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Frontiers in Endocrinology 2024The prevalence of obesity among women of reproductive age is increasing worldwide, with implications for serious pregnancy complications. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of obesity among women of reproductive age is increasing worldwide, with implications for serious pregnancy complications.
METHODS
Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in both Chinese and English databases up to December 30, 2020. Pregnancy complications and outcomes including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), gestational hypertension (GHTN), pre-eclampsia, cesarean section (CS), induction of labor (IOL), and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) were analyzed. Random-effects or fixed-effects models were utilized to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS
Women with overweight and obesity issues exhibited significantly higher risks of GDM (OR, 2.92, 95%CI, 2.18-2.40 and 3.46, 95%CI, 3.05-3.94, respectively) and GHTN (OR, 2.08, 95%CI, 1.72-2.53 and 3.36, 95%CI, 2.81-4.00, respectively) compared to women of normal weight. Pre-eclampsia was also significantly higher in women with overweight or obesity, with ORs of 1.70 (95%CI, 1.44-2.01) and 2.82 (95%CI, 2.66-3.00), respectively. Additionally, mothers with overweight or obesity issues had significantly higher risks of CS (OR, 1.44, 95%CI, 1.41-1.47, and 2.23, 95%CI, 2.08-2.40), IOL (OR, 1.33, 95%CI, 1.30-1.35 and 1.96, 95%CI, 1.85-2.07), and PPH (OR, 1.67, 95%CI, 1.42-1.96 and 1.88, 95%CI, 1.55-2.29).
CONCLUSION
Women with overweight or obesity issues face increased risks of pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes, indicating dose-dependent effects.
Topics: Humans; Pregnancy; Female; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Outcome; Body Mass Index; Obesity; Diabetes, Gestational; Pre-Eclampsia; Cesarean Section; Overweight; Postpartum Hemorrhage
PubMed: 38894748
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1280692 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024The use of crutches is a common method of assisting people during recovery from musculoskeletal injuries in the lower limbs. There are several different ways to walk...
The use of crutches is a common method of assisting people during recovery from musculoskeletal injuries in the lower limbs. There are several different ways to walk with crutches depending on the patient's needs. The structure of crutch gaits or crutch gait patterns varies based on the delay between the aid and foot placement, the number of concurrent points of contact, and laterality. In a rehabilitation process, the prescribed pattern may differ according to the injury, the treatment and the individual's condition. Clinicians may improve diagnosis, assessment, training, and treatment by monitoring and analyzing gait patterns. This study aimed to assess and characterize four crutch walking patterns using spatial and temporal parameters obtained from the instrumented crutches. For this purpose, 27 healthy users performed four different gait patterns over multiple trials. Each trial was recorded using a portable system integrated into the crutches, which measured force, position, and acceleration. Based on the data angle, an algorithm was developed to segment the trials into gait cycles and identify gait phases. The next step was to determine the most appropriate metrics to describe each gait pattern. Several metrics were used to analyze the collected data, including force, acceleration, angle, and stride time. Among 27 participants, significant differences were found between crutch gait patterns. Through the use of these spatial and temporal parameters, promising results were obtained for monitoring assisted gait with crutches. Furthermore, the results demonstrated the possibility of using instrumented crutches as a clinical tool.
Topics: Humans; Gait; Crutches; Male; Female; Adult; Walking; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Algorithms; Biomechanical Phenomena; Young Adult; Gait Analysis
PubMed: 38894346
DOI: 10.3390/s24113555 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Previous investigations have shown a positive relationship between baseball pitching velocity and the kinetic chain involved in pitching motion. However, no study has...
BACKGROUND
Previous investigations have shown a positive relationship between baseball pitching velocity and the kinetic chain involved in pitching motion. However, no study has examined the influence of finger characteristics on pitching velocity and rate of spin via a sensor-embedded baseball.
