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Fulltext 12-week concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan (Tai Chi) improve balance, flexibility, and muscular strength of Chinese older women

Bai X, Xiao W, Soh KG, Agudamu, Zhang Y

PLoS One, 2023;18(10):e0293483.
PMID: 37883372 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293483

Healthy aging is a global goal to enhance the quality of life for older persons. This study evaluated the benefits of 12-week concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan. Healthy Chinese women aged 60 years and above were enrolled to the control (n = 26) and intervention (n = 25) groups. Participants in the intervention group engaged in three exercise sessions per week for 12 weeks, whereas control group engaged in free-living activities. Each exercise session consisted of 20-45 minutes of walking and 20-45 minutes of Yang style 24-form Taijiquan. 12-week exercise improved (p < 0.05) the sit and reach test (within-group mean difference: +5.6 cm; Hedges' g = 0.77), handgrip strength (mean difference: +3.1 kg; g = 0.89), arm curl (mean difference: +2.1 repetitions; g = 0.69), chair stand (mean difference: +2.6 repetitions; g = 0.63), and one-legged standing (mean difference: +2.2 seconds; g = 1.07). There was no improvement in the circulatory health, body composition, or life satisfaction. Therefore, this concurrent brisk walking and Taijiquan training, which targets major whole-body muscle groups, could improve aging-critical flexibility, muscular fitness, and balance in older women. The exercise meets the current WHO guideline, is safe to perform, and could be campaigned as a health promotion for older persons.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Strength
Fulltext 3D Printed Robot Hand Structure Using Four-Bar Linkage Mechanism for Prosthetic Application

Abdul Wahit MA, Ahmad SA, Marhaban MH, Wada C, Izhar LI

Sensors (Basel), 2020 Jul 27;20(15).
PMID: 32727150 DOI: 10.3390/s20154174

Trans-radial prosthesis is a wearable device that intends to help amputees under the elbow to replace the function of the missing anatomical segment that resembles an actual human hand. However, there are some challenging aspects faced mainly on the robot hand structural design itself. Improvements are needed as this is closely related to structure efficiency. This paper proposes a robot hand structure with improved features (four-bar linkage mechanism) to overcome the deficiency of using the cable-driven actuated mechanism that leads to less structure durability and inaccurate motion range. Our proposed robot hand structure also took into account the existing design problems such as bulky structure, unindividual actuated finger, incomplete fingers and a lack of finger joints compared to the actual finger in its design. This paper presents the improvements achieved by applying the proposed design such as the use of a four-bar linkage mechanism instead of using the cable-driven mechanism, the size of an average human hand, five-fingers with completed joints where each finger is moved by motor individually, joint protection using a mechanical stopper, detachable finger structure from the palm frame, a structure that has sufficient durability for everyday use and an easy to fabricate structure using 3D printing technology. The four-bar linkage mechanism is the use of the solid linkage that connects the actuator with the structure to allow the structure to move. The durability was investigated using static analysis simulation. The structural details and simulation results were validated through motion capture analysis and load test. The motion analyses towards the 3D printed robot structure show 70-98% similar motion range capability to the designed structure in the CAD software, and it can withstand up to 1.6 kg load in the simulation and the real test. The improved robot hand structure with optimum durability for prosthetic uses was successfully developed.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand
Fulltext A 2-Year Demographic Study of Domestic Paediatric Hand Injuries Requiring Surgical Intervention in An Urban Hospital

Shalimar, A., Jamari, S., Abdul Halim, A.R., Roohi, S.A., Naicker, A.S., Sharaf, I.

Malays Orthop J, 2007;1(1):34-38.
MyJurnal

Domestic paediatric hand injuries make up the bulk of overall paediatric hand injuries. This is a retrospective study of domestic paediatric hand injuries admitted into an urban hospital that required surgical intervention. The most common injuries sustained were tendon injuries (24%), total amputations (20%) and lacerations wounds (16%). Accordingly the most common surgical interventions were tendon repairs (28%), toilet suturing (24%) and refashioning (20%). Parents and care providers need to be more vigilant and careful when supervising children including ensuring the safe storage of dangerous items. Sharp items may require additional safety features and warning labels.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Injuries
Fulltext A 62 year old man with pain and stiffness of hands

Das Gupta E

Malays Fam Physician, 2007;2(1):35.
PMID: 25606078
Matched MeSH terms: Hand
Fulltext A Case of Congenital Syphilis Presenting with Unusual Skin Eruptions

