Kinematics of knees with osteoarthritis show reduced lateral femoral roll-back and maintain an adducted position. A systematic review of research using medical imaging

BackgroundWhile several studies describe kinematics of healthy and osteoarthritic knees using the accurate imaging and computer modelling now possible, no systematic review exists to synthesise these data.MethodA systematic review extracted quantitative observational, quasi-experimental and experimental studies from PubMed, Scopus, Medline and Web of Science that examined motion of the bony or articular surfaces of the tibiofemoral joint during any functional activity. Studies using surface markers, animals, and in vitro studies were excluded.Results352 studies were screened to include 23 studies. Dynamic kinematics were recorded for gait, step-up, kneeling, squat and lunge and quasi-static squat, knee flexion in side-lying or supine leg-press. Kinematics were described using a diverse range of measures including six degrees of freedom kinematics, contact patterns or the projection of the femoral condylar axis above the tibia. Meta-analysis of data was not possible since no three papers recorded the same activity with the same measures. Visual evaluation of data revealed that knees with osteoarthritis maintained a more adducted position and showed less posterior translation of the lateral femoral condylar axis than healthy knees. Variability in activities and in recording measures produced greater variation in kinematics, than did knee osteoarthritis.ConclusionDifferences in kinematics between osteoarthritic and healthy knees were observed, however, these differences were more subtle than expected. The synthesis and progress of this research could be facilitated by a consensus on reference systems for axes and kinematic reporting.     

Detachment,displacement and reattachment activity in a freshwater byssate mussel (Limnoperna fortunei): the effects of light,temperature and substratum orientation

The ability of the freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei to voluntarily detach from the substratum, crawl and reattach as a function of illumination, temperature, substratum orientation, and mussel size was investigated. Thirty-two per cent of the 879 experimental animals detached and reattached elsewhere at least once during five- to eight-day experiments. The proportions of mobile mussels were significantly higher in permanent darkness than under permanent illumination. Displacement distances were also higher in darkness, but statistical differences with illuminated individuals were inconclusive. No evidence of circadian rhythms was detected. Mobile mussels were often significantly smaller than non-mobile individuals. It was not possible to detect the effect of water temperature (22°C and 31°C), or substratum orientation (topside and underside) on mussel mobility, but because the power of the statistical tests was low, future experiments are needed to confirm this result. The ability of mussels to voluntarily detach and reattach elsewhere has important implications for biofouling control.     

鹿瓜多肽注射液与补肾壮骨胶囊对膝关节骨性关节炎患者血清BALP、BGP、TRACP-5b及CTX-I水平的影响

目的:研究鹿瓜多肽注射液联合补肾壮骨胶囊对膝关节骨性关节炎的临床疗效及对血清骨特异性碱性磷酸酶(BALP)、骨钙素(BGP)、抗酒石酸盐酸性磷酸酶异构体5b(TRACP-5b)、I型胶原C端肽(CTX-I)水平的影响。方法:选取2015年4月至2016年3月我院收治的84例膝关节骨性关节炎患者,根据患者入院顺序分为观察组和对照组,42例每组。对照组使用鹿瓜多肽注射液,观察组在此基础上加以补肾壮骨胶囊。比较两组患者临床疗效,治疗前后血清BALP、BGP、TRACP-5b、CTX-I水平、视觉模拟评分法(VAS)的变化。结果:治疗后,观察组临床总有效率显著高于对照组[90.48%(38/42)比64.29%(27/42)](P0.05);两组患者血清BALP、BGP水平均较治疗前显著升高(P0.05),血清TRACP-5b、CTX-I水平、VAS评分均较治疗前显著降低(P0.05),且观察组的血清BALP、BGP水平显著高于对照组(P0.05),血清TRACP-5b、CTX-I水平、VAS评分明显低于对照组(P0.05)。结论:鹿瓜多肽注射液联合补肾壮骨胶囊治疗膝关节骨性关节炎的临床疗效明显优于鹿瓜多肽注射液单药治疗,其能显著升高患者的血清BALP、BGP水平,降低血清RACP-5b、CTX-I水平,改善患者骨代谢。     

Co-translational effects of temperature on membrane insertion and orientation of P-glycoprotein sequences