METHODS
Twenty-one pitchers volunteered and were recruited for this study. An experimental baseball embedded with a force sensor and an inertial measurement unit was designed for pitching performance measurement. Finger length and strength were measured as dependent variables. Spin rate and velocity were independent variables. Pearson product-moment correlations (r) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) determined the relationship between finger characteristics and pitching performance.
RESULTS
Finger length discrepancy, two-point pinch strength, index finger RFD (rate of force development), middle finger impulse, and force discrepancy had significant correlations with spin rate (r = 0.500~0.576, ≤ 0.05). Finger length discrepancy, two-point pinch, three-point pinch strength, index and middle finger RFD, middle finger impulse, and force combination had significant correlations with fastball pitching velocity (r = 0.491~0.584, ≤ 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Finger length discrepancy, finger pinch strength, and pitching finger force including maximal force and RFD may be factors that impact fastball spin rate and fastball pitching velocity.
Topics: Baseball; Humans; Fingers; Male; Biomechanical Phenomena; Young Adult; Adult; Athletic Performance
PubMed: 38894314
DOI: 10.3390/s24113523 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024In this work we propose a novel device for controlling the flow of information using Weyl fermions. Based on a previous work by our group, we show that it is possible to...
In this work we propose a novel device for controlling the flow of information using Weyl fermions. Based on a previous work by our group, we show that it is possible to fully control the flow of Weyl fermions on several different channels by applying an electric field perpendicular to the direction of motion of the particles on each channel. In this way, we can transmit information as logical bits, depending on the existence or not of a Weyl current on each channel. We also show that the response time of this device is exceptionally low, less than 1 ps, for typical values of its parameters, allowing for the control of the flow of information at extremely high rates of the order of 100 Petabits per second. Alternatively, this device could also operate as an electric field sensor. In addition, we demonstrate that Weyl fermions can be efficiently guided through the proposed device using appropriate magnetic fields. Finally, we discuss some particularly interesting remarks regarding the electromagnetic interactions of high-energy particles.
PubMed: 38894152
DOI: 10.3390/s24113361 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Gait, a manifestation of one's walking pattern, intricately reflects the harmonious interplay of various bodily systems, offering valuable insights into an individual's...
Gait, a manifestation of one's walking pattern, intricately reflects the harmonious interplay of various bodily systems, offering valuable insights into an individual's health status. However, the current study has shortcomings in the extraction of temporal and spatial dependencies in joint motion, resulting in inefficiencies in pathological gait classification. In this paper, we propose a Frequency Pyramid Graph Convolutional Network (FP-GCN), advocating to complement temporal analysis and further enhance spatial feature extraction. specifically, a spectral decomposition component is adopted to extract gait data with different time frames, which can enhance the detection of rhythmic patterns and velocity variations in human gait and allow a detailed analysis of the temporal features. Furthermore, a novel pyramidal feature extraction approach is developed to analyze the inter-sensor dependencies, which can integrate features from different pathways, enhancing both temporal and spatial feature extraction. Our experimentation on diverse datasets demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach. Notably, FP-GCN achieves an impressive accuracy of 98.78% on public datasets and 96.54% on proprietary data, surpassing existing methodologies and underscoring its potential for advancing pathological gait classification. In summary, our innovative FP-GCN contributes to advancing feature extraction and pathological gait recognition, which may offer potential advancements in healthcare provisions, especially in regions with limited access to medical resources and in home-care environments. This work lays the foundation for further exploration and underscores the importance of remote health monitoring, diagnosis, and personalized interventions.
Topics: Humans; Gait; Neural Networks, Computer; Algorithms; Walking
PubMed: 38894144
DOI: 10.3390/s24113352 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024To provide diverse in-home services like elderly care, versatile activity recognition technology is essential. Radio-based methods, including WiFi CSI, RFID, and...
