Effect of toe box size on basketball-specific movement performance.

Purpose: While an expanded toe box (TB) design offers notable benefits for foot health in basketball players, its impact on movement performance remains insufficiently elucidated. This study aimed to explore this relationship and inform the development of advanced shoe designs.

Methods: We conducted a controlled laboratory study with a within-subject crossover design.

Dynamic Changes of Longitudinal Arch Work Are Related to Energy Expenditure During Long-Distance Running.

Purpose: The medial longitudinal arch of the foot plays a role in energy storage and release during running; however, the relationship between its dynamic mechanical behavior and energy expenditure remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between changes in the mechanical work of the longitudinal arch and the energy expenditure during prolonged running.

Methods: 16 male athletes or sports enthusiasts participated in a 60-min treadmill running trial at a constant speed of 10 km/h.

Effects of infrapatellar straps on lower limb muscle synergies during running.

Infrapatellar straps are commonly recommended for treating and preventing running-related knee injuries, and their effects have been investigated at the level of individual muscles. However, the use of straps may influence the neuromuscular control strategies of the knee, and the nervous system controls numerous muscles modularly through muscle synergy. This study aimed to investigate the effects of infrapatellar straps on muscle synergies during running.

Estimation of Ankle Joint Moment From Plantar Pressure Through an Optimized Sensor Layout Using Genetic Algorithm and Deep Forest Regression.

Objective: Ankle joint moments are critical in gait analysis, with accurate assessments typically necessitating complex inverse dynamics modeling. Pressure insoles are widely used wearable devices that have shown feasibility in estimating joint angles. However, achieving cost-effective, high-precision estimation of ankle joint moment remains challenging.

Quantifying Quadriceps Forces during Running Performed with and without Infrapatellar Straps.

Running-related knee injuries are associated with high and repetitive quadriceps contractions. Infrapatellar straps are commonly recommended for the prevention and management of those injuries. The effects of infrapatellar straps have been investigated in terms of quadriceps activations.

A retrospective cohort study on enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in patients with diabetic foot ulcer.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been successfully integrated into a diverse array of surgical fields to improve the quality and efficacy of treatment intervention. Nonetheless, the application of the ERAS protocol for patients with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) subsequent to undergoing surgical procedures has not been previously explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of an enhanced recovery protocol on perioperative outcomes in patients with DFU following surgical procedures.

Texture differences of microchambers and macrochambers in heel pads between the elderly with and without diabetes.

Objective: This study aims to use the texture analysis of ultrasound images to distinguish the features of microchambers (a superficial thinner layer) and macrochambers (a deep thicker layer) in heel pads between the elderly with and without diabetes, so as to preliminarily explore whether texture analysis can identify the potential injury characteristics of deep tissue under the influence of diabetes before the obvious injury signs can be detected in clinical management.

Methods: Ultrasound images were obtained from the right heel (dominant leg) of eleven elderly people with diabetes (DM group) and eleven elderly people without diabetes (Non-DM group). The TekScan system was used to measure the peak plantar pressure (PPP) of each participant.

Adaptive Changes in Longitudinal Arch During Long-distance Running.

This study investigates the biomechanical adaptations of the longitudinal arch (LA) in long-distance runners, focusing on changes in stiffness, angle, and moment during a 60-minute run. Twenty runners participated in this experiment, and were asked to run at a speed of 2.7 m·s for 60 minutes.

Exposure to mixtures of PM components and term premature rupture of membranes: a case-crossover study in Shijiazhuang, China.

This study aims to explore the acute effects of short-term exposure to PM components and their mixture on PROM. Counts of hospital admissions due to PROM were collected at the Fourth Hospital of Shijiazhuang. The associations between the PROM and PM components was examined using a time-stratified case-crossover approach.

IL-33/ST2L signaling alleviates diabetic nephropathy by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis.

Objective: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious chronic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is an important factor in the regulation of pathological processes in DN, and excessive ER stress can lead to apoptosis. Although the IL-33/ST2 axis is known to be involved in diabetic kidney disease or related nephropathy, its role and molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood in terms of DN.

Identification and validation of potential hypoxia-related genes associated with coronary artery disease.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most life-threatening cardiovascular emergencies with high mortality and morbidity. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that the degree of hypoxia is closely associated with the development and survival outcomes of CAD patients. However, the role of hypoxia in CAD has not been elucidated.

Construction of the panoptosis-related gene model and characterization of tumor microenvironment infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common fatal cancer worldwide, patients with HCC have a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. PANoptosis is a novel discovery of programmed cell death associated with cancer development. However, the role of PANoptosis in HCC remains obscure.

Multiple blood flow surges during intermittent pneumatic compression: The origins and their implications.

Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) therapy has been used to enhance peripheral blood flow for prevention and rehabilitation of ischemic-related vascular diseases. A novel phenomenon has been reported that multiple blood flow surges appeared in the skin blood flow signal during each compression, but its mechanism has not been fully revealed. This study aimed to gain insights into the origins of these blood flow surges through experiment and biomechanical modeling methods.