Leung AKC, Leong KF, Lam JM

Case Rep Pediatr, 2018;2018:1761454.
PMID: 29770234 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1761454

Once believed to be a rare disease in developed countries, recent data suggest that there is a surge in incidence of congenital syphilis in many developed countries. Diagnosis of congenital syphilis can be difficult because more than two-thirds of affected infants are asymptomatic at birth, and signs of symptomatic infants may be nonspecific or subtle. On top of this, some affected infants may have atypical presentations. Familiarity with the diverse presentations is essential to diagnosis. We report a 2-week-old male infant with congenital syphilis whose cutaneous manifestations included diffuse, erythematous keratoderma with desquamation and fissures on his hands and feet, multiple linear scaly fissures at the angles of his mouth, and onychauxis of the fingernails and toenails To our knowledge, diffuse, erythematous keratoderma of the hands and feet and thick nails have not been reported previously in congenital syphilis.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand
Fulltext A Consistent Orally-Infected Hamster Model for Enterovirus A71 Encephalomyelitis Demonstrates Squamous Lesions in the Paws, Skin and Oral Cavity Reminiscent of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Phyu WK, Ong KC, Wong KT

PLoS One, 2016;11(1):e0147463.
PMID: 26815859 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147463

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) causes self-limiting, hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) that may rarely be complicated by encephalomyelitis. Person-to-person transmission is usually by fecal-oral or oral-oral routes. To study viral replication sites in the oral cavity and other tissues, and to gain further insights into virus shedding and neuropathogenesis, we developed a consistent, orally-infected, 2-week-old hamster model of HFMD and EV-A71 encephalomyelitis. Tissues from orally-infected, 2-week-old hamsters were studied by light microscopy, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to detect viral antigens and RNA, respectively, and by virus titration. Hamsters developed the disease and died after 4-8 days post infection; LD50 was 25 CCID50. Macroscopic cutaneous lesions around the oral cavity and paws were observed. Squamous epithelium in the lip, oral cavity, paw, skin, and esophagus, showed multiple small inflammatory foci around squamous cells that demonstrated viral antigens/RNA. Neurons (brainstem, spinal cord, sensory ganglia), acinar cells (salivary gland, lacrimal gland), lymphoid cells (lymph node, spleen), and muscle fibres (skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscles), liver and gastric epithelium also showed varying amounts of viral antigens/RNA. Intestinal epithelium, Peyer's patches, thymus, pancreas, lung and kidney were negative. Virus was isolated from oral washes, feces, brain, spinal cord, skeletal muscle, serum, and other tissues. Our animal model should be useful to study squamous epitheliotropism, neuropathogenesis, oral/fecal shedding in EV-A71 infection, person-to-person transmission, and to test anti-viral drugs and vaccines.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/pathology*; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/virology
Fulltext A Palmar Lipoma with Median and Ulnar Nerve Compressive Symptoms

Azwa, N., Shalimar, A., Jamari, S.

Malays Orthop J, 2007;1(2):33-35.
MyJurnal

Although lipoma is common in the upper limbs, it rarely occurs in the palm, and usually does not compress the surrounding structures. Here, we report a patient presenting with compressive neuropathy of the ulna and median nerves secondary to a palmar lipoma. Surgical excision led to full neurological recovery.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand
Fulltext A Robust and Fast Computation Touchless Palm Print Recognition System Using LHEAT and the IFkNCN Classifier

Jaafar H, Ibrahim S, Ramli DA

Comput Intell Neurosci, 2015;2015:360217.
PMID: 26113861 DOI: 10.1155/2015/360217

Mobile implementation is a current trend in biometric design. This paper proposes a new approach to palm print recognition, in which smart phones are used to capture palm print images at a distance. A touchless system was developed because of public demand for privacy and sanitation. Robust hand tracking, image enhancement, and fast computation processing algorithms are required for effective touchless and mobile-based recognition. In this project, hand tracking and the region of interest (ROI) extraction method were discussed. A sliding neighborhood operation with local histogram equalization, followed by a local adaptive thresholding or LHEAT approach, was proposed in the image enhancement stage to manage low-quality palm print images. To accelerate the recognition process, a new classifier, improved fuzzy-based k nearest centroid neighbor (IFkNCN), was implemented. By removing outliers and reducing the amount of training data, this classifier exhibited faster computation. Our experimental results demonstrate that a touchless palm print system using LHEAT and IFkNCN achieves a promising recognition rate of 98.64%.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand/anatomy & histology*
Fulltext A TRIZ-driven conceptualisation of finger grip enhancer designs for the elderly

