Galloping cheetahs,climbing mountain goats,and load hauling horses all show desirable locomotion capability,which motivates the development of quadruped robots.Among various quadruped robots,hydraulically driven quadr...Galloping cheetahs,climbing mountain goats,and load hauling horses all show desirable locomotion capability,which motivates the development of quadruped robots.Among various quadruped robots,hydraulically driven quadruped robots show great potential in unstructured environments due to their discrete landing positions and large payloads.As the most critical movement unit of a quadruped robot,the limb leg unit(LLU)directly affects movement speed and reliability,and requires a compact and lightweight design.Inspired by the dexterous skeleton–muscle systems of cheetahs and humans,this paper proposes a highly integrated bionic actuator system for a better dynamic performance of an LLU.We propose that a cylinder barrel with multiple element interfaces and internal smooth channels is realized using metal additive manufacturing,and hybrid lattice structures are introduced into the lightweight design of the piston rod.In addition,additive manufacturing and topology optimization are incorporated to reduce the redundant material of the structural parts of the LLU.The mechanical properties of the actuator system are verified by numerical simulation and experiments,and the power density of the actuators is far greater than that of cheetah muscle.The mass of the optimized LLU is reduced by 24.5%,and the optimized LLU shows better response time performance when given a step signal,and presents a good trajectory tracking ability with the increase in motion frequency.展开更多
Background: Chronic ulcers are responsible for considerable morbidity and significantly contribute to the escalation in the cost of health care. Chronic leg ulcers (CLUs) are susceptible to microbial infections and se...Background: Chronic ulcers are responsible for considerable morbidity and significantly contribute to the escalation in the cost of health care. Chronic leg ulcers (CLUs) are susceptible to microbial infections and serious complications such as tissue necrosis and osteomyelitis, can result without the timely control of infections. Recent studies have also reported an increase in the association of fungal infections with chronic non-healing ulcers. Aim: To determine the prevalence of bacterial and fungal infections among patients reporting with chronic leg ulcers in participants without co-morbidities. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with chronic leg ulcers at the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (NRPS/BC-KBTH) and those who consented were enrolled. Characteristics of the wound as well as micro-organisms cultured from wound swabs were recorded. Results: A total of 50 participants were enrolled for the study with the mean (SD) age of 40.7 (10.7) years. Eighty percent of the participants presented with post traumatic leg ulcers with 80% being artisans and traders in the age group 31 - 50 years. There was no statistically significant association between sex and the organism cultured for post traumatic and cellulitis (p-value > 0.05). The prevalence of bacterial and fungal infection was 79.3% and 20.7% respectively. Pseudomonas species was the most isolated bacteria (61.5%) while Aspergillus niger was the most isolated fungi (41%). Conclusion: From this study, fungal infections should be included in managing chronic leg ulcers, especially among artisans, famers and gardeners even though there was a significantly higher burden of bacterial infections.展开更多
Restless legs syndrome(RLS)is a common neurological disorder in clinical practice,particularly prominent among hemodialysis patients.RLS severely impacts patients’sleep quality and mental state,exacerbating their pre...Restless legs syndrome(RLS)is a common neurological disorder in clinical practice,particularly prominent among hemodialysis patients.RLS severely impacts patients’sleep quality and mental state,exacerbating their pre-existing physical discomfort and life burden.Current pharmacological treatments often yield suboptimal results and carry numerous adverse effects.Consequently,combining evidence-based nursing with rehabilitation therapy has emerged as a promising intervention strategy.Rehabilitation therapy,a multimodal non-pharmacological treatment,aims to enhance patients’physical and psychological health,while evidence-based nursing emphasizes individualized,scientifically grounded nursing interventions.The integration of these two approaches not only alleviates RLS symptoms but also improves patients’quality of life and self-management abilities.Based on this,the paper conducts an in-depth study of the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of RLS in hemodialysis patients and provides a detailed analysis of the combined application of rehabilitation therapy and evidence-based nursing for this condition.展开更多
[Objective] This study aimed to explore the effects of IGFs system on the growth of goose skeletal muscles. [Method] Quantitative fluorescence PCR technique was adopted to study the variety- and gender-specificity in ...[Objective] This study aimed to explore the effects of IGFs system on the growth of goose skeletal muscles. [Method] Quantitative fluorescence PCR technique was adopted to study the variety- and gender-specificity in the expression of GHR, IGF-I, IGF-IR and IGFBP-3 genes in leg muscles of 70-day-old Taihu goose and Wanxi white goose, and the correlation between their expression and carcass traits was also investigated. [Resull] There was no variety difference in the expression of GHR, IGF-t, IGF-IR and IGFBP-3 genes in leg muscles of Taihu goose and Wanxi white goose, but there were significant variety differences in the body weight and leg muscle weight. There were no gender difference in the body weight, leg muscle weight and the rate of leg muscles; except IGF-I mRNA level that was significantly higher in male Taihu goose than in female ones(P=0.032), there was no gender dif- ference in the expression of other three genes. Among the four tested genes, only IGFBP-3 mRNA exhibited an extremely significantly positively correlation with the rate of leg muscles, suggesting that IGFs may play a role in regulating the growth of leg muscles via IGFBP-3 system in 70-day-old goose. [Conclusion] This study provides theoretical basis for research in the skeletal growth and development.展开更多
