Reference values of gait parameters in healthy Chinese university students: A cross-sectional observational study.

BACKGROUND: Gait is influenced by race, age, and diseases type. Reference values for gait are closely related to numerous health outcomes. To gain a comprehensive understanding of gait patterns, particularly in relation to race-related pathologies and disorders, it is crucial to establish reference values for gait in daily life considering sex and age. Therefore, our objective was to present sex and age-based reference values for gait in daily life, providing a valuable foundation for further research and clinical applications. AIM: To establish reference values for lower extremity joint kinematics and kinetics during gait in asymptomatic adult women and men. METHODS: Spatiotemporal, kinematics and kinetics parameters were measured in 171 healthy adults (70 males and 101 females) using the computer-aided soft tissue foot model. Full curve statistical parametric mapping was performed using independent and paired-samples t-tests. RESULTS: Compared with females, males required more time (cycle time, double-limb support time, stance time, swing time, and stride time), and the differences were statistically significant. In addition, the step and stride lengths of males were longer. Compared to males, female cadence was faster, and statures-per-second and stride-per-minute were higher. There were no statistical differences in speed and stride width between the two groups. After adjusting for height, it was observed that women walked significantly faster than men, and they also had a higher cadence. However, in terms of step length, stride length, and stride width, both genders exhibited similarities. CONCLUSION: We established reference values for gait speed and spatiotemporal gait parameters in Chinese university students. This contributes to a valuable database for gait assessment and evaluation of preventive or rehabilitative programs.

New identification and significance of Early Cretaceous mafic rocks in the interior South China Block.

Early Cretaceous mafic rocks are first reported in the northern Guangxi region from the western Qin-Hang belt in the interior South China Block. A systematic investigation of zircon U-Pb dating, whole-rock geochemistry, Sm-Nd isotopes and zircon Hf-O isotopes for these mafic rocks reveals their petrogenesis and the mantle composition as well as a new window to reconstruct lithospheric evolution in interior South China Block during Late Mesozoic. Zircon U-Pb dating yielded ages of 131 ± 2 Ma to 136 ± 2 Ma for diabase and gabbro from Baotan area, indicating the first data for Early Cretaceous mafic magmatism in the western Qing-Hang belt. These mafic rocks show calc-alkaline compositions, arc-like trace element distribution patterns, low zircon εHf(t) of - 9.45 to - 6.17 and high δ18O values of + 5.72 to + 8.09‰, as well as low whole-rock εNd(t) values of - 14.27 to - 9.53. These data suggest that the studied mafic rocks are derived from an ancient lithospheric mantle source that was metasomatized during Neoproterozoic subduction. Thus, the occurrence of these mafic rocks indicates a reactivation of Neoproterozoic subducted materials during an extension setting at Late Mesozoic in the western Qin-Hang belt, an old suture zone that amalgamates the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks.

Partial Melting of Subducted Sediments Produced Early Mesozoic Calc-alkaline Lamprophyres from Northern Guangxi Province, South China.

There is growing agreement that subducted sediments recycled into the deep mantle could make a significant contribution to the generation of various mantle-derived rocks. However, solid evidence and examples to support this view are few, and whether or not the subducted sediments can act as the dominating material source for the magma is unclear. Here, we report a comprehensive geochemical study that demonstrates that the newly identified Early Mesozoic calc-alkaline lamprophyres in the northern Guangxi Province, southeastern Yangtze Block in South China were likely derived in large part from the partial melting of the subducted terrigenous sediments in the deep mantle. The investigated lamprophyres are SiO2-rich minettes, characterized by moderate TFeO and MgO and high Mg# (>70). The multi-element pattern shows a typical crustal-like signature, such as enrichments in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) with troughs in Nb-Ta, Ti and Eu and peaks in Th-U and Pb. These rocks also show sediment-like ratios of Nb/U, Nb/Th and Ce/Pb, together with extremely radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr (0.71499-0.71919), unradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd (0.51188-0.51195) and radiogenic 207Pb/204Pb (15.701-15.718) isotopic compositions.