To provide diverse in-home services like elderly care, versatile activity recognition technology is essential. Radio-based methods, including WiFi CSI, RFID, and backscatter communication, are preferred due to their minimal privacy intrusion, reduced physical burden, and low maintenance costs. However, these methods face challenges, including environmental dependence, proximity limitations between the device and the user, and untested accuracy amidst various radio obstacles such as furniture, appliances, walls, and other radio waves. In this paper, we propose a frequency-shift backscatter tag-based in-home activity recognition method and test its feasibility in a near-real residential setting. Consisting of simple components such as antennas and switches, these tags facilitate ultra-low power consumption and demonstrate robustness against environmental noise because a context corresponding to a tag can be obtained by only observing frequency shifts. We implemented a sensing system consisting of SD-WiFi, a software-defined WiFi AP, and physical switches on backscatter tags tailored for detecting the movements of daily objects. Our experiments demonstrate that frequency shifts by tags can be detected within a 2 m range with 72% accuracy under the line of sight (LoS) conditions and achieve a 96.0% accuracy (F-score) in recognizing seven typical daily living activities with an appropriate receiver/transmitter layout. Furthermore, in an additional experiment, we confirmed that increasing the number of overlaying packets enables frequency shift-detection even without LoS at distances of 3-5 m.
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Humans; Wireless Technology; Radio Waves; Radio Frequency Identification Device
PubMed: 38894070
DOI: 10.3390/s24113277 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The surface modification of dental implants plays an important role in establishing a successful interaction of the implant with the surrounding tissue, as the...
The surface modification of dental implants plays an important role in establishing a successful interaction of the implant with the surrounding tissue, as the bioactivity and osseointegration properties are strongly dependent on the physicochemical properties of the implant surface. A surface coating with bioactive molecules that stimulate the formation of a mineral calcium phosphate (CaP) layer has a positive effect on the bone bonding process, as biomineralization is crucial for improving the osseointegration process and rapid bone ingrowth. In this work, the spontaneous deposition of calcium phosphate on the titanium surface covered with chemically stable and covalently bound alendronate molecules was investigated using an integrated experimental and theoretical approach. The initial nucleation of CaP was investigated using quantum chemical calculations at the density functional theory (DFT) level. Negative Gibbs free energies show a spontaneous nucleation of CaP on the biomolecule-covered titanium oxide surface. The deposition of calcium and phosphate ions on the alendronate-modified titanium oxide surface is governed by Ca-phosphonate (-POH) interactions and supported by hydrogen bonding between the phosphate group of CaP and the amino group of the alendronate molecule. The morphological and structural properties of CaP deposit were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This integrated experimental-theoretical study highlights the spontaneous formation of CaP on the alendronate-coated titanium surface, confirming the bioactivity ability of the alendronate coating. The results provide valuable guidance for the promising forthcoming advancements in the development of biomaterials and surface modification of dental implants.
PubMed: 38893965
DOI: 10.3390/ma17112703 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Elastic composites were prepared using a procedure involving hot plates and zinc powder that was directly dispersed into an EVA matrix. The correlation between the zinc...
Elastic composites were prepared using a procedure involving hot plates and zinc powder that was directly dispersed into an EVA matrix. The correlation between the zinc content and the conductive properties of the material was studied via impedance spectroscopy, the thermal properties of the material were studied via differential calorimetry and the mechanical properties of the composites were studied via tensile strength curves, representing an important advancement in the characterization of this type of composite material. The composites' tensile strength and elongation at break decrease with the addition of filler since zinc particles act as stress-concentrating centres, while the composites' hardness and Young's modulus increase because of an increase in the stiffness of the material. The perturbation across the EVA/Zn composites was characterized using an RC parallel equivalent circuit that allowed us to easily measure their resistivity (ρp) and permittivity (εp). The dependence of these electrical magnitudes on the zinc content is correlated with their mechanical properties across the characteristic time constant τp = ρp·εp of this equivalent circuit. The dependence of the mechanical and electrical magnitudes on the zinc content is consistent with the formation of percolation clusters. The addition of graphite particles increases their potential performance. Three possible mechanisms for the electrical transport of the ac-perturbation across the EVA/Zn composites have been identified. Chemical corrosion in acid media causes the loss of zinc surface particles, but their bulk physical properties practically remain constant.
