Feasibility, acceptability, usability and quality of life levels in post-stroke patients undergoing telerehabilitation: Results from a multicentric pilot study.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of an integrated multi-domain telerehabilitation (TR) system in stroke patients and to observe whether there are changes in the quality of life (QoL) levels of patients undergoing TR treatments.

Methods: Patients were enrolled for a longitudinal multicentric pilot study conducted in six Italian research hospitals (IRCCS). The primary outcome was the feasibility of an integrated TR system, assessed by calculating treatment adherence and by collecting data from the Technology Acceptance Model and the System Usability Scale (SUS).

The minimal clinically important difference changes greatly based on the patient's baseline clinical status.

Purpose: To quantify the influence of baseline values of a specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) on the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) calculation in a homogeneous series of knee osteoarthritis patients treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.

Methods: A data set of 312 patients with knee osteoarthritis treated with intra-articular PRP injections was used. Patients were evaluated through the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score at 6 months after treatment.

Enhancing the effect of rehabilitation on multiple sclerosis: A randomized clinical trial investigating the impact of remotely-supervised transcranial direct current stimulation and virtual reality telerehabilitation training.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease characterized by balance and gait impairment, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and diminished quality of life. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as an effective intervention for managing these symptoms.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of remotely supervised tDCS (RS-tDCS) applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in conjunction with a telerehabilitation (TR) program, on motor (balance and gait), cognitive (executive functions), and participation outcomes (fatigue, anxiety, depression, and quality of life) in persons with MS (pwMS).

Professional-patient discrepancies in assessing lung cancer radiotherapy symptoms: An international multicentre study.

Background And Purpose: We investigate discrepancies in the assessment of treatment-related symptoms in lung cancer between healthcare professionals and patients, and factors contributing to these discrepancies.

Materials And Methods: Data from 515 participants in the REQUITE study were analysed. Five symptoms (cough, dyspnoea, bronchopulmonary haemorrhage, chest wall pain, dysphagia) were evaluated both before and after radiotherapy.

Comparative analysis of upper body kinematics in stroke, Parkinson's disease, and healthy subjects: An observational study using IMU-based targeted box and block test.

Background: The Box and Block Test (BBT) is an essential and widely used test in rehabilitation for the assessment of gross unilateral manual dexterity. Although it is a valid, simple, and ecological instrument, it does not provide a quantitative measure of the upper limb trajectories during the test.

Research Question: The study introduces a new motion-capture-based method (using ecological Inertial Measurement Units - IMUs) to evaluate upper body kinematics while performing a targeted version of BBT (tBBT).

The Minimal assessment Protocol for Cerebral Stroke 2020 (PMIC2020): a multicenter feasibility study in post-stroke inpatient rehabilitation.

Background: In 2008, a Working Group of the Italian Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (SIMFER) published the first minimum protocol for assessing stroke patients (PMIC) to define functional needs and outcomes. The recent PMIC revision (PMIC2020) introduces a document for all rehabilitation settings, incorporating updated measurement tools.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the PMIC2020 feasibility and administration time (AT) in post-stroke inpatients and to examine the influence of demographic and clinical variables on AT.

Identifying discriminant factors between phantom limb pain, residual limb pain, and both in people with lower limb amputations: a cross-sectional study.

Postamputation pain is a common condition in patients with lower limb amputation (LLA), which compromises amputees' rehabilitation, use of the prosthesis, and quality of life. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of phantom limb pain (PLP), residual limb pain (RLP), or both types of pain among individuals with LLA, and to identify the factors associated with the presence of one type of pain versus the other. Patients who underwent amputation for traumatic or vascular reasons and who reported on RLP or PLP were analyzed and divided into three groups: PLP, RLP, or a group of subjects that presented both pains.

Pathlength-selective, interferometric diffuse correlation spectroscopy.

Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is an optical method that offers non-invasive assessment of blood flow in tissue through the analysis of intensity fluctuations in diffusely backscattered coherent light. The non-invasive nature of DCS has enabled several clinical application areas for deep tissue blood flow measurements, including neuromonitoring, cancer imaging, and exercise physiology. While promising, in measurement configurations targeting deep tissue hemodynamics, standard DCS implementations suffer from insufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), depth sensitivity, and sampling rate, limiting their utility.

Choosing a camera and optimizing system parameters for speckle contrast optical spectroscopy.

Speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) is an emerging camera-based technique that can measure human cerebral blood flow (CBF) with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). At low photon flux levels typically encountered in human CBF measurements, camera noise and nonidealities could significantly impact SCOS measurement SNR and accuracy. Thus, a guide for characterizing, selecting, and optimizing a camera for SCOS measurements is crucial for the development of next-generation optical devices for monitoring human CBF and brain function.

Measuring pulsatile cortical blood flow and volume during carotid endarterectomy.

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) involves removal of plaque in the carotid artery to reduce the risk of stroke and improve cerebral perfusion. This study aimed to investigate the utility of assessing pulsatile blood volume and flow during CEA. Using a combined near-infrared spectroscopy/diffuse correlation spectroscopy instrument, pulsatile hemodynamics were assessed in 12 patients undergoing CEA.

