A multi-center international study on the spinal cord independence measure, version IV: Rasch psychometric validation.

Context: The Spinal Cord Independence Measure is a comprehensive functional rating scale for individuals with spinal cord lesion (SCL).

Objective: To validate the scores of the three subscales of SCIM IV, the fourth version of SCIM, using advanced statistical methods.

Study Design: Multi-center cohort study.

Ankle dorsiflexion assist using a single sensor-based FES: Results from clinical study on patients with stroke.

Objective: Ankle foot orthosis (AFO) commonly prescribed to manage foot-drop following stroke restricts ankle mobility. Commercially available functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an expensive alternative to achieve desired dorsiflexion during swing phase of the gait cycle. An in-house cost-effective innovative solution was designed and developed to address this problem.

Gait Characteristics Following Stroke: A Prospective Crossover Study to Compare Ankle-Foot Orthosis with Functional Electrical Stimulation.

Background: Management of foot-drop following stroke can be addressed with ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) or functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the peroneal nerve. There is limited evidence regarding the efficacy of FES as a substitute for a conventional ankle-foot orthosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare efficacy of FES against AFO in management of foot-drop in patients following stroke.

Initial Autonomic Parameters and Subsequent Short-Term Neurological Recovery after Inpatient Rehabilitation, in Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Patients.

Background: It is unknown whether assessment of autonomic pathway integrity in newly injured traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) patients contributes to their neurological prognosis.

Objective: The objective is to investigate the relationship of heart rate variability (HRV) and sympathetic skin response (SSR) at initial evaluation of American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A/B tetraplegic patients, with their short-term neurological recovery.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, short-term HRV indices and SSR to supra-lesional stimuli were computed in 24 acute traumatic cervical AIS A/B SCI patients at admission for rehabilitation.

Clinical Predictors of Vibrator-Assisted Ejaculation following Spinal Cord Injury: A Prospective Observational Study.

 Infertility in men with spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs due to combination of factors like erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory failure, and semen abnormalities. Penile vibratory stimulation (PVS) is a known method of treatment for anejaculation. Predicting successful outcome of PVS depends on several clinical factors, which assess the intactness of the neural arc pertaining to the spinal ejaculation pattern generator.

Evaluating Bone Loss with Bone Turnover Markers Following Acute Spinal Cord Injury.

Study Design: Prospective observational study.

Purpose: To evaluate bone turnover markers (BTMs) in individuals with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the results with those of healthy controls and postmenopausal females.

Overview Of Literature: SCI significantly impacts bone health.

Rehabilitation in South India.

The article describes the rehabilitation services provided at Christian Medical College Vellore, a tertiary care medical college hospital in South India. The department was started by Dr Mary Verghese, who on completion of her medical training sustained spinal cord injury with resulting paraplegia. Following a section on the initial beginnings of the department, the current status of the department offering comprehensive rehabilitation by the multidisciplinary team is highlighted.

Motor Recovery after Transplantation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Rat Models of Spinal Cord Injury.

Background: Neuronal tissue has a limited potential to self-renew or get repaired after damage. Cell therapies using stem cells are promising approaches for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) injuries. However, the clinical use of embryonic stem cells is limited by ethical concerns and other scientific consequences.

Therapeutic Effect of Cell Transplantation and Chondroitinase in Rat Spinal Cord Injury.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to permanent functional deficits because the central nervous system lacks the ability for spontaneous repair. Cell therapy strategies offered a hope in neurological repair. The clinical use of human embryonic stem cell transplantation is hampered by scientific and ethical controversies.

Functional Recovery Following the Transplantation of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells in Rat Spinal Cord Injury Model.

Study Design: Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from rat olfactory mucosa were cultured, characterized, and transplanted into a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI).

Purpose: To evaluate different doses of OECs in a rat model of SCI.

Overview Of Literature: SCI causes permanent functional deficit because the central nervous system lacks the ability to perform spontaneous repair.

Globose basal cells for spinal cord regeneration.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition with loss of motor and sensory functions below the injury level. Cell based therapies are experimented in pre-clinical studies around the world. Neural stem cells are located intra-cranially in subventricular zone and hippocampus which are highly invasive sources.

Wii-based interactive video games as a supplement to conventional therapy for rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy: A pilot, randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the effect of interactive video gaming (IVG) with Nintendo Wii (Wii) supplemented to conventional therapy in rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Design: Randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded study.

Participants: Children with CP; 10 children each in the control and intervention groups.

Cell Therapy Augments Functional Recovery Subsequent to Spinal Cord Injury under Experimental Conditions.

The spinal cord injury leads to enervation of normal tissue homeostasis ultimately leading to paralysis. Until now there is no proper cure for the treatment of spinal cord injury. Recently, cell therapy in animal spinal cord injury models has shown some progress of recovery.