BACKGROUND Restless legs syndrome(RLS)is characterized by an urge to move with an unpleasant sensation in the lower limbs.RLS typically affects the legs.However,it can also affect several other body regions,such as th...BACKGROUND Restless legs syndrome(RLS)is characterized by an urge to move with an unpleasant sensation in the lower limbs.RLS typically affects the legs.However,it can also affect several other body regions,such as the arms,abdomen,face,neck,head,and genital area.There are only a few reports of the RLS variant affecting the head.AIM To assess the epidemiological,clinical,and other aspects of the RLS variant affecting the head.METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of 17 adult patients(>18 years)who met the RLS criteria and simultaneously experienced RLS-like symptoms in the head.RESULTS The median age at which symptoms appeared was 41.6 years.Males and females were equally affected(1.1:1).All 17 patients had uncomfortable sensations in the lower legs.Insomnia or disturbed sleep was the most common comorbidity(n=16,88.2%).However,headache was the most common presenting or primary symptom(n=10,70.5%).Dizziness or an abnormal sensation in the head was the second most common presenting symptom(5 patients,29.4%).Other presenting features were leg pain,backache,and generalized body pain.All patients responded favorably to dopaminergic medications.CONCLUSION If RLS-related unpleasant sensations and pain are felt in the head,they may be misinterpreted as headache,dizziness,or psychosomatic symptoms.RLS and headaches in a subset of patients may be two phenotypic manifestations of the same disorder.展开更多
基金The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.U21A20124 and 52205059)the Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province(No.2022C01039)。
文摘Galloping cheetahs,climbing mountain goats,and load hauling horses all show desirable locomotion capability,which motivates the development of quadruped robots.Among various quadruped robots,hydraulically driven quadruped robots show great potential in unstructured environments due to their discrete landing positions and large payloads.As the most critical movement unit of a quadruped robot,the limb leg unit(LLU)directly affects movement speed and reliability,and requires a compact and lightweight design.Inspired by the dexterous skeleton–muscle systems of cheetahs and humans,this paper proposes a highly integrated bionic actuator system for a better dynamic performance of an LLU.We propose that a cylinder barrel with multiple element interfaces and internal smooth channels is realized using metal additive manufacturing,and hybrid lattice structures are introduced into the lightweight design of the piston rod.In addition,additive manufacturing and topology optimization are incorporated to reduce the redundant material of the structural parts of the LLU.The mechanical properties of the actuator system are verified by numerical simulation and experiments,and the power density of the actuators is far greater than that of cheetah muscle.The mass of the optimized LLU is reduced by 24.5%,and the optimized LLU shows better response time performance when given a step signal,and presents a good trajectory tracking ability with the increase in motion frequency.
文摘Background: Chronic ulcers are responsible for considerable morbidity and significantly contribute to the escalation in the cost of health care. Chronic leg ulcers (CLUs) are susceptible to microbial infections and serious complications such as tissue necrosis and osteomyelitis, can result without the timely control of infections. Recent studies have also reported an increase in the association of fungal infections with chronic non-healing ulcers. Aim: To determine the prevalence of bacterial and fungal infections among patients reporting with chronic leg ulcers in participants without co-morbidities. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with chronic leg ulcers at the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (NRPS/BC-KBTH) and those who consented were enrolled. Characteristics of the wound as well as micro-organisms cultured from wound swabs were recorded. Results: A total of 50 participants were enrolled for the study with the mean (SD) age of 40.7 (10.7) years. Eighty percent of the participants presented with post traumatic leg ulcers with 80% being artisans and traders in the age group 31 - 50 years. There was no statistically significant association between sex and the organism cultured for post traumatic and cellulitis (p-value > 0.05). The prevalence of bacterial and fungal infection was 79.3% and 20.7% respectively. Pseudomonas species was the most isolated bacteria (61.5%) while Aspergillus niger was the most isolated fungi (41%). Conclusion: From this study, fungal infections should be included in managing chronic leg ulcers, especially among artisans, famers and gardeners even though there was a significantly higher burden of bacterial infections.
