EFFECTIVENESS OF RADIAL EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCKWAVE THERAPY IN THE LOCAL MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTONIA (SPASTICITY AND DYSTONIA) IN PATIENTS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY.

Objective: To assess the effect of radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy on the reduction of local hypertonia in patients with cerebral palsy.

Design: Explorative pre-post intervention study.

Subjects/patients: Forty-five patients with cerebral palsy.

Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the management of spasticity in cerebral palsy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Spasticity is the most common motor disorder in cerebral palsy (CP), and its management is complex, posing a significant challenge for the rehabilitation team. Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) has emerged in recent years as an effective, non-invasive, and low-risk alternative for the management of spasticity in CP patients, with only minor side effects such as small bruises or discomfort during application. There is great variability in rESWT administration protocols, ranging from a single session up to the 12 sessions.

Diesel exhaust particles exposure exacerbates pro-thrombogenic plasma features after cerebral ischemia and accelerates tPA-induced clot-lysis in hypertensive subjects.

The combustion of fossil fuels, mainly by diesel engines, generates Diesel Exhaust Particles (DEP) which are the main source of Particulate Matter (PM), a major air pollutant in urban areas. These particles are a risk factor for stroke with 5.6% of cases attributed to PM exposure.

Functional Recovery and Serum Angiogenin Changes According to Intensity of Rehabilitation Therapy After Stroke.

Rehabilitation is still the only treatment available to improve functional status after the acute phase of stroke. Most clinical guidelines highlight the need to design rehabilitation treatments considering starting time, intensity, and frequency, according to the tolerance of the patient. However, there are no homogeneous protocols and the biological effects are under investigation.

Importance of Angiogenin and Endothelial Progenitor Cells After Rehabilitation Both in Ischemic Stroke Patients and in a Mouse Model of Cerebral Ischemia.

Rehabilitation therapy is the only available treatment for stroke survivors presenting neurological deficits; however, the underlying molecules and mechanisms associated with functional/motor improvement during rehabilitation are poorly understood. Our aim is to study the modulation of angiogenin and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) as repair-associated factors in a cohort of stroke patients and mouse models of rehabilitation after cerebral ischemia. The clinical study included 18 ischemic strokes admitted to an intensive rehabilitation therapy (IRT) unit, 18 non-ischemic controls and brain samples from three deceased patients.