on the multiphysiological indicators such as heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance level (SCL), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) subjective scale. METHODS: Sixty participants selected from the dragon boat team of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were divided into acupoint stimulation group (20 participants), …muscle stimulation group (20 participants), and control group (20 participants) by complete randomization. RESULTS: (1) RPE: both stimulation groups showed a significant increase compared to the control group. (2) Heart rate values: the difference between muscle stimulation group and control group was statistically significant; (3) SCL: the two stimulation groups had significantly higher and statistically significant differences in SCL (max) and SCL (mean) values compared to the control group; the muscle stimulation group had statistically significant differences in SCL (min) compared to the control group, and the acupoint stimulation group had statistically significant differences in SCL (v) compared to the control group; (4) HRV (hf): The difference between the acupoint stimulation group and the muscle stimulation group was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: (1) Both stimulation groups are part of vibration therapy, which can relieve sympathetic tension and regulate the vegetative nervous system’s relaxation effect. (2) The meridian-vessel theory may be related to the acupoint stimulation group. The low-level visceral regulation centers in the spinal nerve segment region, where the acupoints are located, trigger changes in autonomic tone and enhance parasympathetic nerve activity to relieve acute motor fatigue. (3) The muscle stimulation group may be due to the 30-Hz vibration frequency’s ability to raise muscle epidermal temperature, which increases blood flow and reflexively inhibits sympathetic excitation. Show more

Keywords: Acute sports fatigue, fascial gun, vibration therapy

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236020

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 235-246, 2023

Authors: Sohn, Jeehoon | Koo, Dohoon

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Squats are one of the most widely used weight training methods worldwide, and the single most ubiquitous with regard to multi-joint resistance training. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to investigate kinematic and kinetic changes in the lower extremities as a result of load increases during a back squat exercise, and to propose an association between back squats and lower extremity injuries. METHODS: Eight individuals with experience of back squat training were recruited. The subjects performed back squats with loads of 25%, 50%, 100%, and 125% of their body weight. …During the performance, the center of pressure (COP) sway; vertical center of mass (COM) velocity; joint moment; joint range of motion (ROM) of flexion/extension and adduction/abduction; and rotation of the ankle, knee, and hip joints were measured. RESULTS: The participants’ lower extremity joint ROM, vertical COM velocity, and COP variability did not change significantly with changes in weight loading. However, the moments applied to the lower extremity joints differed according to changes in barbell weight. The moments of plantar flexion (f = 54.362, p < 0.001), dorsiflexion (f = 8.475, p < 0.001), knee flexion (f = 12.013, p < 0.001), knee extension (f = 8.581, p < 0.001), hip flexion (f = 5.111, p < 0.001), and hip extension (f = 11.053, p < 0.001) increased in the sagittal plane (flexion/extension). There was also a significant increase in ankle eversion (f = 5.612, p = 0.004), hip abduction (f = 3.242, p = 0.037), and adduction (f = 5.846, p = 0.003) in the frontal plane (adduction/abduction). Among the moment variables in the transverse plane (rotation), there were significant differences in ankle internal rotation (f = 7.043, p = 0.001) and hip external rotation (f = 11.070, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: As the barbell load increased, posture and performance were maintained, but rotational moments of the joints differed. It is expected that the joint directions that showed significant differences in this study are likely to be vulnerable to the risk of injury when an excessive load is applied to the body. Examples include the hip adduction moment, hip external rotation moment, and ankle internal rotation moment, and apply regardless of the increase in the rotational moments of joints from load increases. Show more

Keywords: Back squat, load increase, joint moment, joint range of motion

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236021

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 247-258, 2023

Authors: Park, Jieun | Kim, Junghun

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: After high-intensity exercises, the body’s core temperature increases, affecting the body’s metabolism, increasing thermal stress and muscle fatigue. The most popular technique to maximize post-workout recovery is cryotherapy. However, the cooling effect may vary depending on the body part being cooled since body tissues do not process the same perfusion. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the effects of hand cooling on human body functional recovery and exercise ability improvement by comparing normal rest and rest with hand cooling gloves after high-intensity exercise. METHODS: Thirty healthy subjects participated in this study wherein they exercised …and used normal rest for one session and hand cooling rest for the next. Blood lactate concentration, heart rate recovery rate, VO 2 max measurement, and the degree of recovery of muscle strength, muscular endurance, and muscle fatigue were investigated in both groups to determine the efficacy of hand cooling gloves for postexercise recovery. RESULTS: When hands were cooled after exercise, blood lactate concentration and body temperature significantly decreased, and cardiopulmonary function, muscle strength, and muscular endurance significantly recovered. CONCLUSION: Using hand cooling gloves after exercise could attenuate core temperature elevation and improve postexercise recovery. It could also effectively improve athletic performance without using large-scale facilities. Show more

Keywords: Muscle fatigue, cryotherapy, body temperature, muscle strength, athletic performance

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236022

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 259-269, 2023

Authors: Li, Bairan | Li, Han | Tang, Xuan | Hu, Zhe | Wu, Chaojie | Kim, Youngsuk | Kim, Sukwon

