The Smart Class Teaching Module for Rehabilitation Medicine English Education in China.

BACKGROUND Learning medical English is particularly challenging for non-native English-speaking medical students. The Smart Class teaching module is a new online teaching module for rehabilitation-related medical English, the efficacy of which has yet to be established in the literature. Gender differences should also not be ignored in our study, taking into account the proven performance differences between males and females in language learning. MATERIAL AND METHODS First-year physiotherapy students in Grade 2018 and Grade 2019 at Guangzhou Medical University were recruited to participate in this study. Grade 2019, as the experimental group, completed the Smart Class teaching module, while Grade 2018, as the control group, completed the Traditional Class teaching module. The efficacy of both modules was assessed objectively using the students' medical English exam scores and subjectively using the students' responses to a questionnaire. RESULTS In total, 242 questionnaires were distributed, and 210 valid questionnaires were returned, of which 119 were from the Smart Class teaching module group and 91 were from the Traditional Class teaching module group. There was no statistically significant difference between the medical English exam scores of the 2 groups (P=0.324). However, the subjective assessment revealed that the students experienced a significantly greater burden from the workload in the Smart Class teaching module group (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS We found both the Smart Class teaching module and the Traditional Class teaching module achieved similar teaching outcomes. Therefore, the former represents a viable alternative teaching option for situations where traditional class teaching is not possible.

A Study of Blended Learning Using the Smart Class Teaching Module on Psychosocial Dysfunction Course During the Training of Undergraduate Occupational Therapy Students in China.

BACKGROUND Online blended learning, also known as "smart classes", has benefits when compared with traditional teaching methods that use books and lectures. This study aimed to compare the use of the Smart Class teaching module with traditional teaching on the topic of psychosocial dysfunction during the training of undergraduate occupational therapy (OT) students in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS We recruited Grade 2017 OT students as the Smart Class teaching module group and Grade 2016 OT students as the Traditional Class teaching module group to participate in the study. The objective evaluation (assignment score, practical exam score, written exam score, and final score) and subjective evaluation (data from student questionnaires and information from interviews with the lead teacher and assistant teachers) were performed in both groups. RESULTS No significant difference was found in the final scores (P=0.874) and students' questionnaire results between the 2 groups. However, data from the student questionnaires and teacher interviews indicated a preference for combining the Smart Class teaching module and the Traditional Class teaching module. CONCLUSIONS The advantage of the Smart Class teaching module is that it can effectively integrate excellent teaching resources across geographical restrictions and it is conducive to promoting independent learning for students and all-around supervision for teaching. The Smart Class teaching module was comparable to traditional teaching methods for the training of undergraduate OT students in China, but was preferred by the students.

The impacts of surgical mask in young healthy subjects on cardiopulmonary function and muscle performance: a randomized crossover trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impacts of surgical mask in normal subjects on cardiopulmonary function and muscle performance under different motor load and gender differences. DESIGN: Randomized crossover trial. SETTING: The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, June 16th to December 30th, 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one college students (age: male 21.27 ± 1.22 years; female 21.31 ± 0.79 years) were recruited and randomly allocated in two groups. INTERVENTIONS: Group 1 first received CPET in the mask-on condition followed by 48 h of washout, and then received CPET in the mask-off condition. Group 2 first received CPET in the mask-off condition followed by 48 h of washout, then received CPET in the mask-on condition. The sEMG data were simultaneously collected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) from CPET, which was performed on a cycle ergometer-this is the most important parameter associated with an individual's physical conditioning. The secondary parameters included parameters reflecting exercise tolerance and heart function (oxygen uptake, anaerobic valve, maximum oxygen pulse, heart rate reserve), parameters reflecting ventilation function (respiration reserve, ventilation volume, tidal volume, breathing frequency), parameters reflecting gas exchange (end-tidal oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure, oxygen equivalent, carbon dioxide equivalent, and the relationship between dead space and tidal volume) and parameters reflecting skeletal muscle function [oxygen uptake, anaerobic valve, work efficiency, and EMG parameters including root mean square (RMS)]. RESULTS: Comparing the mask-on and mask-off condition, wearing surgical mask had some negative effects on VO2/kg (peak) and ventilation (peak) in both male and female health subjects [VO2/kg (peak): 28.65 ± 3.53 vs 33.22 ± 4.31 (P = 0.001) and 22.54 ± 3.87 vs 26.61 ± 4.03 (P < 0.001) ml/min/kg in male and female respectively; ventilation (peak): 71.59 ± 16.83 vs 82.02 ± 17.01 (P = 0.015) and 42.46 ± 10.09 vs 53.95 ± 10.33 (P < 0.001) liter in male and female respectively], although, based on self-rated scales, there was no difference in subjective feelings when comparing the mask-off and mask-on condition. Wearing surgical masks showed greater lower limb muscle activity just in male subjects [mean RMS of vastus medialis (load): 65.36 ± 15.15 vs 76.46 ± 19.04 µV, P = 0.031]. Moreover, wearing surgical masks produced a greater decrease in △tidal volume (VTpeak) during intensive exercises phase in male subjects than in female [male - 0.80 ± 0.15 vs female - 0.62 ± 0.11 l P = 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: Wearing medical/surgical mask showed a negative impact on the ventilation function in young healthy subjects during CPET, especially in high-intensity phase. Moreover, some negative effects were found both in ventilation and lower limb muscle actives in male young subjects during mask-on condition. Future studies should focus on the subjects with cardiopulmonary diseases to explore the effect of wearing mask. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( ChiCTR2000033449 ).

