Estimating the Burden of Stroke: Two-Year Societal Costs and Generic Health-Related Quality of Life of the Restore4Stroke Cohort.

(1) Background: This study aimed to investigate two-year societal costs and generic health-related quality of life (QoL) using a bottom-up approach for the Restore4Stroke Cohort. (2) Methods: Adult post-stroke patients were recruited from stroke units throughout the Netherlands. The societal costs were calculated for healthcare and non-healthcare costs in the first two years after stroke.

Can serious play and clinical cognitive assessment go together? On the feasibility and user-experience of virtual reality simulations in paediatric neurorehabilitation.

Purpose: Cognitive impairments frequently occur in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI), causing significant disabilities in daily life. Current paper-and-pencil neuropsychological tests do not capture the complexity of daily life activities, often failing to objectify subtle cognitive impairments. Virtual Reality (VR) simulations might overcome this discrepancy, as it resembles daily life situations.

Effects of a school-based sports program on psychosocial health and attention in youth with physical disabilities.

Purpose: Youth with physical disabilities have lower psychosocial health and attention compared to their typically developing peers. Recent research has shown positive associations between sports participation and these outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to explore whether a school-based sports program affects psychosocial health and attention in youth with physical disabilities.

Participation Restrictions and Satisfaction With Participation in Partners of Patients With Stroke.

Objective: To investigate participation restrictions and satisfaction with participation in partners of patients with stroke.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Five rehabilitation centers and 3 hospitals in The Netherlands.

A Comparison of the Physiology of Sedentary Behavior and Light Physical Activity in Adults With and Without a Physical Disability.

Background: It is questionable whether postures that are regarded as sedentary behavior in able-bodied persons evoke comparable physiological responses in adults with stroke or cerebral palsy (CP). This study aimed to compare metabolic demand and muscle activity in healthy controls, adults with stroke, and adults with CP during sedentary behavior and light physical activities.

Methods: Seventy-one adults (45.

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Fitness and Health in Youth With Physical Disabilities.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIT) on physical fitness and cardiometabolic health in youth with physical disabilities.

Methods: For this quasi-experimental study 70 participants were recruited from schools for special education and divided into runners and users of wheelchairs. HIT was performed for 8 weeks, twice a week, containing 30 seconds all-out exercises.

Effects of a School-Based Sports Program on Physical Fitness, Physical Activity, and Cardiometabolic Health in Youth With Physical Disabilities: Data From the Sport-2-Stay-Fit Study.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a school-based once-a-week sports program on physical fitness, physical activity, and cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents with a physical disability.

Methods: This controlled clinical trial included 71 children and adolescents from four schools for special education [mean age 13.7 (2.

Body mass index and fitness in high-functioning children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: What happened over a decade?

Background: In recent decades, improving fitness has become an important goal in rehabilitation medicine in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP).

Aims: To compare body mass index (BMI), performance-related fitness, and cardiorespiratory fitness of children with CP measured in 2014 with a comparable sample from 2004.

Methods And Procedures: In total, 25 high-functioning children with CP (i.

HIV and Cognitive Impairment in Clinical Practice: The Evaluation of a Stepwise Screening Protocol in Relation to Clinical Outcomes and Management.

Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) is an increasingly important comorbidity in an ageing HIV+ population. Despite the lack of available treatment modalities, screening for NCI is recommended. In the UMC Utrecht, yearly NCI screening is done using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool and the HIV Dementia Scale (HDS).

Does aerobic training alleviate fatigue and improve societal participation in patients with multiple sclerosis? A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Evidence supporting the effectiveness of aerobic training, specific for fatigue, in severely fatigued patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking.

Objective: To estimate the effectiveness of aerobic training on MS-related fatigue and societal participation in ambulant patients with severe MS-related fatigue.

Methods: Patients ( N = 90) with severe MS-related fatigue were allocated to 16-week aerobic training or control intervention.

The associations of cardiorespiratory fitness, adiposity and sports participation with arterial stiffness in youth with chronic diseases or physical disabilities.

Background The evidence on the associations of cardiorespiratory fitness, body adiposity and sports participation with arterial stiffness in children and adolescents with chronic diseases or physical disabilities is limited. Methods Altogether 140 children and adolescents with chronic diseases or physical disabilities participated in this cross-sectional study. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using maximal exercise test with respiratory gas analyses either using shuttle run, shuttle ride, or cycle ergometer test.

Trajectories of health-related quality of life after stroke: results from a one-year prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To identify trajectories of physical and psychosocial health-related quality of life (HRQoL) from two months to one-year post stroke and to determine the factors that are associated with trajectory membership.

Method: Multicenter prospective cohort study in which 351 stroke patients were followed up at 2, 6, and 12 months post stroke. Latent class growth mixture modeling was used to determine trajectories of physical and psychosocial HRQoL.

Real-Time Assessment of Fatigue in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: How Does It Relate to Commonly Used Self-Report Fatigue Questionnaires?

Objectives: (1) To assess real-time patterns of fatigue; (2) to assess the association between a real-time fatigue score and 3 commonly used questionnaires (Checklist Individual Strength [CIS] fatigue subscale, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), and Fatigue Severity Scale [FSS]); and (3) to establish factors that confound the association between the real-time fatigue score and the conventional fatigue questionnaires in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: MS-specialized outpatient facility.

Assessment of the family environment in pediatric neurodisability: a state-of-the-art review.

