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Nam C, Rong W, Li W, Cheung C, Ngai W, Cheung T, Pang M, Li L, Hu J, Wai H, Hu X. An Exoneuromusculoskeleton for Self-Help Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke. Soft Robot 2020; 9:14-35. [PMID: 33271057 PMCID: PMC8885439 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2020.0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
This article presents a novel electromyography (EMG)-driven exoneuromusculoskeleton that integrates the neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), soft pneumatic muscle, and exoskeleton techniques, for self-help upper limb training after stroke. The developed system can assist the elbow, wrist, and fingers to perform sequential arm reaching and withdrawing tasks under voluntary effort control through EMG, with a lightweight, compact, and low-power requirement design. The pressure/torque transmission properties of the designed musculoskeletons were quantified, and the assistive capability of the developed system was evaluated on patients with chronic stroke (n = 10). The designed musculoskeletons exerted sufficient mechanical torque to support joint extension for stroke survivors. Compared with the limb performance when no assistance was provided, the limb performance (measured as the range of motion in joint extension) significantly improved when mechanical torque and NMES were provided (p < 0.05). A pilot trial was conducted on patients with chronic stroke (n = 15) to investigate the feasibility of using the developed system in self-help training and the rehabilitation effects of the system. All the participants completed the self-help device-assisted training with minimal professional assistance. After a 20-session training, significant improvements were noted in the voluntary motor function and release of muscle spasticity at the elbow, wrist, and fingers, as indicated by the clinical scores (p < 0.05). The EMG parameters (p < 0.05) indicated that the muscular coordination of the entire upper limb improved significantly after training. The results suggested that the developed system can effectively support self-help upper limb rehabilitation after stroke. ClinicalTrials.gov Register Number NCT03752775.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chingyi Nam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wei Rong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Waiming Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chingyee Cheung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wingkit Ngai
- Industrial Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tszching Cheung
- Industrial Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Mankit Pang
- Industrial Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Li Li
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Junyan Hu
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Honwah Wai
- Industrial Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoling Hu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
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Win K, Thomas B, Emeto T, Fairley L, Thavarajah H, Danda N, Munoz M, Basu S, Ru N, Wai H, Yadav R. 688 A Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Patients Presenting to Townsville Hospital Emergency Department With Chest Pain. Heart Lung Circ 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.hlc.2020.09.695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Rong W, Li W, Pang M, Hu J, Wei X, Yang B, Wai H, Zheng X, Hu X. A Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) and robot hybrid system for multi-joint coordinated upper limb rehabilitation after stroke. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2017; 14:34. [PMID: 28446181 PMCID: PMC5406922 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-017-0245-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It is a challenge to reduce the muscular discoordination in the paretic upper limb after stroke in the traditional rehabilitation programs. Method In this study, a neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and robot hybrid system was developed for multi-joint coordinated upper limb physical training. The system could assist the elbow, wrist and fingers to conduct arm reaching out, hand opening/grasping and arm withdrawing by tracking an indicative moving cursor on the screen of a computer, with the support from the joint motors and electrical stimulations on target muscles, under the voluntary intention control by electromyography (EMG). Subjects with chronic stroke (n = 11) were recruited for the investigation on the assistive capability of the NMES-robot and the evaluation of the rehabilitation effectiveness through a 20-session device assisted upper limb training. Results In the evaluation, the movement accuracy measured by the root mean squared error (RMSE) during the tracking was significantly improved with the support from both the robot and NMES, in comparison with those without the assistance from the system (P < 0.05). The intra-joint and inter-joint muscular co-contractions measured by EMG were significantly released when the NMES was applied to the agonist muscles in the different phases of the limb motion (P < 0.05). After the physical training, significant improvements (P < 0.05) were captured by the clinical scores, i.e., Modified Ashworth Score (MAS, the elbow and the wrist), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT). Conclusions The EMG-driven NMES-robotic system could improve the muscular coordination at the elbow, wrist and fingers. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02117089; date of registration: April 10, 2014