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Golf courses are designed with uneven terrain. These factors are especially important when facing (slope), players need to straighten the posture of each part of the body in order to complete the swing on an inclined surface such as flat ground. Amateur players may be more likely to change the movement patterns of their shots due to uneven terrain. Therefore, it may be necessary to clarify the shot characteristics of amateur players and provide reference materials for technical improvement. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of slope on amateur golfers’ …swing kinematics by analyzing the variation of time variables, body center of gravity (COG), and shot parameters of amateur golfers’ swing at different ground slopes. METHODS: Six male amateur golfers participated in the experiment. The 7-iron was used for 5 swings each at three slopes: flat ground (FG, 0 ∘ ), ball below foot (BBF, + 10 ∘ ), and foot below ball (FBB, - 10 ∘ ). The OptiTrack-Motion capture system was used to collect kinematic data, and the three-dimensional motion data will be transmitted to Visual3D software for subsequent data analysis such as golf swing division and body COG changes. Shot parameters (carry, swing speed, ball speed, and smash factor) were recorded for each swing using the Caddie SC300 radar monitoring device. RESULTS: The results showed that there was no difference in the overall swing time and the time required for each interval at different slopes (p > 0.05) there is no significant difference in the change of the COG of the body in the forward and backward directions (p > 0.05). The three slopes of swing speed, ball speed, carry and smash factor were not significantly different (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The rhythm of the amateur golfer’s swing was not affected by the slope, but the slope restricts the movement of the body’s COG, which may affect the weight movement, and ultimately cause the performance parameters to not reach the level of the FG. Show more

Keywords: Golf swing, center of gravity, slopes

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236023

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 271-282, 2023

Authors: Xu, Zeyong | Ma, Tengbo | Han, Xiao | Liu, Guohong | Luo, Teng | Yu, Mengbin | Han, Lili | Chen, Kaichuang | Chen, Gaoyun

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In recent years, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been widely used in the field of molecular biology because of its unique advantages. Anthrax is a widespread and long-standing infectious disease, which affects and restricts people’s work and life seriously. OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to develop a new method for the detection of anthrax. METHODS: A rapid, sensitive and accurate method for the detection of anthrax characteristic DNA was proposed by combing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The linear range of this …method is 100–2500 pmol/L and the limit of detection of 16.61 pmol/L. CONCLUSION: The proposed method has numerous advantages, including simplicity of operation, high sensitivity, and specificity, which provides a new idea for the detection of anthrax. Importantly, this methodology has good potential for the detection of other biological substances such as bacteria and viruses by changing the modification sequence on the nanoparticle probe. Show more

Keywords: ICP-MS, AuNPs, label, anthrax

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236024

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 283-292, 2023

Authors: Wang, Wenbin | Gong, Tao | Song, Zhendong | Wang, Zhifeng | Ji, Jiancheng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Along with China entering an aging society, the percentage of people that over 60 will reach 34.9% in 2050, resulted in a significant increase in stroke patients. OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes a rehabilitation robotic walker for walking assistance during the daily life, and a control method for the motor relearning during the gait training. The walker consists of an omni-directional mobile platform (OMP) which ensures the walker can move on the ground, a body weight support system (BWS) which is capable of providing the desired unloading force, and a pelvic assist mechanism (PAM) to provide …the user with four degrees of freedom and avoid the rigid impact. The study goal is to gain a better understanding of the assist-as-needed control strategy during the gait training. METHODS: For the man-machine interaction control, the assist-as-needed control strategy is adopted to guide the users’ motions and improve the interaction experience. To build the force field in the three-dimensional space, the dynamics of the system is derived to increase the accuracy of force control. RESULTS: The simulation results show that the force field around the motion trajectory was generated in the three-dimensional space. In order to understand the force field, we designed the simulation on sagittal plane and the controller can generate the appropriate force field. The preliminary experiment results were consistent with the simulation results. CONCLUSION: Based on the mathematical simulation and the preliminary test, the results demonstrate that the proposed system can provide the guide force around the target trajectory, the accuracy of force control still remains to be improved. Show more

Keywords: Dynamics, robotic walker, force control, assist-as-needed, stroke

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236025

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 293-302, 2023

Authors: Yang, Hui | Xiao, Xue | Chen, Gaoyun | Chen, Xiangfei | Gao, Tingting | Xu, Li

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In recent years, people have paid more and more attention to the health hazards caused by O 3 exposure, which will become a major problem after fine particulate matter (PM). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of ozone (O 3 ) exposure on blood glucose levels in rats under different concentrations and times. METHODS: Eighty rats were divided into control group and three ozone concentration groups. Each group was continuously exposed for 1d, 3d and, 6d, and exposed for 6 hours daily. After exposure, GTT, FBG, …and random blood glucose were measured. RESULTS: The FBG value increased significantly on the 6th day of 0.5 ppm and the 3rd and 6th days of 1.0 ppm exposure compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The random blood glucose value was significantly increased on the 3rd and 6th days of each exposure concentration (P < 0.05). When exposed to 1 ppm concentration, the 120 min GTT value of 1 d, 3 d and, 6 d was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: After acute O 3 exposure, the blood glucose level of rats was affected by the exposure concentration and time. The concentration of 0.1 ppm had no significant impact on FBG and random blood glucose, and O 3 with a concentration of 0.1 ppm and 0.5 ppm had no significant impact on values of GTT at 90 min, and 120 min. Show more

Keywords: Ozone, glucose tolerance tests, fasting blood glucose, random blood glucose

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236026

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 303-311, 2023

Authors: Su, Xiufeng | Liu, Qingshan | Gao, Xiaozhong | Ma, Liyong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: A timely diagnosis of early gastric cancer (EGC) can greatly reduce the death rate of patients. However, the manual detection of EGC is a costly and low-accuracy task. The artificial intelligence (AI) method based on deep learning is considered as a potential method to detect EGC. AI methods have outperformed endoscopists in EGC detection, especially with the use of the different region convolutional neural network (RCNN) models recently reported. However, no studies compared the performances of different RCNN series models. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the performances of different RCNN series models for EGC. …METHODS: Three typical RCNN models were used to detect gastric cancer using 3659 gastroscopic images, including 1434 images of EGC: Faster RCNN, Cascade RCNN, and Mask RCNN. RESULTS: The models were evaluated in terms of specificity, accuracy, precision, recall, and AP. Fast RCNN, Cascade RCNN, and Mask RCNN had similar accuracy (0.935, 0.938, and 0.935). The specificity of Cascade RCNN was 0.946, which was slightly higher than 0.908 for Faster RCNN and 0.908 for Mask RCNN. CONCLUSION: Faster RCNN and Mask RCNN place more emphasis on positive detection, and Cascade RCNN places more emphasis on negative detection. These methods based on deep learning were conducive to helping in early cancer diagnosis using endoscopic images. Show more

