Publications by authors named "Yih-Kuen Jan"

This study aimed to investigate the hamstring activation in athletes with hamstring strain injuries in vertical jump tasks using an EMG time-frequency analysis. Fifteen injured athletes and 15 matched controls were recruited. The EMG signals of the lateral hamstring (LH) and medial hamstring (MH) were assessed during countermovement, squat, and drop vertical jump tasks.

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  • - The study investigates how different modes of isometric handgrip exercise (IHE) influence blood pressure responses post-exercise, focusing on exercise duration and muscle mass involvement.
  • - Twenty healthy participants performed three types of IHE protocols, and researchers measured neuromuscular fatigue in specific forearm muscles using electromyography.
  • - Results showed significant correlations between neuromuscular fatigue in certain muscles and changes in blood pressure immediately after and ten minutes post-exercise, suggesting these factors are linked.
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  • - The study examined how hamstring strain injuries (HSI) and vision affect muscle recruitment and balance in athletes, comparing 14 athletes with HSI to 14 healthy athletes while they performed balance tasks.
  • - Results showed that athletes with HSI had significantly lower activation in their hamstring muscles during balance tasks, leading to increased body sway and reduced stability compared to healthy controls.
  • - The findings suggest that the ongoing muscle activation deficits in athletes with HSI could negatively influence their balance, highlighting the need for targeted balance training in rehabilitation programs.
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Research has not demonstrated whether multiple cups of negative pressure cupping therapy would induce interactions of hemodynamic responses between different areas. A multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to assess oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin oscillations in response to cupping therapy. Wavelet transform and wavelet phase (WPC) coherence were used to quantify NIRS signals.

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Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) presents excessive orthostatic tachycardia and orthostatic intolerance. POTS is a common and therapeutically challenging condition affecting numerous people worldwide. As many disease entities can be confused with POTS, it becomes critical to identify this syndrome.

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  • - Sport biomechanics focuses on analyzing the mechanics of movement in order to enhance athletic performance and minimize the risk of injuries during sports and exercise.
  • - It applies principles of physics to understand how athletes can move more efficiently and effectively, benefiting both able-bodied individuals and those with disabilities.
  • - By studying body movements and forces, sport biomechanics aims to create strategies and techniques that lead to better training practices and safer sports participation.
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Introduction: The relationship between coaches and athletes with disabilities is critical for enhancing athletes' performance and psychosocial well-being. This study aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for coaches, sports organizations, and policymakers dedicated to supporting athletes with disabilities.

Methods: A comprehensive analysis of existing literature was conducted.

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  • - The study aimed to explore how skin blood flow regulation differs between the upper (forearm) and lower (leg) limbs in healthy adults, marking the first research of its kind using wavelet analysis of blood flow oscillations.
  • - Using laser Doppler flowmetry, researchers measured skin blood flow in 17 participants and analyzed the data to identify the primary controls influencing blood flow, categorized into metabolic, neurogenic, myogenic, respiratory, and cardiac factors.
  • - Findings revealed that skin blood flow was significantly higher in the leg, with metabolic endothelial control being more prominent in the forearm and myogenic control being more prevalent in the leg, highlighting distinct regulatory mechanisms for upper and lower limbs.
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  • Air insoles can help reduce the risk of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) by analyzing how different pressures affect foot pressure over time during walking.
  • The study tested three insole pressures (80, 160, and 240 mmHg) and two walking durations (10 and 20 minutes) on 13 healthy participants, showing significant differences in pressure effects.
  • The findings suggest that walking for 10 minutes with an insole pressure of 160 mmHg results in lower pressure values, indicating a reduced risk of DFU compared to higher pressures or longer durations.
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Isometric exercise is a non-pharmacologic intervention to improve muscle hemodynamic responses and blood pressure in humans. However, the effects of intensity, duration, and muscle mass factors of isometric exercise on local muscle hemodynamic responses and systemic blood pressure regulation have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to assess whether various modes of isometric exercise could induce various levels of muscle hemodynamic responses that are related to the blood pressure changes.

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Objective: This study aims to use the texture analysis of ultrasound images to distinguish the features of microchambers (a superficial thinner layer) and macrochambers (a deep thicker layer) in heel pads between the elderly with and without diabetes, so as to preliminarily explore whether texture analysis can identify the potential injury characteristics of deep tissue under the influence of diabetes before the obvious injury signs can be detected in clinical management.

