Publications by authors named "Kasch H"

Purpose: Patient participation is a complex issue and difficult to establish, but essential to successful spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges experienced by nursing staff when they wanted to include the patient's perspective in their rehabilitation.

Methods: Action research methodology was applied to increase knowledge, develop competences, and ultimately change practice.

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: Whiplash trauma is a worldwide significant public health issue, with post-collision chronic pain and physical and mental disability; the prevalence of whiplash trauma in the Japanese general population is estimated at 1.2% and in the Danish general population the whiplash condition has been reported to be 2.9%.

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The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of low-load (LL) blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE) for improving lower limb muscle strength, muscle thickness and physical function in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). In a randomized sham-controlled trial, 21 participants (age ≥ 18 years, SCI duration ≥ 1 year, knee extensor strength grade 2-4, ASIA A-D) were randomized to either 45-min LL-BFRE (n = 11) or sham BFRE (n = 10) twice/week for 8 weeks. The exercise protocol consisted of four sets (30 × 15 × 15 × 15 repetitions) of unilateral seated leg extensions and leg curls at 30%-40% of 1RM performed with pneumatic cuffs applied proximally on the trained limb and inflated to 40% of total arterial occlusion pressure (BFRE) or non-inflated (sham exercise).

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To (1) investigate whether different labels for neck pain after a motor vehicle crash (MVC) influenced recovery expectations and management beliefs, (2) explore reasons for low recovery expectations and greater likelihood for lodging a claim, and (3) explore the moderating effect of neck pain history and sociodemographic characteristics. Online randomized experiment with nested qualitative content analysis. We randomized 2229 participants from the general population (mean age: 46.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to examine the safety and feasibility of low-load blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE) in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) by conducting a two-week intervention in a rehabilitation center.
  • - Six participants with motor incomplete SCI were involved, with outcomes measuring recruitment rates, intervention acceptability, blood pressure responses, and coagulation markers for deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
  • - Results indicated high intervention acceptability, with 95.8% adherence and no significant safety issues, although recruitment rates were low, suggesting the need for more extensive studies to confirm findings.
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Objectives: This systematic review evaluated the safety and efficacy of blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE) on skeletal muscle size, strength, and functional performance in individuals with neurological disorders (ND).

Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase. Two researchers independently assessed eligibility and performed data extraction and quality assessments.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the pharmacokinetics (how the drug moves in the body) and pharmacodynamics (the effects of the drug) of cannabis-based medicine (CBM) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffering from neuropathic pain and spasticity.
  • Out of 134 participants in a larger trial, 23 were focused on in this substudy, receiving either THC, CBD, a combination, or a placebo, with significant variability in dosages and individual responses observed.
  • Though the pharmacokinetic data was similar to previous findings in healthy individuals, no significant effects on the pain and spasticity parameters were noted, although adverse events were more common in the treatment groups compared to placebo.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the effect of cannabis-based medicine (CBM) on neuropathic pain (NP) and spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury (SCI) through a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Denmark.
  • A total of 134 patients were assigned to either THC, CBD, a combination of both, or a placebo for six weeks, but the results showed no significant differences in pain or spasticity levels between the active treatments and placebo.
  • Recruitment challenges due to COVID-19 led to fewer participants than planned, and ultimately, the findings indicated that CBM had no evident impact on NP or spasticity in the studied patient groups.
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Whiplash injuries are common in Denmark affecting around 16,000 new patients annually. Approximately 50% of the casualties develop chronic symptoms and 10% become disabled. Many of these patients will have contact to the healthcare system, and there is a need for structured and knowledge-based examination, diagnosis and recording of findings in all clinical settings.

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Inconsistent reporting of outcomes in clinical trials of treatments for whiplash associated disorders (WAD) hinders effective data pooling and conclusions about treatment effectiveness. A multidisciplinary International Steering Committee recently recommended 6 core outcome domains: Physical Functioning, Perceived Recovery, Work and Social Functioning, Psychological Functioning, Quality of Life and Pain. This study aimed to reach consensus and recommend a core outcome set (COS) representing each of the 6 domains.

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Purpose: Biochemical biomarkers to determine the injury severity and the potential for functional recovery of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) are highly warranted; however, it remains to be clarified whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or peripheral blood (PB) is the ideal sample media. This study aims to measure and compare biomarker concentrations in CSF and PB and to explore associations between biomarker concentrations and injury severity, i.e.