P-glycoprotein (pgp) is a membrane transport protein that causes multidrug resistance (MDR) by actively extruding a wide variety of cytotoxic agents out of cells. It may also function as a peptide transporter, a volume-regulated chloride channel, and an ATP channel. Previously, it has been shown that hamster pgp1 Pgp is expressed in more than one topological form and that the generation of these structures is modulated by charged amino acids flanking the predicted transmembrane (TM) segments 3 and 4 and by soluble cytoplasmic factors. Different topological structures of Pgp may be related to its different functions. In this study, we examined the effects of translation temperature on the membrane insertion process and the topologies of Pgp. Using the rabbit reticulocyte lysate expression system, we showed that translation at different temperatures affects the membrane insertion and orientation of the putative TM3 and TM4 of hamster pgp1 Pgp in a co-translational manner. This observation suggests that the membrane insertion process of TM3 and TM4 of Pgp molecules may involve a protein conducting channel and/or the interaction between TM3 and TM4, which act in a temperature sensitive manner. We speculate that manipulating temperature may provide a way to understand the structure-function relationship of Pgp and help overcome Pgp-related multidrug resistance of cancer cells.Abbreviations Pgp P-glycoprotein - MDR multidrug resistance - ABC ATP-binding cassette - RRL rabbit reticulocyte lysate - TM transmembrane - RM rough microsomes - ER endoplasmic reticulum     

In situ comparison of A-mode ultrasound tracking system and skin-mounted markers for measuring kinematics of the lower extremity

Skin-mounted marker based motion capture systems are widely used in measuring the movement of human joints. Kinematic measurements associated with skin-mounted markers are subject to soft tissue artifacts (STA), since the markers follow skin movement, thus generating errors when used to represent motions of underlying bone segments. We present a novel ultrasound tracking system that is capable of directly measuring tibial and femoral bone surfaces during dynamic motions, and subsequently measuring six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) tibiofemoral kinematics. The aim of this study is to quantitatively compare the accuracy of tibiofemoral kinematics estimated by the ultrasound tracking system and by a conventional skin-mounted marker based motion capture system in a cadaveric experimental scenario. Two typical tibiofemoral joint models (spherical and hinge models) were used to derive relevant kinematic outcomes. Intra-cortical bone pins equipped with optical markers were inserted in the tibial and femoral bones to serve as a reference to provide ground truth kinematics. The ultrasound tracking system resulted in lower kinematic errors than the skin-mounted markers (the ultrasound tracking system: maximum root-mean-square (RMS) error 3.44° for rotations and 4.88 mm for translations, skin-mounted markers with the spherical joint model: 6.32° and 6.26 mm, the hinge model: 6.38° and 6.52 mm). Our proposed ultrasound tracking system has the potential of measuring direct bone kinematics, thereby mitigating the influence and propagation of STA. Consequently, this technique could be considered as an alternative method for measuring 6-DOF tibiofemoral kinematics, which may be adopted in gait analysis and clinical practice.     

The effects of heat-induced pain on the detectability,discriminability, and sensation magnitude of vibrotactile stimuli

The effects of heat-induced pain on absolute thresholds, sensation magnitudes and amplitude-difference thresholds were measured at 10 and 100 Hz. Consistent with previous results, heat-induced pain elevated the absolute thresholds by approximately 8.0 dB and lessened the magnitudes of tactile sensations during pain as compared to the non-painful condition. In contrast to these effects, the discriminability of change in the intensity of the vibrotactile stimuli was unaffected by the presence of pain indicating that the effect of pain on tactile sensations is more likely due to sensory rather than cognitive processes (i.e., attention) and that the mechanisms underlying tactile sensitivity as compared to discriminability are different.     

The effects of heat-induced pain on the detectability, discriminability, and sensation magnitude of vibrotactile stimuli

The effects of heat-induced pain on absolute thresholds, sensation magnitudes and amplitude-difference thresholds were measured at 10 and 100 Hz. Consistent with previous results, heat-induced pain elevated the absolute thresholds by approximately 8.0 dB and lessened the magnitudes of tactile sensations during pain as compared to the non-painful condition. In contrast to these effects, the discriminability of change in the intensity of the vibrotactile stimuli was unaffected by the presence of pain indicating that the effect of pain on tactile sensations is more likely due to sensory rather than cognitive processes (i.e., attention) and that the mechanisms underlying tactile sensitivity as compared to discriminability are different.     

The influence of temperature on host orientation by the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica

The effect of temperature on the kinetic host orientation movements of mature adult alfalfa weevils, Hypera postica (Gyll.), was determined by mapping the movements of individual weevils in a closed arena in which the host odor source was just out of their reach. A reduced temperature resulted in a general reduction in activity, but an increase in the proportional efficiency of the kinetic orientation mechanism.In a test to determine the temperature range at which movement to the host will occur, mature adult weevils were confined in an arena with a small section of alfalfa stem at temperatures from 2° to 50°. A relatively normal response occurred between 15° and 40°. Below 5° movement to the food was negligible. The peak response in the normal range occurred about 20°–25°. A test of the mortality caused at 50° was conducted. The difference between published lethal temperatures and the results of this test are explained on the basis of insect age and maturity.

