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The study aims to investigate if low-level laser therapy (LLLT) combined with eccentric exercises could more effectively treat patellar tendinopathy than LLLT alone and eccentric exercises alone. Twenty-one patients with patellar tendinopathy were randomized to three groups: laser alone, exercise alone, or laser plus exercise, with seven in each group. Laser irradiations were administered at the inferior pole of the patella and the two acupoints of Extra 36 (Xiyan) with the intensity of1592 mW/cm². Eccentric training program consisted of three sets of 15 repetitions of unilateral squat on level ground. All patients received six treatments per week for four weeks. Knee pain and function and quadriceps muscle strength and endurance were evaluated at baseline and the end of treatment. After the 4-week intervention, all groups showed significant improvements in all the outcomes (P < 0.01). The laser + exercise group had significantly greater improvements in all the outcomes than the other two groups (P < 0.05), except nonsignificant difference in pain relief between the laser + exercise group and the laser group. In conclusion, LLLT combined with eccentric exercises is superior to LLLT alone and eccentric exercises alone to reduce pain and improve function in patients with patellar tendinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacies of laser acupunctures with different laser irradiation doses for body weight loss and body fat reduction in obese persons. Twentyeight subjects with simple obesity were divided into four groups receiving laser acupunctures at 0, 358, 478, and 597 J/cm2, respectively, which were applied to the acupoints of Cv 8, St 25, and Sp 15, six times per week for four weeks. Body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), body fat mass (BFM), body fat percent, waist girth, hip girth, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured before and after treatment. The laser groups receiving 358 and 597 J/cm² showed significant reductions in BW, BMI, BFM, waist girth, hip girth, and WHR after treatment compared with the placebo group. The percent reductions of BFM in the laser groups receiving 358 and 597 J/cm² were 4.29% and 3.94%, respectively, and the corresponding values of BW were 1.99% and 1.63%, respectively. In conclusion, laser acupuncture could reduce body fat mass and lower body weight in a dose-dependent manner in obese persons. Among the doses of 358, 478, and 597 J/cm2, both the 358 and 597 J/cm² doses were effective in the 4-week trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground and Objective:The effect of photobiomodulation on delayed onset muscle soreness remains unknown. This study represents the first investigation of this treatment using an animal model. Methods:Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: sedentary control group, exercise control group and three exercise-plus-laser groups. Downhill running was used to induce muscle injury in the gastrocnemius muscle. He-Ne laser irradiations were administered to the injured muscles immediately and at 18 and 42 h after exercise in the three exercise-plus-laser groups at 12, 28, and 43 J/cm2, respectively. Histological examination and serum creatine kinase (CK), muscle superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) analyses were done at 24 and 48 h after exercise. Results:The exercise control group exhibited a marked inflammation in the gastrocnemius muscle and significant elevations in serum CK activity and muscle MDA level after downhill running. He-Ne laser irradiation at 43 J/cm2inhibited muscle inflammation, significantly enhanced muscle SOD activity and significantly reduced serum CK activity and muscle MDA level at both 24 and 48 h after exercise, whereas the irradiation at 12 or 28 J/cm2slightly inhibited muscle inflammation and significantly reduced serum CK activity at 48 h after exercise only (P < 0.05). Conclusions:Low-level He-Ne laser therapy could exert therapeutic effects on eccentric exercise-induced rat muscle injury through enhancing muscle anti-oxidative capacity and reducing the inflammatory reaction. The photobiomodulation was dose-dependent, and the 43 J/cm2dose was the most efficient among the doses used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a retrospective study which validates the efficacy of PUTH classification in the surgical treatment of cervical dumbbell tumors. PUTH classification included seven categories and two foraminal modifiers. Results show that PUTH classification covers all the types of tumor and is easier to remember. It also mentions that the use of PUTH classification is practical for the determination of surgical approach.