The importance of the family environment for the development of children with neurodisabilities is undisputed. The objective of this study is to describe how family environment has been measured in research on families of children with neurodisabilities, in order to support researchers and clinicians to select appropriate methods for use. A three-step approach was used and 13 measures of family environment were identified within 77 studies.

Child-Focused and Context-Focused Behaviors of Physical and Occupational Therapists during Treatment of Young Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Aims: To (1) describe the child- and context-focused behaviors of physical and occupational therapists, and (2) compare the behaviors of therapists in a standard therapy session with those of therapists trained to deliver child- and context-focused services.

Method: Videos of 49 therapy sessions provided by 36 therapists were analyzed using the intervention domains of the Paediatric Rehabilitation Observational measure of Fidelity (PROF) to examine the therapeutic behaviors of physical and occupational therapists with young children with cerebral palsy (CP) (24 to 48 months) in a Dutch rehabilitation setting. The PROF ratings of 18 standard therapy sessions were compared with the ratings of 16 child- and 15 context-focused therapy sessions.

Efficacy of three therapy approaches in preschool children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To examine the efficacy of child-focused, context-focused, and regular care approaches, delivered in a rehabilitation setting by physical or occupational therapists to preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP), in optimizing the child's self-care and mobility capabilities.

Method: A multicentre randomized controlled trial clustered at therapist level was conducted in 13 rehabilitation centres. It included 68 children with CP (38 males, 30 females; mean age 3y, SD 6mo, range 1y 11mo-4y), classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I to IV, who were already receiving therapy.

Encouraging post-stroke patients to be active seems possible: results of an intervention study with knowledge brokers.

Purpose: Although physical activity and exercise for stroke patients is highly recommended for fast recovery, patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centres are insufficiently encouraged to be physically active. In this study, we investigated the impact of knowledge brokers (KBs), enterprising nurses and therapists, on health professionals' (HP) performance to encourage stroke inpatients to be physically active.

Method: This multicenter intervention study used a pre-post test design.

Effects of Unilateral Upper Limb Training in Two Distinct Prognostic Groups Early After Stroke: The EXPLICIT-Stroke Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background and Objective Favorable prognosis of the upper limb depends on preservation or return of voluntary finger extension (FE) early after stroke. The present study aimed to determine the effects of modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) and electromyography-triggered neuromuscular stimulation (EMG-NMS) on upper limb capacity early poststroke. Methods A total of 159 ischemic stroke patients were included: 58 patients with a favorable prognosis (>10° of FE) were randomly allocated to 3 weeks of mCIMT or usual care only; 101 patients with an unfavorable prognosis were allocated to 3-week EMG-NMS or usual care only.

Health in Adapted Youth Sports Study (HAYS): health effects of sports participation in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability.

Background: In typically developing children, participation in sports has been proven to be positively correlated to both physical and psychosocial health outcomes. In children and adolescents with a physical disability or chronic disease participation in both recreational and competitive sports is often reduced, while for this population an active lifestyle may be even more important in reaching optimal levels of physical and psychosocial health. Therefore, the aim of the Health in Adapted Youth Sports (HAYS) Study is to determine both negative and positive effects of sports on children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability.

Sport-2-Stay-Fit study: Health effects of after-school sport participation in children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability.

Background: Children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability have lower fitness levels compared to their non-disabled peers. Low physical fitness is associated with reduced physical activity, increased cardiovascular diseases, and lower levels of both cognitive and psychosocial functioning. Moreover, children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability participate less in both recreational and competitive sports.

Characterizing Energy Expenditure During Sedentary Behavior After Stroke.

Objectives: To measure and calculate the energy expended by people with stroke during near sedentary behaviors (lying, supported and unsupported sitting, standing, wheelchair propulsion, walking), under controlled laboratory conditions, and to compare these values with the energy expenditure of 1.5 metabolic equivalent task (MET) within the definition of sedentary behavior.

Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Reliability and responsiveness of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in fatigued persons with multiple sclerosis and low to mild disability.

Background: Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) via cardiopulmonary exercise testing is considered the gold standard for testing aerobic capacity in healthy participants and people with various medical conditions. The reliability and responsiveness of cardiopulmonary exercise testing outcomes in persons with MS (PwMS) have not been extensively studied.

Objective: (1) to investigate the reliability of cardiopulmonary exercise parameters in PwMS; (2) to determine the responsiveness, in terms of the smallest detectable change (SDC), for each parameter.

Visual daily functioning of chronic stroke patients assessed by goal attainment scaling after visual restorative training: an explorative study.

Objective: To determine visual training effects on measures of daily life activities in cerebral blindness patients.

Method: The study design was an explorative pre-post test design of patients in the chronic phase of stroke (≯8 months) with visual field defects. Twelve hemianopic patients were trained by using visual restorative training, which is aimed at reducing the visual field defect.

Sedentary behaviour and stroke: foundational knowledge is crucial.

Physical activity is important for people's health. The emphasis over the last two decades has been on moderate to vigorous exercise when designing activity and exercise programmes for adults with stroke. Emerging evidence suggests that sedentary behaviour is distinctly different from a lack of moderate to vigorous physical activity and has independent and different physiological mechanisms.

Do knowledge brokers facilitate implementation of the stroke guideline in clinical practice?

Background: The implementation of clinical practice guidelines in rehabilitation practice is often troublesome and incomplete. An intervention to enhance the implementation of guidelines is the knowledge transfer program built around the activities of a knowledge broker (KB).This study investigates the use of KBs to implement guideline recommendations for intensive therapy and physical activity for patients post-stroke in 22 stroke units in hospitals and rehabilitation centers in The Netherlands.