Tan DWH, Ng PK, Noor EEM

F1000Res, 2021;10:392.
PMID: 34354817 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.51705.1

Background: Elderly people with severe finger weakness may need assistive health technology interventions. Finger weakness impedes the elderly in executing activities of daily living such as unbuttoning shirts and opening clothes pegs. While studies have related finger weakness with ageing effects, there appears to be no research that uses an algorithmic problem-solving approach such as the theory of inventive problem-solving (TRIZ) to recommend finger grip assistive technologies that resolve the issue of finger weakness among the elderly. Using TRIZ, this study aims to conceptualise finger grip enhancer designs for elderly people. Methods: Several TRIZ tools such as the cause-and-effect chain (CEC) analysis, engineering contradiction, physical contradiction, and substance-field analysis are used to conceptualise solutions that assist elderly people in their day-to-day pinching activities. Results: Based on the segmentation principle, a finger assistant concept powered by a miniature linear actuator is recommended. Specific product development processes are used to further conceptualise the actuation system. The study concluded that the chosen concept should use a DC motor to actuate fingers through tendon cables triggered by a push start button. Conclusions: Finger pinch degradation worsens the quality of life of the elderly. A finger grip enhancer that assists in day-to-day activities may be an effective option for elderly people, not only for their physical but also their mental well-being in society.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Strength
Fulltext A biomechanical study of grip and pinch strength among Malaysian elderly population

Zahari Taha, Ruhaizin Sulaiman

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2011;19(2):293-305.
MyJurnal

The physical strength of the elderly aged above 60 years is typically 10 to 30% less than the young adult population of ages between 25 to 35 years. This reduction of strength has a strong impact on the activity of the daily living (ADL) of the elderly population. There has been little research done studying on the physical strength of the elderly population in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to determine the static strength of the elderly population in Malaysia. In particular, the grip and pinch strength were investigated as these two static strengths are extensively used in their instrumental activity of daily living (IADL). The results were then compared to the strength of the university students. A total of 30 subjects (15 males and 15 females) participated in the study. Their age ranged between 60 to 83 years, with the mean of age of 67.1 years. The comparison group comprised a total of 30 university students (20 male, 10 female) aged between 23 to 24 years, with the mean of age of 23.2 years. Grip and pinch strengths of both groups were measured and analysed using a descriptive statistics. It was found that the elderly male subjects are stronger in both strength measurements than their female counterpart. The 95th percentile of the female grip strength was slightly lower than that of the male while the male pinch strength was 31.07% higher. It was also found that the male students had higher strengths compared to the females. The grip strength of the elderly was 30.66% lower than the university student, while their pinch strength was 13.42% lower. Both static strengths of the elderly were found to be lower than those of the university students. This supported the research hypotheses postulating that the static strength had a negative correlation with age. In terms of gender differences, the male subjects were found to be stronger than the females.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Strength
Fulltext A brief review on ACE I/D gene polymorphism and blood pressure response to exercise training

Hazwani Ahmad Yusof, Abdul Rashid Aziz, Nor Farah Mohamad Fauzi, Ahmad Munir Che Muhamed

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2018;14(201):179-189.
MyJurnal

Exercise has been suggested as the best and the most affordable way for managing blood pressure. The insertion/ deletion of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D gene polymorphism had been reported to be linked with sev- eral diseases such as hypertension and diabetic nephropathy. Several studies showed that blood pressure response to exercise training for health management also vary among individuals with different genotypes of ACE I/D gene poly- morphism. A study of 9 months of endurance exercise training at 75 to 85 % of VO2max showed that the decrease of resting blood pressure in I allele carriers wass greater than D allele carriers. In contrast, other study discovered that adult women with D allele had greater reduction in resting blood pressure than those with I allele, following a 12-week combined aerobic and resistance exercise training. Despite the inconsistencies of some findings, it has remained unknown if the ACE I/D gene polymorphism would also influence blood pressure response to isometric handgrip training that had been found to be superior to the dynamic resistance exercise training in controlling and preventing high blood pressure. Thus, this article was to review the literature on ACE I/D gene polymorphism and blood pressure response to exercise training that could serve as the basis for future research to identify individuals who will lower resting blood pressure the most with exercise training program for health management.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Strength
A case of a hand burns associated with a "wrap-around" pulse oximeter in an infant