Keywords: Deep learning, early gastric cancer, gastroscopic images, RCNN

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236027

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 313-322, 2023

Authors: Wang, Ning | Wang, Zou | Hu, Chen | Yang, Yujun | He, Guixin | Shao, Longquan | You, Jie

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Sinus floor elevation and immediate dental implantation are commonly performed to treat dentition defects in elderly patients. Targeted cognitive behavioral interventions (CBI) during the perioperative period can reduce pain and anxiety as well as improve sleep quality. This can lead to improvements in patient cooperation during follow-up treatment and enhance the overall efficacy of the surgery. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the impact of a cognitive behavioral intervention method on perioperative pain, anxiety, and sleep quality in elderly patients undergoing sinus floor elevation and immediate dental implantation. METHODS: Forty patients who …required the treatment at the Stomatology Clinic in our hospital between December 2018 and December 2022 were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (n = 20), which received conventional treatment and care during the perioperative period, and an intervention group (n = 20), which received comprehensive behavioral intervention in addition to the conventional treatment and care during the perioperative period. The perioperative anxiety, pain, and sleep quality of the patients in both groups were evaluated. Anxiety was assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and pain was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: No statistically significant differences in SAS and PSQI were observed between the two groups at the initial visit; the values were significantly higher than those measured postoperatively. The SAS scores and PSQI of patients on days 0 and 7 post-surgery in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Perioperative cognitive behavioral intervention can effectively improve anxiety, postoperative pain and sleep quality in elderly patients who have undergone sinus floor elevation and immediate dental implantation, thereby reducing the incidence of complications. Show more

Keywords: Sinus floor elevation, elderly patients, anxiety, perioperative nursing interventions, CBI

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236028

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 323-332, 2023

Authors: Guo, Liang | Li, Zhi-Wei | Zhang, Han | Li, Shuang-Miao | Zhang, Jian-Heng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Diaphragmatic electromyographic (EMGdi) is a helpful method to reflect the respiratory center’s activity visually. However, the electrocardiogram (ECG) severely affected its weakness, limiting its use. OBJECTIVE: To remove the ECG artifact from the EMGdi, we designed a Morphological ECG subtraction method (MES) based on three steps: 1) ECG localization, 2) morphological tracking, and 3) ECG subtractor. METHODS: We evaluated the MES method against the wavelet-based dual-threshold and stationary wavelet filters using visual and frequency-domain characteristics (median frequency and power ratio). RESULTS: The results show that the MES method can …preserve the features of the original diaphragm signal for both surface diaphragm signal (SEMGdi) and clinical collection of diaphragm signal (EMGdi_clinic), and it is more effective than the wavelet-based dual-threshold and stationary wavelet filtering methods. CONCLUSION: The MES method is more effective than other methods. This technique may improve respiratory monitoring and assisted ventilation in patients with respiratory diseases. Show more

Keywords: Diaphragm EMG, ECG contamination, morphological subtraction, wavelet filter

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236029

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 333-345, 2023

Authors: Wang, Zhan | Zheng, Jiawei | Jiang, Peilin | Gao, Dengfeng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) manifests with a blockage the coronary arteries, usually due to plaque buildup, and has a serious impact on the human life. Atherosclerotic plaques, including fibrous plaques, lipid plaques, and calcified plaques can lead to occurrence of CAD. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is employed in the clinical practice as it clearly provides a detailed display of the lesion plaques, thereby assessing the patient’s condition. Analyzing the OCT images manually is a very tedious and time-consuming task for the clinicians. Therefore, automatic segmentation of the coronary OCT images is necessary. OBJECTIVE: In view …of the good utility of Unet network in the segmentation of medical images, the present study proposed the development of a Unet network based on Sk-Conv and spatial pyramid pooling modules to segment the coronary OCT images. METHODS: In order to extract multi-scale features, these two modules were added at the bottom of UNet. Meanwhile, ablation experiments are designed to verify each module is effective. RESULTS: After testing, our model achieves 0.8935 on f1 score and 0.7497 on mIOU. Compared to the current advanced models, our model performs better. CONCLUSION: Our model achieves good results on OCT sequences. Show more

Keywords: UNet, OCT, SK-Net, lesion segmentation

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236030

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 347-355, 2023

Authors: Li, Xuanzhe | Shan, Ligang | Wang, Qianqi | Zhai, Huige | Xuan, Yinghua | Yan, Gen

Article Type: Review Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: 125 I BT is an effective radiotherapy for prostate cancer. However, comparison data of GI and GU toxicities between BT, BT + EBRT, and EBRT-alone patient groups is limited. OBJECTIVE: To define the GI and GU toxicities in prostate cancer to prevent adverse events after treatment. METHODS: We searched published studies in PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases up to December 31, 2022. The endpoints were the RRs of GI and GU toxicities. Pooled data were assessed using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Fifteen eligible …studies were included into this analysis. LDR-BT had significantly lower RRs than LDR-BT + EBRT for acute GI (2.13; 95% CI, 1.22–3.69; P = 0.007) and late GI toxicities (3.96; 95% CI, 1.23–12.70; P = 0.02). Moreover, EBRT had significantly higher RRs than LDR-BT for acute GU (2.32; 95% CI, 1.29–4.15; P = 0.005) and late GU toxicities (2.38; 95% CI, 1.27–4.44; P = 0.007). HDR-BT had significantly higher RRs for acute GU toxicities than LDR-BT alone (0.30; 95% CI, 0.23–0.40; P < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: The results implied that BT with and without EBRT can result in both GI and GU toxicities in patients with prostate cancer, with LDR-BT leading to a poorer urinary function than EBRT. Show more

