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Dysfunction of hand after stroke can affect patients’ ability to perform daily activities and social ability. This paper developed a flexible hand function rehabilitation robot based on sensory input. First, we designed a flexible external finger muscle based on rope drive, then we designed a special two-way output linear actuator to drive fingers for rehabilitation training. At the same time, we performed vibration stimulation on each finger of the patient and low-frequency electrical stimulation on the patient’s wrist. Sensory stimulation mobilizes the active participation of the brain in rehabilitation training, thereby effectively promoting the rehabilitation effect of fine functions of fingers after stroke. We have completed the hardware design of the flexible hand robot and developed the control software of the flexible hand, thus completing the development of the hand function robot. Finally, experiments were carried out on the use of equipment by using EEG. Experiments show that when the flexible hand robot developed in this paper is used for training, it mobilizes the active participation of the brain in rehabilitation training.

The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of Wuqinxi Qigong vs. stretching on single- and dual-task gait, motor symptoms, and quality of life in people with mild and moderate Parkinson’s disease (PD). This single-blind, randomized control trial included 40 participants with idiopathic PD who were randomized into the Wuqinxi Qigong (WQ) group or stretching group. Participants completed 12 weeks (two sessions/week) of intervention. The primary outcomes were gait parameters when performing single-task (comfortable pace) and dual-task (obstacle crossing, serial-3 subtraction and backward digit span) walking, including gait speed, stride length, and double support percentage. The secondary outcomes were ratings from the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), results of the timed-up-and-go test (TUGT), results of the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (MiniBESTest), and responses from the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). All measures were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The WQ group demonstrated increased gait speed (p = 0.000) during the single task, and increased stride length (p = 0.001, p = 0.021) during the single-task and serial-3 subtraction task. Double support percentage significantly decreased (p = 0.004) in the WQ group during the obstacle crossing task, and also decreased (p = 0.045) in the stretching group during the single-task. TUGT (p = 0.005), MiniBESTest (p = 0.023) and PDQ-39 (p = 0.043) in the WQ group significantly improved, and both groups showed significant improvement in MDS-UPDRS after intervention. Wuqinxi Qigong is an effective method to improve single- and dual-task gait. While both exercises improve motor symptoms, Wuqinxi Qigong results in better mobility, balance and quality of life compared to stretching alone.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluate and quantify the effectiveness of dual-task training on gait parameters, motor symptoms and balance in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Data resources: A systematic review of published literature was conducted until May 2020, using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO and CNKI databases. Methods: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs to evaluate the effects of dual-task training compared with those of non-intervention or other forms of training. The measurements included gait parameters, motor symptoms and balance parameters. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. Outcomes were pooled by calculating between-group mean differences using fixed- or random-effects models based on study heterogeneity. Results: A total of 11 RCTs comprising 322 subjects were included in the present meta-analysis. Results showed that dual-task training significantly improved gait speed (standardized mean difference [SMD], −0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.38 to −0.08; P = 0.002), cadence (SMD, −0.25; 95% CI, −0.48 to −0.02; P = 0.03), motor symptoms (SMD, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.94; P = 0.004) and balance (SMD, −0.44; 95% CI, −0.84 to −0.05; P = 0.03). However, no significant changes were detected in step length or stride length. Conclusion: Dual-task training was effective in improving gait performance, motor symptoms and balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease relative to other forms of training or non-intervention.

Stroke is considered one of the main causes of adult disability and the second most serious cause of death worldwide. The combination of botulinum toxin type A (BTX) with rehabilitation techniques such as modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) has emerged as a highly efficient intervention for stroke patients to start synchronized motor function along with spasticity reduction. The current systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in order to evaluate the available literature about the safety and efficacy of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) combined with BTX in stroke patients with upper limb spasticity. Searches were conducted on WoS (Web of Science), Ovid, EBSCO-ASC&BSC, and PubMed for identifying relevant literature published from 2000-2020. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and Quasi-experimental studies were considered for inclusion. Rayyan (systematic review tool) QCRI (Qatar Computing Research Institute) was used for independent screening of the studies by two reviewers. For risk of bias and study quality assessment, Cochrane risk of bias tool (RoB 2) and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scales were used. Cochrane review manager was used to carry out the meta-analyses of the included studies. The search resulted in a total of 13065 references, of which 4967 were duplicates. After the title, abstract and full-text screening, two RCTs were deemed eligible for inclusion. Both the RCTs scored 8 on PEDro and were level evidence. The studies were heterogeneous. The findings of this meta-analysis in all the three joints post-stroke spasticity assessed on modified Ashworth scale (MAS) at four weeks post-injection aren’t statistically significant (elbow P-value 0.74, wrist P-value 0.57, fingers P-value 0.42), however, according to one of the included studies the therapeutic efficacy of the combination of BTX-mCIMT injection assessed at four weeks post-injection in wrist and finger flexors was promising. The effectiveness of BTX-CIMT combination over conventional therapy (CT) for improving post-stroke spasticity still needs to be explored with long-term, multicenter rigorously designed RCTs having a good sample size. However, the BTX-CIMT combination is promising for enhancing motor function recovery and improving activities of daily living (ADLs).