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Rong
- Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Waiming Li
- Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Mankit Pang
- Industry Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Junyan Hu
- Institute of Textile & Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Xijun Wei
- Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Bibo Yang
- The Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Honwah Wai
- Industry Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaoxiang Zheng
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoling Hu
- Interdisciplinary Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
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Younossi ZM, Stepanova M, Saab S, Ahmed A, Lam B, Srishord M, Venkatesan C, Wai H, Henry L. The impact of viral hepatitis-related hepatocellular carcinoma to post-transplant outcomes. J Viral Hepat 2016; 23:53-61. [PMID: 26289820 DOI: 10.1111/jvh.12449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common complication of HCV infection leading to liver transplantation. We evaluated the impact of aetiology of liver disease on patient and graft survival following liver transplantation for HCC. From the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (2002-2011), all adults who underwent liver transplantation for HCC were retrospectively included. Aetiology of liver disease was grouped into HCV, HBV, HCV-HBV co-infection and nonviral liver disease. Of 8,733 liver transplant recipients with HCC, 5507 had HCV, 631 had HBV, 163 were co-infected, and 2432 had nonviral causes of liver disease. In follow-up (48 ± 32 months), 8.2% had graft failure and 29.5% died. The mean rates of graft failure were 9.5%, 4.7%, 6.1% and 6.4% in HCV, HBV, HCV-HBV co-infection and nonviral liver disease, respectively (P < 0.0001). Post-transplant mortality rate in patients with HBV was 20.2%, HCV 31.0%, HCV-HBV 28.5% and nonviral 28.5% (P < 0.0001). This difference was significant starting one year post-transplant and became even more prominent later in follow-up. Five-year post-transplant survival was 64.7% in HCV, 77.7% in HBV, 71.0% in HCV-HBV and 69.1% in nonviral HCC (P < 0.0001). A diagnosis of HCV in patients with HCC was also independently associated with an increased risk of both graft failure (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.84 (1.46-2.33), P < 0.0001) and mortality (1.35 (1.21-1.50), P < 0.0001) in multivariate analysis. Patients with HCV-related HCC are at higher risk of adverse post-transplant outcomes. These patients should be considered for preemptive interferon-free antiviral therapy prior to or immediately following liver transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z M Younossi
- Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA.,Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - M Stepanova
- Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA.,Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - S Saab
- Departments of Medicine and Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - A Ahmed
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - B Lam
- Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - M Srishord
- Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA.,Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - C Venkatesan
- Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - H Wai
- Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - L Henry
- Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA.,Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, USA
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Weerkamp F, Dekking E, Ng YY, van der Velden VHJ, Wai H, Böttcher S, Brüggemann M, van der Sluijs AJ, Koning A, Boeckx N, Van Poecke N, Lucio P, Mendonça A, Sedek L, Szczepański T, Kalina T, Kovac M, Hoogeveen PG, Flores-Montero J, Orfao A, Macintyre E, Lhermitte L, Chen R, Brouwer-De Cock KAJ, van der Linden A, Noordijk AL, Comans-Bitter WM, Staal FJT, van Dongen JJM. Flow cytometric immunobead assay for the detection of BCR-ABL fusion proteins in leukemia patients. Leukemia 2009; 23:1106-17. [PMID: 19387467 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2009.93] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BCR-ABL fusion proteins show increased signaling through their ABL tyrosine kinase domain, which can be blocked by specific inhibitors, thereby providing effective treatment. This makes detection of BCR-ABL aberrations of utmost importance for diagnosis, classification and treatment of leukemia patients. BCR-ABL aberrations are currently detected by karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or PCR techniques, which are