Effects of constraint-induced movement therapy on activity and participation after a stroke: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Hemiparesis is the main sensorimotor deficit after stroke. It can result in limitations in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and social participation. Hemiparesis can be treated with behavioral techniques of intensive use of the affected arm, such as constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), however, it remains unclear whether motor improvement can lead to increases in the domains of activity and participation.

Multisite transcranial direct current stimulation associated with cognitive training in episodic memory and executive functions in individuals with Alzheimer's disease: a case report.

Background: Dementia is among the most common chronic noncommunicable neurodegenerative diseases. In the long term, it causes disability and loss of autonomy and independence. It is estimated that there are 35.

Cross-cultural adaptation of wheelchair skills test (version 4.3) for wheelchair users and caregivers to the Portuguese language (Brazil).

To perform cross-cultural adaptation of the Wheelchair Skills Test of manual wheelchair users and their caregivers into the Brazilian Portuguese language. The study was composed of translation, synthesis of translations, back-translation, review by an expert committee and pre-test, when the test was applied in the target population. Included were translators, subject specialists and coordinators to carry out the cross-cultural adaptation process, and manual wheelchair users and their caregivers with at least six months of wheelchair experience for the pre-test.

Time use, purchasing power, and job satisfaction: Correlation and comparison between working women with children and working women without children.

Background: There are few correlational studies comparing family-work reconciliation between groups of women.

Objective: We intend to correlate and compare the use of time, purchasing power, and job satisfaction between two groups of working women, women with children and women without children.

Methods: This is a correlational and comparative study.

Burden and Quality of Life of Family Caregivers of Stroke Patients.

The purpose of this study was to identify the level of burden and quality of life of family caregivers of stroke patients and to investigate the correlation between burden, quality of life (including physical, social, psychological, and environmental domains), age of caregivers, and the care period. A descriptive correlational cross-sectional study was performed, with a convenience sample of family caregivers (n = 30) of stroke patients in São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected using a questionnaire on participants' characteristics, the Zarit Burden Interview Scale (ZBIS), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument.

Electromyographic Activity of the Upper Limb in Three Hand Function Tests.

Objective/background: Occupational therapists usually assess hand function through standardised tests, however, there is no consensus on how the scores assigned to hand dexterity can accurately measure hand function required for daily activities and few studies evaluate the movement patterns of the upper limbs during hand function tests. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in muscle activation patterns during the performance of three hand dexterity tests.

Methods: Twenty university students underwent a surface electromyographic (sEMG) assessment of eight upper limb muscles during the performance of the box and blocks test (BEST), nine-hole peg test (9HPT), and functional dexterity test (FDT).

Associations among occupational roles, independence, assistive technology, and purchasing power of individuals with physical disabilities.

Objective: to verify whether there are associations among occupational roles, independence to perform Activities of Daily Living, purchasing power, and assistive technology for individuals with physical disabilities.

Method: 91 individuals with physical disabilities participated in the study. The instruments used were: Role Checklist, Brazilian Economic Classification Criterion, Barthel Index, and a Questionnaire to characterize the subjects.

An electromyographic analysis of two handwriting grasp patterns.

Background: Handwriting is a fundamental skill needed for the development of daily-life activities during lifetime and can be performed using different forms to hold the writing object. In this study, we monitored the sEMG activity of trapezius, biceps brachii, extensor carpi radialis brevis and flexor digitorum superficialis during a handwriting task with two groups of subjects using different grasp patterns.

Subjects And Methods: Twenty-four university students (thirteen males and eleven females; mean age of 22.