Background: Hemichorea is a common post-stroke movement disorder. Although the general prognosis is good, permanent functional impairment remains in a substantial number of patients with post-stroke hemichorea. Anti-choreic drugs may alleviate symptoms in mild cases, but they often incur unacceptable side effects like tardive dyskinesia and parkinsonism. Surgery is rarely indicated for the treatment of vascular chorea, except in refractory cases. Case presentation: Here we reported a case of a 71-year-old man with severe choreatic movements after stroke, which caused the inability to perform the activities of daily living. Computed tomography revealed signs of former bleeding in the left caudate nucleus. Due to poor response to pharmacologic treatment, he was subjected to physical therapy and repetitive magnetic stimulation (rTMS) using a parabolic coil with 1 Hz over the left M1 area. The patient reported reduced symptoms after the 1st week of stimulation. rTMS substantially reduced choreatic movements and improved functional scores, including Brunnstrom recovery stage, Fugl–Meyer Assessment, Barthel index, Berg balance scale, and Dyskinesias scale. After 4 weeks of therapy, he was discharged with only a slight involuntary movement on the left side. No relapse occurred during the 1-year follow-up. Conclusions: Further studies are needed to reveal the mechanism of the observed effects and confirm the efficacy of rTMS as an alternative treatment for severe post-stroke hemichorea.

Electromyography (EMG) pattern recognition is one of the widely used methods to control the rehabilitation robots and prostheses. However, the changes in the distribution of EMG data due to electrodes shifting results in classification decline, which hinders its clinical application in repeated uses. Adaptive learning can solve this problem but takes additional time. To address this, an efficient scheme is developed by comparing the performance of 12 combinations of three feature selection methods [no feature selection (NFS), sequential forward search (SFS), and particle swarm optimization (PSO)] and four classification methods [non-adaptive support vector machine (N-SVM), incremental SVM (I-SVM), SVM based on TrAdaBoost (T-SVM), and I-SVM based on TrAdaBoost (TI-SVM)] in the classification of EMG data of 12 subjects for 5 consecutive days. Our results showed that TI-SVM achieved the highest classification accuracy among the classification methods (p < 0.05). The SFS method achieved the same classification accuracy as that of the scheme trained with the feature vectors selected by the NFS method (p = 0.999) while achieving a lower training time than that of TI-SVM combined with the NFS method (p = 0.043). Although the PSO method outperformed the NFS and SFS methods by achieving reduced training and response times (p < 0.05), the PSO method achieved a considerably lower classification accuracy than that of the scheme trained with the feature vectors selected by the NFS (p = 0.001) or SFS (p = 0.001) method. Furthermore, TI-SVM combined with the SFS method outperformed the CNN method with fine-tuning in classification accuracy on a small data set (p = 0.001). The results indicate that TI-SVM combined with the SFS method is suitable for improving the performance of EMG pattern recognition in repeated uses.