time consuming and require specialized facilities. We developed a simple flow cytometric immunobead assay for detection of BCR-ABL fusion proteins in cell lysates, using a bead-bound anti-BCR catching antibody and a fluorochrome-conjugated anti-ABL detection antibody. We noticed protein stability problems in lysates caused by proteases from mature myeloid cells. This problem could largely be solved by adding protease inhibitors in several steps of the immunobead assay. Testing of 145 patient samples showed fully concordant results between the BCR-ABL immunobead assay and reverse transcriptase PCR of fusion gene transcripts. Dilution experiments with BCR-ABL positive cell lines revealed sensitivities of at least 1%. We conclude that the BCR-ABL immunobead assay detects all types of BCR-ABL proteins in leukemic cells with high specificity and sensitivity. The assay does not need specialized laboratory facilities other than a flow cytometer, provides results within approximately 4 h, and can be run in parallel to routine immunophenotyping.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Weerkamp
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Wai H, Johzuka K, Vu L, Eliason K, Kobayashi T, Horiuchi T, Nomura M. Yeast RNA polymerase I enhancer is dispensable for transcription of the chromosomal rRNA gene and cell growth, and its apparent transcription enhancement from ectopic promoters requires Fob1 protein. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:5541-53. [PMID: 11463836 PMCID: PMC87276 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.16.5541-5553.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
At the end of the 35S rRNA gene within ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats in Saccharomyces cerevisiae lies an enhancer that has been shown to greatly stimulate rDNA transcription in ectopic reporter systems. We found, however, that the enhancer is not necessary for normal levels of rRNA synthesis from chromosomal rDNA or for cell growth. Yeast strains which have the entire enhancer from rDNA deleted did not show any defects in growth or rRNA synthesis. We found that the stimulatory activity of the enhancer for ectopic reporters is not observed in cells with disrupted nucleolar structures, suggesting that reporter genes are in general poorly accessible to RNA polymerase I (Pol I) machinery in the nucleolus and that the enhancer improves accessibility. We also found that a fob1 mutation abolishes transcription from the enhancer-dependent rDNA promoter integrated at the HIS4 locus without any effect on transcription from chromosomal rDNA. FOB1 is required for recombination hot spot (HOT1) activity, which also requires the enhancer region, and for recombination within rDNA repeats. We suggest that Fob1 protein stimulates interactions between rDNA repeats through the enhancer region, thus helping ectopic rDNA promoters to recruit the Pol I machinery normally present in the nucleolus.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wai
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-1700, USA
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Oakes M, Aris JP, Brockenbrough JS, Wai H, Vu L, Nomura M. Mutational analysis of the structure and localization of the nucleolus in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Cell Biol 1998; 143:23-34. [PMID: 9763418 PMCID: PMC2132813 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.143.1.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/1998] [Revised: 06/11/1998] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleolus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a crescent-shaped structure that makes extensive contact with the nuclear envelope. In different chromosomal rDNA deletion mutants that we have analyzed, the nucleolus is not organized into a crescent structure, as determined by immunofluorescence microscopy, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and electron microscopy. A strain carrying a plasmid with a single rDNA repeat transcribed by RNA polymerase I (Pol I) contained a fragmented nucleolus distributed throughout the nucleus, primarily localized at the nuclear periphery. A strain carrying a plasmid with the 35S rRNA coding region fused to the GAL7 promoter and transcribed by Pol II contained a rounded nucleolus that often lacked extensive contact with the nuclear envelope. Ultrastructurally distinct domains were observed within the round nucleolus. A similar rounded nucleolar morphology was also observed in strains carrying the Pol I plasmid in combination with mutations that affect Pol I function. In a Pol I-defective mutant strain that carried copies of the GAL7-35S rDNA fusion gene integrated into the chromosomal rDNA locus, the nucleolus exhibited a round morphology, but was more closely associated with the nuclear envelope in the form of a bulge. Thus, both the organization of the rDNA genes and the type of polymerase involved in rDNA expression strongly influence the organization and localization of the nucleolus.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Oakes
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-1700, USA
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