Electroencephalographic power ratio and peak frequency difference associate with central sensitization in chronic pain.

Central sensitization, or increased responsiveness of the central nervous system to sensory input, is present in many chronic pain patients. Clinically, it is detected through subjective, patient-reported measures. There is a need for reliable, direct measurements of neural response to controlled stimuli to quantify neuronal dysfunction in pain.

Post-marketing study design to evaluate the effectiveness of the 9-valent and 4-valent HPV vaccines on serious HPV-related cervical disease in China.

The 4-valent (4 v) and 9-valent (9 v) human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are approved in China for females aged 9-45 years. However, the real-world impact of 4vHPV or 9vHPV vaccination for the prevention of high-grade cervical disease in Chinese women is lacking. Two post-marketing surveillance studies will be conducted to measure the occurrence of high-grade cervical lesions in Chinese women who had received ≥1 dose of the 4vHPV (aged 20-45 years) or 9vHPV (aged 16-26 years) vaccine in Ningbo, China.

Sensory integration for neuroprostheses: from functional benefits to neural correlates.

In the field of sensory neuroprostheses, one ultimate goal is for individuals to perceive artificial somatosensory information and use the prosthesis with high complexity that resembles an intact system. To this end, research has shown that stimulation-elicited somatosensory information improves prosthesis perception and task performance. While studies strive to achieve sensory integration, a crucial phenomenon that entails naturalistic interaction with the environment, this topic has not been commensurately reviewed.

Upper limb intention tremor assessment: opportunities and challenges in wearable technology.

Background: Tremors are involuntary rhythmic movements commonly present in neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and multiple sclerosis. Intention tremor is a subtype associated with lesions in the cerebellum and its connected pathways, and it is a common symptom in diseases associated with cerebellar pathology. While clinicians traditionally use tests to identify tremor type and severity, recent advancements in wearable technology have provided quantifiable ways to measure movement and tremor using motion capture systems, app-based tasks and tools, and physiology-based measurements.

Perceptually Weighted Rate Distortion Optimization for Video-Based Point Cloud Compression.

Dynamic point cloud is a volumetric visual data representing realistic 3D scenes for virtual reality and augmented reality applications. However, its large data volume has been the bottleneck of data processing, transmission, and storage, which requires effective compression. In this paper, we propose a Perceptually Weighted Rate-Distortion Optimization (PWRDO) scheme for Video-based Point Cloud Compression (V-PCC), which aims to minimize the perceptual distortion of reconstructed point cloud at the given bit rate.

Sensory stimulation for upper limb amputations modulates adaptability of cortical large-scale systems and combination of somatosensory and visual inputs.

Touch-like phantom limb sensations can be elicited through targeted transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (tTENS) in individuals with upper limb amputation. The corresponding impact of sensory stimulation on cortical activity remains an open question. Brain network research shows that sensorimotor cortical activity is supported by dynamic changes in functional connections between relevant brain regions.

The epidemiological characteristics and effectiveness of countermeasures to contain coronavirus disease 2019 in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China.

A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide and led to high disease burden around the world. This study aimed to explore the key parameters of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to assess the effectiveness of interventions to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A susceptible-exposed-infectious-asymptomatic-recovered (SEIAR) model was developed for the assessment.

Recent Developments in Prosthesis Sensors, Texture Recognition, and Sensory Stimulation for Upper Limb Prostheses.

Current developments being made in upper limb prostheses are focused on replacing lost sensory information to the amputees. Providing sensory stimulation from the prosthesis can directly improve control over the prosthetic and provide a sense of body ownership. The focus of this review article is on recent developments while including foundational knowledge for some of the critical concepts in neural prostheses.

Sensory stimulation enhances phantom limb perception and movement decoding.

Objective: A major challenge for controlling a prosthetic arm is communication between the device and the user's phantom limb. We show the ability to enhance phantom limb perception and improve movement decoding through targeted transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in individuals with an arm amputation.

Approach: Transcutaneous nerve stimulation experiments were performed with four participants with arm amputation to map phantom limb perception.

Sensory Feedback in Upper Limb Amputees Impacts Cortical Activity as Revealed by Multiscale Connectivity Analysis.

Sensory feedback in upper limb amputees is crucial for improving movement decoding and also to enhance embodiment of the prosthetic limb. Recently, an increasing number of invasive and noninvasive solutions for sensory stimulation have demonstrated the capability of providing a range of sensations to upper limb amputees. However, the cortical impact of restored sensation is not clearly understood.