Keywords: Prostate cancer, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, brachytherapy, external beam radiotherapy, meta-analysis

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236031

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 357-372, 2023

Authors: Kim, Je Nam | Shin, Mi Yeon | Seo, You Sung | Yu, Chang Ho | Kim, Kyong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Individuals with gait disturbances, such as that post-stroke, are discharged home to undergo outpatient rehabilitation. Rehabilitation in the community is not as effective as that in hospital, due to long travel times and short program duration. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed rail unit structure, with the aim of assisting home indoor assistive mobility system (HIAMS) development, allowing patients to undergo gait-related rehabilitation training at home. METHODS: The HIAMS consists of a mobile rail running around the whole room, a turn-table for movement between rails, and a weight-supporting component. Structural analysis was performed using …the Abaqus/CAE solution (Version 6.14, Dassault systems, Inc.) to verify device safety, according to the load applied to the rail and turn-table units. The load was applied vertically at 150 kg to reflect the weight of potential users. RESULTS: Structural analysis was performed on the weight-supporting components, which was consist of turn-table case, bearing components (center, left), connective bracket and rail rollers. The safety factors of each components were estimated as 1.31, 5.39 (bearing, center), 8.45 (bearing, left), 1.43 and 3.61 in sequence. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated a safety factor of ⩾ 1.3 for the key system units, suggesting this technology is safe for use in the home rehabilitation training of individuals with gait impairment post-ICU stay. Show more

Keywords: Assistive mobility system, rail unit development, indoor assistive mobility

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236032

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 373-382, 2023

Authors: Huang, Yu | Wang, Wenqian | Li, Min

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: High-resolution (HR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides rich pathological information which is of great significance in diagnosis and treatment of brain lesions. However, obtaining HR brain MRI images comes at the cost of extending scan time and using sophisticated expensive instruments. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to reconstruct HR MRI images from low-resolution (LR) images by developing a deep learning based super-resolution (SR) method. METHODS: We propose a feedback network with self-attention mechanism (FNSAM) for SR reconstruction of brain MRI images. Specifically, a feedback network is built to correct shallow features by using …a recurrent neural network (RNN) and the self-attention mechanism (SAM) is integrated into the feedback network for extraction of important information as the feedback signal, which promotes image hierarchy. RESULTS: Experimental results show that the proposed FNSAM obtains more reasonable SR reconstruction of brain MRI images both in peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) than some state-of-the-arts. CONCLUSION: Our proposed method is suitable for SR reconstruction of MRI images. Show more

Keywords: MRI image, super-resolution, feedback network, self-attention mechanism, convolutional neural network

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236033

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 383-395, 2023

Authors: Dou, Yifeng | Meng, Wentao

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: With the advent of 5G and the era of Big Data, the rapid development of medical information technology around the world, the massive application of electronic medical records and cases, and the digitization of medical equipment and instruments, a large amount of data has accumulated in the database system of hospitals, which includes clinical diagnosis data and hospital management data. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the classification effects of different machine learning algorithms on medical datasets so as to better explore the value of machine learning methods in aiding medical diagnosis. METHODS: …The classification datasets of four different medical fields in the University of California Irvine machine learning database were used as the research object. Also, six categories of classification models based on the Bayesian theorem idea, integrated learning idea, and rule-based and tree-based idea were constructed using the Weka platform. RESULTS: The between-group experiments showed that the Random Forest algorithm achieved the best results on the Indian liver disease patient dataset (ILPD), delivery cardiotocography (CADG), and lymphatic tractography (LYMP) datasets, followed by Bagging and partition and regression tree. In the within-group algorithm comparison experiments, the Bagging algorithm achieved better results than other algorithms based on the integration idea for 11 metrics on all datasets, mainly focusing on 2 binary datasets. Logit Boost had only 7 metrics with significant performance, and the best algorithm was Rotation Forest, with 28 metrics achieving optimal values. Among the algorithms based on tree ideas, the logistic model tree algorithm achieved optimal results on all metrics on the mammographic dataset (MAGR). The classification performance of BFTree, J48, and Random Tree was poor on each dataset. The best algorithm was Random Forest on the ILPD, CADG, and LYMP datasets with 27 metrics reaching the optimum. CONCLUSION: Machine learning algorithms have good application value in disease prediction and can provide a reference basis for disease diagnosis. Show more

Keywords: Algorithms, comparison, machine learning, medical data, prediction, Weka

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236034

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 397-408, 2023

Authors: Li, Mi | Wang, Xian | Yang, Lijie | Jiang, Yong | Xie, Yiqiang | Li, Kai

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Microglia express phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) has been implicated in the induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) and in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. However, there are few studies on the interference of PI3K signal pathway in microglia. OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to gain a better understanding of the mechanism by which EA affects synapses provides insights into how electroacupuncture (EA) modulates synaptic plasticity in learning and memory. METHODS: Rat models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were used to explore the effects of EA on microglial PI3K pathway, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and …LTP, and the target and mechanism underlying the effects of EA on PI3K from the perspective of protein ubiquitination. RESULTS: EA induced microglial BDNF expression by activating the PI3K-AKT pathway, thereby facilitating LTP and synaptic plasticity. EA inhibited lincRNA 02023 to rescue the binding of WWP2 to PTEN, thereby promoting PTEN ubiquitination and degradation. CONCLUSION: The mechanism of EA improving the learning and memory ability of PTSD rats may be that it can promote the competitive combination of WWP2 and PTEN by inhibiting Linc RNA02023, and then lead to microglial PI3K and its pathway activation, BDNF up-regulation, and finally induce LTP and repair damaged synaptic plasticity. Show more