The Biomechanics Effect of Hamstring Flexibility on the Risk of Osgood-Schlatter Disease.

Background: The relationship between hamstring flexibility and the risk of OSD continues to be a debate, and whether hamstring stretching exercises should be considered as one of the conservative treatments of OSD is still unclear.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between hamstring flexibility and the risk of OSD by assessing the changes of loading on the tibial tuberosity caused by the changes of hamstring optimal lengths.

Methods: Experimental data of a young adult running at 4 m/s were used, which were collected by an eight-camera motion capture system together with an instrumented treadmill.

Relationship Between Plantar Tissue Hardness and Plantar Pressure Distributions in People With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

People with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are usually accompanied with increased plantar pressure. Such high plantar loading during daily activities may cause changes in the biomechanical properties of plantar soft tissue, whose viability is critical to the development of foot ulcers. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between plantar tissue hardness and plantar pressure in people with and without DPN, and preliminarily explore the influence of plantar loading patterns on the plantar pressure and tissue hardness.

Effect of Exercise Volume on Plantar Microcirculation and Tissue Hardness in People With Type 2 Diabetes.

Exercise has been reported to be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), but exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise, may increase the risk of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). This study aimed to explore the associations between different volumes of weight-bearing physical activities and plantar microcirculation and tissue hardness in people with T2DM. 130 elderly people with T2DM were enrolled for this cross-sectional study.

Effect of Vibration on Alleviating Foot Pressure-Induced Ischemia under Occlusive Compression.

Objectives: Foot ulcers often occur in people with diabetes because of pressure-induced tissue ischemia. Vibration has been reported to be helpful in alleviating mechanical damage and promoting wound healing. The objective of this study is to explore whether vibration can relieve reactive hyperemia in foot tissue under occlusive compression.

Effect of intermittent pneumatic compression with different inflation pressures on the distal microvascular responses of the foot in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) is commonly used to improve peripheral circulation of the lower extremity. However, its therapeutic dosage for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) at risk for ulcers is not well established. This study explored the effect of IPC with different inflation pressures on the distal microvascular responses of the foot in people with type 2 DM.

Biomechanics of adjacent segment after three-level lumbar fusion, hybrid single-level semi-rigid fixation with two-level lumbar fusion.

Multi-level spinal fusion has been reported in some cases to lead to adjacent segment disease (ASD) and proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) rod fixation system implanted adjacent to a two-level lumbar fusion would have a lower risk of PJK than three-level lumbar fusion, which was investigated by comparing the biomechanical effects on the adjacent level after surgical procedures. Four finite element (FE) models of the lumbar-sacral spine (intact model (INT), L4-S1 fusion model (L4-S1 FUS), L3-S1 fusion model (L3-S1 FUS), and single-level PEEK rod semi-rigid fixation adjacent to L4-S1 fusion model (FUSPRF)) were established.

The effects of different accumulated pressure-time integral stimuli on plantar blood flow in people with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise (e.g. walking), may affect plantar tissue viability due to prolonged repetitive high vertical and high shear pressure stimulus on the plantar tissue, and further induce development of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Estimation of Vibration Characteristics of a Space Manipulator From Air Bearing Supported Test Data.

Space manipulators have attracted much attention due to their implications in on-orbit servicing in recent years. Air bearing based support equipment is widely used for ground test to offset the effect of gravity. However, an air bearing support introduces a new problem caused by additional inertial and mass properties.

Effect of different thermal stimuli on improving microcirculation in the contralateral foot.

Background: The lower extremities of the body often suffer from impaired microcirculation, particularly in the elderly or people with underlying conditions such as diabetes. Especially for people suffering from peripheral vascular diseases, skin lesions or wearing an external fixator in one side of limbs, direct contact treatments are not suitable for them to improve microcirculation. Heating the contralateral limb has been reported to improve blood flow in the impaired limb.

Effects of Local Vibration With Different Intermittent Durations on Skin Blood Flow Responses in Diabetic People.

Poor blood flow supply is an important pathological factor that leads to the development and deterioration of diabetic foot ulcers. This study aims to investigate the acute effects of local vibration with varying intermittent durations on the plantar skin blood flow (SBF) response in diabetic and healthy subjects. Eleven diabetic patients (7 males, 4 females) and 15 healthy adults (6 males, 9 females) participated in this experiment and accepted three tests.

Differences in skin blood flow oscillations between the plantar and dorsal foot in people with diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy.

Background: Understanding the differences in skin blood flow (SBF) on the plantar and dorsal foot in people with diabetes mellitus (DM) may help to assess the influence of diabetes and neuropathy on microvascular dysfunction and risks of diabetic foot ulcers in this population. However, there is no study comparing SBF oscillations between the plantar and dorsal foot in people with DM and peripheral neuropathy (PN).

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare SBF oscillations between the plantar and dorsal foot in people with DM and PN and investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the differences.