基金Evidence Application and Clinical Transformation Project of the Evidence-Based Nursing Center at Fudan University(Project No.Nmyyjd202406)。
文摘Restless legs syndrome(RLS)is a common neurological disorder in clinical practice,particularly prominent among hemodialysis patients.RLS severely impacts patients’sleep quality and mental state,exacerbating their pre-existing physical discomfort and life burden.Current pharmacological treatments often yield suboptimal results and carry numerous adverse effects.Consequently,combining evidence-based nursing with rehabilitation therapy has emerged as a promising intervention strategy.Rehabilitation therapy,a multimodal non-pharmacological treatment,aims to enhance patients’physical and psychological health,while evidence-based nursing emphasizes individualized,scientifically grounded nursing interventions.The integration of these two approaches not only alleviates RLS symptoms but also improves patients’quality of life and self-management abilities.Based on this,the paper conducts an in-depth study of the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of RLS in hemodialysis patients and provides a detailed analysis of the combined application of rehabilitation therapy and evidence-based nursing for this condition.
基金Supported by the National Sci-tech Support Plan(2012BAD39B04)the Special Fund for Yangzhou Municipal Key Agricultural Science and Technology Projects(YZ2011067)Special Fund for the Industrial Technology System Construction of Modern Agriculture(nycytx-42-G1)~~
文摘[Objective] This study aimed to explore the effects of IGFs system on the growth of goose skeletal muscles. [Method] Quantitative fluorescence PCR technique was adopted to study the variety- and gender-specificity in the expression of GHR, IGF-I, IGF-IR and IGFBP-3 genes in leg muscles of 70-day-old Taihu goose and Wanxi white goose, and the correlation between their expression and carcass traits was also investigated. [Resull] There was no variety difference in the expression of GHR, IGF-t, IGF-IR and IGFBP-3 genes in leg muscles of Taihu goose and Wanxi white goose, but there were significant variety differences in the body weight and leg muscle weight. There were no gender difference in the body weight, leg muscle weight and the rate of leg muscles; except IGF-I mRNA level that was significantly higher in male Taihu goose than in female ones(P=0.032), there was no gender dif- ference in the expression of other three genes. Among the four tested genes, only IGFBP-3 mRNA exhibited an extremely significantly positively correlation with the rate of leg muscles, suggesting that IGFs may play a role in regulating the growth of leg muscles via IGFBP-3 system in 70-day-old goose. [Conclusion] This study provides theoretical basis for research in the skeletal growth and development.
文摘BACKGROUND Restless legs syndrome(RLS)is characterized by an urge to move with an unpleasant sensation in the lower limbs.RLS typically affects the legs.However,it can also affect several other body regions,such as the arms,abdomen,face,neck,head,and genital area.There are only a few reports of the RLS variant affecting the head.AIM To assess the epidemiological,clinical,and other aspects of the RLS variant affecting the head.METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of 17 adult patients(>18 years)who met the RLS criteria and simultaneously experienced RLS-like symptoms in the head.RESULTS The median age at which symptoms appeared was 41.6 years.Males and females were equally affected(1.1:1).All 17 patients had uncomfortable sensations in the lower legs.Insomnia or disturbed sleep was the most common comorbidity(n=16,88.2%).However,headache was the most common presenting or primary symptom(n=10,70.5%).Dizziness or an abnormal sensation in the head was the second most common presenting symptom(5 patients,29.4%).Other presenting features were leg pain,backache,and generalized body pain.All patients responded favorably to dopaminergic medications.CONCLUSION If RLS-related unpleasant sensations and pain are felt in the head,they may be misinterpreted as headache,dizziness,or psychosomatic symptoms.RLS and headaches in a subset of patients may be two phenotypic manifestations of the same disorder.