Keywords: PTSD, electroacupuncture, long-term potentiation, microglia, protein ubiquitination, long intergenic noncoding RNAs

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236035

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 409-421, 2023

Authors: Heo, Sung-Phil | Choi, Hojong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Eye exam diagnosis is one of the early detection methods for eye diseases. However, such a method is dependent on expensive and unpredictable optical equipment. OBJECTIVE: The eye exam can be re-emerged through an optometric lens attached to a smartphone and come to read the diseases automatically. Therefore, this study aims to provide a stable and predictable model with a given dataset representing the target group domain and develop a new method to identify eye disease with accurate and stable performance. METHODS: The ResNet-18 models pre-trained on ImageNet data composed of 1,000 …everyday objects were employed to learn the dataset’s features and validate the test dataset separated from the training dataset. RESULTS: A proposed model showed high training and validation accuracy values of 99.1% and 96.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The designed model could produce a robust and stable eye disease discrimination performance. Show more

Keywords: Deep learning model, image data, eye exam

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236036

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 423-428, 2023

Authors: Zhang, Ke | Yang, Huayuan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: As a unique traditional Chinese medicine therapy, the central effect of acupuncture has received increasing attention. Functional brain networks can provide connectivity information among brain regions. OBJECTIVE: The study goal is to explore the regulatory effect of acupuncture on the brain functional network. METHODS: This paper analyzes the electroencephalography (EEG)-based power spectrum and brain functional network elicited by acupuncture at Quchi (LI 11). RESULTS: The power spectrum results showed that acupuncture at LI 11 decreased the energy in the alpha frequency, mainly in the central region, left parietal lobe, …left temporal lobe and left frontal lobe. Moreover, functional brain networks converted from the magnitude-squared coherence matrix in the alpha band are reconstructed. The results show that acupuncture did not alter the basic properties of the brain functional connection network. During acupuncture, the average node degree, average clustering coefficient, and small-world property of the brain functional connection network decreased after acupuncture compared with that before it. However, the average characteristic path length increased after acupuncture compared with before. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at LI 11 altered the brain’s electrical activity. In the meantime, this acupuncture reduced the network’s internal connectivity and information transfer efficiency. Show more

Keywords: Acupuncture, functional brain networks, electroencephalography, Quchi (LI 11)

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236037

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 429-440, 2023

Authors: Liu, Xiangbo | Chen, Songsen | Yang, Guangming | Hong, Jianfu | Lin, Yanfang | Lin, Zhong | Zhang, Yuling | Chiang, Tung-Ying

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Haemorrhage of pancreas is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and currently there is no clinical satisfactory treatment for this disorder. OBIECTIVE: The present study envisaged to treat the haemorrhage of pancreas caused by pseudoaneurysm rupture using interventional super-selective coil impregnation therapy, so as to achieve a better treatment efficacy. METHODS: Six cases presenting haemorrhage of pancreas were employed for the study, including 5 cases caused by splenic artery pseudoaneurysm and 1 case caused by superior pancreatic artery pseudoaneurysm. In all 6 patients the femoral artery was punctured using Seldinger femoral …artery puncture and intubation technique. Subsequently, a catheter was inserted into the abdominal trunk and the contrast medium was injected, and the pseudoaneurysm was developed. A coil was then inserted into the distal end and proximal end of the pseudoaneurysm, respectively, leading to the elimination of the pseudoaneurysm. RESULTS: All 6 patients with pancreatic haemorrhage were implanted with coil at the distal and proximal end of the aneurysm, until the aneurysm disappeared during intraoperative angiography. Further, clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, melena and hematemesis disappeared after the operation. No recurrence of the symptoms was observed in the studied population. CONCLUSION: A 100% treatment outcome can be achieved in patients with pseudoaneurysm-induced haemorrhage of pancreas using interventional super-selective coil embolization. Show more

Keywords: Hemorrage of pancreatic duct, pseudoaneurysm, embolization, super-selective

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236038

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 441-447, 2023

Authors: Wang, Yujiao | Wang, Xiangxiang | Jiang, Kailin | Yang, Keming | Ling, Jianghong

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Chaihu Shugan powder (CSP) is a prevalent prescription product used in the treatment functional dyspepsia (FD) in China. However, the underlying pharmacological mechanisms involved in the treatment of FD remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the key components of CSP and their molecular targets and mechanisms in the treatment of FD. METHODS: Active compounds for CSP were identified from the TCMSP and SymMap databases, and the relevant targets were predicted. FD-related targets were obtained from the GeneCards and CTD database. In addition, using the protein-protein interactions (PPI) analysis, the common targets were obtained. …Furthermore, the compound-target networks were created with Cytoscape. Finally, molecular docking was performed to identify the core targets and validate them experimentally. RESULTS: In total, 78 active compounds and 671 related targets of CSP were obtained. PPI network analysis identified 15 key FD-related compound targets. Molecular docking revealed that sitosterol and hyndarin exhibited good binding activities with AKT1 and IL6, respectively. Animal experiments have shown that CSP effectively increased the protein levels of AKT1 and reduced the serum levels of IL-6 in FD rats. CONCLUSION: This study provides a theoretical evidence for the analysis of the molecular targets and mechanisms of the action of CSP in FD. Show more

Keywords: Functional dyspepsia, chaihu shugan powder, network pharmacology, AKT1, IL6