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Zusammenfassung Die Wirkung der Temperatur auf kinetische Orientierungsbewegungen des Luzernekäfers, Hypera postica, zum Wirt wurde durch Aufzeichnung der Bewegungen einzelner Käfer in einer geschlossenen Arena bestimmt, in welcher die Duftquelle eben außerhalb ihres Bereichs lag. Niedere Temperatur (10°) ergab ein geringeres Aktivitätsniveau sowohl hinsichtlich der durchlaufenen Strecken wie auch der Zahl der Wendungen als 20°. Trotz des herabgesetzten Aktivitätsniveaus war die proportionale kinetische Reaktion auf den Wirtspflanzenduft bei 10° erhöht. Verglichen mit der Aktivität der Käfer bei Abwesenheit der Nahrung, war bei Anwesenheit von Nahrung die durchlaufene Strecke bei 10° um 48.5% geringer, während sie bei 20° um 11,6% niedriger lag. Beim Vorhandensein von Nahrung stieg die Anzahl der Hinwendungen zur Nahrung bei 10° um 125%, bei 20° um 115%. Die Senkung der Temperatur ergab also nicht nur eine Verminderung der Aktivität, sondern auch eine Zunahme der relativen Leistungsfähigkeit des Orientierungsmechanismus.In einem Versuch zur Feststellung des Temperaturbereichs, in welchem Bewegungen zum Wirt hin auftreten, wurden erwachsene Käfer bei Temperaturen zwischen 2° und 50° mit einem kleinen Stück Luzerne in eine kleine Arena gebracht. Zwischen 15° und 40° erfolgte eine relativ normale Reaktion. Unter 5° waren kaum Bewegungen zur Nahrung hin festzustellen. Maximale Reaktionen traten normalerweise zwischen 20° und 25° auf. Die Mortalität bei 50° wurde untersucht. Sie betrug 24 Stunden nach einer 30 Minuten dauernden Exposition (in 50°) bei 15% rel. Luftfeuchtigkeit 8%, bei 50% rel. Luftfeuchtigkeit 16%. Bei einer Expositionszeit von 1 Stunde lagen die entsprechenden Werte bei 64 bzw. 72%. Die Differenz der Mortalitäten der beiden Expositionszeiten war signifikant (P<0,01), die der verschiedenen Luftfeuchtigkeitsgrade nicht. Die Unterschiede zwischen den für die Luzernekäfer bereits beschriebenen Letaltemperaturen (LT₅₀ für eine Exposition von 2 Minuten in 48,8°) und den Ergebnissen des vorliegenden Versuchs werden mit dem Alter und dem Reifegrad der Käfer erklärt.

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This research was supported in part by U.S.D.A. Grant No. 12-14-100-8032(33).

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The senior author was a Polish Exchange Fellow sponsored in part by the United Brethren Church     

Ultrasound speed in equine cortical bone: effects of orientation, density, porosity and temperature

Ultrasound speed, as measured by a transmission technique in equine cortical bone, was found to vary markedly with the direction of the ultrasound path through the bone. Using bone samples from the mid-site of the third metacarpus of 20 horses, the ultrasound speed was measured as 4125 m s-1 in the longitudinal direction, 3442 m s-1 in the circumferential or transverse direction, and 3428 m s-1 in the radial direction. These results confirm the anisotropic properties of compact bone. Ultrasound speed had a positive linear relationship when compared with bone specific gravity of cortical bone (r = 0.773, n = 35, p less than 0.0001), and an inverse linear relationship with porosity. Specific gravity has an inverse correlation with porosity (r = 0.857, n = 35, p less than 0.0001). Over the temperature range of 4-42 degrees C, ultrasound speed varied inversely according to temperature with a logarithmic function giving the best fit. These results have important implications for the clinical applications of ultrasound speed in assessing bone quality in racehorses and provide important basic information for the understanding of the passage of ultrasound through cortical bone, which has possible clinical applications in humans.     

Effects of dipole position,orientation and noise on the accuracy of EEG source localization

Background  

The electroencephalogram (EEG) reflects the electrical activity in the brain on the surface of scalp. A major challenge in this field is the localization of sources in the brain responsible for eliciting the EEG signal measured at the scalp. In order to estimate the location of these sources, one must correctly model the sources, i.e., dipoles, as well as the volume conductor in which the resulting currents flow. In this study, we investigate the effects of dipole depth and orientation on source localization with varying sets of simulated random noise in 4 realistic head models.     

