Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Proteins 2022 Aug 14. Epub 2022 Aug 14.

Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

The total free energy of a hydrated biomolecule and its corresponding decomposition of energy and entropy provides detailed information about regions of thermodynamic stability or instability. The free energies of four hydrated globular proteins with different net charges are calculated from a molecular dynamics simulation, with the energy coming from the system Hamiltonian and entropy using multiscale cell correlation. Water is found to be most stable around anionic residues, intermediate around cationic and polar residues, and least stable near hydrophobic residues, especially when more buried, with stability displaying moderate entropy-enthalpy compensation. Read More

Eur J Orthod 2022 Aug 14. Epub 2022 Aug 14.

Melbourne Dental School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne, Australia.

Objectives: The primary aim of this two-arm parallel two-centre randomized controlled trial was to compare computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) versus conventional multistranded fixed retainers (FRs) in terms of stability over 6 months. Secondary outcomes were failure rates and patient satisfaction.

Methods: Patients were randomized to CAD/CAM or conventional FRs in both arches, in 1:1 ratio and blocks of four. Read More

Work 2022 Aug 6. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany.

Background: Work in the industrial sector underlies deep structural changes triggered by demographic and societal transformations. These developments require tailored measures for maintaining employees' work ability by reacting to new demands and overcoming barriers in organizational implementation. Previous research lacks in considering practitioners' perspective in terms of tailoring effective interventions to the workplace conditions of blue-collar employees. Read More

Restor Neurol Neurosci 2022 Aug 6. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.

Background: Vision is the sense which we rely on the most to interact with the environment and its integrity is fundamental for the quality of our life. However, around the globe, more than 1 billion people are affected by debilitating vision deficits. Therefore, finding a way to treat (or mitigate) them successfully is necessary. Read More

NeuroRehabilitation 2022 Aug 10. Epub 2022 Aug 10.

Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medical Rehabilitation, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia Email:

Background: Stroke often leads to lower extremity impairments that significantly hinders functional recovery.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of constraint-induced movement therapy for the lower extremity (CIMT-LE) for improving balance and ambulation among people post-stroke.

Methods: A randomized controlled, single-blinded clinical trial was conducted. Read More

NeuroRehabilitation 2022 Aug 6. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing Bo'ai Hospital, Capital Medical University School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Beijing, China.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in neurological dysfunction of the spinal cord below the injury.

Objective: To explore the immediate and long-term effects of robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) on the recovery of motor function and walking ability in children with thoracolumbar incomplete SCI.

Methods: Twenty-one children with thoracolumbar incomplete SCI were randomly divided into the experimental (n = 11) and control groups (n = 10). Read More

Int J Risk Saf Med 2022 Aug 10. Epub 2022 Aug 10.

Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, General Hospital "Elena Venizelou", Athens, Greece.

Background: Gender dysphoria is characterised by a sense of distress because of discordance between the self-perception of gender identity and the assigned sex. Hormonal treatment of transgender males uses testosterone to induce and preserve masculinisation.

Objective: The study investigated the safety of testosterone therapy in transgender males. Read More

J Parkinsons Dis 2022 Aug 12. Epub 2022 Aug 12.

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Background: In advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), dyskinesias and non-motor symptoms such as sleep dysfunction can significantly impair quality of life, and high-quality management is an unmet need.

Objective: To analyze changes in dyskinesia and non-motor symptoms (including sleep) among studies with levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) in patients with advanced PD.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review identified relevant studies examining LCIG efficacy. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Aug 11. Epub 2022 Aug 11.

State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.

Background: Scutellarin, a flavonoid purified from the Chinese herb Erigeron breviscapus, has been reported to prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD) by affecting Aβ assembly. Given the low brain uptake rate of scutellarin, we hypothesize that the microbiota-gut-brain axis may be a potential route by which scutellarin prevents AD.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the microbiota-gut-brain mechanism by which scutellarin prevented AD. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Aug 9. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Background: Observational studies suggested that dementia risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is higher than in the general population.

Objective: To examine the associations of RA with cognitive decline and dementia, and neuroimaging biomarkers of aging, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular pathology in adult participants in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA).