Objective:To investigate the effect of gradual attention training on language function with aphasia.Design:Randomized controlled trial.Participants:A total of 40 patients (mean age: 53.47 years) with post-stroke aphasia came from the stroke rehabilitation unit of rehabilitation department in the First Hospital of Jilin University, of which 13 (32.5%) had intracerebral hemorrhage, 28 inpatients and 12 outpatients, 11 women and 29 men, 34 within three-month stroke and 6 within three months to one year.Interventions:All participants were divided into control and experimental groups. Both groups received language treatment 20 minutes a day, six days/week, for five weeks, and the experimental group received gradual attention training 20 minutes a day, six days/week, for five weeks.Main measures:Language function was assessed pre- and post-treatment by components of the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) which included spontaneous speech, auditory comprehension, repetition, and naming and then calculated the aphasia quotient (AQ).Results:The mean (SD) AQ of the experimental group and control group, respectively, was 25.71 (12.63) and 26.2 (12.31) at baseline. After treatment, the AQ mean (SD) was 43.08 (15.14) in the experimental group, which showed a significant improvement compared to 33.48 (14.04) in the control group ( P = 0.02).All items of WAB were higher in experimental group than those in control group, especially in auditory comprehension and naming ( P = 0.02, 0.01).Conclusion:Gradual attention training seemed to improve language function in post-stroke aphasia, specifically function of listening comprehension and naming.

Objective We assessed the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe residual brain function and responsiveness to amantadine in a patient in a vegetative state (VS) following traumatic brain injury. Method We observed cerebral cortex activation in a 52-year-old man in a VS, and in a healthy individual using fMRI during passive listening and motor-imagery tasks. The patient received oral amantadine for 3 months. fMRI was repeated after treatment. Results Activation around the left insular regions occurred during stimulation by a familiar voice, and activity in the left temporal and bi-occipital cortices occurred during stimulation by a familiar/unfamiliar voice. Activity in the bilateral frontal and parietal cortices occurred during the motor-imagination task. Brain cortex activation was reduced in the VS patient compared with the healthy volunteer. However, the patient responded to certain auditory stimuli and motor imagery, suggesting that he retained some intact auditory and motor cortical functions. fMRI scans after 3 months of treatment showed increased activation of brain areas corresponding to task instructions. Conclusion fMRI could be used to observe the effects of amantadine on brain function, and to aid the diagnosis and prognostic prediction in VS patients in terms of recovery and rehabilitation planning.

Heat shock protein 32 (Hsp32), also known as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), is an enzyme that exists in microsomes. HO-1 can be induced by a variety of stimuli, including heavy metals, heat shock, inflammatory stimuli, heme and its derivatives, stress, hypoxia, and biological hormones. HO-1 is the rate-limiting enzyme of heme catabolism, which splits heme into biliverdin, carbon monoxide (CO) and iron. The metabolites of HO-1 have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, and provide protection to the cardiovascular system and transplanted organs. This review summarizes the biological characteristics of HO-1 and the functional significance of its products, and specifically elaborates on its protective effect on skin flaps. HO-1 improves the survival rate of ischemic skin flaps through anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and vasodilatory effects of enzymatic reaction products. In particular, this review focuses on the role of carbon monoxide (CO), one of the primary metabolites of HO-1, in flap survival and discusses the feasibility and existing challenges of HO-1 in flap surgery.

Introduction. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system common in middle-aged and elderly people, which has a serious impact on patients’ cognitive and motor functions. Exercise can improve the nonmotor symptoms of PD patients, but the optimal type of exercise for the cognitive function of patients is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is the impact of 12 weeks of Wuqinxi exercise on the cognitive and motor function in PD patients. Methods. Thirty PD patients participated in the study and were randomly assigned to two groups: Wuqinxi group (n = 15) or stretching group (n = 15). All the participants performed a 12-week exercise program twice a week, 90 min/session. The assessments were conducted before and after exercise intervention, included cognitive function (frontal assessment battery (FAB); Stroop test I and II), motor functions (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III); timed up and go (TUG)). Results. We found the FAB and Stroop I scores were significantly higher in the Wuqinxi group than in the stretching group. Participants in the Wuqinxi group significantly improved their UPDRS-III (17.73 ± 9.88) and TUG (10.50 ± 1.79) score after 12 weeks of training intervention. Conclusion. The results show that the use of Wuqinxi for rehabilitation therapy for cognition is feasible, widely accepted, and effective in patients with Parkinson’s disease. This study provides preliminary evidence for further large-scale and controlled studies.

