The effect of a neck-specific exercise program on cervical kinesthesia for patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders: a case-control study.

Introduction: Cervical kinesthesia is an important part of movement control and of great importance for daily function. Previous research on kinesthesia in whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) has focused on grades I-II. More research is needed on WAD grade III.

Quadriceps and Hamstrings Activation Peaks Earlier as Athletes Repeatedly Hop, but There are Differences Depending on ACL Reconstruction Technique.

Background: After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) athletes face the challenge of regaining their previous competitive level while avoiding re-injury and early knee joint cartilage degeneration. Quadriceps and hamstrings strength reductions and neuromuscular alterations potentially related to risk of re-injury are present after ACLR and relate to deficits in muscle activation.

Design: Cross-sectional laboratory study.

Development of soft tissue asymmetry indicators to characterize aging and functional mobility.

The aging population poses significant challenges to healthcare systems globally, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of age-related changes affecting physical function. Age-related functional decline highlights the urgency of understanding how tissue composition changes impact mobility, independence, and quality of life in older adults. Previous research has emphasized the influence of muscle quality, but the role of tissue composition asymmetry across various tissue types remains understudied.

BloodSpot 3.0: a database of gene and protein expression data in normal and malignant haematopoiesis.

BloodSpot is a specialised database integrating gene expression data from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients related to blood cell development and maturation. The database and interface has helped numerous researchers and clinicians to quickly get an overview of gene expression patterns in healthy and malignant haematopoiesis. Here, we present an update to our framework that includes protein expression data of sorted single cells.

GraphPart: homology partitioning for biological sequence analysis.

When splitting biological sequence data for the development and testing of predictive models, it is necessary to avoid too-closely related pairs of sequences ending up in different partitions. If this is ignored, performance of prediction methods will tend to be overestimated. Several algorithms have been proposed for homology reduction, where sequences are removed until no too-closely related pairs remain.

Toward New Assessment of Knee Cartilage Degeneration.

Objective: Assessment of human joint cartilage is a crucial tool to detect and diagnose pathological conditions. This exploratory study developed a workflow for 3D modeling of cartilage and bone based on multimodal imaging. New evaluation metrics were created and, a unique set of data was gathered from healthy controls and patients with clinically evaluated degeneration or trauma.

SignalP 6.0 predicts all five types of signal peptides using protein language models.

Signal peptides (SPs) are short amino acid sequences that control protein secretion and translocation in all living organisms. SPs can be predicted from sequence data, but existing algorithms are unable to detect all known types of SPs. We introduce SignalP 6.

Lower medial hamstring activity after ACL reconstruction during running: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) predisposes footballers for subsequent ACL and hamstring (HS) injury. This case series examines HS muscle activation patterns during the running in ACLR patients (bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) and (HS) graft) after completion of functional criteria allowing return to training.

Methods: Electromyography (EMG) recorded from medial and lateral HS bilaterally during treadmill running (12, 14 and 16 km/hour) from 21 male ACLR patients on average 7 months from surgery (5-9) that underwent (HS) (n=12) or BTB reconstruction (n=9) were compared with 19 healthy runners.

Healthy Aging Within an Image: Using Muscle Radiodensitometry and Lifestyle Factors to Predict Diabetes and Hypertension.

The strong age dependency of many deleterious health outcomes likely reflects the cumulative effects from a variety of risk and protective factors that occur over one's life course. This notion has become increasingly explored in the etiology of chronic disease and associated comorbidities in aging. Our recent work has shown the robust classification of individuals at risk for cardiovascular pathophysiology using CT-based soft tissue radiodensity parameters obtained from nonlinear trimodal regression analysis (NTRA).

Improving Prosthetic Selection and Predicting BMD from Biometric Measurements in Patients Receiving Total Hip Arthroplasty.

There are two surgical approaches to performing total hip arthroplasty (THA): a cemented or uncemented type of prosthesis. The choice is usually based on the experience of the orthopaedic surgeon and on parameters such as the age and gender of the patient. Using machine learning (ML) techniques on quantitative biomechanical and bone quality data extracted from computed tomography, electromyography and gait analysis, the aim of this paper was, firstly, to help clinicians use patient-specific biomarkers from diagnostic exams in the prosthetic decision-making process.

