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Appl Ergon 2021 Jun 8;96:103493. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Occupational Safety and Health Care, Region Jönköping County, Jönköping, Sweden; School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.

The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is an important part of the workforce in hospitals and nursing homes, whose work includes heavy and repetitive work tasks including patient manual handling. The Structured Multidisciplinary work Evaluation Tool (SMET) questionnaire is an Occupational Health Service method for evaluation of the work environment. The aim of this study is to compare the SMET questionnaire with technical measurements of physical workload in CNAs in a medical ward setting. Read More

Bioresour Technol 2021 Jun 4;337:125376. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy, Department of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, PR China.

Electromethanogenesis (EMG) system could efficiently convert CO to CH by using excess renewable electricity. However, the fluctuation and interruption of renewable electricity will adversely affect the biocathode and therefore the CH production of the EMG system. In this work, a novel biocathode acclimation strategy with intermittent step-up voltage (ISUV) was proposed to improve the stability and resilience of the EMG system against the unstable input of renewable power. Read More

Spine J 2021 Jun 8. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Science, Little Rock, AR; Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID.

Background Context: Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is one of the most common orthopaedic conditions and affects more than half a million people over the age of 65 in the US. Patients with LSS have gait dysfunction and movement deficits due to pain and symptoms caused by compression of the nerve roots within a narrowed spinal canal.

Purpose: The purpose of the current systematic review was to summarize existing literature reporting biomechanical changes in gait function that occur with LSS, and identify knowledge gaps that merit future investigation in this important patient population. Read More

Med Sci Sports Exerc 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Purpose: Producing a steady cadence and power while cycling results in fairly consistent average pedal forces for every revolution, though small fluctuations about an average force do occur. This force can be generated by several combinations of muscles, each with slight fluctuations in excitation for every pedal cycle. Fluctuations such as these are commonly thought of as random variation about average values. Read More

Aging Clin Exp Res 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Sport and Exercise Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128, Padova, Italy.

Background: Dual task influences postural control. A cognitive task seems to reduce muscle excitation during a postural balance, especially in older adults (OA).

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of three cognitive tasks on muscle excitation and static postural control in OA and young adults (YA) in an upright posture maintenance task. Read More

Brain 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

National Institutes of Health, Neuromuscular and Neurogenetic Disorders of Childhood Section, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is an ultra-rare autosomal recessive, progressive neurodegenerative disease with early childhood onset that presents as a prominent sensorimotor neuropathy and commonly progresses to affect both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system. The disease is caused by biallelic mutations in the GAN gene located on 16q23.2, leading to loss of functional gigaxonin, a substrate specific ubiquitin ligase adapter protein necessary for the regulation of intermediate filament turnover. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol Pract 2021 11;6:170-171. Epub 2021 May 11.

University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia, MO, USA.

Front Med (Lausanne) 2021 25;8:645559. Epub 2021 May 25.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

To analyze the course of p16/Ki-67-positive abnormal cytological cervical findings and high risk (hr)-HPV- and p16/Ki-67-clearances in women treated with a vaginal gel. 172 women with a histological diagnosis of CIN2 or p16-positive CIN1 lesions were selected based on a positive cytological p16/Ki-67 test. For 3 months, 75 patients in the active arm (AA) daily administered 5 ml of a vaginal gel. Read More

Int J Endocrinol 2021 21;2021:5563960. Epub 2021 May 21.

Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Although the numbers of aged populations have risen considerably in the last few decades, the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has revealed an extensive vulnerability among these populations. Sarcopenia is an age-related disorder that increases hospitalization, dependencies, and mortality in older adults. It starts to develop in midlife or even earlier as a result of unbalanced diet/poor nutrition and low levels of physical activity, in addition to chronic disorders such as obesity and diabetes mellitus. Read More

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department for Health Evidence, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Knee 2021 Jun 7;31:39-45. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama City, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan. Electronic address:

Background: A limb symmetry index (LSI) of ≥90% for the quadriceps is recommended for return to sports activity after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). However, there is no information on differences in muscle fatigability between patients with LSI of <90% and ≥90%. The aim of this study was to assess the difference in quadriceps muscle fatigability on the involved side between post-ACLR patients with LSI of <90% and ≥90%. Read More

Sleep 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.