Objective To clarify the efficacy of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) in improving hemiplegic upper extremity function in patients with sub-acute stroke. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 40 sub-acute stroke patients with hemiplegia were recruited from inpatient wards in the Department of Rehabilitation and randomly assigned to two groups. In the FMS group, magnetic stimulation was applied to extensor muscle groups of the affected upper extremity. In the low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) group, stimulation was applied to the contralesional primary motor cortex. All patients received occupational therapy. Hand and upper extremity motor function was evaluated using the Fugl–Meyer Assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE), and the Barthel Index (BI) evaluated daily living abilities. Results The FMA-UE and BI scores were significantly increased in both groups following stimulation. Furthermore, a significant between-group difference was observed in both FMA-UE and BI scores after 2 weeks of therapy. In the FMS group, 6 of 19 patients regained wrist and finger extension abilities, but only 2 patients regained equivalent motor skills in the LF-rTMS group Conclusions FMS improves paretic upper extremity function and leads to better recovery of motor activity than LF-rTMS. FMS may be a novel modality to improve motor function.

Rationale: Pressure sores are major clinical problems with limited treatment options. Patient concern: A 62-year-old man, admitted with unresponsive, indifferent mood, and malnutrition. A noval-shaped skin lesion deeping into the fascia was found in the sacrococcygeal region. Diagnosis: The patient was diagnosed with delayed carbon monoxide poisoning encephalopathy and stage IV sacrococcygeal pressure sores. Intervention: The patient received neurologic rehabilitation therapy and simple debridement dressing care followed by extracorporeal shockwave therapy. Outcomes: The scores for the pressure ulcer healing scale were 17 points, 13 points, 9 points, and 5 points, respectively, before treatment and at the 4-, 8-, and 12-week follow-ups. At 2 weeks after discharging the total pressure ulcer healing scale score was 0, which signifies that the sacroiliac decubital necrosis healed without adverse reactions and side effects. Lessons: This study presents a therapeutic solution for treating older adults with pressure ulcers by using extracorporeal shockwave with alginate dressing, which proved effective and safe.

Post-stroke paralysis is a common contributor to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower extremities, but little is known about its epidemiology and anatomy. This prospective study aimed to investigate the clinical incidence and anatomical distribution of lower-extremity DVT in acute stroke.A total of 679 patients diagnosed with acute stroke (ischemic stroke, n = 507; hemorrhagic stroke, n = 172) were enrolled. Lower-extremity DVT was evaluated using vascular ultrasonography, and classified into three subtypes: central type, peripheral type and mixed type. Then, the incidence and anatomical distribution of DVT were analyzed.For patients with ischemic stroke, a total of 107 patients (21.1%) were affected by DVT, and 119 extremities were found with DVT, which included 114 extremities with peripheral-type DVT and five extremities with mixed-type DVT. For patients with hemorrhagic stroke, a total of 49 patients (28.5%) were affected by DVT, and 55 extremities were found with DVT, which included 51 extremities with peripheral-type DVT and four extremities with mixed-type DVT. The incidence of DVT was significantly higher in patients with hemorrhagic stroke than in patients with ischemic stroke (P 0.05). Intermuscular veins were the most commonly affected (96.6%), followed by peroneal veins (15.5%), posterior tibial veins (9.2%), popliteal veins (4.0%), and femoral veins (4.0%). There was no significant difference in the anatomical distribution of DVT between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke (P 0.05).DVT is a common complication of acute stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke is associated with a higher incidence of DVT. The anatomical distribution of DVT revealed no heterogeneity between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and isolated DVT in intermuscular veins were the most common.

Supplemental material, Online_Appendix for Dual-task training on gait, motor symptoms, and balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Zhenlan Li, Tian Wang, Haoyang Liu, Yan Jiang, Zhen Wang and Jie Zhuang in Clinical Rehabilitation

Amantadine plasma concentrations correlate well with desired therapeutic effects and adverse outcomes; information on amantadine exposure could be useful when multiple amantadine clearance pathways are impaired or non-compliance is suspected. Micro-sampling strategies, like dried plasma spot, would be particularly useful because ambulatory patients that do not attend a clinic can easily sample a few drops of blood by themselves at the required time of the dosing interval. We developed and validated a dried-plasma-spot-based high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay to quantify amantadine. This assay met relevant validation requirements within a hematocrit range of 20-50% and was linear from 100 to 2000 ng/mL. Amantadine was stable in dried plasma spots for up to 21 days at room temperature, regardless of whether the dried plasma spot was protected from light or not. The correlation between paired dried and wet plasma concentrations was assessed in 52 patients. Deming regression coefficients between wet plasma and simultaneously pipetted dried plasma spots were used to predict plasma concentrations. Bland-Altman plots revealed a strong agreement between dried and wet plasma concentrations, supporting the clinical usefulness of dried plasma spots for amantadine monitoring with a self-sampling strategy at a convenient time and place for the patient.