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•Proteomics enable profiling of inflammatory responses after spinal cord injury.•Proteins are differentially expressed over time.•Proteins are differentially expressed in cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood.

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Purpose: Triggering of inflammatory responses and disruption of blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) integrity are considered pivotal events in the pathophysiology of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Yet, these events are poorly understood and described in humans. This study aims to describe inflammatory responses and BSCB integrity in human TSCI.

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This study describes an interdisciplinary approach to develop a 5 degrees of freedom assistive upper limb exoskeleton (ULE) for users with severe to complete functional tetraplegia. Four different application levels were identified for the ULE ranging from basic technical application to interaction with users, interaction with caregivers and interaction with the society, each level posing requirements for the design and functionality of the ULE. These requirements were addressed through an interdisciplinary collaboration involving users, clinicians and researchers within social sciences and humanities, mechanical engineering, control engineering media technology and biomedical engineering.

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Aims: To explore the development of cervical motor and nociceptive dysfunction in patients with whiplash (WPs) and non-recovery based on injury-related work disability 1-year after injury when compared with ankle-injured controls (ACs).

Methods: A 1-year observational prospective study examining consecutive WPs and age- and sex-matched ACs at 1 week,3 months, 6 months, and 1 year post-injury using semi-structured interviews; global pain rating (VAS0-10) and the pain rating index (PRI-T) and number-of-words-chosen (NWC) from the McGill Pain Questionnaire; examining nociceptive functioning using the cold pressor test (CPT), pressure algometry, and methodic palpation, and central pain processing using counter-stimulation; and examining motor functioning by active cervical range-of-motion (CROM), and neck strength [maximal voluntary contraction flexion/extension (MVC)]. One-year work disability/non-recovery was determined using a semi-structured interview.

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Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are common after whiplash injury and are associated with poor recovery. The acute stress response may lead to pain sensitization and widespread pain, thereby compromising recovery. To our knowledge, no longitudinal study has assessed the associations between early PTSS and pain sensitization over time using quantitative sensory testing (QST).

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Study Design: Triangulated mixed-methods validation study.

Objectives: To validate the Danish version of the Spinal Cord Lesion-related Coping Strategies Questionnaire (SCL-CSQ).

Setting: Community in Denmark.

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Objectives: We hypothesized that the laparoscopic implantation of neuroprosthesis (LION) procedure would significantly alter the body composition of patients with chronic traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The objectives were to determine the effect of the LION procedure on lean mass (LM), fatty mass (FM), and bone mineral content (BMC) in patients with SCI.

Materials And Methods: Five consecutive patients underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans before the LION procedure and at the one-year postoperative follow-up to determine changes in LM, FM, and BMC.

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Objective: To determine how different facets of acceptance are related to quality of life (QoL) following spinal cord injury, after controlling for sociodemographic factors, injury-related variables, depression, and anxiety.

Participants: Adults with spinal cord injury.

Methods: Questionnaires were completed via research electronic data capture (REDCap).

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Article Synopsis
  • Young individuals with persistent post-traumatic headache (PTH) after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) often experience a combination of migraine-like and tension-type headaches, with migraine-like headaches also being prevalent.
  • Many participants reported triggers such as stress, sleep disturbances, and bright lights, with over 80% noting that work-related activities worsened their headaches, while rest provided relief.
  • Simple analgesics were the most commonly used treatment (88%), but prophylactic medications were rarely utilized (5%), and alternative strategies like bedrest and physiotherapy were also frequently employed.
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Study Design: Observational study OBJECTIVE: To describe body mass index (BMI) during rehabilitation in people with a newly sustained spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Inpatient SCI rehabilitation in Denmark.

Participants: Inpatients, >18 years, having sustained a SCI within the last 12 months at admission to primary rehabilitation, inclusive of various SCI etiology, neurological level, completeness of the lesion or mobility status.

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Objective: To determine the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation vs sham stimulation on improving lower-limb functional outcomes in individuals with neurological disorders.

Data Sources: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and Scopus databases were searched from inception to 31 March 2020 to identify papers (n = 1,198). Two researchers independently reviewed studies for eligibility.

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Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with substantial chronic morbidity and mortality. Routine imaging techniques such as T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not effective in predicting neurological deficiency grade or outcome. Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) is an MR imaging technique that provides microstructural information about biological tissue.

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