Mobile health delivered physical activity after mild stroke or transient ischemic attack: Is it feasible and acceptable?

Background And Aims: Physical activity is a key component of secondary stroke prevention. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions show promise for enhancing post-stroke physical activity, but most studies have combined mHealth with onsite services. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a fully digitalized mHealth intervention for physical activity among individuals post-stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in Sweden.

Physical activity and influencing factors in people post stroke or transient ischemic attack across diverse regions in Sweden.

Background And Purpose: Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior are key targets for secondary stroke prevention, yet their characteristics and contributing factors are not well understood. This study aims to explore PA and sedentary behavior in individuals' post-stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and identify factors linked to low PA (≤5,000 steps/day) and prolonged sedentary time (≥8 h/day).

Methods: A cross-sectional study comparing sensor-derived (activPAL) PA and sedentary time among community-dwelling individuals post stroke or TIA residing in diverse geographical regions of Sweden.

Spatial lipidomic profiles of atherosclerotic plaques: A mass spectrometry imaging study.

Lipids contribute to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease but their roles are not fully understood. Spatial lipid composition of atherosclerotic plaques was compared between species focusing on aortic plaques from New Zealand White rabbits and carotid plaques from humans (n = 3), using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging. Histologically discriminant lipids within plaque features (neointima and media in rabbits, and lipid-necrotic core and fibrous cap/tissue in humans) included sphingomyelins, phosphatidylcholines, and cholesteryl esters.

Association between upper limb clinical tests and accelerometry metrics for arm use in daily life in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between upper-limb (UL) clinical tests and UL accelerometry-derived metrics in children with unilateral Cerebral Palsy (CP).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, twenty children with unilateral CP and Manual Ability Classification System level I-III were included. Outcomes of the Assisting Hand Assessment, Box and Block-Test and accelerometry metrics were collected in the clinical setting and in daily life.

Factors associated with the willingness to provide telerehabilitation by physiotherapists treating older adults or people with neurological diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.

Background: While telerehabilitation is a promising alternative to traditional rehabilitation, previous studies suggest that it is still underutilised by physiotherapists. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with the willingness, and use of, telerehabilitation among physiotherapists.

Method: An online survey, covering self-reported use of, and attitudes toward telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic, was distributed to physiotherapists who were members of the Swedish Association of Physiotherapists and working in geriatrics or neurology in Sweden.

Validation of fNIRS measurement of executive demand during walking with and without dual-task in younger and older adults and people with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Walking with a concurrent cognitive task (dual-task walking) can pose a challenge to some populations due to aging or neurodegenerative disease. These tasks require cognitive resources involving the prefrontal cortex and can be studied using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). An important step in understanding fNIRS measures during such walking tasks is validating that measures reflect the demands of the tasks and not confounding sources or movement artifacts.

Investigating underlying brain structures and influence of mild and subjective cognitive impairment on dual-task performance in people with Parkinson's disease.

Cognitive impairment can affect dual-task abilities in Parkinson's disease (PD), but it remains unclear whether this is also driven by gray matter alterations across different cognitive classifications. Therefore, we investigated associations between dual-task performance during gait and functional mobility and gray matter alterations and explored whether these associations differed according to the degree of cognitive impairment. Participants with PD were classified according to their cognitive function with 22 as mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), 14 as subjective cognitive impairment (PD-SCI), and 20 as normal cognition (PD-NC).

Validation of algorithms for calculating spatiotemporal gait parameters during continuous turning using lumbar and foot mounted inertial measurement units.

Spatiotemporal gait parameters such as step time and walking speed can be used to quantify gait performance and determine physical function. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) allow for the measurement of spatiotemporal gait parameters in unconstrained environments but must be validated against a gold standard. While many IMU systems and algorithms have been validated during treadmill walking and overground walking in a straight line, fewer studies have validated algorithms during more complex walking conditions such as continuous turning in different directions.

The Role of Environmental Factors on Health Conditions, General Health and Quality of Life in Persons with Spinal Cord Injuries in South Africa.

Objective: The objective was to describe the individual items of the environmental factors and to investigate the relationship between the environmental factors to health conditions, general health and quality of life in people with SCI in South Africa.

Methods: Two hundred persons with SCI participated in a cross-sectional survey design. This study formed part of the International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Community Survey.

Mobile health to promote physical activity in people post stroke or transient ischemic attack - study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial.

Background: Physical activity is essential to improve health and reduce the risk of recurrence of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Still, people post stroke or TIA are often physically inactive and the availability of physical activity promotion services are often limited. This study builds on an existing Australian telehealth-delivered programme (i-REBOUND- Let's get moving) which provides support for home-based physical activity for people post stroke or TIA.

Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure prefrontal cortex activity during dual-task walking and navigated walking: A feasibility study.