Hisham A, Hafizuddin Bin Salleh M, Ibrahim S, Mohd Yussof SJ

Int Wound J, 2020 Aug;17(4):1097-1098.
PMID: 32333718 DOI: 10.1111/iwj.13375
Matched MeSH terms: Hand Injuries/drug therapy*; Hand Injuries/etiology*
A comparison of delta wire technique versus extension block pinning in the treatment of bony Mallet finger

Chee WH, Gunasagaran J, Ahmad TS

Handchir Mikrochir Plast Chir, 2020 Jun;52(3):176-181.
PMID: 32531783 DOI: 10.1055/a-1170-5590

ZIEL: Diese Studie vergleicht die klinischen Ergebnisse nach Delta-Draht-Technik (Gruppe 1 = 7 Patienten) mit den Ergebnissen nach Extensions-Block-Pinning (Gruppe 2 = 11 Patienten) in der Behandlung des knöchernen Mallet-Fingers.
PATIENTEN UND METHODEN: Sechs Monate postoperativ wurde bei allen Patienten das klinische Ergebnis nach den Crawford-Kriterien, die Schmerzen anhand einer visuellen Analogskale (VAS) und der DASH-Score ermittelt. Zusätzlich wurden die aktive Beweglichkeit und das Extensionsdefizit im Endgelenk sowie aufgetretene Komplikationen festgehalten.
ERGEBNISSE: Patienten der Gruppe 1 hatten eine signifikant bessere Beugung im Fingerendgelenk, aber auch ein signifikant größeres Extensionsdefizit, obwohl sie signifikant früher ihre Arbeit wiederaufnahmen. Nach den Crawford-Kriterien erzielten 71 % der Patienten der Gruppe 1 und 100 % der Gruppe 2 ein exzellentes und gutes Ergebnis. Keine Unterschiede konnten bzgl. der OP-Dauer, der Schmerzen, dem DASH-Score und der Zeit bis zur knöchernen Heilung festgestellt werden.
SCHLUSSFOLGERUNG: In der Kurzzeitbeobachtung werden mit Extension-Block-Pinning bessere Ergebnisse in der Behandlung des knöchernen Strecksehnenausriss am Fingerendglied erzielt als mit der Delta-Draht-Technik.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Deformities, Acquired*
A comparison of hand-arm vibration syndrome between Malaysian and Japanese workers

Su AT, Fukumoto J, Darus A, Hoe VC, Miyai N, Isahak M, et al.

J Occup Health, 2013;55(6):468-78.
PMID: 24162147

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of HAVS in a tropical environment in comparison with a temperate environment.
METHODS: We conducted a series medical examinations among the forestry, construction and automobile industry workers in Malaysia adopting the compulsory medical examination procedure used by Wakayama Medical University for Japanese vibratory tools workers. We matched the duration of vibration exposure and compared our results against the Japanese workers. We also compared the results of the Malaysian tree fellers against a group of symptomatic Japanese tree fellers diagnosed with HAVS.
RESULTS: Malaysian subjects reported a similar prevalence of finger tingling, numbness and dullness (Malaysian=25.0%, Japanese=21.5%, p=0.444) but had a lower finger skin temperature (FST) and higher vibrotactile perception threshold (VPT) values as compared with the Japanese workers. No white finger was reported in Malaysian subjects. The FST and VPT of the Malaysian tree fellers were at least as bad as the Japanese tree fellers despite a shorter duration (mean difference=20.12 years, 95%CI=14.50, 25.40) of vibration exposure.
CONCLUSIONS: Although the vascular disorder does not manifest clinically in the tropical environment, the severity of HAVS can be as bad as in the temperate environment with predominantly neurological disorder. Hence, it is essential to formulate national legislation for the control of the occupational vibration exposure.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand/physiopathology; Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome/epidemiology*
A cross sectional study on hand-arm vibration syndrome among a group of tree fellers in a tropical environment

Su AT, Maeda S, Fukumoto J, Miyai N, Isahak M, Yoshioka A, et al.

Ind Health, 2014;52(4):367-76.
PMID: 24739764

This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) in a group of tree fellers in a tropical environment. We examined all tree fellers and selected control subjects in a logging camp of central Sarawak for vibration exposure and presence of HAVS symptoms utilizing vibrotactile perception threshold test (VPT) and cold water provocation test (CWP). None of the subjects reported white finger. The tree fellers reported significantly higher prevalence of finger coldness as compared to the control subjects (OR=10.32, 95%CI=1.21-87.94). A lower finger skin temperature, longer fingernail capillary return time and higher VPT were observed among the tree fellers as compared to the control subjects in all fingers (effect size >0.5). The VPT following CWP of the tree fellers was significantly higher (repeated measures ANOVA p=0.002, partial η(2)=0.196) than the control subject. The A (8) level was associated with finger tingling, numbness and dullness (effect size=0.983) and finger coldness (effect size=0.524) among the tree fellers. Finger coldness and finger tingling, numbness and dullness are important symptoms for HAVS in tropical environment that may indicate vascular and neurological damage due to hand-transmitted vibration exposure.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome/etiology; Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome/epidemiology*
A cross-sectional evaluation on physical fitness of Malaysian firefighters

Atikah C, Nihayah M, Omar B, Leonard J, Noor Ibrahim M, Zurkarnain M, et al.

