Transcranial magnetic stimulation maps the neurophysiology of chronic noncancer pain: A scoping review.

Background: Chronic noncancer pain is a global public health challenge. It is imperative to identify biological markers ("biomarkers") to understand the mechanisms underlying chronic pain and to monitor pain over time and after interventions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a promising method for this purpose.

Better cognitive function predicts maintenance of dual-task walking ability over time among people with relapsing-remitting MS.

Objective: Physical fitness and preserved cognitive function may provide neuroprotection in multiple sclerosis (MS), but few studies have examined their role in symptom progression over time. Dual-task paradigms can be useful to detect subtle impairment among people with MS in early stages of the disease. The present study investigated whether higher aerobic fitness or greater cognitive function could predict performance in dual-task walking 1-2 years later among people with mild or no MS-related walking impairment.

Bipedal hopping as a new measure to detect subtle sensorimotor impairment in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Bipedal hopping has the potential to detect subtle multiple sclerosis (MS)-related impairments, especially among patients who "pass" typical movement tests. In this narrative review, we outline the biomechanics of bipedal hopping and propose its usefulness as a novel outcome measure for people with MS having mild disability.

Methods: We summarize articles that (1) examined the biomechanics of jumping or hopping and (2) tested the validity and/or reliability of hopping tests.

Spatiotemporal Gait Measurement With a Side-View Depth Sensor Using Human Joint Proposals.

We propose a method for calculating standard spatiotemporal gait parameters from individual human joints with a side-view depth sensor. Clinical walking trials were measured concurrently by a side-view Kinect and a pressure-sensitive walkway, the Zeno Walkway. Multiple joint proposals were generated from depth images by a stochastic predictor based on the Kinect algorithm.

Reliability of gait and dual-task measures in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Single-task (ST) and dual-task (DT) assessments are commonly used to evaluate motor and cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Although variability can influence repeated DT testing measures, the reliability of several DT variables over time has not been adequately explored. For instance, a third testing session has never been included to observe whether DT has a learning effect.

Perspectives of People with Multiple Sclerosis About Helminth Immunotherapy.

Background: Due to the chronic and incurable nature of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS), some people with MS will seek out alternative therapeutic approaches. Helminth immunotherapy, the deliberate inoculation with helminthic parasites as an intervention to prevent, delay, or minimize progression of autoimmune disorders, is one such approach gaining traction in academic research and with the public. Herein, we explored the perspectives of people with MS regarding helminth immunotherapy and its use in disease management.

A critical analysis of helminth immunotherapy in multiple sclerosis.

Helminthic worms are ancestral members of the intestinal ecosystem that have been largely eradicated from the general population in industrialized countries. Immunomodulatory mechanisms induced by some helminths mediate a "truce" between the mammalian host and the colonizing worm, thus allowing for long-term persistence in the absence of immune-mediated collateral tissue damage. This concept and the geographic discrepancy between global burdens of chronic inflammatory diseases and helminth infection have sparked interest in the potential of using helminthic worms as a therapeutic intervention to limit the progression of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

Under-treated depression negatively impacts lifestyle behaviors, participation and health-related quality of life among older people with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: To what extent depression may negatively impact successful aging with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not known. We examined the impact of depression/depressive symptoms on lifestyle choices (diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol), participation and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among older people living with MS (n = 742).

Methods: Based on self-reported depression diagnosis and scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, we divided the sample into four groups: 1.

A systematic review of reviews: Recruitment and retention of rural family physicians.

Introduction: The recruitment and retention of family physicians in rural and remote communities has been the topic of many reviews; however, a lack of consensus among them with regard to which factors are most influential makes it difficult for setting priorities. We performed a systematic review of reviews which helped to establish an overall conclusion and provided a set of fundamental influential factors, regardless of the consistency or generalisability of the findings across reviews. This review also identified the knowledge gaps and areas of priority for future research.

Identifying Indicators of National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) Success in Nursing Graduates in Newfoundland & Labrador.

In Canada in 2015, the pass rates on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) were considerably lower than pass rates on the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE) causing nurse educators to express concern regarding the NCLEX-RN. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between candidate variables (e. g.

Exploring the utility of the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model in evaluating nursing contributions in primary health care: A scoping review.

