Background: Despite various treatment methods, many functional ankle instability (FAI) patients continue to experience functional deficits. Objectives: To investigate the effect of additional auditory feedback on balance and ankle function in task-oriented balance training for FAI patients. Design: Randomized controlled trial design. Methods: Forty FAI patients were randomly assigned to the auditory feedback task-oriented balance training (ATBT) group (n=20) and the task-oriented balance training (TBT) group (n=20). The training program was implemented for 4 weeks, 3 days a week. Results: After training, the COG movement area, speed, and distance significantly decreased in both the ATBT and TBT groups (P<.05). Additionally, the COG movement speed and distance in the ATBT group were significantly decreased compared to the TBT group (P<.05). The 6-meter crossover hop test time decreased in both the ATBT and TBT groups (P<.05). The ATBT group exhibited a significantly decreased 6-meter crossover hop test time compared to the TBT group (P<.05). Conclusion: Both ATBT and TBT enhanced balance and ankle function in FAI patients. ATBT was more effective in improving balance and ankle function than TBT.

Background: Plank exercises are widely used for core stabilization, but the effects of applying instability to different support surfaces on trunk muscle activation remain unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of support surface instability on the electromyographic activity of trunk muscles including the rectus abdominis, internal oblique and transversus abdominis, multifidus, and longissimus during the plank exercise. Design: This study is quasi-experimental design. Methods: Thirty healthy university students performed plank exercises under four conditions: stable surface, unstable elbows, unstable feet, and unstable both. Muscle activity was measured using wireless EMG. Data were analyzed using one-way repeated measures ANOVA and Scheffé post hoc tests. Results: The rectus abdominis showed a statistically significant increase in muscle activation when both elbows and feet were placed on an unstable surface compared with the stable condition (P<.05). Conclusions: Unstable support surfaces during planks significantly enhance rectus abdominis activation, increasing global muscle recruitment for postural control. Conversely, stable surfaces may be preferable for training deep stabilizers without excessive superficial muscle dominance.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) is a promising ferroelectric polymer for flexible electronics and energy-harvesting devices, owing to its high piezoelectric coefficient and mechanical flexibility. Here, we report that electrohydrodynamic instability induces the formation of closely packed nanostructures on PVDF-TrFE thin film. Intriguingly, the strong electric field used in the fabrication process drives the polymeric fluid of PVDF-TrFE upwards to form the surface structures, facilitating molecular dipole alignment and crystalline ordering. This effect contributes to improved crystal alignment, as confirmed by enhanced X-ray diffraction and Raman characteristic peaks. The nanostructured PVDF-TrFE films exhibit enhanced dielectric properties including permittivity, dielectric loss, and ferroelectric polarization. Notably, P-E loop measurements showed a larger remnant polarization and higher saturation polarization in the nanostructured PVDF-TrFE films, indicating improved ferroelectric behavior. Our results suggest that the electrohydrodynamic instability provides a simple but effective route to simultaneously tailor the surface morphology, crystalline phase, and electrical performance of PVDF-TrFE films.

CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-mediated gene editing has recently been applied to Ganoderma lucidum as a promising tool for functional genomics and strain improvement. However, the multinuclear nature of this basidiomycete can result in genetic mosaicism, raising concerns about the long-term stability of edited strains. In this study, we report the occurrence of revertant phenotypes in CRISPR/Cas9-edited transformants of G. lucidum. Although the edited colonies initially exhibited the expected phenotype, repeated subculturing led to the reappearance of wild-type phenotypes. PCR and sequencing analyses revealed the coexistence of edited and non-edited nuclei, and the progressive loss of edited genotypes over successive generations. These findings demonstrate that multinuclearity is a key factor contributing to the instability of CRISPR/Cas9-based edits in G. lucidum. This brief report provides the first direct documentation of revertant occurrence in edited G. lucidum strains and underscores the need for rigorous selection strategies and novel approaches to secure stable homokaryotic transformants in mushroom genetic engineering.

