Developmental dynamics mimicking inversely engineered pericellular matrix for articular cartilage regeneration.

The mechanical mismatch of scaffold matrix-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been a longstanding issue in the clinical application of MSC-based therapy for articular cartilage (AC) regeneration. Existing tissue-engineered scaffolds underestimate the importance of the natural chondrocyte pericellular matrix (PCM). Here, we reveal the temporal and spatial characteristics of collagen distribution around the chondrocytes.

Metaphorical discourse in Beijing Winter Olympic news: a Trinocular Perspective analysis of language, cognition, and social functions.

This study utilizes the "Trinocular Perspective" metaphor analysis framework to delve into the language, cognition, and social functions of metaphors in news coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympics and their interactions, thereby revealing the role of metaphors in shaping and articulating the narratives within Olympic news communication. The research indicated that, at the linguistic level, metaphors enhanced the expressiveness and appeal of news discourse through diverse forms and dense distribution. At the cognitive level, metaphors fostered a deeper public understanding of abstract concepts such as the Olympic spirit, the values of a community with a shared future for mankind, China's national image, and the concept of sustainable development.

The effect of stroboscopic vision training on the performance of elite curling athletes.

The aim of the study was to investigate the impacts of four weeks of stroboscopic vision training (SVT) and four weeks of temporal feedback training (TFT) on elite curling athletes' duration judgment, as well as stone delivery performance (delivery speed control and accuracy). Thirty national-level curling athletes were selected as participants and randomly assigned to either the SVT group (wearing stroboscopic glasses: the strobe frequencies increased weekly from Level 1 to Level 4.), the TFT group (using a timing system to provide feedback on stone delivery time), or a control group.

Correlation and predictive value of novel anthropometric indicators with adult sarcopenia and sarcopenia obesity.

The present study leverages the comprehensive data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to examine the Influencing factors of sarcopenia (SA) and sarcopenic obesity (SO). The investigation is designed to a non-invasive, cost-effective, and convenient method that is applicable to the adult population, enabling the accurate and simultaneous detection of risks associated with SA and SO. Furthermore, this research will evaluate the critical values of effective anthropometric indicators, providing early warning for risk management in self-health care and offering valuable insights for subsequent research and clinical practice.

The assessment of sports performance by grip pressure using flexible piezoresistive pressure sensors in seven sports events.

Flexible micro-sensors have significant application potential in the field of sports performance evaluation. The aim of this study is to assess sports performance by grip pressure using a MMSS sensor (MXene as the sensitive material and melamine sponge as the substrate, a type of flexible piezoresistive pressure sensor). The grip pressures of expert and amateur players are evaluated in single skills events (golf, billiards, basketball, javelin and shot put) and in skills conversion (badminton and tennis).

Bioinspired origami-based soft prosthetic knees.

Prosthetic knees represent a prevalent solution for above-knee amputation rehabilitation. However, satisfying the ambulation requirements of users while achieving their comfort needs in terms of lightweight, bionic, shock-absorbing, and user-centric, remains out of reach. Soft materials seem to provide alternative solutions as their properties are conducive to the comfort aspect.

Optimal exercise dose-response improves health-related quality of life in cancer survivors: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of RCTs.

Objective: Cancer survivors often face significant health-related quality of life (HRQoL) challenges. Although exercise has been proven to improve HRQoL in cancer survivors, the optimal dose and intensity of exercise for this population has not been fully determined. Adherence to exercise may vary based on exercise intensity, affecting results.

An artificial intelligence application to predict prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation among patients with critical orthopaedic trauma: an establishment and validation study.

Background: Prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation is a common occurrence in clinical ICU patients and presents significant challenges for patient care and resource allocation. Predicting prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation is crucial for improving patient outcomes, preventing ventilator-associated complications, and guiding targeted clinical interventions. However, specific tools for predicting prolonged mechanical ventilation among ICU patients, particularly those with critical orthopaedic trauma, are currently lacking.

Muscle Biopsy Sample Preparation and Proteomics Analysis Based on UHPLC-MS/MS.

Proteomics analysis is crucial for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle adaptations to different types of exercise, such as concentric and eccentric training. Traditional methods like two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and standard mass spectrometry have been used to analyze muscle protein content and modifications. This protocol details the preparation of muscle samples for proteomics analysis using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC).

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on modulating executive functions in healthy populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Conventional research has asserted that cognitive function, particularly, response inhibition, is closely related to the inferior frontal cortex (IFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), or orbital frontal cortex (OFC), which belong to the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Different targets of anodal or cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS or c-tDCS) would affect the experimental results, but the stimulation of the same brain target would produce inconsistent findings.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a-tDCS and c-tDCS applied over the PFC for healthy populations on reactive and proactive control process compared with sham or no tDCS conditions, as assessed using the Stop-signal task (SST) and Go/NoGo (GNG) task performance.

Conceptual understanding and cognitive patterns construction for physical education teaching based on deep learning algorithms.

To improve students' understanding of physical education teaching concepts and help teachers analyze students' cognitive patterns, the study proposes an association learning-based method for understanding physical education teaching concepts using deep learning algorithms, which extracts image features related to teaching concepts using convolutional neural networks. Moreover, a neurocognitive diagnostic model based on hypergraph convolution is constructed to mine the data of students' long-term learning sequences and identify students' cognitive outcomes. The findings revealed that the highest accuracy of the association graph convolutional neural network was 0.

Integrating electrospun aligned fiber scaffolds with bovine serum albumin-basic fibroblast growth factor nanoparticles to promote tendon regeneration.

