Synergistic efficacy of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation on central intermittent theta burst stimulation for upper limb function in patients with stroke: a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Background: Non-invasive techniques such as central intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) have shown promise in improving motor function for patients with stroke. However, the combined efficacy of rPMS and central iTBS has not been extensively studied. This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the synergistic effects of rPMS and central iTBS in patients with stroke.

Application of Supercharge End-to-Side (SETS) Obturator to Femoral Nerve Transfer in Electrical Injury-Induced Neuropathy to Improve Knee Extension.

Femoral nerve injuries are devastating injuries that lead to paralysis of the quadriceps muscles, weakening knee extension to prohibit ambulation. We report a devastating case of electrical injury-induced femoral neuropathy, where no apparent site of nerve disruption can be identified, thus inhibiting the traditional choices of nerve reconstruction such as nerve repair, grafting, or transfer. Concomitant spinal cord injury resulted in spastic myopathy of the antagonist muscles that further restricted knee extension.

Management of Major Burns in 37 Casualties of a Colored Powder Explosion: Experience of the Linkou Burn Center in Taiwan.

Background: On June 27, 2015, a colored powder explosion occurred in Taiwan. As a result, 499 people were injured, and over 200 people were in critical condition because of severe burns. Forty-nine casualties were transported to the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

Outcomes of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and acute myocardial infarction: a propensity score-matched, 15-year nationwide population-based study in Asia.

Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) entails thickening of the myocardium and an increased risk of ischaemia. However, the prognosis of patients with HCM with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is incompletely understood.

Methods: Medical information was retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database in 1997-2011.

Clinical outcomes of peripartum cardiomyopathy: a 15-year nationwide population-based study in Asia.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is the development of heart failure during late pregnancy to months postpartum with potential fatal outcome. However, the disease is not well-studied in Asia.We aimed to investigate the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of PPCM in Taiwan.

Anterolateral Thigh Flap for Reconstruction in Postburn Axillary Contractures.

Background: Reconstruction of postburn axillary contractures is difficult and particularly challenging without healthy adjacent soft tissue for axillary scar resurfacing. In this case, a free soft-tissue transfer is among the best treatment options. Here, we describe our experience with free anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap for reconstruction in postburn axillary contractures.

Aesthetic Multiple-Toe Reconstruction With Combined Iliac Bone Graft and Wraparound Free Anterolateral Thigh Flap-A Case Report and Literature Review.

Compared with upper extremity injuries, toe amputations and their replantations are rare because of the difficulty of their relatively thinner soft tissue envelope. Consequently, fewer reconstructive options are available for toes and they are rarely reported in the literature. In this study, we reported a case of right third to fifth toe amputations and their subsequent reconstruction with iliac bone grafts and a free anterolateral thigh flap.

Younger Children with Cerebral Palsy Respond Better Than Older Ones to Therapist-Based Constraint-Induced Therapy at Home on Functional Outcomes and Motor Control.

Aims: To examine the differences in efficacy of home-based constraint-induced therapy (CIT) on functional outcomes and motor control in two age groups of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: Twenty-three children with spastic unilateral CP receiving 4-week home-based CIT by a therapist were divided into younger (6-8 years; n = 11) and older (9-12 years; n = 12) groups. The home-based CIT involved intensive functional training of the more affected upper-limb while restraining the less affected upper-limb.

Comparison of motor performance of upper and lower extremities in dual-task tests in patients with mild Alzheimer's dementia.

Background: Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is a progressive disease that threatens the self-care and quality of life of elderly people. Early diagnosis and early treatment are crucial.

Aim: To examine the difference in executive function of patients with AD by analyzing their performance in gait analysis (Vicon MX system) and a trial making test (TMT) while counting forward or backward.

Potential predictors for health-related quality of life in stroke patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation.

Background: Improving HRQOL is the desired outcome for patients with stroke undergoing inpatient rehabilitation services. This study aimed to comprehensively identify the potential health-related quality of life (HRQOL) predictors in patients with stroke undergoing inpatient rehabilitation within the first year after stroke; thus far, such an investigation has not been conducted.

Methods: We enrolled 119 patients (88 males, 31 females) with stroke, and examined 12 potential predictors: age, sex, stroke type, stroke side, duration after onset, cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination; MMSE), depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II), stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; NIHSS), upper- and lower-extremity motor function scores of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scale, balance (Berg Balance Scale; BBS), and functional status (Functional Independence Measure).

Botulinum Toxin type A injections for patients with painful hallux valgus: a double-blind, randomized controlled study.

