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Mei-Wun Tsai

Publications and source records attributed to Mei-Wun Tsai.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Optimization design of thumbspica splint using finite element method.

De Quervain's tenosynovitis is often observed on repetitive flexion of the thumb. In the clinical setting, the conservative treatment is usually an applied thumbspica splint to immobilize the thumb. However, the traditional thumbspica splint is bulky and heavy. Thus, this study used the finite element (FE) method to remove redundant material in order to reduce the splint's weight and increase ventilation. An FE model of a thumbspica splint was constructed using ANSYS9.0 software. A maximum lateral thumb pinch force of 98 N was used as the input loading condition for the FE model. This study implemented topology optimization and design optimization to seek the optimal thickness and shape of the splint. This new design was manufactured and compared with the traditional thumbspica splint. Ten thumbspica splints were tested in a materials testing system, and statistically analyzed using an independent t test. The optimal thickness of the thumbspica splint was 3.2 mm. The new design is not significantly different from the traditional splint in the immobilization effect. However, the volume of this new design has been reduced by about 35%. This study produced a new thumbspica splint shape with less volume, but had a similar immobilization effect compared to the traditional shape. In a clinical setting, this result can be used by the occupational therapist as a reference for manufacturing lighter thumbspica splints for patients with de Quervain's tenosynovitis.

De Quervain Disease↗
PubMed2006

Effects of exercise training on heart rate variability after coronary angioplasty.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cardiac autonomic dysfunction is associated with risk of restenosis and cardiovascular mortality in patients after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is an important, widely used method for assessing cardiac autonomic regulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise training on HRV in subjects after PTCA. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 84 subjects who had undergone PTCA were recruited for this study. The subjects (age [mean+/-SD]=57.0+/-9.3 years) were randomly assigned to either an exercise group to undergo an 8-week outpatient exercise program or a control group to undergo usual care. Heart rate variability was measured for 5 minutes in the supine resting position at baseline and at the end of 8 weeks. RESULTS: The parasympathetically modulated HRV of the subjects in the exercise group increased significantly compared with the HRV of subjects in the control group. The effects of training on HRV were independent of angioplasty type (balloon or stent) and were unrelated to whether the subjects had received previous PTCA. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Exercise training can increase parasympathetic modulation of cardiac function in people after they have undergone successful PTCA. Our results suggest that analysis of HRV can be extended to assess the effect of exercise training on cardiac autonomic dysfunction in people after coronary angioplasty.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Effects of functional electric stimulation on upper limb motor function and shoulder range of motion in hemiplegic patients.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examines functional electric stimulation (FES) applied on patients with hemiplegia of short and long duration for the purpose of upper limb motor recovery and increasing shoulder range of motion. DESIGN: Patients with hemiplegia with subluxation participating in the study were placed into a short-duration group or a long-duration group. Subjects in each group were then randomly assigned to either the control or the experimental subgroup. The experimental groups of both short- and long-duration groups received FES therapy in which the supraspinatus and posterior deltoid muscles were induced to contract repetitively up to 6 hr a day for 6 wk. Duration of FES session and muscle contraction/relaxation ratio were progressively increased as performance improved. The experimental groups also received a second 6-wk FES therapy 6 wk after completing the first FES therapy. RESULTS: After the first 6-wk FES therapy, the experimental group of short-duration hemiplegia showed significant improvements in motor recovery as indicated by Fugl-Meyer scores compared with the control group. Such significant improvement did not occur for the experimental group of long-duration hemiplegia. The changes in the second FES treatment program were insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that patients with hemiplegia of short duration are effectively trained by FES for motor recovery.

Adult↗