Background: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a prevalent condition among Taekwondo athletes, often associated with pain, psychological factors, and impaired physical performance. However, few studies have investigated the relationship among ankle muscle strength, pain, kinesiophobia, and physical performance in Taekwondo athletes with CAI. Objects: This study aimed to examine the relationship between ankle muscle strength, pain, kinesiophobia, and physical performance in Taekwondo athletes with CAI. Methods: Forty Taekwondo athletes with CAI participated in the study. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and kinesiophobia was measured with the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11 (TSK-11). Physical performance was evaluated using the single-leg vertical jump (SLVJ) and single-leg hop for distance. The strength of the ankle muscles is measured using a Smart KEMA strength sensor. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine relationships among variables. Results: SLVJ showed a significant negative correlation with VAS (r = –0.506, p < 0.01) and a positive correlation with strength of the ankle inversion with dorsiflexion (IDF) (r = 0.356, p < 0.05). VAS was negatively correlated with strength of the ankle eversion with plantarflexion (r = –0.365, p < 0.05), IDF (r = –0.371, p < 0.05) and inversion with plantarflexion (r = –0.370, p < 0.05). No significant correlations were found between TSK-11 and physical performance, pain, or ankle muscle strength outcomes. Conclusion: Pain intensity and ankle muscle strength in specific ankle positions are associated with SLVJ in Taekwondo athletes with CAI. These findings suggest that the intensity of pain and the strength of the ankle evertor and invertor at specific ankle joint positions should be considered when evaluating Taekwondo athletes with CAI. Furthermore, managing pain and implementing strengthening exercises for the ankle evertor and invertor can be recommended to improve SLVJ.

Background: During daily activities, stability is maintained to enhance the function of muscles surrounding the lumbopelvic and hip structures. The core muscles such as the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and internal oblique (IO) responsible for this stability. One effective static exercise for strengthening these muscles is the plank. Objects: This study aimed to compare abdominal electromyographic activation when an unstable support surface was applied to the upper and lower extremities during a standard and a knee plank. Methods: A total of 30 adults (15 males and 15 females) participated in this study. Surface electromyography electrodes were placed on the RA, EO, and IO muscles. Data were collected under six conditions for males, including two plank postures (standard and knee planks) and three unstable surface conditions (a dynamic balance cushion applied to the upper extremities, lower extremities, or no cushion). Female participants performed only the knee plank. A mixed-effects model with a random intercept was used to analyze muscle activation across plank posture and surface position, with statistical significance set at α = 0.05. Results: In males, the standard plank elicited greater muscle activation than the knee plank across all muscles (p < 0.0001). Additionally, applying an unstable support surface to the upper extremities significantly increased muscle activation in both plank postures in EO and IO (p < 0.001). Other muscle, RA, was only affected by the unstable support surface in the standard plank position only. In females, the knee plank with upper limb instability resulted in the highest muscle activation for all muscles. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of surface instability in core muscle engagement. However, future studies should further investigate abdominal muscle activation with a more detailed analysis and the inclusion of a control group to enhance comparative validity.

Background: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is very common disease. Strength exercise, balance exercise, and proprioceptive exercise were used to improvement of function for CAI. Isokinetic strength and balance are related to functional movement of lower extremity. Objectives: The purpose was to analyze the effect of muscle strengthening exercise, balance exercise, and proprioceptive exercise on isokinetic strength and balance in young adults with CAI. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: The subjects were 30 young adults with CAI. The subjects randomly divided into three groups: strengthening exercise, balance exercise, and proprioceptive exercise. They performed each exercise for 20 minutes, three times a week for four weeks. They measured isokinetic strength of dorsiflexor and plantar flexor of 60°/sec and 120°/sec, static and dynamic balance before and after exercise. Results: The isokinetic strengths of dorsiflexor and plantar flexor of 60°/sec and 120°/sec were significantly higher in the strengthening exercise group than in the balance exercise group. The static and dynamic balance was significantly higher in the balance exercise group than in other two groups. Conclusion: Strengthening exercise, balance exercise, proprioceptive exercise can improve the muscle strength for CAI. Strengthening exercise and balance exercise can more improve balance than proprioceptive exercise for CAI.

Background: In Taekwondo athletes, ankle sprain is the most common risk factor for injury. Repeated ankle injuries lead to weakness and imbalance of the ankle muscles, resulting in chronic ankle instability (CAI). Both the ankle and toe muscles contribute to the inversion and eversion of the foot at the subtalar joint. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the ankle and toe joint positions when measuring ankle invertor and evertor strength. Objects: This study aimed to compare the muscle strength and ratio differences of the ankle invertor and evertor muscles in both the toe and ankle positions between the CAI and uninjured sides in Taekwondo athletes. Methods: Fifteen Taekwondo athletes participated in this study. The isometric strengths of both the ankle invertor and evertor were determined in different ankle and toe positions (dorsiflexion with toe extension, dorsiflexion with toe flexion, plantarflexion with toe extension, and plantarflexion with toe flexion). Paired t-tests were used to determine the differences between the ankle invertor and evertor in strength and ratio according to toe and ankle positions between the ankle CAI side and the uninjured side. Results: The results demonstrated that ankle evertor strength significantly decreased in all ankle and toe positions on the CAI side (p < 0.05). In addition, significant differences were observed in the ratios of the ankle invertor and evertor strengths in the dorsiflexion with toe flexion, plantarflexion with toe extension, and plantarflexion with toe flexion positions (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that athletes, trainers, and clinicians should consider ankle and toe positions when measuring invertor and evertor strength and develop ankle rehabilitation protocols for Taekwondo athletes with CAI.