The effects of knee support on the sagittal lower-body joint kinematics and kinetics of deep squats

Little work has been done to examine the deep squat position (>130° sagittal knee flexion). In baseball and softball, catchers perform this squat an average of 146 times per nine-inning game. To alleviate some of the stress on their knees caused by this repetitive loading, some catchers wear foam knee supports.ObjectivesThis work quantifies the effects of knee support on lower-body joint kinematics and kinetics in the deep squat position.MethodsSubjects in this study performed the deep squat with no support, foam support, and instrumented support. In order to measure the force through the knee support, instrumented knee supports were designed and fabricated. We then developed an inverse dynamic model to incorporate the support loads. From the model, joint angles and moments were calculated for the three conditions.ResultsWith support there is a significant reduction in the sagittal moment at the knee of 43% on the dominant side and 63% on the non-dominant side compared to without support. These reductions are a result of the foam supports carrying approximately 20% of body weight on each side.ConclusionKnee support reduces the moment necessary to generate the deep squat position common to baseball catchers. Given the short moment arm of the patella femoral tendon, even small changes in moment can have a large effect in the tibial-femoral contact forces, particularly at deep squat angles. Reducing knee forces may be effective in decreasing incidence of osteochondritis dissecans.     

Influence of the reinforcement magnitude on omission effects

Reinforcement Omission Effects (ROEs), indicated by higher rate of responses after nonreinforced trials in a partial reinforcement schedule, have been interpreted as behavioral transient facilitation after nonreinforcement induced by primary frustration, and/or behavioral transient inhibition after reinforcement induced by demotivation or temporal control. The size of the ROEs should depend directly on the reinforcement magnitude. The present experiment aimed to clarify the relationship between reinforcement magnitude and the omission effects manipulating the magnitude linked to discriminative stimuli in a partial reinforcement FI schedule. The results showed that response rates were higher after omission than after reinforcement delivery. Besides, response rates were highest immediately after the reinforcement omission of a larger magnitude than of a smaller magnitude. These data are interpreted in terms of ROEs multiple process behavioral facilitation after nonreinforcement, and behavioral transient inhibition after reinforcement.     

Soft tissue artefacts of skin markers on the lower limb during cycling: Effects of joint angles and pedal resistance

Soft tissue artefacts (STA) are a major error source in skin marker-based measurement of human movement, and are difficult to eliminate non-invasively. The current study quantified in vivo the STA of skin markers on the thigh and shank during cycling, and studied the effects of knee angles and pedal resistance by using integrated 3D fluoroscopy and stereophotogrammetry. Fifteen young healthy adults performed stationary cycling with and without pedal resistance, while the marker data were measured using a motion capture system, and the motions of the femur and tibia/fibula were recorded using a bi-plane fluoroscopy-to-CT registration method. The STAs with respect to crank and knee angles over the pedaling cycle, as well as the within-cycle variations, were obtained and compared between resistance conditions. The thigh markers showed greater STA than the shank ones, the latter varying linearly with adjacent joint angles, the former non-linearly with greater within-cycle variability. Both STA magnitudes and within-cycle variability were significantly affected by pedal resistance (p < 0.05). The STAs appeared to be composed of one component providing the stable and consistent STA patterns and another causing their variations. Mid-segment markers experienced smaller STA ranges than those closer to a joint, but tended to have greater variations primarily associated with pedal resistance and muscle contractions. The current data will be helpful for a better choice of marker positions for data collection, and for developing methods to compensate for both stable and variation components of the STA.     

不同比例尺DEM数据对森林生态类型划分精度的影响

针对以辽东山区森林生态类型划分的需求,探讨了所需DEM数据的最低精度要求,通过对比试验和Kappa检验,得到1：10000比例尺DEM是划分辽东山区森林生态类型的较佳数据源。通过实践工作和对比试验研究,本文总结了针对ELT划分的需求,进行地形图扫描矢量化生成DEM数据过程中需要解决的关键技术问题,提出了等高线矢量化中纠错的有效方法,采用TOPOGRID命令生成了更符合客观地形状况的DEM数据,解决了生态分类系统中的关键性技术问题,该技术方法具有普遍性。     

Effects of density on displacement, falls, injuries, and orientation during horse transportation(1)

