Developmental normative data for the Balance Tracking System modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance protocol.

A growing number of practitioners are implementing the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (mCTSIB) to evaluate the sensory sources of balance feedback used to maintain upright standing. The aim of the current study was to expand existing BTrackS mCTSIB normative databases on adults to include reference values from developmental age groups. Participants included children (age range = 5-8 years; n = 212), adolescents (age range = 9-12 years; n = 103), teenagers (age range = 13-17 years; n = 152), and young adults (age range = 18-29 years; n = 779).

Risk factors of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine the risk factors of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Methods: We undertook electronic search strategies using Medline via PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to April 11, 2023. Study selection and data extraction were performed by 2 authors independently.

Untethered Small-Scale Machines for Microrobotic Manipulation: From Individual and Multiple to Collective Machines.

Untethered small-scale machines (USSMs) that can actively adjust their motion, deformation, and collective states in response to external stimuli have gained enormous interest in various manipulation, sensing, and biomedical applications. Because they can be efficiently operated in confined and tortuous environments, USSMs are capable of conducting wireless microrobotic manipulation tasks that tethered machines find hard to achieve. Over the past decade of development, significant research progress has been achieved in designing USSM-based manipulation strategies, which are enabled by investigating machine-object, machine-environment, and machine-machine interactions.

Regulating mechanical performance of poly (l-lactide acid) stent by the combined effects of heat and aqueous media.

Annealing process has been applied to the development of thermoforming polymer braided stent and treating its basic constitute monofilaments, especially for Poly (l-lactide acid) (PLLA) condensed by lactic acid monomer made from the plant starch. In this work, high performance monofilaments were produced by melting spun and solid-state drawing methods. Inspired by the effects of water plasticization on semi-crystal polymer, PLLA monofilaments were annealed with and without constraint in vacuum and aqueous media.

Accuracy and capability of tri-ponderal mass index in assessing cardio-metabolic risk factors in Chinese children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years, compared with body mass index.

Background: Tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) has been reported to be a more accurate estimate of body fat than body mass index (BMI). This study aims to compare the effectiveness of TMI and BMI in identifying hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), abdominal obesity, and clustered cardio-metabolic risk factors (CMRFs) in 3- to 17-year-old children.

Methods: A total of 1587 children aged 3 to 17 years were included.

Focus on the crucial deformation region to adjust the comprehensive performance of poly (L-lactic acid) stent.

The fully biodegradable polymer stent is considered as the fourth-generation vascular implant with good biocompatibility and long-term therapeutic potential. It has attracted much attention because it overcomes the disadvantage of the permanently implanted metal stent. However, compared with the metal stent, its mechanical properties are slightly inferior, which is an urgent problem.

Evaluation of resistance to radial cyclic loads of poly(L-lactic acid) braided stents with different braiding angles.

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) braided stents have superior biocompatibility and flexibility, substituting metal stents in peripheral blood vessels. However, the radial supporting capacity of PLLA braided stent should be improved to bear the dynamic load from the peripheral artery. This paper evaluated the radial support performance of PLLA braided stents with different braiding angles after the radial cyclic loads test.

Weight-to-height ratio and body roundness index are superior indicators to assess cardio-metabolic risks in Chinese children and adolescents: compared with body mass index and a body shape index.

Objective: To assess the relationship between five anthropometric indicators, which includes body mass index (BMI), weight-to-height ratio (WHtR), a body shape index (ABSI), ABSI-adolescents, and body roundness index (BRI) in Chinese children and adolescents, and select which could better predict cardio-metabolic risk factors (CMRFs).

Methods: Cross-sectional study with 1,587 participants aged 3 to 17 years. Five anthropometric indicators were calculated according to weight, height and waist circumference (WC).

Hybrid diffusion imaging reveals altered white matter tract integrity and associations with symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in chronic traumatic brain injury.

The detection and association of in vivo biomarkers in white matter (WM) pathology after acute and chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are needed to improve care and develop therapies. In this study, we used the diffusion MRI method of hybrid diffusion imaging (HYDI)to detect white matter alterations in patients with chronic TBI (cTBI). 40 patients with cTBI presenting symptoms at least three months post injury, and 17 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance HYDI.

Efficacy and tolerability of lamotrigine in the treatment of focal epilepsy among children and adolescents: a meta-analysis.

Background: Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease in children, and focal epileptic seizures are the most common subtype. Unlike the data supporting treatment options for adults with epilepsy, evidence regarding the most effective first-line drug therapy for focal epilepsy in children and adolescents is limited. While lamotrigine is a therapeutic option for adults, there are disagreements surrounding its efficacy and tolerability in the younger population.

Fluid-Guided CVD Growth for Large-Scale Monolayer Two-Dimensional Materials.

Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) has been used extensively for synthesizing two-dimensional (2D) materials because of its low cost and promise for high-quality monolayer crystal synthesis. However, the understanding of the reaction mechanism and the key parameters affecting the APCVD processes is still in its embryonic stage. Hence, the scalability of the APCVD method in achieving large-scale continuous film remains very poor.

Fluid-Assisted Sorted Assembly of Graphene on Polymer.

The significant size distribution of as-synthesized nanomaterials presents a challenge for reproducable and reliable applications. In this paper, we report a fluidic-assisted sorted assembly method in which nanomaterial sorting and enhanced assembly can be achieved simultaneously. As a proof of concept, a two-dimensional (2D) graphene flake, with a large size variation, was chosen as the target nanomaterial system.

DL-CNV: A deep learning method for identifying copy number variations based on next generation target sequencing.

Copy number variations (CNVs) play an important role in many types of cancer. With the rapid development of next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques, many methods for detecting CNVs of a single sample have emerged: (i) require genome-wide data of both case and control samples, (ii) depend on sequencing depth and GC content correction algorithm, (iii) rely on statistical models built on CNV positive and negative sample datasets. These make them costly in the data analysis and ineffective in the targeted sequencing data.