This study conducts the mid-long term predictions and assesses the multi-year average offshore wind energy in the China seas for the next five years based on CMIP5 wind data, in hope of providing reference for the long term prediction of wind energy. Results show that (1) large areas with multi-year average wind power densities (WPD) greater than 350 W/m² are mainly found throughout the Ryukyu Islands and the Taiwan and Luzon Straits in the southeastern area of the Indo-China Peninsula. (2) From 2015-2019, the WPD in the Bohai Sea, Taiwan Strait and Beibu Gulf will be lower than the multi-year average level and thus will be similar to the multi-year average in the Yellow Sea and Gulf of Thailand but greater than the multi-year average in the East China Sea and South China Sea. (3) The predicted occurrences of exploitable wind speeds of the East China Sea and South China Sea are promising for the next five years, exceeding 60%. A value above 40% is predicted for the Yellow Sea, and a lower value is anticipated for the Bohai Sea. (4) The predicted occurrences of WPD > 50 W/m² are more promising for the next five years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore a prediction method for freak waves, a theoretical derivation is given to calculate the eigenvalue of the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation from measured wave height time history data based on the inverse scattering transform of the third-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The method further predicts the temporal and spatial evolution of the wave envelope. Based on the envelope prediction results, the spatiotemporal information for large wave occurrence can be obtained. The prediction results of this paper are compared with measured wave trains to verify the validity and accuracy of the method. This method gives a new technical approach for providing large-wave warnings for ships or offshore platforms, as well as for finding periods for offshore operations under large wave conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is widely used in the treatment of cervical degenerative disease; however, the variation of cervical sagittal alignment changes after ACDF has been rarely explored. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between changes of cervical sagittal alignment after ACDF and spino-pelvic sagittal alignment under Roussouly classification.Methods: A cohort of 133 Chinese cervical spondylotic patients who received ACDF from 2011 to 2012 was recruited. All patients were categorized with Roussouly Classification. Lateral X-ray images of global spine were obtained, and preoperative and postoperative parameters were measured and analyzed, including C2-C7 angles (C2-C7), C0-C7 angles (C0-C7), external auditory meatus (EAM) tilt, sacral slope (SS), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), spinal sacral angles (SSA), Superior adjacent inter-vertebral angle (SAIV), inferior adjacent inter-vertebral angle (IAIV) and et al. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for intragroup comparisons preoperatively and at postoperative 48 months.Results: Among the parameters, C2-C7 and C0-C7 showed significant increase, while EAM TK, and IAIV decreased significantly. In type I, EAM and TK decreased significantly, however SS showed a significant increase; in type II, TK showed a significant decrease, but SSA showed a significant increase; in type III, a significant increase of C0-C7 was observed with a significant decrease in EAM, nevertheless, LL, SS and SSA showed significant decreases; and in type IV, C2-C7 showed a significant increase and EAM decreased significantly. The percentage of lordotic alignment in cervical spine increased, which was presenting in type I, III and IV. Nevertheless, the amount of patients with straight cervical alignment increased in type II.Conclusion: The backward movement of head occurs is the compensatory mechanism in cervical sagittal alignment modifications after ACDF. The compensatory alteration of spino-pelvic sagittal alignment varied in different Roussouly type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : Lumbar spinal stenosis is conventionally treated with surgical decompression. However, bilateral decompression and laminectomy is more invasive and may not be necessary for lumbar stenosis patients with unilateral radiculopathy. We aimed to report the outcomes of unilateral laminectomy and bilateral pedicle screw fixation with fusion for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and unilateral radiculopathy. Methods : Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis with unilateral lower extremity radiculopathy who received limited unilateral decompression and bilateral pedicle screw fixation were included and evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS) pain and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores preoperatively and at follow-up visits. Ligamentum flavum thickness of the involved segments was measured on axial magnetic resonance images. Results : Twenty-five patients were included. The mean preoperative VAS score was 6.6±1.6 and 4.6±3.1 for leg and back pain, respectively. Ligamentum flavum thickness was comparable between the symptomatic and asymptomatic side (p=0.554). The mean follow-up duration was 29.2 months. The pain in the symptomatic side lower extremity (VAS score, 1.32±1.2) and the back (VAS score, 1.75±1.73) significantly improved (p=0.000 vs. baseline for both). The ODI improved significantly postoperatively (6.60±6.5; p=0.000 vs. baseline). Significant improvement in VAS pain and ODI scores were observed in patients receiving single or multi-segment decompression fusion with fixation (p<0.01). Conclusion : Limited laminectomy and unilateral spinal decompression followed by bilateral pedicle screw fixation with fusion achieves satisfactory outcomes in patients with spinal stenosis and unilateral radiculopathy. This procedure is less damaging to structures that are important for maintaining posterior stability of the spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant expression of various microRNAs (miRNA) has shown diagnostic and prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). qRT-PCR analysis confirmed altered expression of miR-125a-5p, let-7e, miR-30a, miR-30e and miR-30e-3p in 70 paired tissue and serum samples from NSCLC patients. The reduced expression of miR-125a-5p, let-7e and miR-30e was strongly associated with NSCLC dedifferentiation. The lost expression of miR-125a-5p and let-7e was associated with shorter overall survival and let-7e was an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC patients. These five miRNA expressions should be further evaluated as biomarkers for the early detection and prognosis of NSCLC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design. Fight cases of fibrous dysplasia (FD) of the mobile spine treated surgically at the same center were retrospectively reviewed. Objective. The study focuses on the issues concerning the diagnosis of FD and the outcome of conventional surgical techniques (resection or curettage) and vertebroplasty in the treatment of spinal FD lesions. Summary of Background Data. Surgical excision or curettage is considered the standard treatment of spinal FD, whereas vertebroptasty is also performed occasionally. Methods. Between January 2005 and October 2010, 8 consecutive patients with spinal FD underwent conventional surgery (6 cases) or combined with vertebroplasty (2 cases). Before surgery, 4 patients underwent percutaneous computed tomography-guided biopsy whereas 3 had incorrect histopathological diagnosis. In each of the 8 cases, the final pathological diagnosis was established after their open surgery. Results. Pain relief was observed postoperatively in all patients Three patients with neurological impairment became symptom- free after surgery. No cement extravasation was observed. Screw loosening and allograft resorption were observed in 1 case each Signs of radiological improvement (filling of lytic lesions or thickening of the bone cortex surrounding the lesions) were not detected in any case. Conclusion. The radiological features of spinal FD may be atypical. The rate of correct preoperative pathological diagnosis by compute tomography-guided biopsy was low for patients with suspected spinal FD. Vertebroplasty is probably a valuable therapeutic option for spinal FD with pathological fractures. Limited decompression and stability with vertebroplasty might be recommended for patients with neurological deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]