Sains Malaysiana, 2015;44:1461-1466.

Fire fighting is one of the most strenuous activities in the hazardous fire service industry. Firefighters have to be physically fit in order to provide an effective and safe fire prevention to the afflicted community and as well as to themselves. The aimed of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the physical fitness among Malaysian firefighters. The hand grip test to evaluate hand and muscular strength was measured using hand dynamometer and one-minute sit ups and one-minute push ups were conducted to measure abdominal muscle endurance. The sit and reach test was carried out to measure lower back and hamstring flexibility. VO2 max was assessed by a 20 meter shuttle run test to measure cardiorespiratory fitness. A total of 385 subjects were participated and the results showed that 77.1% (n=297) and 84.8% (n=325) of them had very poor scores for hand grip strength and VO2 max, respectively. For one-minute sit ups, 40.8% (n=157) of subjects scored excellent. Meanwhile, 32.7% (n=126) subjects scored average for one-minute push ups. For flexibility test, 53.2% (n=205) subjects had poor flexibilty. The results showed there were significantly difference between one-minute sit ups (p<0.001), one-minute push ups (p<0.05), flexibility (p<0.05) and VO2 max (p<0.001) according to age. As a conclusion, this study provides representative data on physical fitness among Malaysian firefighters. These findings suggested the needs to explore the issues behind low physical fitness among Malaysian firefighters and to find ways to improve them.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Strength
Fulltext A decade of sustained selection pressure on two surface sites of the VP1 protein of Enterovirus A71 suggests that immune evasion may be an indirect driver for virulence

Roberts R, Yee PTI, Mujawar S, Lahiri C, Poh CL, Gatherer D

Sci Rep, 2019 04 01;9(1):5427.
PMID: 30931960 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41662-8

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is an emerging pathogen in the Enterovirus A species group. EV-A71 causes hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), with virulent variants exhibiting polio-like acute flaccid paralysis and other central nervous system manifestations. We analysed all enterovirus A71 complete genomes with collection dates from 2008 to mid-2018. All sub-genotypes exhibit a strong molecular clock with omega (dN/dS) suggesting strong purifying selection. In sub-genotypes B5 and C4, positive selection can be detected at two surface sites on the VP1 protein, also detected in positive selection studies performed prior to 2008. Toggling of a limited repertoire of amino acids at these positively selected residues over the last decade suggests that EV-A71 may be undergoing a sustained frequency-dependent selection process for immune evasion, raising issues for vaccine development. These same sites have also been previously implicated in virus-host binding and strain-associated severity of HFMD, suggesting that immune evasion may be an indirect driver for virulence (154 words).

Matched MeSH terms: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/virology
Fulltext A generic assay for whole-genome amplification and deep sequencing of enterovirus A71

Tan le V, Tuyen NT, Thanh TT, Ngan TT, Van HM, Sabanathan S, et al.

J Virol Methods, 2015 Apr;215-216:30-6.
PMID: 25704598 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2015.02.011

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) has emerged as the most important cause of large outbreaks of severe and sometimes fatal hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) across the Asia-Pacific region. EV-A71 outbreaks have been associated with (sub)genogroup switches, sometimes accompanied by recombination events. Understanding EV-A71 population dynamics is therefore essential for understanding this emerging infection, and may provide pivotal information for vaccine development. Despite the public health burden of EV-A71, relatively few EV-A71 complete-genome sequences are available for analysis and from limited geographical localities. The availability of an efficient procedure for whole-genome sequencing would stimulate effort to generate more viral sequence data. Herein, we report for the first time the development of a next-generation sequencing based protocol for whole-genome sequencing of EV-A71 directly from clinical specimens. We were able to sequence viruses of subgenogroup C4 and B5, while RNA from culture materials of diverse EV-A71 subgenogroups belonging to both genogroup B and C was successfully amplified. The nature of intra-host genetic diversity was explored in 22 clinical samples, revealing 107 positions carrying minor variants (ranging from 0 to 15 variants per sample). Our analysis of EV-A71 strains sampled in 2013 showed that they all belonged to subgenogroup B5, representing the first report of this subgenogroup in Vietnam. In conclusion, we have successfully developed a high-throughput next-generation sequencing-based assay for whole-genome sequencing of EV-A71 from clinical samples.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/virology*
Fulltext A holistic approach to promoting early child development: a cluster randomised trial of a group-based, multicomponent intervention in rural Bangladesh

Pitchik HO, Tofail F, Rahman M, Akter F, Sultana J, Shoab AK, et al.

