1,720,970 research outputs found
Effects on balance skills and patient compliance of biofeedback training with inertial measurement units and exergaming in subacute stroke: A pilot randomized controlled trial
No full textStroke patients have reduced balance and postural control that limits their activities of daily living and participation in social life. Recently, many exergaming systems based on video-biofeedback have been developed for balance training in neurological conditions, however their efficacy remains to be proven. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on balance skills and patient compliance of biofeedback training based on inertial measurement units and exergaming in subacute stroke. The enrolled subjects were randomized into two groups: subjects allocated to the experimental group performed 10 sessions of biofeedback balance training using inertial sensors, whereas subjects allocated to the control group performed 10 sessions of conventional balance training. All subjects were assessed at T0 (pre-treatment), T1 (posttreatment) and T2 (1-month follow-up). The Berg Balance Scale, Rivermead Mobility Index and modified Barthel Index were used to assess balance, mobility and global disability, respectively. To assess the severity of the stroke and its effects on the patient we used the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Canadian Neurological Scale. Finally, a static force platform evaluating stabilometric paparameters was used to assess balance skills. Fifteen subjects with subacute stroke (4F; age 57.80 ± 13.7) completed the experimental protocol. The analysis showed a significant improvement in balance skills and in the overall clinical outcomes in the experimental group compared with the control group; the experimental group also showed better compliance with the training. The biofeedback system of the device used in this study probably enhances neuroplasticity mechanisms of postural and balance skills in subacute stroke patients.Stroke patients have reduced balance and postural control that limits their activities of daily living and participation in social life. Recently, many exergaming systems based on video-biofeedback have been developed for balance training in neurological conditions, however their efficacy remains to be proven. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on balance skills and patient compliance of biofeedback training based on inertial measurement units and exergaming in subacute stroke. The enrolled subjects were randomized into two groups: subjects allocated to the experimental group performed 10 sessions of biofeedback balance training using inertial sensors, whereas subjects allocated to the control group performed 10 sessions of conventional balance training. All subjects were assessed at T0 (pre-treatment), T1 (posttreatment) and T2 (1-month follow-up). The Berg Balance Scale, Rivermead Mobility Index and modified Barthel Index were used to assess balance, mobility and global disability, respectively. To assess the severity of the stroke and its effects on the patient we used the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Canadian Neurological Scale. Finally, a static force platform evaluating stabilometric parameters was used to assess balance skills. Fifteen subjects with subacute stroke (4F; age 57.80 ± 13.7) completed the experimental protocol. The analysis showed a significant improvement in balance skills and in the overall clinical outcomes in the experimental group compared with the control group; the experimental group also showed better compliance with the training. The biofeedback system of the device used in this study probably enhances neuroplasticity mechanisms of postural and balance skills in subacute stroke patients
Clinical interpretation of working volume and weight support in upper limb robotic neurorehabilitation after stroke
Get PDFIn the past two decades, many studies reported the efficacy of upper limb robotic rehabilitation in patients after stroke, also in its chronic phase. Among the possible advantages of robotic therapy over conventional therapy are the objective measurements of kinematic and kinetic parameters during therapy, such as the spatial volume covered by the patient's upper limb and the weight support provided by the robot. However, the clinical meaning and the usability of this information is still questioned. Forty patients with chronic stroke were enrolled in this study and assessed at the beginning of upper limb robotic therapy (Armeo® Power) and after two weeks (ten sessions) of therapy by recording the working volume and weight support provided by the robot and by administering six clinical scales to assess upper limb mobility, strength, spasticity, pain, neurological deficits, and independency. At baseline, the working volume significantly correlated with spasticity, whereas weight support significantly correlated with upper limb strength, pain, spasticity, and neurological deficits. After two weeks of robotic rehabilitation, all the clinical scores as well as the two parameters improved. However, the percentage changes in the working volume and weight support did not significantly correlate with any of the changes in clinical scores. These results suggest caution in using the robotic parameters as outcome measures because they could follow the general improvement of the patient, but complex relationships with clinical features are possible. Robotic parameters should be analyzed in combination with the clinical scores or other objective measures because they may be informative about therapy progression, and there is a need to combine their clinical, neuroscientific, and biomechanical results to avoid misleading interpretations
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Upper limb motor improvement in chronic stroke after combining botulinum toxin A injection and multi-joints robot-assisted therapy: a case report
Get PDFSpasticity is one of the major complications after stroke. Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injection is commonly used to manage focal spasticity. However, it is uncertain whether BoNT-A can improve activities of daily living function of paretic arm. The recovery of functions of the affected arm is also the aim of robotic upper limb (UL) therapy. The motorized exoskeleton assists the patient in a large 3D work environment by promoting movement for the UL (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand). The combination of the BoNT-A injection and the robotic therapy might enhance functional recovery after stroke.We reported the case of a chronic stroke patient in which the injection of BoNT-A was combined with multi-joint exoskeleton training. The patient showed improvement in the motor control of the UL, supporting the feasibility of this approach
The Effects of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle Taping on Postural Control in Healthy Young Adults: A Pilot Crossover Study
Get PDFBackground: Postural control is a complex ability, also controlled by the somatosensory connection of the neck muscles with the vestibular nuclei. This circuit seems to be interested in maintaining head stabilization during movements. The sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle is the dominant source of the vestibular afferents as confirmed by neurophysiological acquisition. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the application of kinesio-tape on the SCM muscle can induce a perturbation of the standing postural control by altering the somatosensory system of the neck muscles. Methods: Thirteen healthy participants (age: 24.46 ± 3.04 yrs; 9 female) were enrolled, and the four kinesio-tape (KT) conditions were performed in a random order: without KT application (Ctrl); right KT application (R-SCM); left KT application (L-SCM); and bilateral KT application (B-SCM). All conditions were performed three times with open eyes and closed eyes. Results: There was a significant increase in the length of the centre of pressure (CoP), in the maximal oscillation, and in the anteroposterior root mean square between the three tape application conditions with respect to the Ctrl condition with open eyes. The same parameters were statistically different when the participants were blindfolded in the B-SCM condition with respect to the Ctrl condition. A statistical decrease in the difference in weight distribution between the two feet was observed in the B-SCM group with respect to the Ctrl group in both open and closed eyes conditions. Conclusions: Our results suggest that KT on the SCM muscles may involve some space-time parameters of postural control. Bilateral KT improved the weight distribution between the feet but showed a parallel increase in anteroposterior oscillations and in the length of the CoP with respect to the Ctrl condition. The perturbation seems to be greater in the somatosensory system when it is working coupled with visual afferences during an upright position
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
- …