Aims: To inform a discussion for the applicability of using the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model (NREM) in the primary health care setting through a synthesis of the literature that has used the model in all health care sectors.

Design: Scoping Review.

Methods: Articles were considered for inclusion if they discussed any aspect of the NREM in health care research that presented information related to any nursing regulatory designation, such as nurse practitioner (NP), registered nurse (RN), licensed/registered practical nurse (LPN/RPN) and considered both quantitative and qualitative study designs, including expert opinions and reports.

Synergistic Benefits of Combined Aerobic and Cognitive Training on Fluid Intelligence and the Role of IGF-1 in Chronic Stroke.

Background: Paired exercise and cognitive training have the potential to enhance cognition by "priming" the brain and upregulating neurotrophins.

Methods: Two-site randomized controlled trial. Fifty-two patients >6 months poststroke with concerns about cognitive impairment trained 50 to 70 minutes, 3× week for 10 weeks with 12-week follow-up.

Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor as potential recovery biomarkers in stroke.

Objectives: Our objectives were: 1) to determine whether maximal aerobic exercise increased serum neurotrophins in chronic stroke and 2) to determine the factors that predict resting and exercise-dependent levels.

Methods: We investigated the potential predictors of resting and exercise-dependent serum insulin-like growth factor-1 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor among 35 chronic stroke patients. Predictors from three domains (demographic, disease burden, and cardiometabolic) were entered into 4 separate stepwise linear regression models with outcome variables: resting insulin-like growth factor, resting brain-derived neurotrophic factor, exercise-dependent change in insulin-like growth factor, and exercise-dependent change brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

Bipedal hopping timed to a metronome to detect impairments in anticipatory motor control in people with mild multiple sclerosis.

Background: People with mild multiple sclerosis (MS) often report subtle deficits in balance and cognition but display no measurable impairment on clinical assessments. We examined whether hopping to a metronome beat had the potential to detect anticipatory motor control deficits among people with mild MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale ≤ 3.5).

Excessive sedentary time during in-patient stroke rehabilitation.

Background and Purpose Previous research suggests that patients receiving inpatient stroke rehabilitation are sedentary although there is little data to confirm this supposition within the Canadian healthcare system. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to observe two weeks of inpatient rehabilitation in a tertiary stroke center to determine patients' activity levels and sedentary time. Methods Heart rate (HR) and accelerometer data were measured using an Actiheart monitor for seven consecutive days, 24 h/day, on the second week and the last week of admission.

Therapists' cues influence lower limb muscle activation and kinematics during gait training in subacute stroke.

Purpose: Symmetrical gait is a key goal of rehabilitation post-stroke. Therapists employ techniques such as verbal instruction and haptic cues to increase activation of paretic muscles. We examined whether verbal or tactile cueing altered spatiotemporal gait parameters, kinematics and electromyography (EMG) of lower limb muscles on the more-affected side within a training session.

Bipedal Hopping Reveals Evidence of Advanced Neuromuscular Aging Among People With Mild Multiple Sclerosis.

Measures of walking such as the timed 25-ft walk test (T25FWT) may not be able to detect subtle impairment in lower limb function among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). We examined bipedal hopping to determine to what extent people with mild (Expanded Disease Severity Scale ≤ 3.5) MS (n = 13) would differ compared to age-, gender-, and education-matched controls (n = 9) and elderly participants (n = 13; ≥ 70 years old).

Walking impairs cognitive performance among people with multiple sclerosis but not controls.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) complain of problems completing two tasks simultaneously; sometimes called 'dual-tasking' (DT). Previous research in DT among people with MS has focused on how adding a cognitive task interferes with gait and few have measured how adding a motor task could interfere with cognition. We aimed to determine the extent to which walking affects a concurrent working memory task in people with MS compared to healthy controls.

Comparing Three Dual-Task Methods and the Relationship to Physical and Cognitive Impairment in People with Multiple Sclerosis and Controls.

Dual-tasking (DT) is a measure to detect impairments in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). We compared three DT methods to determine whether cognitive (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)) or physical disability (Expanded Disease Severity Scale; EDSS) was related to DT performance. We recruited MS participants with low disability (<3 EDSS, n = 13) and high disability (≥3 EDSS, n = 9) and matched controls (n = 13).