Methods: Ultrasound images were obtained from the right heel (dominant leg) of eleven elderly people with diabetes (DM group) and eleven elderly people without diabetes (Non-DM group). The TekScan system was used to measure the peak plantar pressure (PPP) of each participant.

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This study investigates the biomechanical adaptations of the longitudinal arch (LA) in long-distance runners, focusing on changes in stiffness, angle, and moment during a 60-minute run. Twenty runners participated in this experiment, and were asked to run at a speed of 2.7 m·s for 60 minutes.

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  • Bridging exercises are frequently used to help people with low back pain (LBP), but the impact of different contraction modes (isometric vs. dynamic) on low back muscle oxygenation has not been studied.
  • Using near-infrared spectroscopy, researchers measured the hemodynamic responses in the erector spinae muscles of 16 healthy participants during both types of bridging exercises.
  • The findings revealed that dynamic bridging exercises significantly improved muscle oxygenation compared to isometric exercises, indicating that dynamic exercises may be more beneficial for low back muscle health.
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Background: Limited research has been conducted on the neural mechanisms of visuospatial attention in closed skill sports. This research aimed to delve into the unique visuospatial attention abilities of skaters and elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms.

Methods: This cross-sectional study employed an expert-novice paradigm, applying a purely data-driven approach to analyze and compare the resting-state networks (RSNs) associated with visuospatial attention in 15 elite skaters and 15 control subjects.

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Cupping therapy is a popular intervention for improving muscle recovery after exercise although clinical evidence is weak. Previous studies demonstrated that cupping therapy may improve microcirculation of the soft tissue to accelerate tissue healing. However, it is unclear whether the cupping size could affect the spatial hemodynamic response of the treated muscle.

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Patients with scars face a grave threat to their mental and physical health. Negative pressure has been used for scar therapy in medical care and provides a microenvironment conducive to scar healing while stimulating cell regeneration. Negative pressure may disrupt scar tissue regeneration when the pressure is too high or too low, so finding a suitable negative pressure is important.

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The objectives were to investigate whether cupping therapy improves muscle quality and the interaction between duration and negative pressure of cupping therapy affects muscle quality. A 2×2 factorial design with repeated measures was used to examine the efficacy of cupping therapy on improving muscle quality. The independent factors were cupping pressures at -225 and -300 mmHg and cupping durations at 5 and 10 min, and the dependent factor was texture of B-mode ultrasound image of the triceps.

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Clinically, air insoles may be applied to shoes to decrease plantar pressure gradient (PPG) and increase plantar gradient angle (PGA) to reduce foot ulcers. PPG and PGA may cause skin breakdown. The effects of different inner pressures of inflatable air insoles on dynamic PPG and PGA distributions are largely unknown in non-diabetics and people with diabetes.

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Alternating pressure support surface (APSS) is a common support surface for treating pressure injury in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, conflicting results on the effectiveness of APSS have been reported and may be associated with inappropriate configurations of APSS. The objectives of this study were to compare the different pressure amplitudes (75/5 mmHg [alternating between 75 and 5 mmHg] vs.

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Visual guided motor imagery (MI) is commonly used in stroke rehabilitation, eliciting event-related desynchronization (ERD) in EEG. Previous studies found that immersion level and visuo-tactile stimulation could modulate ERD during visual guided MI, and both of two factors could also improve sense of ownership (SOO) over target limb (or body). Additionally, the relationship was also reported between the performance of MI and SOO.

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Purpose: Adaptive sports participation has been shown to improve quality of life (QoL) in individual with disabilities. However, inconsistent results in various domains of QoL exist in the literature. The objective of this mixed-methods systematic review is to identify and synthesize evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies on the effect of adaptive sports on QoL in individuals with disabilities who use wheelchairs for mobility.

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COVID-19 is still a world disaster; however, its vaccination is globally available. Liver and gastrointestinal disturbances occur in patients infected with COVID-19 at varying incidences. Aging decreases the functions of the liver.

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  • Exercise can help reduce complications for people with diabetes and vascular diseases, and using air insoles may lower the risk of diabetic foot ulcers by reducing peak plantar pressure (PPP).
  • The study tested 13 participants with different air insole pressures (80, 160, and 240 mm Hg) and walking durations (10 and 20 minutes), measuring PPP at specific foot locations.
  • Results showed significant differences in PPP at longer walking times, and it's recommended that individuals at risk of foot ulcers use 80 mm Hg insoles, avoiding stiffer ones for walks over 20 minutes.
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