Impact of Clinician Personal Protective Equipment on Medical Device Use During Public Health Emergency: A Review.

The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the impact of personal protective equipment (PPE) on medical device use during public health emergency responses. We conducted a systematic literature search of peer-reviewed journals in PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases. Twenty-nine of 92 articles published between 1984 and 2015 met the inclusion criteria for the review.

Total hip arthroplasty head-neck contact mechanics: a stochastic investigation of key parameters.

A variety of design and patient parameters have been implicated in recent reports of fretting corrosion at modular connections in total hip arthroplasty. We sought to identify the relative sensitivity of mechanical fretting to a comprehensive set of parameters such that attention may be focused on key variables. Stochastic finite element simulation of the head-neck taper-trunnion junction was performed.

Studies of stroke rehabilitation therapies should report blinding and rationalize use of outcome measurement instruments.

Objective: To review the reporting of key design features in studies of stroke rehabilitation therapies.

Study Design And Setting: We used purposive sampling to examine English-language, human-subject, comparative studies focusing on stroke rehabilitation therapy provided the effect of therapy was evaluated in at least one of the following six outcome domains: ambulation, cognition, quality of life, daily activities, dysphagia, or communication. We searched MEDLINE®, CINAHL®, PsycINFO®, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (date range: January 2000 through late-January 2008) and extracted data from included studies using standardized forms.

Systematic reviews identify important methodological flaws in stroke rehabilitation therapy primary studies: review of reviews.

Objective: A "review of reviews" was undertaken to assess methodological issues in studies evaluating nondrug rehabilitation interventions in stroke patients.

Study Design And Setting: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from January 2000 to January 2008 within the stroke rehabilitation setting. Electronic searches were supplemented by reviews of reference lists and citations identified by experts.

Mobilizing mobile medical units for hurricane relief: the United States Public Health Service and Broward County Health Department response to hurricane Wilma, Broward County, Florida.

Objectives: To describe the outcomes of a collaborative response of federal, state, county, and local agencies in conducting syndromic surveillance and delivering medical care to persons affected by the storm through the use of mobile medical units.

Methods: Nine mobile medical vans were staffed with medical personnel to deliver care in communities affected by the storm. Individual patient encounter information was collected.

Evaluating interventions to improve gait in cerebral palsy: a meta-analysis of spatiotemporal measures.

A number of interventions to improve gait in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of these studies to determine the overall efficacy of these interventions. Effect sizes (Hedge's g) for spatiotemporal measures of gait (velocity, cadence, stride length) pre- and postintervention were analyzed.

In vivo talocrural and subtalar kinematics: a non-invasive 3D dynamic MRI study.

Background: To improve diagnostic accuracy, prevent injury, and reduce the effect of impairments on hindfoot function, an understanding of the combined in vivo kinematics of the talocrural and subtalar joints is critical. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of quantifying talocrural and subtalar joint kinematics using fast-phase contrast (fast-PC) MRI, a noninvasive, in-vivo technique for the study of three-dimensional joint motion.

Methods: Nine normal ankles and two ankles with a Stieda process were studied.

A case study of gait compensations for hip muscle weakness in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.

Background: The purpose of this case series was to quantify different strategies used to compensate in gait for hip muscle weakness.

Methods: An instrumented gait analysis was performed of three females diagnosed with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and compared to a healthy unimpaired subject. Lower extremity joint moments obtained from the gait analysis were used to drive an induced acceleration model which determined each moment's contribution to upright support, forward progression, and hip joint acceleration.

Using induced accelerations to understand knee stability during gait of individuals with muscle weakness.

The purpose of this case series was to quantify the effectiveness of different compensatory strategies used by individuals with muscle weakness to produce knee extension during the stance phase gait. Subjects were three males with less than anti-gravity strength in the quadriceps femoris and a variable pattern of weakness elsewhere in the lower extremity. They walked independently at a self-selected speed without assistive devices.

Multisegment foot motion during gait: proof of concept in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To test a multisegment foot model for kinematic analysis during barefoot walking in patients with well established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and foot impairments.

Methods: Five healthy adult subjects and 11 RA patients with advanced disease were studied. Foot impairments were assessed using standardized outcomes and clinical examination techniques.

Rehabilitation management of Friedreich ataxia: lower extremity force-control variability and gait performance.

We describe the rehabilitation management during a 12-month period of a 14-year-old female with Friedreich ataxia. Interventions included task-oriented bimanual reaching activities, functional strengthening, and gait training using a walker featuring tension-controlled wheels and a reverse-braking system. Her physical status was assessed with the Nine-Hole Peg Test, single limb stance time, manual muscle testing, self-reported falls, isometric force control testing, and 3-dimensional gait analysis in a motion-capture laboratory.

Joint moment control of mechanical energy flow during normal gait.

The study purpose was to estimate the ability of joint moments to transfer mechanical energy through the leg and trunk during gait. A segmental power analysis of five healthy adult subjects revealed that internal joint extensor moments removed energy from the leg and added energy to the trunk, while flexor moments and gravity produced the opposite effects. The only exception to this pattern was during the push off phase of gait when the ankle plantar flexor moment added energy to both the leg and the trunk.

Nonoperative management of functional hallux limitus in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background And Purpose: Functional hallux limitus (FHL) is a condition that affects motion at the first metatarsophalangeal joint and may lead to abnormal forefoot plantar pressures, pain, and difficulty with ambulation. The purpose of this case report is to describe a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and FHL who was managed with foot orthoses, footwear, shoe modifications, and patient education.

Case Description: The patient was a 55-year-old woman diagnosed with seropositive RA 10 years previously.

Brief assessment of motor function: reliability and concurrent validity of the Gross Motor Scale.

Objective: The Brief Assessment of Motor Function (BAMF) is a series of 10-point ordinal scales developed for rapid description of gross motor, fine motor, and oral motor performance. We examined interrater and intrarater reliability and concurrent validity of the BAMF Gross Motor Scale.

Design: This validation study included 48 children (age, 5 mo to 17 yr) with a wide range of gross motor capability.