111 research outputs found
Neuroregeneration, neurodegeneration and brain recovery following ischaemic stroke: a comparative review of animal models and humans
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Improving balance with wobble board exercises in stroke patients: single blind, randomized clinical trial
No full textBackground: Postural balance is often affected by stroke. A primary objective in stroke rehabilitation is to restore functional balance, which is a combination of dynamic and static balance.Objectives: To identify the efficacy and safety of wobble board exercises when combined with conventional physiotherapy, in improving balance in hemiplegic patients following ischemic strokes.Methods: A block-randomized, controlled, observer blinded, superiority trial was conducted in Stroke Rehabilitation Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Participants were ambulatory hemiplegic patients following ischemic strokes of middle cerebral artery territory. Subjects in the control group received a conventional physiotherapy regime. Subjects in the intervention group received training on a wobble board combined with conventional physiotherapy. Main outcome measures were improvement of dynamic balance [Four-Square Step Test score (FSST)] and functional balance [Berg Balance Scale (BBS)] at the end of six weeks. The study was approved by the institutional Ethics Review Committees (UCP/LE/13/187; AA/ETH/COM/2018).Results: During recruitment, 30 patients were randomly assigned for intervention (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. One patient dropped out from the study, leaving 29 eligible for the analysis. Intervention and control groups were comparable in sociodemographic characteristics and pre-test scores of balance. A repeated-measures MANOVA showed a statistically significant difference in improvement of balance between the two study groups after six weeks [F (1,28)=32.6,p=.000; Wilk’s lambda=.46]. The improvement of mean scores of balances in interventional group were greater than in the control group (BBS: 9.5>5.5; FSST: 3.9>1.7). There were no injuries or accidents in both groups.Conclusions: Wobble board exercises, when combined with the conventional physiotherapy, are safe and effective in restoring dynamic and functional balance in patients with hemiplegia following ischemic strokes
Emotional intelligence, perceived stress and academic performance of Sri Lankan medical undergraduates
No full textSTROBE Checklist (Contains the details of the STROBE Checklist items and relevant page numbers of the manuscript). (DOC 88Â kb
Prevalence and trends of metabolic syndrome among adults in the asia-pacific region: a systematic review
No full textAbstract Background The Asia-Pacific region is home to nearly half of the world’s population. The region has seen a recent rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The present systematic review summarizes the recent prevalence and trends of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among adults in countries of the Asia-Pacific Region. Methods Data on MetS in Asia-Pacific countries were obtained using a stepwise process by searching the online Medline database using MeSH terms ‘Metabolic Syndrome X’ and ‘Epidemiology/EP’. For the purpose of describing prevalence data for the individual countries, studies that were most recent, nationally representative or with the largest sample size were included. When evaluating secular trends in prevalence in a country we only considered studies that evaluated the temporal change in prevalence between similar populations, prospective studies based on the same population or National surveys conducted during different time periods. Results This literature search yielded a total of 757 articles, and five additional article were identified by screening of reference lists. From this total, 18 studies were eligible to be included in the final analysis. Of the 51 Asia-Pacific countries (WHO) we only located data for 15. There was wide between country variation in prevalence of MetS. A national survey from Philippines conducted in 2003 revealed the lowest reported prevalence of 11.9% according to NCEP ATP III criteria. In contrast, the highest recorded prevalence in the region (49.0%) came from a study conducted in urban Pakistan (Karachchi, 2004). Most studies reported a higher prevalence of MetS in females and urban residents. Data on secular trends were available for China, South Korea and Taiwan. An increase in the prevalence of MetS was observed in all three countries. Conclusion Despite differences in methodology, diagnostic criteria and age of subjects studied, the Asia-Pacific region is facing a significant epidemic of MetS. In most countries nearly 1/5th of the adult population or more were affected by MetS with a secular increase in prevalence. Strategies aimed at primary prevention are required to ameliorate a further increase in the epidemic and for the reduction of the morbidity and mortality associated with MetS
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