Texture Discrimination with a Soft Biomimetic Finger Using a Flexible Neuromorphic Tactile Sensor Array That Provides Sensory Feedback.

The compliant nature of soft fingers allows for safe and dexterous manipulation of objects by humans in an unstructured environment. A soft prosthetic finger design with tactile sensing capabilities for texture discrimination and subsequent sensory stimulation has the potential to create a more natural experience for an amputee. In this work, a pneumatically actuated soft biomimetic finger is integrated with a textile neuromorphic tactile sensor array for a texture discrimination task.

Towards machine to brain interfaces: sensory stimulation enhances sensorimotor dynamic functional connectivity in upper limb amputees.

Objective: Recent development of sensory stimulation techniques demonstrates the ability to elicit touch-like phantom sensations in upper limb amputees. The cortical processing of this phantom sensation and the corresponding influences on sensorimotor functional connectivity have not been studied. We hypothesize that sensory stimulation has a profound impact on the sensorimotor cortical functional interactions, which will be uncovered by dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) analysis of amputees' electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings.

Incidence dynamics and investigation of key interventions in a dengue outbreak in Ningbo City, China.

Background: The reported incidence of dengue fever increased dramatically in recent years in China. This study aimed to investigate and to assess the effectiveness of intervention implemented in a dengue outbreak in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China.

Methods: Data of a dengue outbreak were collected in Ningbo City in China by a field epidemiological survey according to a strict protocol and case definition.

Crack Identification in CFRP Laminated Beams Using Multi-Resolution Modal Teager-Kaiser Energy under Noisy Environments.

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates are increasingly used in the aerospace and civil engineering fields. Identifying cracks in carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminated beam components is of considerable significance for ensuring the integrity and safety of the whole structures. With the development of high-resolution measurement technologies, mode-shape-based crack identification in such laminated beam components has become an active research focus.

Geographical information systems-based spatial analysis and implications for syphilis interventions in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China.

Spatial distribution rules and risk factors for syphilis were studied in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China during 2005 and 2009. Trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis and spatio-temporal clustering were applied with the incidence rates of the various counties in the province to determine spatial distribution rules and risk factors. Syphilis was found to be most severe in the southern region of the province where many counties could be shown to be hotspots with positive autocorrelation.

The naturally occurring YMDD mutation among patients chronically infected HBV and untreated with lamivudine: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Several recent reports have demonstrated that tyrosine (Y)-methionine (M)-aspartic acid (D)-aspartic acid (D) (YMDD) motif mutations can naturally occur in chronic HBV patients without antiviral treatment such as lamivudine therapy. This paper aims to assess the overall spontaneous incidence and related risk factors of YMDD-motif mutations among lamivudine-naïve chronic HBV carriers, so as to provide some clue for clinical treatment of hepatitis B.

Methodology/principal Findings: Chinese and English literatures were searched for studies reporting natural YMDD mutations among untreated chronic HBV patients from 2001 to 2010.

Genetic variation in IL28RA is associated with the outcomes of HCV infection in a high-risk Chinese population.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection varies in the outcomes depending on both viral and host factors. This study aims to investigate the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IFNAR2, IL10RB, and IL28RA genes with susceptibility to HCV infection and resolution. Genotyping of IFNAR2, IL10RB, and IL28RA gene polymorphisms were performed using TaqMan® method from 552 patients with sero-positive anti-HCV and 421 uninfected controls.

Spatial distribution of HIV/AIDS in Yunnan province, People's Republic of China.

Risk maps for the geographical distribution of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are needed for the direction of HIV prevention interventions. Our study, based on county-level data on the numbers of HIV/AIDS patients in the Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, applied trend surface analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis to demonstrate the geographical distribution of HIV-positive patients in the province. The case load of HIV was found to be most severe in the central-west region of the province.

Prevalence and trend of hepatitis C virus infection among blood donors in Chinese mainland: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Blood transfusion is one of the most common transmission pathways of hepatitis C virus (HCV). This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and reliable tabulation of available data on the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors for HCV infection among blood donors in Chinese mainland, so as to help make prevention strategies and guide further research.

Methods: A systematic review was constructed based on the computerized literature database.

The association between the genetic polymorphisms of LMP2/LMP7 and the outcomes of HCV infection among drug users.

Objective: To investigate a possible association of LMP2/LMP7 genes with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and to assess whether LMP2/LMP7 genes could influence the outcomes of HCV infection among drug users.

Methods: Genomic DNAs of 362 anti-HCV sero-positive drug users and 225 control drug users were extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes. The sero-positive patients were divided into those who had persistent infection and those who had spontaneously cleared the infection.