The Diagnostic Accuracy of Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler Ultrasound Technique in Stratifying Intracranial Cerebral Artery Stenoses in Cerebrovascular Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The early and accurate stratification of intracranial cerebral artery stenosis (ICAS) is critical to inform treatment management and enhance the prognostic outcomes in patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is an invasive and expensive procedure but is the gold standard for the diagnosis of ICAS. Over recent years, transcranial color-coded Doppler ultrasound (TCCD) has been suggested to be a useful imaging method for accurately diagnosing ICAS.

A Comparative Study of Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler (TCCD) and Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Ultrasonography Techniques in Assessing the Intracranial Cerebral Arteries Haemodynamics.

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) poses a major public health and socio-economic burden worldwide due to its high morbidity and mortality rates. Accurate assessment of cerebral arteries' haemodynamic plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment management of CVD. The study compared a non-imaging transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) and transcranial color-coded Doppler ultrasound (with (cTCCD) and without (ncTCCD)) angle correction in quantifying middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) haemodynamic parameters.

Predictive factors for home discharge after femoral fracture surgery: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Femoral fractures require protracted hospitalization and often preclude return to pre-fracture levels of mobility, function and prior residential status following hospital discharge. Early prediction of rehabilitation and discharge potential in patients with femoral fracture would optimize discharge planning.

Aim: To identify predictive factors of discharge destination during the early phase of femoral fracture rehabilitation.

Effect of physical exercise on fear of falling in patients with stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To consolidate the evidence on the effect of physical exercise on fear of falling in individuals with stroke.

Data Sources: PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Database and MEDLINE.

Methods: An extensive database search was conducted to identify the randomised controlled trials that examined the effect of physical exercise on fear of falling post-stroke.

Degree and pattern of dual-task interference during walking vary with component tasks in people after stroke: a systematic review.

Questions: What are the degree and pattern of dual-task interference during walking in people after stroke? How do these vary with disease chronicity and different component tasks in people after stroke? How does dual-task interference differ between people after stroke and people without stroke?

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis of studies reporting gait-related dual-task interference.

Participants: People after stroke and people without stroke.

Outcome Measures: Measures of walking and secondary (cognitive or manual) task performance under dual-task conditions relative to those under single-task conditions.

Physical exercise attenuates cognitive decline and reduces behavioural problems in people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review.

Questions: What is the effect of physical exercise on cognitive decline and behavioural problems in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia? What is the effect of physical exercise on particular domains of cognitive function? How do training protocols and patients' characteristics influence the outcomes?

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Participants: People with MCI or dementia as their primary diagnosis.

Intervention: Physical exercise.

Examining the relationships between environmental barriers and leisure in community-dwelling individuals living with stroke.

Objective:: To characterize environmental barriers to leisure participation among individuals living with stroke; examine relationships between environmental barriers and leisure interest and satisfaction; and investigate participant factors associated with the perception of environmental barriers.

Design:: Survey.

Setting:: Community.

Physical exercise improves strength, balance, mobility, and endurance in people with cognitive impairment and dementia: a systematic review.

Question: Does physical exercise training improve physical function and quality of life in people with cognitive impairment and dementia? Which training protocols improve physical function and quality of life? How do cognitive impairment and other patient characteristics influence the outcomes of exercise training?

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Participants: People with mild cognitive impairment or dementia as the primary diagnosis.

Intervention: Physical exercise.

Vitamin D status and cardiometabolic risk factors in young adults in Hong Kong: associations and implications.

Background And Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is reportedly common, but we lack data from young adults. Such data are of interest because epidemiological data support vitamin D as a possible risk modulator for diabetes and cardiovascular ('cardiometabolic') disease. Our objectives were to assess vitamin D status (as plasma 25(OH)D concentration) and investigate associations between this and biomarkers of cardiometabolic disease risk in a group of still-healthy young adults in Hong Kong.

Effects of whole-body vibration on balance and mobility in institutionalized older adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate whether a comprehensive exercise program was effective in improving physical function among institutionalized older adults and whether adding whole-body vibration to the program conferred additional therapeutic benefits.

Design: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted.

Setting: This study was carried out in residential care units.

Dual-task mobility among individuals with chronic stroke: changes in cognitive-motor interference patterns and relationship to difficulty level of mobility and cognitive tasks.

Background: Dual-task mobility performance is compromised after stroke.

Aim: This study evaluated how the difficulty level of mobility and cognitive tasks influenced the cognitive-motor interference pattern among individuals with chronic stroke and whether it differed from age-matched control participants.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Optimal frequency/time combination of whole body vibration training for developing physical performance of people with sarcopenia: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To determine whether frequency and exposure time to whole body vibration influenced its effects on physical performance in seniors with sarcopenia.

Design: Randomized controlled trial Setting: A university sports training laboratory.

Subjects: Eighty community dwelling seniors with sarcopenia were recruited.

Vitamin D deficiency, oxidative stress and antioxidant status: only weak association seen in the absence of advanced age, obesity or pre-existing disease.