PubMed: 38893791
DOI: 10.3390/ma17112527 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024In this study, we analysed the potential use of dried strawberry leaves and calyces for the production of nanoparticles using inorganic iron compounds. We used the...
In this study, we analysed the potential use of dried strawberry leaves and calyces for the production of nanoparticles using inorganic iron compounds. We used the following iron precursors FeCl × 6HO, FeCl × 4HO, Fe(NO) × 9HO, Fe(SO) × HO, FeSO × 7HO, FeCl anhydrous. It was discovered that the content of polyphenols and flavonoids in dried strawberries and their antioxidant activity in DPPH and FRAP were 346.81 µM TE/1 g and 331.71 µM TE/1 g, respectively, and were similar to these of green tea extracts. Microimages made using TEM techniques allowed for the isolation of a few nanoparticles with dimensions ranging from tens of nanometres to several micrometres. The value of the electrokinetic potential in all samples was negative and ranged from -21,300 mV to -11,183 mV. XRF analyses confirmed the presence of iron ranging from 0.13% to 0.92% in the samples with a concentration of 0.01 mol/dm. FT-IR spectra analyses showed bands characteristic of nanoparticles. In calorimetric measurements, no increase in temperature was observed in any of the tests during exposure to the electromagnetic field. In summary, using the extract from dried strawberry leaves and calyxes as a reagent, we can obtain iron nanoparticles with sizes dependent on the concentration of the precursor.
PubMed: 38893778
DOI: 10.3390/ma17112515 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024-Hydroxyurea (HU) is an important chemotherapeutic agent used as a first-line treatment in conditions such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia, among others. To...
-Hydroxyurea (HU) is an important chemotherapeutic agent used as a first-line treatment in conditions such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia, among others. To date, its properties as a hydrated molecule in the blood plasma or cytoplasm are dramatically understudied, although they may be crucial to the binding of HU to the radical catalytic site of ribonucleotide reductase, its molecular target. The purpose of this work is the comprehensive exploration of HU hydration. The topic is studied using ab initio molecular dynamic (AIMD) simulations that apply a first principles representation of the electron density of the system. This allows for the calculation of infrared spectra, which may be decomposed spatially to better capture the spectral signatures of solute-solvent interactions. The studied molecule is found to be strongly hydrated and tightly bound to the first shell water molecules. The analysis of the distance-dependent spectra of HU shows that the and conformers spectrally affect, on average, 3.4 and 2.5 of the closest HO molecules, respectively, in spheres of radii of 3.7 Å and 3.5 Å, respectively. The distance-dependent spectra corresponding to these cutoff radii show increased absorbance in the red-shifted part of the water OH stretching vibration band, indicating local enhancement of the solvent's hydrogen bond network. The radially resolved IR spectra also demonstrate that HU effortlessly incorporates into the hydrogen bond network of water and has an enhancing effect on this network. Metadynamics simulations based on AIMD methodology provide a picture of the conformational equilibria of HU in solution. Contrary to previous investigations of an isolated HU molecule in the gas phase, the conformer of HU is found here to be more stable by 17.4 kJ·mol than the conformer, pointing at the crucial role that hydration plays in determining the conformational stability of solutes. The potential energy surface for the OH group rotation in HU indicates that there is no intramolecular hydrogen bond in -HU in water, in stark contrast to the isolated solute in the gas phase. Instead, the preferred orientation of the hydroxyl group is perpendicular to the molecular plane of the solute. In view of the known chaotropic effect of urea and its -alkyl-substituted derivatives, -hydroxyurea emerges as a unique urea derivative that exhibits a kosmotropic ordering of nearby water. This property may be of crucial importance for its binding to the catalytic site of ribonucleotide reductase with a concomitant displacement of a water molecule.
PubMed: 38893311
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29112435