Establishing minimal clinically important differences and cut-off values for the lower limb motricity index and trunk control test in older patients with acute stroke: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To establish the Minimal Clinically Important Differences (MCIDs) for lower limb strength measured by the Motricity Index (LLMI) and trunk function assessed by the Trunk Control Test (TCT) in the acute phase of stroke in older patients. Further, the study sought to determine the cutoff values predicting functional prognosis at discharge for both the LLMI and TCT.

Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted for older patients (≥65 years) admitted for acute stroke, receiving guideline-based stroke care that includes early rehabilitation.

Impact of possible sarcopenia on functional prognosis in patients with acute stroke with premorbid disability.

Aim: How possible sarcopenia affects functional prognosis in patients with premorbid disability remains unclear. This study aimed to compare and investigate the impact of possible sarcopenia at admission on functional outcomes at discharge in patients with acute stroke with and without premorbid disability.

Methods: This cohort study enrolled patients who were consecutively admitted to a single center for acute stroke.

Malnutrition on admission is associated with trunk function recovery but not with lower limb muscle strength recovery in patients with acute stroke: an observational cohort study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of malnutrition on trunk function and lower leg muscle strength in patients with acute stroke upon hospitalization.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included hospitalized patients with acute stroke. Nutritional status was assessed using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition criteria.

Comparison of bubble removal performances of five membrane oxygenators with and without a pre-filter.

When employing minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation (MiECC), the removal of bubbles in the circuit is important to prevent air embolism. We investigated the bubble removal performance of the FHP oxygenator with a pre-filter and compared it with that of four oxygenators, including the Fusion oxygenator, Quadrox oxygenator, Inspire oxygenator, and FX oxygenator. A closed test circuit filled with an aqueous glycerin solution was used.

[Two cases of urolithiasis induced by topiramate].

Topiramate is an antiepileptic medicine that has been used adjunctively in the treatment of refractory seizures in Japan since 2007. Topiramate has been shown to inhibit specific carbonic anhydrase activity in the kidney and may induce a distal type of renal tubular acidosis. Case 1 : A 22-year-old male was referred to our hospital after complaining of left flank pain.

Ground state lasing at 1.30 microm from InAs/GaAs quantum dot lasers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.

We investigated the effects of post-growth annealing on the photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The onset temperature at which both the peak linewidth and the PL intensity degraded and the blueshift of the ground state emission wavelength occurred was found to depend on both the QD density and the In composition of the capping layer. This behavior is particularly important in view of QD integration in photonic devices.