Effects of motor-cognitive interaction based on dual-task gait analysis recognition in middle age to aging people with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a transitional stage between cognitive normality and dementia among the elderly, and its associated risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is 10-15 times higher than that of the general population. MCI is an important threshold for the prevention and control of AD, and intervention in the MCI stage may be the most effective strategy to delay the occurrence of AD. Materials and methods: In this study, 68 subjects who met the inclusion criteria were divided into an MCI group (38 subjects) and normal elderly (NE) group (30 subjects). Both groups underwent clinical function assessments (cognitive function, walking function, and activities of daily living) and dual-task three-dimensional gait analysis (walking motor task and walking calculation task). Spatial-temporal parameters were obtained and reduced by principal component analysis, and the key biomechanical indexes were selected. The dual-task cost (DTC) was calculated for intra-group (task factor) and inter-group (group factor) comparisons. Results: The results of the principal component analysis showed that the cadence parameter had the highest weight in all three walking tasks. In addition, there were significant differences in the cadence both walking motor task (WMT) vs. walking task (WT) and walking calculation task (WCT) vs. WT in the MCI group. The cadence in the NE group only showed a significant difference between WMT and WT. The only differences between the MCI group and NE group was DTC cadence in WCT, and no differences were found for cadence in any of the three walking tasks. Conclusion: The results show that dual tasks based on cognitive-motor gait analysis of DTCcadence in MCI have potential value for application in early identification and provide theoretical support to improve the clinical diagnosis of MCI.

Motor Dual-Tasks for Gait Analysis and Evaluation in Post-Stroke Patients.

Eighteen stroke patients were recruited for this study involving the evaluation of cognition and walking ability and multitask gait analysis. Multitask gait analysis consisted of a single walking task (Task 0), a simple motor dual-task (water-holding, Task 1), and a complex motor dual-task (crossing obstacles, Task 2). The task of crossing obstacles was considered to be equivalent to the combination of a simple walking task and a complex motor task as it involved more nervous system, skeletal movement, and cognitive resources. To eliminate heterogeneity in the results of the gait analysis of the stroke patients, the dual-task gait cost values were calculated for various kinematic parameters. The major differences were observed in the proximal joint angles, especially in the angles of the trunk, pelvis, and hip joints, which were significantly larger in the dual motor tasks than in the single walking task. This research protocol aims to provide a basis for the clinical diagnosis of gait function and an in-depth study of motor control in stroke patients with motor control deficits through the analyses of dual-motor walking tasks.

Effects of Surgical Masks on Cardiopulmonary Function in Healthy Subjects.

We study the effect of surgical masks on cardiopulmonary function based on a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). This study shows that surgical masks reduce cardiopulmonary exercise capacity and ventilation in healthy young subjects and wearing masks might affect aerobic exercise capacity more in female subjects than in male subjects.

Quantitative Static and Dynamic Assessment of Balance Control in Stroke Patients.

In patients with stroke, damage to the central nervous system (CNS) can affect the postural stability and increase the risk of falling. Therefore, accurately assessing the balance is important to understand the type, extent, and causes of balance deficit, and to identify individualized interventions. Clinical assessment methods for balance function can be broadly divided into observation, scale assessment, and balance instrument testing. Here, a clinical protocol is presented for static and dynamic balance assessment in stroke patients, which includes three semiquantitative balance function scale assessments (i.e., Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, and Fugl-Meyer Assessment) and three quantitative instrumental balance evaluation (i.e., Stability Assessment Module, Proprioceptive Assessment Module, and Limit of Stability Module). It is recommended that clinicians consider the use of both classic clinical balance scales and instrumental balance measurements when assessing stroke patients to improve the accuracy of assessments, leading to a better individualized treatment plan.

