1,720,967 research outputs found
Effect of electrical stimulation as an adjunct to botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of adult spasticity: a systematic review
No full textTo investigate whether electrical stimulation (ES) as an adjunct to BTX-A boosts botulinum activity and whether the combined therapeutic procedure is more effective than BTX-A alone in reducing spasticity in adult subjects
The role of the rehabilitation in subjects with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: a narrative review
Full text linkProgressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder due to the deposition of abnormal proteins in neurons of the basal ganglia that limit motor ability producing disability and reduced quality of life. So far, no pharmacologic therapy has been developed and the treatment remains symptomatic. The aim of the present study was to investigate systematically literature, and to determine the types and effects of rehabilitative interventions. A search of all studies was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL and EMBASE. Twelve studies were individuated including 6 case reports, 3 case series, one case control, one quasi-RT crossover study and one RCT, with 88 patients investigated overall. Rehabilitative interventions varied in type, number, frequency and duration of sessions. The most commonly used clinical measures were Progressive Supranuclear Palsy-Rating Scale (PSP-RS) and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Physical exercises were the main rehabilitative strategy but were associated with other interventions and rehabilitative devices, in particular treadmill and robot-assisted gait training. All studies showed an improvement of balance and gait impairment with a reduction of falls after rehabilitation treatment. Due to poor methodological quality and the variability of rehabilitative approach with different and variable strategies, there was no evidence of the effectiveness of a specific rehabilitation intervention in PSP. Despite this finding, rehabilitation might improve balance and gait, thereby reducing falls in PSP subjects
Vitamin D serum level in subjects with critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy
No full textCritical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy (CIPNM) is a disabling neuropathy that occurs in intensive care unit (ICU) subjects. It was hypothesized that a low serum level or deficiency of 25(OH)D might be associated with CIPNM. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the 25(OH)D serum level in subjects with CIPNM
Rehabilitation in oldest-old stroke patients: a comparison within over 65 population
No full textConsidering the demographic trend, characterized by a marked aging due to the increase in life expectancy and the improvement in medical care, in the next future elderly patients will represent the majority of stroke victims with a strong impact on rehabilitative services
A wearable system for visual cueing gait rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease: a randomized non-inferiority trial
Full text linkBackground: Gait disturbances represent one of the most disabling features of Parkinson's disease (PD). Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the non-inferiority of a new wearable visual cueing system (Q-Walk) for gait rehabilitation in PD subjects, compared to traditional visual cues (stripes on the floor). Design: Open-label, monocentric, randomized controlled non-inferiority trial. Setting: Outpatients. Population: Patients affected by idiopathic PD without cognitive impairment, Hoehn and Yahr stage II-IV, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor section III ≥2, stable drug usage since at least 3 weeks. Methods: At the enrollment (T0), all subjects underwent a clinical/functional evaluation and the instrumental gait and postural analysis; then they were randomly assigned to the Study Group (SG) or Control Group (CG). Rehabilitation program consisted in 10 consecutive individual sessions (5 sessions/week for 2 consecutive weeks). Each session included 60 minutes of conventional physiotherapy plus 30 minutes of gait training by Q-Walk (SG) or by traditional visual cues (CG). Follow-up visits were scheduled at the end of the treatment (T1) and after 3 months (T2). Results: Fifty-two subjects were enrolled in the study, 26 in each group. The within-groups analysis showed a significant improvement in clinical scales and instrumental data at T1 and at T2, compared to baseline, in both groups. According to the between-group analysis, Q-Walk cueing system was not-inferior to the traditional cues for gait rehabilitation. The satisfaction questionnaire revealed that most subjects described the Q-Walk cueing system as simple, motivating and easily usable, possibly suitable for home use. Conclusions: Data showed that motor rehabilitation of PD subjects performed by means of the new wearable Q-Walk cueing system was feasible and as effective as traditional cues in improving gait parameters and balance. Clinical rehabilitation impact: Wearable devices can act as an additional rehabilitation strategy for long-term and continuous care, allowing patients to train intensively and extensively in household settings, favoring a tailor-made and personalized approach as well as remote monitoring
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Variations on the Author
Full text link“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
Full text linkWe 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
Botulinum Toxin Type A for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain in Neuro-Rehabilitation
Full text linkPain is a natural protective mechanism and has a warning function signaling imminent or actual tissue damage. Neuropathic pain (NP) results from a dysfunction and derangement in the transmission and signal processing along the nervous system and it is a recognized disease in itself. The prevalence of NP is estimated to be between 6.9% and 10% in the general population. This condition can complicate the recovery from stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord lesions, and several neuropathies promoting persistent disability and poor quality of life. Subjects suffering from NP describe it as burning, itching, lancing, and numbness, but hyperalgesia and allodynia represent the most bothersome symptoms. The management of NP is a clinical challenge and several non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions have been proposed with variable benefits. Botulinum toxin (BTX) as an adjunct to other interventions can be a useful therapeutic tool for the treatment of disabled people. Although BTX-A is predominantly used to reduce spasticity in a neuro-rehabilitation setting, it has been used in several painful conditions including disorders characterized by NP. The underlying pharmacological mechanisms that operate in reducing pain are still unclear and include blocking nociceptor transduction, the reduction of neurogenic inflammation by inhibiting neural substances and neurotransmitters, and the prevention of peripheral and central sensitization. Some neurological disorders requiring rehabilitative intervention can show neuropathic pain resistant to common analgesic treatment. This paper addresses the effect of BTX-A in treating NP that complicates frequent disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system such as spinal cord injury, post-stroke shoulder pain, and painful diabetic neuropathy, which are commonly managed in a rehabilitation setting. Furthermore, BTX-A has an effect in relief pain that may characterize less common neurological disorders including post-traumatic neuralgia, phantom limb, and complex regional pain syndrome with focal dystonia. The use of BTX-A could represent a novel therapeutic strategy in caring for neuropathic pain whenever common pharmacological tools have been ineffective. However, large and well-designed clinical trials are needed to recommend BTX-A use in the relief of neuropathic pain
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