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236039

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 449-462, 2023

Authors: Liu, Yaoyao | Wang, Chang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In order to reduce the impact of CT radiation, low-dose CT is often used, but low-dose CT will bring more noise, affecting image quality and subsequent 3D reconstruction results. OBJECTIVE: The study presents a reconstruction method based on wavelet transform-total variation (WT-TV) for low-dose CT. METHODS: First, the low-dose CT images were denoised using WT and TV denoising methods. The WT method could preserve the features, and the TV method could preserve the edges and structures. Second, the two sets of denoised images were fused so that the features, edges, and structures …could be preserved at the same time. Finally, FBP reconstruction was performed to obtain the final 3D reconstruction result. RESULTS: The results show that The WT-TV method can effectively denoise low-dose CT and improve the clarity and accuracy of 3D reconstruction models. CONCLUSION: Compared with other reconstruction methods, the proposed reconstruction method successfully addressed the issue of low-dose CT noising by further denoising the CT images before reconstruction. The denoising effect of low-dose CT images and the 3D reconstruction model were compared via experiments. Show more

Keywords: 3D reconstruction, filtered back-projection, low-dose CT, total variation wavelet, transform

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236040

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 463-475, 2023

Authors: Yang, Dewu | Du, Juan | Liu, Kang | Sui, Yan | Wang, Junying | Gai, Xinghui

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the bronchial mucosa or glands of the lung. Early lung cancer patients often have no obvious symptoms, but early detection and treatment have an important clinical significance for prognostic effect. Computed tomography (CT) is one of the important means in the diagnosis of lung cancer. In order to better solve the problem of diagnosis efficiency, and reduce the rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, computer aided diagnosis are employed in the accurate localization and segmentation of pulmonary nodules through imaging diagnostics, image processing technology, and other clinical means. …OBJECTIVE: This present study was envisaged to establish an intelligent segmentation model of pulmonary nodules to improve the accuracy of early screening for lung cancer patients. METHODS: Compared with the traditional segmentation model of fully convolutional neural network, the U-Net++ algorithm based on feature-weighted integration (WI-U-Net++) effectively utilized the feature weight information, adopted the adaptive weighted method for weighted integration, and performed an intelligent segmentation of the anatomical structure and image details, which was applied in the auxiliary diagnosis of pulmonary nodules in CT images. Standard chest X-ray phantom was selected as CT scanning objects, and 30 spherical and irregular simulated nodules were built into them, respectively. CT images were collected by setting different tube voltage and noise index, and randomly included into the training set, validation set and test set at a ratio of 8:1:1. RESULTS: The experimental results showed that the segmentation accuracy of WI-U-Net++ algorithm for spheroid nodules and irregular nodules was 98.75% and 83.47%, respectively, which was better than that of U-Net and U-Net++ algorithm. In the auxiliary diagnosis, the recall rate of the WI-U-Net++ algorithm for spheroid nodules and irregular nodules was 93.47% and 84.52%, respectively. The accuracy of the benign or malignant identification was 80.27%, and the AUC was 0.9342. CONCLUSION: U-Net++ algorithm based on feature-weighted integration could improve the segmentation effect of pulmonary nodules. Especially in the case of irregular nodules with malignant signs, the accuracy of clinical diagnosis was significantly improved, and the level of differential diagnosis between benign and malignant was improved. Show more

Keywords: Weighted integration, image segmentation, differential diagnosis, pulmonary nodules

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236041

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 477-486, 2023

Authors: Yin, Zuode | Song, Wei | Li, Baiyi | Wang, Fengfei | Xie, Liangxu | Xu, Xiaojun

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Protein-ligand binding affinity is of significant importance in structure-based drug design. Recently, the development of machine learning techniques has provided an efficient and accurate way to predict binding affinity. However, the prediction performance largely depends on how molecules are represented. OBJECTIVE: Different molecular descriptors are designed to capture different features. The study aims to identify the optimal circular fingerprints for predicting protein-ligand binding affinity with matched neural network architectures. METHODS: Extended-connectivity fingerprints (ECFP) and protein-ligand extended connectivity fingerprints (PLEC) encode circular atomic and bonding connectivity environments with the preference for intra- and …inter-molecular features, respectively. Densely-connected neural networks are employed to map the circular fingerprints of protein-ligand complexes to binding affinities RESULTS: The performance of neural networks is sensitive to the parameters used for ECFP and PLEC fingerprints. The R2_score of the evaluated ECFP and PLEC fingerprints reaches 0.52 and 0.49, higher than that of the improperly set ECFP and PLEC fingerprints with R2_score of 0.45 and 0.38, respectively. Additionally, compared to the predictions from the standalone fingerprints, the ECFP+PLEC conjoint ones slightly improve the prediction accuracy with R2_score of approximately 0.55. CONCLUSION: Both intra- and inter-molecular structural features encoded in the circular fingerprints contribute to the protein-ligand binding affinity. Optimizing the parameters of ECFP and PLEC can enhance performance. The conjoint fingerprint scheme can be generally extended to other molecular descriptors for enhanced feature engineering and improved predictive performance. Show more

Keywords: Protein-ligand binding affinity, molecular fingerprints, neural networks, ECFP, PLEC

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236042

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 487-495, 2023

Authors: Ren, Xiaoxu | Zhang, Yan | Yin, Xuemin | Guo, Gang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Retromolar canal (RMC) arises from the mandibular canal (MC) behind the second or third molar and travels anterosuperiorly to a retromolar foramen (RMF). RMCs and RMFs have generally been ignored in anatomical textbooks and have rarely been reviewed or studied in the anatomical and dental literature until the last decades. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize RMF in a Chinese population concerning its incidence, origin, and classification via anatomical study and periapical radiography. METHODS: 123 dry adult Chinese mandibles were collected to observe the incidence of RMFs. RMFs were determined using a …steel wire 0.5 mm in diameter. The passways or origins of the retromolar canal (RMC) were determined and classified via periapical radiography. For each RMF, two dentists independently measured the diameter and its distances to the lingual cortex, the buccal cortex, and the distal edge of the last tooth (or the alveolar fossa) using a vernier caliper. RESULTS: The incidence of RMFs was 31.71%. The average RMF diameter was 0.78 ± 0.27 mm. From RMF, the distance was 4.27 ± 1.87 mm to the lingual cortex, 8.61 ± 2.23 mm to the buccal cortex, and 7.84 ± 3.87 mm to the distal edge of the last tooth (or the alveolar fossa). RMCs were classified into MC type originating from the mandibular canal and AF type originating from the alveolar fossa. The diameters of MC ones were more significant than those of AF ones. There was no apparent correlation between the existence of the third molar and the presence of an RMF. CONCLUSION: The incidence of RMFs in Chinese may be about one-third, which is a potential factor in the onset of surgery accidents. RMCs can be classified into two types by their origins. One of them is MC, which originates from the mandibular canal, and the other is AF, which originates from the alveolar fossa. Show more