Hallux valgus (HV) related pain and disability remains a medical challenge to date. We have evaluated the therapeutic effect of intramuscular Botulinum Toxin type A (BTX-A) injection on painful HV in a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Sixteen patients having painful HV in at least one foot from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at a medical center in northern Taiwan have participated.

Predictors of participation change in various areas for preschool children with cerebral palsy: a longitudinal study.

This study identifies potential predictors of participation changes in various areas for preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP). Eighty children with CP (2-6 years) were enrolled. Seven potential predictors were identified: age; sex; socioeconomic status, CP subtype; cognitive function, Function Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), and motor composite variable from 5 motor factors (gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) level; bimanual fine motor function level; selective motor control score; Modified Ashworth Scale score; and Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure).

Sedative music facilitates deep sleep in young adults.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of sedative music on the different stages of the sleep cycle in young adults with various sleep latencies by using polysomnography (PSG).

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled, crossover study.

Setting: Sleep center of a teaching hospital.

Validity and clinimetric properties of the Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure in children with cerebral palsy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the validity, responsiveness, and clinimetric properties of the Spinal Alignment and Range of Motion Measure (SAROMM) in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: Sixty-two children with CP (40 males, 22 females) with a median age of 3 years and 11 months (range 1-6y) and their caregivers participated in this study. Among the children, 56 had spastic CP while six had non-spastic CP; 53 had bilateral CP, while nine had unilateral limb involvement.

Aging is associated with increased activities of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 in tenocytes.

Background: Most tendon pathology is associated with degeneration, which is thought to involve cyclic loading and cumulative age-related changes in tissue architecture. However, the association between aging and degeneration of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tendons has not been investigated extensively.

Methods: We examined tenocytes from Achilles tendons taken from rats of three different ages (2, 12, and 24 months).

Motor factors associated with health-related quality-of-life in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between fine and gross motor skills and cerebral palsy-specific quality-of-life in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.

Design: Thirty-nine children with cerebral palsy (29 boys, 10 girls; mean age ± SD, 8.8 ± 2.

Botulinum toxin type A on oral health in treating sialorrhea in children with cerebral palsy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Intrasalivary gland injection of botulinum toxin type A is known to treat sialorrhea effectively in children with cerebral palsy. However, oral health may be compromised with escalating dose. In this randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled pilot trial, the authors aim to determine the therapeutic effect of low-dose, ultrasonography-controlled botulinum toxin type A injection to bilateral parotid and submandibular glands on oral health in the management of sialorrhea.

Kinematic features of rear-foot motion using anterior and posterior ankle-foot orthoses in stroke patients with hemiplegic gait.

Objective: To evaluate the kinematic features of rear-foot motion during gait in hemiplegic stroke patients, using anterior ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs), posterior AFOs, and no orthotic assistance.

Design: Crossover design with randomization for the interventions.

Setting: A rehabilitation center for adults with neurologic disorders.

Factors associated with bone density in different skeletal regions in children with cerebral palsy of various motor severities.

Aim: To analyse factors associated with bone density in different skeletal regions in children with cerebral palsy (CP) of various motor severities.

Method: We examined 56 children with spastic CP (10 diplegia, 12 hemiplegia and 34 quadriplegia) aged 4 to 12 years (35 males, 21 females) and 29 typically developing children. Children with CP were stratified into three groups based on Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to II (n = 22), III (n = 8), and IV to V (n = 26).

Relationship between unstimulated salivary flow rate and saliva composition of healthy children in Taiwan.

Background: Saliva is one of the most important factors in regulating oral health, with flow rate and composition changing throughout development and during disease. In view of the shortage of data, the present study aimed to shed light on the relationship between unstimulated salivary flow rate and saliva composition of healthy children in Taiwan.

Methods: Forty-four normal, healthy children from 3-14 years of age were divided into three age groups: pre-school, elementary school and junior-high school.

Effect of Kinesio taping on muscle strength in athletes-a pilot study.

Muscle strength is a key component of an athlete's performance and may be influenced by taping. This study examined the possible immediate and delayed effects of Kinesio taping on muscle strength in quadriceps and hamstring when taping is applied to the anterior thigh of healthy young athletes. Fourteen healthy young athletes (seven males and seven females) free of knee problems were enrolled in this study.

Autonomic dysreflexia triggered by an unstable lumbar spine in a quadriplegic patient.

A 40 year-old man with C5 complete quadriplegia, had L2-L3 pyogenic spondylitis treated with debridement and fusion of the lumbar spine with left iliac bone graft. Three months later he developed symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia, including headache, cold sweating, and hypertension whenever he was in an upright position. These symptoms resolved after lying down.