Three dimensional bone mineral density changes in the femur over 1 year in primary total hip arthroplasty patients.

Background: The aim of the study was to compare the bone mineral density changes between unmatched patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty receiving uncemented and cemented type of implants. Previous studies have used DEXA or a two dimensional analysis to estimate the bone quality following total joint replacement, whereas this study presents the changes in three dimensions.

Methods: Fifty subjects both male and females receiving both cemented and uncemented type of implant were recruited.

Machine learning predictive system based upon radiodensitometric distributions from mid-thigh CT images.

The nonlinear trimodal regression analysis (NTRA) method based on radiodensitometric CT images distributions was developed for the quantitative characterization of soft tissue changes according to the lower extremity function of elderly subjects. In this regard, the NTRA method defines 11 subject-specific soft tissue parameters and has illustrated high sensitivity to changes in skeletal muscle form and function. The present work further explores the use of these 11 NTRA parameters in the construction of a machine learning (ML) system to predict body mass index and isometric leg strength using tree-based regression algorithms.

Patient-specific mobility assessment to monitor recovery after total hip arthroplasty.

Total hip arthroplasty is a ubiquitously successful orthopedic surgical procedure, whose prevalence is rising worldwide. While many investigations focus on characterizing periprosthetic pathophysiology, the objective of our research is to develop and describe multi-metric assemblies as a first step toward creating a patient-specific mobility index that rehabilitators and orthopedic surgeons can utilize for prescribing their respective procedures. In total, 48 total hip arthroplasty patients (both cemented and uncemented) undergoing unilateral, primary surgery went through computed tomographic scans and gait analysis measurements both before and 1 year following their surgery.

Advanced quantitative methods in correlating sarcopenic muscle degeneration with lower extremity function biometrics and comorbidities.

Sarcopenic muscular degeneration has been consistently identified as an independent risk factor for mortality in aging populations. Recent investigations have realized the quantitative potential of computed tomography (CT) image analysis to describe skeletal muscle volume and composition; however, the optimum approach to assessing these data remains debated. Current literature reports average Hounsfield unit (HU) values and/or segmented soft tissue cross-sectional areas to investigate muscle quality.

New Directions in 3D Medical Modeling: 3D-Printing Anatomy and Functions in Neurosurgical Planning.

This paper illustrates the feasibility and utility of combining cranial anatomy and brain function on the same 3D-printed model, as evidenced by a neurosurgical planning case study of a 29-year-old female patient with a low-grade frontal-lobe glioma. We herein report the rapid prototyping methodology utilized in conjunction with surgical navigation to prepare and plan a complex neurosurgery. The method introduced here combines CT and MRI images with DTI tractography, while using various image segmentation protocols to 3D model the skull base, tumor, and five eloquent fiber tracts.

New Directions in 3D Medical Modeling: 3D-Printing Anatomy and Functions in Neurosurgical Planning.

This paper illustrates the feasibility and utility of combining cranial anatomy and brain function on the same 3D-printed model, as evidenced by a neurosurgical planning case study of a 29-year-old female patient with a low-grade frontal-lobe glioma. We herein report the rapid prototyping methodology utilized in conjunction with surgical navigation to prepare and plan a complex neurosurgery. The method introduced here combines CT and MRI images with DTI tractography, while using various image segmentation protocols to 3D model the skull base, tumor, and five eloquent fiber tracts.

Women with late whiplash syndrome have greatly reduced load-bearing of the cervical spine. In-vivo biomechanical, cross-sectional, lateral radiographic study.

Background: No study has been conducted to ascertain whether the load-bearing capacity of the cervical spine is reduced in vivo in late whiplash syndrome (LWS).

Aim: To compare the segmental cervical angular values across C0-C6, between two conditions: without versus with external axial load upon the head in three groups of women.

Design: A single-blind, age-Body Mass Index (BMI) matched, radiographic, cross-sectional study.