IntroductionQigong exercise offers a potentially safe, low-cost and effective mind–body rehabilitative intervention for mitigating the problem of gait interruption among patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who have frequent freezing of gait (FOG) episodes. However, its clinical effects have not been established. This paper describes the trial protocol of evaluating the clinical efficacy of a newly developed Integrated Qigong in improving gait among patients with PD who have FOG.Methods and analysisA single-blind randomised controlled trial is designed to compare Integrated Qigong and balance training with an attention control. Participants will be patients with mild to moderate PD who experience FOG and are recruited from local communities in Shanghai, China. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the three groups: Integrated Qigong group, a balance exercise intervention group, or control group. The total number of participants will be 126, and masked assessments will be made at baseline, 12 weeks (end of intervention) and 12-week follow-up. Both Integrated Qigong group and balance training group will receive a group-based exercise intervention that meets three times per week, 60 min in duration, for 12 weeks. The control group will receive a 60 min weekly group session and monthly health education. The primary outcomes are gait parameters (stride length, gait velocity, stride time variability) and occurrence of FOG. The secondary outcomes are postural instability, walking disability, falling, fear of falling and quality of life.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai University of Sport and registered at China Clinical Trial Registry. Participants will sign informed consent prior to the participation of the trial. The findings of the study will be published in peer-reviewed academic journals and disseminated to PD support groups, medical community and media.Trial registration numberChiCTR1800016570.

Stroke is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide and one of the main causes of adult disability. Many studies have suggested that combination therapies provide better outcomes in patients with stroke than monotherapies. The combination of botulinum-A toxin (BTX) injection with rehabilitation methods, such as modified constraint-induced movement therapy (BTX-mCIMT), has emerged as a highly promising intervention for promoting motor recovery after stroke. Thus, the present study compared the effectiveness of the combination of BTX with high-dose conventional therapy (BTX-ICT) and BTX-mCIMT for improving motor recovery and reducing spasticity of the upper limb in patients with stroke. This study recruited 64 patients with stroke. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups, namely, BTX-ICT and BTX-mCIMT. Modified Ashworth scale (MAS), Fugl–Meyer assessment (FMA), and Barthel index (BI) assessment scores were determined for the patients in both the groups before and at 4 weeks after the BTX injection. After four weeks of treatment, the MAS, FMA, and BI assessment scores of the patients in both groups were significantly higher than the scores before the treatments (P < 0.05). At the end of 4 weeks, the patients in the BTX-mCIMT group showed significantly higher mean FMA and BI assessment scores than the patients in the BTX-ICT group (P < 0.05). However, no significant statistical difference was observed in the MAS score of the patients in the two groups (P > 0.05). Our results indicated that while both BTX-mCIMT and BTX-ICT promoted motor function recovery in patients with stroke, BTX-mCIMT exerted higher therapeutic effects than BTX-ICT on motor function recovery and in the activities of daily living of patients with stroke.

Recently, invasive surgery had developed rapidly and was widely used in the fields of tumour treatment, spine and joint disease treatment. At present, most of the analgesic puncture operations were...

The development of an effective and inexpensive device to restore and enhance the human musculoskeletal functions is of particular interest. Sling exercise therapy (SET) is one of the most effective developed tools in rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders, which has been successfully used in various applications ranging from diagnosis to treatment. To the best of our knowledge, SET has never been comprehended and reviewed previously. Therefore, it was highly required to further understand the role of SET in various therapeutic applications. Inspired by this herein, this study is dedicated to emphasize the advancement in utilization of the SET in both diagnosis and treatment as well as their related challenges. This would be concluded by future perspectives of the SET.

This paper develops an intelligent sports rehabilitation glove based on flexible robot technology. Designed for sports rehabilitation gloves through the rational design of flexible pressure sensing systems, micro-precision drives, intelligent control systems, and ergonomic gloves. Through the use of flexible lasso transmission, rehabilitation training is performed on the patient’s hand, and the endurance and endurance of the wearer’s daily life are enhanced. This paper combines the latest flexible sensing technology, intelligent control technology, and micro-precision driving technology with the advanced concepts and methods of sports medicine. Through the combination of medical and industrial research, it has developed low cost, comfortable wearing, convenient and practical, and can meet families, hospitals, and Wearable smart rehabilitation gloves for use in industries such as industry.