Mirror Therapy and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Management of Phantom Limb Pain in Amputees - A Single Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Purpose: Phantom limb pain (PLP) can be disabling for nearly two thirds of amputees. Hence, there is a need to find an effective and inexpensive treatment that can be self administered. Among the non-pharmacological treatment for PLP, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) applied to the contralateral extremity and mirror therapy are two promising options.

Exercise and gait training in persons with paraplegia and its effect on muscle properties.

Background: Upper extremity strengthening and gait training with orthoses form a major part of inpatient rehabilitation of paraplegic patients in developing countries. This helps to overcome architectural barriers and limited wheelchair accessible environment in the community.

Objectives: To evaluate the changes in physiological properties of the Triceps Brachii muscle following exercise training in individuals with paraplegia.

Comparison of body weight-supported treadmill training versus body weight-supported overground training in people with incomplete tetraplegia: a pilot randomized trial.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of body weight-supported treadmill training and body weight-supported overground training for improving gait and strength in people with traumatic incomplete tetraplegia.

Design: Assessor blinded randomized trial.

Setting: Rehabilitation institute of a tertiary care teaching hospital in India.

Immunohistological and electrophysiological characterization of Globose basal stem cells.

Objectives: In the past few decades, variety of foetal, embryonic and adult stem and progenitor cells have been tried with conflicting outcome for cell therapy of central nervous system injury and diseases. Cellular characteristics and functional plasticity of Globose basal stem cells (GBCs) residing in the olfactory epithelium of rat olfactory mucosa have not been studied in the past by the neuroscientists due to unavailability of specific markers for GBCs. In the present research, we standardized some techniques to isolate GBCs from rat olfactory epithelium in pure form using a highly selective GBC-III antibody passaged through fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS).

Neuromodulation by surface electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves for reduction of detrusor overactivity in patients with spinal cord injury: A pilot study.

Objectives: To demonstrate reduction in detrusor overactivity using surface electrical stimulation of posterior tibial nerve (PTN) or dorsal penile nerve (DPN) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Patients with SCI with symptoms of urinary urgency/leaks, with cystometrogram (CMG) proven detrusor overactivity were recruited in this study. Ten persons with observable F-wave from tibial nerve were included in the PTN group.

Isolating globose Basal stem cells from albino wistar rats using a highly specific monoclonal antibody.

Introduction: Olfactory mucosa which is situated in the roof of the nasal cavity possesses an extremely peculiar and exceptional type of pluripotent stem cells called Globose Basal Cells (GBCs) which help in lifelong regeneration of the olfactory mucosa. Previous literature doesn't provide much knowledge on the cytological, histochemical and electrophysiological properties of these cells, as they have never been isolated in pure form.

Material And Methods: Olfactory mucosa was obtained from six Albino Wistar rats by using standardized surgical and chemical separation procedures.

Survival in persons with traumatic spinal cord injury receiving structured follow-up in South India.

Objective: To assess the survival in persons with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) receiving structured follow-up in South India.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Rehabilitation center.

Gorham's disease of the spine.

Background: Gorham's disease of the spine is very rare and usually associated with poor prognosis. Till date very few cases have been reported in the literature. It is characterized by osseous invasion by angiomatous vascular mass without skip areas, eventually causing lysis of affected bone.

Traumatic brachial plexus injury: electrodiagnostic findings from 111 patients in a tertiary care hospital in India.

Objective: The study aims to characterise the electrodiagnostic findings of patients with traumatic brachial plexus injuries (BPIs) in India and to analyse the association between aetiologies and levels of injuries.

Methods: A total of 111 consecutive electrodiagnostic studies done between January 2009 and June 2011 on persons with traumatic BPI were retrospectively analysed.

Setting: Electrodiagnostic Laboratory, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in a tertiary care university teaching hospital in South India.

Motor recovery following olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation in rats with spinal cord injury.

Background: Olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) are considered to be the most suitable cells for transplantation therapy in the central nervous system (CNS) because of their unique ability to help axonal regrowth and remyelination in the CNS. However, there are conflicting reports about the success rates with OEC.

Aim: This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effect of OEC in rat models using different cell dosages.

The effectiveness of intravesical oxybutynin, propantheline, and capsaicin in the management of neuropathic bladder following spinal cord injury.

The objective of this study was to compare the therapeutic response of intravesical oxybutynin, propantheline, and capsaicin in the treatment of neurogenic detrusor overactivity. Carried out in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at a university teaching hospital in India, patients acted as their own controls. Oxybutynin 5 mg in solution or propantheline 15 mg in solution and capsaicin were instilled intravesically in each patient.

Transient hydroureteronephrosis caused by a Foley's catheter tip in the right ureter.

We report a case of unilateral hydronephrosis following urethral catheterization in a patient with T6 complete paraplegia at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department in a tertiary care teaching hospital, India. Diagnosis was established by an abdominal ultrasound. The misplaced catheter tip was withdrawn from the ureteric orifice and hydronephrosis was resolved.