Keywords: Retromolar foramen, retromolar canal, mandibular canal, radiographic study

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236043

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 497-504, 2023

Authors: Wu, Wenjie | Xie, Juncheng | Liu, Tangyi | Chen, Jie | Li, Shaoxiong | Xu, Gang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND : Thumb rubbing is one of the widely accepted massage techniques, owing to its simple and effective operation. Exploring the biomechanical characteristics of the thumb rubbing method can assist the understanding of the operating characteristics of manipulation, thereby improvising the therapeutic role of manipulation. OBJECTIVE: To study the kinematic and kinetic characteristics of the thumb kneading method from the biomechanical point of view, and to quantitatively analyze the key points of thumb kneading operation. METHODS: We explored the biomechanical characteristics of the thumb kneading operation by an analysis of the parameters scored by …the experts and students using the “thumb kneading data glove and data collection system”. RESULTS: (1) Force trajectory: The expert group showed a regular force trajectory compared to the student group, with a stable thumb suction position, small drift and concentrated force. (2) Force value: The average force value of the expert group was concentrated in the range 0.614 ± 0.041 kg, while the average force value of the student group was concentrated in the range 0.650 ± 0.146 kg and the difference was not statistically significant. (3) Frequency: The frequency of the expert group was mainly concentrated in the range 134.280 ± 39.106 times/min, while that of the student group was 66.04 ± 23.651 times/min, (P < 0.05). (4) Period: The operation cycle during the thumb kneading of the expert and student groups was mainly concentrated in the range of 0.476 ± 0.117 s and (0.990 ± 0.259) s, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that the technical operation of the expert group was more stable and standardized than that of the student group. It was found that the force value was inversely proportional to the frequency of the operation. In the “circular rotation” operation of the thumb rubbing method, the force value conversion degree of different parts of the thumb reflected the motion trajectory. Furthermore, the “circular rotation” operation performed by the expert group was better than the student group. The study of the parameters, including the angle of frequency, period and force value can reflect the biomechanical characteristics of thumb rubbing method to a significant extent. Show more

Keywords: biomechanics, thumb rubbing, mechanical characteristics

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236044

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 505-513, 2023

Authors: Kwon, Do-Young | Kwon, Yu-Ri | Ko, Junghyuk | Kim, Ji-Won

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: A representative symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is resting tremor. The clinical manifestation of scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficit (SWEDD) is similar to it of PD, though the phenomenology of SWEDD is not well known. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, the resting tremor of 9 SWEDD patients was quantitatively compared with that of 11 PD patients. METHODS: Four 3-axis gyro sensors were attached on the index finger, thumb, dorsum of the hand, and arm of the more tremulous side. Root mean square (RMS) angular speed and angular displacement as well as …irregularity of angular speed and displacement were derived from the sensor data. RESULTS: Although disease duration and Hoehn and Yahr stages were comparable, SWEDD patients exhibited different tremor features from PD patients. Significantly faster RMS angular speed and greater RMS angular displacement (p < 0.05) were observed in PD patients than in SWEDD patients. The irregularity of angular displacement of pitch direction at the dorsum of the hand was greater in SWEDD patients than in PD patients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that quantitative indices obtained from resting tremor task could be important biomarkers for identifying potential patients with SWEDD among patients diagnosed with PD. Show more

Keywords: Quantification, resting tremor, gyro sensor, SWEDD, Parkinson’s disease

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236045

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 515-523, 2023

Authors: Liu, Xin | Zhang, Ying | Chen, Fang | Wang, Lei | Luo, Wenbin | Zheng, Ye | Yan, Gen

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is a mature scanning technique. With high sensitivity in detecting cerebral infractions, it has become an essential part of the clinical evaluation of acute stroke. However, with the update in medical ideals and treatment, clinicians are now focusing on distinguishing between reversible and irreversible brain tissue damage rather than detecting ischaemic lesions alone. OBJECTIVE: We supposed that Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) could classify heterogeneous DWI lesions, deepening the understanding of tissue injury. We systematically studied the different parameters of DKI in acute stroke patients in the literature. METHODS: …We collected 41 patients (26 male, 15 female), including different infarctions with acute cerebral infarction in different brain regions. Of all patients, 20 were single-infarction, while others were multi-infarctions. In this paper, we categorized acute cerebral infarction lesions into two types according to the parametric characteristics of both DKI and DWI. Type I means the DKI and DWI were matched, and Type II means the DKI and DWI were mismatched. Based on each parametric map, the region of interest (ROI) is outlined in each most severe lesion area (as large as possible in the center of the lesion). In the control group, ROIs of the same size are located in the corresponding regions of the contralateral hemisphere. RESULTS: In both Type I and Type II, all parameters conform to a normal distribution. An independent sample T-test was used to compare the differences between each group. In Type I, we found the FA, MD, Da, Dr, MK and Ka values were statistically different (P < 0.05), while in Type II, only the MK and Ka values were statistically different (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DKI, compared to DWI, can provide more imaging information about intracranial ischemic infarction, which can deepen the understanding of the mechanism of ischemic tissue damage. Our classification of the brain acute stroke lesions by DKI parameters and DWI may help us rediscover the real core of infraction. Show more

