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Objective To evaluate the intra-and inter-rater reliability of MyotonPRO for Achilles tendon properties measured. Methods Twenty healthy subjects were recruited to measure Achilles tendon properties using a novel hand-held Myoton-PRO device by two testers, one of the testers re-tested five days later. The reliability was assessed using in-tra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis, and minimum detectable changes (MDC) was calculated. The Achilles tendon properties of the dominant or non-dominant leg was compared. The correlation between body mass and Achilles tendon properties was examined. Results The intra-rater reliabilities of Achilles tendon properties were ICCleft=0.884 and ICCright=0.904; the inter-rater reli-abilities were ICCleft=0.883 and ICCright=0.945. The MDC was 36.64 N/m. Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement. There was no significant difference in Achilles tendon properties between dominant and non-domi-nant legs (t<1.236, P>0.05). The body mass positively correlated with Achilles tendon properties (r>0.477, P<0.05). Conclusion The intra-and inter-rater reliabilities of MyotonPRO were good in measuring Achilles tendon properties in healthy subjects. No significant difference was found between dominant and non-dominant legs. The body mass positively correlated with Achilles tendon properties in healthy subjects.
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Objective To explore the impact of gender and body mass on stiffness of the medial and lateral head of gastrocnemius muscle. Methods Forty healthy subjects were recruited to measure the stiffness of medial and lateral head of gastrocnemius mus-cle,using a novel hand-held device MyotonPRO.The relationships between gender,weight and muscle stiffness were examined. Results The stiffness of medial and lateral head of gastrocnemius muscle was more in males than in females(t>2.523, P<0.01),and was positively correlated with body mass(r>0.322,P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the stiffness between dominant and non-dominant legs for medial and lateral head of gastrocnemius muscle(t<0.851,P>0.05). Conclusion Gender and body mass ralate with the stiffness of medial and lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle in healthy subjects,and the stiffness of both left and right sides is symmetrical in healthy subjects.
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Previous studies have indicated that the cognitive deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be due to topological deteriorations of the brain network. However, whether the selection of a specific frequency band could impact the topological properties is still not clear. Our hypothesis is that the topological properties of AD patients are also frequency-specific.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 10 right-handed moderate AD patients (mean age: 64.3 years; mean mini mental state examination [MMSE]: 18.0) and 10 age and gender-matched healthy controls (mean age: 63.6 years; mean MMSE: 28.2) were enrolled in this study. The global efficiency, the clustering coefficient (CC), the characteristic path length (CpL), and "small-world" property were calculated in a wide range of thresholds and averaged within each group, at three different frequency bands (0.01-0.06 Hz, 0.06-0.11 Hz, and 0.11-0.25 Hz).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At lower-frequency bands (0.01-0.06 Hz, 0.06-0.11 Hz), the global efficiency, the CC and the "small-world" properties of AD patients decreased compared to controls. While at higher-frequency bands (0.11-0.25 Hz), the CpL was much longer, and the "small-world" property was disrupted in AD, particularly at a higher threshold. The topological properties changed with different frequency bands, suggesting the existence of disrupted global and local functional organization associated with AD.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study demonstrates that the topological alterations of large-scale functional brain networks in AD patients are frequency dependent, thus providing fundamental support for optimal frequency selection in future related research.</p>
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Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Alzheimer Disease , Diagnosis , Brain , Pathology , Magnetic Resonance ImagingABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of dyslipidemia among the Uyghur, Kazakh, and Han adults in Xinjiang Region and to analyze the features of distribution.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>3625 Uygur residents, 1773 males and 1852 females, aged (42.89 ± 15.95) years old, 4148 Kazakh residents, 1649 males and 2499 females, aged (44.14 ± 13.27) years old, and 3733 Han residents, 1563 males and 2170 females, aged (49.66 ± 12.24) years old, were selected by stratified cluster random sampling method in year 2010, 11 506 adults in total. Questionnaire and physical examination were conducted, including fasting venous blood samples to test the levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of TG, TC, HDL-C and LDL-C were separately (1.31 ± 1.03), (4.44 ± 1.20), (1.41 ± 0.62), and (2.44 ± 0.81) mmol/L in the Uygur adults; separately (1.24 ± 0.99), (4.55 ± 1.31), (1.41 ± 0.62), and (2.40 ± 0.87) mmol/L in the Kazakh adults; and (1.62 ± 1.34), (4.60 ± 1.10), (1.16 ± 0.68), and (2.23 ± 0.93) mmol/L in the Han adults, respectively. The general prevalence of dyslipidemia in the Uygur, Kazakh, and Han adults were 42.4% (1537/3625), 31.6% (1311/4148), and 30.2% (1127/3733) respectively; while the age-standardized prevalence were separately 42.4%, 31.8%, and 28.2%. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in the Uygur adults was significantly higher than it of the Kazakh and Han adults, with statistical significance (χ(2) = 179.87, P < 0.01). The standardized prevalence of dyslipidemia in the Uygur males was 52.6%, significantly higher than it of the Kazakh and Han males (35.4% and 33.2%), with statistical significance (χ(2) = 159.19, P < 0.01). The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia among the Han adults was 17.3%, which was significantly higher than it among the Uyghur and Kazakh adults (χ(2) = 172.55, P < 0.01). The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia in Kazakh (6.9%) was higher than it in Uygur (5.2%), with statistical significance (χ(2) = 10.20, P < 0.01). The prevalence of low HDL-C hyperlipidemia in the above 3 ethnic were 33.6%, 20.8% and 11.1%, respectively; while Uygur was the highest (χ(2) = 552.82, P < 0.01), followed by Kazakh, which was higher than Han (χ(2) = 138.01, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of high LDL-C hyperlipidemia among the adults of the 3 ethnics.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The prevalence of dyslipidemia among the Uygur, Kazakh, and Han adults in Xinjiang were all higher than the national average prevalence, the distribution of dyslipidemia varied with ethnicity, age and sex.</p>