Patient-specific bone mineral density distribution in the tibia of individuals with chronic spinal cord injury, derived from multi-slice peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) - A cross-sectional study.

Background: The high risk of fracture associated with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) is attributed to extensive disuse-related bone loss in previously weight-bearing long bones. Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) after SCI have been documented extensively for the epiphyses of the tibia and femur, fracture-prone sites in this patient group. Less attention has been given to patterns of cortical bone loss in the diaphyses, but variability in BMD distributions throughout the long bones may contribute to some patients' increased susceptibility to shaft fractures in chronic SCI.

Quantitative Computed Tomography and Image Analysis for Advanced Muscle Assessment.

Medical imaging is of particular interest in the field of translational myology, as extant literature describes the utilization of a wide variety of techniques to non-invasively recapitulate and quantity various internal and external tissue morphologies. In the clinical context, medical imaging remains a vital tool for diagnostics and investigative assessment. This review outlines the results from several investigations on the use of computed tomography (CT) and image analysis techniques to assess muscle conditions and degenerative process due to aging or pathological conditions.

Bone Mineral Density and Fracture Risk Assessment to Optimize Prosthesis Selection in Total Hip Replacement.

The variability in patient outcome and propensity for surgical complications in total hip replacement (THR) necessitates the development of a comprehensive, quantitative methodology for prescribing the optimal type of prosthetic stem: cemented or cementless. The objective of the research presented herein was to describe a novel approach to this problem as a first step towards creating a patient-specific, presurgical application for determining the optimal prosthesis procedure. Finite element analysis (FEA) and bone mineral density (BMD) calculations were performed with ten voluntary primary THR patients to estimate the status of their operative femurs before surgery.

Sincerity of effort versus feigned movement control of the cervical spine in patients with whiplash-associated disorders and asymptomatic persons: a case-control study.

Study Design: Cross-sectional design.

Objectives: To investigate whether the Fly Test can be used to differentiate patients with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) from asymptomatic persons who deliberately feign symptoms and from WAD patients exaggerating symptoms.

Background: The lack of valid clinical tests makes it difficult to detect a justifiable cause for compensation claims in traumatic neck-pain disorders.

Tensile properties of the transverse carpal ligament and carpal tunnel complex.

Background: A new sophisticated method that uses video analysis techniques together with a Maillon Rapide Delta to determine the tensile properties of the transverse carpal ligament-carpal tunnel complex has been developed.

Methods: Six embalmed cadaveric specimens amputated at the mid-forearm and aged (mean (SD)): 82 (6.29) years were tested.

Finite Element Modelling of the Femur Bone of a Subject Suffering from Motor Neuron Lesion Subjected to Electrical Stimulation.

Bone loss and a decrease in bone mineral density is frequently seen in patients with motor neuron lesion due to lack of mechanical stimulation. This causes weakening of the bones and a greater risk of fracture. By using functional electrical stimulation it is possible to activate muscles in the body to produce the necessary muscle force to stimulate muscle growth and potentially decrease the rate of bone loss.

Prediction of risk of fracture in the tibia due to altered bone mineral density distribution resulting from disuse: a finite element study.

The disuse-related bone loss that results from immobilisation following injury shares characteristics with osteoporosis in post-menopausal women and the aged, with decreases in bone mineral density leading to weakening of the bone and increased risk of fracture. The aim of this study was to use the finite element method to: (i) calculate the mechanical response of the tibia under mechanical load and (ii) estimate of the risk of fracture; comparing between two groups, an able-bodied group and spinal cord injury patients group suffering from varying degrees of bone loss. The tibiae of eight male subjects with chronic spinal cord injury and those of four able-bodied age-matched controls were scanned using multi-slice peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

Database of movement control in the cervical spine. Reference normal of 182 asymptomatic persons.

In this study, the first normative database of movement control in the cervical spine has been established. For this purpose the Fly Test was used, which is a reliable and valid clinical test capable of detecting deficient movement control of the cervical spine in patients with neck pain and its associated disorders. One hundred and eighty-two asymptomatic persons, eighty-three men and ninety-nine women, aged 16-74 years, divided into six age groups, were recruited.