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Background Electrical stimulation has been employed as a safe and effective therapy for improving arm function after stroke. Contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation (CCFES) is a unique method that has progressed from application in small feasibility studies to implementation in several randomized controlled trials. However, no meta-analysis has been conducted to summarize its efficacy. Objective To summarize the effect size of CCFES through measures of upper extremity motor recovery compared with that of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). Methods The PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected and subjected to meta-analysis and risk of bias assessment. Results 6 RCTs were selected and 267 participants were included. The Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer assessment (UEFMA) was included in all studies, the Box and Blocks test (BBT) and active range of motion (AROM) were included in 3 and 4 studies, respectively. The modified Barthel Index (mBI) and Arm Motor Abilities Test (AMAT) were included in 2 and 3 studies, respectively. The CCFES group demonstrated greater improvement than the NMES did in UEFMA (SMD = .42, 95% CI = .07–.76), BBT (SMD = .48, 95% CI = .10–.86), AROM (SMD = .54, 95% CI = .23–.86), and mBI (SMD = .54, 95% CI = .12–.97). However, the results for AMAT did not differ significantly (SMD = .34, 95% CI = −.03–.72). Conclusion Contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation produced greater improvements in upper extremity hemiplegia in people with stroke than NMES did. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021245831

This study evaluated the performance of children with learning problems in Taiwan by using the Taiwan Data Bank of Persons with Disability.We included 3854 children (2343 males, 1511 females; mean [SD] age 9y 11mo [2y 4mo]) with specific learning disorder (SLD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, epilepsy, or intellectual disabilities for analysis. We used the Functioning Scale of the Disability Evaluation System-Child version to investigate performance at follow-up for at least 3 years.These participants demonstrated improvement across all the domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Health, and Disability including for mobility, learning, social participation, and daily living. The children with SLD (p=0.3) and epilepsy (p=0.442) did not demonstrate significant improvement in learning, whereas those with ADHD (p0.001), autism (p0.001), and intellectual disabilities (p0.001) did. The children with epilepsy displayed the most impairment and least improvement.This cross-diagnostic study of learning problems indicated the children with autism or ADHD received more structural education. However, education strategies for those with SLD or epilepsy required improvement. Finally, SLD is possibly underdiagnosed in children, and children with epilepsy are affected in multiple aspects.Specific learning disorder (SLD), ADHD, autism, epilepsy, and intellectual disability can cause learning problems in children. Children with ADHD and autism showed more improvement in academic performance. SLD has been neglected and underdiagnosed, resulting in poor improvement. Children with epilepsy have multiple impairments and exhibited minimal improvement.Movilidad y desempeño educativo y social de niños con problemas de aprendizaje en Taiwán: un estudio de seguimiento de 3 años OBJETIVO: Este estudio evaluó el desempeño de los niños con problemas de aprendizaje en Taiwán utilizando el Banco de Datos de Personas con Discapacidad de Taiwán. MÉTODO: Para el análisis incluimos 3854 niños (2343 varones, 1511 mujeres; edad media [DE] 9 años 11 meses [2 años 4 meses]) con trastorno específico del aprendizaje (SLD), trastorno por déficit de atención/hiperactividad (TDAH), autismo, epilepsia, o trastornos intelectuales. Utilizamos la Escala de Funcionamiento del Sistema de Evaluación de la Discapacidad-versión infantil para investigar el desempeño en el seguimiento durante al menos 3 años. RESULTADOS: Estos participantes demostraron una mejora en todos los dominios de la Clasificación Internacional del Funcionamiento, de la Discapacidad, y de la Salud (CIF) incluida la movilidad, el aprendizaje, la participación social y la vida diaria. Los niños con SLD (p = 0,3) y epilepsia (p = 0,442) no demostraron una mejora significativa en el aprendizaje, mientras que aquellos con TDAH (p 0,001), autismo (p 0,001) y discapacidad intelectual (p 0,001) sí lo hicieron. Los niños con epilepsia mostraron el mayor deterioro y la menor mejora. INTERPRETACIÓN: Este estudio de desempeño en niños con distintos diagnósticos indicó que los niños con autismo o TDAH recibieron una educación más estructural. Sin embargo, las estrategias educativas para las personas con SLD o epilepsia requerían mejoras. Finalmente, la SLD posiblemente esta poco diagnosticada en niños, y los niños con epilepsia se ven afectados en múltiples aspectos del desempeño.Mobilidade e desempenho educacional e social das crianças com dificuldades de aprendizagem em Taiwan: Um estudo de acompanhamento de 3 anos OBJETIVO: Este estudo avaliou o desempenho de crianças com problemas de aprendizagem usando o Banco de Dados de Pessoas com Deficiência em Taiwan. MÉTODO: Foram incluídas 3.854 crianças (2.343 homens, 1.511 mulheres; idade média [SD] de 9 anos e 11 meses [2 anos e 4 meses] com transtorno específico de aprendizagem (TEA), transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade (TDAH), autismo, epilepsia ou deficiência intelectual para análise. Utilizou-se uma Escala de Funcionamento do Sistema de Avaliação de Incapacidade-Criança para investigar o desempenho no acompanhamento por pelo menos 3 anos. RESULTADOS: Esses participantes demonstraram melhora em todos os domínios do Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Saúde e Incapacidade, incluindo para mobilidade, aprendizagem, participação social e vida diária. As crianças com TEA (p = 0,3) e epilepsia (p = 0,442) não apresentaram melhora significativa no aprendizado, enquanto aquelas com TDAH (p 0,001), autismo (p 0,001) e deficiência intelectual (p 0,001) apresentaram melhora significativa. Crianças com epilepsia apresentaram maior comprometimento e menor melhora. INTERPRETAÇÃO: Este estudo de diagnóstico cruzado de problemas de aprendizagem indicou que as crianças com autismo ou TDAH receberam mais educação estrutural. No entanto, as estratégias de educação para aqueles com TEA ou epilepsia exigia melhora. Finalmente, o TEA é possivelmente subdiagnosticado em crianças, e crianças com epilepsia são afetadas em múltiplos aspectos.

