ABSTRACT
Objective According to clinical demand of quantification evaluation on flat foot and high arch, an intelligent and rapid method to diagnose arch shape based on principal component analysis (PCA) of plantar pressure is proposed, and its clinic validity is tested. Methods Volunteers diagnozed as abnormal arch and healthy arch were included in this study, and a portable intelligent arch test system was designed and developed. By adopting thin-firm piezoresistive sensor array with 44 rows, 52 columns of sensing units, the system could collect plantar pressure distribution data from the subjects under static standing. Foot axis could be fitted automatically by using the self-programmed PCA, so that foot diagnosis was completed with diagnostic report. The plantar pressure results from the system were compared with those from the existing plantar pressure acquisition device, so as to verify precision of collected data. The accuracy of the diagnosis algorithm for flat foot, high arch and healthy foot was verified through comparison with clinical diagnosis. Results The result of the system had a good correlation with that of the existing plantar pressure acquisition device, the deviation of contact area acquired by the system was smaller than 3.2%, and the angle deviation of the fitted foot axis with clinically defined angel was less than 1°. The system was capable of making diagnosis on arch shape that was 92.6% consistent with the clinical diagnosis. Conclusions PCA is introduced to automatically fit foot axis to achieve the purpose of fast and accurate extraction of foot arch information. The method can be used to assist clinical diagnosis of flat foot and high arch foot, and contribute to quantative analysis on foot arch deformity and its pathogenesis study.
ABSTRACT
Objective For patients with foot drop gait, to design a kind of anterior ankle foot orthosis (AFO) with adjustable stiffness, so as to restore natural gait of the ankle by limiting the patients’ unusual plantar flexion to the optimum extent. Methods The minimum orthodontic moment of 10 foot drop male patients was measured by self-made experimental equipment, which could be used to select optimum material modulus of the AFO. The relationship between elastic modulus and different filling structures and filling ratio parameters was studied by tensile test. A typical patient with foot drop was selected, and the anterior AFO fitting the shape of patient’s foot was quickly made by three-dimensional (3D) printing with foot geometric data and specific filling material, filling structure and filling rate. The kinematics and surface electromyography (sEMG) of plantar flexors were tested under barefoot and wearing two kinds of AFOs, so as to verify the effect of the AFO on plantar flexion. The effectiveness of the limitation and the degree of preservation of ankle valgus and plantar flexion were discussed. Results The minimum corrective torque required for 10 male patients with foot drop was 2.16 N·m. Compared with the rigid AFO, the range of motion (ROM) of plantar flexion and valgus increased by 67.8% and 88.6% respectively with the flexible AFO. The activation of the muscles responsible for plantar flexion (soleus, medial head of gastrocnemius and lateral head of gastrocnemius) also decreased by 38.3%, 46.6% and 55.8%. Conclusions This AFO with adjustable stiffness can be used for orthosis customization of patients with foot drop, providing more effective and long-term orthosis function and potential.
ABSTRACT
Objective To design a kind of customized insole with zonal gradient hardness for people with high arch foot in need of plantar decompression. Methods A functional gradient structure was designed and applied to the customized insole. Porous elements with corresponding elastic modulus were used in different areas of insole. The relationship between structural element parameters and modulus was studied through mechanical tests. The foot geometry and plantar pressure distribution data of volunteers were collected, and the plantar region was divided according to the pressure contour line, so as to assemble the structural unit. Four kinds of customized insoles were designed: ordinary flat insole, optimized flat insole, ordinary full contact insole and optimized full contact insole. Through plantar pressure test experiment, the optimization design of sub region was verified. Results The designed insole could reduce the peak pressure of high arch foot by 52.8% in static standing state and 18.43% in gait condition. Conclusions This method can be used to design customized insoles, such as functional insoles for patients with diabetes and high arch feet, by providing better decompression function. The research findings provide references for conservative treatment of foot diseases with decompression needs.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the differences among contents of quercetin and kaempferol in four kinds of Semen Cuscutae in Shandong province. Methods : Quercetin and kaempferol are determined by HPLC. Results : The contents of both quercetin and kaempferol are lower in four kinds of Semen Cuscutae. The former is within 0.0002% to 0.0502% and the latter varies from 0.0002% to 0.0205%, respectively. In seeds of Cuscuta chinensis Lam., C. japonica Choisy and C.lupuliformis Krocker, quercetin contents are much higher than kaempferol contents. while in seed of C. australis R.Br., by contrast, its quercetin content is lower than kaempferol. The contents of quercetin and kaempferol have close relation with both the variety and the hostplant. Conclusion : HPLC can be used for the quality evaluation of Semen Cuscutae.
ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the characteristics of the gene expression in Cushing′s adrenal corticoadenoma and its associated molecular mechanism. Methods cDNA libraries of human normal adrenal and the adenoma were constructed. Large scale sequencing and bioinformatics were used. Results From the tumor library, 2089 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained with a successful rate of 98.9%. The functional distribution of the known genes in the tumor coincided with that in normal adrenal. Some synthases such as 3bHSDⅡ and P450c17A involved in steroidogenesis were expressed more highly in the adenoma than those in normal adrenal, especially 3bHSDⅡ. By comparison with the expression abundance of genes and statistic analysis, the differences were significant in 45 genes between the tumor and normal adrenal libraries. Interestingly, some genes associated with tumorigenesis, including heat shock protein 90, metallopanstimulin (MPS1), adenine nucleotide translocators etc, were highly expressed in the adenoma. However, those genes related to apoptosis and suppressing proliferation were not found in the tumor library. Conclusion The adenoma shows exuberant activities in steroid synthesis. Not only does the tumor highly express the genes associated with tumorigenesis, but also those related to apoptosis and suppressing proliferation lowly existed in the tumor.