BMJ Glob Health, 2021 03;6(3).
PMID: 33727278 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004307

INTRODUCTION: In low- and middle-income countries, children experience multiple risks for delayed development. We evaluated a multicomponent, group-based early child development intervention including behavioural recommendations on responsive stimulation, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, mental health and lead exposure prevention.
METHODS: We conducted a 9-month, parallel, multiarm, cluster-randomised controlled trial in 31 rural villages in Kishoreganj District, Bangladesh. Villages were randomly allocated to: group sessions ('group'); alternating groups and home visits ('combined'); or a passive control arm. Sessions were delivered fortnightly by trained community members. The primary outcome was child stimulation (Family Care Indicators); the secondary outcome was child development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire Inventory, ASQi). Other outcomes included dietary diversity, latrine status, use of a child potty, handwashing infrastructure, caregiver mental health and knowledge of lead. Analyses were intention to treat. Data collectors were independent from implementers.
RESULTS: In July-August 2017, 621 pregnant women and primary caregivers of children<15 months were enrolled (group n=160, combined n=160, control n=301). At endline, immediately following intervention completion (July-August 2018), 574 participants were assessed (group n=144, combined n=149, control n=281). Primary caregivers in both intervention arms participated in more play activities than control caregivers (age-adjusted means: group 4.22, 95% CI 3.97 to 4.47; combined 4.77, 4.60 to 4.96; control 3.24, 3.05 to 3.39), and provided a larger variety of play materials (age-adjusted means: group 3.63, 3.31 to 3.96; combined 3.81, 3.62 to 3.99; control 2.48, 2.34 to 2.59). Compared with the control arm, children in the group arm had higher total ASQi scores (adjusted mean difference in standardised scores: 0.39, 0.15 to 0.64), while in the combined arm scores were not significantly different from the control (0.25, -0.07 to 0.54).
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that group-based, multicomponent interventions can be effective at improving child development outcomes in rural Bangladesh, and that they have the potential to be delivered at scale.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The trial is registered in ISRCTN (ISRCTN16001234).

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Disinfection
Fulltext A machine learning approach of predicting high potential archers by means of physical fitness indicators

Muazu Musa R, P P Abdul Majeed A, Taha Z, Chang SW, Ab Nasir AF, Abdullah MR

PLoS One, 2019;14(1):e0209638.
PMID: 30605456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209638

k-nearest neighbour (k-NN) has been shown to be an effective learning algorithm for classification and prediction. However, the application of k-NN for prediction and classification in specific sport is still in its infancy. The present study classified and predicted high and low potential archers from a set of physical fitness variables trained on a variation of k-NN algorithms and logistic regression. 50 youth archers with the mean age and standard deviation of (17.0 ± 0.56) years drawn from various archery programmes completed a one end archery shooting score test. Standard fitness measurements of the handgrip, vertical jump, standing broad jump, static balance, upper muscle strength and the core muscle strength were conducted. Multiple linear regression was utilised to ascertain the significant variables that affect the shooting score. It was demonstrated from the analysis that core muscle strength and vertical jump were statistically significant. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (HACA) was used to cluster the archers based on the significant variables identified. k-NN model variations, i.e., fine, medium, coarse, cosine, cubic and weighted functions as well as logistic regression, were trained based on the significant performance variables. The HACA clustered the archers into high potential archers (HPA) and low potential archers (LPA). The weighted k-NN outperformed all the tested models at itdemonstrated reasonably good classification on the evaluated indicators with an accuracy of 82.5 ± 4.75% for the prediction of the HPA and the LPA. Moreover, the performance of the classifiers was further investigated against fresh data, which also indicates the efficacy of the weighted k-NN model. These findings could be valuable to coaches and sports managers to recognise high potential archers from a combination of the selected few physical fitness performance indicators identified which would subsequently save cost, time and energy for a talent identification programme.

Matched MeSH terms: Hand Strength

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