The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Versus Electroacupuncture on Working Memory in Healthy Subjects.

Objective: Working memory (WM) can influence human thought processes through interactions with perception, long-term memory, and behavior. In recent years, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and electric acupuncture have been used to improve the performance of WM. Therefore, due to the n-back task as a continuous performance task that is commonly used to measure WM, the aim of this study is to investigate the differences in short-term efficacy between tDCS and electroacupuncture on WM under n-back task paradigm in healthy subjects. Methods: Forty-four college students (age: 23.70 ± 1.52 years; education: 16.93 ± 2.24 years) were recruited as experimental subjects and randomly divided into two groups by a random double-blind two-stage crossover experiment design. Group A received a tDCS intervention followed by at least 1 week of washout period and then the electroacupuncture intervention. Group B had the opposite sequence of interventions. The WM test under the n-back task paradigm was conducted before and after each intervention, and the changes in the accuracy (number of correct responses) and correct response time (RT) before and after the interventions were detected. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 24.0 to compare the short-term efficacy of tDCS and electroacupuncture on WM under different tasks. Results: In the 0-back task and 1-back tasks, there was no significant difference in the accuracy or RT before and after the interventions between tDCS and electroacupuncture stimulation. In the 2-back task, there was no significant difference in the accuracy before and after interventions between tDCS and electroacupuncture stimulation. However, there was a significant difference in RT (p < 0.05), which was lower after tDCS than after electroacupuncture in the 2-back task. Conclusion: The results show that tDCS with anodal stimulation on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex could increase the RT of the 2-back task performance in comparison with electroacupuncture stimulation of the Baihui (GV20) and Shenting (DU24) acupoints. The present results indicate that tDCS may have greater impact on WM in healthy subjects than electroacupuncture stimulation.

The Lower Body Positive Pressure Treadmill for Knee Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation.

Here, based on a clinician's point-of-view, we propose a two-model lower body positive pressure (LBPP) protocol (walking and squatting models) in addition to a clinical, functional assessment methodology, including details for further encouragement of the development of non-drug surgical intervention strategies in knee osteoarthritis patients. However, we only present the effect of LBPP training in improvement of pain and knee function in one patient through three-dimensional gait analysis. The exact, long-term effects of this approach should be explored in future studies.

The effect of anti-gravity treadmill training for knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation on joint pain, gait, and EMG: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: To date, the anti-gravity treadmill (AlterG), as a representative method of Lower body positive pressure (LBPP) treadmills, has been rarely reported for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rehabilitation. The purpose of this case study was to setup the clinical protocol example for AlterG intervention on KOA and evaluate treatment effectiveness by 3D gait analysis combined with free EMG to explore the kinematic gait parameter changes. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 65-year-old female patient (BMI = 26, mild obesity) undergoing "more than 7 years of KOA." The activity of the right knee joint was obviously limited and she suffered from severe pain over the past month. DIAGNOSIS: Due to the patient's symptoms and radiographic findings, she was diagnosed with acute attack of KOA. INTERVENTIONS: The patient has performed clinical function evaluation and gait analysis combined at pretreatment, post-treatment, and 4 months follow-up assessment. AlterG training was performed 6 days/week for 2 weeks, with up to 30 min of training per session. The training protocol included two major parts, walking and squatting in AlterG. OUTCOMES: After 2 weeks of AlterG intervention, the 10-m walking test (10 MWT) and Timed-up-and-go (TUG) test improved significantly post-treatment, whereas the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score decreased post-treatment. The Modified Barthel Index improved post-treatment and the patient restored basic community walk after treatment. The temporal parameter results showed that stride length (%height), mean velocity (%height), and cadence gradually increased before treatment, after treatment, and at 4-month follow-up. The right range of motion (ROM) of knee flexion-extension were gradually increased. Meanwhile, the synchronized EMG data showed that the RMS (root means square) values of the rectus femoris, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris at post-treatment were improved to different degrees than at pretreatment. CONCLUSION: We found that for this patient with KOA, AlterG relieved pain, and was also effective at improving spatio-temporal parameters, knee flexion/extension gait pattern, and corresponding muscle strength, thereby restoring certain community activities.