Purpose To evaluate the clinical utility of diffusion kurtosis tensor imaging in the characterization of cerebral glioma and investigate correlations between diffusion and kurtosis metrics with tumor cellularity. Materials and Methods A group of 163 patients (age: 40.5 ± 11.5 years) diagnosed with cerebral glioma underwent diffusion kurtosis tensor imaging with a 3 T scanner. Diffusion and kurtosis metrics were measured in the solid part of tumors, and their abilities to distinguish between tumor grades was evaluated. In addition, we analyzed correlations between the metrics and tumor cellularity. Results Mean kurtosis (MK) revealed a significant difference between each pair of tumor grades ( P 0.05). Thus, kurtosis metrics exhibited a positive and strong correlation with tumor cellularity, while MD exhibited a negative or weak correlation with tumor cellularity. Conclusion Diffusion kurtosis metrics, particularly MK, demonstrated superior performance in distinguishing cerebral glioma of different grades compared with conventional diffusion metrics, and were closely associated with tumor cellularity.

To investigate whether the motorized spindle meets its technical specifications under working conditions, it is critical to analyze the performance of its rotor. Firstly, the three-dimensional model of the motorized spindle rotor is constructed. To study whether the rotor meets the load-bearing performance requirements, the static performance of the rotor is analyzed by ANSYS software to determine the maximum axial displacement of the front end of the motorized spindle rotor under working conditions. While working under the constraints of both axial and radial aerostatic bearings, the modal analysis of the spindle rotor is carried out and its natural frequencies and corresponding modes are obtained. Then, the harmonic response of the spindle rotor is analyzed to verify whether the axial runout requirement can be satisfied under the working conditions of the spindle. Finally, the stiffness test platform of the aerostatic thrust bearing and the modal test platform of the spindle rotor are designed.

Increasing evidence demonstrates that inflammation plays an important role in cerebral ischemia. Carvacrol, a monoterpenic phenol, is naturally occurring in various plants belonging to the family Lamiaceae and exerts protective effects in a mice model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by reducing infarct volume and decreasing the expression of cleaved caspase-3. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms by which carvacrol protect the brain have yet to be fully elucidated. We investigated the effects of carvacrol on inflammatory reaction and inflammatory mediators in middle cerebral artery occlusion rats. The results of the present study showed that carvacrol inhibited the levels of inflammatory cytokines and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, as well as the expression of iNOS and COX-2. It also increased SOD activity and decreased MDA level in ischemic cortical tissues. In addition, carvacrol treatment suppressed the ischemia/reperfusion-induced increase in the protein expression of nuclear NF-kB p65. In conclusion, we have shown that carvacrol inhibits the inflammatory response via inhibition of the NF-kB signaling pathway in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia. Therefore, carvacrol may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of cerebral ischemia injury.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of ischaemic postconditioning on brain injury and protein oxidization in focal ischaemia/reperfusion. METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats ( n = 30) were randomly divided into sham-operated, ischaemia, and ischaemic postconditioning groups. Ischaemia was produced by middle cerebral artery occlusion and ischaemic postconditioning was performed using three cycles of 30-s/30-s reperfusion/reocclusion after 2 h of ischaemia. Brain infarction size, hydrogen peroxide concentration, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and proteasome activities, protein carbonyl derivatives and advanced oxidized protein products (AOPPs) were evaluated. RESULTS: The size of brain infarction after ischaemic postconditioning was significantly smaller compared with the ischaemia group, and was concomitant with significant reduction in protein carbonyl derivatives and AOPPs. The activities of SOD, CAT and proteasomes were elevated by ischaemic postconditioning compared with the ischaemia group. CONCLUSIONS: Ischaemic post-conditioning is an effective way of reducing the size and effects of brain infarction caused by focal ischaemia/reperfusion, possibly due to a decrease in oxidized protein levels. Decreasing protein oxidization may, therefore, be a useful target for preventing cerebral injury.

