Conservative Treatment of Neonatal Brachial Plexus Palsy: A Narrative Review.

Neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP) is a flaccid paralysis of the upper limbs that occurs in about 0.4 percent of live births. This condition can produce permanent disabilities; to date, there is no consensus on protocols to be applied for the rehabilitation of children with this condition.

Methods of diagnosis and rehabilitation of dysphagia in patients with spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

Introduction: Latest epidemiological metrics put a global prevalence of 20.6 million people suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI), leading to a burden of functional disability, deterioration in quality of life and reduced life expectancy. A thorough statement of diagnostic methods and treatment protocols for swallowing disorders after SCI stands as a major priority to streamline patient care and cost-sharing.

Constipation and pain in Parkinson's disease: a clinical analysis.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS). Among NMS, constipation and pain are both highly prevalent and debilitating affecting up to 80% of PD patients and impairing their quality of life. Here, we investigated the relationship between constipation and pain in PD patients.

Prediction of Lower Urinary Tract, Sexual, and Bowel Function, and Autonomic Dysreflexia after Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces damage to the somatic and autonomic pathways that regulate lower urinary tract, sexual, and bowel function, and increases the risk of autonomic dysreflexia. The recovery of these functions has a high impact on health, functioning, and quality of life and is set as the utmost priority by patients. The application of reliable models to predict lower urinary tract, sexual, and bowel function, and autonomic dysreflexia is important for guiding counseling, rehabilitation, and social reintegration.

The know-how solution to Kraemer's puzzle.

In certain cases, people judge that agents bring about ends intentionally but also that they do not bring about the means that brought about those ends intentionally-even though bringing about the ends and means is just as likely. We call this difference in judgments the Kraemer effect. We offer a novel explanation for this effect: a perceived difference in the extent to which agents know how to bring about the means and the ends explains the Kraemer effect.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Italian version of the Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire in individuals with peripheral facial palsy.

Background: After peripheral facial palsy, the onset of facial synkinesis results in aesthetic disfigurement and local muscle tension or pain, with possible deterioration of patient's well-being and social participation. The availability of valid instruments to evaluate patient-reported severity of facial synkinesis is important to capture the subjective perception of facial impairment.

Aim: To generate and validate an Italian version of the Synkinesis Assessment Questionnaire, a patient-reported outcome measure to assess patient-perceived severity of facial synkinesis after peripheral facial palsy.

Prediction of bowel management independence after ischemic spinal cord injury.

Background: Ischemic spinal cord injury (SCI) belongs to the heterogeneous group of non-traumatic SCI, while the course of sensorimotor and functional recovery is comparable to traumatic SCI. Recently, we derived from data of patients with traumatic SCI a valid model to predict an independent and reliable bowel management one year after SCI.

Aim: To evaluate the performance of this model to predict an independent and reliable bowel management one year following ischemic SCI.

Gait Alterations in Adults after Ankle Fracture: A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: Ankle fracture results in pain, swelling, stiffness and strength reduction, leading to an altered biomechanical behavior of the joint during the gait cycle. Nevertheless, a common pattern of kinematic alterations has still not been defined. To this end, we analyzed the literature on instrumental gait assessment after ankle fracture, and its correlation with evaluator-based and patient-reported outcome measures.

Facial Disability Index in Adults With Peripheral Facial Palsy: Rasch Analysis and Suggestions for Refinement.

Objective: To investigate the psychometric properties of the validated Italian version of the Facial Disability Index (FDI), a patient-reported outcome measure widely used to assess individuals with peripheral facial palsy.

Design: Methodological research on cross-sectional data from a convenience sample.

Setting: Outpatient university rehabilitation clinic.

Dynamics of biomarkers across the stages of traumatic spinal cord injury - implications for neural plasticity and repair.

Background: Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex medical condition causing significant physical disability and psychological distress. While the adult spinal cord is characterized by poor regenerative potential, some recovery of neurological function is still possible through activation of neural plasticity mechanisms. We still have limited knowledge about the activation of these mechanisms in the different stages after human SCI.

Reliability and validity of the international standards for neurological classification of spinal cord injury in patients with non-traumatic spinal cord lesions.

Study Design: Prospective, observational study.

Objectives: The International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) represent the gold standard for the assessment of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their measurement properties have been evaluated in patients with traumatic lesions. Albeit the ISNCSCI are widely used also for the assessment and prognosis of patients with non-traumatic SCI, a validation of this grading system in this sample has never been performed.

External Validation Confirms Validity of a Simple Model to Predict Bowel Outcome After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

. The prediction of functional outcomes after spinal cord injury (SCI) is essential to plan the rehabilitation phase and the social reintegration. Recently, 2 models to predict independent and reliable bowel management 1 year after traumatic SCI have been derived and validated in 2 cohorts of patients included in the European Multicenter Study about Spinal Cord Injury (EMSCI).

Activity limitations and participation restrictions in patients with peripheral facial palsy: a cross-sectional study over a six-year period.

Background: Peripheral facial palsy is a pathological condition caused by a wide range of etiologies. A damage of VII cranial nerve produces facial disfigurement and limitations in daily life activities, such as drinking, eating and speaking. As a consequence, patients may experience psychological distress and social isolation.