Vitamin D deficiency (plasma 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D)70 % of participants were vitamin D deficient. No significant correlations and no biomarker differences across 25(OH)D quartiles or groups were seen except for total antioxidant status. A weak direct association (r 0·252, P<0·05) was observed between 25(OH)D and FRAP, and those in the lowest 25(OH)D quartile and group had significantly lower FRAP values.

Reducing sedentary time and fat mass may improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in adults surviving 6 months after stroke: A phase I pilot study.

Introduction: Deranged glycaemic control is common post-stroke, increasing risks of recurrent stroke and development of diabetes. The aim of the study is to examine glucose metabolism in relation to body composition, physical activity and sedentary time post-stroke.

Patients And Methods: Observational study: Non-diabetic adults, unable to walk independently, were recruited within 2 weeks of first stroke.

Psychometric properties of Brief-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Brief-BESTest) in evaluating balance performance in individuals with chronic stroke.

Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Brief-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Brief-BESTest) in individuals with chronic stroke.

Materials And Methods: This was an observational study with repeated measurements involving 50 participants with chronic stroke [mean (SD) age: 59.2 (7.

Generalization of Context-Specific Training in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Event-Related Potential Study.

Background: This study examined the neural processes associated with the generalization of the effect of context-specific (CS) training to noncontextual situations among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Fourteen and 16 participants with MCI were randomly allocated to a Chinese calligraphy writing (CW) training or a control group, respectively. The CW participants learned how to write Chinese strokes in a semicursive style to construct characters, tapping on working memory functions.

Optimal frequency/time combination of whole-body vibration training for improving muscle size and strength of people with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia): A randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To determine the optimal combination of frequency and exposure time of a whole-body vibration (WBV) training program for improving muscle performance of older people with age-related muscle loss.

Methods: A total of 80 community-dwelling older adults with age-related muscle loss were randomly divided into four equal groups, namely, low-frequency long duration (20 Hz × 720 s), medium-frequency medium duration (40 Hz × 360 s), high-frequency short duration (60 Hz × 240 s) and control (no training) for 12-week WBV training and 12-week follow up. Assessments were carried out at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, mid-follow up, follow up for the cross-sectional area of the vastus medialis, isometric knee extension strength at 90°, and isokinetic knee extension at 60°/s and 180°/s.

Vitamin D and oxidation-induced DNA damage: is there a connection?

Oxidation-induced damage to DNA can cause mutations, phenotypic changes and apoptosis. Agents that oppose such damage offer potential therapies for disease prevention. Vitamin D administration reportedly lowered DNA damage in type 2 diabetic mice, and higher DNA damage was reported in mononuclear cells of severely asthmatic patients who were vitamin D deficient.

The effect of vertical whole-body vibration on lower limb muscle activation in elderly adults: Influence of vibration frequency, amplitude and exercise.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how whole-body vibration (WBV) and exercise and their interactions influenced leg muscle activity in elderly adults.

Study Design: An experimental study with repeated measures design that involved a group of ambulatory, community-dwelling elderly adults (n=30; 23 women; mean age=61.4±5.

Whole-Body Vibration Intensities in Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: A single-blinded randomized controlled study was conducted to investigate the effects of different whole-body vibration (WBV) intensities on body functions/structures, activity, and participation in individuals with stroke.

Methods: Eighty-four individuals with chronic stroke (mean age = 61.2 yr, SD = 9.

Reliability and Validity of Dual-Task Mobility Assessments in People with Chronic Stroke.

Background: The ability to perform a cognitive task while walking simultaneously (dual-tasking) is important in real life. However, the psychometric properties of dual-task walking tests have not been well established in stroke.

Objective: To assess the test-retest reliability, concurrent and known-groups validity of various dual-task walking tests in people with chronic stroke.

Effects of whole body vibration on muscle spasticity for people with central nervous system disorders: a systematic review.

Objectives: To examine the effects of whole-body vibration on spasticity among people with central nervous system disorders.

Methods: Electronic searches were conducted using CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, PubMed, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and Scopus to identify randomized controlled trials that investigated the effect of whole-body vibration on spasticity among people with central nervous system disorders (last search in August 2015). The methodological quality and level of evidence were rated using the PEDro scale and guidelines set by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.

Correlation between tibial measurements using peripheral quantitative computed tomography and hip areal bone density measurements in ambulatory chronic stroke patients.

Objective: Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) has been increasingly used in stroke research. The correlations between tibial bone measurements by pQCT and hip areal bone mineral density (aBMD) measurements by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis) in chronic stroke patients were examined in this study. If the correlations were strong, there may be potential for further pursuit of clinical use of pQCT.

Effects of Vibration Intensity, Exercise, and Motor Impairment on Leg Muscle Activity Induced by Whole-Body Vibration in People With Stroke.

Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV) has increasingly been used as an adjunct treatment in neurological rehabilitation. However, how muscle activation level changes during exposure to different WBV protocols in individuals after stroke remains understudied.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of WBV intensity on the magnitude of biceps femoris (BF) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle activity and its interaction with exercise and with severity of motor impairment and spasticity among individuals with chronic stroke.