Study Objectives: To assess if selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are able to modify the chin EMG tone during sleep also in children.

Methods: Twenty-three children and adolescents (12 girls, mean age 14.1 years, SD 2. Read More

Am J Sports Med 2021 Jun 10:3635465211017524. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Orthopedic Biomechanics Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

Background: Although blood flow restriction (BFR) is becoming increasingly popular in physical therapy and athletic training settings, little is known about the effects of BFR combined with low-intensity exercise (LIX) on muscles proximal to the site of occlusion.

Hypothesis/purpose: Determine whether LIX combined with BFR applied distally to the shoulder on the brachial region of the arm (BFR-LIX) promotes greater increases in shoulder lean mass, rotator cuff strength, endurance, and acute increases in shoulder muscle activation compared with LIX alone. We hypothesized that BFR-LIX would elicit greater increases in rotator cuff strength, endurance, and muscle mass. Read More

JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Importance: Vocal fold paralysis (VFP) results from the disruption of neural motor outputs to laryngeal muscles. Children with VFP manifest various degrees of difficulties in phonation, breathing, and swallowing. Although the etiologic characteristics and symptoms of VFP are well established in adults, corresponding clinical profiles are notably different in children. Read More

J Anat 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.

Children who idiopathically toe-walk (ITW) habitually operate at greater plantarflexion angles and thus, at shorter muscle-tendon unit (MTU) lengths than typically developing (TD) children. Therefore, it is often assumed that habitual use of the gastrocnemius muscle in this way will cause remodelling of the muscle-tendon architecture compared to TD children. However, the gastrocnemius muscle architecture of children who ITW has never been measured. Read More

Front Neurosci 2021 24;15:657958. Epub 2021 May 24.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada.

The effort, focus, and time to collect data and train EMG pattern recognition systems is one of the largest barriers to their widespread adoption in commercial applications. In addition to multiple repetitions of motions, including exemplars of confounding factors during the training protocol has been shown to be critical for robust machine learning models. This added training burden is prohibitive for most regular use cases, so cross-user models have been proposed that could leverage inter-repetition variability supplied by other users. Read More

Pediatr Phys Ther 2021 Jun 7. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Early Intervention Associates (Dr Leonard), Rockville, Maryland; Doctoral Programs in Pediatric Science (Dr Sweeney), Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, Utah; Functional and Applied Biomechanical Lab at National Institutes of Health (Dr Damiano), NIH Bethesda, Maryland; School of Medicine (Dr Bjornson), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Marymount University Program in Physical Therapy (Dr Ries), Marymount University, Arlington, Virginia.

Purpose: This exploratory study assessed postural control and muscle activity in children with cerebral palsy while standing barefoot (BF), in prescribed ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) and in distal control orthoses (DCOs), which stabilized foot-ankle and deliberately aligned the shank.

Methods: This within-subject study evaluated 10 participants, Gross Motor Functional Classification System level III, across the 3 ankle-foot conditions in: (1) static standing duration and (2) modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance with electromyography (EMG) on 7 muscles.

Results: Participants had significantly decreased center of gravity (COG) velocity sway in DCO versus BF and AFO, decreased loss of balance (LOB), and increased standing for DCO versus BF. Read More

J Neurophysiol 2021 06 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Canada.

The pectoralis major critically enables arm movement in several directions. However, its neural control remains unknown. High-density electromyography (HD-sEMG) was acquired from the pectoralis major in two sets of experiments in healthy young adults. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 May;100(19):e25731

Rehabilitation Center.

Background: Acupuncture has a long history in China and is currently widely used in clinical practice. However, there is no large sample data confirming the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating stroke and its sequelae. This article presents a study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial for evaluating the efficacy of acupuncture in treating post-stroke dysphagia. Read More

Rev Med Chil 2021 Jan;149(1):142-146

Servicio de Neurología, Hospital del Salvador, Santiago, Chile.

