Precise prediction of phase-separation key residues by machine learning.

Understanding intracellular phase separation is crucial for deciphering transcriptional control, cell fate transitions, and disease mechanisms. However, the key residues, which impact phase separation the most for protein phase separation function have remained elusive. We develop PSPHunter, which can precisely predict these key residues based on machine learning scheme.

Investigating the nexus of metabolic syndrome, serum uric acid, and dementia risk: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The global dementia prevalence is surging, necessitating research into contributing factors. We aimed to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS), its components, serum uric acid (SUA) levels, and dementia risk.

Methods: Our prospective study comprised 466,788 participants without pre-existing MetS from the UK Biobank.

Age-related differences in the capacity and neuromuscular control of the foot core system during quiet standing.

The foot core system is essential for upright stability. However, aging-induced changes in the foot core function remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to examine age-related differences in postural stability from the perspective of foot core capacity and neuromuscular control during quiet standing.

Translation and concurrent validity, sensitivity and specificity of Chinese version of Short Orientation Memory Concentration Test in people with a first cerebral infarction.

Purpose: This study aimed to translate the English version of the Short Orientation-Memory-Concentration (SOMC) test into a Chinese version, denoted the C-SOMC test, and to investigate the concurrent validity, sensitivity, and specificity of the C-SOMC test against a longer and widely used screening instrument in people with a first cerebral infarction.

Methods: An expert group translated the SOMC test into Chinese using a forward-backward procedure. Eighty-six participants (67 men and 19 women, mean age = 59.

A non-immersive virtual reality-based intervention to enhance lower-extremity motor function and gait in patients with subacute cerebral infarction: A pilot randomized controlled trial with 1-year follow-up.

Introduction: This study was conducted to evaluate whether a non-immersive virtual reality (VR)-based intervention can enhance lower extremity movement in patients with cerebral infarction and whether it has greater short-term and long-term effectiveness than conventional therapies (CTs).

Materials And Methods: This was a single-blinded, randomized clinical controlled trial. Forty-four patients with subacute cerebral infarction were randomly allocated to the VR or CT group.

The time-varying networks of the wrist extension in post-stroke hemiplegic patients.

Unlabelled: Hemiplegia is a common dysfunction caused by the brain stroke and leads to movement disability. Although the lateralization of movement-related potential, the event-related desynchronization, and more complicated inter-regional information coupling have been investigated, seldom studies have focused on investigating the dynamic information exchanging among multiple brain regions during motor execution for post-stroke hemiplegic patients. With high temporal-resolution electroencephalogram (EEG), the time-varying network is able to reflect the dynamical complex network modalities corresponding to the movements at a millisecond level.

[Differences in uptake, utilization and loss of nitrogen and phosphorus in a Chinese double rice cropping system under different irrigation and fertilization managements].

In order to optimize water and fertilizer use in the double-cropping rice in eastern Fujian Province, a field runoff plot experiment was conducted to investigate rice yield, nutrient uptake, and runoff losses of N (nitrogen) and P (phosphorus) in the T(no chemical fertilization with traditional flooding irrigation), T(common chemical fertilizer of 273 kg N·hm, 59 kg P·hm, and 112 kg K·hm combined with traditional flooding irrigation), T(chemical fertilizer of 240 kg N·hm, 52 kg P·hm, and 198 kg K·hm combined with traditional flooding irrigation) and T(chemical fertilizer combined with shallow intermittent irrigation) treatments. Results showed that early rice grain yield in the T, T and T treatments significantly increased by 0.7, 1.

Changes in Compliance With Personal Preventive Measures and Mental Health Status Among Chinese Factory Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Prospective Cohort Study.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination together with good compliance with personal preventive measures may help eradicate the ongoing pandemic. This observational prospective cohort study investigated the changes in compliance with personal preventive measures, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality among factory workers within a 3-month follow-up period. A total of 663 workers were recruited by a stratified multi-stage cluster sampling in March 2020, and all of them completed a follow-up survey three months later.

Effects of Custom-made Insoles on Plantar Biomechanics and Upper Extremity Muscle Performance.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of molding custom-made insoles for female patients with foot pain.

Methods: The study included 20 patients whose insoles were prescribed according to biomechanical evaluations and molded by repositioning the subtalar joint in its neutral position using a simple set of tools. Plantar biomechanics were measured under the following conditions: static stand, walking at self-comfortable walking speed (CWS) barefoot, walking in patient owned running shoes, and walking in running shoes plus insoles.

The Efficacy of Interlimb-Coordinated Intervention on Gait and Motor Function Recovery in Patients with Acute Stroke: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial Study Protocol.

Background: The efficacy of interlimb-coordinated training on gait and upper limb functional improvement remains unclear. The latest published randomized controlled trials have supported the potential benefits of interlimb-coordinated training to enhance gait function. Upper limb functional recovery may also benefit from interlimb-coordinated training since most everyday activities require the coordinated use of both hands to complete a task.

Retinal Imaging Techniques Based on Machine Learning Models in Recognition and Prediction of Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background And Purpose: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is thought to be the signal of many progressive diseases but is easily ignored. Therefore, a simple and easy screening method for recognizing and predicting MCI is urgently needed. The study aimed to establish machine learning models of retinal vascular features to categorize and predict MCI.

Soil microbial community composition in a paddy field with different fertilization managements.

Microbes play vital roles in soil quality; however, their response to N (nitrogen) and P (phosphorus) fertilization in acidic paddy soils of subtropical China remains poorly understood. Here, a 10-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different fertilization treatments on microbial communities by Illumina MiSeq sequencing. The results showed that different fertilization treatments did not exert a significant effect on microbial alpha diversity, but altered soil properties, and thus affected microbial community composition.