Introduction: While functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can provide insight into motor-cognitive deficits during ecologically valid gait conditions, the feasibility of using fNIRS during complex walking remains unknown. We tested the process and scientific feasibility of using an fNIRS device to measure cortical activity during complex walking tasks consisting of straight walking and navigated walking under single and dual-task (DT) conditions.

Methods: Nineteen healthy people from 18 to 64 years (mean age: 45.

Factors influencing employment among people with spinal cord injury in South Africa.

Purpose: The unemployment rate post spinal cord injury (SCI) in South Africa is high with limited knowledge of environmental factors outside the health services, especially in an unevenly developed resource setting like South Africa, affecting the employment rate in people with SCI. Our purpose was to investigate factors associated with employment in people with SCI in South Africa.

Methods: Two hundred persons with SCI participated in a cross-sectional survey design.

Cognitive-motor interference in people with mild to moderate multiple sclerosis, in comparison with healthy controls.

Background: Reduced motor and cognitive dual-task capacity is found to be more common among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), than among healthy populations. However, studies in larger samples of MS conducted using a more stringent methodology, which includes comparisons to healthy controls, are needed. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to explore the effects on motor and cognitive dual-tasking in people with mild to moderate overall MS-disability, in comparison to healthy controls.

Rethinking the A in FAIR Data: Issues of Data Access and Accessibility in Research.

The FAIR data principles are rapidly becoming a standard through which to assess responsible and reproducible research. In contrast to the requirements associated with the Interoperability principle, the requirements associated with the Accessibility principle are often assumed to be relatively straightforward to implement. Indeed, a variety of different tools assessing FAIR rely on the data being deposited in a trustworthy digital repository.

Establishing Accelerometer Cut-Points to Classify Walking Speed in People Post Stroke.

While accelerometers could be used to monitor important domains of walking in daily living (e.g., walking speed), the interpretation of accelerometer data often relies on validation studies performed with healthy participants.

Telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden: a survey of use and perceptions among physiotherapists treating people with neurological diseases or older adults.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND : Telerehabilitation, i.e. rehabilitation at a distance using Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a promising avenue for improving health among people with neurological diseases or older adults who often experience limited access to services.

Combining development, capacity building and responsible innovation in GCRF-funded medical technology research.

Development-oriented funding schemes such as the UK Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) have opened up opportunities for collaborations between low-middle income countries (LMICs) and high-income country (HIC) researchers. In particular, funding for medical technology research has seen a rise in previously under-represented disciplines such as physics and engineering. These collaborations have considerable potential to advance healthcare in LMICs, yet can pose challenges experienced to researchers undertaking these collaborations.

Accelerometer assessed upper limb activity in people with stroke: a validation study considering ambulatory and non-ambulatory activities.

Purpose: Accelerometry measurements are a promising method to provide quantitative information of upper limb function in daily life post stroke. Our purpose was to investigate i) the validity of accelerometer-based vector magnitude ratios (VMR) to distinguish upper limb function between individuals post-stroke and healthy controls during ambulatory and non-ambulatory activities and, ii) the association between the VMR and clinical assessment of upper limb function for individuals post-stroke.

Methods: Forty persons with stroke and 32 healthy controls wore wrist and hip accelerometers while performing three upper limb activities in a clinical setting and during three days in daily living.

Radical collaboration during a global health emergency: development of the RDA COVID-19 data sharing recommendations and guidelines.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic required a rapid and effective response. This included ethical and legally appropriate sharing of data. The European Commission (EC) called upon the Research Data Alliance (RDA) to recruit experts worldwide to quickly develop recommendations and guidelines for COVID-related data sharing.

Fostering global data sharing: highlighting the recommendations of the Research Data Alliance COVID-19 working group.

The systemic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic require cross-disciplinary collaboration in a global and timely fashion. Such collaboration needs open research practices and the sharing of research outputs, such as data and code, thereby facilitating research and research reproducibility and timely collaboration beyond borders. The Research Data Alliance COVID-19 Working Group recently published a set of recommendations and guidelines on data sharing and related best practices for COVID-19 research.

Validity of Hip and Ankle Worn Actigraph Accelerometers for Measuring Steps as a Function of Gait Speed during Steady State Walking and Continuous Turning.

This study aimed to investigate the accuracy and reliability of hip and ankle worn Actigraph GT3X+ (AG) accelerometers to measure steps as a function of gait speed. Additionally, the effect of the low frequency extension filter (LFEF) on the step accuracy was determined. Thirty healthy individuals walked straight and walked with continuous turns in different gait speeds.

"Ethics When You Least Expect It": A Modular Approach to Short Course Data Ethics Instruction.

Data science skills are rapidly becoming a necessity in modern science. In response to this need, institutions and organizations around the world are developing research data science curricula to teach the programming and computational skills that are needed to build and maintain data infrastructures and maximize the use of available data. To date, however, few of these courses have included an explicit ethics component, and developing such components can be challenging.

Correction: Economic sanctions and academia: Overlooked impact and long-term consequences.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.