Background: Ankle sprains occur frequently among humans who undertake various body movements. Diverse walking environments and dual tasks, that can affect ankle sprains, have been studied. However, there is a lack of research on inter-trial variability according to the changes in gait speed. Objects: The purpose of this study was to compare the adaptive ability of walking between the subjects with chronic ankle instability and healthy adults while performing a walking task with different walking speeds. Methods: In this study, 24 people in the chronic ankle instability group and 24 people in the healthy ankle group were selected as subjects. The length of the pre-measurement and the actual walking measurement were both set to 4.6 m. Once the subjects entered the measurement section, they changed their gait speed according to the randomly assigned speed change. Gait was measured twice and the average value was used for the analysis. Results: The coefficient of variation (CV) of cycle time in subjects with chronic ankle instability showed a significant difference in all cases except when the subjects changed their speed from preferred to slow and from slow to preferred. The CV of step length demonstrated a significant difference in all cases except for the change from slow to preferred and from preferred to fast. The cycle time and step length differential showed a significant difference only when the subjects changed the speed from slow to fast. Conclusion: The subjects with chronic ankle instability were found to have significantly reduced walking adaptability while performing inter-trial variability tasks with different gait speeds compared to healthy subjects.

본 연구는 일회성 발목가동성 운동프로그램이 만성적인 발목불안정성(CAI)에 나타나는 발목가 동범위와 통증 수준에 미치는 영향을 확인하는데 목적이 있다. 연구 대상자는 발목불안정성 설문지 검사에 서 좌, 우측 평균 점수가 24점 이하인 성인여성 20명을 선정 하였으며 집단은 일회성 발목 가동성 운동프 로그램 집단(Ankle mobility exercise program, AE, n=10)과 대조군(CON, n=10)으로 구분하였다. AE 처 치는 일회성 운동에 대한 반응을 확인하기 위해 좌·우측 발목을 각각 1회(20분) 실시하였으며 처치 전후 발목불안정성 검사, 통증 및 발목가동범위를 확인하였다. 먼저 AE 프로그램을 실시한 AE 집단의 통증 수 준은 사전과 비교하여 사후 유의하게 감소하는 것으로 나타났다(p<.01). 또한 AE 프로그램 처치한 AE 집 단에서 배측굴곡이 사전과 비교하여 증가하는 것으로 나타났다(p<.05). 이러한 결과를 종합해 보면 일회성 발목 가동성 운동 프로그램은 CAI에서 나타나는 발목 통증과 발목의 가동범위를 개선시켜 결과적으로 발 목 불안정성을 완화시킬 수 있는 효과적인 운동 중재 방법이라고 생각된다.

목적 : 본 연구는 웨스턴 온타리오 어깨 불안정 지수(Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index: WOSI)를 한국어로 번역하고 측정 속성을 조사하고자 하였다. 연구방법 : 번역은 번역과 역번역 과정을 포함하는 다수의 문헌에서 사용되고 있는 가이드라인에 따라 진행되었다. 연구대 상자는 한국어판 WOSI (K-WOSI)와 Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand for Koreans (K-QuickDASH) 검사를 수행하였으며, K-WOSI는 일정한 시간이 지난 후에 같은 대상자에게 반복 측정되었다. 연구자 는 측정결과를 활용하여 내적일치도, 검사·재검사 신뢰도, 동시타당도, 바닥 및 천장 효과를 분석하였다. 결과 : 16명의 환자가 연구에 참여하였으며, 총점 분석 시 내적일치도(Cronbach’s alpha = 0.97)와 검사·재검사 신뢰 도(Pearson’s r = 0.86, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient = 0.92)가 통계학적으로 유의하였다. 평가의 하위 영역 간의 신뢰도 분석 시에도 통계학적으로 유의한 결과가 확인되었다. 또한 K-WOSI와 K-QuickDASH의 상관성이 높았 으며(Pearson’s r = 0.88), K-WOSI의 바닥 및 천장 효과가 발생하지 않았다. 결론 : 본 연구에서 K-WOSI가 어깨가 불안정한 환자들의 삶의 질을 평가하는데 있어 신뢰도와 타당도가 높은 평가로 확 인되었다.