Soil ammonia-oxidizing archaea in a paddy field with different irrigation and fertilization managements.

Because ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are ubiquitous and highly abundant in almost all terrestrial soils, they play an important role in soil nitrification. However, the changes in the structure and function of AOA communities and their edaphic drivers in paddy soils under different fertilization and irrigation regimes remain unclear. In this study, we investigated AOA abundance, diversity and activity in acid paddy soils by a field experiment.

Nitrogen and phosphorus losses by surface runoff and soil microbial communities in a paddy field with different irrigation and fertilization managements.

Rice cultivation usually involves high water and fertilizer application rates leading to the nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Here, a 10-year field experiment was conducted to investigate N and P losses and their impact factors under different irrigation and fertilization regimes. Results indicated that T2 (Chemical fertilizer of 240 kg N ha-1, 52 kg P ha-1, and 198 kg K ha-1 combined with shallow intermittent irrigation) decreased N loss by 48.

The Effects of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy on Spastic Muscle of the Wrist Joint in Stroke Survivors: Evidence From Neuromechanical Analysis.

This study combined neuromechanical modeling analysis, muscle tone measurement from mechanical indentation and electrical impedance myography to assess the neural and peripheral contribution to spasticity post stroke at wrist joint. It also investigated the training effects and explored the underlying mechanism of radial extracorporeal shock wave (rESW) on spasticity. People with first occurrence of stroke were randomly allocated to rESW intervention or control group.

EEG Changes in Time and Time-Frequency Domain During Movement Preparation and Execution in Stroke Patients.

This study investigated electroencephalogram (EEG) changes during movement preparation and execution in stroke patients. EEG-based event-related potential (ERP) technology was used to measure brain activity changes. Seventeen stroke patients participated in this study and completed ERP tests that were designed to measure EEG changes during unilateral upper limb movements in preparation and execution stages, with Instruction Response Movement (IRM) and Cued Instruction Response Movement (CIRM) paradigms.

Plastic pollution in croplands threatens long-term food security.

Plastic pollution is a global concern given its prevalence in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Studies have been conducted on the distribution and impact of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems, but little is known on terrestrial ecosystems. Plastic mulch has been widely used to increase crop yields worldwide, yet the impact of plastic residues in cropland soils to soil health and crop production in the long term remained unclear.

Responsiveness and Predictive Ability of the Chinese Version of the Action Research Arm Test in People with Cerebral Infarction.

Purpose: To detect the responsiveness and predictive ability of the Chinese version Action Research Arm Test (C-ARAT) in participants within the first 3 months after cerebral infarction.

Methods: Ninety-seven individuals (75 men, mean age 59.87 ± 10.

Alterations of Elastic Property of Spastic Muscle With Its Joint Resistance Evaluated From Shear Wave Elastography and Biomechanical Model.

This study aims to quantify passive muscle stiffness of spastic wrist flexors in stroke survivors using shear wave elastography (SWE) and to correlate with neural and non-neural contributors estimated from a biomechanical model to hyper-resistance measured during passive wrist extension. Fifteen hemiplegic individuals after stroke with Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) score larger than one were recruited. SWE were used to measure Young's modulus of flexor carpi radialis muscle with joint from 0° (at rest) to 50° flexion (passive stretch condition), with 10° interval.

Inter-rater and Intra-rater Reliability of the Chinese Version of the Action Research Arm Test in People With Stroke.

To detect the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the Chinese version of the Action Research Arm Test (C-ARAT) in patients recovering from a first stroke. Fifty-five participants (45 men and 10 women) with a mean age of 58.67 ± 12.

Translation and Initial Validation of the Chinese Version of the Action Research Arm Test in People with Stroke.

Purpose: This study aimed to translate the English version of the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) into Chinese and to evaluate the initial validation of the Chinese version (C-ARAT) in patients with a first stroke.

Methods: An expert group translated the original ARAT from English into Chinese using a forward-backward procedure. Forty-four patients (36 men and 8 women) aged 22-80 years with a first stroke were enrolled in this study.

Combining Movement-Related Cortical Potentials and Event-Related Desynchronization to Study Movement Preparation and Execution.

This study applied a comprehensive electroencephalography (EEG) analysis for movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) and event-related desynchronization (ERD) in order to understand movement-related brain activity changes during movement preparation and execution stage of unilateral wrist extension. Thirty-four healthy subjects completed two event-related potential tests in the same sequence. Unilateral wrist extension was involved in both tests as the movement task.

Cerebral Reorganization in Subacute Stroke Survivors after Virtual Reality-Based Training: A Preliminary Study.

Background: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a promising method for quantifying brain recovery and investigating the intervention-induced changes in corticomotor excitability after stroke. This study aimed to evaluate cortical reorganization subsequent to virtual reality-enhanced treadmill (VRET) training in subacute stroke survivors.

Methods: Eight participants with ischemic stroke underwent VRET for 5 sections per week and for 3 weeks.

The Difference of Neural Networks between Bimanual Antiphase and In-Phase Upper Limb Movements: A Preliminary Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Most daily movements require some degree of collaboration between the upper limbs. The neural mechanisms are bimanual-condition specific and therefore should be different between different activities. In this study, we aimed to explore intraregional activation and interregional connectivity during bimanual movement by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Alterations of Muscle Activation Pattern in Stroke Survivors during Obstacle Crossing.

Objective: This study investigates changes in the neuromuscular activation pattern of the lower limb muscles in stroke survivors when crossing obstacles of three different heights.

Methods: Eight stroke survivors and eight age-, height-, and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited and instructed to cross over obstacles with heights of 10, 20, and 30% leg length. Surface electromyography (EMG) signals were recorded from the rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA), and medial gastrocnemius (MG) of both limbs.