Keywords: Diffusion kurtosis imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, acute cerebral infarction

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236046

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 525-532, 2023

Authors: Feng, Xin-Xin | Huang, Kai-Yu | Chen, Lei | Zhou, Kai

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The incidence rate for migraine is 12% worldwide, and recurrence is common, which seriously affects the physical and mental health of patients. OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of Shallow Puncture and More Twirling method of acupuncture in treating migraine and its impact on serum 5-HT and β -EP. METHODS: A total of 76 patients with migraine were randomized into a control group and acupuncture group with 38 cases in each. In the control group, patients were orally administered flunarizine hydrochloride before sleep, 2 capsules once daily for 4 weeks. …In the acupuncture group, Shallow Puncture and More Twirling method was adopted for the acupoints of Sizhukong (SJ 23), Toulinqi (GB 15) Shuaigu (GB 8), Xuanlu (GB 5), Fengchi (GB 20), Waiguan (SJ 5), Zulinqi (GB 41). Patients were given acupuncture 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Then, the total VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) scores, composite score of migraine, serum level of 5-HT and β -EP, and the clinical efficacy differences were observed before and after treatment and the side-effects were recorded among the two groups. RESULTS: The total VAS scores and composite score of migraine were significantly reduced among both groups after the treatment (P < 0.05), and the serum level of 5-HT and β -EP was significantly improved (P < 0.05). Compared with control group, the acupuncture group reported lower results in VAS score and migraine composite score (P < 0.05), and higher results in serum 5-HT and β -EP level (P < 0.05). The acupuncture group with shallow puncture and more twirling method showed a total effective rate of 86.5%, which is higher than the control group (78.4%). The difference is statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Shallow Puncture and More Twirling method was superior to flunarizine hydrochloride in the treatment of clinical symptoms of migraine. Acupuncture also increases the serum level of 5-HT and β -EP in migraine. Show more

Keywords: Shallow Puncture and More Twirling, acupuncture, migraine, clinical effect, randomized controlled trial

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236047

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 533-540, 2023

Authors: He, Guixin | Wang, Zou | Hu, Chen | Yang, Yujun | Wang, Ning | Shao, Longquan | You, Jie

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Implant-restored patients with periodontitis have a higher risk of developing peri-implantitis, and helping them develop oral cleaning habits is significant. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model on the modification of oral cleaning behaviors of implant-restored patients with periodontitis. METHODS: Patients with periodontitis (n = 70) who would receive dental implant treatment were included. And they were randomly divided into two groups: experimental (n = 35) and control (n = 35). …Control patients received routine oral hygiene education, and those in the experimental group received motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model. Oral cleaning behavior was compared between the two groups before and after intervention. In addition, periodontal health status was compared on the day of implant restoration and three months later. RESULTS: Compared to the control, the experimental group demonstrated significantly better oral hygiene behavior after intervention (P < 0.05). Three months after implant restoration, significantly better results were obtained by the experimental group in terms of mPLI and mSBI (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model can effectively improve the oral cleaning behavior and periodontal health of implant-restored patients with periodontitis. Show more

Keywords: Periodontitis, implant, oral cleaning behavior, motivational interviewing based on the transtheoretical model

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236048

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 541-549, 2023

Authors: Zhang, Jun | Geng, Xingguang | Zhang, Yitao | Yao, Fei | Wang, Yunfeng | Zhang, Haiying

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The wrist pulse wave under the optimal pulse pressure plays an important role in detecting human body’s physiological and pathological information. Wavelet threshold filtering is a common method for pulse wave de-noising. However, traditional filtering methods cannot smoothen the whole pulse wave well and highlight the details. OBJECTIVE: In view of this, an attempt is made in this paper to propose the pulse wave denoising algorithm for pulse wave under optimal pulse pressure according to the translation invariant wavelet transform (TIWT) and the new threshold function. METHODS: Firstly, by using hyperbolic tangent …curve and combining the advantages of soft threshold function and hard threshold function, the new threshold function is derived. Secondly, based on the TIWT, pseudo-Gibbs phenomenon gets suppressed. RESULTS: The experiments show that in comparison to the traditional wavelet filtering algorithm, the novel algorithm can better maintain the pulse wave geometric characteristics and has a higher signal to noise ratio (SNR). CONCLUSION: The TIWT with improved new threshold compensates the shortcomings of the traditional wavelet threshold denoising methods in a better way. It lays a foundation for extracting time-domain characteristics of pulse wave. Show more

Keywords: Pulse wave, denoising method, a new threshold function, translation invariant wavelet transform

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236049

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 551-563, 2023

Authors: Yang, Guang | Lang, Yan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Heilongjiang Province is a frontier province with distinctive characteristics, fertile land and rich products. OBJECTIVE: This study provides a new method for qualitatively studying flavonoids in traditional Chinese medicine and a new auxiliary means for identifying flavonoid isomers. METHODS: The flavonoids in Polygala fallax Hemsl were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-photo-diode array (PDA)-quadrupole-electro- static field orbitrap mass spectrometry tandem by UV Spectrum, primary and secondary high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS 1 /MS 2 ) cleavage of fragments combined with databases, mass spectrometry cleavage patterns and literature. …RESULTS: The established QSRR model was used to verify the flavonoids identified from the Polygala fallax Hemsl. CONCLUSION: The structure of multiple Polygala fallax Hemsl has been identified using various spectral methods. The tumor cytotoxic activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated. This paper is of great significance for further elucidating the pharmacodynamic substance basis and further developing and utilizing Polygala fallax Hemsl. Show more

Keywords: Polygala fallax Hemsl, extraction of medicinal herbs, identification, tumor cells, evaluation of toxic activity

DOI: 10.3233/THC-236050

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 31, no. S1, pp. 565-575, 2023