Background: Electrospun nanofiber scaffolds have been widely used in tissue engineering because they can mimic extracellular matrix-like structures and offer advantages including high porosity, large specific surface area, and customizable structure. In this study, we prepared scaffolds composed of aligned and random electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers capable of delivering basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in a sustained manner for repairing damaged tendons.

Results: Aligned and random PCL fiber scaffolds containing bFGF-loaded bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles (BSA-bFGF NPs, diameter 146 ± 32 nm) were fabricated, respectively.

The impact of transient air pollution exposure on worker performance in Chinese soccer players.

Using a unique dataset on the performance of soccer players in China (retrieved from 632 matches involving 24 teams during the 2014 to 2016 seasons), we investigate the effect of air pollution on different performance indicators that rely on different mixtures of the physical and cognitive inputs of players. To ensure a causal interpretation, we implement an instrumental variable (IV) approach using thermal inversion as the instrument for air pollution. We found that players' performance indicators, especially those more related to cognitive factors, are more strongly influenced by air pollution.

Acute effects of different physical activity on executive function and regulation role of beta oscillation in sedentary youth frontal region.

Chronic sedentary behavior can have a negative impact on the executive function (EF) of young people. While physical activity (PA) has been shown to improve this phenomenon, the effects of different types of PA on EF vary. In this study, we compared the effects of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) (60-70% HRmax, 30 min), body weight training (BWT) (2 sets tabata, 20 min), and mind-body exercise (MBE) (2 sets Yang style shadowboxing, 20 min) on EF in 59 sedentary youth (n = 59, age = 20.

Effect of Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Paretic Gastrocnemius and Tibialis Anterior Muscle Contraction of Stroke Survivors During Walking: A Pilot Study.

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) have been commonly prescribed for stroke survivors with foot drop, but their impact on the contractions of paretic tibialis anterior (TA) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) has remained inconclusive. This study thus investigated the effect of AFOs on these muscle contractions in stroke survivors. The contractions of paretic TA and MG muscles were assessed in twenty stroke patients and compared between walking with and without AFOs, using a novel wearable dynamic ultrasound imaging and sensing system.

Brain Functional Characteristics in Football Players During Motor-Cognitive Dual Task: Insights From fNIRS.

Long-term training enables professional athletes to develop concentrated and efficient neural network organizations for specific tasks. This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to investigate task performance, brain functional characteristics, and their relationships in footballers during sport-specific motor-cognitive processes. Twenty-four footballers (athlete group, with 18 remaining of good signal quality) and 20 non-footballers (control group, with 16 remaining) completed four tasks: a single task (trigger buttons corresponding to the appearance direction of teammates with kicking actions), an N-back direction task, a dual task, and an N-back digit task.

Research hotspots and frontiers of vagus nerve stimulation in stroke: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for stroke treatment, drawing significant attention due to its potential benefits. However, despite this growing interest, a systematic bibliometric analysis of the research landscape is yet to be conducted.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database for literature published between January 1, 2005, and August 31, 2024.

Heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblast subpopulations in prostate cancer: Implications for prognosis and immunotherapy.

Background: Prostate cancer stands as the second most common malignancy among men, notorious for its intricate heterogeneity, especially evident in metastatic disease. This complexity presents substantial challenges in treatment efficacy and patient prognosis.

Objective: This study endeavors to elucidate the multifaceted roles of cancer-associated fibroblasts within the tumor microenvironment of prostate cancer, with a focus on their implications for disease prognosis and the potential for novel immunotherapeutic strategies.

Housing temperature influences exercise-induced glucose regulation and expression of exerkines in mice.

The impact of housing temperature on exercise-induced metabolic adaptations is not well understood, despite extensive research on the benefits of exercise for metabolic health. The aim of this study was to elucidate how housing temperatures influence the molecular responses and metabolic benefits of exercise in mice. Male C57BL/6N mice were housed at either room temperature (RT, 21°C) or in a thermoneutral environment (TN, 29°C) and subjected to either a 6-week or acute exercise regimen.

Global research hotspots and trends of theta burst stimulation from 2004 to 2023: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: Theta burst stimulation (TBS) has garnered widespread attention in the scientific community, but a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of TBS research remains absent. This study aims to fill this gap by elucidating the characteristics, hotspots, and trends in TBS publications over the past 20 years using bibliometric methods.

Methods: We retrieved TBS-related publications from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2023, from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC).

How Does Blood-Flow Restriction Alter Forehand Drive Performance and Muscle Recruitment in Tennis Players?

Purpose: To examine the acute effects of forehand drive (FD) preconditioning with or without blood-flow restriction (BFR) on subsequent forehand performance and muscle recruitment in tennis.

Methods: On separate visits, 12 well-trained tennis players participated in 4 randomized trials. Each visit included pretests (maximal muscle-activation capacity or FD performance), a preconditioning phase, and posttests after 5 minutes of rest (ie, similar to pretests).

Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Transdifferentiate into Chondrocyte-Like Cells and Facilitate Meniscal Fibrocartilage Regeneration.

The effective and translational strategy to regenerate knee meniscal fibrocartilage remained challenging. Herein, we first identified vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) transdifferentiated into fibrochondrocytes and participated in spontaneous meniscal regeneration using smooth muscle cell lineage tracing transgenic mice meniscal defect model. Then, we identified low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) acoustic stimulus enhanced fibrochondrogenic transdifferentiation of VSMCs in vitro and in vivo.