It is demonstrated that various combinations of models describing the adsorbed phase volume and the actual amount adsorbed (AAA) can be used to describe the experimental Gibbsian surface excess isotherm data for adsorption of a pure gas. Thus, the resulting AAA isotherm and the other adsorptive properties estimated by this approach can be ambiguous and artificial.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) refers to the symptoms and signs caused by the compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. It can be treated by corticosteroid injection into the carpal tunnel. Two methods for injection have been employed, namely ultrasound-guided and landmark-guided injection. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare these methods in terms of several outcomes. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified, and data collection was completed on 7 October 7, 2020. Results for continuous variables are expressed as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Analyses were performed using RevMan 5.3 software. The analysis included eight RCTs published between 2013 and 2019 with a total of 448 patients. Ultrasound-guided injection yielded more favorable results for the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire, Symptom Severity Scale [SMD = −0.49, 95% CI (−0.74, −0.25), P < 0.0001], Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire, Functional Status Scale [SMD = −0.24, 95% CI (−0.42, −0.06), P = 0.01], distal motor latency [SMD = −0.36, 95% CI (−0.70, −0.02), P = 0.04], and compound muscle action potential [SMD = 0.38, 95% CI (0.16, 0.61), P = 0.0008] . Ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection is recommended for patients with CTS.

Aim The aim of the study was to investigate the risk of stroke in patients with cerebral palsy (CP), based on nationwide data in Taiwan. Method This prospective cohort study was comprised of patients recorded on the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID2005) who had a diagnosis of CP (n=1975) in records between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2007. A comparison group (1:5) drawn from the same database was matched for age and sex (n=9875). Each patient was tracked by data until the development of stroke or the end of 2008. Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the hazard ratios after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Results Patients with CP were more likely to suffer stroke than the comparison population, after adjusting for potential confounding factors (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.74–2.69). The hazard ratio of stroke was 4.78 (95% CI: 3.18–7.17) and 1.57 (95% CI: 1.20–2.05) for patients with CP aged 50 years and under, and over 50 years respectively. Interpretation Cerebral palsy is a risk factor or marker for stroke that is independent of traditional stroke risk factors. Further research in this area is warranted.

This paper proposes an uneven block-sized information included marker (UBIIM) in the use of JPEG 2000 to achieve both compression efficiency and error resilience capability. Included in the UBIIM approach is the marker adopted in JPEG 2000 devised to incorporate also error detection and correction capabilities. The UBIIM consists of VS Index and TR Index, where VS Index is used to indicate a value support block, one of the neighboring blocks of the erroneous block of which the pixel values will be most similar as the erroneous block. TR Index is used to indicate a texture reference block, the block in the corresponding position of the erroneous block in the same subband of one-higher level of which the pixel value distribution is similar as the erroneous block. When errors occur, a new block is formed to replace the erroneous block by value support block and texture reference block, to achieve error concealment. The sizes of the blocks in UBIIM are determined based on the importance factor of various levels of subbands, that is, different levels have different block sizes. With such approach, the possible overhead due to the addition of markers between every two blocks could be dramatically reduced, while error resilience capability significantly improved.