Multi-wavelength multi-distance diffuse correlation spectroscopy system for assessment of premature infants' cerebral hemodynamics.

Infants born at an extremely low gestational age (ELGA, < 29 weeks) are at an increased risk of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and there is a need for standalone, safe, easy-to-use tools for monitoring cerebral hemodynamics. We have built a multi-wavelength multi-distance diffuse correlation spectroscopy device (MW-MD-DCS), which utilizes time-multiplexed, long-coherence lasers at 785, 808, and 853 nm, to simultaneously quantify the index of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SO). We show characterization data on liquid phantoms and demonstrate the system performance on the forearm of healthy adults, as well as clinical data obtained on two preterm infants.

Comparing the performance potential of speckle contrast optical spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy for cerebral blood flow monitoring using Monte Carlo simulations in realistic head geometries.

Significance: The non-invasive measurement of cerebral blood flow based on diffuse optical techniques has seen increased interest as a research tool for cerebral perfusion monitoring in critical care and functional brain imaging. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) are two such techniques that measure complementary aspects of the fluctuating intensity signal, with DCS quantifying the temporal fluctuations of the signal and SCOS quantifying the spatial blurring of a speckle pattern. With the increasing interest in the use of these techniques, a thorough comparison would inform new adopters of the benefits of each technique.

Survival Outcomes of Patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma: A Retrospective, 15-Year, Real-Life Study.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) prognosis has significantly improved in recent years; however, the possible survival benefit of new treatment options should be evaluated outside of clinical trials. We investigated 73 consecutive MCL patients managed from 2006 to 2020. For younger patients <65 years old, the median PFS was 72 months and we reported a 2-year, 5-year, and 10-year PFS of 73%, 62%, and 41%; median OS was not reached and we reported a 2-year, 5-year, and 10-year OS of 88%, 82%, and 66%.

Medial meniscal lesions increase antero-posterior laxity in knees with anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of concomitant meniscal lesions on knee laxity using a triaxial accelerometer in a large population of patients affected by anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Methods: A total of 326 consecutive patients (261 men and 65 women, mean age 31.3 ± 11.

Telerehabilitation for Stroke: A Personalized Multi-Domain Approach in a Pilot Study.

Stroke, a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide, manifests as motor, speech language, and cognitive impairments, necessitating customized rehabilitation strategies. In this context, telerehabilitation (TR) strategies have emerged as promising solutions. In a multi-center longitudinal pilot study, we explored the effects of a multi-domain TR program, comprising physiotherapy, speech therapy, and neuropsychological treatments.

Multidisciplinary management of pregnancy-associated and early post-partum head and neck cancer patients.

Background: Pregnancy-associated cancer (PAC) occurs during pregnancy or within 12 months after the delivery. Head and neck cancer (HNC) during pregnancy is infrequent, therefore diagnosis and personalized therapy are intricate.

Methods: We investigated outcomes of 15 PAC patients (5 salivary, 4 nasopharyngeal, 3 thyroid, 2 oral cavity, one HPV-related carcinoma) diagnosed in the period 2005-2019.

Efficacy of non-immersive virtual reality-based telerehabilitation on postural stability in Parkinson's disease: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: The implementation of regular prolonged, and effective rehabilitation in people with Parkinson's disease is essential for ensuring a good quality of life. However, the continuity of rehabilitation care may find barriers related to economic, geographic, and social issues. In these scenarios, telerehabilitation could be a possible solution to guarantee the continuity of care.

Pre-treatment risk factors to predict early cisplatin-related nephrotoxicity in locally advanced head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiation: A single Institution experience.

Objectives: Cisplatin is essential in the curative treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) patients. The assessment of risk factors to predict an early cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity could help in better managing one of the most relevant cisplatin-related dose-limiting factors.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively collected data of LA-HNSCC patients treated at our Institution from 2008 to 2019.

Enhancing diffuse correlation spectroscopy pulsatile cerebral blood flow signal with near-infrared spectroscopy photoplethysmography.

Significance: Combining near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) allows for quantifying cerebral blood volume, flow, and oxygenation changes continuously and non-invasively. As recently shown, the DCS pulsatile cerebral blood flow index () can be used to quantify critical closing pressure (CrCP) and cerebrovascular resistance ().

Aim: Although current DCS technology allows for reliable monitoring of the slow hemodynamic changes, resolving pulsatile blood flow at large source-detector separations, which is needed to ensure cerebral sensitivity, is challenging because of its low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

NUT carcinoma of the submandibular gland: A case report.

Background: NUT carcinoma (NUTc) is a rare and aggressive malignant epithelial tumor characterized by rearrangement of the NUT gene on chromosome 15q14.

Methods: In this article, we present the fifth case worldwide of a young woman affected by a NUTc arising from a submandibular gland, presenting as a rapidly evolving mass. She underwent a right scialoadenectomy and received the initial diagnosis of high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

Radiation-Induced Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) is a mainstay for the treatment of head and neck (HN) cancers, with 80% of patients receiving such treatment. Radiation-induced malignancies represent a life-threatening long-term effect of RT, with an incidence of 0.5% to 15%.