Three groups of slaughter-type horses, totaling 30 mares and 29 geldings, were used to determine density effects on displacement (distance moved during a stop), falls, injuries, and orientation using a single-deck, open-topped commercial semi-trailer. Each horse was assigned to one of two treatments: high density (1.28 m(2)/horse with 14 horses) or low density (2.23 m(2)/horse with eight horses). Both treatments occurred sequentially on the same day (treatment order was alternated each trial), using the middle 2.44x7.32 m compartment of a large semi-tractor trailer. The horses were transported for two laps around a 7.28-km course, averaging 25 min and 36+/-89 s. Each lap consisted of two 60 degrees turns, four 90 degrees turns, two 120 degrees turns, one 180 degrees turn, six hard brakes, and six rapid accelerations, which were more severe than conditions usually experienced in commercial transport. Displacement, falls, and orientation were recorded for each horse using overhead video cameras. Average displacement between the two densities was not different (P=0.47). The proportion of horses that fell in the high-density treatment (40%) was greater (P=0.046) than the low-density treatment (17%). The proportion of horses injured was greater (P=0.006) in high density (64%) than low density (29%). However, there was not a significant difference in the average severity of injury for the high-density treatment (1.77) versus the low-density treatment (0.92), P=0.48. Overall, the horses did not show a preference (P=0.38) for facing toward (47.5%) or away (40.7%) from the direction of travel and orientation did not differ (P0.18) between the high and low-density treatments. High stocking density of horses during transport increases the incidence of falls and injuries, and made it more difficult to get up when a subject was floored.     

The effects of temperature on the cytochrome P-450 system of thermally acclimated bluegill

The effects of temperature acclimation at 10, 20 and 30 degrees C on the concentration and activity of the mixed function oxidase system in bluegill are as follows. Liver weight/body weight varied inversely with temperature. Significant (P less than 0.05) differences in concentration of cytochrome P-450 of hepatic microsomes were seen and varied inversely with temperature. Benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase activity tested in vitro at incubation temperatures of 10, 20 and 30 degrees C showed significant differences in Km, but no differences in Vmax. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed some quantitative differences in cytochrome P-450 isozymes between groups.     

The effect of temperature on the orientation of the translocation quadrivalent in barley

The effect of three temperatures on the orientation of the translocation quadrivalent was studied on four different translocation heterozygotes of barley. The alternate orientation decreased while temperature increased, and especially the frequency of discordant (elliptic) orientation increased. The proportion of alternate orientation was extremely low, in these four translocations, at high temperature. The four translocation heterozygotes differed significantly from one another at low and medium temperature. The proportion of configurations with alternate orientation was significantly lower in late MI in comparison with early MI. It is proposed that the change in the proportion of the translocation configuration with different orientations during MI is due to some relationship between the number of active centromeres and the number of the relevant chiasmata which oppose the force exerted by the poles. Accordingly, rings with concordant adjacent orientation will separate earlier than alternate, and elliptic quadrivalents with only two active centromeres will be the last to separate.     

Use of dual Euler angles to quantify the three-dimensional joint motion and its application to the ankle joint complex

This paper presents a modified Euler angles method, dual Euler angles approach, to describe general spatial human joint motions. In dual Euler angles approach, the three-dimensional joint motion is considered as three successive screw motions with respect to the axes of the moving segment coordinate system; accordingly, the screw motion displacements are represented by dual Euler angles. The algorithm for calculating dual Euler angles from coordinates of markers on the moving segment is also provided in this study. As an example, the proposed method is applied to describe motions of ankle joint complex during dorsiflexion–plantarflexion. A Flock of Birds electromagnetic tracking device (FOB) was used to measure joint motion in vivo. Preliminary accuracy tests on a gimbal structure demonstrate that the mean errors of dual Euler angles evaluated by using source data from FOB are less than 1° for rotations and 1 mm for translations, respectively. Based on the pilot study, FOB is feasible for quantifying human joint motions using dual Euler angles approach.     

The effects of sublethal concentrations of five organophosphorus insecticides on temperature tolerance, reflexes, and orientation in Gambusia affinis affinis (Pisces: Poeciliidae)

Gambusia affinis were exposed to the insecticides ABATE®, fenthion, chlorpyrifos, methyl parathion, and malathion for 24 h at concentrations of 1, 5, and 10 ppb and for 48 h at 5 ppb. The thermal tolerance was lowered significantly for male and female G. affinis by the toxicants methyl parathion and chlorpyrifos at 5 and 10 ppb with 24 h exposure. Activity was restricted with fish exposed to methyl parathion and chlorpyrifos at concentrations of 10 ppb for 24 h and at 5 ppb for 48 h.