The aim of this study was to investigate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) as risk factors for stroke. The study was analyzed by Using the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID2005), this cohort study investigated patients with a recorded diagnosis of RA (N = 6114) and SLE (N = 621) between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007, with age-matched controls (1:4) (for RA, N = 24456; SLE, N = 2484). We used Cox proportional-hazard regressions to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs) after adjusting confounding factors. Our study found 383 of 6114 RA patients, experienced stroke during the 20267 person-year follow-up period. The adjusted HR of stroke for RA patients was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.39) and for SLE patients was 1.88 (95% CI, 1.08 to 3.27). When steroid was added as additional confounding factor, the adjusted HR of ischemic stroke for RA patients was 1.32 (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.50) and for SLE patients was 1.31 (95% CI, 0.51 to 3.34). In conclusion, the rheumatic diseases of RA and SLE are all risk factors for stroke. After controlled the effect of steroid prescription, RA is risk factor for ischemic stroke.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk of adhesive capsulitis among hyperthyroidism patients. The data were obtained from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID 2005) in Taiwan, using 1 million participants and a prospective population-based 7-year cohort study of survival analysis. The ambulatory-care claim records of patients diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes relating to hyperthyroidism between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007, were obtained. The prevalence and the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of adhesive capsulitis among hyperthyroid patients and the control group were estimated. Of 4472 hyperthyroid patients, 162 (671/100 000 person-years) experienced adhesive capsulitis during the 24 122 person-year follow-up period. The crude HR of stroke was 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.49), which was larger than that of the control group. The adjusted HR of developing adhesive capsulitis was 1.22 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.45) for hyperthyroid patients during the 7-year follow-up period, which achieved statistical significance. The results of our large-scale longitudinal population-based study indicated that hyperthyroidism is an independent risk factor of developing adhesive capsulitis.

Introduction Rupture of the distal musculotendinous junction of the medial head of the gastrocnemius, also known as "tennis leg", can be readily examined using a soft tissue ultrasound. Loss of muscle fiber continuity and the occurrence of bloody fluid accumulation can be observed using ultrasound with the patient in the prone position; however, some cases may have normal ultrasound findings in this conventional position. We report a case of a middle-aged man with tennis leg. Ultrasound examination had normal findings during the first two attempts. During the third attempt, with the patient's calf muscles examined in an unconventional knee flexed position, sonographic findings resembling tennis leg were detected. Case presentation A 60-year-old man in good health visited our rehabilitation clinic complaining of left calf muscle pain. On suspicion of a ruptured left medial head gastrocnemius muscle, a soft tissue ultrasound examination was performed. An ultrasound examination revealed symmetrical findings of bilateral calf muscles without evidence of muscle rupture. A roentgenogram of the left lower limb did not reveal any bony lesions. An ultrasound examination one week later also revealed negative sonographic findings. However, he still complained of persistent pain in his left calf area. A different ultrasound examination approach was then performed with the patient lying in the supine position with his knee flexed at 90 degrees. The transducer was then placed pointing upwards to examine the muscles and well-defined anechoic fluid collections with areas of hypoechoic surroundings were observed. Conclusion For patients suffering from calf muscle area pain and suspicion of tennis leg, a soft tissue ultrasound is a simple tool to confirm the diagnosis. However, in the case of negative sonographic findings, we recommend trying a different positional approach to examine the calf muscles by ultrasound before the diagnosis of tennis leg can be ruled out.

A closed-loop local-global integrated hierarchical estimator (CLGIHE) approach for object tracking using multiple cameras is proposed. The Kalman filter is used in both the local and global estimates. In contrast to existing approaches where the local and global estimations are performed independently, the proposed approach combines local and global estimates into one for mutual compensation. Consequently, the Kalman-filter-based data fusion optimally adjusts the fusion gain based on environment conditions derived from each local estimator. The global estimation outputs are included in the local estimation process. Closed-loop mutual compensation between the local and global estimations is thus achieved to obtain higher tracking accuracy. A set of image sequences from multiple views are applied to evaluate performance. Computer simulation and experimental results indicate that the proposed approach successfully tracks objects.