Methods: Participants with RA were matched 1:3 on age, sex, education, and baseline cognitive diagnosis to participants without RA. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Aug 12. Epub 2022 Aug 12.

Department of Internal Medicine and Cognitive Health Services Research Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Background: Ethnic differences in cognitive decline have been reported. Whether they can be explained by differences in systolic blood pressure (SBP) is uncertain.

Objective: Determine whether cumulative mean SBP levels explain differences in cognitive decline between Hispanic and White individuals. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Aug 9. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Lawrence, KS, USA.

Background: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) may play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cognitive decline. A particular haplogroup of mtDNA, haplogroup J, has been observed more commonly in patients with AD than in cognitively normal controls.

Objective: We used two mtDNA haplogroups, H and J, to predict change in cognitive performance over five years. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Aug 6. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Grampians Health, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.

Prior to the usual clinical symptoms of dementia, there can be subtle changes in cognitive function that differ from the normal age-related cognitive decline, which has been termed mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The increase in the numbers of individuals with possible MCI presenting to health care professionals, notably, General Practitioners (GPs), is going to rise dramatically in the coming years. With ever increasing demands on GPs, it is therefore timely to provide information that can be accessed by health care professionals to assist them in making appropriate diagnoses and to provide the most relevant, evidence-based treatment options. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Aug 11. Epub 2022 Aug 11.

Stony Brook World Trade Center Wellness Program, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.

Background: More than 8% of responders who participated in the search and rescue efforts at the World Trade Center (WTC) following 9/11 developed early-onset cognitive impairment (CI). Approximately 23% were also diagnosed with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Objective: To shed light on the pathophysiology of these WTC-related conditions, we examined diffusion connectometry to identify altered white matter tracts in WTC responders with CI and/or PTSD compared to unaffected responders. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis 2022 Aug 6. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Molecular Neuroscience Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.

Background: Tripeptide Met-Lys-Pro (MKP), a component of casein hydrolysates, has effective angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. Brain angiotensin II enzyme activates the NADPH oxidase complex via angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1) and enhances oxidative stress injury. ACE inhibitors improved cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models and previous clinical trials. Read More

J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil 2022 Jul 30. Epub 2022 Jul 30.

Background: Accuracy studies of biophotogrammetry protocols require standardization similar to radiography.

Objective: To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of a biophotogrammetric assessment protocol for cervical hyperlordosis, compared to radiography, and its intra- and inter-examiner reliability for measuring the cervical lordosis angle.

Methods: A study of diagnostic accuracy in women complaining of cervical pain. Read More

Pilot Feasibility Stud 2022 Aug 13;8(1):182. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Allam Medical Building 3rd Floor, Cottingham Road, Kingston-Upon-Hull, East Yorkshire, HU6 7RX, UK.

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Physical activity and exercise provide unequivocal benefits to those living with and beyond lung cancer. However, few of those living with and beyond cancer meet the national physical activity guidelines. Read More

Trials 2022 Aug 13;23(1):650. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 74 Linjiang Road, Chongqing, 40010, China.

Background And Purpose: Poststroke urinary incontinence (PSI) is prevalent in stroke survivors, and high-quality evidence is required to guide clinical practice. Previous studies have demonstrated the curative effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for urinary incontinence in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we describe the protocol for a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-frequency rTMS on the contralesional primary motor cortex (M1) for the treatment of PSI. Read More

Stem Cell Res Ther 2022 Aug 13;13(1):411. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 329#, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, People's Republic of China.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively used for the treatment of various diseases in preclinical and clinical trials. In vitro propagation is needed to attain enough cells for clinical use. However, cell aging and viability reduction caused by long-time culture have not been thoroughly investigated, especially for the function of mitochondria and lysosomes. Read More

Diabetol Metab Syndr 2022 Aug 13;14(1):114. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Department of Endocrinology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, No. 218, Ziqiang Street, Nanguan District, Changchun, China.

Background: A vegan diet has benefits on weight reduction and on the parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy of plant-based diets on insulin resistance and blood lipids in patients with obesity.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for available papers published up to March 2021. Read More

BMC Psychol 2022 Aug 13;10(1):200. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University, Kyoseikan, 4-1-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 223-8521, Japan.