Monomelic amyotrophy, also known as Hirayama disease, is a rare lower motor neuron syndrome due to localized lower motor neuron loss in the spinal cord at the cervical level. Clinically, monomelic amyotrophy is defined by the insidious onset of unilateral atrophy and weakness involving the hand and forearm, typically beginning in the second or third decade of life. We report 19-year-old man with a two years history of slowly progressive unilateral weakness and atrophy of his right-hand muscles. Read More

J Appl Oral Sci 2021 4;29:e20201035. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba, Departamento de Prótese e Periodontia, Piracicaba, SP, Brasil.

Background: BoNT-A has been widely used for TMD therapy. However, the potential benefits compared to dry needling techniques are not clear.

Objective: this study aimed to compare the immediate effects of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injections and Acupuncture in myofascial temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2021 Jun 8;22(1):526. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1DD, UK.

Background: Exercise-based approaches have been a cornerstone of physiotherapy management of knee osteoarthritis for many years. However, clinical effects are considered small to modest and the need for continued adherence identified as a barrier to clinical efficacy. While exercise-based approaches focus on muscle strengthening, biomechanical research has identified that people with knee osteoarthritis over activate their muscles during functional tasks. Read More

Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2021 Jun 8:1-6. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine I, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.

Purpose: Movement repetition is known to play a key role in promoting functional improvements or maintaining functional levels in post-stroke hemiparetic patients. However, repetitive movements tend to be monotonous, making it challenging for patients to continue. Here, we developed a new gamified system to allow patients perform repetitive movements with enjoyment. Read More

Appl Ergon 2021 Jun 6;96:103481. Epub 2021 Jun 6.

Faculty of Kinesiology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada.

The objective of this study was to provide a biomechanical comparison of two different types of active chairs (AC1 & AC2) versus a static chair (NAC). Thirty healthy participants were recruited: fifteen healthy females and fifteen healthy males. Participants worked at a computer workstation (1-h per chair). Read More

Cortex 2021 May 15;141:280-292. Epub 2021 May 15.

Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.

The ability to recognize the emotions of others is a crucial skill. In the visual modality, sensorimotor mechanisms provide an important route for emotion recognition. Perceiving facial expressions often evokes activity in facial muscles and in motor and somatosensory systems, and this activity relates to performance in emotion tasks. Read More

J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2021 May 27;59:102565. Epub 2021 May 27.

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address:

Consensus on the definition of common terms in electromyography (EMG) research promotes consistency in the EMG literature and facilitates the integration of research across the field. This paper presents a matrix developed within the Consensus for Experimental Design in Electromyography (CEDE) project, providing definitions for terms used in the EMG literature. The definitions for physiological and technical terms that are common in EMG research are included in two tables, with key information on each definition provided in a comment section. Read More

Exp Neurol 2021 Jun 5:113781. Epub 2021 Jun 5.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA; Advanced Platform Technology Center, Research Service, Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Glickman Urologic and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA. Electronic address:

Objective: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is prevalent among older women and can result from insufficient regeneration of the pudendal nerve (PN). Electrical stimulation (ES) of the PN upregulates brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and accelerates regeneration. Using tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) to reduce the availability of free BDNF, the aim of this study was to determine if BDNF is necessary for accelerated recovery via ES in a model of SUI. Read More

Neural Regen Res 2022 Jan;17(1):65-73

Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscle wasting, breathing and swallowing difficulties resulting in patient's death in two to five years after disease onset. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, both upper and lower motor neurons of the corticospinal tracts are involved in the process of neurodegeneration, accounting for great clinical heterogeneity of the disease. Clinical phenotype has great impact on the pattern and rate of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression and overall survival prognosis. Read More

Spinal Cord 2021 Jun 7. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Objectives: We aim to better understand the silent period (SP), an inhibitory counterpart to the well-known motor evoked potential (MEP) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Veterans Affairs Hospital in New York. Read More

Phys Med Biol 2021 Jun 7. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis , 4511 Forest Park, St Lousi, Missouri, 63108, UNITED STATES.

The objective of this study was to compare FUS neuromodulation-induced motor responses under two physical mechanisms: mechanical and mechanothermal effects. Mice were divided into two groups. One group was subjected to short-duration FUS stimulation (0. Read More