Phospholipase A1 (PLA1), or Lecitase® Ultra, was immobilized on three different supports, calcium alginate (CA), calcium alginate-chitosan (CAC), and calcium alginate-gelatin (CAG), and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The results indicated that PLA1–CA retained 56.2% of the enzyme’s initial activity, whereas PLA1–CAC and PLA1–CAG retained 65.5 and 60.2%, respectively. Compared with free PLA1, the optimal pH of immobilized PLA1 shifted to the basic side by 0.5–1.0 pH units and the pH/activity profile range was considerably broadened. Similarly, the temperature-optima of PLA1–CAC and PLA1–CAG increased from 50 to 60 °C, and their thermal stability increased with relative activities of more than 90% that covered a wider temperature range spanning 50–65 °C. In a batch oil degumming process, the final residual phosphorus content was reduced to less than 10 mg/kg with free PLA1, PLA1–CAC and PLA1–CA in less than 5, 6 and 8 h respectively while PLA1–CAG was only able to reduce it to 15 mg/kg in 10 h. When the PLA1–CAC was applied in a plant degumming trial, the final residual phosphorus content was reduced to 9.7 mg/kg with 99.1% recovery of soybean oil. The recoveries of immobilized PLA1–CAC and activity of PLA1 were 80.2 and 78.2% respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that PLA1–CAC was the best immobilized enzyme complex for the continuous hydrolysis of phospholipids in crude vegetable oils.

An active and tolerant Ni-based catalyst for methane steam reforming in direct internal reforming molten carbonate fuel cells (DIR-MCFCs) was developed. Deactivation of reforming catalysts by alkali metals from the electrolyte composed of Li 2 CO 3 and K 2 CO 3 is one of the major obstacles to be overcome in commercialization of DIR-MCFCs. Newly developed Ni/MgSiO 3 and Ni/Mg 2 SiO 4 reforming catalysts show activities of ca. 80% methane conversion. Subsequent to electrolyte addition to the catalyst, however, the activity of Ni/Mg 2 SiO 4 decreases to ca. 50% of its initial value, whereas Ni/MgSiO 3 catalyst retains its initial activity. Results obtained from temperature-programmed reduction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy identify unreduced Ni 3+ as a decisive factor in keeping catalytic activity from the electrolyte.

Motor dysfunction is a common and severe complication of stroke that affects the quality of life of these patients. Currently, motor function rehabilitation predominantly focuses on active movement training; nevertheless, the role of sensory input is usually overlooked. Sensory input is very important to motor function. Voluntary functional movement necessitates preparation, execution, and monitoring functions of the central nervous system, while the monitoring needs the participation of the sensory system. Sensory signals affect motor functions by inputting external environment information and intrinsic physiological status as well as by guiding initiation of the motor system. Recent studies focusing on sensory input-based rehabilitation training for post-stroke dyskinesia have demonstrated that sensory function has significant effects on voluntary functional movements. In conclusion, sensory input plays a crucial role in motor function rehabilitation, and the combined sensorimotor training modality is more effective than conventional motor-oriented approaches.

Direct internal reforming – molten carbonate fuel cell (DIR–MCFC) has advantages of higher efficiency and smaller size. However, deactivation of the catalyst by alkali carbonate electrolytes poses a significant problem in MCFC. To solve this problem, Ni/MgO and Ni/MgAl2O4 catalysts were compulsively mixed with a eutectic mixture of Li2CO3 and Na2CO3 prior to a methane steam reforming activity test. Activity of Ni/MgO rapidly decreased, while that of Ni/MgAl2O4 remained steady due to good alkali resistance. To analyze the effects of alkali addition, N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction and oxidation, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments were carried out. Both Ni/MgO and Ni/MgAl2O4 showed sintering of Ni and blocking of pores, which reduced the catalytic activity. However, Ni/MgAl2O4 showed other positive effects such as stronger metal–support interaction and increased dissociative adsorption.

Active and tolerant Ni-based catalyst for methane steam reforming in direct internal reforming molten carbonate fuel cell (DIR-MCFC) was developed. Deactivation of reforming catalysts by alkali metals from electrolyte composed of Li 2 CO 3 and K 2 CO 3 is one of the major obstacles to be overcome in commercialization of DIR-MCFC. Newly developed Ni/MgSiO 3 reforming catalyst showed activities of ca. 82% methane conversion for 240 min in out-of-cell test. In duration test, the unit cell containing Ni foam impregnated with Ni/MgSiO 3 in anode gas channel did not give performance degradation for more than 2000 h, while the unit cell assembled with Ni/MgSiO 3 -coated anode showed a significant performance loss after an operation of 1200 h. Results obtained from X-ray diffraction and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller technique revealed that Ni sintering and support deterioration were decisive factors in decreasing the catalytic activity.