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Various injectants are available for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. This systematic review and network meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of different injection therapies in alleviating the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Various databases were searched for relevant studies from inception until May 10, 2023. Eligible studies were identified using the patient (P), intervention (I), comparison (C), and outcomes (O) model, which involved (P) participants with carpal tunnel syndrome, (I) an intervention based on injection therapy, (C) the use of placebo or another injectant as a control treatment, and (O) the measurement of clinical and electrodiagnostic outcomes of interest. A total of 18 studies were included in the analysis. The network meta-analysis revealed that platelet-rich plasma is effective in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome in terms of symptom and pain relief and functional improvement in both the short and long term, whereas steroids are effective only in the short term. Additionally, injections of dextrose solution may offer long-term pain relief as well as short- and long-term symptom alleviation and functional improvement. The study findings suggest that platelet-rich plasma should be used as the first-line treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, with dextrose and steroids serving as alternative treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the effects of customized 3D-printed assistive technology (AT) on functional performance and feasibility in patients with neurological impairment. Patients with neurological impairment were recruited and randomized into customized 3D-printed assistive device group (group 1; n = 17) or standard device group (group 2; n = 14). The device was designed to assist their writing, spoon using, and typing. Each patient underwent 4-week intervention with the device (30 min per session, twice a week). We observed significant differences in shoulder abduction (p =.00), external rotation (p =.01), and internal rotation (p =.02) in group 1. And significant differences in abduction (p =.05) and external rotation (p =.05) between the 2 groups. Group 1 achieved significant improvements in writing without AT (p =.04) and with AT (p =.02), spoon use without AT (p =.02) and with AT (p =.03), and hemiplegia-side typing with AT (p =.00). Group 2 achieved significant improvements in writing without AT (p =.01), hemiplegia-side typing without AT (p =.01), and bil-side typing with AT (P =.05). Moreover, no significant differences were noted in other outcome measures. This study demonstrated that customized 3D-printed AT can improve shoulder active motion for patients with neurological impairment. A positive effect in functional hand tasks after AT intervention. Offering customized AT with specific training could enhance the efficacy of interventions. The feasibility of using 3D printing technology to produce customized AT, which has the potential to be cost-effective and efficient. 3D-printed assistive device incorporating a splint can improve shoulder active motion compared to conventional assistive device for patients with neurological impairment. A positive effect in functional hand tasks after assistive device intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern field programmable gate arrays like Altera's Stratix Series have adopted the adaptive logic module (ALM) structure due to its potential performance and area advantages. An ALM can implement a single logic function or can be fractured into two smaller lookup tables (LUTs). In this paper, we propose an ALM mapping algorithm, ALMmap, for area minimization with bounded depth. We revamp the traditional iterative cut-based mapping flow and introduce a procedure for bounded depth mapping generation with dynamic area recovery that effectively combines cut selection, mapping, and area recovery together. In addition, we introduce a new procedure for computing cut set for ALM minimization under a depth constraint. The notion of area flow which has been used successfully for cut selection to reduce LUT count is revised for cut selection to reduce ALM count. ALMmap obtains depth optimal solutions that are 25.6% and 11.6% smaller, on average, than those produced by a classical mapper and WireMap, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We propose a power-driven flip-flop (FF) merging and relocation approach that can be applied after conventional timing-driven placement and before clock network synthesis. It targets to reduce the clock network size and thus the clock power consumption while controlling the switching power of the nets connected to the FFs by selectively merging FFs into multibit FFs and relocating them under timing and placement density constraints. The experimental results are very encouraging. For a set of benchmarks, our approach reduced the switching capacitance of clock network by 36%–43% after gated clock tree synthesis. Finally, the total switching capacitance of clock network and nets connected to the FFs is reduced by 24%–29%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional-printed assistive devices hold promise for improving writing abilities, yet factors influencing device selection and their impact on satisfaction and effectiveness remain unclear, especially in adults, as they are typically tested on children. The aim of this article is to assess the efficacy and satisfaction with a writing assistive device at different angles among individuals with brain injury and explore device selection factors. Twenty-six participants with brain injuries selected their preferred device angle. Writing speed, quality, and satisfaction were recorded. Immediate speed improvements were significant at 5° and 30° ( p = .006, .013, respectively). Satisfaction scores did not significantly differ among angles. Normotonia in elbow ( p < .001; odds ratio: 3.403) and wrist ( p ≤ .001; odds ratio: 2.695) muscles increased the likelihood of selecting the 5° device. Immediate speed improvements at specific angles highlight the influence of muscle normotonia on device selection, vital for tailored brain injury rehabilitation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.