Preserving intact genetic material and delivering it to the next generation are the most significant tasks of living organisms. The integrity of DNA sequences is under constant threat from endogenous and exogenous factors. The accumulation of damaged or incompletely-repaired DNA can cause serious problems in cells, including cell death or cancer development. Various DNA damage detection systems and repair mechanisms have evolved at the cellular level. Although the mechanisms of these responses have been extensively studied, the global RNA expression profiles associated with genomic instability are not well-known. To detect global gene expression changes under different DNA damage and hypoxic conditions, we performed RNA-seq after treating human cervical cancer cells with ionizing radiation (IR), hydroxyurea, mitomycin C (MMC), or 1% O2 (hypoxia). Results showed that the expression of 184–1037 genes was altered by each stimulus. We found that the expression of 51 genes changed under IR, MMC, and hypoxia. These findings revealed damage-specific genes that varied differently according to each stimulus and common genes that are universally altered in genetic instability.

Purpose: 본 연구의 목적은 본 연구의 목적은 2주간의 회전근개의 강화운동이 회전근개의 근육 두께, 견봉하 공간, 어깨 불안정성에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 하는 것이다. Methods: 근골격계 질환이 없는 대상자 35명을 대상으로 수행하였으며, 횡격막 호흡을 하는 그룹과 횡격막 호흡을 하지 않는 그룹으로 나누었으며, 두 그룹 모두 필라테스를 수행하였다. 실험에 사용한 기기로는 Ultrasonography(US), Pulmonary function tests(FEV1 / FVC), Bioeletic Impedance Analysis, Sit and reach test를 사용하였다. 근골격계 질환이 없는 대상자 20명이 실험에 참여하였다. 근력 강화 운동은 2주 동안 주 5세트, 총 50세트 실시하였으며, 운동은 풀캔, 빈캔, 외회전 운동으로 진행하였다. 초음파를 이용하여 극상근과 극하근의 근육 두께와 견봉하 공간의 변화를 확인하였다. CSMI는 가시위근과 가시아래근의 근력을 평가하는 데 사용되었다. 정규성 검증을 실시한 후, 반복측정분산분석 (repeated measures of ANOVA)를 사용하여 운동 전, 1주후, 2주후를 비교하였다. 사후 분석을 위해 Fisher’s LSD를 실시하였다. Results: 근력의 비교에서 운동 2주 후 측정 시 내회전에서 유의한 차이가 있었다 (P <0.05). 외회전에서는 유의한 차이가 없었다 (P >0.05). 근육두께에서는 가시위근과 가시아래근의 근육 두께는 유의한 차이가 없었다 (P >0.05). 또한 봉우리밑 공간에서도 유의한 차이가 없었다 (P >0.05). Conlusion: 결론적으로, 빈캔 운동과 풀캔 운동, 측면 외회전 운동은 어깨관절 안쪽돌림의 근력 강화에 긍정적인 효과가 있었다

Background: Since chronic ankle instability (CAI) can adversely affect postural control, core stability exercises have been investigated to improve postural control. However, only a few studies have focused on kinetic chain exercises. Objectives: To investigate the effects of open kinetic chain (OKC) and closed kinetic chain (CKC) core stability exercises on static and dynamic balance abilities and vertical jump height in CAI patients. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: The 18 participants enrolled in this study were randomly divided into the OKC group (n=9) and CKC group (n=9). Static and dynamic balance abilities and vertical jump height were measured before and after the intervention. The intervention program comprising OKC or CKC core stability exercises depending on the groups was conducted for 30 min twice a week for 6 weeks in 12 sessions. Results: In the OKC group, static measured with the eyes open or closed and dynamic balance abilities were significantly improved after the intervention (P<.05). In the CKC group, dynamic balance ability was significantly increased (P<.05). A significant difference was observed in static balance ability measured with the eyes open between the two groups (P<.05). Vertical jump height was significantly increased after the intervention in both groups (P<.05). Conclusion: OKC and CKC core stability exercises improve static and dynamic balance abilities and vertical jump height in CAI patients. Specifically, the OKC core stability exercise was more effective in enhancing static balance ability than the CKC core stability exercise.