Evaluation of Patient Motivation and Satisfaction During Technology-Assisted Rehabilitation: An Experiential Review.

The aim of this experiential review is to explore the state of the art of the literature regarding the evaluation tools available for assessment of patient motivation and satisfaction during technology-assisted rehabilitation (robot rehabilitation, virtual reality rehabilitation, and serious games rehabilitation). A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature published from January 1990 to August 2019 was conducted. The protocol for this review was registered in PROSPERO and carried out in accordance with the PRISMA recommendations.

Comparison of outcomes between people with and without central cord syndrome.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Objective: Central cord syndrome (CCS) is reported to have better outcomes than other cervical lesions, especially for ambulation and bladder recovery. However, a formal comparison between patients with CCS and other incomplete cervical spinal cord injuries (iCSCI) is lacking.

Bowel Outcome Prediction After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Predicting functional outcomes after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is essential for counseling, rehabilitation planning, and discharge. Moreover, the outcome prognosis is crucial for patient stratification when designing clinical trials. However, no valid prediction rule is currently available for bowel outcomes after a SCI.

Electrophysiological Multimodal Assessments Improve Outcome Prediction in Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

Outcome prediction after spinal cord injury (SCI) is essential for early counseling and orientation of the rehabilitative intervention. Moreover, prognostication of outcome is crucial to achieving meaningful stratification when conceiving clinical trials. Neurophysiological examinations are commonly employed for prognostication after SCI, but whether neurophysiology could improve the functional prognosis based on clinical predictors remains an open question.

Prediction of bladder outcomes after ischemic spinal cord injury: A longitudinal cohort study from the European multicenter study about spinal cord injury.

Objective: The recovery of bladder function after spinal cord injury (SCI) is of major importance for patients and caregivers. We recently developed prediction models of bladder outcomes (defined as the capacity of storing the urine and emptying completely the bladder) 1 year after a SCI of traumatic etiology and investigated if these models would also be applicable to patients with ischemic SCI.

Patients And Methods: From the European multicenter study about spinal cord injury (EMSCI), we extracted data of all ischemic SCI patients with available neurological and functional data (according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury, ISNCSCI, and Spinal Cord Independence Measure, SCIM) within 40 days and bladder outcomes 1 year after ischemia.

Prediction of Bladder Outcomes after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: Neurogenic bladder dysfunction represents one of the most common and devastating sequelae of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). As early prediction of bladder outcomes is essential to counsel patients and to plan neurourological management, we aimed to develop and validate a model to predict urinary continence and complete bladder emptying 1 y after traumatic SCI.

Methods And Findings: Using multivariate logistic regression analysis from the data of 1,250 patients with traumatic SCI included in the European Multicenter Spinal Cord Injury study, we developed two prediction models of urinary continence and complete bladder emptying 1 y after traumatic SCI and performed an external validation in 111 patients.

Long-term facial improvement after repeated BoNT-A injections and mirror biofeedback exercises for chronic facial synkinesis: a case-series study.

Background: Only few studies have considered the effects of the combined treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT-A) injections and biofeedback (BFB) rehabilitation in the recovery of postparetic facial synkinesis (PPFS).

Aim: To explore the presence of a persistent improvement in facial function out of the pharmacological effect of BoNT-A in subjects with established PPFS, after repeated sessions of BoNT-A injections combined with an educational facial training program using mirror biofeedback (BFB) exercises. Secondary objective was to investigate the trend of the presumed persistent improvement.

Rehabilitation and functional recovery after masseteric-facial nerve anastomosis.

Background: After masseteric-facial nerve (V-VII) anastomosis, a new neurological circuit oversees the facial muscles and patients should learn to activate the facial movements using the masseteric function.

Aim: To monitor the rehabilitative protocol of facial muscles activation through teeth clenching and to assess the clinical evolution after V-VII anastomosis in terms of facial symmetry and functional recovery.

Design: Case series.

Hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis and rehabilitation in patients with complete facial palsy: cohort study of 30 patients followed up for three years.

Our study evaluates the grade and timing of recovery in 30 patients with complete facial paralysis (House-Brackmann grade VI) treated with hypoglossal-facial nerve (XII-VII) anastomosis and a long-term rehabilitation program, consisting of exercises in facial muscle activation mediated by tongue movement and synkinesis control with mirror feedback. Reinnervation after XII-VII anastomosis occurred in 29 patients, on average 5.4 months after surgery.

Early rehabilitative treatment for pediatric acute disseminated encephalomyelitis: case report.

Although the diagnosis of and therapy for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) have been extensively investigated, the role of rehabilitation in modifying its functional outcome has received little attention in the literature so far. We report a case of pediatric ADEM who showed complete functional recovery following early rehabilitative treatment, started in the Intensive Care Unit.

Functional and social limitations after facial palsy: expanded and independent validation of the Italian version of the facial disability index.

Background: The Facial Disability Index (FDI) is widely used for self-assessment of functional impairment and quality of life in patients with facial palsy.

Objective: The study aim was to complete the validation of the FDI by generating an Italian version (IT-FDI) and evaluating its clinimetric properties.

Design: This was a longitudinal, observational measurement study.