Background: Materialism indicates the extent to which an individual's life is focused on consumerism, or the acquisition of money and possessions. The Material Values Scale (MVS), comprising the factors "success," "centrality," and "happiness," is a well-known rating scale for materialism. However, a Japanese version of the materialism scale has not yet been established, and the details of the factors and effects related to materialism have not yet been clarified in Japan. Read More

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2022 Aug 13;22(1):217. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Division of General Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

Background: Primary care providers face challenges in recognizing and controlling hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Clinical decision support (CDS) has the potential to aid clinicians in identifying patients who could benefit from medication changes. This study designed an alert to control hypertension in CKD patients using an iterative human-centered design process. Read More

Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2022 Aug 13;20(1):119. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 175 W Campus Dr, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.

Background: Cytoplasmic and nuclear maturation of oocytes, as well as interaction with the surrounding cumulus cells, are important features relevant to the acquisition of developmental competence.

Methods: Here, we utilized Brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) to distinguish cattle oocytes with low activity of the enzyme Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase, and thus separated fully grown (BCB positive) oocytes from those in the growing phase (BCB negative). We then analyzed the developmental potential of these oocytes, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in single oocytes, and investigated the transcriptome of single oocytes and their surrounding cumulus cells of BCB positive versus BCB negative oocytes. Read More

Stem Cell Res Ther 2022 Aug 13;13(1):413. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Congenital Malformation, Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, No. 36, Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, China.

Background: Spina bifida aperta (SBA) is a relatively common clinical type of neural tube defect. Although prenatal fetal surgery has been proven to be an effective treatment for SBA, the recovery of neurological function remains unsatisfactory due to neuron deficiencies. Our previous results demonstrated that intra-amniotic transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) could preserve neural function through lesion-specific engraftment and regeneration. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2022 Aug 13;23(1):772. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Department of Applied Health Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Hochschule für Gesundheit (University of Applied Sciences), Gesundheitscampus 6-8, 44801, Bochum, Germany.

Background: Astronauts have a higher risk of cervical intervertebral disc herniation. Several mechanisms have been attributed as causative factors for this increased risk. However, most of the previous studies have examined potential causal factors for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation only. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2022 Aug 13;23(1):770. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis, Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Background: People with rheumatic diseases experience troublesome fluctuations in fatigue. Debated causes include pain, mood and inflammation. To determine the relationships between these potential causes, serial assessments are required but are methodologically challenging. Read More

BMC Public Health 2022 Aug 13;22(1):1545. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Gebbertstraße 123b, 91058, Erlangen, Germany.

Background: While effective physical activity referral schemes (PARSs) and related structures for promoting physical activity (PA) already exist in several countries, in Germany, PARSs have not yet been implemented systematically and nationwide. Through a co-production approach with relevant actors in the German healthcare system, a PARS was developed, and an implementation plan was created (e.g. Read More

Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2022 Aug 13;20(1):118. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Institute of Reproduction and Development, Fudan University, No. 419, Fangxie Rd, Shanghai, 200011, China.

Background: Fertility awareness and menses prediction are important for improving fecundability and health management. Previous studies have used physiological parameters, such as basal body temperature (BBT) and heart rate (HR), to predict the fertile window and menses. However, their accuracy is far from satisfactory. Read More

BMC Womens Health 2022 Aug 13;22(1):341. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Background: This study aimed to determine menstrual characteristics and related morbidities among adolescent girls living in Sabah, North Borneo, a less-developed state in Malaysia.

Methods: Data were obtained from a quantitative survey conducted in three government high schools located in Ranau, Sabah. The participants were adolescent girls who had attained menarche between the ages of 14 and 19. Read More

Clin Proteomics 2022 Aug 13;19(1):32. Epub 2022 Aug 13.

Research Center for Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Ochang, 28119, Republic of Korea.

Background: Dabie bandavirus, also termed as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), was first isolated in China in 2010. At this time, the virus was found to have spread to South Korea, Japan, and other countries. A high case fatality rate is reported for SFTS, ranging from 12-50% within various sources. Read More